Possibly true, possibly not. May sound harsh, but who cares? If not him someone else would've done it. Advances like that, once all the technology to build them is in place, tend to be pretty inevitable.
Although I agree with much of your post, I think you don't understand the extent of the contribution that Farnsworth made to electronic television.
Farnsworth came up with the idea, and wanted to implement it, but needed time (therefore money to support himself and his family) to figure it out, and money for equipment to build and experiment, and money to pay people that he needed to help him. In order to get that money he needed investors, who wouldn't have invested without a patent system to give some hope of return on their investment.
No one else would have done it, probably for at least a generation. He discovered several fundamental principles/devices/technologies required for elecronic television. Microwave ovens are based on his fundamental inventions, and still took decades to make workable. There is no indication that anyone else at the time had any real idea of what was needed to produce electronic television.
There were also issues with his television where the technology (technically) existed to make certain parts, but people still thought it was impossible. To be fair, for the part I'm thinking of, it wasn't Farnsworth that built it. An assistant built it when Farnsworth showed that such a part was required, even after "experts" in the field told the assistant that it couldn't be done.
What caused Farnsworth the most trouble was alcohol and a patent troll (RCA).
I would classify sound recording and television among the most incredible, revolutionary, Earth-changing inventions, and they were definitely very patent-involved inventions.
I know a little about the invention of television, and it is doubtful that Farnsworth could have afforded to invent it without patents. (To me it seems sure that he wouldn't have had any serious competition without patents.)
Probably the poster of the grandparent lives in some kind of city or town, where there are several thousand (million) people. In such a situation, some kind of toilet (not necessarily flush) is critical to prevent the spread of disease.
Soldiers don't haven't been digging latrines for centuries just to keep busy. It helps the army win wars when fewer of them have a digestive tract infection.
Considering that I regularly, without gloves, shake hands with people, open doors and use phones and keyboards that are used by others, but have yet to touch a stranger's bare butt, I don't find it at all strange that washing hands is considered more necessary to hygine than washing the rear end.
So, since I'm not even going to see your butt, let alone touch it, as long as I can't smell it, I don't care if you wash it.
I would say they both can be fixed, to some extent but: 1. We tend to decide between smart and stupid or between lazy and hardworking as if the scale were discrete, rather than continuous. 2. We tend to only look at one or two facets of intelligence, and think they're the whole thing. Consider someone that can read between Melville's lines, but can't factor a trinomial to save their life. Smart, or stupid? 3. Lazy vs. hardworking is, in the cultures I'm familiar with, an issue relating to character, not ability.
I think I could. Lots of people outside of nominally English-speaking countries speak English, and I imagine that people in Hungary aren't less kind than other places I've been, so I think I'd get along just fine.
My perception of what the reviewer wanted was a book on How to Troubleshoot.
Maybe he didn't mean it this way, but it seemed that what he wanted the book to do was teach him basic critical thinking and troubleshooting skills. If anyone knows of such a book, please let me know.
(P.S. I already have pre-algebra through graduate math texts, they don't count.)
We use federal money more and more for local stuff, and it erodes our right to local control. From the article:
The feds say they have jurisdiction over the case because the police car is partly U.S. government property since the S.F.P.D. receives federal anti-terrorism money.
This implies (to me) that ANYTHING the SFPD does can equally come under federal jurisdiction.
Well, not to answer your question, but I'd like to point out that Pluto at least is not in the same plane as the rest of the planets. (I think) many comets have orbits that also don't lie in the plane.
...and ever since we rejected science for religion...
Since I am interested in science and religion, I'd like to see the numbers you used to support this hypothesis of yours that the United States is more religious now than in the 1960s.
My tendency is to believe that ethics can't be effectively taught in school anyway. If a personal already has integrity they can be taught a set of standards for a particular profession, but that's different than teaching ethics itself.
Great! -Change the temperature of Lake Ontario. -Inadvertently weaken a few species that like cold water. -Accidentally give a little advantage to a few (non-native?) species that prefer the water a little warmer. -The ecosystem of the lake is destroyed. -But maybe the swimming will get better.
I don't mind at all. Especially since I'd get paid pretty well for it. Unfoutunately: 1- My backyard isn't big enough for nuclear waste disposal/storage. 2- Some laes restrict what I can do with my back yard.
My comptuer can do 30-year weather predictions just fine. You have to understand, though, that weather prediction is different than climate prediction. You should also realize that my computer is a little slower than the Earth Simulator.
So, contingent on funding, I'll need a little time. I think I can have one ready in about 35 years.
Slashdot Mirror
Link, please?
