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Also a lot of fun was the History of Science Museum in Florence.

The thing is, he did recant. That doesn't mean he changed his mind, but he did change his official line. There's a writeup here, for instance.

The best science museum I've ever visited is the History of Science museum in Florence, Italy. They have an incredible exhibit of Galileo's telescopes, inclined plane experiments, clocks, and (I kid you not!) his (middle) finger.

Most of the groundwork for these discoveries are done using your and my public tax money at universities.

Govt grants are one thing. Universities on the other hand have every right to patent what they've funded. Provide me with proof that the majority of these patent applications come from public funds and I'll say you have an argument.

About patents not existing "years ago", that is inherently false. Patents have existed for over 400 years, throughout which the entire industrial revolution took place.
Even Galileo patented things

You go out and do R&D on a drug or gene test for some rampant disease, but you do it for free, on your own dollar and your own time. Then lets see what your argument is. I guarentee you'll demand a royalty for your life's work...

If someone makes a million bucks, its usually because they deserve it. This is of course excluding all the Enron corporate corruption issues that are plaguing the economy today. There's nothing better than a self made millionaire because they've produced something and given us all a job.

And Galileo Galilei abjured when he had to appear in front of the Holy Office at Rome, Italy.

So I suppose that means the Earth is not going around the sun.

Even if Darwin had renounced, that would not stop evolution from occuring.

The Mechanical Universe is a fantastic series produced by Caltech and the Annenberg/CPB Project. I watched it on my local PBS station when I was a whippersnapper. Not only will it give you solid physics, Caltech professor David Goodstein gives you biographical and historical insight into the minds and times of the principal scientists. The info is often humorous. The story about Galileo's finger will crack you up. I'm not exaggerating when I say it will even change your life. I think the insights I gained from this series had a big impact on how I turned out (and I'm still turning.)

The video format is invaluable for physics instruction because physics very often involves changing quantities (hence the need for calculus.) The series is chock full of brilliant animations to illustrate complex formulae and phenomena. The section on angular momentum is an excellent example. (Dot products, dot products)

I just discovered gravity. Since no patent or prior art exists, I'm going to patent it and license it to people who pay me enough. The only currency I accept is gnus. Seriously, this is a prime example to see exactly when democracy can fail. That's right, it's not perfect! If the majority believe one thing and you don't you are wrong!

Ah, well, it has happened in history before and it will probably happen again. Hindsight is a wonderful thing, right? Just remember, you can't enjoy fame if you are dead.

Before you go to a flamewar about the newest draconian laws the US has passed, fix democracy. How do you fix it, by educating people!