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Without patents, we will have essentially no technological or scientific development at all, except where funded by the government (and, in case you didn't know, the US government profits handsomely from patents they fund). The current US Federal budget is woefully inadequate to take on that role.

Really? No technological or scientific development at all save for the government? Heh- I guess the following are figments of our collecitve imagination then:

The Steam Engine
Archimedes' Screw
Stirling Engine
Fresnel Lens
The humble, lowly screw
The submarine
The diving suit

These are just a mere smattering of the vast number of things that were developed with nothing along the lines of what you speak of- there's tons more where that came from. In the end, the remark that we'd have no development at all has not been proven out- and there's very, very strong evidence to the contrary all throughout our history. Patents were conceived to encourage the process in question to hopefully speed up the rate of invention to our benefit.

Patents, the way we're seeing them used and implemented do nothing of the sort and really don't do what YOU claim of them either. They're being more of a HINDRANCE on things and don't really protect R&D unless you're someone like IBM. A Patent is only worth the amount you're able to litigate it for- no more and no less.

From Wiki: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wire_picture#History

A system that automatically scanned and sent over a wire a 2-d image has apparently existed since 1881: http://www.scienceandsociety.co.uk/results.asp?image=10463545, as a "photo telegraph", although a system using conductive ink was invented in 1861

I don't know if these http://www.scienceandsociety.co.uk/results.asp?txt keys1=Death+cigarettes are still available, but I bought some at a Rock Festival once and I still have the empty packet.

Io, one of the moons of Jupiter, showing a volcanic eruption on the rim, 1979.

Here's the link to the ghost of the vans. Sadly, the real thing are gone. The color was much nicer than it looks in the photo.

That's a nice idea, but the implementation looks like it really sucks.

For now, maybe I'll stick with this or this.

Hmmm, a link that works perhaps?