Franklin's Glass Armonica 189
CoffeePlease writes "At the time of his death in 1790, when more than 5,000 of his glass armonicas had been built, Ben Franklin had collected no money from his glass armonica. He refused to patent any of his inventions, saying: 'As we enjoy great Advantages from the Inventions of others we should be glad of an Opportunity to serve others by any Invention of ours, and this we should do freely and generously.' Read more here and here. A historical/sci-fi novel by Louise Marley has come out on the subject also. It would be interesting to find out if any other early inventors shared Franklin's generous views on patents." There's even a FAQ.
Idealistic (Score:1)
1. Invent great product
2. ????
3. Make $$$$
Re:Idealistic (Score:1)
2. ????
3. Make $$$$
In this case its clear what ???? should be
???? == Patent productRe:Idealistic (Score:1)
However the steps that go into #2 are more like, patent it, market it, have sucess selling it. then onto #3, however in today's market (assuming this really does cause nerve damage) there would also be a #4 - hire many lawyers to defend you in the 5000 lawsuits against you.
Re:Idealistic (Score:2)
Which simply means you are a capitalist and that you are not benevolent!
Of course, refusing to patent something does not mean that you can't be capitalistic about it. You can still make money off it by manufacturing it and selling it. But without a patent, you don't have exclusive rights, so unless yours is much better than the "socialists" who are making them and giving them away for free, then you are not going to make money.
Re:Idealistic (Score:4, Insightful)
But, contrary to belief, not everything I do is for profit, or if so, very indirectly.
You see, I place value of the general welfare of my fellow person. I contribute to charties, and donate things I no longer need that are in good repair, so that they can either be given to the poor, or sold, and the proceeds used to help them. I've gone so far as to donate running cars.
Yes, either I benefit, or my descendents will benefit, in some small way, from these acts, so a Randian might consider them quite rational. But, and this is the important thing, the general welfare of "clan Hollan" was not in my mind when I undertook these acts.
While it is all fine and good to be able to participate in a free market, we are not without compassion for those less fortunate than ourselves, whatever the reason. I, for example, had the good fortune to study a field (Computer Science) that has blossemed to fill an as unquenched thirst for skill in the market place. However, to argue that this was a calculated optimal decision on my part, as opposed to a calculated risk would be arrogance. In fact, I chose it becase I liked it and was good at it.
So, I can certainly empathize with those who's fortunes have not been as good as mine, though I do not feel a particular obligation to help the less fortunate.
Nevertheless, parting with that for which one feels no desire to exploit, so that the lives of others can be, in some small way, enriched, is no great misery, and in the minds of the recipients, might translate into the most wonderful gift of all.
I couldn't agree more on .NET (Score:1, Funny)
Sure I will let you all know what .NET is. I have researched this topic since its inception in 2000 and am more than happy to spread the great story of .NET to all who ask.
Re:I couldn't agree more on .NET (Score:1)
I do not know if I should mod you as a troll or give you a +funny.
Libertarians I know ... (Score:1)
Re:Idealistic (Score:2)
Not in the direct sense, of course, but the issue is that Franklin did not exploit it via a patent, excluding others from making them. Taken in that light, Franklin was generous to "allow" others to benefit from his ideas, without having to pay tribute.
Of course, if you reject the legitimacy of state-enforced patent protection, then Franklin had no right to restrict production by others in the first place. Still, refusing to exploit a law for one's exclusive benefit, so that others might share in the wealth of one's ideas strikes me as generous, nevertheless.
The connection with charity is weak, but the common point is that not everything people with a capitalist mindset do is necessarily for their own benefit.
However, even though I have disagreed with you on some points, I must commend you on your charitable nature, you are truely a giving person and the world can always use more of that. Kudos to you my freind.
