don herbert, tv’s mr. wizard, is dead. let’s all take a moment to pause and reflect on his contributions to science education and the field of ice stickiness (see video).

i mean, i love bill nye to death. i would donate a kidney to bill nye, even if he didn’t really need one. maybe he’s doing an experiment that involves urinating on things. i don’t know. the point is that bill nye is small potatoes next to the titan of science that is mr. wizard.

so you’ve got a powder-blue lab coat and your intro has got a bunch of color me badd rejects going bill! bill! bill! bill! for like fifteen minutes. big fucking deal. mr. wizard has got fucking kraftwerk and auguste rodin on his squad. and before he was blowing our young minds on mr. wizards world, he was representing on watch mr. wizard. that was in 1951. you weren’t even a twinkle in william nye sr.’s eye.

and don’t get me started on that clown beakman. real men of science don’t put a big fat guy in a shitty rat costume on tv. it demeans all of us.

so much love to my man don herbert. you combined the soothing gentleness of bob ross with the mystery, power and majesty of the horseshoe magnet. you have joined the pantheon of great television scientists, including such luminaries as professor frink and the guy from m.a.n.t.i.s.. you were a wizard, and i hope everyone will join me in pouring out an erlenmeyer flask of steel reserve for our dear departed science hommie.