I saw John Nash today.

[NNadir]

I was at the Princeton Market Fair in West Windsor New Jersey tonight at "Terriaki Boy" and who should I see standing in line but Nobel Laureate John Nash, whose life was portrayed in the book and movie "A Beautiful Mind."

No one noticed him, and when I pointed him out to my wife, she said that I was the only person in the food court who would recognize him. I disagreed with her and said that many people probably recognized him but like I was, were simply leaving him alone so as not to disturb him.

I must say that he did look somewhat like a man who was subject to some confusion, something my wife noted and with which I agreed. He had a very distant and vacant look about him. He was wearing a ski cap that was not arrayed in such a fashion as to not suggest a Nobel Laureate. He also seemed very old and very frail.

However like many people, I admire Dr. Nash for his contributions to science and am most impressed with his most interesting life story, which is a tremendous victory over insanity.

Dr. Nash is the second Nobel Laureate I have seen walking around Princeton. I have also waited in line for falafel with Toni Morrison about 10 years ago. I did not disturb her privacy either.

I have also seen Andrew Weil, who proved Fermat's last theorem, walking around the grounds of the Institute of Advanced Study. He used to regularly walk in the afternoon on the sidewalk along the edge of the golf course there, and sometimes I would pass him on my commute.

The only other famous person I have seen in Princeton was the somewhat less interesting Meg Ryan, who was in Princeton to film the silly movie, "IQ" in which she played Albert Einstein's (fictional) niece. She was in an ice cream shop.

I have had dinner at Lahiere's near Einstein's favorite table.

I'm such a celebrity hound.

[firefox]

1. It is Andrew J. Wiles. Dr. Andrew Weil is the natural healer guy. nt

[NNadir]

2. You are correct.

I am tired. I apparently know his face, but not the correct spelling of his name.

Under the circumstances, comparing the two Andys, I am somewhat embarrassed.:blush:

[MrMonk]

3. On a train ride between DC and NYC

I sat across from Henry Gates. Way back, I shared a drink with Dina Merrill. Before that I danced with Madonna (actually she danced around me), but that was 30 years ago.

[jonolover]

4. I have seen a few Nobel Laureates too, and see them quite often.

1. Lee Hartwell
2. Linda Buck
3. E. Donnall Thomas

They work where I work. Actually, Thomas is retired now, but he's there at times.

[NNadir]

5. Ah, so you are more used to it than I am.

Here are some other "degrees of separation" which I have experienced with Nobel Laureates.

I knew a fellow who worked in E. J. Corey's lab. He wasn't fond of Corey as a person.

I also had a colleague who was familiar with the operations of K B Sharpless's lab. He told some very amusing stories although I'm not sure that the originators of the stories were themselves amused.

My wife briefly worked in college in a support position in the office of C.N. Yang. Until just now, I forgot that. She reported that he was a very nice guy.

[benburch]

6. Very cool!

My own brushes with greatness include meeting Dr. James Van Allen, Dr. Carlo Rubia, and Dr. Edward Teller. Actually had lunch with Dr. Teller at a function associated with a lecture he gave at Fermilab when I worked there.

[NNadir]

7. I think that would have been a difficult lunch for me, but it is most

interesting. Was the conversation more or less one on one?

Teller was undeniably brilliant, but my impression of his flaws overwhelms any impression I have of his strengths.

It would be fascinating to hear your impressions which are based on experience and not general history.

I'm sure you were more gracious a host than I might have been and didn't mention the names of Robert Oppenheimer or Stan Ulam.

[benburch]

8. It was one of those group luncheon things...

The only comment I made to Dr. Teller was that he had him to blame for the "missile gap" at the time of Sputnik.

And he agreed with me.

(The Soviet H-Bomb was HUGE and needed the T-1 booster to carry it. Our bombs were much smaller, thanks in large part to Dr. Teller, so we did not need to develop large ICMBs.)

He was a very personable fellow and told anecdotes of physics personalities he had known.

[NNadir]

10. When was this?

You present a side of the "missile gap" that I had never before contemplated before by the way. Thanks for that. It is enlightening. It's in no way comforting of course. I would rather that missile gaps, real or otherwise, were not issues, although certainly they, or the claims about one, made at least one man President of the United States.

I have always understood that the Mike Device, the first hydrogen bomb, as US development in which Dr. Teller was very much involved, was not deliverable at all, but of course it is well known that many deliverable bombs were made through the agency of Dr. Teller and Dr. Sakharov on the other side. One of those guys went on from that particular bit of technology to become a great man.

Personally, I regard hydrogen bombs that are easy to deliver with less ease than I regard hydrogen bombs that are difficult to deliver but that's just my opinion.

Do you recall which physicists about whom Dr. Teller had anecdotes? I also understand that for many years there were physicists who would not speak with Teller but that toward the end of Teller's life, Bethe, at least, agreed to meet with his former close friend at a dinner supporting nuclear power.

Damn, but wouldn't I love to know the things Teller had to say about Bethe, but I have never traveled in such circles...

Here's an interesting account of meeting Teller from the Guardian:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/life/feature/story/0,13026,1182735,00.html

[phantom power]

9. I once got to meet Douglas Hofstadter

His arguments that self-awareness cannot be algorithmic don't impress me much. But I didn't mix it up with him. I got to meet him through a mutual friend, and somehow, it seemed like it would be impolite accuse him of mysticism and challenge him to a duel.

[NNadir]

11. Duels are polite.

I have read accounts of Alexander Hamilton's meeting with Aaron Burr and I believe that great emphasis was placed on being polite. I don't think a cross word was exchanged.

[phantom power]

12. I'll always wonder...

would he have crushed me immediately, or toyed with me first?

[NNadir]

13. I'd go with the toying algorithm.

Many algorithms end up being toys.

Al Gore Rhythm (or lack thereof) unfortunately was the subject of much toying in 2000 by the likes of Maureen Dowd. Listening to the likes of Ms Dowd, one thought that dancing ability was a qualification for the Presidency, almost as important as one's hair.)

[bananas]

14. Maybe he would have been polite and left you to your delusions

of being an algorithm.