User-agent: Mozilla/5.0 (Windows NT 6.1; WOW64; rv:24.0) Gecko/20100101 Thunderbird/24.1.1
If you are in the SF bay area, this might be fun. I may take a table
top coil down. Nice people, and fun tribute. If anyone in the area has
coils they want to show, call me and we'll talk to Dorrian. I'm in
Sacramento -- 916 927 4201
*Nikola Tesla statue set to be unveiled in Silicon Valley this weekend
*
A statue of the inventor of Nikola Tesla - equipped with free Wi-Fi and
a time capsule to be opened in 2043 - is set to be unveiled in the heart
of the Silicon Valley this Saturday, December 7th.
The statue is the result of a successful Kickstarter campaign
<http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/dorrian/a-statue-of-nikola-tesla-in-the-silicon-valley> organized
in May 2013 by Northern Imagination, a Palo Alto, CA based company
started by entrepreneur Dorrian Porter. The campaign raised more than
$127,000 in 30 days from 722 people and included a final hour
contribution of more than $20,000 from an anonymous family foundation
which helped it cross the finish line. No one on the fundraising team
expected to see the final funds come in on the last day.
During the campaign Northern Imagination produced a short animated video
using GoAnimate imagining what it would be like for Nikola Tesla to
pitch modern VCs <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zngK13FMgXM>. This
video spread rapidly on social media, particularly among the startup
community, generating over 230,000 views in a short space of time.
Commenters found the video "so true" and "very funny," but the animated
video also hinted at the broader need to balance breakthrough innovation
and the economics of venture capital.
The statue was sculpted by local Menlo Park, CA artist Terry Guyer
and cast using the lost-wax bronze casting method by Artworks Foundry
in Berkeley, CA. Local Palo Alto developer Harold Hohbach is
providing the commercial property on which the statue will be seen
and accessible to the public.
The inclusion of free Wi-Fi is fitting for Nikola Tesla, who some
say dreamed of creating a more efficient system of wireless power for
the entire planet. Nikola Tesla's inventions are widely credited as
a critical part of the foundation of modern electricity transfer
and wireless data transmission.
"This unique project pays respect to a great inventor who never had the
historical recognition he deserved," says project organizer Dorrian
Porter. "But it also is intended to inspire the entrepreneurs who come
to the Silicon Valley to think big and selflessly - as Tesla did - on
important opportunities like energy and wireless. The free exchange of
information and affordable access to sustainable energy have the
potential to solve the critical issues of poverty and education, and
inspire peace."
Supporting Silicon Valley companies of the project include
GoAnimate, Nvidia, First Republic Bank (Menlo Park), and TVU networks.
"We were honored to be one of the companies supporting
Northern Imagination's efforts" said Gary Lipkowitz, Chief Operating
Officer of GoAnimate. "We share their appreciation for Tesla's
contributions and were pleased to see the Tesla video so widely viewed
-- and shared -- throughout the Kickstarter campaign."
The event is scheduled for Saturday, December 7 from 11:30 am to 2:30 pm
at 260 Sheridan Avenue in Palo Alto, California and will also be live
streamed. More details about the event can be found at
www.teslastatue.com <http://www.teslastatue.com/> or by contacting
Northern Imagination.