Acknowledgements
In 1977 NASA launched two deep space probes Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 and placed a message aboard them, a kind of time capsule, intended to communicate a story of our world to extraterrestrials. The Voyager message is carried by a phonograph record, a 12-inch gold-plated copper disk containing sounds and images selected to portray the diversity of life and culture on Earth.
“The spacecraft will be encountered and the record played only if there are advanced spacefaring civilizations in interstellar space.”
Contents
calibration circle
solar location map
mathematical definitions
physical unit definitions
solar system parameters
solar system parameters 2
the sun
solar spectrum
mercury
mars
jupiter
earth
egypt, red sea, sinai peninsula, and the nile
chemical definitions
dna structure
dna structure magnified, light hit
cells and cell division
anatomy 1 (skeleton front)
anatomy 2 (skeleton and muscles back)
anatomy 3 (internal organs front)
anatomy 4 (internal organs back)
anatomy 5 (ribcage)
anatomy 6 (muscles front)
anatomy 7 (heart, lungs, kidneys and main blood vessels back)
anatomy 8 (heart, lungs, kidneys and main blood vessels front)
human sex organs
diagram of conception
conception
fertilized ovum
fetus diagram
fetus
diagram of male and female
birth
nursing mother
father and daughter (malaysia)
group of children
diagram of family ages
family portrait
diagram of continental drift
structure of the earth
heron island (great barrier reef of Australia)
seashore, maine
snake river and grand tetons
sand dunes
monument valley
forest scene with mushrooms
leaf
autumn fallen leaves
snowflakes over sequoia
tree with daffodils
flying insect with flowers
diagram of vertebrate evolution
seashell (xancidae)
dolphins
school of fish
tree toad
crocodile
eagle
waterhole
jane goodall and chimps
sketch of bushmen
bushmen hunters
man from guatemala
dancer from bali
andean girls
thailand master craftsman
elephant
old man with beard and glasses (turkey)
leo kenton coleman with dog and flowers
mountain climber
gymnast
sprinters (valeriy borzov of the U.S.S.R. in lead)
schoolroom
children with globe
cotton harvest
grape picker
supermarket
underwater scene with diver and fish
fishing boat with nets
cooking fish
chinese dinner party
demonstration of licking, eating and drinking
great wall of china
house construction (african)
construction scene (amish country)
house (africa)
house (new england)
modern house (cloudcroft, new mexico)
“house interior with artist and fire” (photo of jim gray & his wife)
taj mahal
english city (oxford)
boston
UN building day
UN building night
sydney opera house
artisan with drill
factory interior
museum
x-ray of hand
woman with microscope
street scene, asia (pakistan)
rush hour traffic, thailand
modern highway (ithaca, ny)
golden gate bridge
train
airplane in flight
airport (toronto)
antarctic expedition
radio telescope (westerbork, netherlands)
radio telescope (arecibo)
page of book (newton, on the system of the world)
astronaut in space
titan centaur launch
sunset with birds
string quartet (quartetto italiano)
beethoven’s string quartet no 13
calibration circle
hello. this is a circle
we like to draw them often
they are not our faces
solar location map
case you can’t find us
get your kids to read the map
it works for us too
mathematical definitions
here is your homework
you need to understand math
to get this slideshow
physical unit definitions
we have this thing weight
maybe you guys weigh as much
as concentration
solar system parameters
see, we’re that black dot
third one along from our sun
our goldilocks zone
solar system parameters 2
these show nine planets
but we ostracised pluto
always a scapegoat
the sun
we don’t have four suns
these are only fingerprints
of the sol suspect
solar spectrum
this makes a rainbow
we like to see them on earth
we have planet pride
mercury
we do not live here
this winged messenger is far
too hot for our toes
mars
geez this could be us
by the time you get here bro
hate to disappoint
jupiter
this is our largest
marble in the whole bag
let’s play for keeps
earth
a walnut kernel
no this is our apartment
on milky way street
egypt, red sea, sinai peninsula, and the nile
so much history
so many chemicals we
release when angry
chemical definitions
there’ll be chemistry
between our two species
whenever we meet
dna structure
this is a letter
that our bodies send to our
cells written in code
dna structure magnified, light hit
this is using a
magnifying glass to read
