An ode to Tesla.....

[Hdreamz]

Just a little something I found, rather amusing and educational at the same time...

 

[Oftencold]

Just a little something I found, rather amusing and educational at the same time...


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I never get the fascination with Tesla. From all I've ever heard or read, he seems to have been something of a crackpot, he of the death ray, earthquake machine, and wireless electrical transmission, who had a few good ideas.

On the other hand, his life traversed two world wars in which many, many thousands of bright, deserving young men died horrible deaths and crippling mutilations and so had far greater injustices done to them. They are almost entirely forgotten though they died for our benefit, or for causes they espoused and we despise, if we think of them at all.

 

[Hdreamz]

I never get the fascination with Tesla. From all I've ever heard or read, he seems to have been something of a crackpot, he of the death ray, earthquake machine, and wireless electrical transmission, who had a few good ideas.

On the other hand, his life traversed two world wars in which many, many thousands of bright, deserving young men died horrible deaths and crippling mutilations and so had far greater injustices done to them. They are almost entirely forgotten though they died for our benefit, or for causes they espoused and we despise, if we think of them at all.

Bear ith me, im uploading the full thing, this was one section.... Chrome is being an ass and keeps stopping me from saving images...

 

[RabidAlpaca]

I never get the fascination with Tesla. From all I've ever heard or read, he seems to have been something of a crackpot, he of the death ray, earthquake machine, and wireless electrical transmission, who had a few good ideas.

On the other hand, his life traversed two world wars in which many, many thousands of bright, deserving young men died horrible deaths and crippling mutilations and so had far greater injustices done to them. They are almost entirely forgotten though they died for our benefit, or for causes they espoused and we despise, if we think of them at all.

Then you don't understand what his contributions were. To name a few:

Alternating current - Our entire electrical distribution system is using alternating current. Before him, we were using DC, which had massive issues for long range transmission. Essentially a DC power plant had to be on every street block instead of one AC power plant in every city. Without AC, only a tiny fraction of the things we've be able to do would be possible.

Wireless transmission - He is the original inventor of wireless transmission (like radio). He however was not the type to file or aggressively follow patents so Marconi got the credit years later.

X-ray technology - He was the first to use x-rays for medical imaging and other uses.

Fluorescent light bulbs - A HUGE improvement over Edison's bulbs, making light bulbs cheap and reliable.

The electric motor - I don't even need to explain the significance of this.

Lasers - He was the first to harness lazers for scientific purposes

Robotics - He was a pioneer in the field of robotics.

Remote control - A branch off of wireless transmission, so that we can control things from a distance.

Radar - Used in weather, military, and civilian applications all over the world.

In addition to these, there are hundreds of his inventions that we still use every single day. There isn't an electrical device in your house that isn't running on his technology. To top all of that off, he was a philanthropist. He truly wanted to better mankind, and when he once found out that one of his patents was going to put someone out of business, he ripped it up and let him continue. He died poor and under-appreciated. There is not a single person in history that furthered the fields of electricity and electronics further than Tesla.

Without him, technology would be at least a decade behind what it is today, if not a whole lot more. He was one of the greatest minds in human history, a philanthropist, and the best engineer to walk the face of the earth. Precisely why he's my avatar and my personal hero.

 

[Hdreamz]

I really hate Google.... Shame Tesla didn't invent a search engine and browser...

 

[Ockham]

History shows that Tesla was and should be considered today the genius that he was. Unfortunately Edison who was much more ambitious, decided to destroy Tesla instead of work with him and share in the limelight. Tesla's legacy was buried for decades before it started leaking out.

 

[Hdreamz]

Then you don't understand what his contributions were. To name a few:

Alternating current - Our entire electrical distribution system is using alternating current. Before him, we were using DC, which had massive issues for long range transmission. Essentially a DC power plant had to be on every street block instead of one AC power plant in every city. Without AC, only a tiny fraction of the things we've be able to do would be possible.

Wireless transmission - He is the original inventor of wireless transmission (like radio). He however was not the type to file or aggressively follow patents so Marconi got the credit years later.

X-ray technology - He was the first to use x-rays for medical imaging and other uses.

Fluorescent light bulbs - A HUGE improvement over Edison's bulbs, making light bulbs cheap and reliable.

