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Mount Fitz Roy and the Glaciers, El Chalten, Argentina

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The sign on the gravel road said “El Chaltén – 372 km.” Twenty minutes later, another sign many kilometers further along the same gravel road, again said “El Chaltén – 372 km.” This was already a long drive on a barely there road, even without the questionable signage. But it was worth it.

Three days into our Patagonian adventure we were headed for El Chaltén, the official Argentinian Trekking Capital. If you’re in El Chaltén it’s because you are there to hike into the mountains or you are there to support those who hike into the mountains. Nestled in the shadow of Cerro Fitz Roy within the confines of Los Glaciares National Park, this small village is all about trekking. And amazing scenery.

Arriving late after the long drive we checked into our cabaña, a wonderful log cabin complete with enough beds and hot showers for the five of us, a serviceable kitchen, and the most amazing wake-up view I’ve had in a long time.

View of Fitz Roy from the cabana

A quick breakfast of toast and dulce de leche (caramelized milk, a staple delicacy in Argentina) and we were on our way to Fitz Roy, which along with Cerro Torre dominates the skyline. Following yet another gravel road meandering along the banks of the Rio de las Vueltas, we stopped several times for the gorgeous views in the crisp mountain air. We were blessed with a beautifully sunny day, a day that would be both memorable and long.

Rio de las Vueltas

After an 18 km drive we parked near Hosteria El Pilar, a starting location that turned out to be fortuitous for our trip back. Hiking along the Rio Blanco we could see the three-peaked Fitz Roy beckoning us closer.

Cerro Fitz Roy

And closer we came. First we got near enough to see the Piedras Blancas glacier close up. This particular glacier flows from the cirque formed by Fitz Roy and continues to a lower level than glaciers we would see later. In the photo you can see Fitz Roy peeking over the hillock to the left, northeast of where Piedras Blancas reaches its small lake.

Piedra Blancas glacier

Like many glaciers worldwide, the Piedras Blancas glacier is retreating from its historical lengths. One feature that can be seen in the video below – a gorgeous glacial waterfall.

But our main goal was still ahead of us. Our trail totaled about 6 kilometers (each way). Most of the trail was easy hiking, but the last 1.4 kilometers were about as close to vertical as my legs could handle. At least a third of our four-hour trek to Fitz Roy was on this last section going up. What we found when we arrived was simply marvelous.

Me at Lago de los Tres

Sitting at the base of Fitz Roy’s main outcropping, which reaches an elevation of over 3400 meters (11,200 feet), is Lagos de los Tres. We were there in late summer (mid-February), so the glacier had retreated back from the edge of this greenish lake.  Following along the lake to the left is another glacier, a waterfall, and another lake. The vista was so engaging that it was 5 pm before we started to think about the four hour hike back to where we parked. That hike ended up taking much longer due to a serious fall resulting in a story I later wrote called “The Break.”

Notwithstanding the added excitement, we had an amazing trek up to Cerro Fitz Roy and the various glaciers. An experience I won’t soon forget. Now, on to the next adventure.

David J. Kent is the author of Lincoln: The Man Who Saved America, scheduled for release in summer 2017. 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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Book Review – The Unpopular Mr. Lincoln by Larry Tagg

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The Unpopular Mr. LincolnThis book, The Unpopular Mr. Lincoln: The Story of America’s Most Reviled President, is a rather extraordinary look at Abraham Lincoln. And a remarkably pleasant surprise given the uncustomary view of Lincoln, as well as the providence of the author. Larry Tagg is not whom you might expect to be writing a biography of Abraham Lincoln.  Some will recognize the name from the music world and Tagg’s band Bourgeois Tagg, or from his many years touring with Todd Rundgren, Hall & Oates, and opening for Robert Palmer, Belinda Carlisle and others. Now a high school English and drama teacher in California, Tagg surprises the reader with his deep understanding of Lincoln and his times. And he tackles an often overlooked and difficult facet of how Lincoln was viewed by contemporaries.

Tagg says that he “found the spectacular animosity against Lincoln irresistible as a subject,” and he shows no inhibition in showing it to us. He is brutally critical and yet fair and respectful, even equitable, in his treatment of Lincoln’s friends and foes. In short, and perhaps contrary to the mythology that has grown up around Lincoln in the century and a half since his assassination, Lincoln was not always looked on kindly by his peers. In fact, many of his peers did not view Lincoln as a peer, but rather a backwoods buffoon incapable of leading the country in its most precarious moment.

