Young Scientist Wins

[joebelknapwall]

Of course, "wins" means a lot less coming from your local smalltown paper, but damned if it didn't feel pretty good anyway back then, even if it was just a highly-prized honorable mention. In point of fact, just building a tesla coil is really less of a science project and more of a science-related project, frustratingly akin to those dumb kids who always thought making a volcano was actual science (it's an art project, for chrissakes, and shame be to the parent that encourages their kids to shine up that grimy old chestnut), but I did actually build it myself, with some supervision and a little adult engineering from my dad (photos taken to prove it—the old man was a real odd duck).

There's a reason why I'm digging up 27 year-old science fair memorabilia, but I'm not going to tell you what it is just yet. And besides, it's probably a little telling that the "young scientist" in question is, at forty, a broke-ass n'er do well working as a fancy janitor.

As it happens, I did eventually invent the world's heaviest, most dangerous, and virtually unusable electric flyswatter using tesla technology, but the human race just wasn't ready for that sort of magic in 1984. More's the pity.

Two out of three young ladies in hooded coats love a good tesla coil demonstration.
The jury is still out on the third, but at least she looks cheerful.

Comments

[ruralrob.livejournal.com]

Ah well. Nice shirt!

[dabroots.livejournal.com]

Great story.

In something like fourth grade, my son's science experiement consisted of asking people if they thought marbles would sink faster in Karo Syrup or . . . some other semi-liquid gooey substance. He had the marbles. He had the gooey stuff. It was cool.

[paperthinwalls.livejournal.com]

are you really from laurel, md??? i always thought it might be funny to move to laurel. since it is, after all, my name. ;)

[spleenless.livejournal.com]

We may say "Laurel," but Joe and I are actually Scaggsville natives ;-)

[leejean.livejournal.com]

cute young man

[jpeace.livejournal.com]

They gave us an out by allowing Rube Goldberg devices. Good times.

I would still buy your TeslaSwatter X3000.

[privatesector.livejournal.com]

You're still a young scientist.

Tesla? Theremin? I see a pattern here...

[gotu.livejournal.com]

Wow--at least you grew into that nose....

[spleenless.livejournal.com]

Didn't you also win some adaptive technology prize? Ah well, you were always smarterer than me....

[gotu.livejournal.com]

Ahem, that's smarterer than I....