How did a computer scientist such as Geoffrey Hinton manage to win a Nobel Prize in physics when computer science already has its own Nobel Prize equivalent in the Turing Awards?

"Didn't he do something with Boltzmann in it? That sounds physics-y. RBMs and stuff, eh?"

In awarding prizes, the Nobel Committees often seem only marginally more competent than MTG is at explaining meteorology. And if they can give a literature prize for lyrics like:

"Naah, Linnainmaa is a Finn. Can't give it to a bloody Finnish mathematician. Let's go for drinks. Brännvin anyone?"

Are vampires real?

Fortunately, we are privy to the discussion that led up to this:

They then move on to selectively provide their own version of history. But hey, it’s OK. They wanted controversy, didn’t they? Whatever.

In December 1973, when Kissinger was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, comedian Tom Lehrer dropped his mic and stamped on it—satire had just died.

Aaron Civale traded to White Sox for Andrew Vaughn - Brew Crew Ball

… then anything is possible. There’s no rule that a Nobel Prize has to make sense.^*

(Mumbles of assent)

^* Fibiger got the 1926 Medicine prize for the discovery of Spiroptera carcinoma (Don’t ask).

Am I in the wrong for getting upset with my neighbor who was weed whacking at 9 am on a Saturday? Should I apologize for being rude? I found this was obnoxious and inconsiderate, considering I work very late on weekends.

"Hey guys, AI is pretty big so let's centre our prizes on it this year. We can get some attention, and it's all about advertising, at the end of the day, isn't it?"

Why wait any longer for the world to begin?

You can have your cake and eat it too

10 Habits that are Aging Your Gut, According to Experts - EatingWell

"Good idea, but how can we wangle something that says 'Physics'?"

^† They rationalise their decision thusly:

[Younger voice] "But wait a minute, Ising-Lenz goes back to the 1920's. And didn't Hinton plagiarise rather a lot? He also didn't invent modern backprop, did he, that's Linnainmaa? And Amari preceded Hopfield, too. That's not a good look."

“NASA’s Groundbreaking Discovery”: Solar 'Cannonballs' Identified as the Likely Cause of Mars Losing Its Water, Validating a Long-Standing Theory - Rude Baguette

My 11 million SEK, Dr Jo.

"Where can we shoehorn it in? Chemistry is easy 'cos AlphaFold; but what about physics? A bit more challenging, right?"

(Bob Dylan, Nobel Prize for Literature, 2016)

Is it sinful for Christians to look at beautiful women?

"Good point, I'm sure we can swing it. And let's tack on Hopfield while we're about it."

When he's standing, in front of you

Whatever.

What nonsense did you hear today in India that made you laugh?

There you go.^†

A fly on the wall at the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences

Why wait any longer for the one you love?

This Quirky Accessory Can Actually Make Walking Easier And Boost Heart Health - HuffPost

[The basic structure of artificial neural networks] has close similarities with spin models in statistical physics applied to magnetism or alloy theory. This year’s Nobel Prize in Physics recognizes research exploiting this connection to make breakthrough methodological advances in the field of ANN.

[Older voice] "Mmm. What about Hinton, he's widely regarded? Nobody got fired for buying IBM"

Whatever.

Fewer than 500 neurons are associated with the suppression of binge drinking, new research finds - Medical Xpress