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Nobel Prize Winner Got Free House and Free (as In Beer) Beer
slashchuck writes "Niels Bohr is one of the greatest scientists who ever lived and a favorite of his fellow Danes when he lived in Copenhagen. Apparently, after he won the Nobel Prize in 1922, the Carlsberg brewery gave him a gift – a house located next to the brewery. And the best perk of the house? It had a direct pipeline to the brewery so that Bohr had free beer on tap whenever he wanted."
Niels Beer
Pizza conveyer belt anyone?
Table-ized A.I.
See how Denmark did this, world? Neils Bohr assembled a scientific network centered in Copenhagen that vastly increased the speed and dissemination of discoveries. Quantum mechanics and nuclear physics were all born in his backyard. Scientists came from all around the world to debate with him. Why? Because he had free beer.
If you want flying cars and starships, perhaps we need to buy Stephen Hawkings a brewery. Scientists are still human, dammit!
The headlines have never really been very good. Just be glad when they have any relation to the story whatsoever.
So the blog cites as a source, another blog. If you look in the comments for that blog, the author says you should google it, and links to a reddit page. That, in turn, links to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=okJnQIjELY4#t=2m55s
It's a nice story, but I'd like to actually hear it from someone who can actually supply details. Bohr's got a lot of cool stuff - like how his lab was used to hide smuggled Nobel medals from the Nazis (by dissolving them: http://www.archive.org/stream/adventuresinradi01heve#page/27/mode/1up ).
I'm sure there's more to the story than just 'he had free beer on tap'.
But the cat with the message collar just showed up now, for some reason.
Table-ized A.I.
Europe: they give you a house next to the brewery, and fresh, free beer for life. :/
The US: they give you an alias.
A successful API design takes a mixture of software design and pedagogy.
No, he got a 2nd Nobel in Belchology
Table-ized A.I.
So they took one of the greatest minds in a generation, and attempted to kill it with large amounts of alcohol. What were they worried about?
To be honest I thought the headline was funny =/
This was actually the very first story ever posted on Slashdot, back in 1922. It seems that the story tape has looped on itself- someone tell Timothy he needs to change to the next tape before he posts another re-run.
Engaging The tap at the Bohr house would produce exactly one pint. No more or no less could be produced at a time. And if you over imbibed, before drinkers could fall into unconsciousness they had to emit discreet amounts of vomit.
"Niels Bohr is one of the greatest scientists who ever lived"
Indeed, and at almost seven feet of his stature, you would be ill-advised to argue with this great Dane. *ducks*
Ezekiel 23:20
Another damned dupe. Figures.
He never made another scientific contribution to the world.
Being part of the Manhattan Project comes to mind. But of course, you were probably being sarcastic, right? :)
Although they probably should have mentioned that Bohr was a great Dane.
"Nobel Prize Winner Got Free House and Beer Beer"
???
Please, expand on your question.
..get one of the most awesome products of chemistry ever? I wonder what a chemist would get? Maybe the most awesome product of biology ever?
For those who seek perfection there can be no rest on this side of the grave.
...every time I'd have to let the tap run so that I could get to the cold fresh beer...
In the Netherlands, scientists get respect. A house and free beer? How cool is that?
Not like the US, where if you're too "smart" you're a "nerd", "geek", a social outcast.
--PM
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<p>Please, expand on your question.</p></quote>
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There you go. Hope that helped.
More Twoson than Cupertino
apple users...
And here’s another fun bit of speculation for you. Bohr certainly didn’t rest on his laurels after winning the Nobel Prize, which he won for his investigations into the structure of the atom and early work in quantum mechanics. With the help of the Danish goverment and Carlsberg’s Foundation, Bohr had founded the Institute for Theoretical Physics in 1921. During the next decade, Bohr worked with physics to lay the foundation of the principles of quantum mechanics, and it was in 1927 that he developed the concept of complementarity, a key principle in quantum mechanics.
Complementarity is far from intuitve, and many of the basic concepts of quantum mechanics are similarly hard to grapple with. Indeed, Bohr had a series of famous debates with Albert Einstein, in which Einstein was very reluctant to accept quantum mechanics. Einstein resisted many of its implications for years.
So how did Bohr keep his mind supple and flexible, ready to accept new ideas when his peers like Einstein couldn’t? Well, here’s the thing – there are several studies that indicate that being drunk can actually improve your creativity. That’s because it prevents your mind from being able to focus, so it more readily drifts from one connection to another, which can yield creative solutions to problems.
So was free beer the reason why Bohr was able to make great strides in developing quantum mechanics? Okay, probably not – but I’m sure a few late night drinking sessions with other physicists didn’t hurt.
