Comments on: Documentaries I Like: Connections

By: RivetDoobie

RivetDoobie — Wed, 21 May 2008 16:44:29 +0000

Connections was awesome to watch when I was growing up! I used to watch it with my dad everytime it came on. I don’t remember which college James Burke used to teach at, but can you imagine having him for a professor? It would have been a great class! Now I’m gonna have to cue up Connections on my Netflix

By: Larian LeQuella

Larian LeQuella — Wed, 21 May 2008 15:01:38 +0000

Connections, Connections II, and anything James Burke is associated with gets big thumbs ups from me. His series, Desmond Morris’s “Naked Ape” and a bunch of good stuff from the BBC. I wish US TV would actually produce things that are this clever and informative instead of showing us the sort of junk-science that extols the virtues of crystal skulls…

By: grover

grover — Wed, 21 May 2008 10:25:37 +0000

These shows were on one of the English-language channels in Hong Kong during the past few years. My wife and I tried to catch every episode.

We never would have guessed that they were nearly 30 years old! Absolutely fantastic work – enjoyable to watch and great for trivia buffs.

By: Raj

Raj — Mon, 19 May 2008 04:11:20 +0000

Off topic sorry. There was a French cartoon series about the world that used to be shown in India several years ago. Something called ‘Tout Le Monde’ I think. It was amazing in that it showed how mankind came about being. Does anyone have an idea about this and if it is available anywhere ?

I’ll pick up ‘Connections’ someday soon. Seems interesting.

By: Jem

Jem — Fri, 16 May 2008 00:49:14 +0000

I love this series. Still shown on Pay TV. There was also another series he did called “The Day the Universe Changed” which was just as good if not better.
Its premise was how a simple event or invention changed history. One of those “easy to digest programs” that really changed how you saw the world.

By: jondru

jondru — Thu, 15 May 2008 19:18:53 +0000

I actually got to meet James Burke!

I attended a magnet school in Dallas, TX (in fact it was the _first_ magnet school anywhere). The local PBS station had brought Mr. Burke to town to promote the series, so our science cluster students trooped down to their studios to watch the first episode, introduced by Burke and followed by a Q&A with him.

I remember that he brought with him the hand-blown glass “fart gun” that appears in one of the episodes. Unfortunately, as I recall, the very first episode of the series is not one of the strongest; even though we were science nerds, it didn’t grab us a lot at the moment. I’m glad our lukewarm reception didn’t discourage him from making more!

By: Christina

Christina — Wed, 14 May 2008 22:53:11 +0000

It’s worth noting that there is a Connection PC game from the mid-90s. My dad bought it for me and I’ve probably played it 25 times. One particularly perfect moment in the game is when James Watt monologues in a cut scene about steam power. I don’t know if you can get it on EBay but it’s a must for a Connectionsphile.

By: Mark

Mark — Wed, 14 May 2008 22:27:51 +0000

I had never heard of connections… but I watched it on YouTube, and it is by far the best documentary I’ve seen.

By: Heather

Heather — Wed, 14 May 2008 20:37:28 +0000

Connections is awesome! I had forgotten about it. Thanks for the reminder.

By: iHeartConnections

iHeartConnections — Wed, 14 May 2008 19:14:33 +0000

I used to loved watching connections… burke really opened my eyes to the inter-connectivity of what can seemingly be disparate… my favorite part of the show however was how he would just always “pop up” in random spots… later on it’s made for a fun drinking game… =)