Stephen Hawking to answer your questions via his first Reddit forum

[djean111]

For those who like Hawking, and for those who have only heard bad things about Reddit

http://www.cnet.com/news/stephen-hawking-to-answer-your-questions-via-his-first-reddit-ama/

Those of you who've ever wanted to ask Stephen Hawking a question will have your chance courtesy of Reddit.

The famous physicist will make his debut on Reddit's AMA (Ask Me Anything) forum where users pose questions for people to answer. But the format for Hawking will differ from the usual pattern.

Typically, a Reddit AMA is live as people throw questions at the subject, and the person tries to keep up with the barrage by responding as best as possible. But for Hawking's AMA, you'll present the questions ahead of time, and he'll answer them over the following weeks.

Specifically, you can submit your questions starting Monday July 27 at 8am ET through Tuesday, August 4, at reddit.com/r/science, and Hawking will respond over the next few weeks. Hawking, who suffers from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig's disease, uses a computer to communicate. So the delayed format will allow him the time necessary to answer questions.
.........

There are links to Reddit at, um, the link.

Hawking wants to talk about AI. I agree about the dangers, because as a former programmer and QA person, I know that programmers can write code with bugs, and programmers and QA can overlook scenarios that cause unintended consequences. And AI starts out as a program that a programmer has written, and QA people have tested. I will be really interested in Hawking's replies on this subject. And likely someone will ask about aliens, too!

[Erich Bloodaxe BSN]

1. Wonder if he'd answer questions about the 'Big Bang'?

Does he actually do it, or did they just get the same sort of text to voice box for the show?

[djean111]

2. Ask your questions about the Big Bang, and find out!

The AMA's are all text. For a typical live AMA, people submit questions and the AMAer responds to those that they can, the questions pile up quickly, and of course there are many duplicates and many responses. The big kerfluffle over Reddit firing Victoria was because Victoria arranged the AMAs, she made sure that the actual person was responding, and not a committee or a representative, and Victoria would be on the phone with (or with sometimes, I think) the AMAer and would type the answers. The usual AMA is very think quickly on your feet stuff, in real time, and as much attention is paid to what questions are skipped over as to what questions are answered, how they are answered, and whether the answers are seen as genuine or formulaic. Like any live event, there are the usual trolls and assholes with jerk comments and questions, too.

You can read all the transcripts of past AMAs at Reddit, some are pretty interesting, IMO. Celebrities, scientists, politicians, a wildly varied group.

[GummyBearz]

3. A little bit crude way to phrase it

but I also have wondered about him actually being capable of banging... I know some things that leave you paralyzed don't stop blood from getting into your penis and getting an erection, as that is an involuntary side affect from being aroused. Post his response if you he answers the question

[newfie11]

5. He has children nt

[GummyBearz]

7. And that doesn't prove anything

IVF and sperm retrieval techniques mean you don't need to get an erection to make babies these days.

[NightWatcher]

8. You'd ask genius astrophysicist about his penis?

I wonder how he does a face palm.

[GummyBearz]

9. Yep. At least thats something I understand.

If you understand the latest developments in advanced theoretical physics, then by all means ask him questions regarding that.

[SoLeftIAmRight]

4. My question

How many different supernovas contributed to the stuff in our solar system?

[Motown_Johnny]

6. Excellent

I have had a question about gravitational time dilation and the formation of singularities within black holes that I have been trying to figure out for years.

I don't really expect an answer, but what the hell. I may as well give it a shot.


Thanks for posting.

[djean111]

10. You are welcome. I really look forward to reading the questions and the answers. n/t