Mrs. Mecomber's Scrapbook Talking technology, computers, and the Internet… for the average computer user

I’ve been doing a little bit of ongoing research into “Tesla” electricity generation– that’s “wireless” electricity. Nikolai Tesla first came up with the idea, about 100 years ago. He was a contemporary of Thomas Edison (who, as we all know, came up with the light bulb and electricity transferred through wires). Tesla’s ideas were crowded out in favor of Edison’s, because Tesla’s ideas didn’t make the robber barons (like J.P. Morgan, who ran the copper industry) as much money as a world filled with poles and copper wires. So if you want to blame anyone for your tangled mass of electrical cords and all those ugly telephone poles on your streets– blame Morgan and Edison.

ANYWAY, Tesla’s ideas are now coming to the forefront. So far, the British have been the innovators in this field. Several years ago, they were doing some experiments with wireless energy, and were trying to use wireless electricity to power a laptop without its battery. It was some BBC article (can’t find it now; it was about 6 years ago or so).

Well, the Americans are working on it, too. Some professors and students at MIT have invented a contraption that generates what they call “WiTricity.” In a nutshell, a corded electrical device is rigged up with a transmitting device that transmits a magnetic field that resonates at a very high pitch. The receiving electronic device is rigged up to receive the pitch, which converts it to power to run the device. Here’s a video of how this is done.

Of course, I have the philosophy that any innovation and invention– ANY– will always be twisted around by man to use for evil. It’s been happening ever since Cain and Abel. Think about it– do you really think axes were made to split heads open, or chop trees to make houses? No! The “good” of the technology was rapidly turned into an instrument for evil. How about the airplane– do you think Wilbur and Orville Wright had Nazi bombers in mind when they flew their plane at Kitty Hawk? No! How about dynamite? Or gun powder? Or computers? All were created with the best of intentions, meant to make human life easier, more convenient, or to help him in progress. But every time, it’s been twisted to be a tool for evil. I can’t think of an exception.

Anyway, so while this wifi electricity generation is GREAT… I do find my self wondering “I wonder what evil this great invention will be used for?” :-p We should always progress into such things with care.