Einstein Unveiled

John_Renne writes "One of the most well known scientists in the near history is Albert Einstein. Pictures of him can be found on allmost everything varying from lunchboxes to t-shirts and cartoons. On the other hand there's little knowledge of who Einstein really was and the human being behind the genius. This article tries to create a view of the inner Einstein. A nice read for everyone interested in the person inside the phenomenon."

Comments

Finally

[Xpilot]

The topic matches the topic icon!

Beautiful! This is truly a Slashdot moment to cherish.

Re:Finally

[SkulkCU]

This is truly a Slashdot moment to cherish.

Well, don't worry -- it'll probably happen again.

Very soon. *ahem* Sorry.

Re:Finally

[einstein]

I wish it was a better picture. I look so grumpy.
--

"unknown"?

[cetan]

On the other hand there's little knowledge of who Einstein really was and the human being behind the genius

You mean, aside from all the biographys written about him, the published letters to his children, the secret FBI file kept about him, etc etc.

BN returns rather a lot on the man, and a number of these items are not lunchboxes.
http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/result s.asp?WRD=Einstein

Didn't he get his start...

[TechnoLust]

splitting beer atoms to make fizzy beer? You have to admire anyone who wants to make better beer. Oh, wait, that was just a movie. History, pop-culture, same difference. :-)

Re:Didn't he get his start...

[Peter Trepan]

Actually:

Ein = one

Stein = beer mug

Einstein = one beer mug?

Anyone here speak fluent enough German to tell me whether this has significance?

LSD?

[giel]

"Einstein said that he thought in images and even muscular sensations," says John Stachel, a physicist and the founding editor of the Papers Project. "The hardest part for him was to translate his findings back into language that others could understand."

Sounds like the good man was addicted to drugs. And yes, I can image it is really hard to translate an LSD trip into language others can understand. However a real artist will be able to do so.

Re:Little known about Einstein ??

[kin_korn_karn]

Darwin liked turtles
Newton liked apples
Bohr liked bees
Freud liked his mother

Re:What Einstein WASN'T a genius at...

[Idarubicin]

I remember reading a story about how he called the telephone operator from a pay phone to ask what his phone number and address were -- he couldn't remember them.

Einstein never bothered to remember his own phone number, reasoning that he seldom needed to call himself. On rare occasions when he did, it was something he could look up.

As a student in a co-op education program, I move every four months, so I can't remember my phone number either. It's nice to know I have something in common with Einstein. (Yes, I study physics too, but I'm not going to flatter myself.)

With regard to famous mathematicians and physicists forgetting where they live, this joke has been told about many scientists.

Scientist X is moving today. Since he knows how absent-minded he is, he takes care to jot down his new address on a slip of paper. He has an important lecture to deliver, so his family moves while he is in class during the day. When Scientist X prepares to go to his new home, he realizes that he cannot find the piece of paper. Distraught, he returns to his old house, and sees a young girl sitting on the front step. He asks her, "Excuse me, little girl. Can you tell me to where the family who used to live here has moved?"

She immediately replies, "Of course, Daddy. Mom knew you'd forget, so she left me to remind you."

A quick survey of the web shows that Scientist X is usually mathematician Norbert Weiner, though a number of others are cited less frequently.