our bodies’ fine print
cells and cell division
yes, we often split
on body issues/stem cells
& joy division
anatomy 1 (skeleton front)
cut us in half &
we’d look a bit like this guy
pick out the bones first
anatomy 2 (skeleton and muscles back)
turn us over as
though we’re a meat pattie &
you’re flipping burgers
anatomy 3 (internal organs front)
some of us have guts
to stand up for what is right
some act like this dude
anatomy 4 (internal organs back)
these guts are a man’s
believe us that women look
just the same inside
anatomy 5 (ribcage)
if you believe some
we came from adam’s ribcage
how are we not clones
anatomy 6 (muscles front)
sorry for the long
anatomy lesson but
we all suffer too
anatomy 7 (heart, lungs, kidneys and main blood vessels back)
don’t get any ideas
for a barbeque fry-up
make a pie instead
anatomy 8 (heart, lungs, kidneys and main blood vessels front)
sorry but someone
has graffitied on this slide
jaded grad student
human sex organs
please don’t laugh at us
we don’t have the advantage
of seeing your bits
diagram of conception
all apologies
for this dirty diagram
microscopic porn
conception
this is not our sun
soz for the misconception
it still gives life though
fertilized ovum
this is our engine
we can jump start it when cold
body batteries
fetus diagram
let’s get this straight
we are not shadow puppets
look at the next slide
fetus
this is our starchild
we were once all wise women
then some became men
diagram of male and female
this binary thing
not all identify as
heterosexual
birth
who can remember
our crazy first stunt for mum
smack your baby up
nursing mother
most of our planet
is free now so the nipple
can be freed as well
father and daughter (malaysia)
oh, this photo is
possibly problematic
what was nasa thinking
group of children
our kids did stuff like
this before developing
iPad addictions
diagram of family ages
these peeps aren’t obese
the seventies had lower
sugar intake brah
family portrait
don’t be mistaken
there are more of us than this
photo could capture
diagram of continental drift
that strange hand is not
a continent but when things
started to go wrong
structure of the earth
our pale blue dot is
made up of the same stuff but
not in my backyard
heron island (great barrier reef of australia)
hopefully you’ll
be able to see the reef
alive & not dead
seashore, maine
this is stephen king’s
house you’d like his horror books
like tommy knockers
snake river and grand tetons
i’m pretty sure this
is where skeletor resides
you’ll love snake mountain
sand dunes
we do recommend
taking a horse & a dog
into any desert
monument valley
could be a photo
from a kubrick film set just
get rid of the goats
forest scene with mushrooms
they were big in the
seventies these golden tops
take a forest trip
leaf
we didn’t understand
leaves could talk to each other
try forest bathing
autumn fallen leaves
because of our tilt
we have four diverse seasons
these trees are not dead
snowflakes over sequoia
this is snow, snowflakes
are not sharp like ninja stars
they will melt your heart
tree with daffodils
we still have cancer
you’ve probably cured it
so medieval
flying insect with flowers
don’t be alarmed
our giant insects died out
in the devonian
diagram of vertebrate evolution
i know, you may think
a child drew these in pencil
pioneer ten bombs
seashell (xancidae)
nature loves spirals
evolution doodles on
the inside of shells
dolphins
no, we don’t have
flying dolphins in the sea
they got some air though
school of fish
this underwater
cave is not a sideways mouth
no fish were harmed
tree toad
most toads are frogs that
have image problems at home
& move into trees
crocodile
we take their measure
we are the lords of the beasts
please do not skin us
eagle
eagles don’t have tongues
this long, except gene simmons
leads the kiss army
waterhole
here the animals
are divided by water
humans, apartheid
jane goodall and chimps
camera shy chimps
our banana republic
jane immortalised
sketch of bushmen
so, only men hunt
in the nineteen seventies
sketchy gender roles
bushmen hunters
dogs do all the work
so where are the bushwomen
when you need them
man from guatemala
we are happy here
with a machete & stick
you should try it out
dancer from bali
she is pretty dope
for some early breakdancing
casts a rabbit too
andean girls
this would be even more
impressive with a condor
wingspan of four girls
thailand master craftsman
he crafts elephants
we hope that you get to see
real ones in the wild
elephant
oh look, here’s one but
