My point was that his Fear was rational. People died accidentally. He wasn't really over exaggerating. During the initial years of electricity distribution, Edison's direct current was the standard for the United States and Edison was not disposed to lose all his patent royalties.
Edison opposed capital punishment, but his desire to disparage the system of alternating current led to the invention of the electric chair. Harold P. Brown, who was at this time being secretly paid by Edison, constructed the first electric chair for the state of New York in order to promote the idea that alternating current was deadlier than DC.
When the chair was first used, on August 6, 1890, the technicians on hand misjudged the voltage needed to kill the condemned prisoner, William Kemmler. The first jolt of electricity was not enough to kill Kemmler, and only left him badly injured. The procedure had to be repeated and a reporter on hand described it as "an awful spectacle, far worse than hanging."
Other than as art, Scott's work was useless to anyone for over 150 years It was a scientific tool used to record and study sound waves, not a squiggly line art making device.
Please read the article next time: Madness? This is SLASHDOOOOOOOOT!
"In fact, Edison arrived at his advances on his own. There is no evidence that Edison drew on knowledge of Scott's work to create his phonograph, and he retains the distinction of being the first to reproduce sound." Absence of evidence is not evidence of absence.
But documented duplicitous behavior is evidence of duplicitous behavior.
went so far as to execute their tyrant, not just kick him out. Well, he was right there, while the king of England never even set foot in America. It would have been a lot of trouble to get him to come be executed.
What's wrong with saying "Scott devised a way to record but not play back while Edison devised both" in the history books?
It's wrong to say that Edison invented a way to record sound, when what he did was use a French design that does that, and modified it for playback.
Props for playback, but lets not exaggerate his contribution to the field.
I wonder how many hours Édouard-Léon pondered over this piece of paper, trying to devise some way to play it back. I think it's just spectacular that we are able to do so 150 years later.
But give credit where it's due... Edison not only transferred sound to physical media - he played it back too. The earliest known invention of a phonographic recording device was the phonautograph, invented by Frenchman Édouard-Léon Scott de Martinville and patented on March 25, 1857. It could transcribe sound to a visible medium, but had no means to play back the sound after it was recorded.
It was a scientific device, meant to study sound waves.
Edison modified it for playback, and made his fortune. [time passed] Then he electrocuted an elephant to FUD alternating current technology. He was the Bill Gates of the 19th/20th century. Same morals, same amount of inventing.
Well, not to dispute your point, but this entire thread thoroughly bashes the US and the Bush administration, and there are +5 insightfuls as far as the eye can see. And contrary to your prediction about your own comment, you got modded up as well. I did put the line about absolute perfection to confuse the jingo brigade;-)
My little cousin got a nerf bow at a birthday, first thing his big brother did when he got his hands on it was to stick a pointy toothpick in the foam arrow and to shoot at balloons next to the parents chatting in a corner.
But this isn't about that, this is about appearances
If a ban of NERF guns can be rationalized by rationalized by some kid putting toothpicks in foam arrows
I've been using right click context menus since the days of OS2 Warp and on many operating systems. On every one of those platforms, if I want information about something or know what options I have about something, I know that can reach for the right mouse button. When I use a Mac, I'm utterly helpless. CTRL-click with the 'left' button to bring up the contextual menu.
then I suppose they don't allow pencils or pens on campus because they resemble dangerous things like ice picks When there's a rash of mass-murders on campuses using an ice-pick, they'll ban things that remind them of ice-picks.
For the meantime, lets just be happy you can still have a camera tripod on campus.
...when they're afraid of people getting hurt with a FREAKING *NERF* GUN! My little cousin got a nerf bow at a birthday, first thing his big brother did when he got his hands on it was to stick a pointy toothpick in the foam arrow and to shoot at balloons next to the parents chatting in a corner. My cousin can make ANYTHING a hazard. It's a gift (from the devil).
But this isn't about that, this is about appearances: Can't have people playing guns on a university campus! Think of the children!
Given the way this administration has been handling Foreign Policy, this shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone... This isn't limited to "this administration" (though they are worse than the last one), this is the USAs' default behavior, and not just for IP (see: lumber dispute with Canada, WTO rulings in favor of Canada, US ignores them).
