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Thomas Edison’s Ambitious “To-Do” List from 1888
- monkmartinez 10y ago> Large Phonograph for Novels, etc. Audio books as thing in 1888! I wonder what Elon Musk's "To-Do" list looks like... or Bezos or anyone with the resources like these two gagillion-aires.
- jdhawk 10y agoDiscover immortality.
- dexwiz 10y agoProving once again the Ideas are Cheap but Execution is Everything.
- phasnox 10y ago- Cotton Picker - New Standard Phonograph - Invent the lightbulb - Trick Telsa to do work for free
- mstade 10y ago"Uninflammable" is my new favorite word.
- saycheese 10y agoOddly, according to Merriam-Webster it's a word: https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/uninflammable https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/uninflammable Even more oddly, the double-negative (un & in) has no impact on its meaning "not flammable."
- lgas 10y agoWell, except "inflammable" means "flammable", so the "un" is the only negative, and it has exactly the impact on the meaning of the word that it always does.
- OJFord 10y agoExactly - in this case 'in' is simply part of the (Latin) root 'inflammare'; not the (also Latin) modifier 'in-' as used in 'innocuous' (Latin 'in' + 'nocuus').
- seszett 10y ago> Even more oddly, the double-negative (un & in) has no impact on its meaning "not flammable." But in- is not necessarily negative, it's also a prefix that can mean "in" (like indoors, ingrown): inflammable means it "can be in flames". Actually, French makes it more obvious, as the verb for setting aflame is "enflammer" where "en-" is clearly the prefix that means "in", not the prefix that means "not". At least English uses two different prefixes for "uninflammable", even if there's some confusion possible. French has it as "ininflammable", with two "in-" prefixes that mean different things.
- oliv__ 10y agoThe verb might be more obvious but the translation is actually the same: inflammable
- simonsarris 10y agoFor those that missed it I assume this is on the heels of yesterday's post: Leonardo Da Vinci’s To Do List (circa 1490) https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13187316 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13187316
- saycheese 10y ago"To-do lists" appears to be a theme from this source, since there's at least one more to-do list currently on the site: https://www.google.com/search?q=site:openculture.com+intitle:%22to+do+list%22 https://www.google.com/search?q=site:openculture.com+intitle... Johnny Cash's Short and Personal To-Do List: http://www.openculture.com/2012/09/johnny_cashs_short_and_personal_to-do_list.html http://www.openculture.com/2012/09/johnny_cashs_short_and_pe...
- agumonkey 10y agoI'm sorry, you'll have to wait til I die to see my awesome todo list.
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- WalterBright 10y agoEdison invented the modern industrial research and development laboratory. He created multiple entire industries. Who else has done anything remotely like that?
- unknown2374 10y agoNikola Tesla always gets wrongfully overshadowed by Edison for some reason. Although Edison actively shunned down innovations by Tesla time and time again just so he can make more money. He also stole credit for some of the stuff that Tesla did [1]. [1] Nikola Tesla: Imagination and the Man That Invented the 20th Century
- WalterBright 10y agoTesla's big contribution was AC power generation and motors, which revolutionized the power generation industry, and he is recognized for that. But Edison invented the power generation industry, as well as multiple others. You might be interested in "Edison", by Josephson.
- euyyn 10y ago> Nikola Tesla always gets [...] overshadowed by Edison for some reason. I get the exact opposite impression.
- Larrikin 10y agoTesla has recently been getting his due, but most people of a certain age remember having Edison drilled into their heads all through elementary, middle, and high school, with barely a mention of Tesla unless the teacher was really into history and science
- euyyn 10y agoOh, I see. I guess it must be a US thing?
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- pre4646744 10y agoI have only one item in my todo list to end all todo lists: Invent general artificial intelligence
- 6stringmerc 10y agoIt's all fun and games until trying to make a point by electrocuting a pachyderm.
- terrib1e 10y agoI love looking at these old To-Do lists. I personally think Edison was a thief and jerkoff BUT I gotta give credit where credit is due for his marketing/business genius. I really really want to see a to-do list from Nikola Tesla. Really almost ANYTHING from him would be awesome.
- cr0sh 10y ago> I personally think Edison was a thief and jerkoff If you haven't, read some more biographies about the man. You'll discover that things were a bit more complicated than what you may currently believe; above all else, Edison was a businessman who invented, and an inventor who knew business, and saw opportunities where others didn't. That doesn't mean he was a saint - he had and did plenty of things that on retrospect weren't very moral, and questionably illegal. The way he treated his wife and children was terrible - but wasn't out of the norm for the era (unfortunately). And he was a master of taking and expanding on other's ideas and marketing them as his own; you can call that theft - perhaps plagiarism is a better term? - but it isn't anything different than what still happens today. Excusable? No - but again, it's more complex - and Tesla had his own faults. I've found in my reading about both men, that they were both complex characters of their time. The real tragedy, IMHO, is that their individual prides got in the way of the possibility of their mutual cooperation; had they done so, history would likely be much different today.