As Lincoln emerged onto the national scene, his rivals couldn’t believe that this “ugly, gangly, baboon” could possibly be considered presidential material. That was to be left to the more accomplished (both real and in their own minds) statesmen such as Seward and Chase. While the Republican party had coalesced around the disgruntled members of the former Whigs, the “war Democrats,” the abolitionists, the Radical Republicans, that cobbling together of discordant interests virtually ensured that Lincoln would be attacked from all sides. And attack they did, oft-times viciously. To the Radicals he was an appeaser that acted too slow, to the peace Democrats he was a war-monger, to the southern Democrats and the newly seceded confederacy he was a tyrant. And to the newspapers, which were openly partisan in those days, he was all of the above. Even his own cabinet members plotted against him.

And Tagg lays out all of this for us, warts and all. He documents the letters of General McClellan, who was brashly self-confident, and while he seemed to be good at preparing for battle, never seemed to get around to actually battling (and when he did he failed miserably). McClellan considered Lincoln to be a rather incompetent and classless dolt and made no bones about saying so (at least in letters to his wife). Secretary of the Treasury Chase plotted to push Lincoln aside. Influential newspaperman Horace Greeley tried to get him to drop out of the 1864 election. And those were the ones on Lincoln’s side. The confederacy and the Democrats were even more brutal.

The book is broken down into 32 chapters grouped into four themes: Lincoln’s entrance into the national political scene, his first 18 months in office, the changes in attitude leading up to and following the Emancipation Proclamation, and then the reelection in 1864. Wound into these themes are the key events of the war, which correlate to some extent with the ebb and flow of Lincoln’s popularity (or more accurately, military victories gave some respite from the seemingly constant barrage on his presidential ability). Finally, Tagg leaves us with an Epilogue whose title perhaps explains how we have reached the view of Lincoln that most people have today – The Sudden Saint.

I highly recommend this book as a respectful and scholarly treatment of contemporary adversity heaped upon Abraham Lincoln. Unlike other books that I have reviewed in which Lincoln’s negatives are viewed in the light of current ideologies and biases, Tagg presents a glimpse into the realities of the times while acknowledging the foibles and humanity of all involved.

David J. Kent is an avid Lincolnophile and 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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Science Traveling in Argentina – The Route

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I’ve recently returned from a science traveling expedition to Argentina. The trip was an incredible experience and I’ll be writing about it more here and elsewhere over the weeks. You can already read about drinking mate and other highlights beginning here (scroll for more).

The trip was a long time coming. I first met my friend Pablo in Connecticut in 1980, where we joined a dozen other students for a semester at the Bermuda Biological Station for Research. We’ve been friends ever since despite the distance, and he’s been inviting me to visit him in his native Argentina for many (many) years. This year I finally did it.

After two flights and more than 14 hours in the air, Ru and I arrived in Buenos Aires, the first time south of the equator for either of us. We would go a lot further south before we were finished, but first there was two rainy days in the capital. Buenos Aires is more European than South American, and seemed to want to copy other cities more than innovate. Then the real trip began. We flew to Bariloche. [Hover over each stop in the map below, and click on the arrow button to follow the travel route.]

Bariloche, to be exact, is San Carlos de Bariloche, in Rio Negro Province, the northernmost part of Patagonia. Pablo has been a Professor at the National University there for the last 25 years, where he is Director of the fisheries resources group. We arrived in the late morning of an extremely windy day in late-summer, a refreshing change from the long, cold, snowy winter of February back home. One night to relax, then off to begin a road trip that would end up being over 3500 kilometers.

I’ll talk more about them in future posts, but Bariloche and environs boasts two amazing geological features – mountains and lakes. The views were extraordinary. And yet, they were only a preamble to what we were about to experience.

