Tuesday, February 6, 2018

Stolen


At the heart of much speculative fiction (and fiction in general) is a question. What if? On Tuesdays I like to throw one out there and see what you make of it. Do with it as you please. If a for-instance is not specified, feel free to interpret that instance as you wish. And if you find this becomes a novel-length answer, I'd appreciate a thank you in the acknowledgements. ðŸ˜‰

What if you discovered that someone took something of yours without your knowledge and then used it to make a huge scientific discovery?

(Yes, I know this book has been written. This book is the classwork of the class I'm covering this week.)

31 comments:

  1. I'd want a percentage of the profit if a profit is to be made from the discovery.

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    1. But they're not going to give you a percentage...

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  2. Lawyer brain kicks in and I’m running to the courthouse

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  3. I'd want a percentage, especially if they made a teleporter.

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  4. Well, first of all I doubt they are going to share the rewards with me since they stole it. I would be pissed!

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  5. I would get to my safe to show my original works with the patent I would have gotten and go straight to the lawyers. It would cost money but I would win because i would make a back up. Either way...lawyers would be involved

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  6. Feels like Rosalind Franklin wrote this one.

    And there would be hell to pay if that happened to me. Literal hell. Fire everywhere.

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  7. I feel like this, as with many of these, are dependent. In general, I think I'd demand credit and compensation. I guess if it was something really major, I might beat them into submission on raw reaction.

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  8. I'd be pissed, and hope I have proof they stole the idea from me

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  9. I think I know the book you refer to (I've also seen the movie). If I had been the family I would have gotten the best lawyer money could buy. Unfortunately, that family wasn't in a position to do that. Alana ramblinwitham.blogspot.com

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  10. Interesting theory. I wonder what I would do...well if I had money I would get a lawyer. If not then I may just let it go.

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  11. ...and they made tons of money too. Ugh. I'd cry. And write a book about it.

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  12. I think I'd be frustrated at first, then slowly learn to forgive. As I've discovered, in life, it's the feelings we hold onto that eventually define us.

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  13. Oooh... Compelling thought. Thanks for sharing.

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  14. Now I want to read this book. Lucky students. If someone used my cells for good, I would be kind of proud, but I would want to know about it.

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  15. Oh someone would be in for a world of hurt. lol I'd fight. I'm decent at creating backups so hopefully things would turn out alright.

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  16. Umm… Sad. Scared. Worried. I mean what do I have that could help with a scientific discovery? (I'm not very scientific, so it'd be a huge surprise for me!)

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    1. In the case of the book that generated the question, cancer cells. And she wasn't even alive for most of it.

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  17. Need I share with you that I would be so PISSED off about that! I would go on the news channels and tell everyone about the low life that took my stuff and made it big!

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    1. Getting things out in the media is a good idea.

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  18. I'm inclined to agree with Pam above. However, money isn't a great motivator for me so I'd be more annoyed at the betrayal.

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  19. I work in the legal profession, so I'd most likely find the best litigation attorney I could and make their life miserable through the court system.

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I appreciate your comments.

I respond to comments* via email, unless your profile email is not enabled. Then, I'll reply in the comment thread. Eventually. Probably.

*Exception: I do not respond to "what if?" comments, but I do read them all. Those questions are open to your interpretation, and I don't wish to limit your imagination by what I thought the question was supposed to be.