I'll be modded down for not acknowledging the absolute divine perfection of America the pure and eternal shining beacon of holiness in all things, but the USA acts as a bully, has been doing for all my life, and long before, but talks as though they didn't.
Why can't I simply say that human rights abuses and government censorship are universally bad? That's what I'm saying. But I was replying to someone who says you can't find any fault with the USA, since China did "x".
...the article maintains a phallocentric society, where men go to the office to work, and women stay home and coo-- I mean, oversee the cooking. While some of the technological advancements have certainly come to pass (and some pretty close if we look at them analogously), the social attitude of the article is firmly entrenched in the 1960s.
The first Star Trek pilot had a female first officer. The studio said this wouldn't be possible even in 300 years, so she dyed her hair and became a nurse/computer-voice/telepath/married the author.
The author thought items for sale would be displayed on a television, and people would order items through a different interface -- the telephone -- by pressing on a telephone keypad. It's called "the shopping channel".
Slashdot Mirror
Edison opposed capital punishment, but his desire to disparage the system of alternating current led to the invention of the electric chair. Harold P. Brown, who was at this time being secretly paid by Edison, constructed the first electric chair for the state of New York in order to promote the idea that alternating current was deadlier than DC.
When the chair was first used, on August 6, 1890, the technicians on hand misjudged the voltage needed to kill the condemned prisoner, William Kemmler. The first jolt of electricity was not enough to kill Kemmler, and only left him badly injured. The procedure had to be repeated and a reporter on hand described it as "an awful spectacle, far worse than hanging."
Correcting someone who posted a confused, condescending reply is not trolling.
You want to job done well, or you want the job done fast?
I've seen programmers churn out patches really, really fast, and create 3 new bugs for every one they "fix".
Don't encourage them.
But documented duplicitous behavior is evidence of duplicitous behavior.
It's wrong to say that Edison invented a way to record sound, when what he did was use a French design that does that, and modified it for playback.
Props for playback, but lets not exaggerate his contribution to the field.
But give credit where it's due... Edison not only transferred sound to physical media - he played it back too. The earliest known invention of a phonographic recording device was the phonautograph, invented by Frenchman Édouard-Léon Scott de Martinville and patented on March 25, 1857. It could transcribe sound to a visible medium, but had no means to play back the sound after it was recorded.
It was a scientific device, meant to study sound waves.
Edison modified it for playback, and made his fortune. [time passed] Then he electrocuted an elephant to FUD alternating current technology.
He was the Bill Gates of the 19th/20th century. Same morals, same amount of inventing.
Reading comprehension is HARD!If a ban of NERF guns can be rationalized by rationalized by some kid putting toothpicks in foam arrows
There, now you've had my help.
You're new here I gather? Nope, I'm old here, and it happens all the time.
Say anything bad about the USA, or capitalism, and you'll get modded down.
For the meantime, lets just be happy you can still have a camera tripod on campus.
OK, your turn. Braiiiiiiiins...
To defend themselves, humans can use improvised foam melee weapons.
Bonus: It makes it more realistic (what are the chances you'll have your guns with you on Z day?).
...when they're afraid of people getting hurt with a FREAKING *NERF* GUN! My little cousin got a nerf bow at a birthday, first thing his big brother did when he got his hands on it was to stick a pointy toothpick in the foam arrow and to shoot at balloons next to the parents chatting in a corner.My cousin can make ANYTHING a hazard. It's a gift (from the devil).
But this isn't about that, this is about appearances: Can't have people playing guns on a university campus! Think of the children!
I'll be modded down for not acknowledging the absolute divine perfection of America the pure and eternal shining beacon of holiness in all things, but the USA acts as a bully, has been doing for all my life, and long before, but talks as though they didn't.
...the article maintains a phallocentric society, where men go to the office to work, and women stay home and coo-- I mean, oversee the cooking. While some of the technological advancements have certainly come to pass (and some pretty close if we look at them analogously), the social attitude of the article is firmly entrenched in the 1960s.
The first Star Trek pilot had a female first officer. The studio said this wouldn't be possible even in 300 years, so she dyed her hair and became a nurse/computer-voice/telepath/married the author.You might want to have yourself tested.