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Tesla vs Edison – Round Two (The Big Announcement)

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Tesla vs Edison cartoonThose following this page know that I wrote a biography of famed Serbian-American inventor Nikola Tesla in 2013. Tesla: The Wizard of Electricity has gone on to become a great success. In fact, the third printing is due in Barnes and Noble stores this month (February 2015), which will help reach even more tens of thousands of people.

Every Tesla fan knows that he and Thomas Edison had a love/hate relationship. Initially colleagues and friends, they became rivals as Tesla hooked up with George Westinghouse to advance alternating current (AC) while Edison was deeply invested in direct current (DC). The chapter “A Man Always at War” in my Tesla book is filled with stories about the war of the currents.

Now it’s time for the another perspective.

I am happy to announce that Fall River Press, the imprint of Sterling Publishing that published Tesla: The Wizard of Electricity, has asked me to write a similarly styled book on none other than Thomas Edison!

Yes, that Thomas Edison.

Current wars

Edison, of course, was well established as an inventor before Tesla arrived in New York. The new book will examine Edison’s life, his successful inventions, his failures, and his perspective on the war of the currents. The book will also delve into Edison’s invention factories in Menlo Park and West Orange, New Jersey, as well as his friendships – and rivalries – with some of the great personages of the time. The intent is to show Edison’s trials and tribulations as well as his triumphs.

Previous biographies of Edison have given Nikola Tesla very little mention. My book on Edison will bring Tesla into the picture where appropriate.

I’ll be working on the book this year and Fall River Press is planning to release it some time in 2016. I’ll update as soon as I have a more concrete schedule.

As I work on the book I can’t help but envision actor Tom Cappadona as Thomas Edison. Cappadona played Edison in the 2013 off-Broadway play TESLA, the cast of which I had the privilege of visiting about a month before the play’s opening. As a guest of the director I got to see TESLA on opening night, where an overflow house gave a sustained and enthusiastic standing ovation at the end of the show. Tom Cappadona was superlative in the role of Thomas Edison, so it’s his face that inspires my writing of the great inventor. [He’s also my first choice to cover the title role in the highly unlikely event that the book becomes a Steven Spielberg film (hey, I can dream, right?).]

I’ll have more information as the book develops, but expect the same style as my Tesla book – snappy writing, great photos, and an interesting look at a complicated man.

David J. Kent is the author of Tesla: The Wizard of Electricity and the e-book Nikola Tesla: Renewable Energy Ahead of Its Time.

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Catching Up with Reality…What a Concept

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Reality…What a Concept. That was the name of a comedy album by the great Robin Williams. In some of my odder moments the phrase would pop into my head and, somehow, in ways that are better not examined too closely, everything made sense. Reality had a way of making the first week of February – indeed, the first month of 2015 – spin by so fast that the world got a little dizzying.

Hemingway's typewriterSo what has life been up to lately? Here on Science Traveler I did some science traveling into the lands of sea grass, alligators and iconic writers. I found out that Hemingway was a crazy cat lady (I kid you not). I also got to check out the cells that the four Lincoln conspirators hung out in (the four that weren’t hanged). And while my family and friends back home were dealing with sub-freezing temperatures, I was ogling Brazilian bikinis on South Beach (more on that later).

Tesla bobbleheadScience Traveler also delved into the science of Lincoln’s interest in, well, science. In particular his use of Euclid geometry in speeches and writings. And we looked at the science of Nikola Tesla the Pop Icon.

The Book JugglerHot White Snow reminisced about The Navy Man and the Poet, an homage to a known stranger and an unknown friend. And then there is The Juggler, which sounds like a good name for the next Batman villain but is actually an allegory for the frenetic pace of life at the moment.

peerreviewThe Dake Page took on two serious topics to help communicate science to the public. In this Age of Climate Denial: How Do You Tell a Reliable Blog from an Unreliable Blog? examines what makes a particular blog a good – or a bad – source of science. That is followed by Part 1 of a primer on How Peer Review Works…and Doesn’t Work. These two posts should help the public find accurate information on scientific topics, in particular, man-made climate change.

