Re: Waste of time_was_ Here I sit in total mysery being blown off by every s

["Steve Rosenthal" <sdrosen-at-cwia-dot-com> (by way of Terry Fritz <twftesla-at-uswest-dot-net>)]

Chris,
I have followed your posts, and I want to make a few comments.
First, a very large part of what goes on today, as far as what you are
discussing and for that matter what it appears you are contemplating is pure
ego.
Playing the "mine is bigger than yours" game.

> Computers:
>   Do you have any concept how many hours I piddle away in front of this
> thing? For what? The simple computer in your car is more powerfull than
what
> NASA had in 69 and that got us to the moon! What more could we need? Do we
> really need to be able to know the millionth digit of Pi in 5 seconds?
(It's
> 9 by the way)
> "640k of RAM aught to be enough for anybody." Bill Gates, 1981
> I have 1048MB currently...WHY? What possible need do I have for dual
> PIII-500 processors, a Gig of RAM, a dual processor video card (Oxygen
> GVX-210), and enough hard drive to hold the library of congress? What
could
> I possibly need to store in that that I cannot find in seconds on the net?
> Or God forbid use my BRAIN and read a book!

I believe the answer to that question is for your ego, to feel "superior".
(Oh, By the way, I am running a cluster of 10 1000mhz Sun RISC boxes 4gig
RAM per box, running Linux and Beowolf, 20 terabytes of storage on a fiber
channel rack, and I don't need one of those "gamers" video cards because I
only do scientific work) not ;>

>
> People lived for thousands of years without ANY electricity, steam power,
> cars, internet, or even electric toasters and martinni glasses. They did
> just fine. Even in the middle ages women gave birth without neonatel care
> and raised perfectly fine kids without formula or disposable diapers. You
> think Tesla had Simulac? Or Ritalin, special-Ed, MTV, or the demonic
> PokeMon? THE MAN PLAYED WITH JUNEBUGS FOR FUN!
>
> However.........
>
> The mortality rate in the middle ages wasn't so hot either. Our friend
> Rattus Rattus helped spread Plague (both bubonic and pneumonic forms) over
> enough of europe to kill off half of them.
>
> The automobile has changed us from a world where people usually lived
their
> entire lives never travelling more than 5 miles in radius from birth.

All these things are still true for the vast majority of the earths
population

>
> Supersonic transportation has opened us to a cost of spices, commodities,
> and technology that we can actually afford.

True only for a small percentage of the world population, the "fortunate
ones" (all who read this are included in this group).

>
> The Space program has given Jim a job ;)

I think we are too successfull as a species, and now we are understanding we
must find a new planet for "resources".

>
> And our weirdo friend Tesla gave us Usable power from Franklin's suicidal
> Cumulonimus Marx bank. Along with Radio (Marconi was a thief), SAFE and
> distributal energy (Edison was a theif, killer, and generally icky-poo
kinda
> bum), and a few other wonderful toys.
>
> In his lifetime of research he stumbled upon the electrical swingset that
> bears his name. It has taken us a hundred years and half of us still can't
> get it right. Dreams is the stuff Physics is made of and Tesla dreamed big
> (even bigger than me :) ). Most of the people on this list have I.Q.s that
> make me look like a typing chimp and THEY bicker and moan about the
tinyest
> little bits of this INCREDIBLY SIMPLE ELECTRONIC TOY.
>
> Look at the schematic for a tesla coil.....How easier can it get? Even I
can
> draw one from memory in 30 seconds.

I wonder how impressed Mr. Tesla would have been with you?

Mr. Tesla was not driven by ego, he was compelled by something far greater.
I do not perceive Tesla as a proud or vain man, He associated with proud and
vain men, and I think he found them repulsive. For me, building Tesla coils
is just a way of identifying with the great man Tesla, that's all, and the
most noble thing I could hope for would be to inspire one of the children,
who see my Tesla coils, to be all they can be. And possibly one of them will
not be driven by ego, but rather find that higher force which compells one
to true greatness. I hope you can do the same thing in your endeavers.

Steve R.