Tesla - From Faust to Master of Lightning
Pictured above is one of Nikola Tesla’s original induction motors, a marvel of invention that harnesses alternating current to create mechanical power. The term “world-changing invention” gets thrown around a lot, but this certainly qualifies.
But its inspiration has an unexpected genesis. One day, while walking through a park in Budapest, the young Tesla was reciting a poetic passage by heart (one of his many talents). From Goethe’s Faust:
The glow retreats, done is the day of toil;
It yonder hastes, new fields of life exploring;
Ah, that no wing can lift me from the soil
Upon its track to follow, follow soaring!And as the sun set that day, with its glow retreating, Tesla is said to have drawn the design for the induction motor in the sand.
Creativity, scientific or otherwise, is nourished by diverse influences. Keep your ears and eyes open.
(via PBS)
Two British men who have been totally blind for many years have had part of their vision restored after surgery to fit pioneering eye implants.
via BBC News Health
How The $25 Computer Could Change The Way We Learn, Work & Play - PSFK
The Raspberry Pi is a very basic looking micro-board that hides a sophisticated computer – the UK developers behind the computer expect other companies, hackers and DIYers to add their own peripherals and even casing. What’s buzzing the technology scene is the price. At $25 plus shipping, the inventors believe that the Raspberry Pi can revolutionize education – but they don’t expect its impact to just stop there. PSFK spoke to the Executive Director of the Raspberry Pi Foundation, Eben Upton, about what he and his team had created and the changes it might help create.
OK. The dumb question: Why does your computer look like one of those cards you stick in the back of a desktop computer? It’s not quite as cute as an iPad. Where’s the shell?
We’re expecting community members to design (and sell) their own shells for the device. In fact, both our distribution partners (element14/Premier Farnell and RS Components) will be marketing their own shells too.
cnet:
Two weeks of smartphone charging in your pocket
Brookstone will carry a portable fuel cell USB charger from Lilliputian Systems able to deliver extended hours of charge time for smartphones and other electronics.