Gee, shucks. I am by no means a phlanthropist, and I do enjoy various luxeries in life (I live in a nice house, have decent A/V equipment, and like to eat and drink well), that many might find decadent. But, damn, I work hard to earn the money to pay for it all, and the funds I spend continue to make the wheels of the economy turn. I support charities to the extent that it doesn't cramp my lifestyle, and try to not indulge my vices too excessively. In other words, I am hardly a saint, looking out for the poor. I think I'm pretty much like most decent people, selfish in my desire of creature comforts, but not cruel to the point of depriving the unfortunate of things I no longer need or want, but that they might find useful.
One of the best ways to help others, I've found, is donation of outgrown children's clothes, toys, and furniture to organizations that can put them to good use.
Re:Idealistic (Score:2)
The point I saw was that capitalists exploit social conventions to permit the leverage of their capital. Taking advantage of a patent system is one way of doing this, but, would not be something a libertarian would do -- not all capitalists are libertarians.
However, capitalists, whether libertarian or not, do not do everything with the thought of personal benefit in mind.
The Slave Economic System is to blame (Score:3, Troll)
Intellectual property laws exist only because we have a slavery system. Our livelihood depends on working for others so we can pay our taxes. The reason that we have to work for others is that 99% of people have been deprived of an inheritance in the wealth of the land. Income property is owned by a few and the state. The others are slaves. Artists, programmers and inventors depend on their work to make a living. Can we blame them? We all depend on our labor because we are all slaves. So now we are swimming in a ocean of laws and rules that take away our remaining liberties, one by one.
Let's face it, if you cannot put a fence around it or put chains on it, it does not belong to you. Makes no difference whether it is ideas, writings, software, music or what have you. Once you've released it, like the air, it belongs to nobody and everybody.
Intellectual property owners (such as Microsoft, Adobe, the music industry, and yes, even that Segway inventor Karmen) will fight freedom with everything they've got. They have to because it's the system. Right now they have two formidable weapons: IP laws and powerful police states to enforce them. But those who yearn to be free also have a formidable weapon, the internet.
The internet and other communication technologies (e.g., file sharing systems) are the first major kinks in the armor of a sick system. As technology progresses, the system will eventually collapse. What will happen to a slave-based economy when robots and advanced artificial intelligences replace everybody, i. e., when human labor, knowledge and expertise become worthless?
And don't think for a minute this won't happen in your lifetime. The internet is the latest giant leap in human communication. Before that came mass telecommunication technologies and before that was the movable press. If history is any indication, we can expect a giant leap in technological progress and scientific knowledge. In fact, it is happening before our very eyes.
We should all demand a system where everybody is guaranteed income property, a piece of the pie, an estate if you will. There is plenty for everybody.
Communism confiscates all property and enslaves everybody. Capitalism gives property to a few and enslaves the rest. It's sad. The land should not be divided for a price. It should be an inheritance for us and our children and their children. It's the only way to guarantee freedom and a truly free market in a world where human labor is about to go the way of the dinosaurs.
If you don't own income property. You are a slave. If you have to work for someone else for a living, you are a slave. And don't think that just because you can quit and go to work for someone else, that this makes you free. It does not matter where you go or who you work for. Wherever you go, you are a slave. They know the fear of hunger will keep you working.
Demand liberty! Nothing less.
Patents, etc.... (Score:1)
Re:Patents, etc.... (Score:1)
Something they didn't mention.... (Score:5, Interesting)
Man, gotta love those 8th grade reports I did 8 years ago.
Re:Something they didn't mention.... (Score:1)
"Franklin himself ignored all of the controversy and continued to play the instrument until the end of his life with none of the symptoms mentioned. But the armonica's popularity never really returned to what it had been when it was first introduced."
Do you have any other links backing up your claim perchance?