All of this is just the beginning. New science traveling plans are being negotiated. New books are in the works. And Abraham Lincoln’s birthday (and assassination 56 years later) are ready to take stage in a very big way over the next month and two and three. Oh, and the Patriots won the Super Bowl. Reality is indeed a concept.

Big announcement coming Monday, so be sure to check back!

David J. Kent has been a scientist for over thirty years, is an avid traveler, and an independent Lincoln researcher. He is the author of Tesla: The Wizard of Electricity and the e-book Nikola Tesla: Renewable Energy Ahead of Its Time.

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Of Alligators, Hemingway, and Lincoln Assassins

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As noted in my 2015 preview post, it’s time for some science traveling. First stop is up to my knees in alligators, some communing with the ghost (and drink) of Ernest Hemingway, and a visit to the home of four Lincoln assassination conspirators.

Yup, Florida.

Florida Keys

While I once gave a keynote lecture in Fort Lauderdale, I’ve somehow never made it into Miami. This trip will start with one afternoon and night in South Beach and Little Havana before heading out to Everglades National Park. The next two days will include some hiking, birding, touring, and other adventures in Shark Valley, the drive to Flamingo, and perhaps a slough or two. I’m sure there will be alligators, but I’m also hoping for a glimpse of the endangered Florida panther.

crocodile

The next two days will include treks out to Biscayne National Park and Key Largo, the latter of which always reminds me of the classic movie starring Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall. John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park is definitely on the list of activities, along with more birding and snorkeling.

And then on to Hemingway, which means Key West, of course. There will be plenty of stops on the smaller keys (and Big Pine Key), before reaching the end of the islands. Key West should give plenty of opportunity for viewing nature, not to mention viewing the nightlife along Duval Street.

Dry Tortugas

Ah, but this isn’t actually the end of the islands, is it? We’ll be boarding a float plane for the 70 mile flight over reefs, wrecks, and right whales to reach the Dry Tortugas National Park. Fort Jefferson, the park’s major feature, once held the four men convicted of the assassination of Abraham Lincoln (the four that were not hung, obviously). I’ve even been assigned a project – take photos of the site from the air and land for the Lincoln Archives Digital Project.

I’ll likely take a lot of photos during this trip and will update from the road if possible. Look for a fuller story and photos (and videos) when I return.

David J. Kent is an avid science traveler and the author of Lincoln: The Man Who Saved America, now available. His previous books include Tesla: The Wizard of Electricity and Edison: The Inventor of the Modern World (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.

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Rounding Up the Week in Science, Sushi, and Season

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The annual holiday season brings many recurring events – reflections on the year gone by, get-togethers with family and friends, and the inevitable gaining of a few extra pounds. It’s a busy time of year, but science and sushi continues unabated. In case you missed it, here’s a quick recap:

Dreaming of SushiHot White Snow featured two articles. Dreaming of Sushi reflects on a documentary about Jiro Ono, an octogenarian sushi master, whose exclusive restaurant in the Ginza is tops on my list next time I’m in Tokyo. That We Here Highly Resolve, inspired by Abraham Lincoln’s famous words in the Gettysburg Address, takes a look back at New Year’s resolutions…and a look forward to future plans.

Thomas Nast 1863 ChristmasLincoln’s Christmas gift – and the role of Santa Claus in Civil War propaganda – get some attention on the Smithsonian Civil War Studies online newsletter and here in Science Traveler. The gift – a coastal city in the South. The propaganda – Thomas Nast introduces the version of the jolly old elf that we’ve come to know so well today.

Half Dome from Glacier Point

Abraham Lincoln also played an important role in another icon of American history – the establishment of Yosemite National Park. Set aside by Lincoln in 1864, the Yosemite Grant provided federal protection for Yosemite Valley and the Mariposa Grove. Initially run by the new state of California, Yosemite later became a National Park through the efforts of John Muir and Robert Underwood Johnson.

You might recognize that last name. This is the same Robert Underwood Johnson who, as editor of Century Magazine, published the first serialization of Lincoln’s life by John Nicolay and John Hay. Johnson would also become close friends with a certain Nikola Tesla (as would Muir).

