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?

Why wait any longer for the world to begin?

[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."

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

What sets porcini mushrooms apart from other types of mushrooms, such as button mushrooms?

Why wait any longer for the one you love?

There you go.^†

[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.

Are there any Hollywood celebrities who never divorced? Why does it seem like celebrities are likely to get divorced frequently?

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:

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

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

How do you stop your balls from sweating?

You can have your cake and eat it too

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

My 11 million SEK, Dr Jo.

The NASA science missions that would be axed in Trump’s 2026 budget - The Washington Post

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

Whatever.

Whatever.

Missouri governor signs Chiefs, Royals stadium bill - NBC Sports

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

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

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

What are the latest interior design trends in 2025?

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

^† They rationalise their decision thusly:

(Bob Dylan, Nobel Prize for Literature, 2016)

AI alone cannot solve the productivity puzzle - Financial Times

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.

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

(Mumbles of assent)

PSG vs. Inter Miami: What will decide Club World Cup knockout game? - MLSsoccer.com

When he's standing, in front of you

"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?"

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

'Orthorexia' Is More And More Common. Here's What You Should Know About It. - HuffPost