Tag: Tesla s

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New Update on Nikola Tesla Book…Plus…Upcoming Events

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Nikola TeslaToday marked a milestone in the production of my forthcoming book, Nikola Tesla: The Wizard of Electricity. I received a check. Receiving money in the mail is always a good thing (at least to most people) and this was no exception. After a bit of a delay due to Hurricane Sandy and a slew of holidays the publisher finally released the second half of the “advance on royalties.” My agent, Marilyn Allen of Allen O’Shea Literary Agency passed along the proceeds. As they say on the extremely dignified professional author circuit – Woo hoo!!

Chris Barsanti, editor extraordinaire at Sterling Publishing, informs me that the photos, other artwork, and layout, aka, “the design phase,” are coming together nicely. The Tesla Science Center at Wardenclyffe have been very helpful in identifying some additional photos to grace the pages. The Tesla Science Center is the organization led by Jane Alcorn that successfully raised well over a million dollars this past summer to buy Tesla’s last remaining laboratory space – Wardenclyffe in what is now Shoreham, Long Island. All appears to be on schedule for sending the book to the printer in January.

January will also mark another milestone. I’ll be attending the Tesla Science Foundation’s annual Tesla Commemorative Conference in the New Yorker Hotel from January 5th to 7th. This past November I talked to a lot of toxicologists and chemists at the annual SETAC meeting, but this will be my first opportunity to talk to genuine Tesla experts about the book. I’m both excited and anxious.

After that I’ll start getting the book jacket blurbs and Sterling will provide the pre-order information. Meanwhile I’m working on some preliminary options for book signing locations. Since Sterling is a subsidiary of Barnes & Noble there may be a few automatic spots. I’ll also want to do some signings in my hometown of Ipswich and environs.

Anything I’m missing? Please let me know.

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Tesla Memorial Conference program is coming together

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Nikola TeslaAs discussed previously, the Tesla Science Foundation is sponsoring a Nikola Tesla Memorial Conference in New York City from January 5 to 7, 2012. The site is the New Yorker Hotel where Tesla lived his final years and died on January 7, 1943.

A Tesla Spirit Award Benefit Reception will take place on the evening of January 5th, then the next two days are filled with speakers bringing everyone up to date on exciting Tesla-related projects. Included are the Tesla Museum in Belgrade, Telsa on film, and Tesla as inspiration for music, books, and art. Renowned Tesla expert Marc Seifer will be there, as will Jane Alcorn from the Tesla Science Center at Wardenclyffe, who will bring us up to date on the magnificent effort to raise money and purchase Tesla’s old Wardenclyffe property on Long Island. I’ll be there too talking about my forthcoming book Nikola Tesla: The Wizard of Electricity.

The final day gets deep into the technical discoveries of Tesla, including some new ideas for further development of principles he originated a century ago. Definitely a man ahead of his time.

If you’re interested in Tesla and haven’t yet signed up please follow this link to register. Time is getting short.

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Nikola Tesla: The Wizard of Electricity

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Nikola TeslaThings are moving along with my book Nikola Tesla: The Wizard of Electricity. The manuscript has been accepted by my editor at Sterling Publishing and their team is working on the design – layout, photos, colors, sidebars, and much much more. Sometime in January it will go to the printer and pre-orders will start sometime in the spring.

 

So, what can you expect from the book? Here’s a tickler – my chapter titles…

Chapter 1:      A Scientific Rock Star is Born

Chapter 2:      Coming of Age in Europe

Chapter 3:      The Odd Mr. Tesla

Chapter 4:      Of Edison and Westinghouse

Chapter 5:      A Man Always at War

Chapter 6:      Wireless and Wardenclyffe

Chapter 7:      Taking on Einstein

Chapter 8:      Beyond the Grave – Conspiracies Abound

Chapter 9:      A Lasting Legacy

I’ll have more when I return from my trip.

More about Nikola Tesla.

 

 

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Tesla Science Foundation Sponsors Tesla Memorial Conference

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Nikola TeslaThe Tesla Science Foundation is sponsoring a Nikola Tesla Memorial Conference from January 5-7, 2013 at the New Yorker Hotel in New York City. Fans of Tesla will remember that Nikola Tesla lived at the New Yorker for many years and died on January 7th, 1943, in room 3327, exactly 70 years ago. The Tesla Memorial Conference thus seeks to honor the anniversary of Tesla’s final breath as well as continue to celebrate his life’s achievements.

The President and Executive Director of the Tesla Science Foundation, Nikola Lonchar and Marina Schwabic, respectively, describe with enthusiasm the aim of the Conference:

The world’s brightest minds, scientists, engineers, alternative energy entrepreneurs, innovation experts, artists and a myriad of Tesla enthusiasts will gather in this 3 day Tesla extravaganza to honor Tesla’s legacy, 70 years upon his passing on January 7th, 1943, in the New Yorker Hotel. This unique Tesla forum will include a diverse array of Tesla-related lectures, presentations, discussions and documented evidence of growing interest and recognition of Tesla’s contribution to the 21st Century.

