======================================= Stephen Hawking ======================================= In 1963, at the age of 21, Stephen Hawking was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Doctors initially predicted he would live only a few years, but he defied this prognosis, living with the disease for over five decades until his death in 2018, at the age of 76. Cognitive impairment is a common and significant non-motor feature of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), affecting a substantial portion of patients. It is now recognized that ALS is a multisystem neurodegenerative disorder, and cognitive and behavioral manifestations are part of a spectrum known as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis-frontotemporal spectrum disorder (ALS-FTSD). By the late 1960s, as his motor functions progressively deteriorated, Hawking lost the ability to walk and to write. By 1974, he was unable to feed himself. He most likely received a Percutaneous Endoscopic Gastrostomy (PEG) tube. This procedure would have been necessary to provide nutrition and medication directly into his stomach, bypassing the need to chew and swallow, a common requirement for individuals with advanced ALS. A colostomy bag to for managing bowel movements is also a common medical procedure for individuals with severe paralysis who cannot control their bowels, as well as a catheter for urine drainage. By the late 1970s, his speech deteriorated and he could be understood by only his family and closest friends. To communicate with others, someone who knew him well would interpret his speech into intelligible speech. In 1985, following a life-threatening bout of pneumonia that necessitated a tracheostomy, it permanently removed his ability to speak. He communicated by raising his eyebrows when someone pointed at the right letter on a spelling card. Communication speed was undetermined. In 1986, he was introduced to the Equalizer software developed by Words Plus, which allowed him to select words and phrases using a hand clicker. This system, which ran on an Apple II computer linked to a Speech Plus CallText 5010 synthesizer, allowed him to communicate at a rate of up to FIFTEEN WORDS PER MINUTE. In 1999, he had surgery to address complications from his tracheostomy, specifically to protect his lungs from food and saliva entering them. By 2005, he had lost all control of his voluntary muscles, including facial expressions. In 2006, he visited Jeffrey Epstein's private island, Little St. James. In 2008, a new "CHEEK SWITCH" was introduced, which detected muscle movements via an infrared beam on his glasses, enabling him to control the system using only a single cheek muscle. This allowed him to communicate at the rate of ONE WORD PER MINUTE. ======================================= Books Written By Hawking - Do Some Math --------------------------------------- 1. General Relativity: An Einstein Centenary Survey (With: Werner Israel): A foundational academic text published in 1979, focusing on Einstein's theory of relativity. 2. Superspace and Supergravity: Proceedings of the Nuffield Workshop, Cambridge (With: M. Roček): A technical work on supersymmetry and supergravity, published in 1981. 3. Supersymmetry and Its Applications: Superstrings, Anomalies and Supergravity: A compilation of research on supersymmetry, published in 1986. 4. Three Hundred Years of Gravitation (With: Werner Israel): A comprehensive survey of gravitational theory, published in 1987. 5. A Brief History of Time: His most famous work, published in 1988, which explores the origins and fate of the universe. 6. The Formation and Evolution of Cosmic Strings (With: Gary Gibbons, Tanmay Vachaspati): A technical study on cosmic strings, published in 1990. 7. Computer Resources for People With Disabilities (With: Alliance for Technology Access): A guide on accessible technology, published in 1991. 8. Physics and Universe: A collection of lectures and essays on physics, published in 1992. 9. Black Holes and Baby Universes and Other Essays: A compilation of essays on black holes and cosmology, published in 1993. 10. Euclidean Quantum Gravity (With: G.W. Gibbons): A technical exploration of quantum gravity, published in 1993. 11. Hawking on the Big Bang and Black Holes: A collection of lectures on cosmology, published in 1993. 12. Stephen Hawking's Life Works: The Cambridge Lectures (With: Michael Jackson): A compilation of lectures, published in 1994. 13. The Nature of Space and Time (With: Roger Penrose): A debate on the nature of space and time, published in 1996. 14. Theories of the Universe: A book on cosmological models, published in 1996. 15. The Universe in a Nutshell: A visual guide to modern physics, published in 2001. 16. On the Shoulders of Giants: The Great Works of Physics and Astronomy: A curated anthology of seminal scientific works, published in 2002. 17. The Theory of Everything: The Origin and Fate of the Universe: A popular science book on cosmology, published in 2002. 18. A Briefer History of Time (With: Leonard Mlodinow): A revised and simplified version of his earlier work, published in 2005. 19. God Created the Integers: The Mathematical Breakthroughs That Changed History (Editor): A compilation of key mathematical papers, published in 2005. 20. A Stubbornly Persistent Illusion: The Essential Scientific Works of Albert Einstein (Editor): A collection of Einstein's works, published in 2007. 21. The Grand Design (With: Leonard Mlodinow): A book on the origins of the universe and the role of physics, published in 2010. 22. The Dreams That Stuff Is Made Of: The Most Astounding Papers of Quantum Physics--and How They Shook the Scientific World: A compilation of foundational quantum physics papers, published in 2011. 23. Solving the Mysteries of the Universe: A popular science book, published in 2013. 24. My Brief History: A memoir detailing his life and career, published in 2013. 25. Black Holes: The Reith Lectures: A collection of lectures on black holes, published in 2016. 26. Brief Answers to the Big Questions: A final work addressing major scientific and existential questions, published in 2018. 27. Unlocking the Universe (With: Lucy Hawking): A children's science book co-written with his daughter, published in 2020. 28. What Is Inside a Black Hole?: A short book exploring the mysteries of black holes, published in 2022. 29. Will We Survive on Earth?: A discussion on the future of humanity and planetary survival, published in 2022. 30. Will Artificial Intelligence Outsmart Us?: A reflection on the risks and potential of artificial intelligence, published in 2022. 31. How Did It All Begin?: A book on the origins of the universe, published in 2022. ======================================= Communication Technology - Captain Christopher Pike --------------------------------------- No other human being, healthy or otherwise, is using, nor has ever used, this fantastically effective and productive technology to communicate verbally and do word processing. ======================================= Are You Able To Ask The Right Questions? --------------------------------------- https://www.oetec.com/pastebin/plain/hawking ======================================= :0( =======================================