>> you're watching look to be on "c-span2", every weekend with the latest non- fiction books and authors. a book tv on "c-span2" created by americans cable television company. today brought to you by the television company to provide book tv to viewers as a public service. next on book tv, theoretical physicist leonard mlodinow remembrances friendship with the late "stephen hawking". and then he recounts the life of malcom x followed by his starring ian toll of the pacific

theater during world war ii. for more information visit booktv.org or consult your program guide. and out is a look at the work of "stephen hawking". leonard: as far as i can tell we probably have dino or leonard has readers from all of the world. in fact he is readers from the united states and canada and mexico, jacob peru and any other places. ♪ venezuela and guatemala and brazil. ♪ nicaragua and others. ♪ and probably even pasadena. [laughter]. >> thank you everyone for joining us for this evening's event. my name is kim and i'm a host of tonight's event . to before we can begin i want to encourage

you all to check upper lineup of upcoming virtual events . 104 any upcoming events we are looking forward to is tiffany in conversation with la about new book say it louder . black voters, white narratives and saving our democracy. that is next friday, the 18th. as well please remember to close on twitter facebook and instagram. and tonight we are honored to welcome leonard mlodinow. and rob paulson. leonard received his phd in theoretical physics at the university of california berkeley. it was in alexander fellow. at the max institute . and was on the faculty of california institute of technology. his previous books include the bestsellers the granite design and refer history of time and both with stephen hawking . and some global which was a winter

of literary science writing award. in one of the worldviews. as well as elastic, eclipse window and the upright - and then joining us this evening for conversation about his new books, ten for a memoir of friendship and physics in one of the most influential physicists of our time he touched the lives of millions. nearly two decades of talking collaborator, now brings this complex man into focus in a unique and deeply personal portrayal. if it's in a room as hawking indulges his passion and shares his feelings upon love death and disability and grapples with the deep questions of philosophy and physics. it deeply affecting account of friendship teaches us not just about the nature and practice of physics but also about life in the human capacity to overcome

obstacles. and joining in conversation today by doctor paulson . voice actor for nearly three decades and is the voice of pinky from pinky and the brains and another from tv muted ninja turtles and another. then he has won an emmy award and a peabody awarded three emmy awards for his voice acting. it is memoir voice lessons and was released last year . and ironically any uses his voice for work found himself with throat cancer really is thankfully recovered and is now the spokesperson for the agency oral head and neck cancer awareness program. this evening's event will include a q&a. please use the button at the bottom of your screen if you would like to ask a question. and if someone is checked a question that you would like to know the question two, please

upload. please consider supporting leonard and paul by purchasing a copy of the new book. it and a link to purchase the books will be shared in the chat in a couple of minutes. leonard and rod it is such a pleasure to welcome you both. and thank you for joining us. rob: thank you. well said. and somehow makes his living doing essentially what got me in trouble in high school that i can tell you that this is a marvelous book. and so thank you very much leonard for rather lowering your standards with respect to the speakers. thank you for having me on board. leonard: thank you for doing this rob. tamararob: not at all. and full disclosure, your fabulous really handsome genius child nikolai helps me with my own social media marketing.

in the apple didn't fall far from the tree paredes delightful smart young man. a very grateful to have him in my life. so thank you afraid well done i just in case there are folks who are watching who are transfixed by all of the stuff surrounding us monday and not be aware of "stephen hawking" as others. could you briefly explain to us what stephen hawking's places in the history the scheme of things. it. leonard: will stephen went to school in the 60s. into oxford and then he went to graduate school at cambridge. and that's where he really felt ill. he was in graduate school. it any in revelation after that. was that he kind of had a hoopla and due to his illness, he found purpose in life.

