What would you do if you discovered or invented something that could revolutionize our entire planet?

timelapse

Senior member
Nov 7, 1999
401
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Hello, just asking a question, not saying i have discovered anything... ;)

So here is the situation: you have discovered something that will change everything we do, lets put as an example for the people that need one, that you found a way to create energy from nothing and easy ways of making batteries with that technique, etc.. How would you react the moment you know what yo uhave in your hands? Would yo ube paranoid and tell no one? would yo urun around telling everyone? Would yo usell the idea immediately? Would yo ufear for your life? And any other question that might occur to you :)

In my case, id say id be pretty afraid of all the trouble it could get me into, with companies and governments... :(
 

DAWeinG

Platinum Member
Aug 2, 2001
2,839
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Patent it, sell it, hope for the best? (Equals me getting lots and lots of cash :D)
 

gopunk

Lifer
Jul 7, 2001
29,239
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announce it to academic communities, along with a paper about it. then i get put into textbooks :)
 

glenn1

Lifer
Sep 6, 2000
25,383
1,013
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What would you do if you discovered or invented something that could revolutionize our entire planet?

Kinda like "Ginger" ? Or the 150 mpg carbeurator that the oil companies keep on killing off?
 

element

Diamond Member
Oct 9, 1999
4,635
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I'd write myself a letter explaining all the details. And no I'm not kidding.

If you can figure out why, you win the booby prize. And no it's not a pair of boobs. You win uh...the respect of your peers or something.
 

Zenmervolt

Elite member
Oct 22, 2000
24,512
21
81
I'd sell the rights to a company that had an interest in keeping my product off the market and I'd use the money to buy a small country.

ZV
 

Zenmervolt

Elite member
Oct 22, 2000
24,512
21
81
Originally posted by: element®
I'd write myself a letter explaining all the details. And no I'm not kidding.

If you can figure out why, you win the booby prize. And no it's not a pair of boobs. You win uh...the respect of your peers or something.
Remember to make sure that it's sent via certified mail and that you leave it sealed until you need to prove that the idea is yours.

ZV
 

thomsbrain

Lifer
Dec 4, 2001
18,148
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i would inform the world via spam email. no one would believe me, and i would die at 87 years old, bitter and alone.
 

Tallgeese

Diamond Member
Feb 26, 2001
5,775
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I would patent it as secretly as possible, then take out a multi-million dollar life insurance policy on myself.

After the hitmen--hired, of course, by the multi-national conglomerates (and/or governments) who would lose their economic clout if my discovery was made public--took me out, at least my family would get something more than the plugged nickel my life was worth once I had my "brainstorm."
 

Freejack2

Diamond Member
Dec 31, 2000
7,751
8
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Wow, that's a good question. The second you copyright it you become a deadly threat to all the energy companies out there. They won't kill you but they will do EVERYTHING in their power to prevent you from bringing your product to market. Go watch Tucker: The man and his dream.
He just had an idea for a better car and the auto companies ruthlessly crushed him.
A more fictional story is Chain Reaction. Don't put it past these companies.
They did have one good idea in chain reaction, you wouldn't make a cent off of it, but you could upload it to the internet, send it to every newspaper, details, plans, everything, that anyone with any kind of technical background needs to make it.
Well I suppose you could copyright it, then make it public. Then sue any company that tried to produce it without paying you licensing fees.

Some things they would try if you went the normal route.
1) Try to buy your idea. Promise you the world, say they are going to sell this big time. They'll pay you a lot of money for your idea but it will never make it to market.
2) Use the government to block you. Any obstacle they can put in your path they will.
3) Use other rather shady tactics to stop you. You get a factory all ready for mass production when this horrible fire breaks out destroying your factory. Someone breaks into your office, steals the plans.
4) Slander campaign. Even if your product is the safest thing ever made they will slander and lie using half truths or whatever is at their arsenal to make your product undesirable.
5) Threats to your life or families life. A strange man follows your daughter. You get beat near to death in some alley in a supposed mugging.
 

