Stephen Hawking Is "Very Ill" In Hospital 413
C S Miller writes "Not much more to add.
The BBC is reporting that 'Stephen Hawking is "very ill" in hospital.' He has had a few health scares before, and as a post-graduate he was told he didn't have much longer to live; he's now 67."
Oh dear (Score:5, Interesting)
Re:Oh dear (Score:5, Funny)
I to hope he pulls through also. This is one that I hope has no funny posts.
Re:Oh dear (Score:4, Insightful)
It'll be a shame if this turns out to be his last hospital visit, but if it is, he knows his name will be remembered for a long, long time to come.
Good luck, mr. Hawking. I do hope you pull through once again.
Re: (Score:2, Funny)
all that while being completely wheelchair bound and having a speech impediment.
Hey, most of us have American accents, you insensitive clod!
Re:Oh dear (Score:5, Insightful)
His most fawning worshipful descriptions such as:
Stephen Hawking is one of the greatest minds of the 20th century. The guy has achieved more than almost anyone on the planet
Primarily seem to be a direct result, and inseparable from :
being completely wheelchair bound and having a speech impediment
It is disrespectful toward him, for people whom don't know anything about physics, to brown nose all over the guy, just because he's handicapped. Note, I'm not saying he's a loser, its not a binary this or that response. It is more respectful of his considerable intellectual achievements to describe him as definitely well above average in his profession, rather than a polite version of condescendingly fawning over every little little achievement of a sick child.
For example, in my opinion Asimov beats him in popular science writing, Feynman beats him in actual physics and also general writing. Not coming in first or second place doesn't make him a moron, it just makes him not first or second place. Just not the greatest mind of the century, just not the greatest achievement on the planet. Still cool mind you, just not the greatest.
He is fairly comparable to Edward Belbruno, the genius inventor of low energy orbital transfers, in that both broke new ground in a very specialized area of study where they got very surprising, paradigm changing results, and wrote reasonably decent books about it. Note, you've never heard of Belbruno because he physically normal, as far as I know.
It's more respectful to declare him a very significant figure in early black hole physics and a decent writer and stop at that point, than to focus on his handicap while worshiping his achievements in a pandering manner.
Re:Oh dear (Score:4, Informative)
It is disrespectful toward him, for people whom don't know anything about physics, to brown nose all over the guy, just because he's handicapped. Note, I'm not saying he's a loser, its not a binary this or that response. It is more respectful of his considerable intellectual achievements to describe him as definitely well above average in his profession, rather than a polite version of condescendingly fawning over every little little achievement of a sick child.
I'm going to butt in here and point out that Hawking's achievements were beginning to be known even as a post-grad, when his illness was [i]first diagnosed[/i]. At this point he's been restricted to a wheelchair for most of his life, but he was more or less normal for his first 20 or so years, physically. He was even on the rowing team IIRC.
Now, I don't know if his illness increased his focus and productivity in the realms of theoretical physics or not, other than to note that if he'd been whole in body he'd have a far easier time outputting his ideas, researching, etc... Not to mention possibly having an extra 30 or so years of him. His lack of mobility has likely led to certain health issues that will take him from us early.
Re: (Score:3, Informative)
Re: (Score:3, Informative)
I lost my dad to ALS when I was 12. He was diagnosed when I was 8. 46 years with ALS is literally unprecedented. Most people don't make it to the 5th year after diagnosis. I hope he's willed his body to science because his final act of discovery might be to help medical science figure out how to slow the progression of the disease.
Oh yeah: if you want to do something in Dr. Hawking's honor, drop a few coins ALSA [alsa.org]'s way. The DNA of the foundation my mom started after my dad was diagnosed is a part of the curr
Re: (Score:2)
Indeed. He is a credit to scientific thought.
Re: (Score:2, Interesting)
And one hell of a rapper. [mchawking.com]
Re: (Score:2, Funny)
I didn't know Jack Chick was a reader here at Slashdot.
