November 28, 2008

Introducing Nikola Tesla

Part visionary, part mad scientist, and absolute genius, Tesla should be as famous as Edison – but he’s been largely forgotten. Kurt talks with Samantha Hunt about her novel The Invention of Everything Else. Tesla is the protagonist, and despite the outlandish biographical details all through the book, there was very little she had to make up.

(Originally aired: January 25, 2008)

Listener Comments Leave a Comment | Refresh Comments
[1]
Posted by: Roberto Barnard Baca
November 29, 2008 - 10:14AM
Guadalajara, JAL Mexico and NYC, NY EEUU

Interesting and informative, though the trivial, cutesy production designed for the NPR-type audience is a bit silly. Don't confuse "wireless" with "radio" as they are one and the same thing. LIke, uhm, like, totally.

73

XE1GXG

WB7AVF

[2]
Posted by: Roberto Barnard Baca
November 29, 2008 - 10:27AM
Guadalajara, JAL Mexico and NYC, NY EEUU

Indeed, very trite. "Kickin' it old school" as a comment by the announcer when visiting the Empire State Building XMTR for WNYC? Then the silly, cutesy dialogue. And this Hunt woman seems to be part of Generation X or Y. I am like, so, like, glad, I like, don't live in NY that much anymore. It has become a truly dumb place.

[3]
Posted by: Hugh
November 30, 2008 - 01:53AM
Ithaca, NY

Samantha Hunt seemed to be fairly ignorant of the creativity required for groundbreaking work in modern empirical science. I was pretty cheesed-off when I heard her dismissive attitude toward the whole of modern science. She may know personally of some "masterpiece" paintings or novels that her friends are creating, but there are many recent masterpieces of intuitive jumps in science that have yielded useful and important (and reproducible!) technologies. I hope her novel about a scientist does well. Historical fiction about scientists by scientifically ignorant and dismissive “humanists” should do well on the bestseller list. I’ll probably wait until the 6th printing to pick up my copy of her “masterpiece.”

[4]
Posted by: sean murphy
December 03, 2008 - 05:57PM
durham north carolina

I've been reading these comments and ...

what is it with these people.Not all of us are scientists.

i think that this presentation was fine for the layman.i dont understand all the stodgy curmudgeons carrying on as if they have a much more intimate knowledge of tesla and in turn lording it over,as if to make this show to be fraudulent.

i am just tickled someone thought it was a good idea to dedicate an hour to tesla.It would be great if there was of some sort follow up talking about some of his other creations like his electric car that ran off of ambient electricity,among others!Keep up the good work.

[5]
Posted by: chris
December 05, 2008 - 07:53AM
boston, ma

Sean, the presentation wasn't fine for the laymen because the segment completely misrepresented the level of creativity and design in good science.

For an example of creative design and invention in biology, I recommend people check out the work of Craig Venter, Tom Knight, Jay Keasling, and Jim Collins among others. All of these groups are working on developing novel functions for living organisms that could lead to new drugs, cleaner energy, and better biosensors.

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