The electric motor - I don't even need to explain the significance of this.

Lasers - He was the first to harness lazers for scientific purposes

Robotics - He was a pioneer in the field of robotics.

Remote control - A branch off of wireless transmission, so that we can control things from a distance.

Radar - Used in weather, military, and civilian applications all over the world.

In addition to these, there are hundreds of his inventions that we still use every single day. There isn't an electrical device in your house that isn't running on his technology. To top all of that off, he was a philanthropist. He truly wanted to better mankind, and when he once found out that one of his patents was going to put someone out of business, he ripped it up and let him continue. He died poor and under-appreciated. There is not a single person in history that furthered the fields of electricity and electronics further than Tesla.

Without him, technology would be at least a decade behind what it is today, if not a whole lot more. He was one of the greatest minds in human history, a philanthropist, and the best engineer to walk the face of the earth. Precisely why he's my avatar and my personal hero.

He was an extraordinary man with a phenomenal mind, though admittedly he was as the quip suggests "Bat **** insane"... Though that may well have been the price for his brilliance. Its telling that while many of his inventions drove the technology of the 20th century. Only now in the 21st century are many of his inventions being recognized. He was definitely a man far ahead of his time and id argue the most influential man of at least the last 200 years...

 

[Oftencold]

Then you don't understand what his contributions were. To name a few:

Alternating current - Our entire electrical distribution system is using alternating current. Before him, we were using DC, which had massive issues for long range transmission. Essentially a DC power plant had to be on every street block instead of one AC power plant in every city. Without AC, only a tiny fraction of the things we've be able to do would be possible.

Wireless transmission - He is the original inventor of wireless transmission (like radio). He however was not the type to file or aggressively follow patents so Marconi got the credit years later.

X-ray technology - He was the first to use x-rays for medical imaging and other uses.

Fluorescent light bulbs - A HUGE improvement over Edison's bulbs, making light bulbs cheap and reliable.

The electric motor - I don't even need to explain the significance of this.

Lasers - He was the first to harness lazers for scientific purposes

Robotics - He was a pioneer in the field of robotics.

Remote control - A branch off of wireless transmission, so that we can control things from a distance.

Radar - Used in weather, military, and civilian applications all over the world.

In addition to these, there are hundreds of his inventions that we still use every single day. There isn't an electrical device in your house that isn't running on his technology. To top all of that off, he was a philanthropist. He truly wanted to better mankind, and when he once found out that one of his patents was going to put someone out of business, he ripped it up and let him continue. He died poor and under-appreciated. There is not a single person in history that furthered the fields of electricity and electronics further than Tesla.

Without him, technology would be at least a decade behind what it is today, if not a whole lot more. He was one of the greatest minds in human history, a philanthropist, and the best engineer to walk the face of the earth. Precisely why he's my avatar and my personal hero.

I don't think that he was quite the first to use X-rays for medical purposes, although predecessors seemed to be using them for research rather than treatment.

And I might consider signing his death warrant for the introduction of fluorescent lighting, which not only myself, but legions of photographers alive and dead would assure the world are NOT and improvement over incandescent lighting, at least as far as the quality of the light goes.

I tend to think that if Tesla didn't pursue patents as his self interest suggest that he should, that may have been a self-destructive set of decisions. Those are quite common after all.

But as I say, Tesla got to live, and a lot of notable and high potential men of his era didn't. I have trouble seeing him as a tragic figure. maybe that's the root of my issue with his public image.

 

[RabidAlpaca]

I don't think that he was quite the first to use X-rays for medical purposes, although predecessors seemed to be using them for research rather than treatment.

And I might consider signing his death warrant for the introduction of fluorescent lighting, which not only myself, but legions of photographers alive and dead would assure the world are NOT and improvement over incandescent lighting, at least as far as the quality of the light goes.

I tend to think that if Tesla didn't pursue patents as his self interest suggest that he should, that may have been a self-destructive set of decisions. Those are quite common after all.

But as I say, Tesla got to live, and a lot of notable and high potential men of his era didn't. I have trouble seeing him as a tragic figure. maybe that's the root of my issue with his public image.

Then once again, you completely fail to understand the scope of his contributions. Your ability to question his importance was made only possible by hundreds of his inventions, all built into your house, computer, and the world information distribution network known as the internet.

