# Where can I find Heinlein's testimony/essay "Spinoff" online? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 7, 2006, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-can-i-find-heinleins-testimony-essay-spinoff-online/383278 "2006-12-07T22:42:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2006, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-can-i-find-heinleins-testimony-essay-spinoff-online/383278/1 "2006-12-07T22:42:12Z")
In 1979 Robert A. Heinlein testified before a joint session of the House Committee on Aging and the House Committee on Science and Technology, on the subject of what technological “spinoff” the space program had produced, to that date, that might be of benefit to aging or disabled persons. He came up with many examples. The transcript was published under the title “Spinoff” in his 1980 book [_Expanded Universe._](http://www.amazon.com/Expanded-Universe-Robert-Heinlein/dp/0743499158/sr=8-1/qid=1165510893/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/103-3538281-1479864?ie=UTF8&s=books) Does anyone know where I can find the text of “Spinoff” online? I want to link it in [this](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=399138) thread. I can’t seem to find it via Google or Yahoo. (The word “copyright” does not exist.) ---
**Author:** ![C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b2d939/32.png) [@C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C_K_Dexter_Haven)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2006, 12:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-can-i-find-heinleins-testimony-essay-spinoff-online/383278/2 "2006-12-08T12:42:36Z")
**BrainGlutton** , I’m not sure what you mean by > [@](#): > > (The word “copyright” does not exist.) … On these Boards, it certainly does exist and respect for copyright is part of the [Registration Agreement](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=347160) and part of the [Rules for Posting on the SDMB (see post #3)](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=384736). You’ve obviously been around long enough to know this. ---
**Author:** ![Polycarp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/82dd89/32.png) [@Polycarp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Polycarp)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2006, 1:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-can-i-find-heinleins-testimony-essay-spinoff-online/383278/3 "2006-12-08T13:15:30Z")
I’m not **Brain Glutton** or empowered to speak for him, but I suspect he means, “Don’t be put off by notices of copyright; all I want to do is link people to the online copy, not reprint it.” In any case, while it was copyright as a part of _Expanded Universe_, can one copyright their own testimony to a Congressional committee hearing? I would think that at that point it accrues to the public domain, with Congress having control over any misuse of it. ---
**Author:** ![asterion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/4da419/32.png) [@asterion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asterion)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2006, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-can-i-find-heinleins-testimony-essay-spinoff-online/383278/4 "2006-12-08T14:02:10Z")
[QUOTE=Polycarp] In any case, while it was copyright as a part of _Expanded Universe_, can one copyright their own testimony to a Congressional committee hearing? I would think that at that point it accrues to the public domain, with Congress having control over any misuse of it. [/QUOTE] Do committee hearings go into the Congressional Record? If so, the question then would be if it can be found online then, as I don’t think the Congressional Record goes back much past a decade online. ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2006, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-can-i-find-heinleins-testimony-essay-spinoff-online/383278/5 "2006-12-08T15:44:10Z")
[QUOTE=Polycarp] I’m not **Brain Glutton** or empowered to speak for him, but I suspect he means, “Don’t be put off by notices of copyright; all I want to do is link people to the online copy, not reprint it.” In any case, while it was copyright as a part of _Expanded Universe_, can one copyright their own testimony to a Congressional committee hearing? I would think that at that point it accrues to the public domain, with Congress having control over any misuse of it. [/QUOTE] … kind of like material posted here… ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2006, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-can-i-find-heinleins-testimony-essay-spinoff-online/383278/6 "2006-12-08T16:09:24Z")
[QUOTE=Polycarp] I’m not **Brain Glutton** or empowered to speak for him, but I suspect he means, “Don’t be put off by notices of copyright; all I want to do is link people to the online copy, not reprint it.” [/quote] Aye. I mean, we post links to current magazine articles and such all the time. We’re even allowed to post excerpts from them so long as the posted text is significantly less than half of the whole article. As I understand it. (Let’s not get into the “fair use” doctrine and all that.) [QUOTE=Polycarp] In any case, while it was copyright as a part of _Expanded Universe_, can one copyright their own testimony to a Congressional committee hearing? I would think that at that point it accrues to the public domain, with Congress having control over any misuse of it. [/QUOTE] Interesting question. But what I find strange is that the article hasn’t been posted online as far as I can find, even though it is very influential among spaceflight fans, SF fans, and Heinlein fans. (Hard to imagine how reproduction of it could be “misused,” except by denying revenue to the Heinlein estate, which is probably much more interested in getting RAH’s ideas out there as widely as possible.) ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2006, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-can-i-find-heinleins-testimony-essay-spinoff-online/383278/7 "2006-12-09T16:35:00Z")
Nobody knows? ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2011, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-can-i-find-heinleins-testimony-essay-spinoff-online/383278/8 "2011-07-18T17:28:57Z")
Zombie Heinlein! ---
**Author:** ![Frank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2011, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-can-i-find-heinleins-testimony-essay-spinoff-online/383278/9 "2011-07-18T17:40:58Z")
If I recall correctly, Heinlein did not want Expanded Universe to be published outside the U.S. and Canada. Perhaps that’s related to why it’s not online. (Or maybe it is available now, five years on. 🙂 ) ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2011, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-can-i-find-heinleins-testimony-essay-spinoff-online/383278/10 "2011-07-18T17:44:42Z")
> [@Frank](#): > > If I recall correctly, Heinlein did not want Expanded Universe to be published outside the U.S. and Canada. Perhaps that’s related to why it’s not online. (Or maybe it is available now, five years on. 🙂 ) If it is, my google-fu is not strong enough today. I searched on “heinlein spinoff” and the first thing that popped up was **this thread.** ---
**Author:** ![Frank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2011, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-can-i-find-heinleins-testimony-essay-spinoff-online/383278/11 "2011-07-18T17:50:25Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > If it is, my google-fu is not strong enough today. I searched on “heinlein spinoff” and the first thing that popped up was **this thread.** Well, you can’t say you weren’t warned about saying “Valentine Michael Smith” three times in a dark bathroom. ---
**Author:** ![Polycarp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/82dd89/32.png) [@Polycarp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Polycarp)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2011, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-can-i-find-heinleins-testimony-essay-spinoff-online/383278/12 "2011-07-18T21:49:15Z")
Success! Five years late, but still… [Transcription of Heinlein’s testimony as orally given](http://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015083085392;q1=%22robert%20a%20heinlein%22;start=1;size=25;page=search;seq=47;view=image;num=41) [Prepared statement on which the above was based](http://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015083085392;q1=%22robert%20a%20heinlein%22;start=1;size=25;page=search;seq=151;view=image;num=145) ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2011, 11:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-can-i-find-heinleins-testimony-essay-spinoff-online/383278/13 "2011-07-18T23:15:51Z")
> [@Polycarp](#): > > Success! Five years late, but still… > > [Transcription of Heinlein’s testimony as orally given](http://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015083085392;q1=%22robert%20a%20heinlein%22;start=1;size=25;page=search;seq=47;view=image;num=41) > > [Prepared statement on which the above was based](http://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015083085392;q1=%22robert%20a%20heinlein%22;start=1;size=25;page=search;seq=151;view=image;num=145) Awesome! 🙂