Re: Telsa was:Re: SSTC As a transmitter.

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

Original poster: "Ed Phillips by way of Terry Fritz <twftesla-at-qwest-dot-net>" <evp-at-pacbell-dot-net>

Tesla list wrote:
> 
> Original poster: "davep by way of Terry Fritz <twftesla-at-qwest-dot-net>"
<davep-at-quik-dot-com>
> 
> >>engineer.  Perhaps he reserved this style for public consumption,
> >>for raising finance, but he does seem to have the habit of making
> >>extraordinary statements and claims, without qualifying them with
> >>answers to the obvious questions raised by their apparent
> >>indifference to the laws of physics.  What we seem to find when
> >>looking at his writings and descriptions of things, is that as we
> >>draw closer to the core principles or key functional details of
> 
> > Particularly so in later writings... I think that he became more of a
> > "showman" as he got older.
> 
>         I think we need to go gently here.  The Way Science
>         (and engineering) was done was different then than now.
>         Tesla came along at the end of the time when it was
>         _expected_ for a scientist to 'educate the public'
>         by public lectures and demonstrations.  What looks
>         showy to us, was (to some extent) the norm of the
>         time.

	Public lectures and demonstrations of the type he gave pre-Wardenclyffe
served both to educate and to PROVE THE CONCEPTS.  He demonstrated
equipment operating according to his principles.  After Colorado Springs
not much appeared except in the form of vague anectdotes such as his
mysterious "wireless electric car".  There is no reliable proof of any
of his gadgets with the possible exception of the Tesla turbine, which
isn't revolutionary and isn't even the first bladeless turbine, and his
speedometer, which is really a trivial device.


>         My impression is that, say, post Wardenclyffe, his
>         major outlet was pieces for the populr science mags.
>         His demos with HV had been showy at the time (say
>         1890-1900, without checking.)

	The HV demos were showy, but his demonstration of electrical apparatus
at the Columbian Exhibition was revolutionary and eminently practical. 
If he's stopped there reputation would be at least as great as it is
now, but without any of the lunatic fringe contamination.

Ed

> > Also, at a time when new inventions were coming out everywhere,
> 
> > he probably had to make ever more florid and fantastic
> 
> > predictions to get investors interested.
>         Without rechecking, post Wardenclyffe there Were no
> 
>         investors .
> 
> >>Have you noticed how many times you come across some situation in
> >>which people are arguing over the interpretation of some statement
> >>made by Tesla?  You hardly ever find this with other engineers and
> >>scientists of the day. They almost invariably spelled things out
> >>with great thoroughness, taking pride in the clarity of their
> >>expositions. In particular, whenever a controversial argument was
> >>presented, it would come equipped with well constructed responses
> >>to the obvious questions which fellow experts in the field would
> >>be certain to ask.  I've yet to come across this sort of dialogue
> >>in which the obvious problems that we mention here are dealt with.
> 
> > I don't know... there were some pretty famous disputes going on in the 19th
> > century: source of the Nile, exploration of Africa and South America, etc.
> > with wild aspersions cast, suspicious suicides, and all manner of dispute.
> > Perhaps in the physical sciences your statement may be true (because all
> > the wailing and thrashing had already been done earlier?).
> 
>         One can settle engineering problems in a lab (with
>         replication) Source of the Nile means someone has
>         to go there.  Each is equally definitive in solution,
>         each has a different approach.
> 
>         best
>         dwp
> 
> ...the net of a million lies...
>         Vernor Vinge
> There are Many Web Sites which Say Many Things.
>         -me