Farnsworth came up with the idea, and wanted to implement it, but needed time (therefore money to support himself and his family) to figure it out, and money for equipment to build and experiment, and money to pay people that he needed to help him. In order to get that money he needed investors, who wouldn't have invested without a patent system to give some hope of return on their investment.
No one else would have done it, probably for at least a generation. He discovered several fundamental principles/devices/technologies required for elecronic television. Microwave ovens are based on his fundamental inventions, and still took decades to make workable. There is no indication that anyone else at the time had any real idea of what was needed to produce electronic television.
There were also issues with his television where the technology (technically) existed to make certain parts, but people still thought it was impossible. To be fair, for the part I'm thinking of, it wasn't Farnsworth that built it. An assistant built it when Farnsworth showed that such a part was required, even after "experts" in the field told the assistant that it couldn't be done.
What caused Farnsworth the most trouble was alcohol and a patent troll (RCA).
I would classify sound recording and television among the most incredible, revolutionary, Earth-changing inventions, and they were definitely very patent-involved inventions.
I know a little about the invention of television, and it is doubtful that Farnsworth could have afforded to invent it without patents. (To me it seems sure that he wouldn't have had any serious competition without patents.)
Probably the poster of the grandparent lives in some kind of city or town, where there are several thousand (million) people. In such a situation, some kind of toilet (not necessarily flush) is critical to prevent the spread of disease.
Soldiers don't haven't been digging latrines for centuries just to keep busy. It helps the army win wars when fewer of them have a digestive tract infection.
In Chile (Spanish-speaking) there's a similar saying that can translate to "in the house of the blacksmith, knife like a stick"
This explains a lot when you realize that my father is a psychologist.
Considering that I regularly, without gloves, shake hands with people, open doors and use phones and keyboards that are used by others, but have yet to touch a stranger's bare butt, I don't find it at all strange that washing hands is considered more necessary to hygine than washing the rear end.
So, since I'm not even going to see your butt, let alone touch it, as long as I can't smell it, I don't care if you wash it.
I disagree.
I would say they both can be fixed, to some extent but:
1. We tend to decide between smart and stupid or between lazy and hardworking as if the scale were discrete, rather than continuous.
2. We tend to only look at one or two facets of intelligence, and think they're the whole thing. Consider someone that can read between Melville's lines, but can't factor a trinomial to save their life. Smart, or stupid?
3. Lazy vs. hardworking is, in the cultures I'm familiar with, an issue relating to character, not ability.
Ah, but will 5-fingered, or 6-fingered humans ever outnumber the standard 10-fingered humans?
I think I could. Lots of people outside of nominally English-speaking countries speak English, and I imagine that people in Hungary aren't less kind than other places I've been, so I think I'd get along just fine.
My perception of what the reviewer wanted was a book on How to Troubleshoot.
Maybe he didn't mean it this way, but it seemed that what he wanted the book to do was teach him basic critical thinking and troubleshooting skills. If anyone knows of such a book, please let me know.
(P.S. I already have pre-algebra through graduate math texts, they don't count.)
This implies (to me) that ANYTHING the SFPD does can equally come under federal jurisdiction.
[/tinfoilhat]
IFYP
Well, not to answer your question, but I'd like to point out that Pluto at least is not in the same plane as the rest of the planets. (I think) many comets have orbits that also don't lie in the plane.
1. When I lost a job (contract not renewed) I DID get money while I was looking for new work.
2. I would rather have recieved that extra money when I was working.
I don't use Kazaa, but if you'll link to a torrent...
My tendency is to believe that ethics can't be effectively taught in school anyway. If a personal already has integrity they can be taught a set of standards for a particular profession, but that's different than teaching ethics itself.
I guess if I should have used the joke tags. Sorry for the confusion.
Great!
-Change the temperature of Lake Ontario.
-Inadvertently weaken a few species that like cold water.
-Accidentally give a little advantage to a few (non-native?) species that prefer the water a little warmer.
-The ecosystem of the lake is destroyed.
-But maybe the swimming will get better.
Then there's the old jet powered beer cooler.
Oops.
"laes" should be "laws"
I don't mind at all.
Especially since I'd get paid pretty well for it.
Unfoutunately:
1- My backyard isn't big enough for nuclear waste disposal/storage.
2- Some laes restrict what I can do with my back yard.
My comptuer can do 30-year weather predictions just fine.
You have to understand, though, that weather prediction is different than climate prediction.
You should also realize that my computer is a little slower than the Earth Simulator.
So, contingent on funding, I'll need a little time.
I think I can have one ready in about 35 years.
Don't confuse the Earth Simulator with Deep Thought (or the Great Hyperlobic Omnicognate Neutron Wrangler either, for that matter).
Deep Thought helped design the Earth, not simulate it after the fact.