Free Republic

It looks and plays like a piano, but it sounds like a string quartet — and it took 500 years before anyone built it. Leonardo da Vinci’s flight of fancy in designing a hammerless piano, called a “viola organista,” has come to life half a millenium after da Vinci designed it, thanks to a Polish concert pianist and musical engineer. It couldn’t have sounded any better in da Vinci’s head (via Brad Thor and Dan Gainor): A bizarre instrument combining a piano and cello has finally been played to an audience more than 500 years after it was dreamt up...

Over the past couple of days, I have been witness to events and behavior that has moved me to stand up and address it. I have seen people here taking a disagreement with Jim Robinson, and using it as an excuse to be belligerent and downright disrespectful towards him. Then when he gets fed up and bans that member, they immediately go to another similar website and proceed to attack not just him, but also every facet of this site, including mods and members. Well, now, I am fed up. If you have a problem with what Jim says, fine....