some kind of meaning in his life. he decided that he wanted to dedicate his last years to answering us some fundamental questions which is basically why are we here and how did we get here and how to the universe get here and why is it the way it is. those are questions that people were asking . henna systems, while kate ashley at berkeley and asked . and the areas that he chose to study, to adjust those questions for the first one is very obvious. the early university part of the universe the other is black hole. but not any people were interested in those areas even back then because people thought that he couldn't observe them. his assistant with the experimental observational

scientists. and he said you can't look back at the end of the universe. so i study that theoretically. now turnout in a footnote that technology is we can't study those things bring those of the various pictures of the blackhole few years ago. but back then it seemed like we would never get there so there's the people who were working on freighted iconic physics cyst richard description. he said they were - and it made blood boil because it was a question of the research. susan to that kind of area this stephen walken. stephen with his yearning for these questions started to study in the 60s and make great progress in understanding what the early universe in the black holes through einstein's theory of relativity.

it appeared that he did not apply to quantum theory to its . and he made great progress in understanding the early universe in the black holes. and then later the 1930s he started to apply at quentin terry and i was exciting freighted and through that he realized that you can't ignore quantum theory and found new results . so the sum this is that he took this field in cosmology and studied the early universe buckles related to that. any minute one of the hottest fields in it. i was a pioneer in louisville, and looking forward to the holy grail which is uniting the theory of quantum theory. so by doing that is a pioneer

mixed great steps in showing how we can think about that link still not found it freighted and listed the study of black holes in cosmology made a very respectable. rob: we now know that stephen had a terrific movie made about him and he may have won an oscar to that performance but my suspicion having grown up that physicist, the physicists when i grew up just like most was over einstein. stephen essentially one of his like the next physicist rockstar. was he another einstein. leonard: is just canada's global guy is mild . because he was

not. einstein for most of his career, einstein had most of his major discoveries in the first 15 years of his career. stephen was a leader on the best in his generation. i don't think we should try to classify that i thank you so a good solid description of him and one that he would agree with. rob: einstein came up with his energy equals mass speed of light squared. under theory at 25 is old . leonard: yes. people misunderstand how physics works . you'll sit a brilliant idea and in the square it .

people say it makes sense . hebert developed the theory of special relativity and is based on certain principles that particular at the speed of light and something that was implied by naturalist working in the 1860s and then investigating the theory of adjusting newton's laws to take that into account he develops a special relativity. and the consequences of one of the things he discovered after he is writing out that theory is another one that equal 17 squared. rob: and it became its own sort of a metaphor for all the cool stuff . i still remember, were the same age and the opening of the twilight zone. if equals mc squared. leonard: is a good guy in the 20s . rob: he will know this but i was at the last supper, i was checking there. that was a party.

anyway i know this. you are a busboy. and we have to get out and this time . i read the book. how did you first meet "stephen hawking". it. leonard: he read my first two books. one was a window about curved space. what it really means and how over the centuries the ideas developed. nose and actually very important topic to stephen at the time. if and then he read my second book which was a rainbow, searcher beauty and physics and that was a memoir about my relationship the great while it was at caltech. and he liked the spokes. he was looking for somebody to write with.

i think he wanted somebody with a sense of humor and most of all someone who knows physics . so one day i just got a hold of my agents and they said that "stephen hawking" called. and they said would you like to write a book with him. rob: are you kidding me. all i can say again, having read the book . make my living in the funny business. and you do have an excellent sense of humor. and it comes across beautifully lettered in the book. it truly does. you mentioned how the sort of dryness of physics. but you have found a way and clearly mr. hawking had a wicked sense of humor as well. we were able to translate that to the reader. it really in fact, i know you began working with stephen when he was sort of been his full-blown lou gehrig's disease.

what surprised you with seeing firsthand county works. was there anything that made you realize he was a remarkable in addition to the fact that he was doing what he was doing . in his physical state. leonard: why it is fascinating. and i hope i don't get too long with this answer . rob: is your book man . leonard: most can be looked at in two different ways. in one is eligible reinecke equations or analysis and the other geometric geometrically in both really have to understand but most work that people do, or in the equations . stephen obviously can't write it. he couldn't move. it and he did an amazing memory he could do some things that

way. second grand master chess can play people or 20 people blindfolded. it and he knew what to do. and i always was in awe of that. because i can't play one game of chess. so we did have that ability. but putting minute disadvantage sometimes for other physicists who could write down their equations. this what he did truly surprised me he learned a new way of doing this. in the geometric approach rather than the equations approach. it and he worked on his own language of geometry to treat the problems that he was treating . so they can solve problems and get ideas and analyze situations that interested in him. and these beings these light