Re:Something they didn't mention.... (Score:4, Interesting)
Re: (Score:1)
Re:Something they didn't mention.... (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Something they didn't mention.... (Score:2)
now, to be certain, lead poisoning did lead to a lot of musician's untimely demise. the notes on the instrument were painted with lead paint.
and it's possible -- just slightly possible -- the instruments were capable of creating tones which evoked seizures in some people. bear in mind, humans werent numb to bright lights or sonicly impressive tones. and, more importantly, since each instrument was made by hand, there were sure to be anomolies, unusualities, and peculiarities. so it's not impossible to imaginge a scenario in which, mid performance, some audience member suddenly went into a bit of a seizure.
all that is required then is a little sensationalist media -- which has been around an awful long time -- and voila! it's a demonic tool!
Re:Something they didn't mention.... (Score:2)
Many attribute the basic ideas of the polyphonic synthesizer to the Armonica. Listen [glassarmonica.com] to it.
Re:Something they didn't mention.... (Score:2)
tragic, really.
Of course... (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:Of course... (Score:2)
Back then, though, he didn't run the risk of having his invention totally bastardized by a single entity. I'm not sure he'd take the same stance today. If anything, he'd patent his inventions just to keep corps from getting too large.
Of course, this is all speculation. Iventions were a very different animal then. It was hard to invent something that could be distributed around the country.
Re:Of course... (Score:2)
Re:Of course... (Score:3, Funny)
That's because Bill Gates wasn't born yet.
Re:Of course... (Score:2)
Yes, but should we, as a society, let him?
Re:Of course... (Score:2)
Yes, but should we, as a society, let him?
Do you want to see Coparate R&D budgets slashed or eliminated?
Do you realize that these R&D programs have produced most of the inventions of the past century?
Re:Of course... (Score:2)
Re:Of course... (Score:2)
Who is going to discover it?
Who is going to sink millions into R&D without any hope of recovering the costs?
If If was the CEO of a corparation, the day they banned patents is the day my entire R&D staff would be fired. Why would I sink money into developing new inventions when I can simply copy the invention some fool paid to develop? Of course the other CEOs will do the same thing, so I won't have to worry about them developing new ideas. I won't have to worry about the hoards of Sciencists dumped on the streets becoming private inventors because they will lack the million dollar budgets, and be too busy earning a living to devote thier full time to research.
I am so glad.. (Score:5, Funny)
Re:I am so glad.. (Score:1)
Re:I am so glad.. (Score:1)
Re:I am so glad.. (Score:1, Offtopic)
He patented the "Flush Capacitor". It allowed one to go back in time by flushing their toilet. You had to use prune juice to regulate how far back you went, though. It did not sell well because traveling with the runs was not very pleasent. Besides, it was kind of embarassing to land in the middle of King Author's court on the john.
At least that is what my dog told me when we got drunk together. He otherwise does not reveal much.
Re:I am so glad.. (Score:2)
Wouldn't that big tank that holds the water for the toilet be the 'flush capacitor'?
More practical inventions (Score:5, Interesting)
Franklin also invented a more efficient fireplace, which he also built and sold. He was offered a patent on this by the Governor of Pennsylvania but refused.
That as we enjoy great advantages from the inventions of others, we should be glad of an opportunity to serve others by any invention of ours, and this we should do freely and generously.
-BF
He thought the idea of intellectual property to be a bit kooky.
If you're curious, read more about Franklin in the excellent biography The First American [barnesandnoble.com]
Re:More practical inventions (Score:3, Insightful)
This pamphlet had a good effect. Gov'r. Thomas was so pleas'd with the construction of this stove, as described in it, that he offered to give me a patent for the sole vending of them for a term of years; but I declin'd it from a principle which has ever weighed with me on such occasions, viz., That, as we enjoy great advantages from the inventions of others, we should be glad of an opportunity to serve others by any invention of ours; and this we should do freely and generously.
Re:More practical inventions (Score:2, Insightful)
And yes, the other jobs supported him well enough that he didn't need to make money from his inventions.
I read the book, and it was enough for me to take Franklin on as one of my personal heroes.
