Who Was Stephen Hawking

Who Was Stephen Hawking | Audio Book

In this episode, Who Was Stephen Hawking? . . .
We introduced you to the Penguin Random House Books Who Was? - Series. With over 250 titles, it tells the incredible stories of trailblazers, legends, innovators, and creators. This week meet Professor Stephen Hawking. A famous physicist and author. His friends nicknamed him "Einstein" as a teenager because he was brilliant.

Physics has always fascinated me. As a young college student, it was my subject of choice. After moving to California in 1985, I had a rare opportunity to meet Professor Hawking. During his many visits to the California Institute of Technology (Cal. Tech), Santa Monica City College booked his appearance (Sept. 1991).

Like millions, I devoured his best-selling book A Brief History of Time (1988), about the universe's origins, black holes, and other scientific concepts written in everyday language. We hope you enjoy my audio rendition from the children's book Who Was Stephen Hawking? by Jim Gigliotti. I've produced the audiobook in chapters. To listen to the entire book, click the link. It will take you to Spotify, and each chapter will be listed in order.

You can subscribe directly to the podcast. We're on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, iHeart Radio, wherever you get your podcasts. Or - ask your smart device, "Play On the Fly Podcast by Patrick Ball."

Learn more about the entire collection at whohq.com. You can purchase any of these books from amazon.com, just search for "who was book series." With over 250 titles, there's bound to be something that inspires you; check them out.

If you have a question or podcast suggestion, please email me at pball@sbcglobal.net or click the link https://anchor.fm/patrick-ball/message; you can leave us a voice message.

I'm Patrick Ball; thanks for listening; see you in the next episode.

Comments

In Solar Time

In this episode - In Solar Time . . . We are thrilled to present a unique surprise for this week's podcast. We have composed a special tribute to Cenergy's V-Team in the form of original lyrics to the iconic Beatles song "When I'm 64". One of Cenergy’s engineering team members is Vietnam’s Doan Vo (Dr. Vo). Dr. Vo - as we call him - is the team lead for Cenergy’s Electrical Engineering Operations. We want to thank the V-Team for their unwavering commitment and assistance to the US team. Your diligent efforts are truly appreciated. In Solar Time When I get older, losing my mind many years from now. Will you still be estimating power lines? Calculating modules in Solar time. If I'd been shocked at quarter to four would you close the door (circuit)? Will you still teach me? Will you still reach me? When I'm eighty-four. You'll be older too. And if you say the word I could just phone you. I could be handy, changing the fuse. When your power’s gone. Cal...

Sierra Reflections 2011

Wrapped in the cozy warmth of a down bag I’m jolted awake from a deep slumber - nature calls. The silence is shattered by the rustle of my sleeping bag. The sweet aroma of the mountain fills the air, and that ever-present biting crisp air on your cheeks! The zipper moans as you free yourself, then the struggle to find your wool sweater, pants, and shoes to stumble into the brisk morning air. Another zipper whines as you crawl to escape the protection of your mountain shelter. Quietly . . . do not disturb is the invisible sign worn by your fellow campers. Photo: Robert Weldon Darkness surrounds you, it's early morning, late summer. It’s tranquil, except for the soft gurgle of the trout stream that lulled you to sleep the night before. Finally - clear weather, the rains have stopped; millions of stars twinkle like tiny sparkling diamonds against a pitch-black sky. Orion, the hunter is clearly visible in the eastern sky; careful inspection you can see ...

Overcooking the Grid

In this episode, terrified of smart toasters, yet demanding infinite electricity for potato personality tests. Pull up that chair again, and let’s hope your coffee is safe this time. In our last chat, we talked about our well-meaning but occasionally delusional AI friend, Chef Adamas, and his penchant for hallucinating blueberries into your Carbonara. We learned how to manage his quirks by keeping our “digital pantry” organized. But today, we need to look past the chef and take a hard look at the sheer size of the kitchen we are building for him. And folks, that kitchen has gotten completely out of hand. Down in Louisiana, tech companies are currently building an artificial intelligence data center the size of 70 football fields. It is a four-million-square-foot digital brain that requires so much electricity they are building three new natural gas power plants just to keep the servers from literally melting down into a puddle of expensive silicon. And what are we using this god-like, ...

The "Doctor" Who Never Was

In this episode: The "Doctor" Who Never Was — A Return to the World of Seuss. Let’s take a trip back to March 2, 2022. I was four years younger, significantly more naïve, and I made the mistake of asking an innocent question that—somehow—still echoes through the halls of pediatric offices everywhere: Where exactly did the name Dr. Seuss come from? Because if we pause for even a moment, the whole thing is absurd. At some point, we collectively decided to accept moral guidance, life advice, and the occasional existential gut‑punch from a man whose résumé included oversized footwear, gravity‑defying cats, and an aggressive campaign to convince us that green ham was not only edible, but desirable. No white coat. No stethoscope. No medical board. Just rhymes. This wasn’t really a question about a title. It was a question about authority—and how easily we accept it when it comes wrapped in whimsy and ends with a couplet. Theodor Seuss Geisel was born in Springfield, M...

On The Fly

Search This Blog