Re: kVA Effects on Discovery Channel

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

Original poster: Mike Poulton <mpoulton-at-mtptech-dot-com> 

Interesting. Kudos to the kVA Effects guys, but shame on Discovery
Channel. The entire program was full of poorly throught-out
pseudo-science and sensationalism. Clearly, their writers have no
technical background and don't consult with real scientists or
engineers before planning or executing any of their hare-brained
stunts. The terms charge, current, voltage, force, pressure, and
energy were used incorrectly with far greater frequency than they were
used correctly! To the general public, this may be nit-picking
(apparently it is to their producers as well) -- but this is the
Discovery Channel! It's supposed to be technical and scientific in
nature! I'm not even going to list all of the huge mistakes I can
recall, but I'll point out a couple big ones:

Two motorcycles with 800lb force (NOT PRESSURE!) pull each, in
opposition, do not pull with 1600lbs of force total -- only 800. Their
strong man was only half as strong as they claimed.

One does not "absorb" voltage cumulatively over one's lifetime.

The lightning guy's survival was neither miraculous nor unexplainable
-- he never took a direct lightning strike, only multiple instances of
much less energy dissipation.

Flash powder under the telephone? Wasn't the Tesla coil impressive
enough on it's own? I like pyro (I *am* a pyro), but not when it's
used deceptively and moronically. Plus, did the vaporizing wire
actually produce that smoke cloud on it's own? Not consistent with my
experience.

Overall, I was pleased to see a huge Tesla coil on TV but I was sorely
disappointed with the quality of the program. Hate to sound like an
old geezer at age 21, but this kind of crap is the reason America's
children don't pay attention to science and technology these days.
Society tells them the details aren't important and they don't have to
understand it or know anything about it.

-------------------------------------------------
Mike Poulton
MTP Technologies
mpoulton-at-mtptech-dot-com
KC0LLX (70cm AM ATV, 33cm/12cm FM ATV, Omaha, NE)