Colbert decides that if he loses his job as pundit, he can always become an astrophysicist.
It’s easy. Just go to school for 13 years! Then leave all that behind and become a beloved blogger who can’t get Colbert’s attention! Worked for me!
And don’t forget, Neil will be our keynote speaker at TAM 6.
If you went to BadAstronomy.com and found yourself here, never fear: the BA Blog has moved to its new home at Discover Blogs. The original BA site (with the Moon Hoax debunking and all that) is still online, too.
Phil Plait, the creator of Bad Astronomy, is an astronomer, lecturer, and author. After ten years working on Hubble Space Telescope and six more working on astronomy education, he struck out on his own as a writer. He has written two books, dozens of magazine articles, and 12 bazillion blog articles. He is a skeptic, and fights misuses of science as well as praising the wonder of real science.
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"Reading this book is like getting punched in the face by Carl Sagan. Frightening, but oddly exhilarating."
-- Daniel H. Wilson, author of How to Survive a Robot Uprising
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February 14th, 2008 at 1:51 pm
Phil, we should REALLY get you on there to talk about the moon hoax. Colbert’d have a field day with that.
“Well we had to beat the Ruskies somehow, didn’t we?”
Although talking about the new book would be a lot of fun on that show, as well.
February 14th, 2008 at 1:52 pm
Best line in there “Looks like someone hacked up a Globular Cluster”
February 14th, 2008 at 1:59 pm
If I understand this correctly, our galaxy is merely part of a globular cluster that God hacked up?
February 14th, 2008 at 2:10 pm
Phil, you know what you have to do: At TAM 6, assassinate Neil Tyson and steal his skin. Then Colbert will respect you! Also, I noticed an odd thing in Google Reader for your blog: It always says there are precisely 7 comments for every post, regardless of how many there actually are. Not sure what might be causing this.
Lugosi: I know you’re just joking, but for the sake of knowledge, globular clusters are tight groups of stars, smaller than galaxies and contained within them. Galaxies form their own clusters, but they’re not called globular.
February 14th, 2008 at 2:26 pm
I’m telling you: the Cobalt Laser Beam Emission Range Telescope. It’s coming, no matter how you try to stop it.
It sees with its gut!
February 14th, 2008 at 2:36 pm
I’m one of the proud few that can say they thought of licking a meteor before Steven Colbert.
February 14th, 2008 at 2:47 pm
Neil also got a mention on Stargate: Atlantis last week. He was deemed the “chosen” one by Sam.
February 14th, 2008 at 3:22 pm
Dammit! I wasted three years in uni! If only I knew that that was all you had to do to become an astrophysicist! :oD
February 14th, 2008 at 3:28 pm
Jealous, much?
As I and others have said before, I would be amazed if the forthcoming book doesn’t provide the “in” you need. Of course, then the pressure would be on to perform well enough to make further irregular appearances on the show!
February 14th, 2008 at 3:38 pm
I was actually thrown out of the Natural History Museum in Los Angeles for licking a meteorite. I guess when you’re well known, have a crew with you, and are speaking to a well renowned astrophysicist, it’s alright to lick objects that came screaming in from space and crash-landed on our little backwoods rock.
Minor transgressions aside, that was a really funny Colbert clip, and Phil, good luck attempting to get noticed. Sometimes, you just have to know the right people who know the right people. Apparently, you don’t know enough of the right people yet. Fear not, perhaps when your new book comes out, all the press that will follow will eventually leak to Colbert. Make sure your publishers are doing the required amount of marketing work when it comes out in print.
February 14th, 2008 at 3:51 pm
I loved it when Colbert licked Tyson’s meteorite! I’d never allow that! Sick.
February 14th, 2008 at 5:23 pm
The best part is the look on Neil Tyson’s face at the end
February 14th, 2008 at 10:44 pm
Feh, Colbert will never become an astrophysicist. Know why? Astrophysicists have to hang out in total darkness in the middle of the night on top of mountains. Know what else hangs out on the tops of mountains in total darkness in the middle of the night? And have fangs and claws and are really really big? Bears!! That’s right, nuf said.
February 15th, 2008 at 6:51 am
I was about three months from earning my Masters at MIT when the creation of the universe made me puke. Now I’m a Walmart associate in charge of cans having missing labels.
It’s not fair the the universe makes Stephen puke and he still gets to be an astrophysicist.
Can’t you talk to someone for me, Phil?
February 15th, 2008 at 7:31 am
Not sure if there’s room in the Colbertverse for more than one Astronomer/Astrophysicist. Yes, they’re two different disciplines, but the Colbert Report producers may think that the disciplines are too similar to each other.
So, unless one can engineer a situation where Dr Tyson is scheduled to be on, but is somehow incapacitated. Then, they’ll have to find someone to sub for him, and Dr Plait will JUST HAPPEN to be in New York.
I suggest badgers.
February 15th, 2008 at 9:03 am
Many years ago, I did improv with one of the current writers for the Colbert Report (back in the early 90’s in Chicago)…should I plant the bug in his ear
February 15th, 2008 at 9:44 pm
Mr.Tysons face at the end is priceless !!
I can see him thinking .. thanks for wasting my time moron !
who was Mr.Tyson talking about that was afraid of walking on his floor?
I couldn’t quite understand who he was saying.
February 28th, 2008 at 11:54 pm
“May I lick your meteor?” XD
This is classic.