Re: (Score:3, Funny)
I am Jack's medulla oblongata.
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:3, Funny)
Or is that you can't prove it's not, so it is?
Agh. This is why I don't like religion and conspiracy debates.
Re: (Score:3, Informative)
"Quantum mechanics is certainly imposing. But an inner voice tells me that it is not yet the real thing. The theory says a lot, but does not really bring us any closer to the secret of the 'old one'. I, at any rate, am convinced that He does not throw dice." - A. Einstein
Sounds like an acknowledgment of a creator to me.
Faith and science are not mutually exclusive, they never have been.
Re: (Score:3, Funny)
That doesn't appear to be Jesus. It reads more like a C'thulu cult site.
Re:Oh dear (Score:4, Insightful)
Lets see, who would I rather listen to - a self-righteous imbecile who apparently feels the need to post anonymously, despite being so sure of themselves, or a man who was bound to a wheelchair most of his life, can't speak without the help of a computer and despite being told he only had a couple of years to live, managed to do more in a few years than 99.99% of other human beings on the planet have ever accomplished in their entire lives?
A man that, when faced with quite possibly one of the worst things that could ever happen to single human being, didn't give up. I respect this man more than any other human being that has ever lived. Even without his genius, he is a role model for us all, he is living proof that no matter how bad things may seem, your life need never be over.
I know I'm not supposed to feed the trolls, but this is something I feel so strongly about, I had to say something. Stephen Hawking is a great man, easily one of the greatest people alive today.
Re: (Score:2)
Lets see, who would I rather listen to - a self-righteous imbecile who apparently feels the need to post anonymously
... is neokushan your actual name? Just find this a bit ironic. Anyway, don't feed trolls.
Re: (Score:2)
I'd be willing to bet that we could find his real name easily here. [google.com]
Re:Oh dear (Score:5, Interesting)
Re: (Score:2, Funny)
Re: (Score:2)
"Guard these math skills well. For one day they will guard your life."
*couldn't resist sorry.
Re: (Score:2)
According to that link, Hawking isn't the only person trying to steal things.
Re: (Score:2)
"Should've" = "Should have".
Twit.
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
Did I miss the memo where we changed the definition of 'malicious?'
Re:Oh dear (Score:4, Insightful)
Too right, it's not. It ain't going to ask him anything. Sorry to have to tell you this, but your invisible friend is just a figment of your imagination!
Re:Oh dear (Score:5, Funny)
However! Don't you DARE insinuate that the holiest of holies, Santa Claus, is just a children's story! Your feeble words will only make my faith in dear Santa stronger! Evidence smevidence!
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
Re: (Score:3, Funny)
I hate to link to another post of mine in another thread, but I think it's appropriate here. I very much DO believe in intangible, imaginary friends [slashdot.org], and frankly find myself MORE enlightened for trusting in my Gods to deliver me to the truth.
Some people call me wacko for that, but those people also invariably bask in the works my Gods have allowed to be through Their Divine Influence. Personally, I find it hypocritical, but not blasphemous. I would guess that blasphemy is hard to actually pull off in my
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
Sort of sounds like Plato's forms. Ideas and pure concepts are the most real things, physical instances are just crude copies.
Funnily enough, Plato's evidence for the forms is very similar to Anselm's attempt to prove God's existence. Perhaps because Anselm's version of God (at least for the purposes of his argument) basically resembled the mother of all Forms.
I doubt Plato considered the forms to be his friends though, being a grown man and all.
Re: (Score:3, Informative)
If your linking of self-reference and consciousness wasn't inspired by Gödel, Escher, Bach: an Eternal Golden Braid [wikipedia.org] , then I'd advise you to read that book as soon as possible, as that's pretty much its main thesis.
God and Stephen (Score:5, Funny)
Re:God and Stephen (Score:5, Funny)
I see God sitting down with Stephen, winking and then saying something like, "Hey, did you get what I did with that 10 dimension thing and how it really changes when you look at it in 11 dimensions. Trippy, right?"
