Author: David J. Kent

David J. Kent is an Abraham Lincoln historian, a former scientist, and an avid traveler. He is the author of books on Abraham Lincoln, Nikola Tesla, and Thomas Edison. His website is www.davidjkent-writer.com.
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Tesla and Lincoln’s 2014 Schedule is Starting to Take Shape

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David J. KentSo 2013 was an incredible year, and 2014 is already looking like it will be even more incredible. Later this month I’ll take a look back on all that has happened this past year. Meanwhile, my event schedule for 2014 is starting to take shape. Here are just a few of the events already on the calendar for the first six to eight months:

January

4th – Eric Foner dinner: The noted Abraham Lincoln historian will receive the Lincoln Award from the Lincoln Group of the District of Columbia. We’ll have a special dinner at the historic Willard Hotel in Washington DC. Foner’s many books on Abraham Lincoln include The Fiery Trial: Abraham Lincoln and American Slavery, which won several major awards including the Pulitzer, Lincoln, and Bancroft Prizes.

11th – Tesla Memorial Conference: For the second year in a row I will be attending the annual Nikola Tesla conference sponsored by the Tesla Science Foundation and the New Yorker Hotel. More details to come but see here for recaps of the 2013 conference.

18th – Lincoln Group Book Club: Monthly meeting to discuss Herndon’s Lincoln, Ford’s Theater Educational Center.

February

2 weeks mid-month – Travel to Argentina. I’m still coordinating arrangements with a long-time Argentinian friend of mine, but it looks like a couple of weeks of hiking, fishing, kayaking, glacier hopping, etc. along the eastern ridge of the Andes in Patagonia and eventually all the way down to Ushuaia in the Tierra del Fuego region.

March

End of month – Have completed Lincoln book proposal in my agent’s hands (if not earlier)

April

24th – 26th – Attend American Society of Journalists and Authors (ASJA) conference in New York City.

27th – 28th – Attend Chesapeake-Potomac Regional Chapter (CPRC) conference in Maryland. [as Past-President]

May

End of month – Planned release of Nikola Tesla and Renewable Energy e-book. More details soon!

June

haew narok waterfall 3? – What is this…nothing on my calendar yet for June? I’ll need to do something about that soon.

July

1st – Release of second printing of Tesla: The Wizard of Electricity by Sterling Publishing.

7th – Brown bag lecture at the Ipswich Museum in Ipswich, MA. In addition to being the featured speaker I’ll have books available for sale and signing.

8th – 10th – Annual Tesla Days in Philadelphia. A multi-day series of events celebrating the birthday of Nikola Tesla. Check here for information on the 2013 event.

July – September

In addition to the events listed above, and with the second printing (of double the initial print run) due in Barnes and Noble stores in July, I will likely be doing a series of speaking events. Stay tuned for more information, and check back frequently to my Tesla Events and Speaking Engagements page for updates. Perhaps a west coast swing? Perhaps Serbia? I’m open to ideas.

David J. Kent is the author of Tesla: The Wizard of Electricity. You can order a signed copy directly from me, download the ebook at barnesandnoble.com, and find hard copies exclusively at Barnes and Noble bookstores.

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Preview of Tennessee Road Trip

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I’m currently in the middle of a road trip sandwich. Off to the big apple today (perhaps a pastrami on rye at Katz’s Deli) and not long returned from a trip down the road to Tennessee and environs (where I had pulled pork on a bun). I’ll come back with some details and more photos later, but for now here’s a quick preview of the Tennessee road trip that included two National Parks, two Aquariums, two sets of caves, two days at SETAC, and too many times in and out of Tennessee.

Conceptually, the trip was planned as a multi-day drive down through the Shenandoah’s, the Blue Ridge, and into the Great Smoky Mountains. The first part started off with good weather, but by the time we reached the Blue Ridge Parkway the meaning of “Great Smoky” came clearly into view. By which I mean to say that there was no “clearly”…and no “view.”

Backing up a bit we first stopped at the Natural Bridge just north of Roanoke, Virginia. The Bridge is a rather cool natural rock archway that most people drive over without ever noticing the valley below. Since this is a preview I’ll give you the long view for now. In a later post I’ll revisit to talk about the surveyor – some guy named George Washington – leaving his initials in the rock face.

