Though Edison gets most of the credit for electrifying the early 20th century, Tesla’s inventions have had more lasting impact. He was the father of alternating current, as well as doing much of the founding research on electromagnetic waves and three-phase motors. Nearly all the electronic devices in use today are built on principles developed by Tesla. Happy birthday, you weird genius.
Update: Here’s a great three minute video that breaks down the highlights of Tesla’s career.
If you’re not particularly geeky, you might not have herd of Alan Turing. Well you should. He pioneered the fields of artificial intelligence and cryptography, and was instrumental in breaking the Nazi Enigma code during WWII. The British government, in thanks for Touring’s efforts, stripped him of his security clearance, chemically castrated him, and persecuted him into committing suicide. Back then, being one of the world leaders in the new field of computing and designing the code-breaking machine that won the war (or at least shortened it by quite a bit) didn’t mean squat if they found out you were gay. It’s OK though, because the British government said they were sorry about the whole thing. They waited until two years ago, but better late than never, right?
In any case, Alan Turing was a visionary who got fucked over by an ignorant, conservative government. Now you know.
Satoshi Kon, The creator of some very excellent anime films, has died. In a genre that has become very cookie-cutter, Kon’s work was always original and different. His vision will be missed.
Harvey Pekar, underground comic writer and long-time collaborator with Robert Crumb (one of my favorite comic artists) has died. RIP, angry man. (via Boingboing)
They say celebrity deaths come in threes. Well, “they” are mostly idiots, but we did have three celebrities die in the last few days. First was Art Linkletter, who I am too young to care about one way or the other. Next was Gary Coleman, who had it so rough that even I can’t bring myself to make a midget joke about him. Then today, Dennis Hopper died after a battle with cancer.
The dude made a lot of great films (and quite a few stinkers), but I will always remember this scene from True Romance - one of the single best scenes in any movie, ever.
Here’s the trailer for Gonzo, the upcoming Hunter S. Thompson documentary (hi-rez version available from Apple trailers). I’m a huge fan of Thompson’s work and I very much want to see this film. (Via Boingboing)
These are the things that amuse me. I am easily amused.
Tags
Links
Twitter feed - Follow me, or don't. It's mostly just re-tweets of the stuff I post here.
Big Man in a Little Car - My new blog about trying to find a cheap, efficient car that my large, inefficient ass will fit into.
The Airsoft Review Database - A site I put together as something to do while unemployed. It is currently the largest compilation of airsoft reviews on the internet.
Yodelling Llama - Chris Taylor's frequently amusing blog of joy.