Wardencliffe Brick CertificateWhich gets us to Tesla in 2014 and Beyond. Nikola Tesla had a great year, including major progress on the rejuvenation of Wardenclyffe into a science center and museum. Science Traveler will be right there under your feet as you stroll the grounds after renovations are completed. Yes, I bought a brick for Nik. And you can too. You can also join Tesla fans and researchers at the 3rd Annual Tesla Memorial Conference coming up on January 11th in the New Yorker Hotel.

bluemarble12Climate Change got its own 2014 Year in Review on The Dake Page. It was a busy year indeed for the climate, with several major reports updated, some tentative but forward-looking gains made, and a historic agreement between China and the U.S., the two biggest carbon emitters across the globe. Ah, but major roadblocks still exist, not the least of which is how the media actually helps keep climate denial alive.

Finally, in a bit of sad news, I found out last night that one of my science teachers from high school passed away on Christmas day. Only last year did I reconnect with Rick Rafuse after many decades (along with other high school friends). His sudden passing is a shock. My condolences to his family and friends.

David J. Kent has been a scientist for over thirty years and is the author of Tesla: The Wizard of Electricity and the e-book Nikola Tesla: Renewable Energy Ahead of Its Time.

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Around the Blogs – Lincoln, Tesla, the Everglades, and More

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Christmas is coming, which of course means the Everglades. Yes, Everglades. Final planning is underway for a trip to Florida soon after the holidays. Stops will include Miami’s South Beach, some gator watching in the Everglades, communing with the spirit of Ernest Hemingway on Key West, and a visit with the ghosts of Abraham Lincoln assassination conspirators in the Dry Tortugas. More details to follow shortly.

Abraham LincolnMeanwhile, the writing biz continues to be busy. Two posts here on Science Traveler looked at Abraham Lincoln’s educational pursuits and how his knowledge of science to win an important murder case.

A Twinkle in the IceA daily writing prompt inspired a slightly off-the-path look a twinkling light. Can you follow the transition (and wordplay) in A Twinkle in the Ice?

The Dake Page took on how (and why) professional climate deniers create deceptive graphics to mislead the public about the science behind man-made climate change.

William Tecumseh ShermanI also had an article published on the Smithsonian Civil War Studies page. A Christmas Gift for Abraham Lincoln takes a look at the second of two gifts given by General William Tecumseh Sherman to our 16th President in 1864. The first, in early September, was the driving force behind Lincoln’s reelection win. The second, received on Christmas day, was the driving force behind the Union’s winning of the Civil War.

Nikola TeslaNikola Tesla has been busy too. In just a few weeks is the 3rd Annual Tesla Memorial Conference and Gala at the New Yorker Hotel in New York City. I attended the first two conferences but unfortunately will miss it this year because of, well, the Everglades. But rumor has it my book, Tesla: The Wizard of Electricity, will be making an appearance in several important ways. Sign up here to attend!

While you’re thinking about Tesla, check out this amazing music video that uses Tesla’s principles of electricity and vibration.

Much more to come, including a lot more science traveling.

David J. Kent has been a scientist for over 30 years, is a lifelong Lincolnophile, and is currently working on a book about Abraham Lincoln’s interest in science and technology. He is also the author of Tesla: The Wizard of Electricity and an ebook Nikola Tesla: Renewable Energy Ahead of Its Time.

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Shaken, Stirred, Abraham Lincoln, and the Climate Crisis

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Two weeks, three conferences, and thousands of social interactions. It’s good to be home.

Shaken, Yet StirredThat’s how I start off my most recent piece on Hot White Snow. It all started with a full-day conference on the Election of 1864 sponsored by the Lincoln Group of DC. The next day I flew to Vancouver for SETAC, and then after only a couple of days back took off for Gettysburg and the annual Lincoln Forum. Shaken, Yet Stirred relates my need for period recharging during these busy social occasions. Plug me in to an energy source for a while, and I’m all ready to go back into the game.

Climate Crisis Tired of scientists being too technical in describing climate science? The Dake Page reviews a book called The Climate Crisis that attempts to give the basics without all the math. They don’t entirely succeed – it’s still technical enough to not be suitable for non-technical folks – but it is full of color graphics, charts, tables, and photographs documenting every aspect of climate science. Think of it as IPCC-lite.

