RIP Stephen Hawking

[HudsonHawk]

The most famous scientist since Einstein.  Dead at aged 76. 

[subnuclear]

Somebody bought me a copy of "Universe in a Nutshell" which I really liked despite having taken some graduate school classes in general relativity. I vaguely remember "Brief History of Time" which I read when I was a freshman and thought Feynman's books were way cooler.

One of my co-workers worked in Hawking's group as a post-doc in the 90s. He didn't interact with him very much, but said he had a very dry sense of humor.

[Fredia]

what he accomplished will be hard to equal

[Dark Star]

I know it is irrational, and it is probably inhumane, as well.

But, to be honest, I am kind of glad the motherfucker is dead.

[austro]

I know it is irrational, and it is probably inhumane, as well.

But, to be honest, I am kind of glad the motherfucker is dead.

Why?

[Dark Star]

I guess I grew weary of all the doomsday stuff towards the end. Aliens will kill us off, the world is going to end. Really smart fella, but kind of a bummer, actuallt.

[Bench]

Stephen Hawking - inspiring figure demonstrating that debilitating disability can be overcome with grace, grit and humor, champion of intellectual curiosity, general example of the triumph of the human spirit, but a bit of a buzzkill in the end. 

[Dark Star]

Stephen Hawking - inspiring figure demonstrating that debilitating disability can be overcome with grace, grit and humor, champion of intellectual curiosity, general example of the triumph of the human spirit, but a bit of a buzzkill in the end.

Yes. It reflects poorly on me, I know.

[Limey]

Stephen Hawking - inspiring figure demonstrating that debilitating disability can be overcome with grace, grit and humor, champion of intellectual curiosity, general example of the triumph of the human spirit, but a bit of a buzzkill in the end.

This sounds like Douglas Adams.  *Golf clap*

[das]

Yes. It reflects poorly on me, I know.

Not really.  He was kind of an arrogant ass.  And, yes, I know this personally.

@Bench, I've never heard the word "grace" and Hawking in the same sentence.  He was a lot of things but gracious was not one of them.

[HudsonHawk]

Not really.  He was kind of an arrogant ass.  And, yes, I know this personally.

@Bench, I've never heard the word "grace" and Hawking in the same sentence.  He was a lot of things but gracious was not one of them.

Show me a productive scientist who is gracious and humble. They hand out the arrogance with the PhDs.

[juliogotay]

Show me a productive scientist who is gracious and humble. They hand out the arrogance with the PhDs.

Show me a genius who is patient with the rest of us.

[HudsonHawk]

Show me a genius who is patient with the rest of us.

I try I be. I really do...

[Ty in Tampa]

Show me a genius who is patient with the rest of us.

Ordinary genius or very stable genius?

[subnuclear]

Not really.  He was kind of an arrogant ass.  And, yes, I know this personally.

@Bench, I've never heard the word "grace" and Hawking in the same sentence.  He was a lot of things but gracious was not one of them.

I've heard the same (particularly with regards to women) and certainly, his scientific reputation didn't come anywhere near his public reputation.

[subnuclear]

Show me a genius who is patient with the rest of us.

There are lots of super geniuses I've met that are perfectly nice people.

For instance, I never heard anything bad about Steve Weinberg, probably one of the great physicists of the 20th century, when I was a student at UT-Austin, except that he was incredibly busy and absent-minded.

[Duke]

My Mamma always said 'it's the destiny  of a genius to be plagued by morons".

[Fredia]

imagine being locked in that body with that mind.

[jbm]

probably preferable to being locked in that body with an ordinary mind.

btw, didn't he die on pi day? 

[VirtualBob]

I try I be. I really do...

patience is wasted on the slow

[Dark Star]

There are lots of super geniuses I've met that are perfectly nice people.

For instance, I never heard anything bad about Steve Weinberg, probably one of the great physicists of the 20th century, when I was a student at UT-Austin, except that he was incredibly busy and absent-minded.

There have been a lot of excuses made over the years for someone, great or not great, acting like a prick.

None of them ever seem very convincing.

[EasTexAstro]

There have been a lot of excuses made over the years for someone, great or not great, acting like a prick.

None of them ever seem very convincing.

We all have our strengths and weaknesses. I will accept a jerk that does good work. You look at the message, not the sender.

[Tom Servo]

https://www.cnn.com/2018/10/16/health/stephen-hawking-final-book-intl/index.html

[Lefty]

There have been a lot of excuses made over the years for someone, great or not great, acting like a prick.

None of them ever seem very convincing.

Hell, Einstein was an asshole.

[subnuclear]

Hell, Einstein was an asshole.

I guess it's been talked about recently that he was a scoundrel with the women in his life, but he was uniformly liked and admired in his profession and considered a giant in the field by everyone. You can't say the latter about Hawking.