Comments on: Guest Post — Kip Thorne on Stephen Hawking

By: Char Lucey

Char Lucey — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 22:20:17 +0000

Will Steven Hawking be speaking at any other locations on his 2009 visit?

I would like to see one of his lectures in person. Would appreciate your reply.

Thank you.

Char Lucey

By: Jan in CT

Jan in CT — Thu, 12 Feb 2009 13:27:32 +0000

Sean

Any chance of hooking something up, after the fact, in Second Life? It would give those of us who don’t live within a thousand miles of any of his venues a chance to hear the man speak!

By: somebody

somebody — Thu, 12 Feb 2009 11:40:18 +0000

Ben Martin, please shut up!

By: ben martin

ben martin — Thu, 12 Feb 2009 04:49:45 +0000

“This certainly isn’t a competition, but if you’re not putting Kip Thorne in the top tier of relativity theorists…”

I’m not saying anything of the sort. If you’ll read what I said more again it should become obvious that I’m simply arguing against Sean’s rather curious statement that Thorne should be regarded as the most influential American relativist of the past several decades.

By: rob

rob — Thu, 12 Feb 2009 01:59:00 +0000

ben:
This certainly isn’t a competition, but if you’re not putting Kip Thorne in the top tier of relativity theorists, then you’re probably not very familiar with relativistic astrophysics. His name isn’t attached to all that many things, but that’s mostly because he’s done so much work through so many generations of students. At any rate, his association with LIGO alone buys him membership in the pantheon.

By: Michael Bacon

Michael Bacon — Thu, 12 Feb 2009 00:46:33 +0000

I think Bryce DeWitt is the most influential relativity theorist in recent times. Kip is interesting no doubt.

By: Blake Stacey

Blake Stacey — Thu, 12 Feb 2009 00:44:25 +0000

I imagine communicating via brane waves would lend itself well to discussions of great solemnity and gravity.

By: Bill K

Bill K — Thu, 12 Feb 2009 00:20:37 +0000

Hawking may spend a month in balmy Pasadena as visitor but he will spend a full few months at the Perimeter Institute in Waterloo Canada this year. Probably after the Pasadena visit. Hawking holds the position of Distinguished Research Chair at PI, which basically mean he has his own show to run. There is an anticipation that he will relocate to Waterloo from UK. Which could mean he might visit Pasadena more frequently.

By: Adam Solomon

Adam Solomon — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 20:43:31 +0000

Speaking of unintentional puns in this thread:

Ben, I’ll admit it’s pretty common these days, but still we don’t know anything of Kip Thorne’s ethics so let’s not impugn him by calling him a relativist!

By: Adam Solomon

Adam Solomon — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 20:41:34 +0000

Wait, brane waves wasn’t an intentional pun? Awww….

(PS Thanks to Prof. Thorne for reminding me why, every now and then, I really wish I’d chosen to do my undergrad at Caltech! (Even if it’s not a decision I regret (more parentheses).))