beings the powerful beings the black holes in others. honeys analyzing other looking and analyzing and using geometric relationships and pictures. and his friend, said that was his superpower. because he could by doing that not only was he avoiding his handicapped about writing but he actually had a new angle to look at things that other person sit and have that allowed him to make discoveries that have insights of others who didn't because i didn't have that approach. it so he took his disadvantage into an advantage. rob: we hear of people who are sexless to find a way to really enhance their sense of hearing or smell or taste of whatever . do you feel ultimately, that or maybe even stephen may have suggested this . you feel ultimately that is debilitating

illness ended up being something that actually helped him in his discipline. leonard: fully told me that he did. that it did but first, as i mentioned it, the meaning and purpose. 's about that driving him. rob: or anybody. leonard: is a very hard subject that you have put it very long hours all alone. it is burning, california is burning right now are organized think. but on the normal times when it's not going to go outside and you take a walk but instead he's meaning to stay home . want to see your family or friends but no you are working 12 hours a day or months for every day, just to finish your work release of the first thing for him is that gauging that derives to actually answer these questions.

so i give him the meaning and the focus that illuminated distractions from the milan him to focus for so long and so ha hard. there was a big advantage for him. rob: and you being. see what it without that disability. rob: that's interesting and especially you being celebrated as a prolific author. i've written one book and i had a gentleman helped me. do physicists go through what a layperson we called writers block party did that when you're working on a theory or in something that you're postulating, you have your own promises that you're working on it. if you find you can actually go through writers block as well. you mentioned alone. are there points of which i say i am stuck read. leonard: so that's why i wrote

the book from a personal point of view. and the idea of this as a person . i wrote this book to really expose how we do physics but also how we live life every day. and yes, physicists just like in the movies, you look at to a the answer comes. rob: we would all be physicists. leonard: yes and coming up with great theories. but it is very difficult and yes, richard's findings for example had a very long periods of non- productivity where he had no ideas and he would get depressed. and during those times, he was teaching his courses. and that would fulfill him and take up this time because he was waiting for ideas to come.

so i he was doing this problem, so in between problems he was sitting there saying okay, i just wrote a paper or maybe ten papers that and maybe you had three topics that i had a lot of ideas but it run out of ideas now. i've done all of the papers on the topic. so i started working on something else. sometimes you have something in the back of your head that you're curious of and sometimes you don't . like a writer doesn't know the book the writing next. what are you doing your problem you also have minor prices like that as well. so saying okay, i need to get from here to there. answer the questions that i'm trying to answer this research. i think this is how you figure it out . nope freighted and just keeps putting your head against the walls . for a day or month and some promising direction and it does not work. and you finally get to a point

sometimes we have more ideas. it and got into a certain point in your research and you know where you want to go or have an idea what you want to go with that sprayed it with the math is not working out. so it is very full of frustrating difficult times. human suspended, in droves him crazy. because it when he hit that wall. he would turn back and he was super model of everybody in the house. he would spend day after day after day after day just focused on getting past that. it. rob: gracious. by the way, it sounds like that was part of your mission. was for to humanize stephen or make him relatable. and you absolutely nailed that. there certainly things that no one would know having not been close to him. but you utterly d hollywood made

him somebody that you became your friend. often with the usual frustrations the people have with other people freighted was point and with your work with steven and the fact that he was non-verbal and was wiltshire found, is not a big deal, is basically, he just has a different shirt on today. it's really not an issue . you got used to it. leonard: that's a good question rob. and there's so much net development of the book. the answer is yes. when i first got there to work with him, to his office. i felt bad for him because you can see what discomfort he was in.

