Today marks Thomas Edison's birthday — 161 years ago, "the Wizard of Menlo Park" sprang forth from his mother's womb to overcome an "addled" childhood and claim over 1,093 U.S. patents for items as varied as the light bulb, the phonograph and, er, the concrete piano. How did he manage it all? Well, besides his stunning good looks (pictured left), he employed a dogged knack for invention, a mindless tolerance for pursuing trial-and-error experiments, and he wasn't afraid to let a little thing like a shower get in between him and finishing a project.
But I'll always choose to remember him for his aggressive marketing campaign during the "War of Currents" with Nikola Tesla, wherein he advocated for the benefits of direct current (DC) by electrocuting an elephant. Now that's how you win a format war (I hope you're taking notes, Sony/Blu-Ray).
In 1903, when Coney Island circus elephant Topsy was deemed a nuisance (she went berserk and killed three people, including an abusive trainer who tried to feed her lit cigarettes), her owners planned to have her executed via the traditional method of hanging (seems problematic, but whatevs). Edison, however, saw a chance to appease animal rights activists and create a gangbusters PR event by suggesting electrocution with DC. So they fed Topsy cyanide carrots and lit her up with 6,000 volts.
1,500 people attended the execution and Edison, pre-YouTuber that he was, filmed the whole thing. Check the gruesome vid after the jump:
How many representatives does it take to change a light bulb? 314 to 100, plus one President!
Rim shot! No, seriously, Bush is taking away your light bulbs, but he's replacing them (or making you replace them) with even better bulbs! A massive energy bill that passed the House on Tuesday and was signed yesterday, set higher fuel economy standards for the first time in 32 years, called for 36 billion gallons of renewable fuels by 2022, and, most importantly, set a goal for getting rid of the incandescent light bulb within 10 years.
Oh, Japan. Oh, dear, sweet Japan. You're making me swoon with your awesomeness. Ferrofluids and giant jellyfish rule my face, sure — but you've really outdone yourself this time by powering a Christmas tree with an electric eel:
Electric eels can generate 1 ampere (500 watts) of current, plenty to keep the lights on your tree blazing and the angel at the top twirling.
I remember the potato-powered-lightbulb gag from chemistry class, but my jaw kind of dropped when I saw the last few moments of this how-to video.
Yup, that appears to be an iPod charging its battery from a USB plugged into a f#cking onion.
They may be fine showmen, but the Household Hackers don't reveal why the bleep it actually happens. Scores of comments attempt to explain it or dismiss it as a hoax. But none of them hit that sweet mix of authority, brevity, and insouciance we at 60SS strive for.
You, dear readers, are surely smarter and more talented. Can you explain or debunk the onion-gatorade battery in 100 words or less?
OK, I'm as sorry at having to write that headline as you are having to read it, but can we all just get past that and celebrate the fact that these Tesla coils rock the heazy? Steve Ward and Jeff Larson showcased the best thing they'll ever do with their lives at the 2007 Lightning on the Lawn Teslathon in Baraboo, WI.
Today marks Thomas Edison's birthday — 161 years ago, "the Wizard of Menlo Park" sprang forth from his mother's womb to overcome an "addled" childhood and claim over 1,093 U.S. patents for items as varied as the light bulb, the phonograph and, er, the concrete piano. How did he manage it all? Well, besides his stunning good looks (pictured left), he employed a dogged knack for invention, a mindless tolerance for pursuing trial-and-error experiments, and he wasn't afraid to let a little thing like a shower get in between him and finishing a project.
