The second book is Astrotopia by Mary-Jane Rubenstein https://www.maryjanerubenstein.com/

This book explains why and how the billionaire techbros are using religious language: "The world is ending! The only way you can save yourself is to come with me to Mars!" And also hilarious! I didn't know I could laugh out loud while reading awful things about environmental limits and billionaires. #ProfSamLectureTour

And the third book is More Everything Forever by @adambecker.bsky.social https://freelanceastrophysicist.com/

Goes more deeply into the techbro culture/religion that seems to think that AI will save us all and that we have a duty to destroy our planet and go to the stars. (Also the best way I've ever heard to explain how hard it is to live on Mars: even if you lived on Earth the day that the dinosaur-extinction asteroid hit, you'd be better off than trying to live on Mars.) #ProfSamLectureTour

And the third book is More Everything Forever by @adambecker.bsky.social https://freelanceastrophysicist.com/

Goes more deeply into the techbro culture/religion that seems to think that AI will save us all and that we have a duty to destroy our planet and go to the stars. (Also the best way I've ever heard to explain how hard it is to live on Mars: even if you lived on Earth the day that the dinosaur-extinction asteroid hit, you'd be better off than trying to live on Mars.) #ProfSamLectureTour

The first book is https://acityonmars.com/ by Kelly and @zachweinersmith.bsky.social

The authors apparently started writing this as a =how-to manual, before realizing that it was actually pretty much impossible for us to live on Mars. Discusses all the reasons why this is not going to happen anytime in the next few hundred years with lots of easy to understand scientific examples. Also, delightfully hilarious while discussing incredibly important topics. #ProfSamLectureTour

The second book is Astrotopia by Mary-Jane Rubenstein https://www.maryjanerubenstein.com/

This book explains why and how the billionaire techbros are using religious language: "The world is ending! The only way you can save yourself is to come with me to Mars!" And also hilarious! I didn't know I could laugh out loud while reading awful things about environmental limits and billionaires. #ProfSamLectureTour

The first book is https://acityonmars.com/ by Kelly and @zachweinersmith.bsky.social

The authors apparently started writing this as a =how-to manual, before realizing that it was actually pretty much impossible for us to live on Mars. Discusses all the reasons why this is not going to happen anytime in the next few hundred years with lots of easy to understand scientific examples. Also, delightfully hilarious while discussing incredibly important topics. #ProfSamLectureTour

Talk is mostly updated and ready for tomorrow (and the following 2 weeks), though I'm sure I will learn things as I go that will necessitate small edits! (Very exciting to parachute down into another country and immediately try to teach stuff to people there)

One edit I'm very happy with is I added a "further reading" slide with books that have really helped me to understand what's happening in orbit and why. #ProfSamLectureTour

I spent a lot of time today sitting on a gorgeous beach near Auckland. (Was I stewing about how fucking stupid SpaceX is the whole time? Yes, yes I was. See my previous post if you don't know why.)

Tomorrow I pick up a rental car and start the Beatrice Tinsley lecture tour portion of the #ProfSamLectureTour. I'll have some extra fire for these lectures because SpaceX sucks. More immediately, wish me luck driving on the opposite side of the road tomorrow!

Next week is Napier (can't find a link...)

Then New Plymouth (also not finding a link...)

Then Wairarapa-Marlborough https://www.wairarapadarksky.nz/blog/post/158812/astronomy-vs-the-billionaire-space-race/

Then Wellington https://www.wgtn.ac.nz/scps/about/events/astronomer-vs-the-billionaires-space-race

(I'll have some talks on the South Island over the next couple months, will announce as they get closer)

#ProfSamLectureTour

Next week is Napier (can't find a link...)

Then New Plymouth (also not finding a link...)

Then Wairarapa-Marlborough https://www.wairarapadarksky.nz/blog/post/158812/astronomy-vs-the-billionaire-space-race/

Then Wellington https://www.wgtn.ac.nz/scps/about/events/astronomer-vs-the-billionaires-space-race

(I'll have some talks on the South Island over the next couple months, will announce as they get closer)

#ProfSamLectureTour

I spent a lot of time today sitting on a gorgeous beach near Auckland. (Was I stewing about how fucking stupid SpaceX is the whole time? Yes, yes I was. See my previous post if you don't know why.)

Tomorrow I pick up a rental car and start the Beatrice Tinsley lecture tour portion of the #ProfSamLectureTour. I'll have some extra fire for these lectures because SpaceX sucks. More immediately, wish me luck driving on the opposite side of the road tomorrow!

Hello Aotearoa New Zealand!! (I am so tired and need to stay awake longer) #ProfSamLectureTour

Hello Aotearoa New Zealand!! (I am so tired and need to stay awake longer) #ProfSamLectureTour

Hello Aotearoa New Zealand!! (I am so tired and need to stay awake longer) #ProfSamLectureTour

It's happening! Tomorrow I leave for Aotearoa New Zealand to visit a whole bunch of amateur astronomy clubs (to yell about satellite pollution) and then spend a few weeks with collaborators at University of Canterbury (to yell about satellite pollution, and hopefully also talk about the Kuiper Belt and interstellar objects!)

I am looking forward to new foods, visiting farms, having conversations with farmers and astronomers, and different stars (hello MAGELLENIC CLOUDS!!) #ProfSamLectureTour

My first week of talks includes Whangārei https://events.humanitix.com/astronomy-and-the-billionaire-space-race

Then Auckland https://www.eventbrite.co.nz/e/astronomy-vs-the-billionaire-space-race-tickets-1979945182339

Then Hamilton https://www.has.org.nz/bht-registration-2026

(Bonus: in Hamilton I've been invited to visit the "methane barn" where they study emissions from cows and I'm so here for this) #ProfSamLectureTour