mind = blown
So I’ll have something forthcoming sometime about all sorts of stuff and 2008 and new years and start (continue) writing on a semi-regular basis, but right now, as my pasta boils on the stove, I’m watching a documentary on Stephen Hawking and his theories.
Why is my mind blown? Because of something I never realised before.
Everyone knows who Stephen Hawking is. What I didn’t know was that due to his condition, he does everything in his head. The theories, the math, the diagrams. All in his head. He figured out the intricacies of quantum mechanics and black holes and subatomic particles and everything, in his head. I mean, it sounds so obvious now, because clearly his little talking computer could never handle the processing and concepts that Hawking is exploring and granted I don’t know how other quantum physicists go about uncovering the secrets of the universe (I assume they have some sort of assistance other then just sitting in a chair somewhere). But yeah, that’s an incredible example of intelligence. Like he’s coming up with the Theory of Everything. Not just 42, the answer to life, the universe and everything, but the actual question, or whatever. All in his head. Absolutely remarkable.
The only thing I can think of being anywhere comparable is a story I once read about people in solitary confinement playing chess against themselves in their mind to stay sane. But that’s really just more an exercise in memory, remembering the spots of 32 pieces on an imaginary 64 square board and developing strategy against yourself. This is a whole other level, he’s actually coming up with amazingly complex equations and theories. All in his mind.
How can anyone be that smart?