And then there is Lincoln. We had some great speakers at the Lincoln Group of DC symposium, and two of them also participated in another Lincoln event – the Lincoln Forum held in Gettysburg, PA. I’ll write more about this Forum shortly, but I can report already that I plan to attend next year, and the next, and the next. One cool feature of the Forum is that you’re sure to find more than one Abraham Lincoln wandering the halls. This is my first photo-op with a US President!

Abe and Me

Speaking of the Lincoln Group of DC, please plan to join us on December 16th for a great dinner speaker – Gerard Magliocca. Check back soon for much more…including some upcoming overseas science traveling.

David J. Kent is a lifelong Lincolnophile and is currently working on a book about Abraham Lincoln’s interest in science and technology. He is also the author of Tesla: The Wizard of Electricity and an ebook Nikola Tesla: Renewable Energy Ahead of Its Time

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A Little Hot White Snow

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Science Traveler is my official author website and focuses primarily on my non-fiction writing – Nikola Tesla, Abraham Lincoln, Science Traveling. Not long ago I started a new blog for my more creative writing endeavors – memoir, writing prompt experimentation, and even a little preview erotica. It’s called Hot White Snow.

Bryce

The blog’s title comes from the first piece I wrote for the site, a response to a writing challenge on a now largely defunk writing website. The prompt asked us to write a story using a color as a theme, especially concentrating on any emotions connected to that color. The result was a somewhat dreamy scene involving a hot tub, frolicking snowshoe rabbits, and some steamy snowmelt.

The blog header photo above was chosen for the heat evoked by the redness arching through the cool white snow.

Other posts have included vignettes derived from my travels, some creative musings, and memoir-ish meanderings from life and loves. One of my most recent involved my Great Wall of Books.

Feel free to follow me on Hot White Snow, or check in periodically for updates cross-posted here on Science Traveler.

David J. Kent is an avid science traveler and the author of Lincoln: The Man Who Saved America, now available. His previous books include Tesla: The Wizard of Electricity and Edison: The Inventor of the Modern World (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.

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Grand Palace Guard – Bangkok, Thailand

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Grand Palace Bangkok

A close up look at one of the guardsman standing watch over a temple in the Grand Palace, alongside the Chao Phraya river in Bangkok, Thailand.

This is a preview of future posts on Thailand. Follow the link for a look at my adventures riding elephants in search of tigers and gibbons in Khao Yai, a major national park in Thailand.

David J. Kent is an avid traveler and is currently working on a book about his experiences traveling in Argentina. He is also the author of Tesla: The Wizard of Electricity and the ebook Nikola Tesla: Renewable Energy Ahead of Its Time.

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Tens of Thousands of New Tesla Fans – And More on the Way

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These are great days for Nikola Tesla. Tens of thousands of people have become newly aware of Tesla because of the efforts of people like Nikola Lonchar (Tesla Science Foundation), Jane Alcorn (Tesla Science Center at Wardenclyffe), Matthew Inman (The Oatmeal), Joseph Sikorski (Tower to the People), Nenad Stankovic (Tesla Magazine), and many, many more.

I’m happy to have been a part of this…and even happier to announce that Tesla: The Wizard of Electricity is selling so fast in Barnes and Noble stores right now that the publisher has already ordered a 3rd printing to be released in February 2015. This will bring the total print run to over 50,000 books!

Electrical Execution

As anyone who has read the book knows, it consists of very readable text and is chock full of illustrations, photographs, and vintage comic strips printed on intricately designed high quality pages. And yet the book is being made available at an affordable price in an effort to reach out to as many people as possible. That strategy means that about 25,000 books have already been put in the hands of people who may not have known about Tesla before. After 2 months on the shelves, the books are still selling at more than 1000 copies a week! And with another printing on the way, many more tens of thousands of people will enter the world of Nikola Tesla.

What can you do to help spread the word?

Develop a curriculum: Currently there is an effort to build a Tesla curriculum for schools. This is being spearheaded by Nikola Lonchar and the crew at Tesla Science Foundation and Ashley Redfearn Neswick at the Tacony School. If you have ideas then please plan to attend the 3rd Annual Tesla Memorial Conference on January 10, 2015 at the New Yorker Hotel. Check out the Tesla Science Foundation Facebook page for more information.

