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Why Colorado Springs
Posted by Travis Mateer on 11/13/2006, 7:04 pm
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Re: Why Colorado Springs
Posted by Bert Hickman on 11/13/2006, 10:21 pm, in reply to "Why Colorado Springs" The only common connection is the presence (or safety) of the Rocky Mountains. Tesla's earlier investigations in New York City into the properties of high voltage high frequency current and conductivity of rarified gases led him to believe that it might be possible to use rarified air as an electrical conductor for wireless power transmission. The altitude and isolation of the mountains permitted him to conduct research using much more powerful equipment in dry and somewhat rarified air, with little interference to/from local residents. The low humidity was an added benefit, since many insulating materials in Tesla's day tended to be organically based and somewhat hygroscopic (such as wood, gutta percha, rubber, cotton, or silk). Although "The Prestige" actually used a combination of Computer Graphics and Plasma Ball type discharges instead of real Tesla Coils, and the story line was an entertaining historical (science) fiction, it was still a very enjoyable movie. David Bowie made for a short, but interesting, Tesla. But Edison was probably treated a bit unfairly (even though I'm no great fan of Edison). Best regards, Bert
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