3 ms·

Can someone objectively describe Wolfram's main scientific accomplishments?

by lkozma 15y ago

nicktrav 15y ago
A PhD in particle physics from Caltech ... at age 20?
- Create 15y ago
  A phd in particle physics (even from caltech) can be as meaningless as journalism from yale/harvard. Entire careers have been based on strings ...which is famously not even wrong. As in every profession, there are lots of "artists". Some also have substance though: ie. Feynman was like Dali: some neat stuff (teaching) and some less neat1, to still make a living. 1 ,,Please send my notes back'' -- Stückelberg (not the painter), as his worst enemy used to joke (back) to him
  - omaranto 15y ago
    I disagree: you definitely have to be able to understand lots of complicated stuff to get a PhD in astrophysics from a place like Caltech. And even if string theory isn't physics (i.e., doesn't make testable predictions) it still is a kind of math or at least inspires a lot of math.
helwr 15y ago
http://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=mathematica http://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=mathematica http://scholar.google.com/scholar?hl=en&q=S+Wolfram+and+automata http://scholar.google.com/scholar?hl=en&q=S+Wolfram+and+...
- asciilifeform 15y ago
  Both stolen: http://cscs.umich.edu/~crshalizi/reviews/wolfram/ http://cscs.umich.edu/~crshalizi/reviews/wolfram/ Stolen, in that he claims the lion's share of the credit, while having contributed very little. Did you know that he sued a subordinate to prevent the publication of a theorem that "was rightfully his" ?
  - alexitosrv 15y ago
    Wow, what a jerk if that's true. Do you have any reference?
    - asciilifeform 15y ago
      1) The link above 2) Some discussion: http://mathforum.org/kb/message.jspa?messageID=399736&tstart=0 http://mathforum.org/kb/message.jspa?messageID=399736&ts... 3) the case, on public record: http://web.archive.org/web/20030822002640/http://www.courthousenews.com/cda/X-11/newcom11.html http://web.archive.org/web/20030822002640/http://www.courtho... ---- Wolfram Research Inc. v. Matthew Cook 8/31 CV00-9357 CBM Notice of joint stipulation and join stipulation re plaintiff Wolfram Research Inc.’s motion to compel the production of documents from California Institute of Technology. ----
  - malarious 15y ago
    Even Mathematica was based largely on Macsyma.
  - Create 15y ago
    ...not to mention macsyma

Can someone objectively describe Wolfram's main scientific accomplishments?

by lkozma 15y ago

Can someone objectively describe Wolfram's main scientific accomplishments?

nicktrav 15y ago

A PhD in particle physics from Caltech ... at age 20?

Create 15y ago
A phd in particle physics (even from caltech) can be as meaningless as journalism from yale/harvard. Entire careers have been based on strings ...which is famously not even wrong. As in every profession, there are lots of "artists". Some also have substance though: ie. Feynman was like Dali: some neat stuff (teaching) and some less neat1, to still make a living. 1 ,,Please send my notes back'' -- Stückelberg (not the painter), as his worst enemy used to joke (back) to him
- omaranto 15y ago
  I disagree: you definitely have to be able to understand lots of complicated stuff to get a PhD in astrophysics from a place like Caltech. And even if string theory isn't physics (i.e., doesn't make testable predictions) it still is a kind of math or at least inspires a lot of math.

helwr 15y ago

http://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=mathematica http://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=mathematica http://scholar.google.com/scholar?hl=en&q=S+Wolfram+and+automata http://scholar.google.com/scholar?hl=en&q=S+Wolfram+and+...

asciilifeform 15y ago
Both stolen: http://cscs.umich.edu/~crshalizi/reviews/wolfram/ http://cscs.umich.edu/~crshalizi/reviews/wolfram/ Stolen, in that he claims the lion's share of the credit, while having contributed very little. Did you know that he sued a subordinate to prevent the publication of a theorem that "was rightfully his" ?
- alexitosrv 15y ago
  Wow, what a jerk if that's true. Do you have any reference?
  - asciilifeform 15y ago
    1) The link above 2) Some discussion: http://mathforum.org/kb/message.jspa?messageID=399736&tstart=0 http://mathforum.org/kb/message.jspa?messageID=399736&ts... 3) the case, on public record: http://web.archive.org/web/20030822002640/http://www.courthousenews.com/cda/X-11/newcom11.html http://web.archive.org/web/20030822002640/http://www.courtho... ---- Wolfram Research Inc. v. Matthew Cook 8/31 CV00-9357 CBM Notice of joint stipulation and join stipulation re plaintiff Wolfram Research Inc.’s motion to compel the production of documents from California Institute of Technology. ----
- malarious 15y ago
  Even Mathematica was based largely on Macsyma.
- Create 15y ago
  ...not to mention macsyma