No, he got a 2nd Nobel in Belchology
And the third and final time that particular prize was awarded was when a young Albert Einstein, using just a chisel and hammer in his little shed, managed to split the Tasmanian beer atom and actually put bubbles in beer.
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Glad that works for Denmark. Here in USA we have come to realize that science is all lies straight from the pit of hell. Ergo, beer must be prohibited.
As copyright owner of this comment, I authorize everyone to defeat any technological measure which limits access to it.
Any free/open source beers?
This is how you promote science. Rewarding scientists who kick ass and make rock stars out of them. I can't name 5 Canadian scientists of the last 20 years yet I am willing to be that there are some seriously good ones. Who do we put on our money? Politicians and some woman who inherited her title. I am willing to bet that the counter argument from governmenty types would be that so and so was on a stamp. Stamps who the hell uses those anymore?
Where are the genuine North American scientists like Einstein or Feynman? I am not talking about famous science journalists but famous scientists doing science in North America. I can tell you more about Tom Cruise's kid than I can about the state of Canadian science. I am looking forward to Jack Reacher but would trade in the entire movie industry for nuclear fusion or a huge leap in stem cell therapy.
The Soviet scientist community offered him a home near Russian research facilities too. Bohr was the kind of guy that would walk up to the white house, knock on the door and ask to come in to talk to president about sharing atomic bomb information with the Soviets. Also, he would visit New Mexico and do the same to convince Oppenheimer the sharing of scientific advances in nuclear fission with the Soviets. Bohr was one of the only forward-thinking scientists at that time on the ramifications of developing the bomb and felt that by sharing the information there would be less suspicions by Soviet scientists thus quashing an arms race. He probably lit a fire under Oppenheimer to begin thinking seriously about ways to prevent Nuclear annihilation and proliferation. If anyone's interested more in this stuff I recommend reading American Prometheus which is an Oppenheimer BIO.
Namaste
Unless slashdot is using a different definition of "news" than I am, something that happened 90 years ago isn't news.
Why do you preface that with "to be honest"? Are you trying to imply that the rest of the time you're lying?
"Our two-party system is like a bowl of shit looking at itself in a mirror." - Lewis Black
Why do you preface that with "to be honest"? Are you trying to imply that the rest of the time you're lying?
That is an outstanding question, one of the best I read on Slashdot. Let me get back to you, I should give you a response back in like 10 minutes.
Carlsberg used to give free beer for the workers too, and drinking during the work was allowed just as long you weren't excessively drunk.
And with free suds in the house for friends and frat boys alike... Neil almost certainly was no Bohr...
Not to mention the fact that bubbles in beer led to the invention of the bubble chamber http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bubble_chamber
Hey, if Zombie Nels Bohr showed up in our pub, his money would be no good. I'd buy him a couple, and all my friends too.
Do not mock my vision of impractical footwear
"free as in speech" means you should use the "without censure" definition of "free", as "free speech" means "speech without censure."
"free as in beer" means you should use the "without cost" definition of "free", as "free beer" means "beer without cost."
The purpose of the clarification is to prevent people from incorrectly parsing potentially ambiguous statements like: "this software is free", which could be interpreted as either: "this software is available without cost" or "this software is available without censure".
In the case of "free open source software" the free typicality means that you can redistribute the software without censure. So you are free (as in speech) to redistribute the software for compensation or for free (as in beer).
I am fairly sure that the pipeline is a myth. There certainly was no mention of it when I toured that particular Carlsberg factory (now almost dismantled).
The house does, however, come with free beer, but not by pipeline. Instead the workers would deliver the beer every day. I was told that when Niels Bohr first moved in, a worker came to the house and asked how much he wanted each day. Apparently he said "12". However, Carlsberg workers never count in single beer bottles, they count crates... At least there was enough beer.
Whether you believe THAT story is up to you.
Finally! A year of moderation! Ready for 2019?
See how Denmark did this, world? Neils Bohr assembled a scientific network centered in Copenhagen that vastly increased the speed and dissemination of discoveries. Quantum mechanics and nuclear physics were all born in his backyard. Scientists came from all around the world to debate with him. Why? Because he had free beer.
That NERD is making more money than me! Quick! Find a way to kill his brain cells.
Someone is giving us these headlines free (as in Bohr).
Bingo Dictionary - Pragmatist, n. A myopic idealist.
N/T
Proper Carlsberg in Denmark is a fine beer (albeit eyewateringly expensive), it's not the same as the shitty stuff you get on draft in the UK.
To have a right to do a thing is not at all the same as to be right in doing it
Wonder how hard it would have been to divert the beer line directly into the plumbing. Beer from the faucets, shower, and toliet! Water the lawn? Beer! Its what plants crave!