Tesla in the WSJ

[cadpoint]

Nice article on the man in the Wall Street Journal and his name on modern day products!

Here

1/14/10

Enjoy

 

[Jraef]

Thanks for that, I'm a big Tesla fan and consider him the (largely) unsung hero of the modern age. One new thing I saw in that article was that David Bowie played him in a movie called "The Prestige" in 2006! I had no idea, I have to find that movie now.

 

[mivey]

Makes Edison seem like such a jerk. Hopefully he had some redeeming traits that outweighed his flaws.

Does Tesla have an ancestry line that is active in preserving his legacy?

 

[benaround]

I'd like to say thanks also, Cadpoint.

 

[quogueelectric]

Nice mention most people dont know what a nasty schmuck Edison was and that he stole many of his inventions from real geniuses like Tesla and left them as starving artists. Edison is a piece of doo-doo in my book. Tesla was the real deal and a standup kind of guy who got swindled by con artists like Edison . Let the truth be known.

 

[Besoeker]

Thanks for that, I'm a big Tesla fan and consider him the (largely) unsung hero of the modern age.

I totally agree.
At least he has a unit of measurement named after him.
And possibly the Tesla Roadster although I don't suppose many of the general public would make the connection with the great man.

 

[roger]

Makes Edison seem like such a jerk. Hopefully he had some redeeming traits that outweighed his flaws.

I doubt it, he was simply a jerk and died that way IMO.

Roger

 

[weressl]

Thanks for that, I'm a big Tesla fan and consider him the (largely) unsung hero of the modern age. One new thing I saw in that article was that David Bowie played him in a movie called "The Prestige" in 2006! I had no idea, I have to find that movie now.

What a contrast. Tesla, the genius, who is incapable for completing his ideas and implementing them into workable solution and Edison, the mediocre engineer, who can buy, borrow and steal other's unused ideas and make them commercial success.

I actually consdier Edison's biggest business failure of NOT retaining Tesla and nurturing and developing his incredible fount of ideas. Edison should have been his mentor and supporter, but I guess egos clashed. Such a tragedy of history and science and technical development.

What those two together could have accomplished?!

(BTW Tesla attended the same University as I did...)

 

[skeshesh]

When I was around 9 or 10 years old my dad bought me a book with about 20 short biographies of people with significant contribution to science and technology in 20th century. I remember reading Tesla's a few times over just because he was such a character. At least, though, he's been and continues being remembered and honored; one can't help but wonder how many brilliant minds have been robbed of their ideas throughout the years.
And by the way, I thought 'the prestige' wasn't that impressive of a movie, and they had a pretty ridiculous portryal of Tesla which did not please me much...

 

[bcorbin]

I am also a huge fan of Tesla. It is sad to know how he died, a victim of his genius. It really limited his interactions with other normal human beings.

As far as Edison goes, yes he was a jerk. But it has to be understood that he was also a genius. The world he grew up in was a lot less kind than ours today. The man was nearly deaf, as a result of scarlet fever, and a severe blow to his head by an angry train conductor. Nobody would get away with that today, but then it was just part of life. So Edison only mirrored the cruel, cut-throat world he grew up in.

It just goes to show you that genius and kindness are not linked together in the least.

Isaac Newton was the same way.

 

[zog]

Thanks for that, I'm a big Tesla fan and consider him the (largely) unsung hero of the modern age. One new thing I saw in that article was that David Bowie played him in a movie called "The Prestige" in 2006! I had no idea, I have to find that movie now.

Great movie, my wife got pissed because I kept explaining stuff about Tesla during the movie.

 

[zog]

I totally agree.
At least he has a unit of measurement named after him.
And possibly the Tesla Roadster although I don't suppose many of the general public would make the connection with the great man.

And don't forget these guys

 

[John Paul]

I think people mostly like the sound of Tesla as a mysterious high-tech sounding label for product placement. It's a cool name.

 

[zog]

BTW, for you Tesla fans, if you have not read "Empires of light" you are missing out on a good read.

http://www.amazon.com/Empires-Light-Edison-Westinghouse-Electrify/dp/0375507396

 

[Jraef]

Great movie, my wife got pissed because I kept explaining stuff about Tesla during the movie.

That is EXACTLY what would happen in my house! My wife would only be interested in it if there were some "relationship issues" I would be attempting to get her into the science and achievement issues.

 

[Jraef]

Makes Edison seem like such a jerk. Hopefully he had some redeeming traits that outweighed his flaws.

I'm not so quick to judge Edison harshly, I think he is a testament to the "American Spirit" of entrepreneurship and hard work. But a great engineer he was not and his legacy of being a great inventor has been over blown by historians. He deserves a lot of credit for overcoming obstacles in his pursuit of a goal, I think it's unfair to take that away from him. Unfortunately for Tesla, Edison viewed him as an obstacle to overcome rather than an asset to build on, probably due in no small part to Tesla's arrogance in his opinion of Edison. Tesla was an elitist and saw no value in the business aspects of his work, as evidenced by the way he ended up. Yet early on he expressed disdain for Edison's more commercially exploitative way of pursuing his ideas.

Does Tesla have an ancestry line that is active in preserving his legacy?

Tesla's legacy is widely celebrated in what was Yugoslavia (Serbia, Croatia) where there is a famous statue of him and a museum. I believe it is supported by his family (descendants of nieces and nephews).

 

[cadpoint]

"The Prestige" is to be on Sunday night movie on Syfy 9 PM / Eastern Time.

Bowie is the lead, I just saw commerical tonight, I thought it was Michael Cane, I only say a few moments of the commerical.

Never mind here's a review of the movie and more IMDb

Enjoy: (again) 8.4 stars ~

 

[boboelectric]

What about
George Westinhouse?

 

[ohmhead]

Well i was born in Edison NJ and have seen Edisons lab and his inventions . But Edison did not invent the lite bulb Humphrey Davy did that .

He had to buy the patent from Davy to make it commercial !

And when Tesla worked for him and Edison never payed him for his inventions or gave Tesla recognition for his part in all the inventions during that year and took the credit himself its kinda like Bill Gates and how he started.

 

[dbuckley]

One new thing I saw in that article was that David Bowie played him in a movie called "The Prestige" in 2006!

Whereas The Prestige is, as others have noted, a great movie, the presence of Tesla in there as a small part to advance the storyline, not to explain any electrical theories, and this is most certainly not a movie in any way, shape or form about Tesla. Also stars (Sir) Michael Caine playing, well, Michael Caine.