

Should Steven Wolfram be envied? - amichail

Sure, you may think his New Kind of Science is useless.  But he is rich and can do whatever research he likes -- it doesn't matter what others think.  <p>And it's obvious that he is having fun in the process.  <p>Isn't that something to be envied?
======
DanielBMarkham
At the risk of sounding like an old prude, I'm not crazy about dragging
somebody out by name and then everybody gathering around and critiquing his
life. Seems a little perverse to me. Perhaps asking about his work, the
general lifestyle, or his theories might be a little more fertile ground?
Instead of asking opinions about the man himself. I mean really, who the heck
really knows Wolfram here? He's just some guy we read about in the media.

Having said that, I'm glad to offer positive feedback about what I know about
him. I can certainly admit that I envy his lifestyle of setting up a company
and then pursuing science with the resources available. I'm a big fan of NKS
and the computational universe. But heck if I can understand it all. I admire
it the way I would a great painting -- it's obviously the work of a master,
and whether it's expressionist or impressionistic I have no idea. He's a
interesting and unusual person. It'd be cool to have a beer with him and
discuss The Matrix.

~~~
amichail
_At the risk of sounding like an old prude, I'm not crazy about dragging
somebody out by name and then everybody gathering around and critiquing his
life._

I don't know about that. I think it would be a neat idea for a startup.

~~~
DanielBMarkham
I modded you up. There probably is a great little startup idea in taking
famous people and trashing them in new and interesting ways. Not sure if it
fits the board, but then again, you didn't ask about the startup potential
originally. Great follow-up comment.

------
gibsonf1
Did you mean to say should Steven Wolfram be _admired_? Envy is never fun.

~~~
amichail
This just depends on your personality. Some people envy while others admire.

------
plinkplonk
Should X be envied? No. Envy is wasteful and counterproductive. Learn waht you
can from X's life and move on.

------
Aaronontheweb
I think Steven Wolfram is one of the greatest mathematical geniuses of our
time; I admire him for that.