- terrib1e 10y agoI completely agree. My wording was a bit strong and I can see from the downvotes that it was unacceptable. I wasn't trying to be ignorant about Edison. I apologize for that. I'm definitely seeing this from a biased view because of my admiration for Tesla. I'm going to read these books about Edison that everyone is posting. I should probably admire Edison alot more than I do. I carry small notebooks around and do the same thing he did, my flaw is that I 'think' more than I 'do'. Regardless of his method or personality, it really is incredible that Edison created so much. If Tesla had been more like Edison and played the social game more than he did, the world might be a different place but it was it is. I'd love to learn more about Edison and would love some recommendations. Thanks
- woofyman 10y agoTodo: 1) Electrocute a dog 2) Electrocute an elephant 3) Electrocute a man All to prove the dangers of AC power. http://knowledgenuts.com/2013/10/19/edison-publicly-tortured-animals-to-discredit-ac-power/ http://knowledgenuts.com/2013/10/19/edison-publicly-tortured...
- vlunkr 10y agoYeah I saw that episode of Bob's Burgers too. Edit: In all seriousness, the man and the elephant were already scheduled to be killed. So it sucks, but he did so many amazing things that this is easily overshadowed.
- projektir 10y ago> he did so many amazing things that this is easily overshadowed Torture is never "easily overshadowed" in my book. Some things just cannot be erased, no matter how many great things you accomplish. I don't see the difference between this statement and saying that it's alright to conduct experiments on inmates as long as we discover something amazing.
- vlunkr 10y agoWhat you're calling torture later became a legal way to execute someone. I don't think it's fair to expect people from the past to have modern morals.
- projektir 10y agoLegal executions are actually pretty notorious for being poorly done, so I think I can call it torture just fine when the procedure takes too long. There's nothing "modern" about not hurting things. That is something a person understands on a fundamental level, because it can happen to them. People just rationalize and don't care and think they're above it. There were people who were against such things in all times, perhaps just not a lot of them. Wonder what it says about genius and hard work if something so trivial was impossible for them despite all their accomplishments?
- pontifier 10y agoThese items sparked my interest, because they are quite similar to things I'm working on or thinking about doing... -New Expansion Pyromagnetic Dynamo -Deposit in vacuo on lace, gold + silver also on cotton molten chemical compound of lustrous surfaces to imitate silk also reg plating system -Malleablizing Cast now in Vacuo -Snow Compressor I'm working on a fusion reactor, have wanted to evaporate and experiment with metals in a vacuum chamber, and I want to build a snow brick maker for fun in the winter...
- brachi 10y agoThis reminded me that most TO-DO lists will be lost when we die, unless we meticulously set up a backup scheme and an 'inactivity management'[1] like google has. Probably not that interesting to anyone but close relatives, though. However, I find that they reflect our personalities a lot and are pretty valuable. [1] https://support.google.com/accounts/answer/3036546?hl=en https://support.google.com/accounts/answer/3036546?hl=en
- ideonexus 10y agoI find myself more than a little disappointed in this "todo" list. It looks more to me like an "ambitions" list. These are future long-term projects. It doesn't look much different to me than someone with a todo list that includes multiple long term software development projects. A much more insightful todo list for me would be to see one of the day-to-day todo lists I find myself writing for every weekend. These include things like "Finish writing chapter 15" or "Refactor [component] into [design pattern]." I want to see the granular tasks Edison and other "great men" worked on in the day-slivers of their lives. Seeing a big list like this reinforces my impression of Edison as a less of the hands-on inventor our society tries to make him out to be and more of a high-level manager who put mostly signed the patents for everything his workshop of inventors produced.
- oliv__ 10y agoHow many of these were actually invented?