Natural Bridge Long View

As I mentioned, the Smoky Mountains gave us a good example of why they are called the Great Smoky Mountains. I did get a chance to hike the Appalachian Trail for the third or fourth time. Granted it was a very small part of the Trail, but the Trail nonetheless.

Appalachian Trail Great Smoky Mountains

A night in Gatlinburg proved more interesting than expected. The fact that there is an aquarium in the mountains of Tennessee is odd enough, but the fact that it was a Ripley’s aquarium gives a hint of what you can expect in the town. The aquarium turned out to be wonderful, but it looked like Ripley’s (of Believe it or Not! fame) had turned the main street into a bizarre entertainment strip. We’ll come back to that later.

Ripley's Aquarium of the Smokies - Gatlinburg TN

Let’s see, Tennessee borders on Kentucky, right? So the natural next step was to drive all the way through the state to Cave City, KY for the world famous Mammoth Caves. At 390 miles of tunnels (and still counting), Mammoth is the longest cave system in the world.

Mammoth Caves network of tunnels

Back to Tennessee. After all, the impetus for the trip was to attend the annual SETAC meeting in Nashville. I spent most of the three days there chatting with other attendees; even sold nearly a dozen books. Alas, that time went fast and we were off to Huntsville, Alabama, home to a large Apollo-era space center.

Saturn V rocket - Huntsville AL

Seeing a Saturn V rocket next to the highway brought me back to the old days when I kept a scrapbook of the Apollo missions. But even more thought-provoking is the realization that the rocket is 363 feet tall, 33 feet in diameter, and has 3 stages – all numbers divisible by 3. Nikola Tesla would have loved it!

Back to Tennessee. And yes, about this time we saw yet another sign welcoming us back to the Volunteer state as the road trip took us from VA to TN to NC to TN to KY to TN to AL to TN to VA. Since I had been in Memphis years ago I think I now have Tennessee fully covered. In any case, this leg took us to Chattanooga for, you guessed it, yet another major aquarium. But here we also did some Civil War-era sightseeing. First, up the cliffs to the top of Lookout Mountain, center of a famous Civil War battle.

Lookout Mountain, Chattanooga TN

Then back down about half way to Ruby Falls, a 145-foot tall waterfall that is completely underground. Not only do you take an elevator down nearly 300 feet, but as you walk the half mile through the caves the mountain rises above you so that the Falls are nearly 1200 feet below the surface. For now, here’s the above-ground to whet your appetite.

Ruby Falls, Chattanooga TN

That’s enough for now. I’ll do future posts on the major stops and include some of the amazing photos. You won’t want to miss the Ruby Falls photo! [Or the interesting solar power angle]

Hey, is that Ashanti at the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree lighting? Cool.

David J. Kent is the author of Tesla: The Wizard of Electricity. You can order a signed copy directly from me, download the ebook at barnesandnoble.com, and find hard copies exclusively at Barnes and Noble bookstores.

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Did Nikola Tesla Play a Practical Joke on Mark Twain’s Birthday?

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Mark Twain 1909 Wiki CommonsNovember 30th is the birthday of Mark Twain, the nom de plume of Samuel Langhorne Clemens. Known for his wit and books featuring unforgettable characters such as Tom Sawyer, Huckleberry Finn, and the “Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County,” Mark Twain was also a good friend of Nikola Tesla. So good that Tesla decided to have a little fun with him one day in his laboratory.

Tesla enjoyed many delightful evenings at dinner parties thrown at the fine Lexington Avenue brownstone of poet and editor Robert Underwood Johnson and his beautiful wife, Katharine. Among the “wide range of famous and lively luminaries” that adorned the Johnson’s home were Samuel Clemens, naturalist John Muir, and various musicians, actors, and actresses that routinely graced the New York stages. For his part, Tesla would regale the others with recitations of both poetry and his inventions, and commonly the evening would end with Mark Twain, Rudyard Kipling, Anton Dvořák or other guests following Tesla back to his laboratory to witness firsthand some of his electrical marvels.

One day Mark Twain dropped by the laboratory and Tesla decided to have a little fun with him. He asked Twain to step up on a small platform and then set the thing vibrating with his oscillator. Twain was thrilled by the gentle sensations running through his body.

“This gives you vigor and vitality,” he exclaimed.

