Archive for February 22nd, 2012
Hey, Entrepreneurs, Check Out All The Wacky Names Thomas Edison Thought Of For His ‘Phonograph’
Hey, entrepreneurs and inventors, can’t figure out what to call that cool new thing you made?
Not sure what it might be used for?
No worries. You’re in good company.
Courtesy of Shaun Usher at Lists Of Note, who transcribed Thomas Edison’s original brainstorm notes (see them here), here’s a list of some of the names Edison and his colleagues thought of when they were trying to name what they eventually called the “phonograph”.
Many of the names are derived from Latin or Greek roots. Edison’s notes included the literal meaning:
Auto-Electrograph = Electric Pen
Tel-autograph
Tel-autophone
Polyphone = Manifold Sounder
Autophone = Self sounder
Kosmophone = Universal Sounder
Acoustophone = Sound hearer = Audible speaker
Octophone = Ear-sounder = speaker
Anitphone = Back-talker
Liguphone = Clear speaker
Minuttophone = Minute-sounder
Meistophone = Smallest sounder
Anchiphone = Near sounder or speaker
via Hey, Entrepreneurs, Check Out All The Wacky Names Thomas Edison Thought Of For His ‘Phonograph’.
How to Run Windows (and All Your Favorite Windows Programs) on Killer Mac Hardware
Windows is a great operating system, but PC laptops often leave a lot to be desired. If you’re a Mac owner (or you’re just in love with Mac hardware), you can install Windows natively on your computer in just a few steps. Here’s how.
Why Install Windows?
It’s no secret I’m a big Windows fan, but I’ve always been disappointed with PC hardware that I didn’t build myself. When it comes to laptops, everything seems to have something wrong with it. The trackpad is a pain to use, the keyboard feels cheap, or the things are just too darn big (though the ultrabook movement is starting to solve the size problem). So, after selling my old MacBook Pro, I ended up buying a MacBook Air, running Windows on it 99% of the time, and I’ve never been happier.
Obviously, everyone’s needs are different. Maybe you still need a few Windows programs, or maybe you just aren’t a huge fan of OS X (but you love Mac hardware). Whatever your needs, installing Windows on a Mac is dead simple, even if you don’t have a CD drive. All you need is a copy of Windows and the Boot Camp program that comes preinstalled on OS X.
Note: If you hate Apple and feel like ranting to me about the so-called “Apple Tax” (why are you even reading this?), please do it somewhere else. Believe it or not, some of us don’t love OS X but find Apple’s hardware phenomenal, and are willing to pay a bit extra for it, especially considering you’ll be using this computer regularly for a few years. Plus, if you buy refurbished—which you always should from Apple—you can probably get a pretty good deal. So please don’t rant about this in the comments. Please keep the discussion focused on Boot Camp.
via How to Run Windows (and All Your Favorite Windows Programs) on Killer Mac Hardware.
Did Hitler Have a Secret Son? – Yahoo! News
Until his death in 1985, Jean-Marie Loret believed that he was the only son of Adolf Hitler. There is now renewed attention to evidence from France and Germany that apparently lends some credence to his claim.
Loret collected information from two studies; one conducted by the University of Heidelberg in 1981 and another conducted by a handwriting analyst that showed Loret’s blood type and handwriting, respectively, were similar to the Nazi Germany dictator who died childless in 1945 at age 56.
The evidence is inconclusive but Loret’s story itself was riveting enough to warrant some investigation. The French newspaper Le Pointe published an account last week of Loret’s story, as he told Parisian lawyer Francois Gibault in 1979.
Le Pointe retells Gibault’s reaction to Loret’s claim:
“Master, I am the son of Hitler! Tell me what I should do,” Gibault told Le Pointe.
According to Le Pointe, the “Paris lawyer, does not believe his ears. The man before him is rather large, speaks perfect French without an accent, and is not a crackpot. His inspiring story is no less true.”
Loret claimed that his mother, Lobojoie Charlotte, met Hitler in 1914, when he was a corporal in the German army and she was 16. She described Hitler as “attentive and friendly.” She and Hitler would take walks in the countryside, although conversation often was complicated by their language barrier. Yet, despite their differences, after an inebriated night in June 1917, little Jean-Marie was born in March 1918, according to Loret.
