bob@cadovax.UUCP (Bob "Kat" Kaplan) (03/22/85)
First of all, if a machine gets its energy from magnetism or the rotation of the earth, then it's not a perpetual motion machine. No one claimed that it was a perpetual motion machine. So arguments of the sort "It can't work because perpetual motion is impossible" tend to fall flat. I've never seen a demonstration of the machine, and I don't know whether it works or not. What bothers me is the indignant and arrogant attitude of all those who appeal to the "fundamental laws of physics" to ridicule any theory or device which does not fall within the current scientific paradigm. Knee-jerk skeptics who dismiss ideas that don't happen to correspond to their own beliefs would probably have laughed at Copernicus for suggesting that the earth was not the center of the universe, or Columbus for suggesting that the earth wasn't flat. -- Bob Kaplan "Where is it written that we must destroy ourselves?"
ndiamond@watdaisy.UUCP (Norman Diamond) (03/25/85)
> Knee-jerk skeptics who dismiss ideas that don't happen to correspond to > their own beliefs would probably have laughed at ... Columbus for suggesting > that the earth wasn't flat. Speaking of myths being passed around of truth.... -- Norman Diamond UUCP: {decvax|utzoo|ihnp4|allegra}!watmath!watdaisy!ndiamond CSNET: ndiamond%watdaisy@waterloo.csnet ARPA: ndiamond%watdaisy%waterloo.csnet@csnet-relay.arpa "Opinions are those of the keyboard, and do not reflect on me or higher-ups."
ndiamond@watdaisy.UUCP (Norman Diamond) (03/25/85)
> Knee-jerk skeptics who dismiss ideas that don't happen to correspond to > their own beliefs would probably have laughed at ... Columbus for suggesting > that the earth wasn't flat. Speaking about myths being passed around as truth .... -- Norman Diamond UUCP: {decvax|utzoo|ihnp4|allegra}!watmath!watdaisy!ndiamond CSNET: ndiamond%watdaisy@waterloo.csnet ARPA: ndiamond%watdaisy%waterloo.csnet@csnet-relay.arpa "Opinions are those of the keyboard, and do not reflect on me or higher-ups."
rick@uwmacc.UUCP (the absurdist) (03/26/85)
>Knee-jerk skeptics who dismiss ideas that don't happen to correspond to >their own beliefs would probably have laughed at Copernicus for suggesting >that the earth was not the center of the universe, or Columbus for suggesting >that the earth wasn't flat. A: "They LAUGHED at the Wright brothers, and said they were crazy!" B: "Yeah." A: "They LAUGHED at Columbus, and said he was crazy!" B: "Yeah." A: "They LAUGHED at the William Feghoot, and said he was crazy!" B: "Yeah. Wait a minute, who was William Feghoot?" A: "He was my uncle. He was crazy." -- "I'm the only President you've got" -- Lyndon Johnson Rick Keir -- MicroComputer Information Center, MACC 1210 West Dayton St/U Wisconsin Madison/Mad WI 53706 {allegra, ihnp4, seismo}!uwvax!uwmacc!rick
ethan@utastro.UUCP (Ethan Vishniac) (03/27/85)
> > Knee-jerk skeptics who dismiss ideas that don't happen to correspond to > > their own beliefs would probably have laughed at ... Columbus for suggesting > > that the earth wasn't flat. > > Speaking about myths being passed around as truth .... > > Norman Diamond As Norman implies, the above is inaccurate. *Educated* people in Columbus's time (there weren't that many) knew that the Earth was a sphere. Eratosthenes showed that almost 2000 years before. In fact, Queen Isabella's advisors had a pretty good idea of how large the Earth was. As a result, they were sure Columbus would die of thirst and starvation before reaching Asia. If America had not popped up in his path that's just what would have happened. Sometimes it can be more important to try something crazy than to know why it's crazy. "Don't argue with a fool. Ethan Vishniac Borrow his money." {charm,ut-sally,ut-ngp,noao}!utastro!ethan *Anyone who wants to claim these opinions is welcome to them.*
jlg@lanl.ARPA (03/30/85)
> Knee-jerk skeptics who dismiss ideas that don't happen to correspond to > their own beliefs would probably have laughed at Copernicus for suggesting > that the earth was not the center of the universe, or Columbus for suggesting > that the earth wasn't flat. All educated people in the days of Columbus knew that the Earth was spherical. So did most sailors. The accepted cosmology of the time was Ptolemy's. The claim that Columbus made was that the circumference of the earth was 15,000 mi. rather than the generally accepted 25,000 mi.. Unfortunately for Columbus, he was wrong. Fortunately for Columbus, there was a whole contenent in the way that he didn't know of. The reason that Columbus's crew was on the verge of mutiny was that they had passed the point of no return (not enough provisions to return to Europe) before they had sighted land and their compass was no longer pointing precisely north. J. Giles