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

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

Original poster: "davep by way of Terry Fritz <twftesla-at-qwest-dot-net>" <davep-at-quik-dot-com>

Tesla list wrote:

> 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.

	Welllllll.
	1) _many_ people (scientists) gave such lectures/demos.
	2) There is an Old Saying:
		Any technology sufficiently advanced is
		indistinguishable from a rigged demo.
	(Rigged demos were one of the staples of The Current
	Wars:
		Edison would electrocute dogs with AC, failing
		to point out the DC of the same voltage would
		be as lethal.

		Tesla would run a demo of 'thousands of volts
		of AC passing thru my body', neglecting to
		mention that if it had been 60 Hz he would
		be DEAD.)

> He demonstrated equipment operating according to his principles.

	Its easy to make a demo work on a lab scale, or lecture
	table that is of no practical use.

> After Colorado Springs not much appeared except in the form of

> vague anecdotes 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.
	Absolutely concur....


>>        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.

	Concur...

	best
	dwp

...the net of a million lies...
	Vernor Vinge
There are Many Web Sites which Say Many Things.
	-me