Stephen Hawking dies

[[be...]]

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/14/obituaries/stephen-hawking-dead.html?emc=edit_na_20180314&nl=breaking-news&nlid=79074308&ref=cta

 

More:

 

 

 

 

 

 

(CNN)Stephen Hawking was one of the most beloved scientists in this generation -- not only for his intellect, but for his wit and humor.

He died at the age of 76, and left behind provocative as well as comical quotes.

 

On the universe

"It would not be much of a universe if it wasn't home to the people you love."

 

On scientific discoveries

"I wouldn't compare it to sex, but it lasts longer." -- at a science festival in 2011.

On persistence

 

"However difficult life may seem, there is always something you can do and succeed at. It matters that you don't just give up." -- at an Oxford University Union speech in 2016.

On curiosity

 

"So remember, look at the stars and not at your feet." -- at the Sydney Opera House in 2015.

On intelligence

 

"I would never claim this. People who boast about their IQ are losers."-- in response to a 2017 question if he believed he was the most intelligent person in the world.

On space

 

Stephen Hawking Fast Facts

 

"May you keep flying like superman in microgravity." -- to NASA astronauts in 2014.

"I have always tried to overcome the limitations of my condition and lead as full a life as possible. I have traveled the world, from the Antarctic to zero gravity. Perhaps one day I will go into space." -- to the New York Times in 2011.

"I have already completed a zero gravity flight which allowed me to float weightless, but my ultimate ambition is to fly into space." -- to ITV in 2017.

 

On God

"God may exist, but science can explain the universe without the need for a creator." -- in a 2010 CNN interview.

"The scientific account is complete. Theology is unnecessary." -- in a 2010 CNN interview.

 

On women

"My [physician assistant] reminds me that although I have a PhD in physics, women should remain a mystery." -- in his first Reddit AMA. (His PA is a woman, by the way.)

 

On his appearance

"Unfortunately, Eddie [Redmayne] did not inherit my good looks." -- of the Oscar-winning actor who portrayed him in "The Theory of Everything."

[[Gr...]]

I saw this this morning.  Very sad, but it is awesome what an amazing life he did lead, even with a fatal diagnosis at age 21.  May he RIP. 

[[be...]]

Yes. He proved them wrong~~again~~and lived a nice long life. Good on him.

[[Mi...]]

Sad. He had such a brilliant mind

[[Lo...]]

I remember reading his "Brief History of Time" at the age 16. I was very mesmerized by that book. Almost made me want to pursue astrophysics as a profession....

[[be...]]

I remember reading his "Brief History of Time" at the age 16. I was very mesmerized by that book. Almost made me want to pursue astrophysics as a profession....

 

I tried that and was very confused. You must be smart LF. I know of one story related, kinda. A friend and I decided to take an Astronomy class. We thought it would be easy. The moon, the stars, the sun, black holes, how hard can it be? Turns out astronomy is the hardest subject. We had to have a lottery for it. I could not understand why, as the place seated 1,000 students. We both got in. Then the chair came up and said this man needs no introduction, but I'm am going to introduce him anyway: Please welcome this semester's guest professor, Dr. Carl Sagan. We both looked at each other at the same time as said, "Who is Carl Sagan?" He was in the process of writing Cosmos. :laugh: Everyone knew but us.

[[Li...]]

If Stephen Hawking was really that intelligent, why didn't he focus on coming up with treatments for ALS?  He most certainly should have been more passionate about curing ALS instead of stuff about the universe which is all theory and has had no practical application to anyone on Earth.  I've also read that Stephen Hawking was overrated and was only average when compared against others in his field.  His ALS and backstory allowed him to brand himself and basically give the illusion that he was better than everyone else...

[[Lo...]]

If Stephen Hawking was really that intelligent, why didn't he focus on coming up with treatments for ALS?  He most certainly should have been more passionate about curing ALS instead of stuff about the universe which is all theory and has had no practical application to anyone on Earth.  I've also read that Stephen Hawking was overrated and was only average when compared against others in his field.  His ALS and backstory allowed him to brand himself and basically give the illusion that he was better than everyone else...

 

Stephen Hawking was a theoretical physicist at heart. Nothing wrong with that. Well, unlike Hawking, who was a theorist, Leo Sternbach did a lot of practical work to help a lot of nervous and anxiety-ridden people who would have probably turned to opium or alcohol or barbiturates before his invention. So he created something called Librium and then something called Valium, in hopes of quelling anxiety and panic of many. Apparently, Sternbach tried his invention Valium on himself, but it made him drowsy, and he didn't like that.