Hawking: I also spotted your unintentional mistake which become clear when you look at in 12 dimensions
God: You mother-fsckin' smartass
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
You're right. The FSM isn't going to ask Hawking anything! He'll just touch Hawking with His Noodly Appendage!
Re:Oh dear (Score:4, Insightful)
Indeed. It does not matter how the man lived his life.
How many people he helped.
How far he helped advanced human society.
How many he inspired.
How selfless he was or was not.
What matters is if he asked forgiveness of the correct God in the right way. All that matters is the paperwork!
If the above were true then the rest would be burning on the side of Right.
Re:Oh dear (Score:5, Insightful)
Ironically, if Hawking helped people, advanced humanity, inspired others to great things, and was deeply selfless... he may actually be far closer to God than most Christians.
Re:Oh dear (Score:5, Insightful)
Perhaps one can look at this in a more positive sense?
Though I'm no scientist like Newton or Hawking,
or a great advancer of society like Gandhi or M.L. King,
indeed, I'm a miserable failure when compared against the highest standards of humanity, and infinitely more so when judged against the perfect standards of God,
the Good News is that even I can receive all the greatest benefits of eternal life through grace, rather than the consignment to nothingness that I deserve by my own efforts.
Re:Oh dear (Score:5, Funny)
Wow. That is a compelling excuse for slacking off you've got there.
Re: (Score:3, Interesting)
I have seen many people who supposedly accepted JC and do not do terribly good works and those who haven't who are almost saintly.
The idea that the acceptance will make good works be done does not seem to bear out in practice.
My personal belief is that God, if he truly exists and is worthy of worship, has already forgiven all souls. We may gain a wider understanding of our actions after death and that understanding and our own lack of how we behaved is what will drag us down. In other words the "fires" of
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
Though I'm no scientist like Newton or Hawking,
or a great advancer of society like Gandhi or M.L. King,
indeed, I'm a miserable failure when compared against the highest standards of humanity, and infinitely more so when judged against the perfect standards of God,
the Good News is that even I can receive all the greatest benefits of eternal life through grace, rather than the consignment to nothingness that I deserve by my own efforts.
Thank you for demonstrating one of the great dangers of religion. It allow
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:Oh dear (Score:5, Informative)
ok.. Any intelligence which is that conceited, petty and needy has no buisness being worshipped. Actually such an intelligence wouldnt even have my respect.
Storm
Re:Oh dear (Score:5, Insightful)
I hope he pulls through too. Because if he dies he will do so without being having accepted his gift of salvation through Jesus Christ. God is not going to ask Stephen Hawking what his GPA was, or how many department chairs he has held, or how many papers he has published. No, there is only one question that Mr. Hawking will be asked... Did you believe upon my Son for the forgiveness of your sins?
I'll chime in on this, because as a Christian it kills me to see this pre-school level understanding of Christianity repeated.
To make it simple here's the basic axioms of Christianity:
1. God is real and is perfect
2. Anyone who wants to return to Him must be perfect
3. Nobody is perfect (enter the paradox)
4. Christ willingly takes upon Himself the imperfections (sins) of the world.
5. Then as the creditor, He, and He alone, has the authority to redefine the terms of returning to God
The problem arises when Christians think they themselves are able to define the terms of returning to God, which when you think of it could be considered blasphemous at the highest level because one must arrogate themselves above Christ to think that they have the authority to do so.
This is done often by misinformed Christians when referring to atheists, non-believers, other Christian sects, and even people with whom they don't agree with within their own faith--and generally is indicative of a very immature understanding of the Christian faith. I've encountered this myself as I've heard people tell me whether I'm a Christian based on definitions varying from "anyone who follows Christ" to "anyone who goes to my Bible study group on Thursdays." It's a version of the "no true Scotsman" fallacy.
