Stephen Hawking "very ill"

[f.e.a.r.]

Have they tried turning him off and back on again?

[benedictw]

Its a minor miracle that hes survived this long. Most people with ALS die after 5 years or so.

[Absolute_Zero]

From the latest releases it sounds as though he'll out soon enough and around for a while longer.

[DutchLlama]

Fair play, he's not been in the best of shape for a few decades now.

He has already lived decades longer than the doctors expected him to.

But he'll live on as one of the greats when he dies.

[Absolute_Zero]

But he'll live on as one of the greats when he dies.

This will go down like a lead balloon:
Yup, one of the great self-publicists.

[venusian]

But he'll live on as one of the greats when he dies.

This will go down like a lead balloon:
Yup, one of the great self-publicists.

That may well be true but it's done the image of physics as a vocation no harm at all.

[Absolute_Zero]

Raised the profile for sure... whether that has done much for the vocation, I'm not so certain. Probably confirming for many that physicists are an oddball breed apart.

[zip accident]

Probably confirming for many that physicists are an oddball breed apart.

[venusian]

[Absolute_Zero]

Now we're talking, a true great... and a feyn-man to boot.

[PVB]

That which is killing him is that which brought him celebrity... I doubt he'd be particularly well known otherwise.

I can name quite a few other physicists and none of them (AFAIK) were in a wheelchair or had MND.

Here's a list if you can't think of any:

http://phys.kent.edu/~manley/physicists.html

[Duck Turkin]

That which is killing him is that which brought him celebrity... I doubt he'd be particularly well known otherwise.

I can name quite a few other physicists and none of them (AFAIK) were in a wheelchair or had MND.

Here's a list if you can't think of any:

http://phys.kent.edu/~manley/physicists.html

To be fair though I doubt that many people would know more than, what, 5-ish? I may recognise some of the names but I don't think I could remember many if asked to name any famous physicists, and at least the ones that people could mention are credited with real discoveries (like theories of gravity, relativity etc).

This sounds much harsher than I intend, so please bear that in mind. However, what did Hawking do to make him so famous (no peeking on the internet), apart from survive ALS? Then ask someone who isn't a geek but who recognises the Hawking name.

[venusian]

However, what did Hawking do to make him so famous (no peeking on the internet), apart from survive ALS? Then ask someone who isn't a geek but who recognises the Hawking name.

He wrote that book that everybody bought but nobody read wherein he suggested cosmologists might discover God.

[Duck Turkin]

However, what did Hawking do to make him so famous (no peeking on the internet), apart from survive ALS? Then ask someone who isn't a geek but who recognises the Hawking name.

He wrote that book that everybody bought but nobody read wherein he suggested cosmologists might discover God.

lol, that sounds about right!

Anyway, and it should go without saying, but let's hope he manages to get over his chest infection. People with limited/no mobility often find these things more problematic.

[Absolute_Zero]

That which is killing him is that which brought him celebrity... I doubt he'd be particularly well known otherwise.

I can name quite a few other physicists and none of them (AFAIK) were in a wheelchair or had MND.

Here's a list if you can't think of any:

http://phys.kent.edu/~manley/physicists.html

String theory has been top-dog for nearly 30 years... how many here (in a geeky forum) are familiar with Lenny Susskind, Ed Witten et al?