Comments on: Loss

By: Phillip Helbig

Phillip Helbig — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 15:18:49 +0000

The pilot would be David Schramm, I suppose.

By: coolstar

coolstar — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 05:37:38 +0000

My perception is the same as that of Thomas Larsson: I know of one American physicist who was seriously injured in a climbing accident a few years ago and was in another such accident last year where his climbing companion was killed. A famous astronomer was killed when he crashed his private plane a few years ago (he apparently was well known for falling asleep while flying).

By: Heinrich Paes

Heinrich Paes — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 22:10:20 +0000

For those of you who knew Thomas, there is a website at Edinburgh U. for condolences and memories:

http://www.ph.ed.ac.uk/news/thomas-binoth-memorial

By: Thomas Larsson

Thomas Larsson — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 16:35:23 +0000

Physicists are usually not pbysically violent (unless we discuss string theory), but it seems to me that physicists who do die prematurely are often involved in some kind of montaineering or skiing accident. This may be an example, and somebody that I think that I met (in Como, 1992).

By: Phillip Helbig

Phillip Helbig — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 15:36:18 +0000

Hhmmm….Either there were two physicists killed, or the statement that the physicist worked at a bank in Zürich was wrong (or Binoth was both a Reader in Edinburgh and worked at a bank in Zürich, which seems rather unlikely).

I didn’t assume he was male. Rather, the article I read (in German) used the male form of the German word for physicist (Physiker) and not the female form (Physikerin).

Here’s an example article mentioning a male physicist from Lucerne who worked at a bank in Zürich and was recently killed in an avalanche in Switzerland.

http://news1.ch/News/9f8e3d37-361f-40d2-b574-e82d94449adf

Apparently ANOTHER (astrophysicist) survived both avalanches:

http://www.20min.ch/news/bern/story/25112557

http://www.tagesanzeiger.ch/zuerich/region/Liebespaar-ueberlebt-Lawinenunglueck/story/21266811

http://www.blick.ch/news/schweiz/bern/die-gesichter-der-lawinen-tragoedie-137289

It seems the physicist who worked at a bank worked at CERN back in the 1990s.

By: Gary

Gary — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 04:28:02 +0000

So much for a physicist’s rational appreciation of probabilities.

So much for those who don’t celebrate risking the probabilities they embrace.

By: Count Iblis

Count Iblis — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 01:10:34 +0000

Not as well known as Heinz Pagels who also died on a mountain but that doesn’t make it less tragic.

By: mupl

mupl — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 20:55:47 +0000

Lind is right, see the link below:
http://www.ph.ed.ac.uk/news/thomas-binoth-death-06-01-10

By: ??

?? — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 20:35:06 +0000

Marc, when I originally read this post, his name was there, as Linda says.

By: marc

marc — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 20:23:05 +0000

It is interesting that Phillip and anonymous assumed the physicist was male. Apparently, this time, the assumption was correct. Thanks, Linda…

By: Linda Grieve

Linda Grieve — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 20:21:19 +0000

His name is Thomas Binoth, working as a lecturer at Edinburgh University. Lovely man.

By: anonymous

anonymous — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 20:02:19 +0000

very sad. he was a good guy

By: Sherryayn

Sherryayn — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 16:58:05 +0000

Perhaps she has inside information or heard something and wanted to share it with the physics community or those outside it that may be interested. With a name at least well wishes can be directed specifically.

By: Phillip Helbig

Phillip Helbig — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 16:32:19 +0000

No problem. I just found the post rather strange, for the reasons I mentioned. Posting would
make sense if Julianne knew him, but she doesn’t seem to indicate that.

By: ??

?? — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 16:11:36 +0000

What’s your problem, Phillip??

By: Phillip Helbig

Phillip Helbig — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 11:44:18 +0000

All readers are thinking “Who is this famous physicist who died in an avalanche?”. I don’t have any details, but according to reports accessible via Google the physicist (born in Lucerne) worked at a bank in Zürich (many physicists work at banks—they can’t all stay in academia).

Of course, a loss is a loss, whatever the education, current job, place of birth, residence or nationality.

Why do I think that all readers are thinking it must be a well know physicist? Because you posted this about his death. Physicists die every day and it only makes the news (or a blog) if they are famous.