Bariloche - Nahuel Huapi Lake

Bariloche – Nahuel Huapi Lake

With short stops in the scenic towns of El Bolson (“the best ice cream in the world”) and Esquel, we drove some of the most inhospitable “roads” in Argentina. Called a highway, much of Ruta 40 is actually a long gravel road. Long as in we drove a couple of hundred kilometers on piles of rocks in which tracks were our only guide. Pablo’s previous explanation that he, like most Patagonians, had installed metal plates on the underside of his SUV, suddenly became all too rational. Besides the constant clanging of rocks, the road would often detour into oblivion. It reminded me how whiny we Americans can be over a few potholes. Perspective is everything.

In any case, we finally arrived at Los Antiguos after midnight, then couldn’t find our lodgings. Eventually the owner came to get us and we settled in for a short, but comfortable, rest before our next day’s adventure. After much awe at the surrounding mountains and lakes we headed over to the amazing colors of the rocky desert, where we stayed the night at the Estancia Cueva de las Manos (The Cave of the Hands Ranch).

Near Cueva de las Manos

Near Cueva de las Manos

We visited the actual caves the next morning. After a long 17-km drive on gravel roads, gawking at choiques (ostrich-like birds) and guanacos (llama-like camelids) along the way, we hiked down, then up, a deep valley to reach the amazing caves full of painted hands.

Cueva de las Manos

Cueva de las Manos

Another long drive split between paved and gravel roads brought us to El Chalten, the “Trekking National Capital” of Argentina. Dominating the skyline is Mount Fitz Roy, named after the captain of Darwin’s HMS Beagle. The five of us hiked over 5 kilometers, the last 1.4 km of which were essentially vertical, to reach the picturesque lake below the peak. Four of us hiked all the way back. Pablo hiked back all but the last couple of kilometers, after which he was carried out on a stretcher. But that’s a story for another post.

El Chalten

Mt. Fitz Roy is top right.

The next day we drove from El Chalten to El Calafate (well, Pablo’s daughter drove, I rode in the ambulance with Pablo), then spent a much needed relaxed night in a dormis, complete with an Argentine-style lamb cooked over an open fire. Then, the glacier.

Perito Moreno glacier

Perito Moreno glacier

The Perito Moreno glacier may be the most famous glacier in the world. It’s massive. And better yet, it is situated such that it splits two lakes and pushes up against an accessible island where visitors can get up close. As the glacier retreats slightly during the summer melt, it provides a front-row seat for thousands of people to see huge chunks of ice calving off the face. A truly unforgettable experience.

All of this so far occurred in just one week of traveling. The final week was less busy – a long two-plus day drive across lower Patagonia, up the coast, and back to Bariloche for several days of local flavor. Twice I came close to going into Chile (within a few kilometers at one point), but that pleasure will have to wait until my next visit.

And there will be a next visit. Pablo and I have begun discussing possibilities that would result in more frequent visits on my part. Besides seeing Chile I also still need to get to Argentina’s Iguazu Falls, the Mendoza wine region (I love malbec), and Ushuaia (the southernmost city in the world).

Come back for more detailed stories and photos from the trip. You won’t want to miss them.

David J. Kent is an avid traveler and 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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First views of Buenos Aires

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Well, I’ve arrived in Buenos Aires. Here is my first view coming in on the plane.

As you can see, the weather isn’t exactly cooperating. Overcast yesterday afternoon when I took this photos. Today is something out of Noah – flashes of lightning, huge crashes of thunder, and rain that fluctuates between steady light and demonstrable deluge.

From yesterday, a monument in Plaza de Mayo.

So far the city is more European than South American. First it seemed like Greece or Rome.

The Casa Rosada (Pink House) is where Evita made her famous song (or was that Madonna).

A cool bridge that is supposed to capture the sweeping arms and legs of tango dancers. You have to have a good imagination here.

Other locations had an obelisk that looked like the Washington monument in an intersection that looked like a mini Times Square. Then a pedestrian shopping street with people constantly hawking “cambrio,” which reminded me so much of Nanjing East Road in Shanghai I wanted to reply Bu Yao.

More when I can get access.

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Nikola Tesla Seeks to Harness the Power of Nature

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Nikola Tesla was for renewable energy before it was cool to be for renewable energy.

“It seems that I have always been ahead of my time.”

From a young age he sought to harness the power of nature. He used the natural energy of June bugs to power his stick windmill. As a child he designed his first water wheel, then as an adult he fulfilled his dream by harnessing the hydroelectric power of Niagara Falls with his alternating current motors and transformers. Today he stands overlooking one of his greatest achievements.

