Re: Parable for our times?

["Tesla list" <tesla-at-pupman-dot-com>]

Original poster: "Jeff W. Parisse by way of Terry Fritz <twftesla-at-qwest-dot-net>" <jparisse-at-teslacoil-dot-com>

Parable Fans,

Forget parables, how about a true story?

Judas Priest got sued because some fans committed
suicide after studying lyrics on one of their albums. Yes,
the band won the suit but not after spending allot of money
and time defending themselves.

Because I hold a special effects insurance policy, I have
an obligation to not publicly discuss the particulars
of the stunts performed by kVA Effects. I can't afford the
exposure to frivolous lawsuits.

I understand that our policy of non-disclosure make me
appear to be a bad guy among some people on this
list. I also understand that my commitment to quality
for EVERYONE that produces Tesla coils for public
display is similarly misunderstood. I want Tesla coil
practitioners to get a reputation for commitment to
safety, quality of manufacturer and client satisfaction.
We will ALL will if that goal is achieved.

As for one way street, I'll let others speak on my behalf
about my contributions to our community and my
willingness to reach out an help fellow coilers.

As for ripping off ideas from a public forum... That guy
that suggested drilling hundreds of holes in a toroid and
pressurizing the toroid with neon (or other color producing
gas) to color the arcs is the only one to worry about having
an idea ripped off. ;-)

Jeff Parisse

p.s. to Mark: You don't have to soften your dissatisfaction with
me in thinly veiled fantasy stories. Please be specific as to your
grievances so I can address them with intelligence and candor
rather than obfuscation and subterfuge.


> Original poster: "Stolz, Mark by way of Terry Fritz <twftesla-at-qwest-dot-net>"
<Mark.Stolz-at-st-systems-dot-com>
>
>
> Parable of the Little Magi
> Perhaps a story that relates to nothing)
>
> Once, long ago, there was a group of little magi who performed their feats
> of
> magic just for the joy of knowing. If one of the little magi discovered
> something new, or had an insight into an old bit of lost arts or magic, he
> would immediately share it with the others through a courier called the
> Puppy. The little magi didn't always agree, but they always shared their
> insights and understanding with each other. One of their objectives was to
> rediscover as many of the lost arts of legend as they might.
> Among the lost arts were the calling down of lightning to a specific place
> and calling forth lightning from one's self. The legends also said that
> these were very dangerous forms of magic, which only the world's greatest
> magi ever attempted, and even then the results were said to be often
> disastrous.
> Listening in on the fringes of the group there were the Great Magi named
> Ludd, Tater and Kava. Now Ludd, Tater, and Kava did not do magic just for
> the joy of knowing, but rather for the fame and fortune it brought them,
and
> it brought them large amounts of both. If the little magi discovered
> something useful, they shared it with all those who listened, even the
Great
> Magi.
> Occasionally, the Great Magi would incorporate the insights gained from
the
> little magi into their magic and their world renown was greatly enhanced.
> However, if the little magi asked a question of the Great Magi, they were
> either told, "This is far too dangerous a magic for little magi like you,"
> or they were told "WE are world class professional magi. Our fame and
> fortune depends on the secrecy of how we perform our magic, So of course,
> any reasonable person can see, that we can share little or nothing of Our
> magic with you. It would be giving away our livelihoods."
> For a long time, the little magi accepted these explanations and
criticisms
> of their abilities, even though they were often offered in a most
> condescending, patronizing, and disparaging or belittling way. Then one
day,
> after one of the Great Magi had said, "It's ridiculous to think that
anyone
> in the Land of Sun Rising could learn anything professional from the likes
> of you!", it occurred to one of the little magi, Max, (and he was not the
> oldest, nor the smartest, nor the most skilled in the magic arts) that
there
> was a great imbalance in the magical force.
> He said to his fellow little magi, "Do you realize that there is a lot of
> brain-sucking going on, and that it is all one way? The Great Magi have
free
> access to all our ideas, which they may turn to their fame and fortune if
> they choose, then offer little but warnings, foggy generalizations, and
> disparagement in return.
> Some said, "Oh Max, we are not in this for the money, we are here for the
> exchange of ideas, so it doesn't matter of some profit from our thoughts
and
> discoveries."
> "I thought exchange meant a flow in Both directions", replied Max
sullenly,
> and he drifted off from the discussion group to his cave in the hills to
> think a while.
> Eventually, those little magi who communicated in the land of the wild
> Kazoos started talking only among themselves and the great association of
> little magi and the puppy courier fell into disuse.
>
>
>
>