Frankie wrote: > > George Bonser wrote: > > > > On Fri, 5 Mar 1999 [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: > > > > > just did, but is this list not moderated, Jesus Christ is so far I now, > > > from a different century and he is on top? > > > > > > Matth > > > > Don't even think Linus should BE the person of the century. That honor > > probably goes to Thomas Edison. We owe our current culture and style of > > living to that guy. His experiments with his lightbulb led to the > > discovery of the "Edison effect" which led DeForest to do some more > > experiments which led to the Vacuum Tube which led to the Transistor, > > which lead to the IC Chip. Not only was Edison's work responsible for > > laying the ground work for radio and television, he also played vital > > roles in bringing motion pictures and recorded music to the public. > > > > True. I agree with you about electricity. It has made a HUGE impact on > our lives. So, I nominate gallileo, because (if I'm wrong, subsitute > some ridiculously ancient bod that experimented with electricity) he > messed about with electricity and frogs legs. This directly led to > further experimentation by a variety of scientists, (including Edison) > which ultimately led to a complete change in our [the western world's] > lifestyles. > That doesn't sound right. Wasn't it Galvani, perhaps?
WRT Linus, let's save him or Stallman for the 21st Century. They'll still be around, God willing, and I suspect their impact will be far greater then. In fact, I suspect it will be the century in which issues of information propagation/replication/ownership become recognized as overridingly serious (like fightin'-and-dyin' serious).
