Slashdot Mirror
Who Really Invented The Telegraph?
Fat Boy unslim writes "It's been 250 years since the publication of a paper describing the theory behind sending messages down a wire using electricity. Unfortunately, no one knows who wrote it." If you thought the answer was as simple as "Morse," this article may come as a surprise.
The above post is an editorial, the poster cannot and will not be held responsible for all or in part for it's contents
How long before this site is slash-dot-dot-dot-dash-dot-dash-dotted?
and thanks for finding that. you all own me 1 penny per sine wave ever sent down a wire, however I will generously give you the amplitude under a GPL liscense.
The Kruger Dunning explains most post on
ground-breaking paper was simply signed with the initials "CM, Renfrew"
CM obviously stands for CowboyMeal, which is CowboyNeal's pen name.
NO CARRIER
EXACTLY 250 years ago today, a Scottish inventor penned a theory that led to the electric telegraph and the mobile phone.
I have a neighbor that looks about that age, maybe it was him.
...oOOo..'(_)'..oOOo...
I'm not sure who invented it but I think I know what one of the first messages was:
Dear Sir
I am calling to help you lower your long distance calling rates
Please respond
me karma am bad
But what of the signature "CM Renfrew"? Captain Montgomery from Renfrew. Why no S for Scott? Unnecessary. Everyone from Renfrew (in those days) was a Scott. It was the ancestral home. It's so obvious, it's silly.
Al Gores [sic] great great great grandfather
Ah. Must have been before the invention of the apostrophe.
Remember "Bring 'em on"? *sigh
There are two (English|Scottish) Lords bragging about who's family was more important.
The first Lord says that while doing renovations on their family castle they found a buried copper cable 2 miles long put down in the 1500's. This, he says, proves his family invented the telegraph hundreds of years before any one else.
The second Lord says that while doing renovations on HIS castle they found NO cable. THIS proves, he says, that his family was using WIRELESS, hundreds of years before the first Lord's family was using telegraph.
A random thought that occurred to me while reading the article: If the telegraph were invented for the first time today, would it have a chance of being successful?
Naturally there would be the big patent fight, with various people and corporations suing back and forth, claiming credit for the invention. But even if that were settled, think of the resistance that there would be to the (new) idea of setting poles with wires strung between them:
Environmental groups: "Birds will be tangled in the wires.. and what about the effects of EMF on children?"
Religous groups: "God didn't mean for man to be able to communicate with other men in an instant fashion. The telegraph is an instrument of the devil!"
Rich people: "I don't want those ugly poles and wires in my neighborhood. They'll lower my property values!"
Poor people: "It's only rich people who can afford to send telegraphs, but they run all the wires through our neighborhoods. It's discrimination!"
...I resent all this talk about my ancestor not being the innovative pioneer that he was. And I resent all those royalties that...oh, wait, I've never actually received a royalty. Nevermind.
"You done taken a wrong turn."
-Bill McKinney, in Deliverance
Afterwards, his older brother, Samuel, beat the living daylights out of him for playing with his stuff.
GreyPoopon
--
Why is it I can write insightful comments but can't come up with a clever signature?
..IT'S CRAP!!!"
" ...this is the code which is invariably used even today."
Morse code was recently used by the United States on July 4, 1997 to mobilize the largest international airbattle of recorded history. Apple deserves some of the credit too, though.