The Ledger
Every statement that passed quotation and attribution checks. Mix any filter with any other: certainty 1/5, debate potential 5/5, or both at once.
why aren't all 13 resolved? a statement only gets an assessment when the public record can support or contradict it. opinions and what-ifs never can, and 0 checkable ones are still open, waiting for their date. predictions held up or didn't; assertions are supported or contradicted. on every card: ▮▮▮▮▮ certainty · ▮▮▮▮▮ debate potential. speakers are clickable
Giant Conductive Ring at South Pole Could Launch Objects Into Space
“In the end, one of the best ideas would be to go to the south magnetic pole and put a big ring of conductor material around the magnetic field there and put a huge current through it, and it would actually fly into space.”
Alexander: Traditional trampolines injure kids via perimeter bars and spring gaps
“The traditional trampoline has got a steel bar around the outside edge and springs right beside it. And then the mat that you jump on in the middle, and I can see that it's dangerous because the accident rates have gone up, and it's pretty obvious. You give th…”
Alexander: Angling flexible trampoline rods at 45 degrees prevents impalement on impact
“These things are sticking straight up, and if you're on a trampoline on the top, and you fell on it, because they're vertical, if you fell right on the edge, you can impale yourself on them. So what if we laid them over so that they're 45 degrees? Then if you …”
Alexander: Engineering Professors Need Practical Experience to Be Valid Teachers
“I don't think I'm a valid teacher of engineering unless I've got some engineering experience.”
Alexander: Traditional Trampolines Are Dangerous Due to Steel Frames and Springs
“Traditional trampoline has got a steel bar around the outside edge and springs right beside it, and then the mat that you jump on in the middle, and I can see that it's dangerous because the accident rates have gone up, and it's pretty obvious. You give this n…”
Alexander: Angling Fiberglass Rods at 45 Degrees Prevents Trampoline Impalement
“These things are sticking straight up, and if you're on a trampoline on the top, and you fell on it, because they're vertical, if you fell right on the edge, you could impale yourself on them. So what if we laid them over so that they're 45 degrees? Then if yo…”
Alexander Funded His PhD by Winning Walk-On-Water Shoe Competitions
“And I built these shoes to compete in this competition and I managed to win the competition two years in a row, and then won a third one in Auckland, and that helped fund my PhD.”
Alexander: New Zealand research showed a rise in trampoline injuries
“Even in New Zealand, there'd been some research done on the increase in injuries from trampolines. And I thought, well, they really are dangerous.”
Alexander: Material costs for early inflatable trampoline prototype were about $800
“Number one, the material cost for that was about 800 dollars. Back at that time. Just the material costs. So there's no manufacturing in that at all.”
Alexander: New Zealand's top trampoline maker sold 400 units annually
“I looked in the yellow pages. I found the biggest trampoline manufacturer in New Zealand. He was selling 400 trampolines a year.”
Alexander: University deemed trampoline prototype not market ready, requiring up to $100K
“They had a look at it, and they said, this is not market ready. You need another 50,000, 100,000 dollars to make it market ready, and then they went away.”