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Sir Patrick as the new £50

zakkhogan

By zakkhogan
in The Astro Lounge

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Macavity

Macavity

Posted
Posted
42 minutes ago, cotterless45 said:

What's a £50 note ?

lol! More importantly, where can we redeem our (SGL) "Patriot" points? ?

Aside: Just watching some "Remembrance Programs"... Blokes who DIED
in the service of their countries... Didn't seem to *hate* the enemy? I find
myself moved to tears at the folly of war. Or just too "politically correct"? ?

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JamesF

JamesF

Posted
Posted
3 minutes ago, goodricke1 said:

I remember SPM criticising the Germans even though he spent a lot of time at ESA HQ in Darmstadt. That was disappointing as science should be way above petty nationalism.

The story goes that his fiancee was killed when her ambulance was destroyed by a bomb in WWII and that as a result he was very anti-German for the remainder of his life.  Even in the last year of his life there were reports in the papers containing quotes from interviews with him regarding the Germans that I found quite unpleasant, but without the full context of the interview (and in fact knowledge of the state of his health at the time) I'd hesitate to draw any reliable conclusions about what he actually said and intended it to be understood.

Whether the story is true appears to be a matter of some doubt, which isn't to say that it didn't happen or isn't fundamentally true, but it's entirely possible the facts were not reported to him correctly or perhaps he just found it helped him cope with grief to remember the events a slightly different way.

James

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Macavity

Macavity

Posted
Posted
8 minutes ago, JOC said:

Steven Hawking got my vote too.

I take it you are not his First Wife? lol. But perhaps that is part of the point.
Are we voting for someone who achieved great things in *science*... is seen
as a "Good bloke" (they usually are male!). I admit to a slight confusion! ? 

Is any / all of this necessary in a scientist? Not the first time I have pondered...
 

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JOC

JOC

Posted
Posted
2 minutes ago, Macavity said:

Are we voting for someone who achieved great things in science

That's my understanding.

3 minutes ago, Macavity said:

I take it you are not his first wife? lol. But perhaps that is part of the point...

Baffled!

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Stub Mandrel

Stub Mandrel

Posted
Posted
16 hours ago, ollypenrice said:

I'd have thought that re-cataloguing objects which were already catalogued would not qualify as conducting scientific research.

I don't want to bash Sir PM but he was a TV presenter and astronomy writer for the general public (and a good one), but he was not a research scientist. This isn't a criticism, it's a description.

Fred Hoyle, anyone?

Olly

His maps of the moon were used by NASA for planning the lunar landings.

I think he's unlikely to be chosen because of his views on several controversial issues.

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Macavity

Macavity

Posted
Posted
24 minutes ago, JOC said:

Baffled!

Heheh. I wouldn't worry overmuch. I sense we are also asked to judge whether the person is a
"good person" in some way?  Appearing on a banknote is evidently a complex thing...

Quote

"There is a wealth of individuals whose work has shaped how we think about the world and who continue to inspire people today," he said.
"Our banknotes are an opportunity to celebrate the diversity of UK society and highlight the contributions of its greatest citizens."

I sense William Shockley might NOT have made the cut?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Shockley
But he did invent the Transistor? ?

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JOC

JOC

Posted
Posted

Alan Turing would click many PC boxes.  However, there would be a acrimonious few in society who would object for obvious reasons.  I think Stephen Hawking did science for science's sake, and the way he communicated and conducted himself makes him an inspiration to many - disabled and able-bodied alike.  I would also argue that his picture is probably known more on a World wide basis in communities scientific and perhaps even otherwise, that that of Patrick Moore or Alan Turing.  We might one day see another 'Patrick Moore' or someone with his infectious enthusiasm, but I doubt we will ever see the like of Stephen Hawking again and that's why I think he should be on the bank-note.

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Gfamily

Gfamily

Posted
Posted
36 minutes ago, ollypenrice said:

How about Jocelyn Bell, discoverer of Pulsars? She missed out on a Nobel prize for it.

Olly

Her still being with us would make her ineligible for the £50 note gig

But since you mentioned her, here's a recent talk she gave at the Perimeter Institute. I'm pleased to say we saw her give the same talk at Jodrell Bank earlier in the year.

https://www.perimeterinstitute.ca/videos/jocelyn-bell-burnell-university-oxford

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RayD

RayD

Posted
Posted
4 hours ago, Gfamily said:

Her still being with us would make her ineligible for the £50 note gig

But since you mentioned her, here's a recent talk she gave at the Perimeter Institute. I'm pleased to say we saw her give the same talk at Jodrell Bank earlier in the year.

https://www.perimeterinstitute.ca/videos/jocelyn-bell-burnell-university-oxford

Thanks so much for that link, I really enjoyed that.  How often, I wonder, are discoveries like this made almost by accident.

Incredible woman and a great orator.

Loved SPM, never tired of watching and listening to him, but Stephen Hawking gets my vote.  Oddly I also thought earlier of Alan Turing, but wasn't really sure if he, as a computer scientist, would qualify.  

Incredible minds, all of them, and all deserving of utmost respect.

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