Re:More practical inventions (Score:2)
cool. look into jefferson as well. Author of our Declaration of Independence, he also did a vast number of great things fFor information and thought. he built clocks and buildings, and even created a new version of the Bible.
my dad is a bit of a racist (which annoys me no end), but he refers to martin luther king day as fFranklin/Jefferson day.
(hmm, hope i'm not offtopic here. my point is: Jefferson held many of the same beliefs as fFranklin)
Re:More practical inventions (Score:2)
Man, it's a good thing he's not alive! The RIAA and MPAA would have him arrested as an Evil Content Pirate(tm)!!!!!
Re:More practical inventions (Score:2)
Re:More practical inventions (Score:2)
They Caused Serious Problems (Score:2)
Armonica looks like it would sound like (Score:1)
The sound was wonderful, though I guess you'd have to call it a 'niche product'.
I'd also heard the armonica called a 'glass harp'. There used to be a Cleveland-area band called Glass Harp, with lead guitarist Phil Kaeggy. (sp?)
Re:Armonica looks like it would sound like (Score:1)
Phil Keaggy is perhaps one of the most admired guitarists in music today. His fans range from those who aspire just to be able to play his mistakes, to professional musicians who have been strongly influenced by his style. And in between are those who don't play guitar, yet find solace in his beautifully penned lyrics and memorable melodies.
Phil's solo career has spanned more than 30 years, and has included over 40 albums, both instrumental and vocal. He's one of the most sought after studio guitarists, constantly being asked to play on albums by the famous, and those trying to achieve fame. Phil continues to amaze his fans, selling out concerts all over the United States, with his ever-changing style, ranging from rock-and-roll to fully orchestrated instrumental compositions.
Phil Keaggy was born March 23, 1951 in Youngstown, OH, the ninth of ten children. He grew up in a home filled with music, and on Phil's 10th birthday, his father returned home with a Sears Silvertone guitar. That's when the magic began.
Due to his father's line of work, Phil spent most of his younger days moving back and forth between Ohio and California. During these years, Phil was always involved in music, and joined his very first band, the Keytones, at the young age of 13. He later went on to join such local groups as The Vertices, The Squires, and the Volume Four, who later changed their name to New Hudson Exit.
But it wasn't until 1970, when Phil's band Glass Harp (with childhood friend John Sferra on drums, and Dan Pecchio on bass) recorded their self-titled first album, that people really began to take notice of this incredibly gifted guitar player. Glass Harp gained more popularity in the Ohio area, opening for such bands as the Kinks and Yes, and even performing at the prestigious Carnegie Hall in New York City. Over the next few years, they recorded two more albums entitled "Synergy" and "It Makes Me Glad".
However, during his years with Glass Harp, Phil's life changed immensely. While performing out of town in February 1970, Phil's mother was involved in a fatal car accident. At this time in his life, Phil was into drugs, and primarily concerned with immersing himself in his music. His mother's passing affected Phil deeply, and when his older sister, Ellen, told him how he could find peace in Jesus Christ, Phil followed his heart and began a new life. It was also during his years in Glass Harp that he met a young woman named Bernadette, who would later become his wife.
By 1972, Phil saw his life going in a different direction, and made the tough decision to leave Glass Harp and pursue a solo career. His first solo album, "What A Day", was recorded in just a week's time during January 1973. He and Bernadette married that summer, and the following year, they moved to upstate New York and joined a Church community called Love Inn.
During his years there, Phil took a break from recording his own music, and toured with such groups as Second Chapter of Acts, Paul Clark, and Honeytree. It wasn't until 1976 that Phil would record his second solo album, "Love Broke Thru", which was soon followed by a string of albums, including the acclaimed instrumental album, "Master and the Musician".
Phil and Bernadette later moved to Kansas City, where they welcomed the birth of their first daughter, Alicia, in March of 1980. Phil continued to release several more albums, including the first in a series of home-studio recordings, called "Underground". Their second daughter, Olivia, was born on Valentine's Day, 1984, the same day that Phil's mother passed away back in 1970, and in 1987, they welcomed the birth of their son, Ian.
