The man behind the sphere, Freeman Dyson, is dead at 96:
Freeman Dyson, a physicist whose interests often took him to the edge of science fiction, has died at the age of 96. Dyson is probably best known for his idea of eponymous spheres that would allow civilizations to capture all the energy radiating off a star. But his contributions ranged from fundamental physics to the practicalities of using nuclear weapons for war and peace. And he remained intellectually active into his 90s, although he wandered into the wrong side of science when it came to climate change.
Degrees? Who needs 'em?
It's difficult to find anything that summarizes a career so broad, but a sense of his intellectual energy comes from his educational history. Dyson was a graduate student in physics when he managed to unify two competing ideas about quantum electrodynamics, placing an entire field on a solid theoretical foundation. Rather than writing that up as his thesis, he simply moved on to other interests. He didn't get a doctorate until the honorary ones started arriving later in his career. His contributions were considered so important that he kept getting faculty jobs regardless.
(Score: 2) by PinkyGigglebrain on Saturday February 29 2020, @06:31PM
Condo lances to his family. The world has lost a great man.
He was one of those geniuses that you only see a few times a century.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freeman_Dyson [wikipedia.org]
He was the man in charge of the original Project Orion [wikipedia.org]
Footage of some testing on the concept https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q8Sv5y6iHUM [youtube.com]
"Beware those who would deny you Knowledge, For in their hearts they dream themselves your Master."