he had like a sweat going down his four-headed that he had to wipe down . rob: let me infected for just. i do that was one of the moments of the book. because it is a sort of thing that we can all relate to immediately . and your taking your hand and you do this. but the way in which you describe your empathy, you're like oh my gosh, that would drive me nuts. or if my nose was itching. it it doesn't matter if you're mohammed ali, stephen hawking, or leonard mlodinow guy the street freighted the things that people take for granted, all of a sudden that was the central focus of this world-class physicist. the way you described it was very impactful. leonard: thank you. i cannot understand how he could

go through this day without being able to do that. so's care worker might notice it or maybe not forget it and later on i thought don't feel sorry for him. he was actually i was quite inspiring to me how he handled those things. changed the way he talked . not that he had this sweat dripping down or he's sleeping any past due weight to turn and he has to wait for somebody to turn him careening as all of these obstacles . he learned not to mind it. he had control of his mind and feelings . he learned to not let them bother him. it that happiness that true

happiness. and that lasting happiness comes only from within you. not from the things that you've accomplished. all of that can be taken away and subject and beyond your control. it and his self satisfaction and how you feel about yourself. in your own mind . stephen really is that once i realized that's what was going on, i didn't feel sorry for him anymore. he's also kind of a person that has reddish hair and blue eyes. another trait of his. then we interacted with not even thinking about it . rob: that's what i mentioned earlier. he really didn't describe this under humanity read i've experienced something in my own life with my throat cancer a few years ago and that was the ability to really focus on

living in the moment. to really understand that this is a . tenuous little fragile line in which we walk. and it does not have to be lou gehrig's disease but often it requires something to jumpstart your humanity anything while. all of a sudden i know what is important freighted and he according to you and your description, was the embodiment of that. he literally made lemonade every day. it was remarkable. leonard: it really was. now is one of the great lessons. i admire him very much for that. rob: how would you describe his personality in general. leonard: because he could do that. he could be not beaten down by all of these but most of us

would be physical issues. it optimistic person, great sense of humor. integrate energy. we were going to go into town one afternoon. and he would say hey leonard, to to those of you who don't have a camera in your home. rob: can you describe that means. leonard: yes. second recipe for tipping over. and someone stands on a platform in the back. it's like standing up on the platform. in pulling into the bottom of the river will tell you or it would pull you along. so we went to do that, he wanted to join us. so we said sure, long. it and so we headed back him up and take him ten minutes and getting them into the van and

especially designed ten. any term in a certain way his vulture how to be bolted down . so is a very rough ride and so that he would not go flying. any and be carried it down . 20 or 30 and on uneven stone steps to the vote . and and then on the vote just they had one can't freighted so if he gets detached and can't communicate from his computer or wheelchair for any is wiltshire in the vote parade and one of them takes his hand and one takes feet and they started down the stairs rate. and then he climbs in. he could easily slip. because in the river, he can't swim. he will just drowned. and i am stepping in and i almost fell off. i'm thinking oh my gosh. it and looked down and he has so

happy. he's the one who got been easy. and then he would go with his eyes left or right. with what he would want to look at. so with all of those difficulties, he loved it. and he did every day things like that. he did not let his disability stop him party to. rob: and you actually helped like everybody else there, hunting down the cam when they wanted to have strawberries and champagne. and so you happen to have a little bit of zebedee do . leonard: that's okay. i figured at the end they would trade it. rob: i don't know how relative this is but i felt like a hundred million dollars. >> recently i was sitting outside and i thought to myself,

leonard, what is neil's bother you. thank you . sue and if they were going to play a song again party to. rob: it could've. were just tiny little specs about the size of mickey rooney. blue note know if you've got that in the road you want to go down. and you poke me with a stick and you will be sorry. sue and i already am rob. rob: i don't blame you. your book obviously is full of just glorious stories about you being with stephen and as you just describe his drive. are there any particular without giving too much away, is there a particular moment or two that you feel sort of encapsulated at the whole experience. if that is in even possible. it. leonard: there are so any

stories in different directions. when i get those while i talk about where one time i had a near death experience. i was had an internal bleeding that they could not find the source of. anyway, when you get to cambridge the next time i get over that. and he and i were having dinner after dinner we started to talk. we knew that had happened and we started to talk about that. and all of his near death experiences. they were at least 20 year. it. rob: i was going to say, numerous. leonard: one of the problems of the diseases he had difficulty breathing. so because of that he was subject to things and i think

