Isaac Asimov Interview with Bill Boggs
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- čas přidán 8. 07. 2012
- Isaac Asimov (/ˈaɪzək ˈæzɨməv/ eye-zək az-i-məv; born Isaak Yudovich Ozimov, Russian: Исаак Юдович Озимов; Yiddish: אייזיק יודאָוויטש אסימאוו[citation needed]; c. January 2, 1920[1] -- April 6, 1992) was an American author and professor of biochemistry at Boston University, best known for his works of science fiction and for his popular science books. Asimov was one of the most prolific writers of all time, having written or edited more than 500 books and an estimated 90,000 letters and postcards.[2] His works have been published in all ten major categories of the Dewey Decimal System (although his only work in the 100s-which covers philosophy and psychology-was a foreword for The Humanist Way).[3]
Asimov is widely considered a master of hard science fiction and, along with Robert A. Heinlein and Arthur C. Clarke, he was considered one of the "Big Three" science fiction writers during his lifetime.[4] Asimov's most famous work is the Foundation Series;[5] his other major series are the Galactic Empire series and the Robot series, both of which he later tied into the same fictional universe as the Foundation Series to create a unified "future history" for his stories much like those pioneered by Robert A. Heinlein and previously produced by Cordwainer Smith and Poul Anderson.[6] He wrote many short stories, among them "Nightfall", which in 1964 was voted by the Science Fiction Writers of America the best short science fiction story of all time. Asimov wrote the Lucky Starr series of juvenile science-fiction novels using the pen name Paul French.[7]
The prolific Asimov also wrote mysteries and fantasy, as well as much non-fiction. Most of his popular science books explain scientific concepts in a historical way, going as far back as possible to a time when the science in question was at its simplest stage. He often provides nationalities, birth dates, and death dates for the scientists he mentions, as well as etymologies and pronunciation guides for technical terms. Examples include Guide to Science, the three volume set Understanding Physics, Asimov's Chronology of Science and Discovery, as well as works on astronomy, mathematics, the Bible, William Shakespeare's writing and chemistry.
Asimov was a long-time member and Vice President of Mensa International, albeit reluctantly; he described some members of that organization as "brain-proud and aggressive about their IQs."[8] He took more joy in being president of the American Humanist Association.[9] The asteroid 5020 Asimov, a crater on the planet Mars,[10] a Brooklyn, New York elementary school, and one Isaac Asimov literary award are named in his honor. - Wikipedia
Footage Owned by Bill Boggs
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John Hedlund - Owner & Producer
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Predicting smartphones before cellphones were even a thing yet. What a visionary.
He predicted the cellphone in this interview. Amazing.
I'm a lifelong Asimovian from the UK, and feel through his writings that I really got to know Isaac very well. But I've hardly ever seen him or heard him speaking in real life! So this is a wonderful treasure trove.
Sigh whenever I think I’m losing it or getting lost I listen to Asimov and find myself returning to the straight and normal .
Isaac Asimov, one of the most prolific authors ever, with the most prolific sideburns in the galaxy.
+Simon Coles And self proclaimed worlds best lover.
@@rockedthecrapout could the two be related??? 🤔
i know it's kinda off topic but do anybody know of a good place to watch new series online?
@Gunner Eddie Meh I use Flixportal. just search on google after it:D -davian
@Davian Brayan thank you, signed up and it seems like a nice service :) I really appreciate it!
"Everytime a new idea is forced on me I'm so relieved" Wow, humbleness at its best!
I came across this video because I searched for Asimov. But now, I have discovered the work of Bill Boggs. Two amazing men.
Foundation's Edge came out in June of '82, and Return of the Jedi came out in May of '83, so it had to have been made sometime between those two dates.
TY😊
What a great interviewer! The best I've seen with Asimov, fantastic!
Wow! It is really great to hear the voice and enjoy the wisdom of this great man. A true visionary. What is such an enjoyment is his complete lack of judgment and arrogance in his conversations with people. Note how he does not ridicule or disregard any caller or any ideas. Despite his age, he still maintains a high level of curiosity and interest much like that of a child. If only more of us could embrace such a recipe of youth, knowledge, and wisdom.
Again, thank you for posting this. I was but a young man myself when Isaac Asimov died. This interview reinforces why I loved him so much.
Asimov was truly a man of a greater and more heroic age.
To establish the date... Asimov was promoting Foundations Edge, which was published in 1982.
I watched Bill Boggs as a kid ...
He's SO under-rated as an interviewer !! And Asimov is icing on the cake ( my favorite writer back then)
That's a nice thing to say.
