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?

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

[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."

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:

With 'I Love Lucy' and beyond, Desi Arnaz helped shaped TV as we know it - NPR

"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?"

[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.

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

Does wearing earbuds cause potential physical health problems as the dirty, bacteria laden slabs of wax get pushed up into the ear canal and can't come out? You tell me. I'm not a doctor or nuthin'.

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

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

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

Race and genetics do not line up well, new study confirms - Live Science

Why wait any longer for the one you love?

^† They rationalise their decision thusly:

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

What are the reasons for your political affiliation with the Democratic party? What are some aspects of the party that you support and some that you do not?

My 11 million SEK, Dr Jo.

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

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

Are there any specific brands of infrared sauna blankets that are recommended by health professionals?

You can have your cake and eat it too

(Mumbles of assent)

(Bob Dylan, Nobel Prize for Literature, 2016)

How do I identify fake friends in life?

There you go.^†

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

Why wait any longer for the world to begin?

Eveniet dolor unde ut ut praesentium ut aperiam.

When he's standing, in front of you

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.

How do I get rid of a cold in 1 day?

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

Whatever.

Whatever.

How Moderna Went From Pandemic Hero to Vaccine Victim - WSJ