High Table at Cambridge with Stephen Hawking

bughunter writes "Accomplished astrophysicist and SF author Gregory Benford shares a personal account of his recent conversation with Stephen Hawking at Reason Online. As usual, Benford's style is engaging and informal, and this doesn't read like a typical interview. Although the article is short on jargon, Benford and Hawking share insights on the meaning of life, the universe, and everything, as such minds are want to do. We even get a glimpse of Cambridge tunnel hacking. Of course, there's also a plug for Hawking's new book, The Universe in a Nutshell."

Not "want"...

[cybrpnk]

...but "wont". As such minds are WONT to do.

I'm no Hawking, BUT a dictionary I can handle

[Anonymous Coward]

want: nt Pronunciation Key (wnt, wônt)
v. wanted, wanting, wants
v. tr.

1.
a.To desire greatly; wish for: They want to leave. She wants a glass of water. See
Synonyms at desire.
b.To desire (someone to do something): I want you to clean your room.
2.
a.To request the presence or assistance of: You are wanted by your office.
b.To seek with intent to capture: The fugitive is wanted by the police.
3.To have an inclination toward; like: Say what you want, but be tactful.
4.Informal. To be obliged (to do something): You want to be careful on the ice.
5.To be without; lack. See Synonyms at lack.
6.To be in need of; require: "'Your hair wants cutting,' said the Hatter" (Lewis Carroll).

wont: Accustomed or used: "The poor man is wont to complain that this is a cold world" (Henry
David Thoreau).
2.Likely: chaotic as holidays are wont to be.

Hawking's page

[i like your eyes]

hawking.org.uk [hawking.org.uk] to learn more on the interviewee

Re:getting past the physical limitations

[Seth Finkelstein]

Read Profiles Of Courage - Stephen William Hawkings [tripod.com] for inspiration.

I have had motor neurone disease for practically all my adult life. Yet it has not prevented me from having a very attractive family, and being successful in my work. This is thanks to the help I have received from Jane, my children, and a large number of other people and organisations. I have been lucky, that my condition has progressed more slowly than is often the case. But it shows that one need not lose hope.

Sig: What Happened To The Censorware Project (censorware.org) [sethf.com]

We are wont to pick nits

[kindbud]

Wont is the word you wanted, not want. Look it up! [dictionary.com]

Hawking's Speech

[joeytsai]

There's a funny bit on Hawking's site [hawking.org.uk] where he describes his speech synthesizer.

He says, "One's voice is very important. If you have a slurred voice, people are likely to treat you as mentally deficient: Does he take sugar? This synthesiser is by far the best I have heard, because it varies the intonation, and doesn't speak like a Dalek. The only trouble is that it gives me an American accent."

My memories of Hawking

[jon514]

I studied as an undergrad 10ish years ago in DAMTP (Dept of Applied Maths & Theoretical Physics) at Cambridge. Stephen was often seen trundling around in his wheelchair. He was lethal in it (& probably still is) - you had to get out of the way quick or you got run-over!!

From going to one or two of his lectures, the one question that always got asked at the end is whether he believes in God. His answers were usually rather ambiguous, but the impression he gave was probably not. After reading this article, it looks like nothings changed. It is obviously a question he has thought about deeply, and whether his works allows us to see into the mind of God (if such a being exists).

He is, without doubt, a brilliant man and has achieved an unbelieveable level of fame for a mathematician. However, most of that fame seems to derive from a book that a lot of people bought but few actually read, his physical condition, and that he works in a trendy area of mathematics. I think this sometimes obscures the real quality of his academic work.