Jusht Cuz.
Stop Press: Apparently Prof Cox is aware of the drinking game. So by not participating, not only will you be letting yourself down, you’ll be letting him down too. Do it. You know it makes sense.
Take 1 finger of drink when Prof Cox says:
- “Millions*”
- “Entropy“
- “Enthalpy“
- “Stelliferous“
- “Probability”
- “Vast”
- “Epic”
- “1st law of thermodynamics“
- “Chandrasekhar limit“
- “Singularity“
- When ever Brian shouts at us from a moving vehicle. (Double for a flying vehicle – h/t @Markgfh)
- Whenever you see time lapse footage of the sky or clouds (like this) – h/t @MrMMarsh
Take 2 fingers of drink for:
- “Billions*”
- “2nd law of thermodynamics“
- Any use of props (like salt and pepper shakers) or drawing in the sand with a stick (ht Rob and @carolwhead)
Take 3 fingers of drink for:
- “Trillions*”
- “3rd law of thermodynamics“
Half-a-pint for:
- “Wonders”
- “Scientific explanation”
Finish your drink whenever you see Brian in silhouette up a mountain somewhere.
* The more conservative ethanol-enthusiasts out there may like to take advantage of a modification suggested in the comments by @Nullifidian whereby each mention of million/billion/trillion in a row be counted as a single occurrence – eg “one billion billion billion billionth” would count as 2 fingers of drink, not 8. Either way, you can blame @Kashfarooq for the original rule :).
Tip o’the hat to @fibularis and @imascientist for other ideas.
Add more below and I’ll add them to the list…
Anomalous Distraction 
‘Arrow of Time’ = bottle of vodka down in one. I fear I may ‘violently collapse into a black hole’. Hic! Things start to make more sense though.
Brilliant!
I think for the sake of being somewhat responsible, multiples of “billion”, etc. should be taken as one…
Responsible schmonsible! MOAR BOOZE!
Alternative reason: I don’t usually keep that much booze in the house (despite living in Scotland).
1 finger whenever Brian crouches down and gazes wistfully at something!
2 fingers for a dramatic, wind-swept close-up! *puts 999 on speed dial*
“I want one”
I’m so glad I didn’t take part, I would have had alcohol poisoning…
Does a drinking game require that drinks are drunk only when the presenter says something specific or can it include “whenever the music soars dramatically…” and “whenever diagrams are used to illustrate a point”?
I think we’d be in even more trouble if we drank every time the music picked up…
1 glug when he says “astonishing”
Definitely bookmarking this for when I do the blu-ray Wonders marathon nerdfest.
2 fingers for any mention of the end of the universe?
Whenever the word beautiful is used, I’m sure it’s his favourite adjective.
I think ‘profound’ and ‘evolution’ need to be up there as well, but I feel we’d all get drunk very very quickly.
2 fingers whenever la Cox draws in the sand with a stick
Double your shot if the word’s used in the context of *informing* us how we should feel.
1 finger if he’s smiling enthusiasticly.
Oh, my poor liver.
One drink for every change of outfit.
`The Bowie Rule`
One must drink constantly upon hearing a David Bowie song, without taking a breath until the song is finished.
Some of Bowie’s song were pretty long 🙂 I don’t want to be responsible for anything beyond Cirrhosis of the Liver.
I think shots of the surface of the sun should be one finger.
can we have a “down in one” every time he is in some exotic location for no real reason? (ie: in brazil just to draw on walls?)
Any excuse for a
Finger night is good enough for me!! Sunday nights isn’t the best night for a drinking night however!! Work in the morning – 50 people to talk to *AAAAGGGHHHHH
Profoundly Superb, :> now all we need is a edit on curing hangovers from the prof and we will be sorted lol
One finger for lens flare.
Take a sip/ one finger/ down a shot at every change of location, two if it involves going half way round the world in a single step (Nepal to Brazil).
For all the time he is holding a rock/stone/meteorite, drink.
If he uses said rock in a diagram for something take 2 extra fingers
One shot when something blows up and 2 when he just walks away.
We may have an alcohol shortage soon.
1 finger for any mention of building blocks.
Can we please have ‘Majestic’ up there? I love how the Prof says it.
Well we need something for whenever the shot lingers lovingly on Brian in his black leather boots. It’s getting a bit like Nigella. Maybe a strong cup of coffee.
Deadly.
He does like to say “Cosmos” too, presumably in a nod to his quality forebear.
What Spidey said.
Also, a finger for every time we see shots of the Prof looking at something rather than shots of the things he’s looking at?
I propose:
A drink every time he changes continent in adjacent shots.
Damn, I’ve run out of Vimto already.
We should be drinking cider (of a particular variety of apples) should we not?
3 fingers everytime they turn down the music
Ha! This ^^^
Love this…will introduce friends to it, although Monday hangover may be bad.
Also 1 finger for:
“Brilliant”
“Amazing”
2 fingers for:
Smiling
Explaining how the universe is going to die
Finish the drink for:
Smiling while explaining how the universe is going to die
[…] a drink has to be drunk. Fantastic to know that students are learning whilst getting pissed! See http://www.xtaldave.wordpress.com/2011/03/06/the-wonders-of-the-universe-drinking-game-rules/ for […]
Perhaps extend this to include anything BC appears in. A “bobby-drink” of 500ml of water or tomato juice if any of the following are mentioned: astrology, 2012, “supermoon”.
That shouldn’t said booby-drink!
The Game Changer DNA…
The Wonders of the Universe Drinking game rules! « Anomalous Distraction…
[…] This is an updated of the original, “popular-yet-disasterous” Wonders of the Universe drinking game… […]
[…] use of props (like salt and pepper shakers) or drawing in the sand with a stick (ht Rob and […]
[…] My friend Alice and I got drunk together about five months ago and planned a trip to Cornwall. Really it’s Professor Brian Cox’s fault. I’d found this drinking game, where you watch a Wonders of Whatever and drink according to the rules. […]
A pint for any sentence ending in “indeed”.
Reblogged this on Elisabeth Hobbes and commented:
I love Brian Cox and it is a continual disappointment to me that, despite driving past Jodrell Bank twice a day, three times a week, I’ve not yet bumped into him.
Maybe as I’m driving that is a good thing.
To be fair, he can be a difficult man to find.
Until recently, I worked at the University of Manchester (where Prof Cox works). I saw him twice in 7 years.
Maybe they keep him in the little box under the telescope and only let him out for Stargazing Live.
I have it on good authority that he is permanently kept up a mountain somewhere pointing at stars, ready to be wheeled out in case of an planetary emergency.
He lives in Battersea, South London. That could be the source of your difficulties.