Continuing from #5 above:
6. A significant portion of God's children never heard of Christ or otherwise lacked the opportunity to accept Him by no fault of their own, and thus could not be condemned by a perfect God for reasons beyond their control (note that "opportunity" is defined loosely here since it is different for everyone)
Christians who stopped at #5 above and simply proceeded to try to define the terms of salvation on their own won't even get to this step since they're too busy trying to pretend they're qualified to judge those around them (which, by the way, is explicitly forbidden in Christianity).
There are several different ways different Christian sects try to solve the paradox contained in #6. Rather than dive too much deeper I'll just say that Christ Himself gave a clue to this in His parable of the sheep and goats in Matthew (go look it up). Summarizing, it basically teaches that those who concerned themselves with helping the homeless, poor, sick, widowed and otherwise less fortunate are those who He will allow back into God's presence regardless of any amount of lip service given.
So if, God forbid, Dr. Hawking dies now, will he be saved? I don't know, and I can firmly say that neither does anyone else on this planet. So, I'd say the best thing we can do is appreciate all the good he did and hope/pray we can enjoy his presence longer. And if not, take all of the good Dr. Hawking brought to the scientific community and mankind in general.
Re: (Score:3)
There's no paradox. 2 and 3 form a problem for mankind, which is rather different to a paradox - a problem that is solved by 4.
As for the terms of 5, they are very clearly defined by God in Scripture as being faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Additionally, the book of Romans is very clear that no-one is without excuse because God's existence is clear from nature, but denied by us because of our sinful nature, which goes against the problem you claim in 6. See Romans 10:9-17 for example - the problem of people
Re:Oh dear (Score:5, Insightful)
I used to be a 'Christian' too until I realized how cruel and plain unfair hell would be for even the worst person that ever existed.
Re: (Score:3, Funny)
Please submit all patches in unified diff format, with all paths listed from the project root.
Re:Oh dear (Score:5, Insightful)
Why are you blaming God for what people do in his name? I've seen people do some pretty messed up stuff in the name of money. Does that make all money evil? Or maybe we should hold people responsible for their actions, not God, whether or not you believe in him.
Religion gives people power just like politics. Are you really so surprised that people at times abuse power? Get some perspective please before you start spewing hate like that. Oh, wait. This is slashdot. Never-mind. Carry On.
Poor Guy (Score:5, Insightful)
All I can say is that I hope he doesn't have to suffer any more pain than he already has.
Cruel fate (Score:5, Funny)
Sadly, it's even worse. I heard he has considerable holdings of Sun stock [yahoo.com].
WOW (Score:4, Insightful)
Re:WOW (Score:5, Funny)
My heart goes out to him and hopefully will get better.
Maybe if your heart actually went out to him, this whole crisis could be averted in time?
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:WOW (Score:5, Insightful)
Back in the days of Aristotle, we knew that gravity was a constant downward force.
Newton's calculations didn't show that to be wrong, it merely proved that it's a good approximation if you're on the Earth's surface. If you're in space, you need to use Newton's work.
Einstein didn't disprove Newton, he merely showed that his calculations are a good approximation if you're traveling at less than 10% the speed of light. Higher than that, and you need to use Einstein's equations.
Hawking showed that Einstein's equations only worked in a limited scope, just like Einstein did to Newton. In the same way, Hawking's early work has been supplanted by more recent studies, but it doesn't mean the man is dumb.
Re:WOW (Score:5, Funny)
Death announced before death? (Score:4, Insightful)
I do hate it in this day and age, where people speculate before people die.
Report the news after it's happened, not before.
It's like akin to reading about Jade Goody demise.
Re: (Score:2, Funny)
I do hate it in this day and age, where people speculate before people die.
Call it speculation, but I'm pretty sure that the rules haven't changed in regards to death.
It's still 1 per person.
Re: (Score:2)
I think the Buddhists might disagree with you there ...
Re: (Score:2)
Zombies?
