Glimpse of Stephen Hawking's Computer

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Glimpse of Stephen Hawking's Computer

Posted by Unknown on Monday January 9, 2012 @10:20PM from the long-live-dectalk dept.

kenekaplan writes "Intel application engineer Travis Bonifield has been working closely with Hawking to communicate with the world for a decade. He's traveled from the United States to England every few years to hand-deliver Hawking a customized PC. Bonifield talks about the technology that powers the customized system." Hawking's latest machine is a Thinkpad x220. Lately he's been trouble speaking due to weakened cheek muscles (down to one word per minute). New Scientist has a brief interview with Hawking's outgoing technician on the challenges he faced. It turns out Hawking is still using a DECtalk (despite some reports suggesting otherwise).

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DECtalk by Sockatume · 2012-01-09 22:23 · Score: 5, Funny

With a cat for scale. That's it, Wikipedia, we're through.

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No kidding!!! What do you say at this point?
1. Re:DECtalk by Anonymous Coward · 2012-01-09 22:31 · Score: 5, Funny
  
  You'd rather the cat be in a box?
2. Re:DECtalk by Sockatume · 2012-01-09 22:56 · Score: 4, Funny
  
  Nice try, Schrodinger.
  
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  No kidding!!! What do you say at this point?
3. Re:DECtalk by Joce640k · 2012-01-09 23:07 · Score: 2, Funny
  
  Humor. You don't have it.
  
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4. Re:DECtalk by Sockatume · 2012-01-09 23:17 · Score: 5, Funny
  
  Without knowing whether it's an imperial or metric cat it's completely useless, though.
  
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  No kidding!!! What do you say at this point?
5. Re:DECtalk by Rumagent · 2012-01-10 00:51 · Score: 3, Funny
  
  Neither dead nor alive! it is undead I tell you! UNDEAD cats roam the land!!!
6. Re:DECtalk by MiniMike · 2012-01-10 01:50 · Score: 4, Funny
  
  No, he's right- a cat makes a terrible scale. It only tells you if you're heavy enough to squish a cat.
7. Re:DECtalk by slashmojo · 2012-01-10 03:50 · Score: 3, Funny
  
  Cats rule so it would have to be imperial.
8. Re:DECtalk by nomoreunusednickname · 2012-01-10 04:02 · Score: 5, Funny
  
  It only tells you if you're heavy enough to squish a cat.
  I find it useful to determine if a room is large enough to swing a cat.
Typo in summary by Rik+Sweeney · 2012-01-09 23:24 · Score: 4, Funny

Lately he's been trouble speaking due to weakened cheek muscles (down to one word per minute).
I see Slashdot's come up with a simple solution that just involves skipping words that don't seem necessary :)

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Summation 2
Re:DecTalk is a warhorse by martin-boundary · 2012-01-09 23:32 · Score: 5, Funny

I could totally see Hawking with the voice of HAL 9000.
Student: What if I integrate this term on the left here?
Hawking: I'm afraid you can't do that, Dave.
Re:One word a minute by Noughmad · 2012-01-10 01:48 · Score: 5, Funny

A brilliant theoretical physicist cannot learn a new (arguably easier) technology over a ten year period, yet alone flourish?
Have you ever seen a professor trying to turn on a projector?

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Re:One word a minute by camperdave · 2012-01-10 03:16 · Score: 4, Funny

You, sir, just wasted three minutes of my life!

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