@@Billboggs ....fond memories of youth !!! Thanks a heap Bill !
What a treasure! Thanks for posting this!
I periodically search for new Asimov videos and I was extremely happy to have this one pop up! Thank you ever so much for sharing this. It's always so pleasant to hear the Good Doctor!
Great interviewer, great guest. Well done.
The more I learn about this guy via watching interviews like this, the more I like him. Just a decent and good and genius guy. And the interviewer seemed genuine too.
Thank you for the kind words..check out the video on my latest work--a book set in world of Tv
@@Billboggs Bill could you not re-upload this video with the fixed audio (mono) and brightness? Isaac doesn't have many video interviews online and this is one worth preserving.
@@AgendaFilesI will contact over weekend tech to try
thanks
@@Billboggs Thanks for your reply Bill, that would be greatly appreciated. Thanks for forwarding such a request.
Absolutely. I only intended watching a short clip but saw the entire 44 minutes. Two very engaging people.
Thanks for this. First story at 1938? A master. I'm still ploughing through his works. Great interview.
Watching this felt like time travel. Thank you for this upload, Sir.
“The best time to be alive is now.” Damn straight.
Brilliant interview, fascinating man. Thanks very much for making this available.
One of the best. Gives a good description of where mobile phone are right now.
he almost predicts cellphones at 14:00
Smart phones with GPS tracking. My brother used to argue with my parents all the time about them looking in to see where he was at. Amazing.
He read Dick Tracy.
@J What exactly a Sim card is for your phone if not an assigned frequency?
Thank you so much to 'BillBoggsTV' for this wonderful treat. As a fan of Asimov, I love watching him talk. And this is something that I have never seen before. Was it broadcast in 1982? I can't wait to watch the movie of the Foundation series.
I'm currently writing a Sci-Fi novel (Lone,) and have been for two years now. Over that time I've done this sort of "research" by reading great science fiction novels. Space odysseys, futuristic, etc. His series was one of the greatest studies for me. A great influence along side Ender's Game and The Martian. I only hope the "research" pays off.
Did you ever complete your project?
How's your project going?
@@eddaeugenianewball5080 Haha, was too ambitious, and I was too precious with the ideas that I lost track of how to actually write a story, so I had to take a step back and write other stories that I was less emotionally attached to.
Art and acting have taken up a lot of time, but I've been writing mostly flash-fictions, poetry and anecdotes. I am currently however, writing my first short story as part of a collection I intend to publish.
It's about a man who, when unconscious, can inhabit the minds of other people. Check back here in November and hopefully I'll have found a magazine to publish it by then, and I'll link it.
Here's a snippet.
-
It happened when Lars Boon closed his eyes. The sound of the subway faded, the smell of the people crowded around disappeared, and even the touch of the grimy plastic seats numbed.
The merciful darkness and silence continued and he began to wonder when he would start dreaming. It was then that it appeared below him. A wispy streak of light winding and weaving into the darkness and out of sight like a spectral vine. Out of this ghostly shoot protruded an uncountable number of shining silver threads, floating motionless in the airless void like spider silk.
Lars reached out and grasped one of the many threads within his reach.
“I hope I get home in time.” The thought came to him clear and strong as if it was his own, but the voice was foreign, and Lars had no reason to hurry home. Other thoughts came too. The dog needed a walk, they needed to make soup. Of course, none of these were true. Lars had no dog, and no desire to make soup.
He let go of the thread, and the thoughts quieted.
He grabbed hold of another thread.
This time an image swam into view. He was on a crowded subway. Across from him slouched a middle aged man, slack jawed and in an unbecoming state of unconsciousness.
“I wonder what he’s dreaming about.” Another foreign thought, this time a different, younger voice.
He looks like me. Lars thought. A strange sensation of surprise was projected into Lars’ mind, and the vision suddenly faded.
The threads, the vine and the darkness rapidly dissolved and Lars jerked awake.
He rubbed his eyes, and replacing his glasses looked up. Standing across from him a young man stared wide eyed at him. Their eyes met.
“You’re like me.” the young man said, so quietly it was like a whisper.
-
Brilliant man. Currently reading the Foundation series. Have two more books to go: Forward the Foundation and Foundation and Earth.
What a fortunate writer to be able to just open up without all the inhibitions.
It would be nice to know when these interviews were made. This looks like early 80's...
Read several books of his. Very good times! Still waiting for more movies. Foundation series especially.
You've now got a whole tv show. Congratulations.
Mr. Boggs, I think you deserve some credit here! You were very pleasant to hear speak and I hope you are as warm today as you were back during that time. I grew up in the 70s-80s. A beautiful time, but now is no less beautiful. 🙂
Thank you, Joe.