Re: (Score:2, Informative)
They're reporting on him as he is now, very ill and in the hospital. TFA was a brief article on BBC discussing what they knew about his present condition, not a link to the Death Clock.
Re:Death announced before death? (Score:5, Insightful)
I understand your point, but please never make an analogy between something involving Stephen Hawking and something involving Jane Goody again.
It simply sounds wrong.
Re: (Score:2)
As opposed to in the past, where a mammoth would rip out the village elder's guts, and the rest of the the village would be all, "Let's not jump to conclusions now..."? ;)
Hawking has proposed a solution (Score:5, Funny)
If we can launch him into space, and get him traveling fast enough, he'll seem to live nearly forever from our perspective.
Re: (Score:2)
If we can launch him into space, and get him traveling fast enough, he'll seem to live nearly forever from our perspective.
That is dangerous thinking. He could very easily create a Hawking Hole, and that would be the end of us all.
Re:Hawking has proposed a solution (Score:5, Funny)
I thought it was a fry-hole...
HAWKING
I call it a "Hawking Hole".
FRY
No fair! I saw it first!
HAWKING
Who is The Journal Of Quantum Physics going to believe?
Oblig. Futurama (Score:5, Funny)
Fry: Hey! Stephen Hawking! Aren't you that physicist that invented gravity?
Stephen Hawking: Sure. Why not?
Hey now, enough of that talk (Score:5, Insightful)
Let's not start gearing up for his death just yet.
He obviously has a fantastic will to live, or he wouldn't have made it to 67 with his issues in the first place. There is no reason to think he won't pull through this also.
The Facts (Score:5, Insightful)
He contracted pneumonia in 1985 and would never speak naturally again as a result of the surgery to save his life.
When the odds are stacked against you, a "fantastic will to live" can seem pretty insignificant. I'm grateful we've had his presence for this long but these are the facts.
I'm not afraid to show Stephen Hawking we're shocked and mortified that we might lose him. I hope we don't but I'm not one to go through life with a "everything's going to be just fine" attitude masking my true feelings. I followed Robert Jordan's disease in mortified fear and I'll follow Stephen Hawking's progress in mortified fear. I would like him to know how much the world will miss him before it is too late.
I am grateful for all that he has done in stealing knowledge from the unknown and delivering it to mankind. I know my own personal state of understanding owes him a great deal.
Re: (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:The Facts (Score:5, Funny)
I am grateful for all that he has done in stealing knowledge from the unknown and delivering it to mankind. I know my own personal state of understanding owes him a great deal.
Hey, now. Don't say that too loudly, or the Unknown Knowledge Industry Association of America will sue him into silence.
Re: (Score:2)
Even if you discount his contribution to science, which is considerable he is pretty amazing.
As someone who has ALS, aka Lou Gehrig's Disease, aka motor neuron disease, run in the family (Gradfather died from it) and has read up on it a lot, it is remarkable that he is even alive, let alone a scientist of some repute.
By the time most are diagnosed they only live for a handful of years.
Anyway I hope he recovers from this and continues to lead such a productive life. Best wishes.
A Legend (Score:5, Insightful)
This man has been an inspiration to many people, myself included. He has inspired hope and shown the true courage and grit that humans can possess. Mr. Hawking has contributed man things to the fields of science and written some truly great books. His legacy will extend far beyond when he shuffles off this mortal coil.
I wish him the best and hope that the end to his current predicament comes swiftly, no matter the resolution.
Re:A Legend (Score:5, Funny)
Mr. Hawking has contributed man things to the fields of science and written some truly great books.
Can't fault someone that contributes man things.
Re: (Score:2)
Personally I'd prefer woman things though.
Post-graduate (Score:5, Funny)
Let this be a lesson to all - graduating is hazardous to your health!