With the Christian Music industry really beginning to grow, Phil won his very first Dove award in 1988 for his instrumental album, "The Wind and the Wheat. Phil's second Dove Award came in 1992 for his Celtic-influenced, "Beyond Nature". Each year from 1998 to 2001, Phil has dominated the "Instrumental Record" category at the Doves, winning for "Invention", "Acoustic Sketches", "Majesty and Wonder", and most recently "Lights of Madrid". For three years in a row, Phil was voted one of the top fingerstyle guitarists by Guitar Player Magazine readers.
These days, Phil Keaggy continues to delight audiences all over the US performing primarily acoustic shows, and occasional concerts with a band. In between weekends on the road, Phil was incredibly able to record a series of four instrumental albums, entitled "Music to Paint By", a Christmas album called "Majesty and Wonder", the Dove-award winning Spanish-style album "Lights of Madrid", as well as two vocal albums - the 2CD "Inseparable" and album of songs written to the words of his 73 year old Uncle Duke. And all of this was done within about a 4 year time frame.
In October 2000, Phil's old band "Glass Harp" reunited for a concert in Youngtown, Ohio, backed by the Youngstown Symphony Orchestra, which allowed Phil to showcase his phenomenal composition for guitar and strings called "Overture", featured on the award-winning "Lights of Madrid". That concert was recorded and released on a 2-CD set called "Strings Attached".
Phil continues to be a devoted father and husband first, and a musician second. He is aware that God gave him a calling to deliver the Gospel through his music, and for over 30 years, Phil Keaggy has been grateful to do just that, and will hopefully continue to do so for many years to come.
Ben Franklin was a time traveler. (Score:1)
Re:Ben Franklin was a time traveler. (Score:1)
Re: (Score:1)
Re:Ben Franklin was a time traveler. (Score:1)
Tesla had a natural ability to do complex math in his head. He was able to develop things light years ahead of his time. Some of the stuff he worked on people still don't understand...
Re:Ben Franklin was a time traveler. (Score:1)
Re:Ben Franklin was a time traveler. (Score:1)
huh? (Score:2)
I pride myself in being rather well versed in classical music, but have never once heard of this instrument. If gods like Mozart or Beethoven composed for this instrument, where are these compisitions now? Have they, blasphemously, been transcribed for other instruments, or are the compositions today as forgotten as the glass armonicas themselves?
Weird story, and it gets worse:
Over the years, some disturbing events began to be associated with the glass armonica. Some armonica players became ill and had to stop playing the instrument. They complained of muscle spasms, nervousness, cramps, and dizziness. A few listeners were also subject to ill effects; after an incident in Germany where a child died during a performance, the armonica was actually banned in a few towns.
Could it that I've never heard one of these instruments played because performers insist on falling ill or dying while trying to record them? Maybe this was also why Ben would not patent his instrument - anyone who played it without knowing the secret method of avoiding the wrath of the evil spirits of the glass got into trouble soon enough anyway? (The secret method of course being available after a small submission fee.)
Ah, theories.
Re:huh? (Score:2)
My guess is that with the limited range of notes and the difficulty in playing any chords, music would have been pretty much anything writting for a wind instrument like a flute or bagpipe. Sure you could play some complicated music, but you usually don't go to hear a single bagpipe, you go to listen to all the pipes and drums. You hear the flute, but only as solos within a larger composition.
So I'd guess that if Mozart wrote anything, it would have been an armonica solo within a larger piece. Today it's probably been replaced by a flute or oboe.
Re:huh? (Score:2)
Mozart composed for glass harmonica (Score:4, Informative)
I don't remember any Beethoven compositions for glass harmonica but am not at all sure there weren't any. Glass Harmonica was very popular for a while. More recently composers including possibly Stravinsky and Hindemith (from vague memory, don't hold me to that) have composed for it as well.
