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

[privatesector.livejournal.com]

You're still a young scientist.

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