[Tig] Polonium

[Sam B. Dlugach]

I seem to recall that Nikola Tesla proposed a plan to light New York  
City wirelessly via huge high-frequency/high voltage primary coils at  
central locations and individual secondary coils at residences.  I  
think we all realize now that if the plan had been implemented, all  
of NYC would've ended up (more) crazy, and terribly ill.  Tesla (and  
Westinghouse) did however win the battle for his AC distribution  
system vs. Edison's DC plan (you can imagine the engineering  
nightmare), but AC power has not been without health issues.

A company I do business with recently acquired a new building  
adjacent to some HT power lines, and even after much environmental &  
OSHA testing that labeled the EM radiation levels "safe," they felt  
compelled to cover themselves against potential litigation by issuing  
a legal disclosure letter to employees.  Oh those crazy lawyers...

If DC power had prevailed, would early television transmission have  
even been practical in those pre-crystal-oscillator days without that  
ubiquitous 60Hz line reference?

By the way, in Christopher Nolan's exceptional new film The Prestige,  
David Bowie plays a wonderfully eccentric Nikola Tesla, and the idea  
of wireless power transmission is given a couple minutes of screen time.

But here's the real news:  at the L.A. Auto Show today, I saw the new  
2007 Tesla Motors Roadster.  All electric, zero emissions, 248hp,  
13,500rpm redline, and 0-60mph in 4.0 seconds!!!  Any of our more  
extravagantly compensated brethren on that exclusive waiting list?   
True lust, that.  But I'd settle for a Polonium-powered Bugatti.

Cheers,

Sam Dlugach



On Dec 2, 2006, at 10:04 AM, Rob Lingelbach wrote:
> ...about the incidence of
> leukemia and rate of same for people who live under or close to  
> high voltage
> transmission lines.   The statistics were remarkable, with much  
> higher incidences
> of the disease, especially among children, who lived close to hv  
> power transmission
> lines...