I remember many nights hanging out with friends in high school, smoking pot, and saying stuff like "Whoa, wouldn't it be trippy to float in space." It was entertaining then, but discussions followed a predictable path of drug-induced cosmic philosphizing that were resolved only by the decision to drop the topic and search for food.
Those empty conversations came to mind while watching Future Quest, a weekly PBS science and technology series hosted by actor Jeff Goldblum. Each episode focuses on a particular topic (virtual reality, space travel) and "explores the intersection of ideas as they surface in pop culture and scientific research." The producers must believe science alone can't hold people's attention, so they throw in MTV-style editing, gratuitous computer graphics, and a few really bad stand-up comics. But interspersing clips of artificial intelligence guru Marvin Minsky and comic Paula Poundstone musing on the future doesn't provide much entertainment or enlightenment. In fact, it's an insult to my (and Minsky's) intelligence. This show has the same content as late-night pot sessions, but none of the amusement value.
Future Quest: Mondays at 8 p.m. on PBS.
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