Tesla statue overlooking Niagara Falls

Nikola Tesla overlooking Horseshoe Falls, on the Canadian side. Photo by David J. Kent

Tesla often spoke of harnessing the energy of the sun, stating that fossil fuels were wasteful. As far back as 1891 he argued that “nature has stored up in the universe infinite energy.” To Tesla, “the eternal recipient and transmitter of this infinite energy is the ether.” That particular idea did not hold up to scrutiny, but he continued to look to nature.

One of the most thought-provoking documents of Tesla’s numerous writings was an article he wrote for The Century Illustrated Magazine, June 1900, which was edited by Robert Underwood Johnson. In a long and sometimes mystical treatise called “The Problem of Increasing Human Energy (with special references to the harnessing of the sun’s energy),” Tesla leaped ahead a hundred years by anticipating the need for renewable sources of energy to power our planet. He noted that “besides fuel, there is abundant material from which we might eventually derive power” and suggested that “an immense amount of energy is locked up in limestone, for instance, and machines can be driven by liberating the carbonic acid through sulfuric acid or otherwise.” He even claimed to have constructed such an engine and that “it operated satisfactorily.”

Terrestrial power

Tesla was so far ahead of his time that, while others at the turn of the twentieth century were busy exploiting coal, iron, aluminum, and drilling for oil, he was already recognizing the limits of those endeavors. He was into conservation. “Whatever our resources of primary energy may be in the future,” Tesla wrote, “we must, to be rational, obtain it without consumption of any material.” He believed that natural sources of energy could “eliminate the need of coal, oil, gas or any other of the common fuels.” One way was to harness the power of the wind.

“It is difficult to believe, but it is, nevertheless, a fact, that since time immemorial man has had at his disposal a fairly good machine which has enabled him to utilize the energy of the ambient medium. This machine is the windmill.“

[The above is adapted from Tesla: The Wizard of Electricity. I explored more of Tesla’s adventures in renewable energy in my 2014 e-book noted below.]

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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Me and Nikola Tesla and Bono* at the Tesla Memorial Conference

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Sam MasonBono* was there. I was there. Were you there? “There” is the New Yorker Hotel on January 11, 2014. And the occasion was the 2nd Annual Nikola Tesla Memorial Conference, sponsored by the Tesla Science Foundation. It was a day to remember.

Tesla lived in the New Yorker for the last decade of his long life, dying there in room 3327 on January 7, 1943. You can even stay in his room if you wish (last year I had 3326, the room next door, from which I could see a constant stream of people checking out the plaque on Tesla’s door).

Let’s Build a Tesla Curriculum

The theme this year was to assess and begin development of a curriculum to get Tesla better represented in schools. While students in his home country of Serbia hear about Tesla at an early age, he barely gets mentioned in American schools, if at all. Edison, Marconi, and others who get credit for inventions originally developed by Tesla get prominent mention, but Tesla…well, not so much. The conference aimed to correct that slight and featured many speakers relating their experiences with Tesla-inspired education, interpretations of what would appropriate material to teach, and how to promote the idea.

I’ve been fortunate enough to contribute to that goal myself, both through publication of Tesla: The Wizard of Electricity and by being part of a team organized by author Howard Lipman (pen name Pan Orpheus) in a sort of traveling Tesla show. We’ve presented film, art, insights, and my book outreach to various public libraries over this past year and hope to do more in 2014. I’ll do a solo presentation to the public at the Ipswich Museum on July 7th. It will be one of a series of talks I’ll be giving when the second edition of Tesla: The Wizard of Electricity comes out in July 2014. More on that later.

Signing books 1-11-14

During a very long day (the conference was sandwiched between two 4 hour drives to New York City and back), I enjoyed both the talks and signing books for attendees. One of the best rewards for writing Tesla: The Wizard of Electricity has been the chance to meet readers who get excited about the book and about Nikola Tesla. Ed’s enthusiasm as he buys a book for his daughter Bianca (and another for his local library), the anticipation that Christopher will be reading Tesla on the campus of the University of Michigan thanks to his Aunt’s gift, and Jeff’s passion for Tesla as he purchases four books for friends and family. And while the praise from Tesla experts like Jane Alcorn, Nikola Lonchar, Ljubo Vujovic and others is extremely gratifying, it’s the heartwarming exuberance of the general public that makes this all worthwhile.

