"Trying to survive our time so we may live into yours"

Ready, set...nerd out

Today we discuss The Voyager Golden Record followed by a big fat Damn! Along with a special golden turntable, it was launched into space in '77. Doc Sagan and other earthlings curated the contents - greetings in 50 languages, about a hundred pictures encoded as analog data, and human music, ranging from Chuck Berry to Javanese court music.

You can listen to the selections here!

The cover of the record:



Decoded playback instructions here:



In 2006, Voyager passed Pluto traveling at a speed of 38,000 mph. There are some sweet pics it took of the solar system from that vantage point. In about 40,000 years, it will come within 1.7 light-years of the star AC+79 3888, of the constellation Ursa Minor...hopefully life will be there, and hopefully they too will cry crystaline, extra-terrestrial tears when they hear dat Blind Willie Johnson cut.

A great starting place for a stoned wiki-trail advernture...

Not to end this on a depressing note, but you know how there were a few good records in '07, and all did not seem to be lost? Well, check out some of the other "golden records" of 1977...I don't think I'm being a romantic when I say they were kicking our ass. Consider this an inspirational challenge to get out there and make some music...

• "Aja"
  
• "Heart of the Congos"
  
• "Before and After Science"
  
• "Low" AND "Heroes" (damn)
  
• "Exodus"
  
• "Marquee Moon"
  
• "Heavy Weather"
  
• "My Aim Is True"
  
• "Talking Heads 77"
  
• "Two Sevens Clash"
  
• "Lust for Life" AND "The Idiot" (damn)
  
• "Rumours"
  
• "Never Mind the Bollocks, here's the Sex Pistols"
  
• "Police and Thieves"
  
• "The Clash"
  
• "Damned, Damned, Damned"
  
• "Blank Generation"
  
• "King Tubby Meets the Rockers Uptown"
  
• "Suicide"
  
• "Trans-Europe Express"
  
• "Saturday Night Fever OST"
  

ad astra per aspera!