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Alien technology, SXSW, and Neil DeGrasse Tyson

Ben Johnson Mar 7, 2014

OK, I’ll admit it: Neil DeGrasse Tyson isn’t the usual fare for Marketplace Tech. His remake of the old Carl Sagan show Cosmos-which premiers on Fox this Sunday-could be called more of a science show than a technology show.

As we prepare to interview DeGrasse Tyson this weekend at SXSW Interactive, I’m thinking about how our exploration of space and understanding of space has had a lot to do with technology. I want to ask him about that and how he imagines alien technology might be different than our own. Where might alien technology get its power? How might it be controlled? It’s possible that Neil DeGrasse Tyson’s guess is as good as anyone’s… but I bet he’s got some ideas. At the very least, he’ll probably be wearing a cool vest

How will the remake of “Cosmos” do? Hard to tell with a guy like Seth McFarlane working on it. It could be great, and it could be terrible. But the trailer is promising, and the host is the perfect choice.

If you haven’t watched the older Sagan series — or haven’t seen it in a while — it’s worth a watch (see video below). When the show launched in 1980, producers used some of the most cutting edge special effects technology to represent the space-scapes Sagan was talking about.

Remember his awesome spaceship? Here are some highlights: 

 

What would YOU ask Neil DeGrasse Tyson about space and technology? Follow our SXSW coverage @MarketplaceTech and tweet your NGT question to me @TheBrockJohnson.

 

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