After a short time Tesla warned Twain that he better come down now or risk the consequences.

“Not by a jugfull,” insisted Twain, “I am enjoying myself.”

Continuing to extol on the wonderful feeling for several more minutes Twain suddenly stopped talking. Looking pleadingly at Tesla he yelled:

“Quick, Tesla! Where is it?”

“Right over there,” Tesla responded calmly. Off Twain rushed to the restroom, embarrassed by his condition. Tesla smiled; the laxative effect of the vibrator was well known to the chuckling laboratory staff.

Mark Twain in Tesla's Laboratory

Mark Twain in Tesla’s Laboratory

Mark Twain and Nikola Tesla remained friends until Samuel Clemens’ death in 1910. Tesla lived on to 1943. Shortly before his own death in a lonely two-room suite at the New Yorker Hotel, Tesla was thinking of his old friend. While he had become a naturalized American citizen over a half-century earlier, Tesla’s cremated remains now rest in a spherical “Tesla ball”–shaped urn at the Nikola Tesla Museum in Belgrade.

For his part, Samuel Clemens knew how to make an entrance – and an exit – in style. He was born in a year where Halley’s Comet buzzed the Earth, and died at age 74 the very next time Halley’s Comet returned to our view. While we’ll always remember Clemens’ alter ego of Mark Twain, we’re just now rediscovering his friend and practical joke player, Nikola Tesla.

5 Things You Didn’t Know about Nikola Tesla

David J. Kent is the author of Tesla: The Wizard of Electricity (2013) and Edison: The Inventor of the Modern World (2016) (both Fall River Press). He has also written two e-books: Nikola Tesla: Renewable Energy Ahead of Its Time and Abraham Lincoln and Nikola Tesla: Connected by Fate. His next book is on Abraham Lincoln, due out in 2017.

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Exciting News about Tesla: The Wizard of Electricity

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Tesla: The Wizard of ElectricityI’ve been incredibly thankful to everyone who has helped make Tesla: The Wizard of Electricity a success. And now there are even more thanks deserved. Yesterday my editor at Sterling Publishing informed me that they will issue a second printing of the book. My literary agent, Marilyn Allen, probably captured the moment the best, and most succinctly, when she responded with: “AWESOME.”

Sales have been outstanding in the four months since it was released – over 9,000 of the 10,000 books printed have flown off the shelves! That in itself is exciting because the initial print run was larger than normal for non-fiction books (especially non-fiction books about obscure, long-dead, scientists). And while the books were initially featured prominently in Barnes and Noble stores at an incredibly affordable price, they have become harder to find as the warehouse emptied out and individual stores sold out their stock. Books also weren’t available directly on Amazon.com, which is, after all, where many people buy most of their books these days. Still, sales continue to be consistently strong, and on top of the hard copy sales there have also been substantial sales of the e-book on barnesandnoble.com.

David J. Kent

Even more exciting is that the publisher is so confident the books will continue to sell well, they’ve scheduled the second printing to be double the size of the initial, that is, 20,000 books. As a book that backlists well (i.e., doesn’t get outdated), Sterling expects the book to sell for many years to come. Who knows, maybe we’ll get a third printing (and fourth? and fifth?).

And if all of that wasn’t enough, the publisher is planning to release the book in July 2014, just in time for Nikola Tesla’s birthday. Sterling plans a “back-to-school” promotion, which is undefined at the moment but would likely include some book signings and other events. I’ll keep you posted.

Thank you all for supporting me and the book so wholeheartedly. It’s because of you that Tesla: The Wizard of Electricity has been so successful. The hunger of the public for information about Nikola Tesla has been very gratifying. As can be seen by the topics of my posts on this website, there currently is an incredible amount of activity and interest about Tesla. As Tesla himself once said:

“The present is theirs; the future, for which I really worked, is mine.”

It seems the future has arrived.

Which leads to some additional news. I’ve been approached by the director of the Ipswich Museum in my home town. They would like me to schedule a brown-bag lunch presentation at the museum sometime in 2014. I’m also working on a new Tesla book focused on his interest in what today we call “renewable energy.” I’ll have more details on both of these in later posts, as well as information on how to subscribe to a newsletter I expect to begin producing early in the new year.

Exciting times, these!