we’ve made it a slave to wood
carve out the forest
old man with beard and glasses (turkey)
jeezus, we can’t show
smoking on tv ads now
but space probes are fine
leo kenton coleman with dog and flowers
his small dog doesn’t
get its name mentioned as its
all about leo hey
mountain climber
not all of us can
stand on a giant penis
don’t try this at home
gymnast
don’t be confused
there’s just one girl on the bar
not seven phantoms
sprinters (valeriy borzov of the U.S.S.R. in lead)
this is a russian
we had to be inclusive
space is a cold war
schoolroom
notice that the child
sitting behind is off-task
he will get a smack
children with globe
looks are deceiving
these children aren’t magnetised
they are summoning
cotton harvest
forty years later
cotton drinks our freshwater
hydrate frequently
grape picker
worker bacchanal
no lunchbreak in the vineyard
unemployment stains
supermarket
supermarket in
california perhaps
she eats forever
underwater scene with diver and fish
oxygen hooks fish
so, who watches the watchers
frame composition
fishing boat with nets
this’ll be a dead
art by the time you arrive
nets as fish blankets
cooking fish
we hope you get to
try some whole barbecued fish
hurry while stocks last
chinese dinner party
he’s just told a joke
we have five fingers to use
& one funny mouth
demonstration of licking, eating and drinking
they’re all being rude
no one eats or drinks like this
with their mouths open
great wall of china
you can see it from
space; are you a creature that
doesn’t love a wall
house construction (african)
good fences make good
neighbours robert frost tells us
this one is wonky
construction scene (amish country)
if you look really
closely harrison ford might
be rebelling soon
house (africa)
they’ve a thatched roof
their clothes are made of cotton
nature dresses us
house (new england)
a house two point four
children, but why has the man
estranged himself
modern house (cloudcroft, new mexico)
cloudcrofting is when
you look for sheep in the sky
in new mexico
“house interior with artist and fire” (photo of jim gray & his wife)
big jim is painting
his wife could be a painter
can you find the cat
taj mahal
observatory
this ain’t, only a tomb
we are born to love
english city (oxford)
dictionaries were
born here, as was a comma
y’know we’re smart too
boston
when you arrive here
please land in boston common
but don’t bring death ray
UN building day
united nations
just another level of
space bureaucracy
UN building night
a friendly warning
bureaucracy never sleeps
even at night-time
sydney opera house
this building put oz
on the world map, moreover
it’s dope down under
artisan with drill
who’s creating whom
the artisan with drill or
drill with artisan
factory interior
we hope you’re carbon
based…we are not torturing
these metal creatures
museum
this is what you might
find by the time you get here
our mammoth bones
x-ray of hand
look radiation
can help us see through our skin
notice our webbing
woman with microscope
forty images
of women to seventy
men, microscopic
street scene, asia (pakistan)
see that cow sitting
please don’t eviscerate it
they are sacred here
rush hour traffic, thailand
there is always one
who will stick out from the rest
of humanity
modern highway (ithaca, ny)
there are more cars now
& less country to wander
we are civilised
golden gate bridge
if you attack us
destroy this bridge first because
we’ll know it’s for reals
train
we think we can we
think we can we think we can
do you think so too
airplane in flight
these things used to crash
a lot more than they do now
stick to your spaceships
airport (toronto)
square on a circle
we call this architecture
plane composition
antarctic expedition
get here as quickly
as you can before the ice
all melts & we fall
radio telescope (westerbork, netherlands)
these cosmic windmills
will hear you coming before
we’ll get to see you
radio telescope (arecibo)
not a landing pad
all the better to hear you
with a giant ear
page of book (newton, on the system of the world)
newton was proved right
on the system of the world
on its gravity
astronaut in space
nasa is quite coy
this is astronaut ed white
photobombing earth
titan centaur launch
this is voyager
one’s mother you could argue
complicated birth
sunset with birds
they didn’t get much of
a look in on this slideshow
mammal-centrism
string quartet (quartetto italiano)
men wear tuxedos
women wear cocktail dresses
play us like a pipe
beethoven’s string quartet no 13
you’ve built the player
so, go & listen to this
final masterpiece
