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Brian May, Rock Legend, Publishes His Thesis

Posted by kdawson on from the eyes-just-like-a-laser-beam dept.

A year ago we took note when Brian May, guitarist for Queen for the last 30 years, submitted his thesis for a Ph.D. in astrophysics. The news now is that the thesis has been published. You, too, can read all about the population of tiny asteroids and space dust that cause the Zodiacal light. The completed thesis appears as the book "A Survey of Radial Velocities in the Zodiacal Dust Cloud" (Springer and Canopus Publishing Ltd., 2008), available at Amazon for $71.96. May was awarded his Ph.D. last summer and accepted a position as chancellor at a British university in November.

26 of 198 comments (clear)

  1. Too pricey by Ron_Fitzgerald · · Score: 5, Funny

    $71.96? Come on, Halo 3 was only $60 and that cost $100,000,000 to make.

    --
    ~ Ron Fitzgerald
    1. Re:Too pricey by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

      $71.96? Come on, Halo 3 was only $60 and that cost $100,000,000 to make.

      So tell him where to stick that fancy label.

    2. Re:Too pricey by CowardWithAName · · Score: 3, Funny

      So tell him where to stick that fancy label.

      Somehow I doubt May has been sleeping on any sidewalks recently...

      </inside-joke>

  2. Rock music by DivineGod · · Score: 5, Funny

    This sorts of gives that term a new meaning?

    1. Re:Rock music by Ron_Fitzgerald · · Score: 5, Funny

      I though for sure the first bad joke would have something to do with Mercury!!

      --
      ~ Ron Fitzgerald
    2. Re:Rock music by chill · · Score: 2, Funny

      Mercury or Uranus. Maybe both.

      --
      Learning HOW to think is more important than learning WHAT to think.
    3. Re:Rock music by originalTMAN · · Score: 2, Funny

      what does Freddie Mercury have to do with Uranus?

  3. Full thesis title by radimvice · · Score: 5, Funny

    "Another One Bites the Dust: A Survey of Radial Velocities in the Zodiacal Dust Cloud".

    1. Re:Full thesis title by philspear · · Score: 4, Funny

      I wonder if he used a radio-ga-ga telescope to get his data?

    2. Re:Full thesis title by MarkTraceur · · Score: 2, Funny

      No, it was "Fat-Bottomed Girls, They Make the Rockin' World Go 'Round: A Study of Possible Causes of Gravity."

      (TOTALLY stolen from UserFriendly, go upmod that site if you like this comment)

    3. Re:Full thesis title by nick_davison · · Score: 5, Funny

      The rotation of oscillating rotational planets, as influenced by female homo sapiens with large gluteal regions.

    4. Re:Full thesis title by tyrione · · Score: 3, Funny

      The rotation of oscillating rotational planets, as influenced by female homo sapiens with large gluteal regions.

      Fat-bottomed Girls to the less verbose-minded.

  4. Two down, two to go by plopez · · Score: 4, Funny

    Now all he needs to do is learn how to do brain surgery and start making movies.

    If you don't get the joke, rent this one:
    http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0086856/

    and watch the extended version

    --
    putting the 'B' in LGBTQ+
  5. Professors by Enderandrew · · Score: 5, Funny

    His astrophysicist professors kept arguing with him that despite his assertions, fat-bottomed girls did not make the world go round.

    --
    http://blindscribblings.com - Tasty pop-culture in conceptual fashion.
    1. Re:Professors by meringuoid · · Score: 5, Funny
      His astrophysicist professors kept arguing with him that despite his assertions, fat-bottomed girls did not make the world go round.

      However, it appears that travelling at the speed of light would make a supersonic man out of you.

      --
      Real Daleks don't climb stairs - they level the building.
  6. Dedicatory by gmuslera · · Score: 3, Funny

    To all people that didn't finished school to search for fame and fortune.

    1. Re:Dedicatory by Eighty7 · · Score: 2, Funny

      It's more common than you'd think. For example, it is a little known fact that Ms Spears is an expert in semiconductor physics. And the president himself knows a few things about high energy physics.

  7. Re:Good for him by philspear · · Score: 5, Funny

    As someone going for their PhD, I have to wonder if it actually does.

  8. WIth a cool doctoral dissertation like that by Hawthorne01 · · Score: 4, Funny

    the guy will finally be able to score with the chicks!

    --
    "Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former."
  9. Re:Checking astro-ph... by Faux_Pseudo · · Score: 2, Funny

    He isn't going to publish it on a public source because he is
    following the advice of everyone on Slashdot and adding some form of
    value added feature to his music. At $71 a print he can make enough
    money to support his touring habit and get all the money that the
    labels never paid out from their lawsuits-to-protect-the-artists.

    Think of it as a very expensive tour shirt except that has a lot more
    text on it and you can't get it on a tour. /end insane_justification

    --
    Ascii artist &
  10. Obligatory Simpson's by LM741N · · Score: 3, Funny

    Homer: "Rock stars- they know everything!"

  11. The real question is... by astrosmash · · Score: 2, Funny

    Is Brian May a LaTeX user? Perhaps he could write a song about it.

    --
    ENDUT! HOCH HECH!
    1. Re:The real question is... by mike260 · · Score: 4, Funny

      Is Brian May a LaTeX user? Perhaps he could write a song about it.

      I Want to Break Free?
      Chinese Torture?
      I'm Going Slightly Mad?

    2. Re:The real question is... by Bazman · · Score: 2, Funny

      Perhaps if Freddie had been, he'd still be here now...

      Oh, "LaTeX", not... you know...

  12. I think... by david.given · · Score: 5, Funny

    ...he's going to be the only person in academic history to actually generate any income from selling his Ph.D thesis.

  13. He's no Buckaroo Bonzai by CrazyJim1 · · Score: 3, Funny

    Sure he's a rockstar and astrophyics scientist... But is no neurosurgeon, race car driver, nor comic book hero. He gotta ways to go.

    --
    God spoke to me.