[LINK] GE Announces Advancement in Incandescent Technology

[rchirgwin at ozemail.com.au]

Glen Turner wrote:
> Ivan Trundle wrote:
>
>   
>> But since when was Edison credited with the invention of the light bulb?
>> And since when is it only 125 years old?
>>     
>
> Edison's genius wasn't at thinking of new ideas, but of taking
> laboratory curiosities and turning them into everyday objects.
>
> The light bulb is the perfect example of that. Holding a light
> bulb is one thing, having the infrastructure behind that light
> bulb for Jane Public to simply flick a switch and light a room
> is another thing entirely.
>   
...and one, it could be argued, that Edison fought *against.* He saw 
electricity as the servant of industry, not the plaything of punters. 
Hence his long and bitter battle with Westinghouse/Tesla over their AC 
versus his DC. Westinghouse was promoting wide reticulation, Edison 
didn't see a market outside cities.

So Edison did hold and develop the light bulb; Westinghouse backed the 
infrastructure.

An aside, possibly apocryphal:
Ediston: "Genius is 5% inspiration and 95% perspiration."
Tesla: "He wouldn't have to do so much perspiration if he would just 
learn the math."

RC
> And that commercialisation required a fair bit of PR (ie, over
> stating his contribution, making it appear that all of the
> company's efforts were his alone) and a ruthless attitude to
> competitors (other electrical, phonogram and movie
> manufacturers).
>
> Americans believe that Edison invented the light bulb and
> that Ford invented the car.  What they mean is what we would
> call "popularised".
>
>