Agree 'fredarc' It would be great to find more interviews with Asimov. Please upload them if you find any. Thanks.
What he did not predict is the rise of tribalism and fanaticism as a result of the ubiquity of personalized comminications. The resulting population explosion was apparently unforeseeable by Dr. Asimov.
Arthur Clarke, Gene Roddenberry, Isaac Asimov, H.G. Wells, and Jules Verne,
in my opinion, are 5 of the most influential 'Science Friction' writers of all time.
If Asimov saw the degraded state of this old recording he would just smile knowingly.
Hang on..Good news--just last week we discovered the original pristine copy of this interview. Isaac would smile knowingly at that, too. Should be up in five or six weeks once transferred.
what amassing gentlemen, I read many books of him was a genius!!!
Great vid!
They really had to work Isaac over to get Foundations Edge written - he hesitated but look how great it did!
Watching him, and for me it was seems to see real world of empire and other things; wonderful!
My left ear is lonely.
+Nikolas Powell Top comment.
Rodrigo Falcon I don't know how, I'm just saying what we all were thinking.
My right ear is lonely..i must have my hifi wired up wrong
Nikole Powell - Get a better set of headphones with a mono mode.
@@GH-oi2jf get me them yourself
Let's just appreciate how polite everyone on that show. Not going to happen today, sadly.
Fantastic video. Such a great man with a dead pan humour
I cannot believe he predicted the world becoming decentralized.....what a genius.
Asimov mentions having seen Empire Strikes back and that the movie after it (Return of the Jedi) hadn't come out yet, so it's somewhere between 1980 and 83.
The picture is too dark, that's no way to treat an Asiomov!!
Does anyone know where CZcams's tracking button is?
This is early 80s, right? That outfit, on the other hand, is pure 70s.
Don't know if it's just me, but the audio for this only comes out of from one side of my headphones
Pure gold.
According to IMDB he appeared on the Frost Show multiple times (search for Asimov and check the "Self" section, it gives me an error when trying to post the link). It would be nice to dig up more of these!
I would give almost anything to be a fly on the wall when mr.Assimov , and Carl Sagan smoke a joint and just B.S. for a few hours!!
😂😂🍀🍀🍀
Great interview, but could someone adjust the tracking please?
Somewhere in one of is books he tells an anecdote about appearing in an interview with David Frost; but I've never seen a trace of it.
Unless he made the story up, it must be out there somewhere.
Anyone know when this aired?
I love Asimov. He was a man after my own heart.
Such an interesting guy!!!
I believe that is what I said. Bill Boggs met Isaac Asimov (for the first time) on Thanksgiving Day, November 26th, 1970.
When was this interview conducted?
Yotube theres a problem with the sharpness and the clarity of this video... please move some knobs.
music at 15:14 is so much like the Star Wars music (Imperial March specifically) that John Williams could have written it. Did they use his music?
Since they were mentioning ET, I assumed it was part of the E.T. theme (which actually was written by Williams)
True legend!!!!
best 44 min ever
My man, he is hella funny
Amazing guy
Whats with these mono one ear audio videos?
Fix the tracking please?
Jon Perry from fix your manners
Wow, he just predicted the Internet and Smart Phones!
When was the air date?
Should have been around June or July 1982.
A round metallic sphere without wings just hovering? The Tic Tac is a blimp.
17 .50 "The computer became God"...Interesting.
iam ian Awwe also!!Isaac Asimov!the greatest of all
Would be nice if I could hear it, sounds like it's being played in a shoe box underwater in my left ear
I believe it's 1982.
He predicted cell phones in this interview. So that's about par for the course for Asmiov.
I wonder if Asimov ever read Olaf Stapledon, and what he thought about him.
Of course he did. Everyone of that generation did. He is right after Verne and Wells in importance of early modern SF. If you read his nonfiction you can infer what he would have thought.
Exactly .. Isaac Asimov predicted the smartphone precisely. Crazy eerily accurate . Maybe Steve Jobs was taking notes? I need to read some of his books.
Regarding race superiority read Weston A Price’s book: Nutrition and Physical Degeneration who was the head researcher of dentistry in the 1920’s-30’s found native nutrition and organic gardening was important. In Ron Schmid’s book: Traditional Foods are Your Best Medicine mentioned genetics was influenced by nutrition. The facial features can change in one generation. Poor dental arch formations were noticed with pictures. So Price traveled all over the world with his wife for 10 years observing these commonalities with eating special foods six month before conception. It was supposed to help reinforce the mitochondrial DNA. So whatever race you are and if your teeth are looking poor the gene pool is getting worse. I would’ve told Asimov about Price’s book unless he had read it before? It was a former Harvard Anthropology course book. His work will change the way you look at people permanently. The information is that profound and his written work should be taught world wide and in all schools and colleges.
