The man of the post is ‘British physicist
Stephen Hawking’ – since 1997, his computer-based
communication system is sponsored and provided by Intel® Corporation. A tablet
computer mounted on the arm of wheelchair is powered by wheelchair batteries,
although the tablets internal battery will keep the computer running if
necessary. His interface to the computer
is through a program called EZ Keys, written by Words Plus Inc. This provides a
software keyboard on the screen. A cursor automatically scans across this
keyboard by row or by column. He selects a character by moving his cheek to stop the cursor. His cheek movement is detected by an infrared
switch that is mounted on spectacles. This switch is his only interface with the computer. Through EZ Keys he also controls the mouse in
Windows. He checks his my email using
the Eudora email client, surf the internet using Firefox and writes lectures
using Notepad. His latest computer from Intel, based on an Intel®
Core™ i7 Processor and Intel® Solid-State Drive 520 Series, also contains a
webcam which with Skype keeps him in touch with web world.
The news is “Professor Hawking, 73, has applied to the Intellectual
Property Office to have his name formally registered”…. His primary aim is to prevent others from
exploiting his name with inappropriate products. He is not the first though, celebrities like J.K. Rowling and David
Beckham, have had their names turned into
brands. “It’s a personal matter for
Stephen Hawking; it is not a university issue, but he has taken measures to
protect his name and the success it has brought,” said a spokesman for
Cambridge University, where he is Director of Research at the Department of
Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics. He has also applied to get his
name trademarked for charitable purposes, giving him the option of setting up a
foundation, such as one to promote physics or for research into motor neurone
disease, which has left him paralysed, The Sunday Times reported. His trademark
would cover computer games, powered wheelchairs, greetings cards and health
care.
Chris McLeod,
president of the Institute of Trademark Attorneys, said the move could be worth
millions of pounds. “It depends on how successfully his advisers can license
and market products and services. If he were to die, then the trademarks could
be transferred to his foundation or offspring — they could be a never-ending
monopoly,” he said.
There is a wide
range of Professor Hawking memorabilia available on the internet, including a
thong with his quote 'while there may be primitive life in our region of the
galaxy, there don't seem to be any advanced intelligent beings', inked on the
front. There is also a pair of boxer shorts, available for £8, with a cartoon
sketch of the scientist on and T shirts featuring a zombie Professor Hawking
above the words 'Hawking Dead'.
Another famous
British scientist Brian Cox had also filed for trademarking his name as fully
fledged brand, Brian Edward Cox,
47, is an English physicist, and
professor of particle physics in the School of Physics and Astronomy at the
University of Manchester in the UK. He is best known to the public as the
presenter of science programmes. Before his academic career, Cox was a keyboard
player for the bands D:Ream and Dare.
‘George's
Secret Key to the Universe’ is a children’s book written by Lucy and Stephen
Hawking in 2007. The main characters in the book are George,
Eric, Annie, Dr. Reeper, and Cosmos, the world's most powerful computer.
With regards – S.
Sampathkumar
30th Mar 2015.
