Hawking
New York Times: Life and the Cosmos, Word by Painstaking Word: In the 1960s, with Sir Roger Penrose, he used mathematics to explicate the properties of black holes. In 1973, he applied Einstein’s general theory of relativity to the principles of quantum mechanics. And he showed that black holes were not completely black but could leak radiation and eventually explode and disappear, a finding that is still reverberating through physics and cosmology. ....... With a cheek muscle, he signals an electronic sensor in his eyeglasses to transmit instructions to the computer. In this way he slowly builds sentences; the computer transforms them
Image via Wikipedia into the metallic, otherworldly voice familiar to Dr. Hawking’s legion of fans. ....... It’s an exhausting and time-consuming process. Yet this is how he stays connected to the world, directing research at the Center for Theoretical Cosmology at the University of Cambridge, writing prolifically for specialists and generalists alike and lecturing to rapt audiences from France to Fiji. ........ At one point, he spoke of the special joys of scientific discovery. “I wouldn’t compare it to sex,” he said in his computerized voice, “but it lasts longer.” The audience roared. .......... despite the limitations, it was Dr. Hawking who wanted to do the interview in person rather than by e-mail. ....... Using e-mail, I can communicate with scientists all over the world. ....... I have traveled the world, from the Antarctic to zero gravity. (Pause.) Perhaps one day I will go into space. ....... you’ve said elsewhere that you think it’s a bad idea for humans to make contact with other forms of life ....... Previously I have said it would be a bad idea to contact aliens because they might be so greatly advanced compared to us, that our civilization might not survive the experience. .......... I don’t have much positive to say about motor neuron disease. But it taught me not to pity myself, because others were worse off and to get on with what I still could do. I’m happier now than before I developed the condition. I am lucky to be working in theoretical physics, one of the few areas in which disability is not
Image via Wikipediaa serious handicap. ........ My advice to other disabled people would be, concentrate on things your disability doesn’t prevent you doing well, and don’t regret the things it interferes with. Don’t be disabled in spirit, as well as physically. ...... the Large Hadron Collider ..... It will be two years before it reaches full power. When it does, it will work at energies five times greater than previous particle accelerators........ our experience has been that when we open up a new range of observations, we often find what we had not expected ...... I had not expected “A Brief History of Time” to be a best seller. It was my first popular book and aroused a great deal of interest. ........ I entered the health care debate in response to a statement in the United States press in summer 2009 which claimed the National Health Service in Great Britain would have killed me off, were I a British citizen. I felt compelled to make a statement to explain the error. ....... I am British, I live in Cambridge, England, and the National Health Service has taken great care of me for over 40 years. I have received excellent medical attention in Britain, and I felt it was important to set the record straight. I believe in universal health care. And I am not afraid to say so. ........ the human spirit is capable of enduring terrible hardships. ....... I would go back to 1967, and the birth of my first child, Robert. My three children have brought me great joy. ....... (After five minutes.) I hope my experience will help other people.
Cover of A Brief History of Time
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