Tuesday, October 30, 2007

The Examiner's Office

[excerpt from the personal diary of Eric Buchhalter, Chief Examiner at the Federal Office for Intellectual Property in Bern, Switzerland 1884-1912.]

May 2, 1903

[...]
11. Laterally Configured Universal Electromagnetic Dynamo for Powering a Rotary Engine. Sachs et al.
Summary: Mod. of Schliemann's design (see entry Dec 14, '99), with new orientation. Given to Albert to examine. Thoughts: Although idea has tech. merit, does not add sig. impr. on older model. Needs of universal motors may be imp. in future as alt. curr. generators grow in popularity. Reviewing more machine tech. good for Albert's training.

12. Heat Engine Based on Coal Oil Combustion. Leone et al.
Summary: Var. on Stirling eng. using coal oil as heat source. Rejected. Thoughts: Too similar to other designs (notably Stirling, 1820) and only var. is heat src. However, predict that heat eng. will prove more reliable than elec. engines over time.

Today's General Thoughts: Satisfying career watching human knowledge culminate, however today's appls. demonstrate how little left to discover. Spoke to Albert about this thought at lunch. His response troubling.

In brief, told Alb. thoughts re. scientfc. achievement. He replied that Ger./Fr. aggression toward Eng. and Ital. vs. Turkey have slowed research.

Granted his point: recent events across Eng. Channel and Skagerrak indeed troubling. (Ever-changing alliances of Eur. always confuse me. It is as if history means nothing. Did not mention this to Alb.) Still, science has uncovered all mysteries of energetics and balance of celestial forces. More, war efforts employ reschrs. (not slow them), but pat. appls. becoming more redundant than ever. What is left to invent, I asked him.

What holds spheres together he asked. What is light really.

aka the photoelectric effectGot angry and told him that Newton explained the spheres well enough. And what he didn't know about light, Maxwell figured out. Maybe someone will explain Hertz effect, but can hardly see the point.

Alb. gave most enigmatic look at this.

Go on to question wars on the continent that always rage around us. What's the importance of all that w.r.t. science?

It's all relative, Alb. said cryptically. Such an infuriating young man.
MAP OF SPRIG 1903 MOVEMENTS (click)
Austria: Fleet Aegean Sea -> Constantinople (*bounce*)
Austria: Army Albania -> Greece
Austria: Army Budapest -> Rumania (*bounce*)
Austria: Army Serbia SUPPORT Army Albania -> Greece

England: Fleet English Channel -> Irish Sea (*bounce*)
England: Fleet North Sea -> London
England: Fleet Norway -> North Sea
England: Fleet Norwegian Sea -> North Atlantic Ocean

France: Army Brest -> Liverpool via convoy
France: Army Burgundy -> Gascony
France: Fleet Irish Sea CONVOY Army Brest -> Liverpool
France: Fleet Mid-Atlantic Ocean CONVOY Army Brest -> Liverpool
France: Army Picardy -> Brest

Germany: Army Belgium -> Burgundy
Germany: Fleet Denmark -> Sweden
Germany: Army Holland -> Belgium
Germany: Fleet Kiel -> Baltic Sea
Germany: Army Munich -> Silesia
Germany: Army Silesia -> Prussia

Italy: Fleet Eastern Mediterranean SUPPORT Army Smyrna
Italy: Fleet Ionian Sea -> Aegean Sea (*bounce*)
Italy: Army Smyrna SUPPORT Austrian Fleet Aegean Sea -> Constantinople
Italy: Army Trieste -> Vienna
Italy: Fleet Tyrrhenian Sea HOLD
Italy: Army Venice HOLD

Russia: Fleet Barents Sea -> Norwegian Sea
Russia: Fleet Rumania SUPPORT Turkish Army Bulgaria (*cut*)
Russia: Army Sevastopol -> Armenia
Russia: Fleet St Petersburg (south coast) -> Gulf of Bothnia
Russia: Army Sweden -> Norway
Russia: Army Ukraine SUPPORT Fleet Rumania

Turkey: Army Armenia -> Ankara
Turkey: Fleet Black Sea -> Constantinople (*bounce*)
Turkey: Army Bulgaria SUPPORT Fleet Black Sea -> Constantinople

FALL 1903 MAP (click)

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