Re: (Score:2, Funny)
That's why I plan on never graduating. ;-)
(/me is a 3rd year grad student)
Good luck to him (Score:2)
I'm a big fan of his music (Score:3, Funny)
Re:I'm a big fan of his music (Score:5, Funny)
Certainly not! Do you want to create *more* of them?!?
Re: (Score:2)
f-them running with a chainsaw!!!
escalate the issue and derivative problem solved.
you down with entropy? (Score:2)
A choice of lyrics from MC Hawkings' "Entropy":
Creationists always try to use the second law,
to disprove evolution, but their theory has a flaw.
The second law is quite precise about where it applies,
only in a closed system must the entropy count rise.
The earth's not a closed system' it's powered by the sun,
so fuck the damn creationists, Doomsday get my gun!
That, in a nutshell, is what entropy's about,
you're now down with a discount.
Note to the BBC (Score:2)
Re:Note to the BBC (Score:5, Insightful)
Who gives a damn what he looks like. What's a 'slightly' better picture gonna do? Everyone who knows him reveres him for his mind not his body and face.
A long time ago... (Score:5, Funny)
I had the pleasure of seeing one of his lectures. This was before the breathing tube and voice synth. Honestly couldn't understand a word he was saying. One of his undergrads would translate for him. Went something like this:
Hawking: "hmm um mumb bllum blbl lun udn ummm mummb lum mum".
SomeGuy: "And we should see a large burst of gamma radiation."
I had a less than elegant friend with me who leaned over to me and whispered: "Wouldn't it be funny if the guy in the wheel chair was just some retarded kid and the other guy was a genius who didn't want noterity?"
Re:A long time ago... (Score:5, Funny)
Correction: Alphabet Soup Nazi.
Quick get him the Nobel Prize (Score:2)
What is amazing is that despite coming up with the theoretical basis behind the big bang and a whole bunch of other stuff he is still yet to win the Nobel Prize. Hopefully this is just Professor Hawking's way of making a VERY big hint to the awards committee.
Yes I know its about theoretical pieces that must be proven by experimentation, but surely the big bang is worth it on its own.
Re: (Score:2)
What was bad was that he missed out on the other *4* he should have gotten
Photoelectric effect (won)
Special relativity
General relativity
Brownian motion
Heat capacity of crystals
Einstein really
Decades Lost (Score:2)
I fear his death would set us back decades. With the LHC going online his loss would potentially leave a a vaccume in the world of physics, astronomy, astrophysics, and mathmatics.
Black Holes research among other astronomical phenomena (high energy) could gain a wealth of information from the LHC's test results. Without him for those early few years guiding the new generation through the initial results, I fear they may flounder and miss important initial indicators on WHERE to look setting us back decades.
He's already outlived Sagan (Score:2)
Time scale? (Score:2)
I think the sentence is referring to a period of several decades, not one ambiguously timed academic achievement. I think he did not become post-grad when he was 15 years old, so the error range is only a few years.
So maybe (Score:2)
He'll figure out a way to get his head in Jar and go on forever like those celebrities in Futurama...
Fearing the worst (Score:5, Insightful)
I wouldn't wish this condition on my worst enemy.
Ian W.
Re:haha (Score:5, Insightful)
who cares.. he's been dead for years anyway.
I'm not sure he'd agree with you on that.
Re: (Score:2)
He's been one of the most alive people I have ever known, and his life is still a great inspiration for me.
Re: (Score:2)
I can see how you could have misunderstood that on first glance, but it is obvious that Stephen Hawking is playing the role of "Very III" in the new movie "Hospital". "Very III" is a zany medbot with a heart of gold(literally, who knew that common gold would be the material needed to stabilize cold fusion?) and Hawking will be providing the voice work.
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
I remember the show from when I was a kid and 'particularly good' didn't really describe it.
'Decent' or 'better than most of the other dreck' yes, but not 'particularly good.'
I'll be going to see the movie with the understanding that other than having sleestacks (spelling? ... Do they even call them that in the movie?) and dinosaurs, it's not going to be the same at all.
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)