It seems that after several setbacks, superstar astrophysicist Stephen Hawking will be visiting Waterloo in the not-too-distant future. The Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics issued a tantalizing press release yesterday that suggested, without actually confirming, that Hawking's dicey health has sufficiently improved to allow a belated visit.
The real dirt will be dished during a press conference at Perimeter Institute tomorrow, where Hawking (via multimedia teleconference) is expected to announce the date of his arrival in Waterloo. The timing of all this is impeccable, as it coincides with the Perimeter Institute's Quantum to Cosmos festival, which is currently hosting lectures and discussions by some of the world's top scientific scholars.
Coincidentally, among the speakers in town for the festival is Peter Diamandis, a pioneer in the personal spaceflight industry who facilitated a very inspirational experience for Hawking. For a few fleeting moments, Hawking was not only freed from his wheelchair; he could fly. Check it out.
I read an interview with him shortly after he did this. He said, "it was fun and all, but I found the experience of riding the Gravitron at the Canadian National Exhibition much more exhilarating.
Posted by: Mantaur | October 17, 2009 at 07:47 AM