Signing books 1-11-14

Signing books at the Tesla Memorial Conference

Donate to local libraries and schools: One of the most gratifying responses to Tesla: The Wizard of Electricity has been the number of people who say they believe the book would be a wonderful addition to the curricula of schools ranging from middle school, high school, and even undergraduate college. Many people have told me that they are buying an extra copy of the book specifically to donate it to their local school or public library.

The need for such a book has been obvious. Traditionally the Tesla book market has been split between three categories – highly technical reprints of Tesla’s papers and patents, long scholarly studies of Tesla’s life, and books aimed at children or very young teenagers. Tesla: The Wizard of Electricity is an entertaining and affordable book to stimulate interest in Tesla across the range of readership – and that means more people will want to learn about this fascinating man and his contributions.

Review the book: Share Tesla with the world. More ratings and reviews on Goodreads, Amazon, and BN.com means more people will hear about Tesla. So go ahead and give ratings to my book and all the other books you’ve read on Tesla. Then share them on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and whatever other social networking sites you use. Let’s get the word out!

Here are more ways you can spread the Tesla word to others.

If you haven’t already, check out my e-book, Nikola Tesla: Renewable Energy Ahead of Its Time.

David J. Kent is the author of Tesla: The Wizard of Electricity and the ebook Nikola Tesla: Renewable Energy Ahead of Its Time.

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Abraham Lincoln and the Rule of Three

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Abraham Lincoln rose from a nearly non-existent formal education to become the 16th President of the United States. In a brief biography provided to friends endorsing his 1860 nomination he wrote “I could read, write, and cipher to the Rule of Three; but that was all.” That was the extent of his formal schooling.

Lincoln sum book rule of three

Page from Lincoln’ sum book. Photo courtesy Library of Congress.

Anyone with an interest in Lincoln – or frontier schooling in general – has likely heard those words, but very few people probably know what they mean. The reading and writing make sense, but “ciphering to the rule of three?”

It turns out the “rule of three” is a way of solving proportions, what we more commonly today call “ratios.” It is a form of cross-multiplication in which the problem is set up such that the unknown quantity is the last “extreme” in a series of numbers exhibiting a proportional relationship. The basic form is:

 

Rule of Three basic form2

The idea is to determine the value of x when you know the values of a, b, and c. The Rule of Three states that you simply rearrange this simple ratio formula into:

Rule of Three rearranged

Another way of looking at it is by laying out the three known terms in a linear sequence (a –> b –> c) and then multiplying the last term (c) by the middle term (b) and then dividing that product by the first term (a).

That’s it. Not very complicated on its face, but this simple rule could incorporate not only multiplication and division but also addition and subtraction. Lincoln likely used it to figure out proportions and costs for different supplies during the time he was a young storekeeper in New Salem. Of course, Lincoln went on to learn long division and other math functions as well, not to mention he mastered the six books of Euclid geometry. He also taught himself the law, political oratory, and the logical thinking that helped him define the slavery debate and, eventually, make him one of our greatest presidents.

Not bad for a guy with less than a year of formal schooling.

[The above is adapted from my book, Lincoln: The Fire of Genius and an article published in The Lincolnian, a publication of the Lincoln Group of the District of Columbia.]

 

Fire of Genius

Lincoln: The Fire of Genius: How Abraham Lincoln’s Commitment to Science and Technology Helped Modernize America is available at booksellers nationwide.

Limited signed copies are available via this website. The book also listed on Goodreads, the database where I keep track of my reading. Click on the “Want to Read” button to put it on your reading list. Please leave a review on Goodreads and Amazon if you like the book.

You also follow my author page on Facebook.

David J. Kent is President of the Lincoln Group of DC and the author of Lincoln: The Fire of Genius: How Abraham Lincoln’s Commitment to Science and Technology Helped Modernize America and Lincoln: The Man Who Saved America.

His previous books include Tesla: The Wizard of Electricity and Edison: The Inventor of the Modern World and two specialty e-books: Nikola Tesla: Renewable Energy Ahead of Its Time and Abraham Lincoln and Nikola Tesla: Connected by Fate.