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Stephen Hawking has died

bbc.com

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Re: Stephen Hawking has died

#421

Post by jonnybgood »

thanatropism wrote: post #388
dbingham wrote: post #360

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I feel like this might have more to do with modern social media and celebrity culture, especially Twitter culture, than with Tyson himself. It's toxic. It's really hard to move in that realm with out adopting some of its sensibilities and tone. In Tyson's defense, the new Cosmos was damn near perfect and had none of the elitism that I detected. Just a love of knowledge and history.

Tyson is intellectually underwhelming and doesn't seem to understand the limitations of his own knowledge. He's made his fame for speaking with the mannerisms of a preacher; and for remaking (in science a necessity) the Carl Sagan classic. He's already being forgotten by mainstream culture, which is not worse for it.

> He's already being forgotten by mainstream culture, which is not worse for it.

I disagree. Out of all pop-sci educators there's three that just about everyone who likes science knows: NDT, Bill Nye, and Carl Sagan.

Re: Stephen Hawking has died

#422

Post by nabla9 »

vincentv wrote: post #200
nabla9 wrote: post #197

Earlier quoted context omitted.

He died in π-day that also happens to be Albert Einstein's birthday.

And Albert Einstein died at the age of 76 as well. What a coincidence.

Stephen Hawking was born 8 January 1942, exactly 300 years after the death of Galileo.

Re: Stephen Hawking has died

#424

Post by comboy »

slavik81 wrote: post #417
comboy wrote: post #411

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Surely you're joking mr. richardfeynman. Come on guys, think this through. Hawking. Eating. Movement. I'm sure he would have appreciated this joke though and how it got at least two of you ;)

Hawking's condition worsened steadily throughout his life. While he was wheelchair-bound by the end of the 1960s, he was still capable of speaking until the 1980s. In the 1970s, he was already an accomplished scientist and would probably have been capable of eating a normal lunch. The timing would even work for the incident to involve the real Richard Feynman. Though, I can't find anything to suggest the story is tru…

It seems that in 1970s when he was at Caltech he already barely could talk, but who knows.

Re: Stephen Hawking has died

#425

Post by nameless912 »

yesbabyyes wrote: post #232
slavik81 wrote: post #79

That man was my hero. If I achieve a fraction of what he accomplished in his life, I will be incredibly proud. Against all odds, he lived a full and amazing life. It somehow feels even more painful to lose a man who cheated death. It just gives you that feeling that they can somehow live forever, until the moment when the illusion is shattered. And underneath it all is that unshakable feeling. Memento mori. Slowly my…

He fooled Death, staved off it's dance it beat him yet, Longinus' Lance now the bet is in our hands perhaps we'll get another chance: Wise for ever, still funny now The party's on the day of Tau He chose a funny day to die A perfect day: the day of Pi.

Are you the a_poem_for_your_sprog of Hackernews?

Re: Stephen Hawking has died

#428

Post by Retra »

spike021 wrote: post #415
notriddle wrote: post #412

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Nye was always an entertainer first, science teacher second. That's true, but I don't really see why it's a problem. As long as he's not spreading misinformation or anything, being entertaining is a skill, and he's using it towards constructive ends. How many HN articles are published every week about how people-skills are undervalued?

I think the problem is this trait mentioned by the parent post has carried through to what Nye's been doing now, and I'll personally add that current content produced by Nye doesn't seem productive in any way, whatsoever. In fact, I think Nye has gotten to a point where he actively shuns anybody with an argument against his beliefs, regardless of whichever side is correct. He'll even push his own agenda for certain t…

Such as? I haven't seen him promote anything that wasn't the general consensus among scientists.

Re: Stephen Hawking has died

#429

Post by odonnellryan »

forgetfuldino wrote: post #243
yesbabyyes wrote: post #232

Earlier quoted context omitted.

He fooled Death, staved off it's dance it beat him yet, Longinus' Lance now the bet is in our hands perhaps we'll get another chance: Wise for ever, still funny now The party's on the day of Tau He chose a funny day to die A perfect day: the day of Pi.

14/03/2018?

Since there is no 03/14/2018 in that format, yes. :)

Re: Stephen Hawking has died

#430

Post by hobofan »

telesilla wrote: post #191
n17r4m wrote: post #73

Even if there is only one possible unified theory, it is just a set of rules and equations. What is it that breathes fire into the equations and makes a universe for them to describe? The usual approach of science of constructing a mathematical model cannot answer the questions of why there should be a universe for the model to describe. Why does the universe go to all the bother of existing? Is the unified theory so…

A reminder he stated he was an atheist, so I take his words on god with a grain of salt. “We are just an advanced breed of monkeys on a minor planet of a very average star. But we can understand the Universe. That makes us something very special.” (Hawking)

> Before we understand science, it is natural to believe that God created the universe. But now science offers a more convincing explanation. What I meant by 'we would know the mind of God' is, we would know everything that God would know, if there were a God, which there isn't. I'm an atheist.
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