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?
Last Updated: 22.06.2025 07:22
They then move on to selectively provide their own version of history. But hey, it’s OK. They wanted controversy, didn’t they? 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?"
[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."
Your Blood Test Can Now Track Junk Food Consumption - Indian Defence Review
You can have your cake and eat it too
[Older voice] "Mmm. What about Hinton, he's widely regarded? Nobody got fired for buying IBM"
"Didn't he do something with Boltzmann in it? That sounds physics-y. RBMs and stuff, eh?"
Why Mike Tenay Passed on WWE x AAA Worlds Collide Appearance Revealed - Ringside News
There you go.^†
Whatever.
My 11 million SEK, Dr Jo.
Would you recommend 'My Holo Love' as a good Kdrama for someone who is new to the genre?
(Mumbles of assent)
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.
"Naah, Linnainmaa is a Finn. Can't give it to a bloody Finnish mathematician. Let's go for drinks. Brännvin anyone?"
The Law Firms That Appeased Trump—and Angered Their Clients - WSJ
… then anything is possible. There’s no rule that a Nobel Prize has to make sense.^*
Why wait any longer for the world to begin?
Whatever.
Why wait any longer for the one you love?
^† They rationalise their decision thusly:
"Where can we shoehorn it in? Chemistry is easy 'cos AlphaFold; but what about physics? A bit more challenging, right?"
Kubica Quickest in Opening Le Mans Test Session - Sportscar365
Fortunately, we are privy to the discussion that led up to this:
"Good idea, but how can we wangle something that says 'Physics'?"
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:
TRUMP memecoin ‘hasn’t pumped’ after Eric Trump says WLF will buy big stack - Cointelegraph
^* Fibiger got the 1926 Medicine prize for the discovery of Spiroptera carcinoma (Don’t ask).
When he's standing, in front of you
"Good point, I'm sure we can swing it. And let's tack on Hopfield while we're about it."
How do I separate the vocals of two different people speaking in a single channel?
A fly on the wall at the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences
(Bob Dylan, Nobel Prize for Literature, 2016)
[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.
Xbox Building A Handheld 'Makes No Sense', Says Former Blizzard Boss - Pure Xbox