David J. Kent is the author of Tesla: The Wizard of Electricity. You can order a signed copy directly from me, download the ebook at barnesandnoble.com, and find hard copies exclusively at Barnes and Noble bookstores.

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Nikola Tesla Augmented Reality App by Brian Yetzer

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Nikola TeslaNikola Tesla is one of the coolest inventors that ever lived. And now there is an even cooler way to learn more about him – augmented reality.

What is augmented reality? According to Brian Yetzer, digital artist, designer, and educator, augmented reality (AR) is:

 

…a live, direct or indirect, view of a physical, real-world environment whose elements are augmented by computer-generated sensory input such as sound, video, graphics or GPS data…the technology functions by enhancing one’s current perception of reality.

You got a taste of Brian’s augmented reality treatment of Nikola Tesla at the Exton Public Library event earlier this month (check out the second video). He is currently developing an augmented reality app as part of the upcoming traveling exhibit called Tesla: Past. Present. Future. The traveling exhibit is being sponsored by the Tesla Science Foundation. According to Brian, the app will help accomplish the three project objectives:

  • Educate the public about Nikola Tesla, an unsung hero of the 20th century and his vision of a world with free, renewable energy.
  • Bring awareness to our current energy crisis and our need to harness it safely and responsibly. Nikola Tesla was one of the first green energy proponents.
  • Engage smart phone and tablet users in the latest in mobile technology and interactive techniques.

Of course, there is much more than the app involved. At the Exton event there were three posters featuring Nikola Tesla-related images. One was the Wardenclyffe Tower, another Tesla’s famous chair pose, and the other a stylized, almost psychedelic, series of floating Tesla coils. Embedded in the posters are codes that bring the images to life via “interactive 3D animation and video playback superimposed over a real-world environment.” In addition, Brian is “producing augmented reality Tesla coil t-shirts and printable 3D models of the Nikola Tesla bust, Tesla coil, and Wardenclyffe Tower.”

Brian Yetzer

All of this is incredibly cool (just like Nikola Tesla).

You can find out more about the project by checking out Brian’s Indiegogo campaign. Feel free to share Brian’s campaign info, or you can simply share this article on Facebook, LinkedIn, etc. I, for one, am looking forward to this innovative way to share knowledge of Nikola Tesla with a new generation of youth. Who knows – one may get inspired by Tesla just like Google founder Larry Page did.

David J. Kent is the author of Tesla: The Wizard of Electricity. You can order a signed copy directly from me, download the ebook at barnesandnoble.com, and find hard copies exclusively at Barnes and Noble bookstores.

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Book Review – [Abraham] Lincoln’s Lost Speech by Elwell Crissey

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Crissey Lincoln's Lost SpeechAbraham Lincoln once gave a speech that was so awe-inspiring that all the reporters there forgot to write it down. Sounds implausible, right? Ah, but it’s actually true.  Elwell Crissey takes us back to May 29, 1856 with “Lincoln’s Lost Speech: The Pivot of His Career.” And despite the little problem of not having a record of the actual speech, Crissey does a great job enlivening the whole event surrounding its presentation.

In 1856 Lincoln had been out of politics for several years following his one term as a US Congressman. He had made a comfortable law practice back in Springfield, Illinois, and it seemed his political career, once promising, had waned into a memory. And then came the Kansas-Nebraska Act. The Act, which was introduced by his old friend and rival Stephen A. Douglas and became law in 1854, effectively repealed the Missouri Compromise, thus opening up the west and north to the potential, and likely, spread of slavery. According to Lincoln, “the repeal of the Missouri Compromise aroused me again.”

And arouse him it did. Lincoln attended the convention in Bloomington, Illinois that started the Republican Party by pulling together old Whigs, Free Soilers, Abolitionists, Democrats and anyone else that found slavery to be abhorrent. At first calling themselves the Anti-Nebraska party, many politicians and other dignitaries stirred each other to action. At first not on the speaking schedule, friends cajoled Lincoln into speaking at 5:30 pm after the convention was officially closed. Expecting a light-hearted finish to the day, Lincoln surprised everyone with a powerful and passionate speech vehemently decrying slavery.  According to all accounts, Lincoln startled the 1500 attendees by building up a fervent and animated chastisement of the Kansas-Nebraska act and warning that slavery must not be allowed to split the Union, and surely it would be split if slavery were to spread further into free territory. The usual adjectives applied to Lincoln…”silent” “taciturn” “reserved” “reticent”…were replaced by “blazing” “wrath” “maddened.”

