How did a computer scientist such as Geoffrey Hinton manage to win a Nobel Prize in physics when computer science already has its own Nobel Prize equivalent in the Turing Awards?
13.06.2025 00:12
[Older voice] "Mmm. What about Hinton, he's widely regarded? Nobody got fired for buying IBM"
A fly on the wall at the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences
They then move on to selectively provide their own version of history. But hey, it’s OK. They wanted controversy, didn’t they? Whatever.
Tesla’s head of Optimus humanoid robot leaves the ‘$25 trillion’ product behind - Electrek
Why wait any longer for the one you love?
[Younger voice] "But wait a minute, Ising-Lenz goes back to the 1920's. And didn't Hinton plagiarise rather a lot? He also didn't invent modern backprop, did he, that's Linnainmaa? And Amari preceded Hopfield, too. That's not a good look."
You can have your cake and eat it too
Taylor Swift Won Her Biggest Battle - The Ringer
In December 1973, when Kissinger was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, comedian Tom Lehrer dropped his mic and stamped on it—satire had just died.
^† They rationalise their decision thusly:
"Didn't he do something with Boltzmann in it? That sounds physics-y. RBMs and stuff, eh?"
Can the effects of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) be reversed?
In awarding prizes, the Nobel Committees often seem only marginally more competent than MTG is at explaining meteorology. And if they can give a literature prize for lyrics like:
"Naah, Linnainmaa is a Finn. Can't give it to a bloody Finnish mathematician. Let's go for drinks. Brännvin anyone?"
"Good point, I'm sure we can swing it. And let's tack on Hopfield while we're about it."
How the Menstrual Cycle Affects ADHD - The Cut
"Where can we shoehorn it in? Chemistry is easy 'cos AlphaFold; but what about physics? A bit more challenging, right?"
Fortunately, we are privy to the discussion that led up to this:
^* Fibiger got the 1926 Medicine prize for the discovery of Spiroptera carcinoma (Don’t ask).
23andMe Sets New Auction With $305 Million New Bid From Ex-CEO - Bloomberg
Why wait any longer for the world to begin?
When he's standing, in front of you
(Bob Dylan, Nobel Prize for Literature, 2016)
These Common Foods Can Slow Aging Naturally, According to Scientists - SciTechDaily
[The basic structure of artificial neural networks] has close similarities with spin models in statistical physics applied to magnetism or alloy theory. This year’s Nobel Prize in Physics recognizes research exploiting this connection to make breakthrough methodological advances in the field of ANN.
"Good idea, but how can we wangle something that says 'Physics'?"
(Mumbles of assent)
How could Trump, with his deplorable garbage supporters, manage to win an election?
… then anything is possible. There’s no rule that a Nobel Prize has to make sense.^*
There you go.^†
Whatever.
Nearly complete dinosaur skull reveals a new sauropod species from East Asia - Phys.org
My 11 million SEK, Dr Jo.
"Hey guys, AI is pretty big so let's centre our prizes on it this year. We can get some attention, and it's all about advertising, at the end of the day, isn't it?"
Whatever.