Now after you read Prices’s work you will notice some people are extremely intelligent and eat junk food but I feel intellectual greatness can be enhanced with better nutrition.
Lmao about seeing a blimp. I didn’t know what it was and in Southbury CT observed one. I was young and guessing being 10-12 yo.I was terrified thinking it might be a UFO but no.
Bill Boggs met Isaac Asimov on Thanksgiving Day, November 26th, 1970.
+Robert Becker That s looks like end of the 80`s or 1990
+Nathanael “La Musicasa” Marín J. This was not the first time the two met
He reminds me of Hober Mallow.
And the interviewer is Salvor Hardin.
Even back then he could call out the bullshit that's "flying sasuers and little green men"...
Who the hell is Bill Boggs?
I'm betting he dosent drink alcohol or use drugs. Keeping his head clear allows him to churn out the words.
That is correct..never drank
He got the global communications right , however not the small citys and declining population...unfortunately it's the opposite: gigantic citys and growing populations!
He’s talking about 2082. At the rate we’re going we might have committed “suicide” exactly as he suggested could happen 🍀🍀🍀
@@user-pw6ei2mn7x I wrote that comment 3y ago. I don't remember the subject matter! However I love Mr. Asimov. Thanks for the late reply
11:000 mister asimov was wrong here, it is the exact opposite, unfortunatly
asimov is king
That interviewer looks like he might be Will Ferrel before he went insane and crazy.
Actually, Mr. Boggs was not patronizing and asked very good questions for someone on a local network.
13:35 Already happening with cell phones.
Media. And public figures today. 🤦🏻♂️
Enjoyable interview. Note that "Foundation's Edge" was first published in 1982 (so this video was 30 years old when published here in 2012). Too bad this video is so dark.
the ufo guy i bet Asimov of pissing himself
NYC did not reach his ideal. lol. quite the opposite, population is greatly expanded and urbanism is the basis for American metropolis.
13:40 iwatch predicted after iPhone was predicted lol
wasn't VHS great?!
Nice desynched bullshit at 11:45
Turn on the lights, for God's sake...
Loved that interview, but when Asimov asked what would have occurred if he could not read books for free and put them back on the shelf of his parents store, my first thought was "Go to the library."
+Curtis Bird I imagine when he wasa kid there was less science fiction than when I was a kid . He was reading the pulps which were monthly and popular but they weren't being stocked at the library
When A
Which is what he did. Asimov used to do with books what people do with smart phones - walk around the city with his attention focused on them and nearly get killed crossing busy streets.
Yes, see chapters 8, 12, & 13 of his third autobiography, _I, Asimov_.
whatachamp
My problem is that we most certainty can get evidence. Look at all the religions we have, are there any that actually ask people to do reasonable things that will improve their life? What about things that no one at that time could have possibly known about? If there is an ancient religion that if you follow its rules, you actually improve your life, then isn't that at least a little proof that maybe it was the religion actually sent by god to help us? For example, we didn't know what disease was, or how it spread, which of the ancient religions told people about quarantining sick people, or social distancing, washing your hands? We didn't know germs existed, so how could someone several thousand years before the microscope know that some diseases were communicable by proximity? Also, of the old religions, which ones warned against promiscuity? They didn't know about STD's, they couldn't possibly have known that STD's were different from normal diseases, and yet, some religions did warn against having sex with lots of people.
What I believe we should do is an experiment with, say, 50,000 people. Split them up into groups and give them rules, based solely on one particular religious text, and not based on the modern opinions of the people who claim to follow those religions. So if the text says to do some weird ritual at someone's death, you do that. Anyway, after 5 years, ask the participants who actually followed the rules if they improved their life, and ask those which religions made the strangest requests that did nothing. Like a religion that tells people to throw salt over their shoulder. What could that possibly do? Some religions have a few rules that make no sense, but there are definitely some that have hundreds of little tasks that don't do anything. Put down a golden star next to religions that ask people to bury their poop, or cook their food, or wash their hands, those are all obviously smart things to do. Put a red star next to religions that their official laws tell you to sacrifice your children, while they are alive, to some god. Now ask all the participants to rate out of 10 if they are happier, healthier, more successful, people are nicer to them, things are going good for them when they follow the rules, or if their life hasn't improved at all. This, this right here is science.
