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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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Book Review – Vote Lincoln! by John Locke Scripps

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Vote Lincoln!Vote Lincoln! The Presidential Campaign Biography of Abraham Lincoln is a 2010 annotated version of the first full biography of Abraham Lincoln published in 1860. Ostensibly written by John Locke Scripps, publisher of what would become the Chicago Tribune, much of the text was actually ghost written by Abraham Lincoln himself. Intended as a campaign biography, the book provides a revealing look at how Lincoln viewed his own life to that point.

The current edition is wonderfully annotated by David W. Bradford. Included as an appendix is the actual text prepared by Lincoln and sent to Scripps, so we can see exactly where Scripps took Lincoln’s words verbatim and where he added significant additional material. At key points Bradford interjects with clarifying brackets and also adds longer pieces to explain the history of the statements and the rationale for their inclusion.

Beginning as most biographies do with his early life, we hear from the only man that knows his most early upbringing and that of his ancestors – Abraham Lincoln himself. Scripps and Lincoln take us through his formative years in Illinois, his river boat and flat boat adventures, and adult life in Illinois. Featured are his work as an attorney, his time in the Illinois legislature, and his one term in the U.S. Congress. His politically exciting bids for the Senate and famous debates with Stephen A. Douglas get substantial discussion and insight.

This campaign biography is invaluable as a guide to Abraham Lincoln from his early years up to his election as president. The fact that much of the information secretly comes from Lincoln himself offers delightful insights into the man. Bradford’s informative annotations make this current edition even more valuable than the original text. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in Lincoln.

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 at the Chester County Library, Exton PA

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Tesla: The Wizard of ElectricityOn November 3rd, join me and a cast of artists, writers, and filmmakers at the Chester County Library, Exton, PA for an extraordinary multimedia Tesla event. Sponsored by the Tesla Science Foundation, there will be presentations on “Why Nikola Tesla Matters” and how Tesla has been an influence in Books, Film and Art.

I’ll be there talking about Nikola Tesla and my book Tesla: The Wizard of Electricity. Check out the videos by Laura Todd, a local Phoenixville electronic composer, and other visual media artists. Musical interludes will include demonstration of a Theremin, which is a phenomenal musical instrument that makes use of the kinds of electronic fields made famous by our own Nikola Tesla. And as if the theremin wasn’t cool enough, the addition of a ‘Steampunk Wand’ is sure to create some unusual effects! On top of all that we’ll have on display some of Tesla’s devices, including two amazing Tesla coils (frizzy hair optional), plus Tesla-inspired art. There will also be a display of books about Tesla. Signed copies of Tesla: The Wizard of Electricity will be available for purchase ($10 makes a great Christmas gift).

Hosted by Howard Lipman, a Chester County Author, and Radio Host Mark Passio, the event is being held on Sunday, November 3rd from 1:30 to 4:30 pm at the Chester County Library, 450 Exton Square Parkway, Exton, PA, 19341. Call 484-888-1582 for more information. Also check out the Tesla Club event page or the Chester County Library announcement for more information.

I hope to see you all there.

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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Halloween in Ipswich – David Ortiz and the Scariest Pole Competition You’ll Ever See

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Happy Halloween everyone! You really have to love this time of year. When else can you express your inner weirdness and have people applaud you for your creativity rather than run away from you as if you had lost your mind?

On a recent trip to my home town of Ipswich I came across the local pole-decorating contest. No dancers, just scary things. Truly scary things. Okay, sort of scary things. But you get the idea.

There were pole monsters.

Ipswich pole monster

For movie trivia buffs, there were screaming women being attacked by birds (extra credit to anyone who can name the movie, director, and star).

The Birds

Some wolf bane? (or is that wolf baying?)

Baying wolf

Of course, some were still under construction.

Under construction

Two heads are better than one this time of year.

Two heads are better than one

The best way to escape the graveyard? Swinging on a wrecking ball, of course.

Skeleton wrecking ball

Wait, this is my better side. Yes, much better. We have a winner! Congratulations to the bony guy (or is it gal?). It won the competition.

Skeleton_Photo credit Dan Mac Alpine

And, of course, there were plenty of pumpkins.

Halloween pumpkins

But the scariest sight of all, especially if you were the Rays, the Tigers, or the Cardinals, was the vision of David Ortiz coming up to the plate. Congratulations to the Boston Red Sox for winning the World Series and David Ortiz for taking home the trophy for Most Valuable Player. Go Sox. Boston Strong!

David Ortiz MVP_Photo credit Matt Slocum

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 – Am I Making Myself Clear? A Scientist’s Guide to Talking to the Public by Cornelia Dean

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Am I Making Myself Clear? Am I Making Myself Clear? A Scientist’s Guide to Talking to the Public is a much needed book for scientific and non-scientific communities alike.  Written by science writer (and former New York Times editor) Cornelia Dean, the book makes the case that scientists need to make “their work more accessible to the media, and thus to the public.”  This doesn’t come naturally to most scientists, and so the book gives some practical tips on how scientists can accomplish this goal.

Dean starts with “an invitation to researchers” to put aside their natural reticence and distrust of the media and help themselves and journalists get the key messages of their science across to the public.  This is important because there are plenty of people out there who don’t hesitate to misinform the public about the science in order to protect their own interests (e.g., the climate change debate).  In ensuing chapters she provides some insights into how scientists can better “know your audience,” help educate and work with journalists, and how to get the message across on radio and TV, online, and in the courtroom.  She also offers tips on writing books, writing Op-Eds and letters to news outlets, and writing about science and technology in other venues.

Two of the most valuable chapters actually have to do with how journalists cover science issues.  In “Covering Science,” Dean notes some of the differences in style and communication between journalism and scientific writing.  These differences set up an inherent conflict.  Scientific researchers view journalists as being superficial, insufficiently concerned with accuracy, focused on controversy, and even “ignorant.”  In turn, journalists view researchers as boring, “caveating things to death,” prone to incomprehensible jargon, and incapable of drawing a definitive conclusion.  In “The Problem of Objectivity,” Dean discusses the limitations of journalistic “balance” in which one opposing voice is given equal weight to the thousands of proponent voices because both sides are represented.  This journalistic trait is exploited by, for example, climate change deniers, who know that TV interviews with one scientist and one naysayer (even if he is a non-scientist) looks to the public like “two sides” of a debate, even when the science is overwhelmingly in favor of one view.  Given that it is often difficult for a journalist to know the state-of-the-art of the science, this opens the door for imbalance in an effort to provide balance.

Perhaps the most valuable chapter to scientists is “The Scientist as Source.” Here Dean provides some practical hints as to how scientists can best interact with journalists.  Again she encourages scientists to put aside their hesitations to speak to the press and to embrace the opportunity to get out a message that accurately reflects both the research itself and the ramifications of that research to the public.

Am I Making Myself Clear? is quite readable, as one might expect from a science journalist.  I recommend reading this book along with Chris Mooney and Sheril Kirshenbaum’s Unscientific America and Randy Olson’s Don’t Be Such a Scientist.  All three books are useful to the scientist to help him or her relate better to the public, and to the public at large to better understand how science works.

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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