Many of the attendees agreed on one line, “We will say to the Southern Disunionists, We won’t go out of the Union, and you SHAN’T,” offered passionately near the end of his 90-minute speech.

But that’s about all that everyone could agree on. Lincoln’s speech was so unexpected and so impassioned that everyone including the journalists were enthralled to the point of forgetting to take notes. So no verifiable record of his entire speech exists. One supposed verbatim transcription published 40 years later has been largely written off as fantasy. A few reports of the gist of the speech came from those who attended (which included the grandfather of the book’s author).

One thing on which all can agree is that the speech changed Lincoln’s life and helped vault the Republican Party from its nascent state into adulthood. It reinvigorated Lincoln’s political career – he received 110 votes on the first ballot to be the Vice-Presidential candidate just 2 months later. It helped leap him into contention for the Senate race against Stephen A. Douglas in 1858 and eventually, in 1860, the first Republican president of the United States.

Crissey’s book provides great insight into the state of the political debate over slavery during the decade leading up to the Civil War, and speculates as to what Lincoln actually said and the people who were present to hear him. The book dates back to 1967, but the writing is fluid and entertaining, and the information presented about this critical period in time is priceless.

David J. Kent is the author of Tesla: The Wizard of Electricity. You can order a signed copy directly from me, download the ebook at barnesandnoble.com, and find hard copies exclusively at Barnes and Noble bookstores. He is currently working on a book about Abraham Lincoln.

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Book Review – The Discovery of Global Warming by Spencer R. Weart

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Spencer Weart The Discovery of Global WarmingSpencer Weart takes us on a journey into the past.  In The Discovery of Global Warming, Weart provides a history of the science that has now come to be known as Anthropomorphic Global Warming (AGW), or more simply, man-made climate change. And in doing so he demonstrates just how robust and voluminous is the scientific case for human induced climate change.

He begins by recounting the early discoveries by such well-known names as Joseph Fourier, Guy Stewart Callendar, John Tyndall and Svante Arrhenius.  Lesser known but also providing significant contributions to the developing science include such scientists as James Croll, Vladimir Verdansky, Charles Greeley Abbot, Milutin Milankovitch, Gilbert Plass, Hans Suess, David Keeling and many others.  As he takes us through the years in come names such as Roger Revelle, Wally Broecker, J. Murray Mitchell, Ed Lorenz, and on to names more familiar to us in the modern day like Stephen Schneider, James Hansen, Gavin Schmidt and Michael Mann.  In all, Weart reviewed a thousand studies and says that each study has 10 more like it and 10 more beyond that.

Weart’s narrative gives us a sense of the trials and tribulations of early scientists trying to make sense of myriad observations as they tested hypothesis after hypothesis.  Was the Earth warming or cooling? What influences were there from sunspots, volcanoes, aerosols and particulates?  How to deal with uncertainties and feedback mechanisms? We see how the science developed piece by piece in fits and starts as scientists first worked on the periphery of fields tangential to their own, then eventually realizing that the growing awareness of climate was inter- and multidisciplinary. All of these questions being addressed as technology advanced from doing calculations by hand through early computers to the supercomputers used today.  From simple measurements using thermometers to satellites that scan the globe day and night.

As the case for man-made climate change grew there became a need for an way to synthesis the thousands of studies into a cohesive summary of the state-of-the-science.  And so the IPCC was born.  As more data came in and was compiled the conclusions moved from “discernible effects” to “unequivocal warming” and “very likely” (90-99% certainty) that is was being caused by humans.  Data since the last report has not only made the case for a human cause even more certain, the rate and magnitude of change is even greater than previously thought.

Anyone interested in global warming/climate change would do well to read this book.  It provides a valuable history of the development of the science, and demonstrates without a doubt the robustness of the scientific consensus that the planet is warming and that human activity is the main contributor.  As Weart himself says, “the few who contest these facts are either ignorant or so committed to their viewpoint that they will seize on any excuse to deny the risk.” The science is unequivocal; whether we act is our choice.  A choice that has major ramifications for our future and the futures of our children and grandchildren.