As far as I'm concerned, people can just stop saying "We can't possibly know if god exists", because I know of no actual scientific study done to all religions to determine which one is the most helpful. For example, if everyone follows all the rules of one religion and crime goes down in that area, then isn't that proof that religion is good? After all, that is how we do science when it comes to medicine. If 1,000 people get over a disease because of a certain medicine, then that means that medicine works for that disease. Science. So if this religion creates terrorists, wars, fighting, violence, death, etc, then that religion is clearly not good. If there was a neighborhood with really bad crime, you would not recommend that religion to that neighborhood, because the crime and violence would only get worse. If one religion was known to decrease poverty in its members, then you could recommend it to poor countries.
There are plenty of ways to solve the problems in the world. Religion may not be a necessity, but I don't think anyone can rule it out completely until they have tried it, in a scientific setting, with enough participants. Are there any religions that could solve pollution? Are there any religions that could solve racism? Are there any religions that could ensure poor people have access to food/water/shelter/hygiene without just constantly giving them charity? Probably. So do the science. Don't just make unsubstantiated claims.
I liked the whole interview except when he said he hoped the future Earth has less people, because of lower birth rates and space colonization..., which sounded too close to a secular "humanist" ideal. Other than that great man, and a great book.
Michael Carouth Thank you for adding me back I appreciate it :-)
No surprise there... I think he could be considered a secular humanist, as a matter of fact.
I agree. To re-go over many of the "great" sci-fi novels there are too many secular "humanist" themes. I have recently read some Robert Heinlein books and sadly found that stuff within.
Michael Carouth What did you expect? Religious themes? These are scientists, not sheep.
Scientists not sheep, correct. I expect them to be unbiased and pro-human--- which is biased I suppose in that way... ;)
Why can't humanity advance without going down to an "ideal" (says they) population of a fraction of today's? The world has plenty of room. And so do the stars--- or at least solar system.
All the little people in the world they want to snuff out are actually bettering their lives numerous ways, and exponentially so.
Hard to keep the current state of advancement with the small, wished-for, future populations...
I like whe he star to talk about the weed.. he knows what he talks...........______S
So sad that they decided to give a UFO nut airtime. Otherwise, this interview is gold.
Didn't seem like a nut. He seemed like an investigator, that was seeking answers.
You may want to view again. Issaic treated him as such an investigator.
Apparently he had worked with a scientist that Issac was familar with, and had some of the phenomenon explained, yet the ufo guy was still interested in, the yet unexplained.
Issaic pointed out. that such work can lead to discoveries .. even if they may not be what was originally sought as an explaination.
I think presenting that mindset was well worth any airtime.
What is unknown is unknown..until it becomes known.
Asimov cuts such a strange figure ... with those sideburns and that coat ... LOL. Love the guy and his writing. I have to wonder how he was such a famous womanizer looking like that?
Nah I totally get it, the man owns it. Dem mutton chops, beautiful.
I admire Asimov and his writings. His sci-fi stories are so much fun to read and they set your spirit free. However, please note that Asimov is not a humanist. He wants the Earth to have less people and to be inhabited by machines. He puts machines higher than people. So, be careful about his ideas. Also, his lifestyle is very different from his science fiction. He writes about robots, but he has never even seen a robot in real life. He talks about travel in space while in reality he was afraid to leave his home. Take his ideas with a grain of salt.
a strong opinion on what is an author you've only had a cursory glance with. Asimov IS a humanist, in fact he was the president of the American humanist association. If you read his robot novels past the caves of steel you see that robots are primarily the harbingers of the worst evil in Asimov's universes: stagnation. While individual robots serve as protagonists to serve the narrative structure, Asimov makes it pretty clear that the societies who rely on them fall prey to all sorts of psychological and existential deficiencies (spacers never collaborate, singular tragedies have consequences for hundreds of years to people, no one is ever willing to take risks, etc). As for your point about the contradiction between Asimov's stories and his character, I find it funny too but I really don't think it can be used to discredit him, for two main reasons. 1) he's one (if not THE) most educated Sci-fi writers out there and he deals in time frames so far into the future that a theoretical understanding of both people and physics is much more important than actually going out and experience the shoddy equivalent to his proposed technologies that are available now. 2) he deals quite heavily with phobias and other kinds of irrational beliefs in his characters, such as earthmens agoraphobia and spacer hypochondriacs
He is a humanist. Just look at the effects if over population. Only plebs like you think we can multiply forever without any recourse.
Humanism does not mean you want there to be as many humans as possible, to the detriment of all their quality of life, or that you want humans to do all their work, rather than invent machines to take some of it away.
Also, you don't have to be an astronaut to write science fiction!