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Prof_Sai · 04-16-2008

It would start small, but as it consumes matter, it would grow rapidly - and the surrounding matter would enter at the speed of light so even when it is small it would eat fast. Technically, all black holes are point sized - it is the event horizon that grows.

New ideas:
The automobile did not change the world until the electric starter was invented. Before that, you could kill yourself trying to crank up the engine, so only tech nerds used one.

Multitouch is the smart phone equivalent of the starter - this is what got the big patents. The idea that you would pinch and rotate objects to make them smaller or bigger is new. Distinguishing between intentional and accidental touches is new. It's not that the iPhone was the first to do these things, but it was the first to make them practical for ordinary people to use.

I'd also count the Wii controller and podcasting as new. What about the web browser? LED screens? Vibration as computer feedback?

It can take 30 years for new ideas to be implemented in a way that can change the world. Just because you aren't aware of those new ideas yet doesn't mean they aren't out there.

04-16-2008	#19
Prof_Sai Instigator Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Earth, mostly Posts: 5,875	Re: Black hole swallows earth It would start small, but as it consumes matter, it would grow rapidly - and the surrounding matter would enter at the speed of light so even when it is small it would eat fast. Technically, all black holes are point sized - it is the event horizon that grows. New ideas: The automobile did not change the world until the electric starter was invented. Before that, you could kill yourself trying to crank up the engine, so only tech nerds used one. Multitouch is the smart phone equivalent of the starter - this is what got the big patents. The idea that you would pinch and rotate objects to make them smaller or bigger is new. Distinguishing between intentional and accidental touches is new. It's not that the iPhone was the first to do these things, but it was the first to make them practical for ordinary people to use. I'd also count the Wii controller and podcasting as new. What about the web browser? LED screens? Vibration as computer feedback? It can take 30 years for new ideas to be implemented in a way that can change the world. Just because you aren't aware of those new ideas yet doesn't mean they aren't out there.