that may have also exasperated it. so even every year or more often he would enough in the hospital with a long infection. and sometimes, his family and his cares were thinking he might not full through. so he had gone through this any times. and i know that he said what's at the end of one of the roads, he said yeah that is tough but then back to the physics. and my son nikolai who you mentioned earlier, you always used to say in high school is basketball his life. some said stephen, physics his life for you incident. and then he gives me his known he starts to type. what comes out is that he says that love is life. and that is really fitting for the person who is most famous physicist in the world. in getting to know that humanity

coming out. in his essence is not a physicist for it is not a person who loves other people. rob: and he meant when was reading your book, we discussed that i told you how much that really impacted me. the fact that he wrote this, the meaning of life. and it really was profound. in any instances like that where you kind of stop and you reread it. and in the context of who leonard is talking about, it really is impactful worried in that light, was he an atheist. it was the thing agnostic . leonard: he was an atheist. it did not like to talk about, he very much did not want to consolidate anybody.

and argue against god. people sometimes with the books is an argument against god. what we say is that god was not necessary to treat the universe and the arguments for that you can meet some supernatural thing that started off the universe. the stephen theory showed that the universe is something that was at the essence of that book the grand design. you don't need to have a god. were not arguing against him but we sought evidence against god. in need in fact, i thank you so a very spiritual person. and i think part of the book illustrated that freedom think also that he wanted to church. rob: yes, who by the way was a . religious woman. leonard: both of his wives and girlfriend at the end were all

religious people, religious woman he would go to church with them. [inaudible]. leonard: so he was not, religious and scientists don't have to compete with each other rob: in fact you cite in the book and you touched on briefly, the kind of heat you took when the grand design was released freedom believe you got a phone call from his secretary. who said you have got to have this. you've written a book in a disparaging god and you have to do a little bit of housekeeping. leonard: while yes. i knew the book was coming out and that it was in england

targeted it was 8:00 o'clock in the morning i take my daughter to school. and i had a phone call and asking have you read the times. i read it every day in california. how any people, three of them. [inaudible]. why would you think that. there's an explosion. i don't know. lee can handle all of these reporters. go read it and bless talk for unit and ended up being 97 interviews. in the headlines was talking. first of all of the writing mistake. i guess the shorter of the two names.

were talking, that did not create the universe. and i said that is not what we said. this is with a saintly said. a lot of people who are very upset i don't think they rented either. but we were condemned by engla england, from all different borders in countries. it but on the other hand, god people to know about the book. it was very provocative afraid of it than if you actually read the book, you would see that we weren't saying that. but is very compelling and interesting book. that was actually a very stressful time. they would call me and then we got off to burbank for ten minutes on cnn. it then go back to the studio and fox so i "fox news" interviews. and some of them are a delight

and some of them aren't attacking you. and i would say, this is a physics book. it and my mother could say what would be so about that. rob: was not great. so how can i pass off god. leonard: i don't know, espn would talk about the book. someone sent me a copy of a magazine. i don't know. i don't know what that was about. there was talk about it everywhere. rob: you expanded your readership and why not. leonard: yes we did. people got to know about the book here about it. it is all based on a misconstrued rule. rob: will before we move on to

the questions of the folks watching, letting did you work with stephen teach you about yourself. it is . much the question. what did you learn about yourself. leonard: i could give you a perspective. so any times i would look at him and see what he had to go through in your whining about a headache or use master card whatever it is. it on a scale from one - ten to i can even move, this is kind without one. so don't get upset about it. i used to go, this is a nine. my friends car got smashed up are you kidding. now i say no, i can still walk away from it. that's what i learned about myself. they take things too seriously. but i also learned that this ability to make it not matter to

you. so perspective is one thing but taking charge of your own thoughts and having it not matter to you i thank you so the key. rob: i think so too. it really truly is. it's a marvelous book that you do not have to be, i make my been doing cartoon voices and it was utterly relatable and readable. and really a whole whole joy. and there are aspects in the book that we can all apply to ourselves. you done good kid. it really is a of a book. it's already 20 minutes until six in the pacific and i want to make sure that we have everybody come can we go ahead and do that now. is that okay with you. leonard: that is good with me. rob: limit go to the q&a now free to make sure i don't push the wrong button. let's see.