Indeed the conference attracts some of the most avid followers of Tesla, including researchers continuing Tesla’s important work. The conference begins with a black tie Spirit Award Gala Benefit opened by the HRH Prince Filip Karadjordjevic of Serbia. Tesla Motors Founder Elon Musk is scheduled to give the keynote address and Tesla Science Center at Wardenclyffe President Jane Alcorn will be the guest of honor. Alcorn, along with some amazing crowdfunding spearheaded by Matthew Inman of The Oatmeal, successfully obtained the property at Tesla’s last laboratory and will turn it into a museum and tribute to the great inventor.

The second day of the Conference will feature a series of presentations by those who are working to keep Nikola Tesla’s name alive. Among them are people working on films about Tesla, Tesla museum projects, and artistic inspirations. I am happy to say that I will also be giving a short (but inspiring) presentation about my forthcoming book Tesla: Wizard of Electricity. Due out in the spring, the goal of my book is to bring Tesla to the masses since Tesla’s amazing contributions to electrical science have been insufficiently acknowledged in the historical record.

The third day focuses on the modern day uses of Tesla technology and the advances that are still being made off his patents and his ideas.

The Conference looks to be a major milestone in the efforts to educate the world about Nikola Tesla. I am very happy and proud to be a part of the event and will report more as the time approaches.

Read about the conference here, here, and here.

More information about the Tesla Memorial Conference.

More about Tesla: Wizard of Electricity.

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Nikola Tesla handmade chair

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Nikola Tesla Chair by Scott MulcaheyNikola Tesla died on January 7, 1943 and has been largely forgotten from a history that deifies Thomas Edison, Guglielmo Marconi, George Westinghouse and others. But perhaps that is changing. Recently Tesla has enjoyed a resurgence in popularity, reaching an almost iconic status because of admirers like Larry Page of Google, an eponymous electric car company, and a star-filled magician movie. Like David Bowie who played him in Prestige, Nikola Tesla has become a pop idol.

One of my favorite tributes to Nikola Tesla is this handmade chair made from recycled and specialty woods – complete with Nikola Tesla graphics painted on front and back.

Nikola Tesla Chair by Scott Mulcahey

The chair is the design of Scott Mulcahey (with photographs taken by and courtesy of Charles Mulcahey). Scott is a furniture maker, designer, and artist in wood. Besides beautiful cabinetry, he creates one-of-a-kind birdhouses and chairs.

Like the Nikola Tesla chair above, all of his creations “use ‘old school’ joinery such as mortise and tenon construction.” Each chair is signed, dated and numbered. The materials include “sea salvaged driftwood, historical woods, reclaimed timbers and any other wood with character.” Not merely furniture, these award-winning pieces are works of art. They do Tesla proud.

Check out Circa Chairs on Facebook! More about the artist.

By the way, if you want to buy the Tesla chair it is too late – someone already purchased it. But if you beg, Scott might create an original for you.

More on Nikola Tesla.

David J. Kent is 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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So how did Nikola Tesla do when he went to California?

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Nikola TeslaAs I mentioned a few weeks ago, Nikola Tesla joined me on my recent trip to Long Beach, California. And he did very well, thank you. At least my book about Tesla did very well.

I donated a copy of Nikola Tesla: The Wizard of Electricity to the silent auction at the annual meeting of the Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (SETAC). Conference attendees saw a color brochure of the book that will come out in the spring of 2013. At that time I will inscribe and sign the book hot off the presses and ship it to the winning bidder. The book actually got five bids. Not bad for a biography of a long-dead electrical engineer auctioned to a group of toxicologists and chemists.

Nikola Tesla Silent Auction

And the winning bidder is…Diana Eignor. While I didn’t know any of the first four bidders it turns out I do know Diana. Like me a past-president of the Chesapeake and Potomac Regional Chapter of SETAC, Diana actually works in Washington DC not far from my own office. That will certainly save me postage for shipping the book when it comes out (though it might gladly cost me lunch). And the money that Diana paid goes to help fund SETAC’s student activities. Everyone wins.

Next up for Nikola Tesla and me is a trip to New York on the 70th anniversary of Tesla’s death in the New Yorker Hotel. More on that in a later post.

More on Nikola Tesla: The Wizard of Electricity.

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Two Men + Two Tesla Coils + Special Suits = ELECTRICITY FIGHT (aka, Nikola Tesla is Very Cool)

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Okay, by now we all know that Nikola Tesla is very very cool. So how about a really cool electricity duel? You got it.