- Animats 10y agoLooking at the list: * Cotton Picker - didn't get done in Edison's time, done in mid 20th century * New Standard Phonograph, Hand turning phonograph - product improvements * New Slow speed cheap Dynamo - ? * New Expansion Pyromagnetic Dynamo - ? * Deaf Apparatus - hearing aid. Edison never developed a good amplifier * Electrical Piano - also needed an amp, (but see Teleharmonium) * Long distance standard Telephone Transmitter which employs devices of recording phonogh - something else that needed an amp * Telephone Coil of Fe [iron] by tt in Parafine or other insulator - loading coil? * Platina Point Trans using new phono Recorder devices - point-contact microphone, a dead end. * Grid Battery for Telephones, etc. - a battery improvement * Improved Magnetic Bridge for practical work - something to replace the Wheatstone bridge and mirror galvanometer, a sensitive but un-amplified lab instrument. Again, if only he'd had an amp... * Motograph Mirror, relay, Relay, Telephone practical - the motograph was a really clunky way to amplify, using an unusual physical effect where the friction between a rotating chalk cylinder and a contact changes with the current through the contact. Dead end, although the phenomenon was used once in an IBM line printer paper drive clutch. * Artificial Cable - ? * Phono motor to work on 100 volt ckts - routine job * Duplicating Phono Cylinders - the Edison Amberoll process; many playable cylinders still exist. * Deposit in vacuo on lace, gold + silver also on cotton molten chemical compound of lustrous surfaces to imitate silk— also reg plating system - ? * Vacuous Ore milling Large Machine, Magnetic Separator Large, Locking material for Iron sand - part of Edison's cement and rock crushing period * Artificial Silk, Artificial filaments - trying to find something better for incandescent lamps, pre-tungsten * Uninflammable Insulating Material - General Electric Deltabeston felted asbestos insulation - "Will not age or crack". Worked great, except for the asbestos hazard * Good wax for phonograph - he did that * Phonographic Clock - "speaking clock - was done eventually, but not by Edison * Large Phonograph for Novels, etc. - long-playing records, not in Edison's time * Pig Iron Expmts with Electricity + Magnetism, Malleablizing Cast now in Vacuo - ? * Drawing fine wire - figuring out how to draw tungsten wire for lamps was really tough, but GE eventually did it. Edison not involved * Joy phonograph for Dolls - somebody did that in Edison's time. Mass produced as Mattel's Chatty Cathy in the 1950s. * Cable Motograph, Very Loud Motograph telephone with 1/3 siz phonogh motor. - more attempts to amplify * Magneto telephone with actual contact end magnet compression of an adjustable rubber press as in new phones - ? * Snow Compressor - ?? * Glass plate water ore repeator - ?? * Tinned faced [illeg.] for Stove Castings - somebody did that, old stoves often have tin facings * Refining Copper Electrically - somebody did that too, but not Edison * Quad neutral relay - another multiplex telgraphy component * Cheap low induct Cop Insulating material for Lead Cable people - insulating materials were a big problem in Edison's day. No plastic, no synthetic rubber. Lots of wood, fabric, paper, tar, etc., all bad. * 200 volt 20 cp lamp - another size of light bulb * Recording Volt Indicator - done, but not by Edison * Box balancing System - ? * Alternating Machine + Transformer - Tesla's department * Platinum wire [illeg.] cutting Machine, silver wire wood cutting system - hot wire cutting? Dead end for wood, although today we have laser cutters. * Boron fil. - Boron filaments didn't happen * Hg [mercury] out of Lamp - beginnings of environmentalism? * Phonaplex Repeater - another problem that needed an amp. * Squirting glass sheet tube etc. Nickel [illeg.] - glass extrusion worked fine, but Edison didn't invent it * Artificial Mother Pearl - too early for plastics * Red Lead pencils equal to graphite, India Ink, Tracing Cloth - shopping list? * Ink for blind - not by Edison * Fluffy Incandescent Burner for gas - lantern mantle. Done, but by Edison? * Regenerative Kerosene Burner - ? * Centralized arc in arc Lamp, Cai–[illeg.] Tesla arc lamp test - ? * Strengthening alternating cli by sternt Dynamo - ? * Electroplating Machines for Schenectady - OK, must do day job * Condenser Transformer - a charge pump? Common today in IC size * Sqr ft diffraction gratings in silver by 5000 [illeg.] tool special [illeg.] lathe for ornamental purposes - popular with hippies in the 1960s * Cheap plan produce Mimeograph surfaces - Edison mimeograph upgrade? * Miners battery + lamp - good product idea, done by many * Sorting Coal from Slate Machine - mechanize a job done by kids. Coal floats, slate doesn't, and coal breakers exploit this. * Butter direct from Milk - ? * Burning asphalt Candles by high chimney - bad idea * Magnets RR signals - ? * Soften [illeg.] of books transfer to Cop plate + plate to [illeg.] matrix - ? * Telephone Repeater - another need for an amp * Substitute for Hard rubber - not really solved until neoprene in WWII * Artificial Ivory - ABS plastic was a long way off * Revolving Thermo - ? * Caller Indicator for Jump Telegh - ? * Marine Telegraphy - undersea cable, or ship to shore? * Long distance speaking tube filled H20 2 dia pressure - dead end * Lend plate battery for modifying attending Current - ? * Two revolving bands in battery Lead faced press in liquid close together + out into separate chambers to [illeg.]reduce by gas the other - ? * Siren phonogh - another need for an amp * Perm mag like an electromag of [illeg.] hand steel high polish separately magnetized + forced together powerfully[illeg.] - magnetic materials in Edison's day were weak by modern standards. If he'd tried adding some cobalt... * Telephone working more [illeg.] - yes, focus on day job * Eartubes formed crescent [illeg.] wire - ? * Cheap Voltmeter - outsource to New Jersey? * Chalk Battery - dead end * Dynamo or motor long tube in long magnetic field top + bottom contacts forcing water through generator current by – passage. [Illeg.] - the beginnings of magnetohydrodynamics? * Thermo battery slick Copper oxidized then plated over surface oxide nailed to make good contact [illeg.] - ? * Disk Phonograph - that worked out very well