Cosma / Communication / Knowledge / Realm / Zoom
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Introduction1
Rebecca tells her brother a funny story about a letter Jane Crofut received from a minister.
It was addressed:
Jane Crofut; The Crofut Farm; Grover’s Corners; Sutton County; New Hampshire; United States of America; North America; Western Hemisphere; the Earth; the Solar System; the Universe; the Mind of God. — Thornton Wilder, Our Town (1938)
If you’ve ever seen it, then this scene from Our Town probably sticks with you. It is so powerful because it expresses something that is core to the human imagination, and that is why “media makers” have found a way to represent some version of it in every medium possible.
For example, there’s that humorous and memorable Animaniacs’ Yakko’s Universe Song that captures the gist. It is intended for children, but is still fun to watch at any age.
There was also the Kees Boeke essay written in the 1950’s entitled Cosmic View (Wikipedia) that inspired National Film Board of Canada’s 1968 film Cosmic Zoom (Wikipedia).
National Film Board (YouTube Channel)
National Film Board (Official Website)
Here is just one of the many YouTube videos that explore similar themes.
Rifki Setyadji (YouTube Channel)
Rifki Setyadji (Official Website)
It was only a matter of time before an implementation in 360°/3D/VR media come along, and it arrived in the form of this interactive 360° Video — press and hold to explore it!
eVRydayVR (Chiara Coetzee, YouTube Channel)
EVRyday (Chiara Coetzee, Facebook)
Chiara Coetzee (Official Website)
Finally, NASA has even created an awesome website called The Scale of Universe that let’s you get a sense of the scale of the universe using a scroll bar. Check it out!
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Here are links to pages about related subjects.
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Knowledge Realms
History is philosophy teaching by example, and also warning; its two eyes are geography and chronology. — James A. Garfield
All realms have geography and chronology.
Geography Navigation, Map
Chronology Calendar, Clock
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“Fundamentals”
Law (Constant) Relativity
Force Gravity, Electromagnetism (Light, Color)
Matter (Microscope) Molecule, Atom (Periodic Table), Particle
“Space”
Universe (Astronomical Instrument)
Galaxy Milky Way, Andromeda
Planetary System Star, Brown Dwarf, Planet, Moon
Our Neighborhood
Solar System Sun
Terrestrial Planet Mercury, Venus, Earth (Moon), Mars
Asteroid Belt Ceres, Vesta
Jovian Planet Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune
Trans-Neptunian Object
Kuiper Belt Pluto, Haumea, Makemake
Scattered Disc Eris, Sedna, Planet X
Oort Cloud Etc. Scholz’s Star
Small Body Comet, Centaur, Asteroid
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Sphere Land, Ice, Water (Ocean), Air, Life (Cell, Gene)
Ecosystem Forest, Grassland, Desert, Arctic, Aquatic
Tree of Life
Microorganism Virus
Prokaryote Archaea, Bacteria
Eukaryote Protist, Fungi, Algae, Protozoa (Tardigrade)
Plant Flower, Tree
Animal
Invertebrate
Cnidaria Coral, Jellyfish
Cephalopod Cuttlefish, Octopus
Crustacean Lobster, Shrimp
Arachnid Spider, Scorpion
Insect Ant, Bee, Beetle, Butterfly
Vertebrate
Fish Seahorse, Ray, Shark
Amphibian Frog, Salamander
Reptile Turtle, Tortoise, Dinosaur
Bird Penguin, Ostrich, Owl, Crow, Parrot
Mammal Platypus, Bat, Mouse, Rabbit, Goat, Giraffe, Camel, Horse, Elephant, Mammoth
Walrus, Seal, Polar Bear, Bear, Panda, Cat, Tiger, Lion, Dog, Wolf
Cetacean Whale, Dolphin
Primate Monkey, Chimpanzee, Human
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Human
Self Body, Brain
Society Culture, Family, Dwelling, Fashion, Celebration
State
World
Afro-Eurasia Africa, Europe, Asia
America North, Central, South, Caribbean
Oceania Australia, New Zealand
Polar Regions Arctic, Antarctica
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Hypothetical, Mythical, Celestial
Unicorn, Pegasus, Phoenix, Mermaid, Elf, Fairy, Muse, Athena, Angel
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1. The resources on this page are are organized by a classification scheme developed exclusively for Cosma.