From: "Fred Harshberger" <Fred@BalloonDude.com>
To: <balloon@balloonhq.com>, "John Michael Stevens" <joyfulnoise@uswest.net>
Subject: Re: Manioli?  "Independent invention"
Date: Thu, 16 Nov 2000 11:26:41 -0800

Fellow twister John Michael Stevenson has mentioned to me that the term is
"Simultaneous creativity".  Cool.
Simultaneous is a relative term depending on your perspective.  Manioli may
have actually been using that twist for a while and just finally shown it at
Eurojam, whereas I readily admit that I just came up with it last week.
I agree that "creativity" is a better term than "invention" for a concept or
technique. There are many well known cases of simultaneous creativity and/or
invention in history, with "credit" often being given to different people in
different places, depending on their nationality, (just ask people in
different countries "who invented the automobile?") and publication of
course. My Icelandic mother used to joke that "Columbus just had a better
press agent" (than Leif Erickson). :o)
I guess the more important thing is that now we can share these balloon
concepts instead of having to each reinvent the wheel. I bet there are still
a lot of isolated balloon twisters that have independently re- "created"
what we think of as the basic, vital twists. Think of the frustration that
could be eliminated if they were on-line with us.
("sigh", in simpathy for the unknown twisters).
:o)
"M.Y.T.B.M.A.Y.P.F."
Fred Harshberger
"The Balloon Dude"