here's a good one from an anonymous attendee. one of my favorite people. this says, were you ever intimidated by mr. hawking. then i guess right off the bat, when you got the phone call after you initially settle down and go holy cow, and then he did you didn't go, all my gosh. leonard: when i first met him, yes. and even in the early meetings, not just the first time. of course because he walked in and is nikon a so glorious and i am not. rob: we will be the judge of that . leonard: yes. judgment by what he does. rob: there enough. c1 he did not suffer.

rob: real concerned and the pain, real concerned that when you started to work with him that you were going to say something that he would perceive as stupid or say or he called you and i get that. but where you going old jesus, don't screw this up leonard it. leonard: not that i had that worry before i asked anything but at times after i asked something. then i was kicking myself for saying something that he might find it stupid. robwe were looking at his curret work for unit is . complicated and i was reading his papers. and i would ask him a question i would think maybe i should have not asked that question.

okay, so we would work together there and then we would split up and when we were at the end of our working together cambridge, we would assign each other things to do. it they would write a section and i would write a section and then we will e-mail each other before we meet. and once a year i would see him at this company. so we went back and forth with each other . so i would write that i would just not get something in this particular point . so he was doing at work with me. and so i drove up to santa barbara for the whole day so that he could he's going to me they were doing this element of it. it and i go back and i write it alone. i went back to cambridge again to see him and he is reviewing what i had written. anything know this is wrong, this is wrong targeted is this way. an ongoing, what, what targeted i'm sure i understood it . and

actually one point i look to my old notes. and finally i said look, these are my notes from talking to jim. it's not what say is this. and he would say oh that's what we used to think that we changed our mind is. ... ... by the way i know you are working on explaining this but it is upside down. >> host: in the book what i love about your relationship with stephen is you are unafraid to discuss your

frustration with certainly the most famous physicist of my time, you talked about her frustration, if you are going to do this let's do it, i am paraphrasing, you essentially dropped the ball, that is pretty ballsy. >> guest: i was pretty frustrated. i won't give anything away but i won't tell the whole story but in little things there are many frustrations, walk into his office and in the middle of something this guy is talking to him. this will just take a minute. that is a euphemism in cambridge for an hour. actually what it meant is this won't takes just a minute. at first i was naïve, come on in for a minute, they would say

do you mind? i didn't mind, they would just ignore that and just come in. stephen was fine. he would let himself be interrupted. you know what he would do? sometimes he would just ignore them. when we worked together and didn't want to be interrupted they would come in, do you mind? i don't know. kind of busy, whatever, they would keep coming and ask a question and he would not answer, just ignore them and keep talking to me. his eyes would not go to the person and the guy would be standing there and eventually get tired and walk away.

>> host: wow, if it works for that guy, this is a great question. my friends, tell chemistry student, not sure but did you ever call elaborate on any physics problems to gather? did he inspire you to learn certain areas of physics? >> guest: i was interested in why we remember -- i will give you a little preamble. the laws of physics are reversible. you can take data on the current state of a system where everything is and how it is moving snapshot and the laws of physics tell you how that develops forward or backward in time, there is no difference.

and so obviously if you see a film you can tell the difference. i'm not talking about someone walking backwards instead of walking forward. i mean things like smoke dissipates. someone walking backwards, someone can do that if they wanted to. it is not inherently backward in time. but smoke spreads, you will never see in nature smoke that concentrates into something. that is a statistical explanation for that, entropy. that is what the arrow of time comes from. a statistical thing where even though the laws are reversible, if the state of something special like let's just say a very ordered state, a bunch of dominoes each standing on the

table, and then someone moves the table they might fall and they might fall this way, that way, 1 million ways they could fall but only one way they could stand up just right or a lot fewer ways. jimmy the table and they won't pop up into their initial configuration because that was special. the movement of a zillion other configurations. that is what the arrow of time is. i was wondering psychologically how does that work? why is it we remember given that the laws are reversible, why is it we remember the past and not the future? somehow you would think that might be connected to smoke spreading. how does that work? i asked stephen about that, we had a couple interactions about

this but i was interested in that and he says i wrote a paper on that in 1985 or something. i dig up that paper and in typical stephen fashion he was confusing having said something with having proved it. he doesn't give any details or show how it works. eventually a friend of mine, a paper on that published a paper explaining that. why we remember the past and not the future. that was a time i talked to stephen about that problem but don't work out directly with him. >> host: remember the future.

