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Mechanical light bulb from 1675 [video]

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Re: Mechanical light bulb from 1675 [video]

#21

Post by [deleted] »

helterskelter wrote: post #6
ck2 wrote: post #2

for a moment I thought this was going to be about arc-lights in the 1800s that mechanically touch electrodes and then draw apart * https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arc_lamp it's amazing how far we've come think about Benjamin Franklin twenty-five years before Declaration of Independence naming the first "battery" (out of the concept of lined-up artillery) by connecting a series of lynden jars (basically capacitors) - he…

Franklin also invented the lightning rod, something which we take for granted these days.

[deleted]

Re: Mechanical light bulb from 1675 [video]

#22

Post by krapp »

WalterBright wrote: post #20
krapp wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Slavery was immoral during Franklin's time too, Walter. Many, many people of the time understood this. Even Franklin himself, hypocrite though he was, came around to it.

I understand that. I also know that half the country thought slavery was ok, and made it clear they would not join the union if it was abolished.

So what? That doesn't affect the morality of slavery one bit. Subjective and relative moral questions do exist, but slavery isn't one of them.

Likewise, Ben Franklin being a founding father doesn't somehow balance the scales in that regard. The existence of the United States doesn't retroactively make slavery ok.

Re: Mechanical light bulb from 1675 [video]

#23

Post by fhdkweig »

bensmoif wrote: post #16
wat10000 wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Plenty of people at the time thought slavery was evil. Franklin was even one of them, calling it "cancer." He said this while still owning slaves, which is rather peculiar, but people are complicated.

In this century we have a word for that kind of talk by slaveholders who professed some longing for abolition (Franklin. Jefferson, Washington, John Jay) but did not really wanna be inconvenienced: trolling.

Trolls do things for the LOLs. They are motivated by humor. Someone who wants rules for others but breaks those rules personally is better referred to as a hypocrite.

And while he did have a sense of humor (I hear that daylight savings time was just a joke), I don't think that is why he had slaves. He kept them because they were useful to him, and the moment he died they were no longer useful. The slaves owned by others were never useful to him, so they should be freed immediately.

Re: Mechanical light bulb from 1675 [video]

#25

Post by gwbas1c »

post_break wrote: post #12

I wish these could be made with something non toxic. Having one on my desk to shake would be a great fidget spinner.

To put it in perspective, people used to consume mercury-based medicine. I'm sure if the glass is thick enough, the risk of a spill (and your health) will be generally managed.

Re: Mechanical light bulb from 1675 [video]

#26

Post by liveoneggs »

ck2 wrote: post #5
ambicapter wrote: post #3

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> naming the first "battery" (out of the concept of lined-up artillery) That's an amazing fun fact.

[flagged]

You can opt out of electricity, various shaped stoves, the USA, and his other stuff to live out your moral superiority.

Also you may freely ignore his change of stance, the laws and norms of the time, etc

Re: Mechanical light bulb from 1675 [video]

#27

Post by s0rce »

post_break wrote: post #12

I wish these could be made with something non toxic. Having one on my desk to shake would be a great fidget spinner.

I suspect eutectic liquid InGa alloys would work, they stop wetting the glass when you are under vacuum. Although mercury is safe in the tube, just don't break the glass.

Re: Mechanical light bulb from 1675 [video]

#28

Post by avian »

BugsJustFindMe wrote: post #24

I wish I could just buy one of these as a commercial product. I'll never be able to make this and it's too cool to not be able to buy.

Maybe someone that has seen this first hand can chime in but I strongly suspect the real-life effect viewed with naked eye is much more disappointing compared to what is shown in this video. Real physics ain't need to get them likes and subscribes.

Re: Mechanical light bulb from 1675 [video]

#29

Post by WalterBright »

krapp wrote: post #22
WalterBright wrote: post #20

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I understand that. I also know that half the country thought slavery was ok, and made it clear they would not join the union if it was abolished.

So what? That doesn't affect the morality of slavery one bit. Subjective and relative moral questions do exist, but slavery isn't one of them. Likewise, Ben Franklin being a founding father doesn't somehow balance the scales in that regard. The existence of the United States doesn't retroactively make slavery ok.

What is moral and what isn't changes with the times. For example, blaspheming could get you murdered by the state in medieval times. The colonies had different views of morality, especially religious morality. It was immoral to work on the Sabbath. It was immoral to have sex before marriage.

The Founders saw fit to abolish the nobility, and disassociated religion from government. We've forgotten what an enormous leap both of those were (each of the colonies had an establishment of religion). I've seen endless documentaries on the founding of the country, and there's no mention of either of these.

Half of the colonies did abolish slavery. But, again, if it was demanded of the other half, the Union would never have happened.

Jefferson, Franklin, and Washington all held slaves.

I am certainly not advocating slavery. I'm merely pointing out that people should be judged on the morality of their times, not today's morality. If we judged past people by our modern standards, they would all be condemned.

Re: Mechanical light bulb from 1675 [video]

#30

Post by dandelany »

gwbas1c wrote: post #25
post_break wrote: post #12

I wish these could be made with something non toxic. Having one on my desk to shake would be a great fidget spinner.

To put it in perspective, people used to consume mercury-based medicine. I'm sure if the glass is thick enough, the risk of a spill (and your health) will be generally managed.

People used to do a lot of stupid stuff. If you live alone and are conscious of the risk, sure, this is not a terribly dangerous item if you're safe about it. If you live with pets or children, it's entirely sensible to be concerned about the risk. A mercury spill can seep between the floorboards and contaminate your house with volatile mercury vapors for years to come if not properly managed.
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