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 01:19
Why wait any longer for the world to begin?
When he's standing, in front of you
"Where can we shoehorn it in? Chemistry is easy 'cos AlphaFold; but what about physics? A bit more challenging, right?"
Diddy trial day 18 recap: 2nd Combs victim concludes 'humiliating' cross-examination - ABC News
… then anything is possible. There’s no rule that a Nobel Prize has to make sense.^*
You can have your cake and eat it too
A fly on the wall at the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences
What are some downsides to living in Newfoundland and Labrador (besides the weather)?
^* Fibiger got the 1926 Medicine prize for the discovery of Spiroptera carcinoma (Don’t ask).
"Didn't he do something with Boltzmann in it? That sounds physics-y. RBMs and stuff, eh?"
Whatever.
I'm British and feel ashamed of the crimes of British colonialism. What should I do?
[Older voice] "Mmm. What about Hinton, he's widely regarded? Nobody got fired for buying IBM"
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:
(Bob Dylan, Nobel Prize for Literature, 2016)
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."
What do flat Earthers think causes the "magical downward force"?
They then move on to selectively provide their own version of history. But hey, it’s OK. They wanted controversy, didn’t they? Whatever.
My 11 million SEK, Dr Jo.
"Naah, Linnainmaa is a Finn. Can't give it to a bloody Finnish mathematician. Let's go for drinks. Brännvin anyone?"
UK civil servants who used AI saved two weeks a year, government study finds - Financial Times
(Mumbles of assent)
Fortunately, we are privy to the discussion that led up to this:
There you go.^†
Asian Shares Have Tepid Start Before US Jobs Data: Markets Wrap - Bloomberg
"Good idea, but how can we wangle something that says 'Physics'?"
[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.
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:
2025 NCAA baseball bracket: Men's College World Series scores, schedule - NCAA.com
"Good point, I'm sure we can swing it. And let's tack on Hopfield while we're about it."
Whatever.
"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?"
Astronomers Just Discovered One of the Fastest Jets Ever in a Radio-Quiet Galaxy - The Daily Galaxy