Enjoyed reading sage advice from Hawking.

It was a much quicker read than “A Brief History of Time.” He did a nice job of outlining key discoveries and even nicer at explaining what it means to earthlings. We have work to do, and need to be diligent. I’m so glad he left us with his insights. ( )

This is a good introduction to some big ideas in science and technology. Hawking touches on a bunch of subjects from a super quick overview of a variety of future looking ideas, including AI, space travel, aliens, and black holes. Because it’s so brief on a lot of the topics, it wasn’t really the book for me, but I do think it would be worth it to someone who isn’t looking for the same depth I want.

I did find the afterword which was a tribute from Lucy Hawking to her father pretty moving. ( )

In the last book he wrote before his death, Stephen Hawking provides his thoughts on ten of the “big questions” he has been asked frequently over the years:
1. Is there a God?
2. How did [the Universe] begin?
3. What is inside a black hole?
4. Can we predict the future?
5. Is time travel possible?
6. Will we survive on Earth?
7. Is there other intelligent life in the Universe?
8. Should we colonize space?
9. Will artificial intelligence outsmart us?
10. How do we shape the future?

This is a book of popular science, written in such a way as to be accessible to those not well-versed in his specialty, theoretical physics. These ten questions are posed in a straight-forward way and contain answers that touch on such complex topics, such as universal relativity, quantum mechanics, scientific determinism, string theory, gravitational waves, and the uncertainty principle. Luckily, the reader does not need a deep knowledge of any of these subjects to benefit from Hawking’s insights.

The book reads as a series of essays, with the occasional repetition. I particularly enjoyed the segments on Artificial Intelligence and finding another habitable planet in space. In addition to the scientific content, Hawking includes a partial autobiography. In relating his experiences, Hawking’s self-deprecating sense of humor shines through. It contains an Introduction by Hawking’s colleague, Kip Thorne, and an Afterword by his daughter, Lucy, describing the last years of his life and funeral.

There are significant warnings in this book, which we would do well to heed. Hawking points out that scientific understanding will be critical to the future of humanity. He provides guidance and points out some of the big challenges. Hawking remains optimistic that our global society, working together, can tackle them.
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Small, little book with the opinions of Hawking in several things. Nothing revolutionay, but a good thing to kill some hours. ( )

Really liked the format, it’s amazing when a scientist can explain something so smoothly and efficiently. Got my inner physics nerd all hyped up! ( )