 

[Oftencold]

. . .and id argue the most influential man of at least the last 200 years...

That's quite an assertion.

I'd have said Marx, Mao or Hitler for pure influence. Killing people, especially young people influences the warp and weft of history profoundly. When done to millions and millions of such people, the world is moved into a radically different timeline than would have otherwise been.

Things like merely useful ideas and inventions usually pale by comparison.

I suppose I'd have to throw Churchill in there too, since his greatest influence in revisiting the others was his personal influence.

 

[Oftencold]

Then once again, you completely fail to understand the scope of his contributions. Your ability to question his importance was made only possible by hundreds of his inventions, all built into your house, computer, and the world information distribution network known as the internet.

But I am familiar with some of the technical history. I work in a power plant by the way, so I understand the import of a lot of what you say.

But there were a lot of people working in the fields you mention. Tesla may deserve a lot of credit for being the first to see the potential of one thing or another, but a lot of them, like alternating current were going to be exploited and developed by someone regardless. They were fairly natural progressions.

However, I really think that you're missing my point. The thread began as a paean to the tragedy of Tesla. And I think that's highly overblown in light of the truly horrible things that happened to tens of millions of people in that period. Tesla got to be famous. He got to have his work bear fruit. By the number of posed photos online, he enjoyed periods of marked celebrity.

He did not however have his guts shot out like many thousand of young men did. Nor was he crushed to death in a sinking ship. Nor did he die in a flaming aircraft shot from the skies. He did not struggle to become a scholar, doctor of religion, surgeon, or scientist, and then die in a concentration camp or ghetto as happened to others.

Tolkien pointed out that three of his four closest and highly educated young friends died in the First World War.

Tesla also got a pass, largely on his crazy ideas, like his earthquake machine, and his espousal of eugenics.

I give him his due, but I don't find his life to have been terribly tragic.

 

[Hdreamz]

That's quite an assertion.

I'd have said Marx, Mao or Hitler for pure influence. Killing people, especially young people influences the warp and weft of history profoundly. When done to millions and millions of such people, the world is moved into a radically different timeline than would have otherwise been.

Things like merely useful ideas and inventions usually pale by comparison.

I suppose I'd have to throw Churchill in there too, since his greatest influence in revisiting the others was his personal influence.

All those you mention are obviously influential... But Tesla has touched virtually every individual in the western world, and an increasing number worldwide and continues to do so... Whether they know it or not. Concordantly, all those you name like most historical figures were orientated nationally, philosophically or economically... Tesla's inventions were not inhibited by these boundaries. They have benefited all and continue to benefit all, regardless of your philosophy, politics or history.

 

[RabidAlpaca]

But I am familiar with some of the technical history. I work in a power plant by the way, so I understand the import of a lot of what you say.

But there were a lot of people working in the fields you mention. Tesla may deserve a lot of credit for being the first to see the potential of one thing or another, but a lot of them, like alternating current were going to be exploited and developed by someone regardless. They were fairly natural progressions.

However, I really think that you're missing my point. The thread began as a paean to the tragedy of Tesla. And I think that's highly overblown in light of the truly horrible things that happened to tens of millions of people in that period. Tesla got to be famous. He got to have his work bear fruit. By the number of posed photos online, he enjoyed periods of marked celebrity.

He did not however have his guts shot out like many thousand of young men did. Nor was he crushed to death in a sinking ship. Nor did he die in a flaming aircraft shot from the skies. He did not struggle to become a scholar, doctor of religion, surgeon, or scientist, and then die in a concentration camp or ghetto as happened to others.

Tolkien pointed out that three of his four closest and highly educated young friends died in the First World War.

Tesla also got a pass, largely on his crazy ideas, like his earthquake machine, and his espousal of eugenics.

I give him his due, but I don't find his life to have been terribly tragic.

First, you took ONE frame out of like 12 that talked about how ****ty it was that he never got recognition and ran with it. Second, all you're essentially saying is "This is a Tesla pity thread, and I have no pity for him because at least he survived and everyone else died in the war".

Is that really the point you took away from this thread, and is that really your intellectual contribution to it?

