steven hawking is so smart that if you mention his name people assume you are fairly bright. he's written a book that is essentially "space for dummies" that only geniuses understand. he's discovered particles around black holes that only exist mathematically. hawking radiation is named after him. he's been divorced and charged with domestic abuse. and the majority of this he did from a wheelchair while speaking through a computer (with an american accent even though he is british -- usa!!) he was diagnosed with ALS right about when he started to really gain momentum with physics and his life's work. the computer to help him communicate wasn't operational until about a year after he lost the ability to speak. for a while, he had an assistant who could interpret what he was saying. he'd sort of screech and meow and the assistant would translate "he said this sucks" and then eventually he lost the ability to even meow. so over a year went by where he couldn't communicate at all. imagine having some answers to what the universe is and not being able to convey them. most people can't imagine not being able to get their stupid ideas out there (this for example) via a thousand different outlets and yet no one has anything to say worth hearing. you have knowledge of how black holes work, how the universe may have been created, and what it looks like - and you're trapped inside your body forced to listen to celebrity gossip and small talk? "sometimes if the freeway is backed up, i take surface streets" no one cares or has ever cared about that sentence. ALS would be a much better disease if it was more selective, like if you only got it if you said too many boring things. "the store brand yogurt is okay, but i think..." "whoa, dude - are you sure you want to finish this? you don't want to get lou gehriged."