Re: Electric Lobster

["Tesla list" <tesla-at-pupman-dot-com>]

Original poster: "Alex Crow by way of Terry Fritz <twftesla-at-uswest-dot-net>" <user-at-alexcrow.clara-dot-net>

Hear hear.

Isn't the whole idea of the hobby/research that it's *fun*? Why would anyone 
bother if there wasn't some form of excitement and intrigue. Perhaps the 
general atmosphere of amusement and surrealism may have inspired people to 
ask questions rather than the case of some stuffy teacher who puts the kids 
off science and engineering for ever, and, indeed may cause intimidation. I 
know why *I* started - I wanted the joy of constructing something, and of 
course the almost feral thrill of generating a display more powerful and 
inspiring than I'd ever managed before.

Science is not just text and theory, it consists equally as much as the arts 
of conjecture, opinion, debate and *inspiration*. Every field of human 
endeavour is a process of discovery and learning, for the individual as well 
as society. All aspects are to be gained from!

I know it's easy to become jaded and cynical, but I've always promised myself 
I'd never lose just a tiny fraction of naivete, and use it to good measure...

Thanks,

Alex Crow






On Thursday 01 February 2001 15:21, Tesla list wrote:
> Original poster: "Dan Kline by way of Terry Fritz <twftesla-at-uswest-dot-net>"
> <ntesla-at-nc.rr-dot-com>
>
> >        Well, it's one way to elevate Tesla coil research to the level of
> > a carnival side show. It's obvious that no one there, including the
> > reporter, knew what they were looking at, or cared. The reference to a
> >"Frankenstein-like static electricity-generating machine called a Tesla
> >coil," was another nationally broadcast round of mis-information about
> > TCs.
>
> Many persons on this list have used Tesla-coils for "sideshow" activities
> like Halloween haunted houses and the like. I'm certain that almost anyone
> going through a haunted house and seeing a Tesla-coil is thinking all kinds
> of "Frankenstein-like" thoughts. But you're right: people attending
> "sideshows" are there to be *entertained*...they certainly don't know what
> they're looking at, or care. They're just having fun.
>
> >This bizarre mixture of "Art," "Religion," and "Technology" (there was NO
> >SCIENCE present)
>
> I'm not sure I understand how Technology isn't Science. Do you mean
> something like the difference between Physics and Electrical Engineering?
> By the way, I got into Tesla-coiling through the Art perspective. Oh yeah,
> and I also got into Tesla-coiling through the Technology perspective. And
> don't think that some people don't see Tesla as a god and Tesla-coiling as
> a religion. Some do, obviously.
> There is a very interesting book called "The Two Cultures" by C. P. Snow,
> about the marraige of Art and Technology. You can find it at your local
> library...it's fairly famous.
>
> >IMO damages the public's impression of everyone in the field
> >as much as the perpetual motion/UFO/ lunatic fringe does. Hopefully you
> > were well-paid.
>
> There are all kinds of people in the world. Just think: if all the
> non-scientific, artistic, fun-loving tesla-coilers didn't exist, according
> to your implied heirarchy-of-values, you might be on the bottom as an
> "easily offended Tesla-coiler". In any case, there was no reason to put
> another coiler down. Maybe it's time to lighten up a little.
>
> Dan Kline
>
> >Matt D.