If you just asked “Who’s Nikola Tesla?” I’ll answer once I stop sticking pins in these Thomas Edison and American history teacher voodoo dolls.
Actually, no, I won’t tell you who Tesla is – I’ll let the Oatmeal do it. Click on the screencap below – warning, though, there is some righteous cussing at the link.
I first learned about Tesla from Spider Robinson – who created an alternate reality where not only did the great man not die alone and bankrupt, he got to hang out at Callahan’s Place. Nowadays he’s a frequent costar on SciFi’s Sanctuary (I know, they spell it differently now – I just don’t care) – as a vampire. It’s not remotely true to historical fact – but it is kind of fun.
So happy Tesla Day – hug a geek today. Wait, he’d have hated that. Wave at a geek today.
English: The photograph image of Nikola Tesla (1856-1943) at age 34. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
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Stewartry 
speaking of geeks (the only way I can stay on topic) have you seen the BBC Series Robin Hood (3 years starting in 2006 I think) – I am hooked :) sort of whedonesque dialogue in my opinion …
I loved that comic! I feel the same way about Edison. While Edison was a money-machine who drained consumers dry for necessities like electricity, Tesla was willing to offer every person on Earth energy- for free.
Happy birthday Tesla, you are the best scientist and role model who ever lived. (Except for being crazy. But hey, I guess new things don’t happen unless people are crazy.)
I’ve become addicted to The Oatmeal!
I was shocked when I started learning about the other side of Edison; now I’m shocked that so comparatively few people know about it!
I have seen Robin Hood! Geeky – boy is it: Sam Troughton – grandson of Doctor Who #2 Patrick Troughton – is Much, and Joe Armstrong – son of Alun Armstrong, beloved by me from Krull – is Will Scarlet. I loved them! (Not so much post-Marian…)
season three was not my favourite either (the hero grew up and got all testy) – I plan to watch it all again at some point and if no-one has done a “quotes from Robin Hood” I just might. I read that Sam T would like to play a villain on Dr Who & that Richard Armitage (Guy) is in Peter Jackson’s Hobbit movies …
I would love to see Sam on Dr. Who. (He was in Romeo and Juliet in NYC last year, and I didn’t find out about it till just after his run ended. *snif*)
Armitage! Thorin!
He makes for a tall dwarf, no? but definitely appears threatening. I am looking forward to the Hobbit movies, I have the LOTR trilogy & every now & then I watch the whole thing :)
Hee – tall indeed, but he looks good. I am a bit worried about all the sexy dwarves – it just doesn’t seem right!
Peter J actually made elves look the way I have always thought they should – calm, ethereal, with a glow … Legolas, Haldir & Galadriel … so beautiful. Somehow I don’t think these same adjectives will apply to the dwarves :)
He did do well with the elves (and the Hobbits!). I just hope the dwarves aren’t going to be all comic relief, all the time. PJ does like his belch/fart jokes. I’m not so sure I trust him anymore…
He did make Gimli the epitome of the uncouth Celt/Pict/Viking (as they have been portrayed)with a bit of comic relief, didn’t he? We can only hope that with the much larger dwarf population, he resists the temptation this time around.