When Flying Saucers Attack!

[sdreid]

Hi Jeff,

Yes, there is a thread here about that recording. As I understand it, the machine was just designed to show that sound vibrated in ways that could be shown by the varying ways it marked the paper. It was not a phonograph or anything like it because it wasn't designed to play the sound back. Modern scientists just got the idea that they could reproduce the sound from the patterns that were left and did so by digitizing the marks and converting them back to what they would have sounded like. Very interesting and we'll take whatever we can get since we have nothing better. I wonder if Edison might have gotten his idea from this guy and took it to the final step that the other man didn't think of. Edison's machine had a practical use where the other was just an investigative tool. We have to start somewhere though and Scott did back around 1860.

[Mike Covell]

Mike,

I just downloaded your link - it took about 20 minutes!
All I could hear were some very American accents going like "Hi!" and "Oh yeah!"

What's this all about?

Graham

Morning Graham,

The link to the ripper podcast??

That is just the link to the homepage of the show, from there are directions on how to download the show from several sources.

[Mike Covell]

I remember seeing footage and photo's of Ogopogo on the late Arthur C Clarke's Mysterious World.

There was some colour footage showing the beast frolicking in the water just beyond the tree line which gave a great point of reference.

[sdreid]

Hi all,

I believe Unsolved Mysteries covered Ogopogo as well.

[Mike Covell]

Was you aware the Late Melvin Harris worked on Arthur C Clarkes World of Strange Powers??

I only mention because in the last couple of days I finally took delivery of "The Bloody Truth" and "Ripper File"

Ace Brian Cox has posted an excellent video on YOUTUBE, which was shot by one of the guys from UFO Hunters many moons ago.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QHqPPo8PeRg

[Mayerling]

Hi Jeff,

Yes, there is a thread here about that recording. As I understand it, the machine was just designed to show that sound vibrated in ways that could be shown by the varying ways it marked the paper. It was not a phonograph or anything like it because it wasn't designed to play the sound back. Modern scientists just got the idea that they could reproduce the sound from the patterns that were left and did so by digitizing the marks and converting them back to what they would have sounded like. Very interesting and we'll take whatever we can get since we have nothing better. I wonder if Edison might have gotten his idea from this guy and took it to the final step that the other man didn't think of. Edison's machine had a practical use where the other was just an investigative tool. We have to start somewhere though and Scott did back around 1860.

Hi Stan,

From what I understand, Edison did not know all that much about Scott's device. Even if he had, it did not play back the voices - it just demonstrated what the voices "looked like". Hardly a notable advancement on what Edison wanted to be a commercially viable product.

Best wishes,

Jeff

[plang]

Despite the heresay, Thomas Edison was, and still is, a genius. One in six billion today. (where's dougie?)

[Mike Covell]

New TV show on tonight about the London Hospital at the turn of the century,

Casualty 1907 or something!!

Looks alright, and I will be tuned in after the rippercast

[Mayerling]

Tom v. Nikola

Despite the heresay, Thomas Edison was, and still is, a genius. One in six billion today. (where's dougie?)

I do admire the thoroughness and willingness to experiment that Edison gave his projects, and his factory system of technician to assist him (another first most people don't think of). However, he often took credit for more work by those technical assistants than he should have.

My favorite for an inventor - genius is Nikola Tesla, Edison's one time employee and then the man behind Westinghouse. Tesla created the A. C. system of circuits. He also worked in radio, aviation, weoponry. They are still trying to catch up with many of his concepts.

Best wishes,

Jeff

[sdreid]

Hi all,

I believe that Edison might have taken credit for some of Dickson's work as well when it comes to motion pictures.

As for dougie, I'm afraid he might have gotten the boot. He is over on JTRForums though.

[Magpie]

Edison was a thug....

Tesla was the read deal!

[Doctor X]

Indeed!

And Edison tried to make people live in cement houses . . . with cement furniture!

Tesla 4 t3h w1n!!1!!

--J.D.

[Mike Covell]

As I was broadcasting on the ripper podcast last night, my wife switched on sky only for it to blow up!!!

I am now without my 900 channels until tuesday afternoon, and worse still the wife and kids are at her mums now untiol tuesday night!!!

Its going to be dvd after dvd, and i might give the whole Planet of the Apes set an airing!!!

It's lovely and sunny here and I was going to take a walk to the site were Willows House once stood to take some more pictures of the area.

Depends how I am feeling later.

I love Tesla and his work, and would love to have sat down and had a one on one with him about his wonderful ideas.

Anyone have any views on his alleged "Death Ray"??

[Doctor X]

He would refuse to shake your hand. Make sure your wife does not wear pearl earrings.

Interesting thing of history: most people will respond to the question, "Who invented the radio?" with "Marconi." It really was Tesla, and the US Supreme Court agreed in 1943.

--J.D.

[Vila]

Tesla's death ray... From my reading I can think of two possibilities. The least likely is that it was some sort of particle beam - an "electron gun" if you will. (NOT a laser, more like the inside of the picture tube of a CRT-type of TV.) This is the least likely because of the difficulty of keeping a stream of electrons tightly focused for any great distance beyond the weapon's aperture (by this I mean the business end, the opening -or the electrode- where the beam comes out of the weapon.) Once the beam of electrons leave the electromagnetic fields used to focus them, they'd spread out - or snake around like a lightning bolt.

The most likely of the two possibilities I've come up with is that the death ray was akin to microwaves. Tesla would have been using his version of radar to locate the target, then step up the power and change the frequency to create a microwave "searchlight" to fry the target.

Of course, I'm oversimplifying and probably totally off base with these speculations. Is there a Scientist in the house?

Vila