Timothy Ferris is a master of literary science writing. He illuminates, challenges, and inspires. The sense of wonder that Tim conveys in his work, like the critically-acclaimed books Coming Of Age In The Milky Way and Seeing In The Dark, is infectious. And like the best cultural critics, Tim connects the dots between science, history, art, and philosophy in ways that motivate the reader to follow the multitude of references to learn more, to draw your own connections and conclusions. I was fortunate to have had Tim as my professor and graduate school advisor at UC Berkeley nearly 30 years ago and even more fortunate now to call him a friend. (Tim was also the producer of the original Voyager Golden Record in 1977 and generously penned the liner notes—along with making other contributions—to the album’s first terrestrial vinyl release that I co-produced several years ago with Timothy Daly and Lawrence Azerrad.) I’ve often wished that I could continue to have Tim as a professor. Now, in a way, I still can and so can you, thanks to a fantastic series of short videos Tim began creating during the pandemic and has continued since.
Titled the “Rocky Hill Lectures,” after Tim’s astronomical observatory in Northern California, each clip features Tim elucidating and opining on such topics as Symmetry, Time Travel, Death, Global Warming, Interstellar Homesteading, Cities, Progress, and Liberalism. Every lecture is crisp, compelling, and sure to shift your perspective and fuel your curiosity. Above and below, a few of my favorites so far.