Here y'are ... (Score:2)
If you ask google about "glass harmonica player" you'll get info on a lot of them.
You might also note that the Finkenbeiner page claims that their instruments contain no lead. However, this may not be the explanation for the apparent insanity of a lot of the early players. The few people I've know who play glass harmonica have all replied to this idea with the claim that you have to be crazy to take up the instrument in the first place.
It does have a rather marvelous "new age" sound. But probably the reason it never really caught on is that it has no attack at all, and can't really be played rapidly. It's ideal for slow, dreamy music; it's not so good for fast, bouncy music.
The modern instruments are better in this regard than Franklin's originals. You can get them with an electric motor with speed control, dampers, etc. This expands their sound quite a bit. But they are still a stubtle, ethereal instrument, with very little attack.
Re:huh? (Score:2)
fFirstly, it couldnt be tuned. it was (is) simply several glass or crystal bowls, set in such a way as to be played with little preperation. this made them very handy fFor parlour amusements, and gatherings of fFriends and so on. but it could neither be tuned, nor altered. a "C" is always a "C". so your musical selection is limited. you could probably buy one with several octaves with sharps and fFlats, but that gets difficult and expensive.
which brings us to the nest reason you dont know much about them. the cost, and fFragility. all glass with some wood fFraming to hold it together, making it very difficult to transport.
so, you've got something with a limited range, and it is fFragile, and really expensive. which means you arent likely to see them touring the countryside in some orchestra. which basically rends them out of the public eye.
and all that about illness and spirits and such is of course hogwash.
Re:huh? (Score:2)
It can't be what it looks like... (Score:2, Interesting)
Actually, I found it fascinating that people can and will find any means to musically express themselves. Enya has transformed her vocal cords into an instrument, Blue Man Group has turned PVC pipe into tunes, and Franklin used a combination of science and artistry to transform glass into music.
What next? "Tubular Waterfalls?"
Re:It can't be what it looks like... (Score:2)
Toilet Tunes (Score:1)
Re:It can't be what it looks like... (Score:2)
Using the "virtual armonica" on the website ... (Score:2)
I expect the MPAA and RIAA would be pissed about that fact.
Re:Using the "virtual armonica" on the website ... (Score:2)
Spinning Glass Spheres (Score:5, Interesting)
Re:Spinning Glass Spheres (Score:1)
Glass Armonica mp3 (Score:3, Interesting)
Modern glass armonica music (Score:2)
Easier said than done (Score:1)
While very generous, it was much easier for Franklin to not patent his inventions than it would be for most people. By the time he started doing serious scientific work around age 40, he had already retired with a vast fortune.
Don't get me wrong, his decision was extremely admirable. Many lesser men would've been greedy and tried to profit even though they were already wealthy. But it's hard for a working joe* to pass up the potential to make money off his inventions.
* Yes most patent holders by far are greedy evil corporations. I'm restricting my discussion to individual inventors.
Re:Easier said than done (Score:1)
Re:Easier said than done (Score:1)
In other words, he was about as well off as a successful small businessman today, not a Rockefeller by any means.
Delicious irony! (Score:1)
Babbage also did not patent (Score:2, Informative)
Communism? No, this is the 'meaning of life' (Score:2)
Instead of being happy little campers like Franklin who do things to help others, we rush after money and desperately try to hoard our own little pile of it. Why?
Because no matter what you've got, someone else will always try to take a piece of it. Whether it's the government with their taxes, or even 'competitors' who want to steal all of your business or your inventions.. someone wants to steal from you.
That's why we have patents. Patents go a long way to stopping others from stealing what took you so long to create.
Sure, patents aren't all that great, but for a capitalist nation to work without them, we'd need to become 100% Libertarian and idealistic, and that isn't going to happen. As soon as it does, some rotten apple will steal to increase his slice of the pie, and so it goes again.
