[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YXh9RQCvxmg] This 1 hour 24 minute long conversation between an out of character (but still hysterical) Stephen Colbert with (also always hilarious) Neil deGrasse Tyson about the meaning and importance of science and our relationship with the cosmos is a must watch video and explains my long fascination of Tyson as a scientist and educator, brilliant in equal parts. This took place at the Kimberley Academy in Montclair, New Jersey in front of a damn lucky audience and by the high standards of this talk, damn lucky students. You will learn more and inspired more during these 84 minutes than all the hours you've spent over the past week consuming whatever content you're consuming.
As my group of friends have begun expanding their lives into the realm of parenthood, Tyson towards the end of the discussion delivers a message-a plea to parents to permit and value their children's curiosity-that I hope they embrace. That said, I may or may not be speaking from personal experience, but if you're going to give your kid a microscope for Christmas, try to balance it out with a Transformer action figure.