ma led zeppelin album. here is one, an interesting question, we changed our mind, why physics feel so out of reach for so many. how difficult is it to take any evolving theory or developing finding from scientific research and, quote, translate it into something interested nonexperts. >> guest: a lot of physics is pretty subtle that we can learn about that is very exciting. i would say first, most popular science books are relatively --

aspect of the theories, evolution of the universe pretty agreed-upon not necessarily cutting-edge. there are books on cutting-edge, as to the general audiences, that is already settled, as long as it is in changing what you are writing, when that happens, it gets difficult and you have 2 keep up with how it is changing and where the speculation is versus settled physics, which most books don't do but at the end of the book talk about how this might be confirmed, verified and settled..

>> that was one of the things that was helpful as a layperson apart from being eminently readable and human, you have very appropriate and nicely placed footnotes that explain just what you read in the way that is understandable for someone like myself and helpful which, asking questions, are you sure you didn't key this up in advance, kevin moyer comes up the lovely follow-up question, i just finished the book and enjoyed the physics as well as the human story, i rest my case. i graduated from cornell in 1965, spent my working career at jpl but not everything you rose was completely verified. have there been any changes since it was published in 2010.

>> guest: some people carrying on for a, difficulty with finding support for that theory or differentiating it from other ideas, we need better technology, from classifying background radiation. the idea is minute details supporting evidence for stephen's ideas and hasn't gotten there yet. sometimes you have to wait a long time but black holes in the 60s, people thought we would never see one. then there was a candidate they were studying, they weren't convinced it was a blackhole until the early 90s, until just a few years ago, thompson takes a long time.

>> host: if i am not mistaken, einstein's theory of general relativity was essentially proven a few years ago. >> the specific context. and the observation four years after the theory was completed and 1919 observation there are those who question statistics on those observations and that

is what happened, and other tests. gps system everybody uses is very interesting, a theory that applies generally, what we need to use as opposed to newton's laws, in an extreme situation, large masses are concentrated in the early universe or something like that but actually it affect our lives, gps systems are wildly inaccurate, general relativity is very important, gps systems get us around the lapse. and and to einstein.

>> that is the stuff i love about what you guys and girls do in your discipline. my grandfather was a physicist on electrical engineer and speaking of jpl. and is very house standing with my first generation ipad watching as the mars rover landed, to watch the landing. if my genius grandfather came back and saw me standing with a device this thick, heat up, no plug and watching the surface of mars, this is a really authentically learned man would say that is witchcraft. i love being aware, i'm holding this device in my hand in a

starbucks in mongolia and i love that you pointed that out. thank you for this opportunity but there was something you read in the book that i love so much and obviously i presume based on other writings it turns out isaac newton was an ass and i love that. i love that! oh my god! how do we know that? >> guest: we know a lot about newton. even at the time, papers and books, he was a hoarder, even on his reality shows. every grocery list he ever wrote, boxes and boxes and boxes of his writings.

>> host: that was one of the things that made me laugh out loud. euros newton is a last there is an ass. isaac, shut your mouth. anyway, i know i think -- >> guest: you should take us out on a song. >> host: here we go, these are the countries that came out since the first song has written. the netherlands bosnia the soviet union is gone ♪ south africa georgia moldavia latvia ♪ pakistan ♪ and ♪ the cabana stan ♪ ernestine, armenia ♪ lithuania ♪ serbia xhosa vote the balkans ♪ crimea ♪ eritrea ♪ ukraine ♪ his stony a, ivory coast ♪ and dubai ♪ goodbye. >> thank you so much.

please be sure to pick up a copy of leonard's book and hope to see you again very soon. >> you are watching booktv and c-span2. every weekend with the latest nonfiction books and authors. booktv on c-span2, created by america's cable television companies. >> i am randall pinkston and welcome to the miami book fair with tamara payne the co-author with her father of "the dead are arising: the life of malcolm x". congratulations, congratulations on this long-awaited publication, that he worked on for 30