Stephen Hawking, a Simpsons character?

LONDON - Noted British physicist Stephen Hawking, who avoids people asking questions, has said there is a common misconception that he is a “Simpsons character”.

When asked what distracts him?, Hawking told The Guardian: “People asking me questions. I can concentrate and ignore everything else.”

Speaking about the most common misconception about his work, the 68-year-old scientist said: “People think I’m a Simpsons character.”

“The Simpsons” is a cartoon strip and an animated comedy television programme.

Replying to another query, he said he is never any good in the morning. It is only after four in the afternoon that he gets going.

On living scientists, Hawking said: “There are plenty of dead scientists I admire, but I can’t think of any living ones. This is probably because it is only in retrospect that one can see who made the important contributions.”

Describing the most exciting moment of his career, he said it was when he visited Antarctica in 1997. “The Chilean Air Force flew a group of theoretical physicists to their base on King George Island off the Antarctic peninsula. My wheelchair did have snow chains, but they took me round on a snowmobile.”