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Cloak of Sagan

Discussion in 'Dungeons of Dredmor General' started by Pothunter, Oct 13, 2011.

  1. Pothunter

    Pothunter Member

    This cloak is filled with billions and billions of stars.

    [​IMG]
    5ib0D.jpg

    My roommate just found it on Level 7. I think it's great :D
     
    Vykk Draygo likes this.
  2. IanExMachina

    IanExMachina Member

    *gripes that it should Cloak of Moore*
     
  3. DavidB1111

    DavidB1111 Member

    What are you talking about? Who's Moore? Alan Moore?
    I'm 100% certain the quote is from Carl Sagan. Billions upon billions of stars.
    So, why have it named Cloak of Moore?
    I mean, the only famous Moore I know is Alan Moore. Writer of Watchman.

    Unless I'm misunderstanding you, there's no reason for it to be called Cloak of Moore under any circumstances.
     
  4. Derakon

    Derakon Member

    You should expand your reference pool a bit. Searching for "Moore astronomy" turned up one Patrick Moore, who appears to have been, broadly speaking, some British version of Sagan.

    So, y'know, Ian's just being UK-centric. ;)
     
  5. DavidB1111

    DavidB1111 Member

    Ah. Well, he should have clarified that he's British. What am I to do? Look at everyone's profile like 1984's Big Brother and gleam where everyone lives? :)
    So sue me.
    And good to know about other people in the Astronomy field like Sagan.
     
  6. IanExMachina

    IanExMachina Member

    I wasn't being deadly serious. :)
    Although:

    :eek:
    Sir Patrick Alfred Caldwell-Moore, CBE, FRS, FRAS is a British amateur astronomer who has attained prominent status in astronomy as a writer, researcher, radio commentator and television presenter of the subject, and who is credited as having done more than any other to raise the profile of astronomy among the British general public.
    He is a former president of the British Astronomical Association, co-founder and former president of the Society for Popular Astronomy or SPA, author of over 70 books on astronomy, and presenter of the longest-running television series (with the same original presenter) in the world, The Sky at Night on the BBC. As an amateur astronomer, he became known as a specialist on observing the Moon and creating the Caldwell catalogue. Idiosyncrasies such as his rapid diction and his monocle have made him a popular figure on other British television shows (including his appearance as the GamesMaster).
    Moore is also a self-taught musician and accomplished composer. His favourite genres are 19th century Viennese waltzes and marches, but he has also turned to ragtime, polkas, and a nocturne. In 1981 he performed a solo xylophone rendition of the Sex Pistols' "Anarchy in the UK" in a Royal Variety Performance.

    He not only used to do all the astronomy stuff but he wears a monocle AND plays the xylophone!
    :D
     
  7. DavidB1111

    DavidB1111 Member

    Heh. I wasn't trying to be crazy serious either. :)
    Hope you didn't take offense.
    By the way, here's something scary, I'm related to Lord Baltimore, and because of that, I'm heir to the British Throne. :)
    2500+ in line.
     
  8. Derakon

    Derakon Member

    "Some British version of Sagan" was intended to get your goat. ;) Apologies for trolling, and I'm sure Patrick Moore is a great guy; I'd just never heard of him before.
     
  9. Haldurson

    Haldurson Member

    Carl Sagan was one of my heroes as a kid/teenager (he and Albert Einstein). Hey, I was a science nerd long before it was cool.

    In the same vein, how about adding a new critter: Schroedinger's Cats. You can never actually be sure if they are dead or alive.
     
    Marak likes this.
  10. IanExMachina

    IanExMachina Member

    No worries I'd figured as much and was going to call you a heathen :D
     
  11. Marak

    Marak Member

    So who else picked up their first Starry Orb and said to themselves, "My God, it's full of Stars,"?
    I was about to say the same about the cloak until the "of Sagan" part registered. I remember watching that show with my Dad when I was 8 or 9. Good times, good guy. Nice homage.
     
  12. DavidB1111

    DavidB1111 Member

    I would have loved to meet Carl Sagan.

    Have any of you seen that song remix thingy on Youtube, A glorious Dawn?
    With Sagan and Hawking?
     
  13. Haldurson

    Haldurson Member

    I never met Sagan, but I did meet Richard Feynman, and just missed having him as a professor at Caltech (he taught Freshman physics the year before I started). We had him as a dinner guest at our student house while I was there. He was a real character -- besides being a physicist, he also painted (he told a story about how one of his paintings was hanging in a brothel in Pasadena), played the bongos, and taught an informal course on lock picking (no joke). He'd been a huge practical joker even way back during the Manhattan project.

    I remember once as a sophomore, this freshman told me that that morning he'd 'met God'. He was talking about Feynman.
     
  14. Derakon

    Derakon Member

    Feynman is an excellent example of how you shouldn't let what people think of as "appropriate behavior" limit you from doing what you find interesting. His biographies are excellent reading for this reason; very little physics, but a lot of exploring life and taking advantage of the respect you get for being a recognized genius.
     
  15. DavidB1111

    DavidB1111 Member

    Feynman is actually somewhat known for his lock picking skills. :)
     
  16. Haldurson

    Haldurson Member

  17. DavidB1111

    DavidB1111 Member

    Yeah. I remember now, he was great at safe-cracking as well. :)
    He, like Philo P Farnsworth, the man who created the TV, are two people I'd totally build a time machine to go meet. :)
    Along with Einstein. Who might be angry at someone building a time machine. :)