 

Makes me glad that Hawking was "just" a theoretical physicist, and anyone is free to buy his books without prescription 

 

Yes, lots of rivalry between theoretical physicists, and I'd highly recommend Joao Magueijo's "Faster Than the Speed of Light: The Story of a Scientific Speculation". He talks about this insidious aspects of heavy rivalries in science in general, quite a bit.

 

 

[[be...]]

LF:

 

Sternbach also invented Klonopin. And Hawking was not an MD. I would have preferred to have met Hawking rather than him.

[[Lo...]]

LF:

Sternbach also invented Klonopin.

:o

 

LF:

And Hawking was not an MD. I would have preferred to have met Hawking rather than him.

:thumbsup:

 

 

[[Li...]]

If Stephen Hawking was really that intelligent, why didn't he focus on coming up with treatments for ALS?  He most certainly should have been more passionate about curing ALS instead of stuff about the universe which is all theory and has had no practical application to anyone on Earth.  I've also read that Stephen Hawking was overrated and was only average when compared against others in his field.  His ALS and backstory allowed him to brand himself and basically give the illusion that he was better than everyone else...

 

Stephen Hawking was a theoretical physicist at heart. Nothing wrong with that. Well, unlike Hawking, who was a theorist, Leo Sternbach did a lot of practical work to help a lot of nervous and anxiety-ridden people who would have probably turned to opium or alcohol or barbiturates before his invention. So he created something called Librium and then something called Valium, in hopes of quelling anxiety and panic of many. Apparently, Sternbach tried his invention Valium on himself, but it made him drowsy, and he didn't like that.

 

Makes me glad that Hawking was "just" a theoretical physicist, and anyone is free to buy his books without prescription 

 

Yes, lots of rivalry between theoretical physicists, and I'd highly recommend Joao Magueijo's "Faster Than the Speed of Light: The Story of a Scientific Speculation". He talks about this insidious aspects of heavy rivalries in science in general, quite a bit.

 

Klaus Schmiegel was even more of a douchebag than Leo Sternbach.  He collaborated with the most corrupt pharmaceutical company of all time Eli Lilly to invent Prozac and then the wave of terror from SSRIs was unleashed in the 1980s.  Still to this date, Prozac has more serious adverse events reported to FDA Medwatch than any other drug on the planet.  And sadly, Prozac is still on the market despite that fact.

 

[[Lo...]]

Psych drugs should not be forced upon minors, ever. I was Rx'd a benzo and a mild AP as a minor (wasn't forced to take them, but was subtly coerced into taking them). Thankfully, it was for just 4 weeks, but it left a dangerous imprint, since I was also subtly coerced to get off of them, rather than be given informed consent why it was better to stop taking them.

 

Basically, any psych drug I was coerced to take (even if subtly coerced), I will never, ever like.

 

Believe it or not, but it was Effexor and Zoloft that were the worst SSRI's for me. I stopped each within days. Effexor felt like something someone would get from a street drug dealer (and I've never touched street drugs). It just felt like a harsh stimulant to me. Zoloft made me feel these awful head sensations, and I stopped within days, too.

 

The context in which psych drugs are taken means a lot. When people take them voluntarily, it's quite different from being force-treated by them.

 

"Should-ing" is the worst kind of coercion when it comes to psych drugs. "You should take this! You should not take that!"

[[Ph...]]

Psych drugs should not be forced upon minors, ever. I was Rx'd a benzo and a mild AP as a minor (wasn't forced to take them, but was subtly coerced into taking them). Thankfully, it was for just 4 weeks, but it left a dangerous imprint, since I was also subtly coerced to get off of them, rather than be given informed consent why it was better to stop taking them.

 

Basically, any psych drug I was coerced to take (even if subtly coerced), I will never, ever like.

 

Believe it or not, but it was Effexor and Zoloft that were the worst SSRI's for me. I stopped each within days. Effexor felt like something someone would get from a street drug dealer (and I've never touched street drugs). It just felt like a harsh stimulant to me. Zoloft made me feel these awful head sensations, and I stopped within days, too.

 

The context in which psych drugs are taken means a lot. When people take them voluntarily, it's quite different from being force-treated by them.

 

"Should-ing" is the worst kind of coercion when it comes to psych drugs. "You should take this! You should not take that!"

 

Beware of the "shoulds" in your life.  Ask yourself where they come from.  The answers are interesting.  Sometimes disturbing.  But they need to be known.