Russ George <[email protected]> wrote: It seems the announcement of showing gravity waves are real is only of > value to obscure academic discussions. Unless someone here might illuminate > us about some practical derivatives that might be revealed due to the > findings. >
You never know what might be practical. Einstein proposed stimulated emission in 1917. This was not proved to exist for some time and it did not result in anything useful until the discovery of the maser and later the laser in 1960. The laser is one of the most useful devices ever invented, but for many years it was called "a solution in search of a problem." When JJ Thompson discovered the electron and the cathode ray tube in 1897, I recall one of the students said, "here's to the electron, long may it remain useless!" It was an esoteric discovery at first. Radar was invented as part of an effort to measure the height of the ionosphere. On the face of it, that was a purely academic question. - Jed