David J. Kent is the author of Tesla: The Wizard of Electricity. You can order a signed copy directly from me, download the ebook at barnesandnoble.com, and find hard copies exclusively at Barnes and Noble bookstores. He is currently working on a book about Abraham Lincoln.

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Book Review – Lincoln at Cooper Union by Harold Holzer

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Harold Holzer Lincoln at Cooper UnionOne would think the book’s subtitle “The speech that made Abraham Lincoln President,” would set up an unattainable expectation of greatness.  After all, how could a book hold a candle to a great speech?  Or perhaps the speech wasn’t so great after all and the author merely wanted to sell more books.  And yet, I was wonderfully surprised to see that this really was an exceptional book about an exceptional speech.

Harold Holzer is a world renowned expert on Abraham Lincoln and the Civil War.  He has won several awards for the numerous books he has authored, co-authored, edited or co-edited on this the most widely studied President in our history.  Holzer takes us back to February 1860, a few months before the convention that would nominate Abraham Lincoln on the Republican ticket for President.  He examines the opportunity given to Lincoln to speak in New York City, where powerful men like Horace Greeley are looking to put forth an alternative to New York’s favorite son, William Seward.  Through the negotiations of when and where – and the ultimate surprise upon arrival to find the location had been moved from Brooklyn to Manhattan – Holzer shows a remarkable ability to build tension and anticipation leading to the actual speech itself.  He gives us a taste of a time, that in the days before movies and television and 24-hour internet, men were drawn to great speakers, especially of the political variety.

And a great speech it was.  With several chapters leading up to the speech, Holzer helps us see the intricate research and effort Lincoln exerted over several months to preparing what he felt, presciently so, was to be the most important speech in his life.  One chapter is assigned the duty of parsing the intricate language of this 90-minute magnum opus.  As Holzer so captivatingly relates, the speech consists of three main sections: the first a historical accounting of the founder’s beliefs regarding slavery.  Lincoln takes a line from a speech given by his long-time rival from Illinois, Senator Stephen Douglas, in which he says “Our fathers, when they framed the Government under which we live, understood this question just as well, and even better, than we do now.”  With these words repeated over and over in his speech at Cooper Union, Lincoln cleverly recounts the votes that in toto demonstrate convincingly that the founders of our country believed that the federal government did, in fact, have the right and the obligation to restrict the spread of slavery into the new territories.  In the second section, Lincoln addresses himself directly to “the Southern people,” whom he knows will not hear his speech, all while cleverly speaking to northern Republicans whose support he needs.  The third, and shortest section, asserts that Republicans cannot relinquish their principle that slavery is wrong just to placate the South, and ends with his now famous line: “Let us have faith that right makes might, and in that faith, let us, to the end, dare to do our duty as we understand it.”

I read the full speech in the appendix before reading the rest of the book, then again – this time out loud, as if giving it myself – after finishing the chapter explaining its significance.  While the speech as read is superb in itself, it is when spoken out loud as an oration that it gains its ultimate power.  Holzer has captured this masterpiece with his own masterpiece.  This book is a must read for anyone interested in Abraham Lincoln, history, or simply the power of a well prepared speech.

David J. Kent is an avid science traveler and the author of Lincoln: The Man Who Saved America, in Barnes and Noble stores now. His previous books include Tesla: The Wizard of Electricity and Edison: The Inventor of the Modern World and two e-books: Nikola Tesla: Renewable Energy Ahead of Its Time and Abraham Lincoln and Nikola Tesla: Connected by Fate.

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Part 2 – Photos and Videos from Tesla Presentation at Chester County Library, Exton, PA

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This is Part 2 of my report on the November 3rd Nikola Tesla presentations of various artists, writers, and filmmakers at the Chester County Library in Exton, PA. If you haven’t seen it already, go back and read Part 1 here. I finished up Part 1 by mentioning that I talked about my book, Tesla: The Wizard of Electricity.

David J. Kent

Other highlights of the event include two videos and “Astronomusic” by Laura Woodswalker Todd, a videographer and electronic musician who lives in Phoenixville, PA. “Light Worker” and “Tesla Tower” are music video tributes to Nikola Tesla that employ synthesizers and computer software to express artistic visions. Laura also joined Howard Lipman as they demonstrated the Steampunk Wand along with a Tesla-inspired electronic instrument called the theremin.

