‘Snap, Crackle, & Scream’

FILMFAX magazine issues #67 & 68 carried an entertaining two-part article by David J. Skal. The article is and excerpt from Skal's book SCREAMS OF REASON: MAD SCIENCE AND MODERN CULTURE. The first entry of the article states “Mary Shelly described, in the introduction to her revised edition of FRANKENSTEIN, a vision of 'the working of some powerful engine' attending the birth of her monster. She couldn't have imagined Nikola Tesla's air coils and fire rings...The 'powerful engine' to which Mary Shelly had alluded, in 1830, found a spectacular realization, in 1931, through the Tesla-inspired constructions of Hollywood technician Kenneth Strickfaden. Strickfaden concocted a snap, crackle, scream display of writhing electrical arcs, along with inoperative pops (sic) fashioned from industrial salvage. Strickfaden kept all the equipment in his garage in Santa Monica and profitably leased it back to Universal for its sequel FRANKENSTEIN films. (The buzzing gadgets made their final screen appearance in Mel Brook's 1974 comedy, YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN.)” Skal's book includes several illustrations and references to both Nikola Tesla and Kenneth Strickfaden.

‘Acoustic Alchemy’

The CD recording “Positive Thinking” by the band ACOUSTIC ALCHEMY sports a cover photo of Nikola Tesla at Colorado Springs. “'Positive Thinking' is a refreshing and moving experience gently blending guitars, drums, and other instruments for a truly magical sound.” I listened to a few renderings from the CD and found the music quite enjoyable.' However, the connection to Nikola Tesla was not clear (perhaps it's the title). (tips from Ruth Goldman, James DiMichelle, and others)

‘Gadget Master’

POPULAR SCIENCE magazine for August carried an informative piece on 88 year old Jacob Rabinow, an American genius for coming up with useful inventions. At present, he has cobbled up more than 200 innovative ideas. “Born in the former Soviet Union, Rabinow concocted up his first gadget - a rock thrower - when he was 8.” One of Rabinow's useful contributions is a magnetic disk (1948). “People asked, Who needs it?” We now know the answer to that question.

Giant Accelerator

Over the next nine years, the U.S. and other countries will build a large supercollider at the Europeon Laboratory for Particle Physics outside of Geneva, Switzerland. The 16-mile circumference tunnel will border both France and Switzerland. Scientists believe the Large Hadron Collider will enable them to unlock the secrets of particles that have been heretofore elusive. Some 4,000 scientists from 45 countries will take part.

‘The Retrospectroscope’

The July/August issue of the publication IEEE ENGINEERING IN MEDICINE AND BIOLOGY carried an article on Nikola Tesla. Written by Max E. Valentinuzzi, “Nikola Tesla: Why Was He So Much Resisted and Forgotten?” attempts to explain the reason(s) why Nikola Tesla has become a non-entity in the world of electrical engineering. Valentinuzzi concedes that he had not heard of Nikola Tesla in all his years of undergraduate electrical engineering (1951-1956). Although he had worked in private communications where he had the opportunity to meet engineers active in the 1920s, “Never, in so many lectures we attended or discussions we had, was Tesla even mentioned. However, I do well remember names of other relatively lesser significant innovators in the electrical domain” Although the article provides many explanations for lack of recognition for Tesla's work, it does not mention the apparent gentleman's agreement within the electrical industry and institutions of higher learning to diminish or erase Tesla's part in technology. (tip by R.G. Kent)

Nikola Tesla Subject of Sightings Channel Program

It was by a mere coincidence that I caught the portion of a Sightings Channel program devoted to Nikola Tesla. Tad Wise, author of a fictionalized biography of Tesla, was one of those interviewed. Another was Oliver Nicholson who claims that the great Russian environmental disaster of 1908 was the result of a Tesla experiment. Just goes to show, if you want to be on television (or radio), just come up with a weird tale and blame it on Tesla.