Posted on 02/06/2013 6:44:07 PM PST by nickcarraway
“His description of Edison searching through hundreds of straws was literally accurate. Edison did just that to find a suitable filament for his light bulb. Tesla, by comparison, invented AC and WiFi decades ago.”
Exactamondo!
Yes, as a boy he saw a drawing of Niagara Falls in a book of the natural wonders of the world, and he had the vision of converting that falling water to power with turbine tunnels. And he built it. That area of NY was the first part of the planet to be fully electrified, and it spread out from Tesla’s first plant.
But the truth nonetheless.
I don’t think Tesla attempted to apply his work to guided weapons systems though I could be wrong and will look into that. As far as bio’s, “Hedy’s Folly: The Life and Breakthrough Inventions of Hedy Lamarr, the Most Beautiful Woman in the World”. Very cool read. She was given the National Medal of Technology by Clinton as I recall.
This was nice.
I am looking for this
The man was a true visionary.
“But the truth nonetheless.”
Claiming the entire North East is powered by a single power plant is just silly.
Thanks! Can’t wait to read it!
Tesla was working with remotely guided boats and torpedoes in 1898. There’s a lot covered in the Cheney book, which I heartily recommend! There are so many quotes from that book,,,,,
“His first two radio-controlled devices were boats, and one was submersible.”
“Tesla was not transmitting messages in any known language. Nevertheless, he was employing his own coded pulses via Hertzian waves to directly control this pioneer unmanned craft.”
“What his patents included,(snip) were specifications for a torpedo boat without a crew,” Freakin’ 1898!
I don't know why, but all the far out mega-conspiracy nuts seem obsessed with Tesla. Some anti-Semitic organizations sell copies of his notes in both English and the original Serbo-Croatian. No, I'm not saying Tesla was an anti-Semite. Anti-Semites do seem fascinated with him, however.
Another eccentric character (not as important as Tesla, but fifty times nuttier) was Edward Leedskalnin, the subject of my favorite In Search Of . . . episode (available on YouTube!).
30 years ago, I had an interim job as the maintenance guy for a sheet metal/machine shop. I had to pull a huge motor off an ancient press brake one day. On it’s spec plate, it listed Tesla’s patents!
In 7th grade Science class, I built a 250,000 volt Van de Graff generator. Got an A. But then I hooked it to the classroom’s doorknob, and sent a foot long bolt of lightning to anyone trying to get in! Got a week’s detention for that prank! The next year, I wanted to build a Tesla Coil. My Dad said, in retrospect, quite wisely, “No Tesla Coil!” I still wanna build one though! Built a Cloud Chamber instead for that year’s project.
That’s Hedley.
We all built Van de Graff generators! LOL
Your Father was indeed wise.
He did make some anti-semitic remarks. But,,,, I think they were the result of his troubles getting financing.
“Tesla’s anti-Semitism appeared sporadic and was unusual among gentiles of his time. Once he called one of his secretaries to him and hissed as if it were a revealed truth, “Miss! Never trust a Jew!””
But again, I think it had to do with his frustration over trying to get financing.
I build an ion propelled engine.
I think it moved an 1/8th of an inch while dangling from the vertical on a wire.
Now NASA is using that propulsion for deep space exploration.
True enough.
The Story Of My Life.(Pere Ubu)
I was born in Miami, Florida, in 1953.
First thing I did was crack the back of my head on the floor.
I stepped on a bee when I was four.
I slammed the door of a `57 Chevy on my hand when I was six.
Little did I know that darker clouds were gathering on the horizon of my life.
That’s the story.
That’s the story.
That’s the story of my life.
Later on.
Messing around in the backyard. I was nine.
I stumbled onto the secret of Anti-Gravity.
It’s such a simple trick, I said to myself, I hope I can remember.
Instinctively I knew that trouble was bound to come.
That’s the story.
That’s the story.
That’s the story of my life.
Still later I met a girl named Sue. Only daughter of the football coach.
I liked her.
I think she liked me.
Her family moved to Toronto.
Naively I said to myself, Why that’s the story of my life.
That’s the story of my life.
I mean, it wouldn't have to be anything as overwhelming as AC electricity, an improved lollipop stick would suffice....
Back then, you would have had to have a DC power station about every three blocks. It just doesn’t “travel well.”
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