Moonbeam

Elite Member
Nov 24, 1999
73,207
6,323
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Cyberian qoute:
------------
I already invented the universal solvent.
I just can't find anything to keep it in.
-------------------

yuk yuk yuk. That's a good one.
 

bleckywelcky

Senior member
Sep 16, 2002
276
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Well, if I created a device that could create energy out of nothing, then I would be very very scared. Because, if anyone else with any contacts whatsoever caught wind of this, they would send the nearest 10 commandos that they could hire to my house in order to kill me and steal my invention. Businesses, the government, foreign countries and their governments, organized crime groups, terrorists, everyone would be after me. And what's more, if most of them thought about it for a second before they ordered some sort of action, they would probably order my capture so that they could torture any information or secrets out of me. I would most likely just anonymously approach some business or the government with my invention, provide some sort of proof that this invention does indeed work and is not a hoax, and then order in insane amount of cash (for me) to be transferred to several electronic bank accounts in very well established banks (probably something like 5 or 10 bank accounts with 1 billion in each). Then, I would have them give me the access information, log into the account and verify that I could move the money around (i.e. wire a donation to some random charity that would allow you to wire directly to their bank account). Then, I would go through each bank account and change all of the access information so that (supposedly) no one else would have access anymore. Then, the morning of one day (approximately 10 or 15 minutes prior to the time that each bank sends out its wires), I would release the information of where they could find the device(s) and other appropriate information (probably in some storage shed or what not in some really far out place) and order wires to send the money out of the current accounts to my own personal bank accounts (with fake {or at least vacant} contact/location information, but real names, ID numbers, etc) and hopefully be scot free.

Although, I would probably also take a lot of my own money out in cash prior to, and wander around the country anonymously for several weeks to let things cool down. As well, I might somehow get the press involved so that any evidence of foul play would be captured.

Also, all of the computer activity would be done anonymously through various proxy and relay methods so that they couldn't trace it back to my computer terminal.

Also, if I could, I would create several copies of the device and/or the plans and information for safe keeping. And, I would file a patent before all of this happened but not before that patent office actually had enough time to look at the patent application yet. That way, the information couldn't be traced back to me, but my filing date would be prior to anyone else's filing date that might come across the device later on.

I would probably also release white papers and articles/information to many sources later on that same day of the transfer, or at perhaps the following day.

:)
-
 

Teck

Member
Nov 27, 2001
72
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Flood the internet with plans how to make it. so they everyone would know that it exists and it can be made. That way no company would try to take me "out" since its common knowledge and they couldnt stop it. You could call my plan the Kazaa plan. its out there and companies cant stop it :p
 

llc00ljoel

Senior member
Nov 24, 1999
211
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0
damn good question...
if this invention/discovery was going to truly impact all of mankind, i would consider the ethical/moral implications...all it takes is a group of malevolent people to change what was once good to something horribly evil...that being said, i would weigh the risks with those in mind...
 

HombrePequeno

Diamond Member
Mar 7, 2001
4,657
0
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I would probably burn the paper it was written down on. It'd be more trouble than it's worth. The world doesn't make gains by leaps and bounds, it makes them by slow progress. Look at that one guy that tried putting revolutionary things into cars; he got a whole 50 made before they shut him down.
 

Evadman

Administrator Emeritus<br>Elite Member
Feb 18, 2001
30,990
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I post my ideas here. If it gets a good responce, I patent it.

<--- currently waiting on 2 patents :)
 

NogginBoink

Diamond Member
Feb 17, 2002
5,322
0
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Space aliens land and present you with a device that cures all disease, ends hunger, and brings world peace.

You:

A) Present it to the President of the United States
B) Present it to the Secretary General of the United Nations
C) Present it to the pope
D) Take it apart to find out how it works.

(Sorry, gals... obviously it's a guy joke.)
 

tcsenter

Lifer
Sep 7, 2001
18,532
336
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What would you do if you discovered or invented something that could revolutionize our entire planet?
One word: Licensing and Royalties

Wait...that's two words.
Kinda like "Ginger"? Or the 150 mpg carbeurator that the oil companies keep on killing off?
The oil companies haven't killed off any super-duper efficient carburator. There are plenty of super-duper efficient carburators in use. Granted, they're on teeny tiny model airplane engines...

There isn't enough energy to be released from a molecule of gasoline to make possible a super-duper efficient carburator that can power an average sized/weight car. a 150 mpg carburator (or any other fuel induction system) may get you about 5 or 6 horsepower, not much more.