 

[DaveFagan]

First, you took ONE frame out of like 12 that talked about how ****ty it was that he never got recognition and ran with it. Second, all you're essentially saying is "This is a Tesla pity thread, and I have no pity for him because at least he survived and everyone else died in the war".

Is that really the point you took away from this thread, and is that really your intellectual contribution to it?

Tesla is one of my personal heroes and Edison a perfect example of a Corporate scumbag. His legacy is GE. I have read that the FBI seized all of Tesla's paperwork and files upon his death and they've never been released. I'm not certain it's true and the files should have gone to his heirs. I think the Niagara power project on the Canadian side of the Falls is a Tesla project. There is a plaque there honoring him. One of his experiments burned up his sponsor's dynamo in a Colorado Springs Generating station, so it was not all peaches and cream. Tesla did get a million dollar payment from an early oligarch, but I can't remember which one, Sylvania or Vanderbilt or ?

 

[loader]

Then you don't understand what his contributions were. To name a few:

Alternating current - Our entire electrical distribution system is using alternating current. Before him, we were using DC, which had massive issues for long range transmission. Essentially a DC power plant had to be on every street block instead of one AC power plant in every city. Without AC, only a tiny fraction of the things we've be able to do would be possible.

Wireless transmission - He is the original inventor of wireless transmission (like radio). He however was not the type to file or aggressively follow patents so Marconi got the credit years later.

X-ray technology - He was the first to use x-rays for medical imaging and other uses.

Fluorescent light bulbs - A HUGE improvement over Edison's bulbs, making light bulbs cheap and reliable.

The electric motor - I don't even need to explain the significance of this.

Lasers - He was the first to harness lazers for scientific purposes

Robotics - He was a pioneer in the field of robotics.

Remote control - A branch off of wireless transmission, so that we can control things from a distance.

Radar - Used in weather, military, and civilian applications all over the world.

In addition to these, there are hundreds of his inventions that we still use every single day. There isn't an electrical device in your house that isn't running on his technology. To top all of that off, he was a philanthropist. He truly wanted to better mankind, and when he once found out that one of his patents was going to put someone out of business, he ripped it up and let him continue. He died poor and under-appreciated. There is not a single person in history that furthered the fields of electricity and electronics further than Tesla.

Without him, technology would be at least a decade behind what it is today, if not a whole lot more. He was one of the greatest minds in human history, a philanthropist, and the best engineer to walk the face of the earth. Precisely why he's my avatar and my personal hero.

Why do you like to do for yourself an idol? Tesla was a great inventor, but only "AC" is well documented.
And that alone is enough to call him Great. But electric cars "Tesla", sad ****.:lol:

 

[RabidAlpaca]

Why do you like to do for yourself an idol? Tesla was a great inventor, but only "AC" is well documented.
And that alone is enough to call him Great. But electric cars "Tesla", sad ****.:lol:

This post was incoherent. Please correct the grammar to make it understandable and try again.

 

[loader]

This post was incoherent. Please correct the grammar to make it understandable and try again.

Turn your brain on, can help.

 

[RabidAlpaca]

Turn your brain on, can help.

Let's take a look then, shall we?

Why do you like to do for yourself an idol?

^^ This sentence is incoherent, and has no meaning in the English language. I realize you're not a native speaker, but don't try to act indignant when someone asks you to explain yourself.

But electric cars "Tesla", sad ****.:lol:

This is even more nonsense. It is not a complete sentence, nor even a complete thought.

If you have something to contribute to the conversation about Tesla instead of your incoherent rambling, do. Else, go troll somewhere else.

 

[loader]

Let's take a look then, shall we?


^^ This sentence is incoherent, and has no meaning in the English language. I realize you're not a native speaker, but don't try to act indignant when someone asks you to explain yourself.



This is even more nonsense. It is not a complete sentence, nor even a complete thought.

If you have something to contribute to the conversation about Tesla instead of your incoherent rambling, do. Else, go troll somewhere else.

Internet is like Special Olympics. Even if you win, you still remain a jerk. You need an interpreter?

 

[Spartacus FPV]

Because no one else has posted it:

 

[Oftencold]

First, you took ONE frame out of like 12 that talked about how ****ty it was that he never got recognition and ran with it. Second, all you're essentially saying is "This is a Tesla pity thread, and I have no pity for him because at least he survived and everyone else died in the war".

