[.ca] Hawking, Stephen Universe

From Amazon.com:
Stephen Hawking, author of the bestselling A Brief History of Time, presents here some of the most astonishing scientific advances in cosmological thought. Interviews with renowned researchers combined with strikingly artistic cinematography set the stage for this down-to-earth production on the mysteries of our universe. Relive the ingenuity of Ptolemy, Copernicus, Kepler, Galileo, Newton, Hubble, and Einstein in Seeing Is Believing. Despite diagnosis with ALS, Hawking completed his Ph.D., developing a theory describing the precise conditions for the Big Bang. The history of chemistry, the periodic table, and Curie's radiation experiments in Cosmic Alchemy allowed Einstein's theory of relativity and revelations about the relationship between energy and matter. On the Dark Side delves into antimatter (proof that dark matter does exist), nutrinos, and nutrino hunters. Thanks to radio astronomy, SETI--the Search for Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence--is currently looking for alien communications in Black Holes and Beyond. Learn about quasars and the theoretical ramifications of black holes to the laws of physics. An Answer to Everything challenges Hawking and other prominent scientists to try to resolve the mystery of how the Big Bang began. Hawking's series is easy to follow, but it doesn't skimp on scientific detail or shy away from challenging concepts. An outstanding tour of the universe! --Tara Chace

See Stephen Hawking roll. Roll Stephen Hawking, roll!:
This is a very interesting program that is slightly belabored by a couple problems. First, the initial episode covers very familiar ground for anyone who's had a course in general physics, which is pretty much anyone who's been through high school... it's still interesting enough to sit through, but they could have done without it. Secondly, some of the topics are presented somewhat vaguely or are hard to keep track of (for instance, the interviewee presenting the phenomena or describing the breakthrough will do so in an extrememly roundabout way, telling a story... although this is interesting, i wished there had been some segment right before it that clearly explained the idea before going into the details of thought process). Also, ideas such as the superstring theory and quantum mechanics, at least for me, require more in-depth explanation to get a grasp on the concept, and this documentary seems to have a problem because it is balancing the accessibility of a documentary like BBC's The Planets with more scholarly aspects. It also could have used more of a graphic style, both to make it more entertaining and to help explain concepts to those of us who tend to prefer 'big picture' type visual learning. It's four stars because its worthwhile coverage of interesting topics, but I have to agree with others that this would have made much better radio program or audiobook, because of the mostly uninteresting, unenlightening visual aspects. Otherwise, Stephen Hawking's Universe is an engrosing documentary that covers a lot of interesting ground, and is definately worth watching by anyone with a passing interest to the subject matter (astral phenomena, creation-theory, black holes, etc...), although I'd give it a low rating for repeat-viewings, so it's probably best to pick up on your local PBS before deciding to purchase. I think if I had seen this in high school, I would have been inspired to do well and maybe working on physics-type major in university, instead of languishing at home in a dead end job >_<

The unfolding of everything:
I come to physics, astronomy, chemistry, biology and geology as a layperson who is fascinated by the big questions of life. For me science fact far exceeds science fiction or fantasy. I cannot get enough. I come to this whole exploration of science under the influence of Darwin, Nietzsche and Krishnamurti. To learn and understand beyond the narrowness and pettiness of the human experience. I think the human experience is infinitely enhanced, not diminished, when we see outside the box of what we have been told, beyond the truths and reality we accept without any deeper understanding than that this is what has been programmed into our brains and veins from cradle to grave. This dvd is so layered and complex and filled with fantasic ideas and theories, that I'll surely watch it over and over again. The string theory concept, alone, is worth the price of this dvd. I had, also, purchased 'The Elegant Universe' when I ordered this dvd. The updated and added string theory perspectives add to what was said in Hawking's Universe. For me its the glue and unfolding of everything. I wish I could be more technical but I'm too much of an infant in this arena. I seem to understand but find the words very difficult to explain the specifics of what was said. Each of the six parts goes into incredible depth. I would imagine even the experienced scientist must wrinkle his forehead when digesting the vast concepts big and small. For me, the technology of dvd's and computers was made for this type of project. We, the layperson, can now have accessibility to a world otherwise locked up in laboratories or a chance viewing on PBS, Discovery or A & E.

THE BEST DVD of ALL TIME!!!:
What an amazing feat this dvd is. It explains all about the top theories in physics today in an articulate way. It is almost like a translation of Stephen W. Hawking's most famous book: "A Brief History of Time". I recommend Hyperspace for anyone who was interested in this dvd. Dr. Michio Kaku, the author of Hyperspace, is featured in this dvd. He is the guy talking about superstrings.

Informative and entertaining - a well produced series!:
I must admit that I was a bit apprehensive about the quality of this DVD collection before even seeing it. Being an owner of Carl Sagan's Cosmos series on DVD, and a great admirer of the man and his series, I must admit I had an inherent bias and felt that I would be hard-pressed finding anything else that was in the same league. I was mistaken. This DVD collection presents the main points anyone should know about the universe. I say "main" due simply to the fact that this collection does not go into great detail on several topics, as does Sagan's Cosmos. It focuses on a limited field of topics (which is understandable, since it is only three discs) and explains them thoroughly. It is not brief, yet Hawking does not waste our time with "waffle". It is concise and does not err in explaining details correctly. Being of a science-trained background, I would like to take the opportunity of adding that I did not find anything questionable or dubious in the subject matter. (It was, after all, written and edited by Stephen Hawking.) Viewers with no physics, or even basic science education, may find this collection slightly hard to understand in certain sections. That's not to say that the episodes need a Degree in Physics to be able to understand them either! A high-school level of Physics would allow you to comfortably understand everything that is said. Nevertheless, if you have no training in this area, do not fear... you might misunderstand one or two terms or concepts, but whole episodes do not focus on just one point, so you will not find any episode completely bewildering. (I would find this as a positive. The collection then serves as an educational set and may even influence the viewer to take-on personal study or research the topic more thoroughly. This in my opinion, can never be a bad thing, and thus the set becomes a more valuable item in one's DVD collection.) There are times during the episodes when Hawking attempts to be witty. These are effective attempts and often "soften" the show's theory-based nature. At times, one might even say Hawking takes the opportunity to "brag" about his many achievements and accomplishments, which in my opinion all adds to the enjoyment of the show. The presenter of such a show needs a bit of personality, or else, dare I say, it becomes boring. There are SHORT role-plays and interesting interviews mainly from American intelligentsia. Do not expect long and entertaining role-plays though. The episodes consist mainly of interviews and people (or Hawking) presenting facts or their opinions. (Those of you who have seen Sagan's Cosmos will know what I mean by "entertaining role-plays".) Perhaps I AM a little biased when it comes to this type of show. It is always in my mind to keep comparing shows of this nature to Sagan's Cosmos. In this case, if I do, it does little harm. This is a well-produced series and I would give it a high recommendation. This series is best suited to people with a keen interest in the topic, those wishing to "brush-up" on their universal knowledge, or simply those shopping for an interesting (and educational) present to give their friends or relatives.

Lasting Topics for Kids and Adults alike.:
Very informative and interesting. Thinking that the universe is the best topic to foster a kid's love of math and science, I bought these DVD for a seven-year-old boy, who I expect will watch them for years. Maybe, too profound. But isn't it that the universe all starts from a singularity? BY THE WAY, amazon.com is the best online shopping service. Very easy to cancel items, though I usually purchase them later on. I have no problem with their international shipping. Good job, Amazon.com****** +*****.