Einstein audio

On Being has a nice little archive of rare audio clips from Albert Einstein, speaking on various subjects, including what it means to be American, E=MC^2, Gandhi, and "The common language of science."

Einstein: In His Own Voice (Thanks, Avi!)

((Photo: Einstein sitting on the front steps of his home in Princeton, wearing his fuzzy slippers. Photo courtesy of Gillett Griffin.) )

I write books. My latest is a YA science fiction novel called Homeland (it's the sequel to Little Brother). More books: Rapture of the Nerds (a novel, with Charlie Stross); With a Little Help (short stories); and The Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow (novella and nonfic). I speak all over the place and I tweet and tumble, too.

MORE: Einstein • happy mutants • History • physics • politics • Science

More at Boing Boing

The technology that links taxonomy and Star Trek

Hackers prepare for first "national holiday" in their honor

Mitchell Glaser

I want to hear Einstein read Jabberwocky to the Dalai Lama.
- millie fink
  
  I’d like to hear him read The People’s History of the United States to Barack Obama.
Jean Baptiste

Albert Einstein restrung my mom’s tennis racket for her, I’m assuming sometime in the late 40s or early 50s. My dad was in the process of becoming a chemical engineer, attending an engineering school/college/whatever in Indiana somewhere and he dragged my mom to a lecture Einstein was giving. Mom had just come from playing tennis, and Einstein fixed her racket for her. Allegedly true story.
- jaytkay
  
  ” restrung my mom’s tennis racket for her”
  
  Bow chicka wow wow, indeed!
eldritch

Well damn. For some reason it never occured to me that we have audio recordings of the man. It’s absurdly obvious in retrospect, but I still can’t help being amazed at just how accurately others have immitated his voice in film and television. (And now listening again, Ludwig Von Drake is almost a perfect match, just slightly higher in tonality.)
- Griffon
  
  “And now listening again, Ludwig Von Drake is almost a perfect match, just slightly higher in tonality.”
  
  I though exactly the same thing about his voice.
Aaron Hardin

From the “I’m an American” clip:

Interviewer: “I have often wondered why it was that leaders in science and culture had so little influence on the course of political events. What is your opinion in that matter?”

Einstein: “I think it is quite undefendable. Scientists and artists, though their works frequently have had enduring influence,even in the realm of politics, but in order to influence the cause of political events directly, one must have the gift to influence people and their actions directly. This is rather a matter of arousing and using emotion and personal confidence than of clear understanding of causal connection. For this reason, intellectuals have little chance to impress an audience. Also, they usually do not have the gift to make decisions swiftly.”

We need more scientists with arousing personal confidence!
- http://twitter.com/AwesomeRobot AwesomeRobot
  
  We need more Neil deGrasse Tysons.
aperturehead

Counter-culture clown WAVY GRAVY has a couple of good stories about taking childhood walks around his neighborhood with Einstein.

According to WAVY -

“He (Einstein) had a peculiar smell,”

“I can’t wait for the day when I can tell someone,
‘Hey, you smell like Albert Einstein.’ “
Petzl

Say what you will about the man, he knew from quality footwear.
http://noctilucent-studios.blogspot.com/ Noctilucent Studios

…and he never paid retail! only suckers pay retail.