Tesla Magazine interview

While there I was interviewed on camera by three different organizations, including Tesla Magazine (photo above). The video below is of one of the video-taping sessions. Not surprisingly (since it’s a video of a video interview), it’s hard to hear with all the background noise. The actual interviews will be posted on the organizations’ websites, so I’ll be sure to link to them when they are up. What is interesting about this video is that while I’m being interviewed there is some guy who goes by the name of Bono* wandering around in the background. In any case, Bono* was here supporting the Tesla conference and one of the guys who interviewed me.

Despite the fact that he was a wonderfully down-to-earth guy, apparently I was still too star-struck to get my photo taken with him (duh!). But here’s a photo of Bono* with Danijela Milic and jazz pianist Dimitrije Vasiljevic. The latter presented his new composition for solo piano inspired by, and to honor, Nikola Tesla.

Bono_Danijela Milic_Dimitrije Vasiljevic

So even though I neglected to get my own photo with Bono*, I did enjoy very much chatting with other luminaries, including authors Bernard Carlson and Howard Lipman, Jane Alcorn of the Tesla Science Center at Wardenclyffe, Joe Sikorski and Vic Elefante from the movie Fragments from Olympus, Nenad Stankovic of Tesla Magazine, and many others who are bringing Tesla to the people. A day very well spent.

Hard copies of Tesla: The Wizard of Electricity are still available in Barnes and Noble stores, but the print run is almost sold out so get one fast. You can also get used copies from resellers on Amazon and BN. E-books are also available on barnesandnoble.com. A second printing will be released in July 2014 in time for Tesla’s birthday. Of course, you can also order a personally signed and inscribed copy directly from me.

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*Or a reasonable facsimile thereof.

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Nikola Tesla has his own App for iPhone and Android

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David J. Kent - Tesla Days 2013One of the most amazing things about Nikola Tesla was that he was a man far ahead of his time. He pushed for renewable energy as early as 1895 at Niagara Falls. In 1898 he was demonstrating a remote controlled boat in Madison Square Garden. He patented a vertical-takeoff-and-landing aircraft in 1928.  He even predicted that in the future there would be “an inexpensive receiver, not bigger than a watch, [that] will enable [any telephone subscriber] to listen anywhere, on land or sea, to a speech delivered or music played in some other place, however distant.”

Now there is an app for that.

Today, Tesla’s “inexpensive receiver” is in virtually everyone’s pocket, whether it be an iPhone, an Android device, or one of the many other handheld mini-computers that allow us to listen to music, speeches, even to watch television programs. So befitting Tesla’s vision of the future, the Tesla Science Foundation has created an app that facilitates keeping up with the many Tesla-related activities.

TSF app logo

The app is interactive. In fact, holders are asked to help populate the app with photographs taken at Tesla events, as well as other Tesla photos and memes. Download the app, upload your photos!

Tesla app photo gallery

There are screens that contain, and will contain, information on Tesla’s life, his patents, even documents available.

Tesla informationThe main screen shows a rotation of the logo, the meetup group, event photos, and more. At the bottom of the screen there are a series of buttons (four are shown at a time, but swipe sideways to see the others appear). You can quickly tap into upcoming events, photos, background information, social media, and even submit your own photos and write on a fan wall.

TSF main screen

The Tesla Science Foundation has done a great service to everyone with an interest in Nikola Tesla by creating this app. And you can help too. Some of the features are not yet fully functional, and there is room to add many great photos, so users should feel free to submit their pictures and offer suggestions for future updates. The app screenshots I provide above come from the iPhone version via iTunes, but the app also is available for Android devices so the screens may differ slightly. All in all this app is a great way to help spread the word of Nikola Tesla.

I’ll end with a reminder that there is another app under development by Brian Yetzer. I talked about his augmented reality app in a previous article.

Finally, don’t forget to join us at the New Yorker Hotel on January 11, 2014. View the program (both the Conference and Spirit Awards) here. Don’t miss out.

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 Returns to the New Yorker Hotel – And So Can You!

