This is sad and at the same time he is now free from his physical limitations. I don’t know if I believe in the spirit, but I definitely believe that our consciousness continues after our death. Live long and prosper in your next astral realm dear sir. You have inspired millions and whole generations to embrace the wonders of science.
2 Likes
My spouse’s as well. Terrible way to go. Hawking was one of the very few “lucky” ones.
2 Likes
Heard this morning on NPR that Hawking’s computer-generated voice was copyrighted (it being so distinctive and recognizable). Thinking about that since then… I think it makes absolute sense.
2 Likes
I recall a song where Richard Cheese sung a “duet” with “Hawking,” but the tagine at the end of the song said “celebrity voice impersonated.”
I thought about posting it here, but I’m not sure it’s 100% respectful. Then again, by all accounts, the man had a sense of humor.
6 Likes
A former Carlisle United player (a regular player during my teens and the time I was working there) has progressive bulbar palsy, which is related to ALS. I wish it wasn’t one of the forms of motor neurone disease that killed people quickly, but he probably only has a year or two left.
He was still capable of playing for a few minutes at his charity game last May.
4 Likes
It’s the Bekenstein-Hawking entropy equation, apparently a major breakthrough connecting thermodynamics, quantum mechanics, and relativity.
It lead to Hawking postulating that black holes might evaporate, and that there should be radiation coming “out” of them.
2 Likes
So no Google Home version of him any time soon.
Good.
Because, you can’t do that, Dave.
4 Likes
Is there an appropriate Hawking quote on that? And the Imperial system?
1 Like
Glass half full moment:
I would like to think our world was made better by having him in it, than to mourn the loss of the world of a world without him.
3 Likes
I like Richard Cheese but didn’t know of the song you mentioned. I don’t think that linking it would be a problem as long as it’s not a song that is making fun of him in a vicious way. The ERB one i linked to pokes some fun at Hawkins but the song is pretty dope and i would imagine Hawkins himself would’ve been amused.
2 Likes
I don’t think it’s too bad. It’s a remake of “The Girl Is Mine,” which if I remember was originally a Paul McCartney/Michael Jackson teamup. (Google confirms it.)
(Cheese also did a version of “Light My Fire” with “George Takei” as “Sulu”-- also impersonated, and noted during the song.)
Edited to add: in the original, at the end of the song we hear “Stephen Hawking”'s voice saying “celebrity voices inpersonated.” This YouTube must have clipped that part.
1 Like
8 Likes
I think that it’s a fair assumption that boing boing contributors are well read, articulate smart, and funny with a great sense of humor.
This is an interesting statement; “Everyone can enjoy a life of luxurious leisure if the machine-produced wealth is shared, or most people can end up miserably poor if the machine-owners successfully lobby against wealth redistribution.”
A life of luxury? Like “movie star” status luxury? Is there enough resources and energy in the world to make that happen? Untold amounts of capital would be required. Maybe something crazy like 100 robots for every human? Where does all that material and energy come from?
But if the robots do become all powerful, then why would they care about gadfly capitalists? The robots, being smarter and more powerful, could at best simply ignore them as well as other humans. Maybe pay humans UBI to stay out of their way? The would become the ultimate capitalists by increasing their self worth!
I would hope future humans wouldn’t give up to simply accept UBI and wander through life with no goal or purpose? Could a robotic conscious truly replace the brilliance that is boing boing?
Why is it that the most common opposition to UBI always sounds like some variation of “work will set you free”?
If I didn’t have to work for someone else to be able to put a roof over my head and food on my table, that doesn’t mean my life would instantly be without meaning or purpose. I have a million other things I’d rather be doing than my current 8 to 5 job. Having the time, flexibility, and freedom to do them gives my life more purpose, not less.
Also, I don’t think anyone expects everyone on the planet to be able to live like Jeff Bezos or Johnny Depp in the utopian robot-controlled future. But do I think a few hundred thousand people could easily live in substantially-improved comfort just by transferring a week’s worth of Jeff Bezos’s pay to them over the course of several years. The man makes $230,000 every minute.
5 Likes
I just want someone to look at me the way Lisa looked at Stephen Hawking.
2 Likes
Lisa looks at everything like that, but I take your point.
2 Likes
This topic was automatically closed after 5 days. New replies are no longer allowed.
