#743
Mentioned in 46 episodes

Contact

Book • 1985
In 'Contact', Carl Sagan explores the theme of extraterrestrial contact through the story of Dr. Eleanor 'Ellie' Arroway, an astronomer who detects a signal from the star Vega.

The signal, a series of prime numbers, leads to the discovery of a complex message containing a blueprint for an advanced space-traveling machine.

The novel delves into the scientific, philosophical, and societal implications of this discovery, including the intersection of science and faith, international cooperation, and the human condition.

The story follows Ellie and a multinational team as they navigate the construction and activation of the machine, leading to a profound encounter with extraterrestrial life.

Mentioned by

Mentioned in 46 episodes

Mentioned by
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Andrej Karpathy
when discussing the possibility of a message from the universe's creator.
2,938 snips
#333 – Andrej Karpathy: Tesla AI, Self-Driving, Optimus, Aliens, and AGI
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Mark Rober
references the movie when talking about receiving signals from aliens.
1,580 snips
#1035 - Mark Rober - How to Engineer a Life You Love
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Joe Rogan
, who discussed his experience with Carl Sagan and the making of the movie based on the book.
1,549 snips
#2379 - Matthew McConaughey
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Cal Newport
as a novel he enjoyed reading.
559 snips
Ep. 315: The Surprising Myth of Doing Less
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Paul Roetzer
when introducing Dario Amadei's essay 'The Adolescence of Technology'.
535 snips
#195: Moltbook Goes Viral, OpenAI Seeks $100B, Microsoft Stock Plummets & SpaceX-xAI Merger Rumors
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Alex Wissner-Gross
quoted a line from the movie adaptation, discussing government spending and acquiring more for a higher price.
445 snips
The 2026 Timeline: AGI Arrival, Safety Concerns, Robotaxi Fleets & Hyperscaler Timelines | 221
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Cal Newport
as a novel he enjoyed reading.
153 snips
Ep. 194: The Surprising Math of Doing Less
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Richard Dawkins
in relation to his book "Contact", which shares a theme with Fred Hoyle's "Ava Andromeda".
73 snips
#87 – Richard Dawkins: Evolution, Intelligence, Simulation, and Memes
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Jesse Michels
in reference to a scene where aliens respond by bouncing Hitler's speech back to Earth.
68 snips
Top Astronomer: “I Found 100,000 UFOs Above Earth!” (ft. Beatriz Villarroel)
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Charles Morgan
as an example of what contact with alien life forms may look like.
47 snips
#332 - CIA Psychologist: DARPA's Most Bizarre New Tech Should NOT Exist | Charles Morgan

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