Laura Woodswalker Todd

Howard, who superbly emceed the event, narrated a compendium video showing how Tesla had influenced science fiction going back to the 1920s. In fact, Hugo Gernsback, a close friend of Nikola Tesla, often used Tesla and his inventions as models for his Amazing Stories science fiction magazine beginning in 1926. Howard then regaled us with readings from one of his Tesla-inspired fiction books. Writing as PanOrpheus, Howard read from Tesla’s Light Bulb, due out in December 2013.

Howard Lipman aka PanOrpheus

Next up were demonstrations of various Tesla devices by Adolphe Alexander and Harry Oung. Some of us took turns demonstrating the spark gap and lighting a fluorescent bulb without wires. Ready for a cool video? Ru Sun demonstrates how to do it.

But that’s not all. We were joined by Brian Yetzer of Yetzer Studios who is developing the next generation of “augmented reality.” What appeared to be simple poster artwork for most of the event became much much more as Brian turned his iPad to the image. It turns out the poster is embedded with code that can be read by special software in Brian’s tablet…and viola! Emerging from the screen were working models of Tesla inventions and descriptions of how they all work, which makes for an exhilarating communication experience. Brian will be crowdfunding the next step of his enterprise – creating an App – so come back here for more information. Meanwhile, check out this video.

After more than three hours of Tesla talk and discussions the library staff came to shoo us out of the room for the next users, but it’s safe to say that the participants thoroughly enjoyed the gathering. I know I had a great time. And on top of that I sold a few books, some of which Tesla Science Foundation founder Nikola Lonchar will use for TSF give-aways in the future. I was happy to be a part of this experience. See you all in New York in January.

David J. Kent is the author of Tesla: The Wizard of Electricity. You can order a signed copy directly from me, download the ebook at barnesandnoble.com, and find hard copies exclusively at Barnes and Noble bookstores.

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Part 1 – Photos and Videos from Tesla Presentation at Chester County Library, Exton, PA

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For those who couldn’t make the November 3rd presentations of various artists, writers, and filmmakers in Exton, I’ve put together the following set of photos and videos. The Chester County Library, with fantastic coordination by Kristen Cassidy and superb hosting by author Howard Lipman, was the location of the event. The library provided us a room on the second floor where for three hours Howard directed the showing of videos, discussions of Tesla-inspired books and artwork, and made some incredible lightning bolts shoot from one side of the large room to the other.

Library sign, photo by Ru Sun

Okay, I made that last part up. We did have Tesla coils set up and some cool sparking demonstrations, but they didn’t actually fill the room with lightning. More on that later.

We started with a series of videos and audio presentations introducing Nikola Tesla to the participants. The first was a video created and distributed by Tesla’s Ambassadors, a Facebook-based group designed to “honour and respect the achievements of the great genius Nikola Tesla.” Check out this “Nikola Tesla Style” video from Tesla’s Ambassadors.

Also showing was a video by award-winning filmmaker Joseph Sikorski called Tower to the People: Tesla’s Dream at Wardenclyffe Continues, created to help promote the development of a science center at Tesla’s old laboratory, Wardenclyffe.

Tower to the People

And we couldn’t pass up the chance to see the video viewed by over 16 million people on YouTube, Nikola Tesla vs Thomas Edison: Epic Rap Battles of History.

After the videos it was my turn. I talked about my book, Tesla: The Wizard of Electricity, and then led a wide-ranging discussion that delved into Tesla’s support for renewable energy (which, BTW, is the topic of my next book), his friendships with Mark Twain and John Muir, and how just perfect it was to have David Bowie play Tesla in the movie, The Prestige. [I told you it was wide-ranging]

There was much, much more, but since this is already getting long I’ll arbitrarily stop here and make this “Part 1” and then follow up shortly with “Part 2,” which will include more cool videos and photos. Be sure to check back for, to quote Paul Harvey, “the rest of the story.”

See Part 2 here.

More information on upcoming Tesla events and speaking engagements.

David J. Kent is the author of Tesla: The Wizard of Electricity. You can order a signed copy directly from me, download the ebook at barnesandnoble.com, and find hard copies exclusively at Barnes and Noble bookstores.

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