RIP Stephen Hawking
 

Sad to see such a remarkable mind gone. He has always been one of my heroes, more so than any athlete. Any other cosmology nerds on the forum? :(

"My goal is simple. It is a complete understanding of the universe, why it is as it is and why it exists at all." Now he's met his goal.

I read, or should I say tried to read, the dumbed down version of A Brief History of Time. He wrote beautifully, and translated very complex subjects into straightforward examples, but even at that, much of it was too abstract for me to get my head around.

Yep, my son in an astrophysics major. Our discussions on the subject tend to end very quickly. Just can't wrap my head around concepts that abstract/complex/theoretical.

The highlighted part describes sabermetrics to me.:D

I'm glad to see they are interring his ashes near Darwin and Newton. Fitting.

I've read A Brief History of Time three times. Professor Hawking was a wonderful teacher, and maintained his wicked sense of humor, even after ALS turned his body into a prison. He had an uncanny ability to deconstruct complex scientific theories and mathematical equations in a way that a layperson could understand. Though his body was rendered inert, his mind was in mint condition until the very end.

His lectures are available for free on his site, hawking.org.uk. My favorite is "Does God Play Dice?"

Errol Morris has a wonderful documentary about the famous theoretical physicist, A Brief History of Time (1991). It paints pretty broad brushstrokes of the science that constituted his life work, focusing mostly on the man himself.

I've never been one to place a lot of value on celebrity, but Professor Hawking was my idol, and a lifelong inspiration. I smile when I think of Stephen being able to walk again, exploring the universe as only he could. I imagine he, Sir Isaac Newton and Albert Einstein are tossing a few back at that great big pub in the sky.

"If I could explain it to the average person, it wouldn't have been worth the Nobel Prize"-- Richard Feynman when asked to explain his work to the average person.

Bill, you made me smile. Your end summation reminds me of his guest appearance on Star Trek, when Data is playing poker with Newton, Einstein, and Hawking. Data and Newton fold, and Einstein tells Hawking he thinks he's bluffing and calls. Hawking lays down his cards and says, "Wrong again, Albert." Only a cosmology nerd appreciates that joke. :D

There are more stars in the universe than grains of sand on earth.....makes you feel real small

They cannot scare me with their empty spaces
Between stars - on stars where no human race is.
I have it in me so much nearer home
To scare myself with my own desert places.