Tesla le magnifique

Edison played dirty at best, trying to terrify the public into believing AC [alternating current] was uniquely dangerous. (In fact, AC and DC [direct current] are about equal.) His supporters electrocuted dogs at weekly press conferences and arranged for the first electrocution of a condemned murderer at Sing Sing. In 1903 Edison executed Topsy the Elephant at Coney Island's Luna Park and made a motion picture of the event, distributing "Electrocuting an Elephant" as one of the first films to appear in theaters. (Coney Island belatedly erected a memorial to Topsy in 2003.)

Alternating current's advantages proved far too great, however, and by the 1920s had clearly won out. Electrical generation was centralized at larger and larger power stations that could be cited in remote locations. Hydropower from distant dams could be transmitted across hundreds of miles. Only a few direct current operations remained in Manhattan.

Tesla's Last Triumph, William Tucker, 19 septembre 2007

merci Nikola Tesla


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Trivializing something as serious as war by suggesting that it's all the fault of some icky boys is counter-effective to any substantial gains that women have made in the past century. It leaves us back in the elementary school playground with the boys and girls separating themselves and afraid of catching each other's cooties. That's okay as long as it's a short phase in your life. Accomplished adults should be beyond that.

If Mothers Ruled the World, Pia de Solenni, 21 septembre 2007