Quote for the Day...

[scott]

When I brought up the site today, this was the "quote of the day" that greeted me:

"A danger sign of the lapse from true skepticism into dogmatism is an inability to respect those who disagree."

I just want to take this opportunity to implore all the users of this board to try to maintain a civil discourse. This forum is supposed to be about open-mindedness, creativity, questioning, and exploration.

Personal attacks are not productive. Please don't waste space on my computer's hard drive with them.

Let's just share ideas and information in a friendly, respectful way. :-)

On the same token, let's also not dilute the information that's available. Please exercise restraint in the number of individual postings in order to promote a healthy dialogue.

Can't we all just get along?

-Scott

P.S. Members only forum and password protected topics coming soon!

[Jonathan]

I agree, and am sorry. (Given the timing I'm assuming this is related to my recent threads and posts.)

[Stewart]

I feel I should apologise as it appears I may have started this recent unrest on the board by criticising Jonathan about his rude posts to Georg. I'm normally a very tolerant person, but the attitude of Jonathan towards Georg in those posts really got to me. Jonathan - I apologise if I offended you, I'm not judging you as a person, that is after all impossible via a discussion board. I just felt angry that you could attack Georg for commenting that your idea was based on his - it does look the same principle after all. I should have kept my mouth shut and will do in future. I just feel that it is common courtesy, particularly from the members who post here, to acknowledge a fellow member's involvement with an idea/solution. Maybe I just hold values like politeness, respect and justice too dear - I'm obviously too English for my own good and should be less sensitive! :)

I think this board is an amazing and exciting place to be and we all have something to offer in solving this puzzle. I like the recent "Bessler's riddle explained" topic with Verge and Jonathan's fervent exchange of ideas - it's what this board is all about. With our combined input I know we will solve Bessler's clues and build a working wheel in the not too distant future (not necessarily in that order!).

As far as rights to ownership of an idea is concerned, I think this is an issue for some people. I do get the impression that most members here feel, as I do, that it doesn't matter who invents the wheel, but just that it gets invented and is made available to as many people in the world as possible. To this end I think we should start a members only forum for those people who wish to participate in a joint venture to re-invent the Bessler Wheel and bring it to public attention. To join the group you would have to agree that by posting you gave up your individual rights to an idea and that it would then belong to the "Bessler Co-operative" as a whole. Once we have a solution and have all verified it then we can arrange demonstrations all over the world. Each member would then be a representative for the group (if they wish) and would be free to demonstrate the working wheel in public. Looking at this board's memberlist we already have most of the world covered! I guess what I'm suggesting is a more organised group working more closely together, sharing all information and offering their skills whenever possible. It sounds like Scott almost has the members only forum facility ready - so what do you all think?

All the best
Stewart

[Jonathan]

You are right Steward, I could have been move tactful, so it wasn't your fault. It really gets to me that Georg posts so many things like that, where he says an idea is based on his, in a way negating the thought I put into the device and putting his stamp on it. I think it is inevitable that any device that is made will look like Georg's devices, because his are so structurally simple. C'mon, a wheel, two wheels inside, and a stick? Mine didn't even have excentric weights, and was supposed to work on an entirly different principle.
But, regardless, it didn't work.
As to your last paragraph, I like the idea. If you sprinkled religious words around that paragraph, it would sound just like the Methernitha group. Of course we don't have to form a commune, just be less territorial with our ideas.