So, that's how we life. We don't all just get our acre of land, stay self sufficient, and enjoy our days out in the sun.. Instead we slave away in offices, coming up with ideas, and trying to make a million dollars, so that we get a bigger share of the pie. It's not a great system, but what viable alternatives are there? Communism? Yeah, right.
Re:Communism? No, this is the 'meaning of life' (Score:3, Insightful)
There are many intelligent people out there who are not motivated purely by greed. You might want to look "Richard Stallman" up on the internet. Do you think the greed of others has kept his inventions from having a profound effect on the world? Sure, he may not be rich, but I think he is getting just about everything he wants from life.
You're assuming the inventor always gets the fame (Score:2)
Untrue. Just because someone doesn't have a patent doesn't mean they have put the idea in the public domain.
Someone else could have taken Ben's invention and really had a hit with it, and then THEY would have been remembered as the inventor.. even though they weren't!
Ben, and Richard Stallman, have relied on the fame of being the originators of what they have produced. They might not have got rich from their inventions (Stallman still being alive, and with a chance, of course) but they still got the credit.
If everyone gave their ideas away for free these days, they'd be stolen and exploited, and the inventors' names would quickly be forgotten.
You cannot possibly prove your point (Score:2)
I think Benjamin Franklin just had an inventive mind, and the excitement was in the creation, rather than the profit, or even the credit, although these are both possibly bonuses. And of course, now we're just talking about my opinions, which almost has to be the case, barring any psychological studies that I would have to look up and cite just to make any conclusive points.
Re:You cannot possibly prove your point (Score:2)
Who invented the telephone?
A) Alexander Graham Bell, or
B) Elisha Gray
And then it crossed it all out, and put C) Both!
Yet, hardly anyone has heard of Elisha Gray, yet Elisha actually invented the telephone before Bell. The problem? He submitted his patent two hours after Bell. And even though Bell's patent was actually flawed and incorrect, Bell still got the title of 'who invented the telephone'.
More information here [oberlin.edu].
Of course, it depends on how much you value fame. But, really, what is life about? Surely it'd be nice to have a legacy.
I agree with your opinion on Franklin, however. I just chose him as an example.
Re:You cannot possibly prove your point (Score:2)
What can I say? I'm just simply not as good as the unnamed inventor (that I theorize to exist) who didn't care to be credited at all. (C'mon, I just imagine that there's got to be someone somewhere like that, for some kind of invention, no matter how small!)
Water in china (Score:2)
It may not be patented, but it has copyright. (Score:2, Interesting)
Not the Only One (Score:1)
Re:Not the Only One (Score:3, Funny)
had to pose separately for each dollar bill
That was nothing! The reason he wore wooden teeth was because his real ones got knocked out when they stamped his head to make all the quarters!
Ah very beautiful... (Score:2)
It's a Glass Harmonica and they used to use lead . (Score:1)
http://www.finkenbeiner.com/gh.html
Been used in rock, too... (Score:1)
Haven't heard it, though the AMG [allmusic.com] calls it "a science fiction concept album about a commune/rock band eventually fleeing into outer space to escape right-wing oppression."
Ben Franklin Father of the GPL (Score:5, Insightful)
They should make this the first line of The General Public License.
BSD (Score:4, Interesting)
Is it just me, or does the quote sound more like a BSD license model? There is clearly no mention of requiring others to give derivative work away for free.
Of course, ethical considerations suggest that they do that, but these do not need to be codified in the license. In that way, Franklin's appears to be more in the BSD direction.
For there are some things.... (Score:1)
Early Inventors (Score:4, Insightful)
Inventors contemporary to Franklin may have had similar feelings about patents for a variety of reasons. First, the patent process that they knew of in England may have been unfair and/or corrupt (sound familiar?). From what I've heard, English IP laws of that era bore little resemblance to the IP law envisioned by the founders. They were more about aristocratic control. Many argue that our IP laws have been corrupted in a similar fashion; just substitute "aristocrats" with "corporations".
