3 ms·
He's the guy that built the shark for 'Jaws' while an undergraduate. Very very capable, to say the least. Saw him in the halls during my postdoc but never had
by OldGuyInTheClub 7y ago
He's the guy that built the shark for 'Jaws' while an undergraduate. Very very capable, to say the least. Saw him in the halls during my postdoc but never had the occasion to talk with him.
- msla 7y ago> He's the guy that built the shark for 'Jaws' while an undergraduate. Fascinating. That thing famously never worked well, and the movie was better for it.
- OldGuyInTheClub 7y agoDenker describes the development as a case study in "Experimental Techniques in Condensed Matter Physics at Low Temperatures." His chapter is on electromagnetic shielding and grounding - important for animated sharks and microKelvin measurements. Spielberg is indirectly referenced as the director getting impatient with delays caused by all sorts of hidden electrical problems. The book is a compendium of tips and techniques from graduate students in Cornell's famous low temperature physics lab. Although published in 1988, it is sufficiently general to be valuable today. https://books.google.com/books?id=8tJMDwAAQBAJ&pg=PP16&lpg=PP16&dq=john+denker+shark+jaws&source=bl&ots=NSchIogj3k&sig=ACfU3U0oUPYXG-oi68UfBfFBoA8shgQR_A&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjHppSP59HnAhUOIjQIHTdVBq8Q6AEwCnoECAsQAQ#v=onepage&q=john%20denker%20shark%20jaws&f=false https://books.google.com/books?id=8tJMDwAAQBAJ&pg=PP16&lpg=P...