Oh Bill Nye, why do you betray us?

For anyone who missed it, Subway checked in here


'Science Guy' Likes Pluto Change

Bill Nye: We're calling it a dwarf planet. I like the term "ice dwarf." ... These are the objects smaller than, let's say, 1,500 kilometers ... made of ice. ... Ice dwarf -- there it is: It's icy, it's small, it's out there.

If you brought Pluto close to the sun, like where Mercury is, it would have a tail like a comet and in a few millennia, it would volatize. It would just disappear into space. ... I mean, is that worthy of a planet -- a planet that just evaporates? For crying out loud.

That we have to change the name, I think, is fantastic. It shows people the process of science. We learn more about other objects in the solar system and we rethink it, so we give it a new label. If we have to learn another dozen dwarf/ice-dwarf/icy object/ultra-Neptunian-object names, it's going to be fine. It's going to be a big party. Its going to be lovely.

He goes on for a bit (there's a video too) and he's unreasonably perky and glib about it.

Oh Bill, Bill, Bill...Son in Ohio is deeply disappointed in you. But then again, he's pulling for 12 planets...

On the other hand, we have this:
Boot Pluto? Astrology's dismay off the charts

And this...
Pluto vote 'hijacked' in revolt

On Thursday, experts approved a definition of a planet that demoted Pluto to a lesser category of object.

But the lead scientist on Nasa's robotic mission to Pluto has lambasted the ruling, calling it "embarrassing".

And the chair of the committee set up to oversee agreement on a definition implied that the vote had effectively been "hijacked".

I thought as much. Pluto was robbed!

Oh yeah, and before I finish ragging on Bill Nye, it also sucks that his new show doesn't air in our area, and if you try to find a DVD as a Christmas gift, as I tried to do for said Son, it costs an arm and a leg. Mr. Science guy may just have to go "on notice".

Some new Pluto designs have emerged at Cafe Press, as mentioned in this Business Week article. And, no, I haven't sold nearly as many bumper stickers as the guy who did the "Honk if Pluto is still a Planet" bumper sticker. But then, none of my items benefitted from a direct link from the BBC News article.

Update: Here are some new Pluto bumper stickers by jc

Tags: pluto, planet, astronomy, science, Bill Nye

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