Secondly, it was easier to dismiss the value of IP in Franklin's time because mass production and interchangeable parts were not generally available. Post-revolution, Eli Whitney and others developed the mass production techniques. As the industrial revolution progressed, the quantity and quality of labor required to make physical copies of a device shrank dramaticly in proportion to the labor required to invent a device.
Thus, it seemed a folly to Franklin to patent his stove when the idea took 1 man-week to sketch, and perhaps 2 man-weeks *per unit* to produce.
On the other hand, Edison's lightbulb and the ribbon machines used to manufacture them took years to develop. Once this was done, each lightbulb took only a fraction of a second to produce. Therefore, it now makes perfect sense that the knowledge of how to make the bulbs is far more valuable than even a truckload of the bulbs themselves.
Wow... (Score:1)
So that means ClearChannel every-station-everywhere-sounds-alike(tm) Radio *wasn't* the first to overplay something to death!
But they're making up for it in sheer numbers.
How many people are fu**ing dead tired of hearing the spiderman movie theme song? "They say that a hero can save us..." GOD that thing is a dead horse.
Hmm.. History really is interesting sometimes.
Bruce Sterling story (Score:2, Informative)
Here's the passage:
Boston played a glass harmonica: an instrument invented by the early American genius Benjamin Franklin. The harmonica was made of carefully tuned glass disks, rotating on a spindle, and played by streaking a wet fingertip across each moving edge.
It was the sound of pure crystal, seemingly sourceless, of tooth-aching purity.
The famous Western musician, Wolfgang Mozart, had composed for the Franklin harmonica in the days of its novelty. But legend said that its players went mad, their nerves shredded by its clarity of sound. It was a legend Boston was careful to exploit. He played the machine sparingly, with the air of a magician, of a Solomon unbottling demons. I was glad of his spare use, for its sound was so beautiful that it stung the brain.
Patents and Free Markets (Score:1)
he recognized that patents are inconsistent with a FREE market Economy
NOTE:
he does not say he does not want to receive in return for example: chairs that he makes
he wisely knowing
for freely have you received freely give (of the genius of the creator)
the onus is on you
and FREELY give, for if you give in the hope of receiving , it is not truly FREELY GIVEN
capital and ism is just a term and IDEAolgy to take the focus off of the slight of hand to the unaware
an attempt to get something for nothing
after all is said and done
I want to gain
capitalist education (brain washing for the masses) 101
Michael doesn't tell the whole story (Score:2)
Michael and other Libertarians can claim that because Franklin said it, it must somehow be true of the way this government "ought to work," but unfortunately there are no provisions in The Constitution or general law that make patents illegal. Therefore, people who claim this are necessarily taking a revisionist read of history (and a poor one at that).
One can ignore the facts all one wants, but patents are as real to America as apple pie and baseball.
I saw one of these (Score:2)
Where are the Mp3's (Score:3, Interesting)
Even the names of Mozarts works written with the armonica in mind would be helpful.
Franklin and John Galt (Score:2)
Read Atlas Shrugged [aynrandbookstore2.com], and vote Libertarian [lp.org]. You'll be glad you did.
Working armonica played daily in Philadelphia (Score:3, Interesting)
Amorica type music still played (Score:2, Interesting)
Harry had about twenty glasses of various sizes, partially filled with water, sitting on a card table, along with copies of his new CD. I spent quite a bit of time talking to him - there are apparently about a dozen players worldwide that are active at the moment and he is the only one recording.
Sorry no web site that I can mention, but I did purchase his disk - shall I contact him and see if he wouldn't mind my putting up an MP3 of his stuff?
The inventor of the bicycle (Score:2)
The inventor of the bicycle (a blacksmith who made one with iron wheels) refused to patent it, and seemed to have been pleased that other people copied (and later improved on) his design.
There was a story about him a month or so ago in The Georgia Straight [straight.com] a month, or so ago, but I don't have the time to hunt it down (got a class to get off to).
EBay (Score:2)
What do these things cost?