These guys were part of a demonstration at a festival in Belfast (Ireland, not Ohio). So how do they keep from getting electrocuted? First, the electricity comes from Tesla Coils. These are high-voltage, low-current, high frequency alternating current” in a system perfected by Nikola Tesla in the late 1800s. The weird suits they are wearing form  “Faraday cages,” named after Michael Faraday, the scientist who first came up with the idea of electromagnetic fields. He showed that an electric charge would stay on the outside of a charged conductor, so the electricity basically circulates around the “cage” the men are wearing. Which is good, because otherwise the high voltages used would quickly make the performers, well, dead, and that would have made the performance quite a bit shorter.

As it stands, the crowd was electrified. Figuratively speaking, of course.

Nikola TeslaMore on Tesla coils.

More on Nikola Tesla: The Wizard of Lightning.

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Nikola Tesla Goes to the Silent Auction

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Nikola TeslaIn a few weeks I will attend the annual scientific conference of the Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (SETAC). This year Nikola Tesla will go with me. And then he will leave with someone else.

The conference attracts about 2500 members each year and we juggle our time between attending presentations of the latest science, attending committee meetings and other events, and attending to the myriad conversations held in the hallways of the convention center. The latter is where most of the collaboration is done. Or at least it seems that way.

There are also socials and various other events, this year including a dinner in the Aquarium of the Pacific since the conference is being held in Long Beach (and yes, I will be adding the aquarium to my list!). Every year there is also what is called a Silent Auction. Members donate everything from artwork to golf clubs to earrings made from the sand castings of worm-like fly larvae (you have to be there to appreciate it). For three days the items all sit on display in the main exhibit hall and everyone has a chance to write down their bids on whatever items appeal to them. As a scientific organization it shouldn’t surprise anyone to learn that there are a lot of books donated. And that is where Tesla comes in.

While my Nikola Tesla book won’t have a hard cover until the spring of 2013, I have donated a signed copy to the silent auction. The winning bidder will get to specify whatever inscription they desire, which I will duly apply with my signature and then send the book to them free of charge as soon as it pops out of the printing press. Here is the flyer I will put on display:

Nikola Tesla Silent Auction

One thing you might notice is that the title has changed. This wasn’t entirely unexpected since “Scientific Rock Star” was merely a working title from the beginning. But you’ll see I have cleverly found a way to keep it on the cover. 🙂

All proceeds from the silent auction go toward funding student activities, including helping to cover the cost of doing research, developing presentations, and traveling to scientific meetings like SETAC. So I’m hoping that the book will get plenty of attention. I’ll let you know.

More about Nikola Tesla.

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Tesla Science Center Successfully Buys Wardenclyffe – Will Make It Into a Museum

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Nikola TeslaAn effort to raise money to buy Nikola Tesla’s Wardenclyffe laboratory has been successful. The Tesla Science Center at Wardenclyffe, a non-profit group that has been pursuing the property for many years, confirmed that the Agfa Corporation agreed to sell the site to the Center. The Center will now begin developing designs for the renovation of the facility, which is badly in need of repair, and the creation of a world class “museum and educational memorial to Nikola Tesla, an eccentric genius who lit the world with alternating current but died penniless.”

Wardenclyffe was Tesla’s last great laboratory, and where he planned to begin his World Wireless System to transmit both communications (radio) and power without wires. The effort fell short due to design problems and the withdrawal of funding from financier J.P. Morgan. Tesla later came to his benefactor’s defense when others accused the wealthy financier of pulling funding because Tesla’s wireless electrical power ideas would not provide a profit for Morgan. In his autobiography, Tesla noted with respect to Morgan that “he carried out his generous promise to the letter and it would have been most unreasonable to expect from him anything more.” It was not lack of faith in his abilities by Morgan that would end Tesla’s work at Wardenclyffe, it was that “my project was retarded by laws of nature. The world was not prepared for it. It was too far ahead of time. But the same laws will prevail in the end and make it a triumphal success.”

A century later, Wardenclyffe could once again be the focal point for Tesla’s research. The acquisition by the Tesla Science Center and development of a museum and educational center is a fitting tribute to the man who helped bring us the electrical systems we all rely on today.

More on Tesla: Wizard of Electricity here.

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Update on Tesla Book – Going Through the Publisher’s Edits – Book Title Change

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Nikola TeslaJust a quick update – I have gone through at least some of the publisher’s edits in Nikola Tesla: Scientific Rock Star. Most are straightforward and not controversial. But then there is the question of the title.

Nikola Tesla: Scientific Rock Star will probably not be the final title.

Scientific Rock Star is my working title, but the publisher was keen on Tesla: The Wizard of Electricity. In the edits just received the title change has been made in the manuscript; that would seem to make it official.

My first chapter, however, remains titled “A Scientific Rock Star is Born.”

So I suppose I need to edit my tentative book cover:

Nikola Tesla: Scientific Rock Star cover

More as I get through the edits.

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