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David J. KentNikola Tesla lived in the New Yorker Hotel for the last ten years of his life, passing away in Room 3327 on January 7, 1943. Last year I joined the Tesla Science Foundation for their Tesla Memorial Conference. And this year, you can too. The conference celebrates the life of the great Serbian-American inventor. Last year the conference focused on “Why Tesla Matters.” And this year the goal is even more ambitious.

The 2014 theme is “Let’s Build a Tesla Curriculum!”

When I talk about Tesla: The Wizard of Electricity at various libraries and book clubs I usually start off by asking how many people were taught in schools about Tesla. While everyone raises their hands when I ask about being taught about Edison and Marconi, the hands for Tesla are usually sparse. One of the goals of the Tesla Science Foundation, along with the Tesla Science Center at Wardenclyffe and other Tesla organizations, is to build a curriculum that give Tesla his proper place alongside the other great inventors. The curriculum would recognize Tesla’s often overlooked, but critical, contributions to science…and to society.

What that curriculum would look like, and how it would get out to the schools, and what level of schools it should get out to, are all to be discussed at the Tesla Memorial Conference on January 11, 2014. If you have ideas, you need to be there. I’ll be there  signing copies of my book, Tesla: The Wizard of Electricity, as well as talking about my forthcoming Tesla book. How the book could fit into a curriculum has yet to be determined.

Along with myself and other Tesla authors such as Bernard Carlson and Howard Lipman (PanOrpheus) will be a full day of presentations from scientific experts developing Tesla-inspired inventions. In addition, the conference will feature Jane Alcorn (Tesla Science Center at Wardenclyffe), Joe Sikorski (Fragments from Olympus), James Jaeger (Poet of Electricity), and Nenad Stankovic (Tesla Magazine), all of whom will bring us up to date on their activities designed to bring Tesla to the people.

In the evening don’t miss the Spirit Awards with music by Mano Divina and others, along with a special celebrity tribute by Bajaga!

And a whole lot more!

So join us at the New Yorker Hotel on January 11, 2014. View the program (both the Conference and Spirit Awards) here. Don’t miss out.

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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Oh What a Year (aka, Tesla Rules!)

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David J. Kent, Science TravelerIt seems like January 2013 was a blink away, but somehow an entire year has passed and that blink away is now January 2014. But oh what a year it was. A year of transitions, a year of excitement, and even a year with some major anxieties. But it is a year I will always remember – the year of Tesla.

Tesla – The Wizard of 2013!

The obvious hallmark was the release of Tesla: The Wizard of Electricity. Nine months after it had been accepted by the publisher the book finally hit the stores in July 2013. Prominently displayed on shelves at Barnes and Noble entrances, many stores quickly sold out and reordered. Even after the warehouse was empty the books continued to sell, limited only by people’s ability to locate them. By the end of the year we had sold out almost the entire (large) first printing. Even better, a second printing of double the initial run is due out July 2014.

[Off-] Broadway Bound!

The success of Tesla has had another benefit – all the great people I’ve met. Besides Nikola, Sherry, Sam and many others with the Tesla Science Foundation, there are the great folks at Tesla Ambassadors and other Facebook groups. I even got to meet Mr. William H. Terbo, the only living relative of Nikola Tesla. Mr. Terbo is the grand-nephew and actually met Tesla himself when he was ten years old. Another highlight of the year was being invited to speak to the cast of the off-Broadway play, TESLA, then attending opening night of the wildly successful show. Sanja Bestic as director and Sheri Graubert as writer worked so well as a team that they have another show coming out this spring – Jackie and Marilyn. I can’t wait.

Even the bad things worked out!

Of course, there were some downer parts of the year too. Most notably my father’s aneurysm surgery in February turned out to be more dramatic than expected. I’m happy to say that after having several aorta re-plumbed, a series of strokes and seizures, four days of coma, no movement on one side for a few more days, and months of rehab, Dad is doing very well. Meanwhile, the toxicity of my own work environment finally led to the decision to leave my long-standing scientific career and become a full-time writer. Notwithstanding the sudden lack of income, it was a great decision. It’s even been good for my health – after putting on weight in the spring I’ve dropped 10 pounds and live a much healthier lifestyle.

Science Traveler alert!

