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

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

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

Watch toddler’s joyful scream when beloved uncle surprises him during hide-and-seek - USA Today

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

When he's standing, in front of you

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

What are the differences between INFJ-T and INFJ A?

My 11 million SEK, Dr Jo.

^† They rationalise their decision thusly:

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

Why can’t my wife just accept the fact that I’m going to cheat?

(Bob Dylan, Nobel Prize for Literature, 2016)

Why wait any longer for the world to begin?

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

Brewers Rookie Pitcher Makes History That Baseball Hasn’t Seen in More Than a Century - Sports Illustrated

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:

There you go.^†

[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."

Gators Face Fairfield With Season On Line; O'Sullivan Beat Long Odds as Clemson Assistant - Florida Gators

[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.

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.

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

Anthony says 1st HR made better by Red Sox win - ESPN

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

(Mumbles of assent)

"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?"

Massive Dinosaur ‘Dance-Off’ Arena Discovered in Colorado - The Daily Galaxy

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

Why wait any longer for the one you love?

Whatever.

Decade after decade, century after century the Middle East has been a disaster for anyone thinking peace can be achieved. Would it not be better to just leave the Middle East to its own devices and everyone else stay out of it all?

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

Whatever.

You can have your cake and eat it too

Greetings from Warsaw, Poland, where the flags are flying ahead of a key election - NPR