Is that really the point you took away from this thread, and is that really your intellectual contribution to it?

Hey, I left out his desire to have "undesirables" sterilized and his bizarre misogyny.

Geeze! He wasn't a very nice man, you know. Are you certain that you're not admiring the Myth, as opposed to the man? We have the same problem about people's adoration of the Lincoln Myth, instead of a proper bleak appraisal to the Tyrant himself.

Making Nikola Tesla a Saint Makes Us All Dumber

Fat-Shaming Eugenicist Will Get His Own Statue in Silicon Valley

Nikola Tesla and the Myth of the Lone Inventor

 

[RabidAlpaca]

Hey, I left out his desire to have "undesirables" sterilized and his bizarre misogyny.

Geeze! He wasn't a very nice man, you know. Are you certain that you're not admiring the Myth, as opposed to the man? We have the same problem about people's adoration of the Lincoln Myth, instead of a proper bleak appraisal to the Tyrant himself.

Making Nikola Tesla a Saint Makes Us All Dumber

Fat-Shaming Eugenicist Will Get His Own Statue in Silicon Valley

Nikola Tesla and the Myth of the Lone Inventor

I'm not going to flat out say these are false, but it looks shady. All 3 of your links are from a single Gizmodo author, and he offers one source for all three, which is a Smithsonian article that quotes an interview with a convicted Nazi propogandist.

Source: As a German-American living in New York, Viereck was a rather notorious propagandist for the Nazi regime and was tried and imprisoned in 1942 for failing to register with the U.S. government as such.

Sorry, but I'll need a lot more evidence than that to condemn a man.

 

[Oftencold]

I'm not going to flat out say these are false, but it looks shady. All 3 of your links are from a single Gizmodo author, and he offers one source for all three, which is a Smithsonian article that quotes an interview with a convicted Nazi propogandist.



Sorry, but I'll need a lot more evidence than that to condemn a man.

But I don't want you to condemn him!

I'm not even sure how we got so far out in the weeds on this. My point -- I think, is just that as a people, we choose odd people to see as heroic and tragic figures, and maybe he isn't the same as his myth.

Have you seen what happens around here when I take on the Lincoln Myth?

 

[RabidAlpaca]

But I don't want you to condemn him!

I'm not even sure how we got so far out in the weeds on this. My point -- I think, is just that as a people, we choose odd people to see as heroic and tragic figures, and maybe he isn't the same as his myth.

Have you seen what happens around here when I take on the Lincoln Myth?

I feel like you've still missed the point altogether. Tesla isn't the hero of so many people because of his political views, nor is this a pity thread. I don't have any pity for him at all, I admire him. He lived the life he wanted to live, and if he had wanted to be rich, he would've been one of the richest human beings of his century.

He had an incredible gift for engineering and an insatiable passion for it to match. He put improving science and the benefit of mankind over wealth, and he loved what he did. THAT is why he's my hero. I'm an engineer and I strive to be a fraction of the engineer he was.

 

[Oftencold]

I feel like you've still missed the point altogether. Tesla isn't the hero of so many people because of his political views, nor is this a pity thread. I don't have any pity for him at all, I admire him. He lived the life he wanted to live, and if he had wanted to be rich, he would've been one of the richest human beings of his century.

He had an incredible gift for engineering and an insatiable passion for it to match. He put improving science and the benefit of mankind over wealth, and he loved what he did. THAT is why he's my hero. I'm an engineer and I strive to be a fraction of the engineer he was.

An engineer in what field?

As I said Tesla may well have been brilliant, but he also was working with electricity at a a time numerous innovations were a lot easier to develop.

If one is working with direct current for very long, one is probably going to wonder what happens when the polarity of the current is rapidly alternated, for instance. I mention this in light of your contention that compared to someone else you're a lesser engineer. Part of what makes an engineer, researcher or scientist great, is the serendipity of the moment, and a culmination of other people's work.


To illustrate a similar situations in other fields, one could ask, "who would Winston Churchill have been in a century of peace?" Or who would ever have "heiled" Adolf Schicklgruber as we're told that Hitler's name nearly wound up being. Please to not sell yourself so short.