Along the way I managed to squeeze in a little bit of travel, including several trips to my home town for family events, four times to New York City for writing/Tesla events, a road trip to Tennessee, and even a quick weekend in Jamaica. Travel will get more emphasis in 2014, starting with a trip to NYC in January and to Argentina in February. Summer may bring me to the west coast and/or Moscow and/or Iceland and/or a country to be named later. I’ll be posting much more on travel (and aquariums) this coming year as Science Traveler starts catching up to its moniker.

150 Years of Abraham Lincoln!

Not to be forgotten is Abraham Lincoln. As a member of the Lincoln Group of the District of Columbia I’ve had the privilege of joining monthly dinners with some of the most knowledgeable Lincolnophiles in the area. And since each dinner has a guest speaker, I’ve met Lincoln scholars such Douglas L. Wilson, Walter Stahr, and many others. [Eric Foner will receive the Lincoln Award from us in January 2014] One of my most cherished activities of this past year has been the monthly Lincoln Group book club. We’ve been reading the version of Herndon’s Lincoln edited by the aforementioned Doug Wilson and his colleague Rodney O. Davis. Having the combined expertise and insights of the dozen or so group members – all Lincoln scholars – is priceless.

My Presidency Ends!

With all this going on I somehow managed to perform my duties as President of the Chesapeake-Potomac Regional Chapter of the Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry. This was my second go-around as President (the first was in 2001), and I’ve loved every minute of my involvement. As I hand over the Presidency to this year’s VP, Brad Pratt, I’ll remain as a Contributing Editor to the CPRC newsletter and an active Past-President.

Reading is Fundamental!

And then there were the books. As has been my norm in recent years I’ve finished reading about 60 books this year. Because of research for my next book, at least a dozen were Abraham Lincoln-related. But there were also many on Nikola Tesla, some great memoirs, and the trade of writing/publishing. I even read a half dozen fiction books (a rarity for me). Better yet, I was able to read some great books by authors I know personally, most notably Thomas Waite, R.C. (Chuck) Larlham, and Sam Hawksworth. Check them out.

All in all, 2013 was a very good year. I’m looking forward to an even better 2014, where I’ll meet more great people, do more great travel, and write more great books (and yes, I’ll shortly have more info on my Tesla book due out in the spring).

See you all again soon…and Happy New Year!!

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 and the Tools of War by Robert V. Bruce

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Abraham LincolnAs I do research on Abraham Lincoln for a forthcoming book I periodically post reviews of some of the more interesting and relevant Lincoln scholarship. Which led me to this great book dating back to 1956 called Lincoln and the Tools of War by Robert V. Bruce.

This is a fascinating book. Bruce has done an excellent job documenting Lincoln’s interest in new weaponry and the trials and tribulations of outfitting the Union troops and navy during the Civil War.

The book uses two main characters as counterweights to that of Abraham Lincoln in the seemingly never ending search for weapons that would help the North defeat the South.  As the war came quickly, sufficient weapons were not available to outfit the hundreds of thousands of men who at first volunteered, and then were drafted, to fight. Captain (and later Admiral) Dahlgren ran the Washington Navy Yard and was often eager to test new guns, artillery, and “liquid fire.” At the same time, General Ripley was the foil, acting to slow the testing and implementation of new weapons. He ignored and turned away inventors who had discovered “the next best thing,” even as President Lincoln entertained and even took an active interest in testing and pushing the development of modern weapons to replace the old single shot muskets.

Bruce weaves an entertaining story as he documents what many don’t know, which is that Lincoln facilitated the process of replacing the muzzle-loading gun with breech-loading rifles. The breech-loading allowed speedier reloading with less danger and less jamming, while the rifling allowed greater distance and accuracy in firing. Lincoln helped get such guns as the “coffee mill gun” and other multishot guns that would eventually develop into what we know as “machine guns” into testing, and sometimes service.  He entertained and facilitated many inventors in the White House for such things as rockets, steam guns, liquid fire, explosive bullets, and new cannons. There even was a balloon air force, a submarine and, of course, the “iron clad” ships.

I highly recommend the book to anyone interested in Lincoln, the Civil War, or weaponry in general. Unlike many books this old, it was published as a Civil War Book Club edition so readers should be able to find it easily and for a reasonable price in the usual online used book databases.

David J. Kent 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. 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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