Stephen Hawking To Retire From Post

So, this isn't exactly tech related, but anytime one of the greatest minds of our, or any, generation makes news, I figured you'd want to know.  After almost 30 years in his post a Lucasian Professor of Mathematics at Cambridge University, Stephen Hawking plans to finally step down.

"Famed cosmologist Stephen Hawking will retire from his prestigious post at Cambridge University next year, but intends to continue his exploration of time and space.

Hawking, 66, is Lucasian Professor of Mathematics, a title once held by the great 18th-century physicist Isaac Newton.

The university said Friday that he would step down at the end of the academic year in September, but would continue working as Emeritus Lucasian Professor of Mathematics.

"We look forward to him continuing his academic work at the Department of Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics, playing a leading role in research in cosmology and gravitation," said Professor Peter Haynes, who heads the department.

Hawking became a scientific celebrity through his theories on black holes and the nature of time, work that he carried on despite becoming paralyzed by motor neurone disease.

Have any of you ever read his book, A Brief History of Time or The Universe In a Nutshell?  Great stuff.  There was a time when all I would read were books by Hawking and his colleagues.  I especially liked Brian Greene's The Fabric of The Cosmos as well.  Good luck to whoever succeeds Hawking; you've got some big shoes to fill.