On the Reading Table: "Tesla: The Wizard of Electricty" by David J. Kent

Nikola Tesla 

Nikola Tesla 

Nikola Tesla 

Nikola Tesla 

Nikola Tesla 

I'm reading the "companion volume" to the "Thomas A. Edison: Inventor of the Modern World" biography.

From its author, David J. Kent:

“This book is designed to appeal to general readers with a wide range of interests. 

Like thrilling personality insights? The book is chock full of interesting stories on Tesla from his '100-bug-powered' windmills as a youth to his practical jokes on Mark Twain in his heyday to his dispute with Albert Einstein as he entered his twilight years. 

Into graphic novels? 'Tesla: The Wizard of Electricity' includes many historical comics and photos to spotlight key events and figures in Tesla's spectacular life. The book is an amazing visual experience. 

An invention buff? The book captures the prolific inventive mind of Nikola Tesla and how many of his inventions were so far ahead of their time that we are still today relying on his patents for new discoveries. 

Turned on by conflict and tension? Tesla's life can be summed up by one of my chapter titles -- 'A Man Always at War.' Delve into the complex relationships he had with Thomas Edison, George Westinghouse, Guglielmo Marconi, J. P. Morgan, and others that were sometimes colleagues, and sometimes rivals. 

Prefer serious historical biography? 'Tesla: The Wizard of Electricity' traces the great man's life from his childhood in the military frontier, through his schooling and employment in the grand capitals of Europe, to his tumultuous, yet most productive, years in New York City, Colorado Springs, Chicago, Pittsburgh, and Niagara Falls. 

In short, the book provides insights into a man who has been largely ignored by history despite his huge contributions to modern life. A man who over 100 years ago anticipated that one day we would all be carrying around hand-held devices capable of instant communication across vast distances. Who a century ago promoted and developed renewable energy sources to replace fossil fuels. A man who left us a legacy that is just now being rediscovered by scientists, the public, and perhaps most ironically -- pop culture."

David J. Kent is the author of two books on Nikola Tesla -- "Tesla: The Wizard of Electricity" and an e-book, "Nikola Tesla: Renewable Energy Ahead of its Time."

ASMR: Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response

This was my college art teaching stock-in-trade. I further amped up the "low-grade euphoria" by suggesting caffeinated drinks and shameless flattery.

"'Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response (ASMR)' is an experience characterized by a 'static-like or tingling sensation' on the skin that typically begins on the scalp and moves down the back of the neck and upper spine. It has been compared with 'auditory-tactile synesthesia.'

ASMR signifies the subjective experience of 'low-grade euphoria' characterized by 'a combination of positive feelings and a distinct static-like tingling sensation on the skin.' It is most commonly triggered by 'specific auditory or visual stimuli,' and less commonly by intentional attention control.

The subjective experience, sensation, and perceptual phenomenon now widely identified by the term 'Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response' is described by some of those susceptible to it as 'akin to a mild electrical current -- or the carbonated bubbles in a glass of champagne'.

Triggers

ASMR is usually precipitated by stimuli referred to as 'triggers'. ASMR triggers, which are most commonly auditory and visual, may be encountered through the interpersonal interactions of daily life. Additionally, ASMR is often triggered by exposure to specific audio and video. Such media may be specially made with the specific purpose of triggering ASMR or originally created for other purposes and later discovered to be effective as a trigger of the experience.

Stimuli that can trigger ASMR, as reported by those who experience it, include the following:

Listening to a softly spoken or whispering voice.

Listening to quiet, repetitive sounds resulting from someone engaging in a mundane task such as turning the pages of a book.

Watching somebody attentively execute a mundane task such as preparing food.

Loudly chewing, crunching, slurping or biting foods, drinks, or gum.

Receiving altruistic tender personal attention.

Initiating the stimulus through conscious manipulation without the need for external video or audio triggers.

Listening to a person explain a concept, describe an object or system.

Watching and listening to an audiovisual recording of a person performing or simulating the above actions and producing their consequent and accompanying sounds is sufficient to trigger ASMR for the majority of those who report susceptibility to the experience."

Charles Loloma: His Name Means "Beauty"

Charles Loloma

Charles Loloma

Charles Loloma

Charles Loloma

Gold and pearls -- works for me!

Charles Loloma maintained a deep reverence for Hopi beliefs and the ceremonies. He lived by the Hopi calendar, its cycles of birth, death, and regeneration. In Autumn, the fields behind his studio were filled with ripening squash and melon, and on the crest behind it, he was found with relatives roasting corn to provide for the winter ahead. 

There is a seeming disparity between this way of life and the sophisticated world in which he moved. His answer to this was -- “We are a very serious people and have tried hard to elevate ourselves, but in order to create valid art, you have to be true to yourself and your heritage”. He also said: -- “I felt a strong kinship to stones, not just the precious and semi-precious stones I use in my jewelry, but the humble stones I pick up at random while on a hike through the hills or a walk along the beach. I feel the stone and think, not to conquer it, but to help it express itself."

Renzo Piano: The Complete Logbook

Renzo Piano 

Beautiful! I ordered this monograph using my “Amazon Points” (no new cash outlay, shipping charge, or sales tax) -- yay!

“The work of one of the world’s most influential architects, in his own words

Renzo Piano has created some of the most emblematic buildings of our age, including the New York Times Building in New York City, the Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris, the Shard in London, and the Parco della Musica in Rome. Here, Renzo Piano himself -- whose many international awards include the prestigious Pritzker Prize -- presents in his own words the works on which he has built his reputation over a span of fifty years.

Over one hundred works are featured, accompanied by over one thousand images of Piano’s work around the world including new photographs, drawings, and sketches, both intimate and authoritative, all with commentaries by the architect that combine personal anecdote and technical description with original insights.

No other architecture book will appeal to such a broad range of professionals and general readers alike. This is an unmatched introduction to the work of one of the world’s most influential and inspiring architects.

1000+ illustrations

“An impressively comprehensive book.”  -- "Architectural Record”

Viktor E. Frankl: Quotes

Viktor Frankl 

Viktor Frankl 

Viktor Frankl 

Viktor Emil Frankl (1905-1997) was an Austrian neurologist and psychiatrist as well as a Holocaust survivor. Frankl was the founder of logotherapy, which is a form of existential analysis, the "Third Viennese School of Psychotherapy". 

His best-selling book "Man's Search for Meaning" (published under a different title in 1959: "From Death-Camp to Existentialism," and originally published in 1946 as "Trotzdem Ja Zum Leben Sagen: Ein Psychologe erlebt das Konzentrationslager," meaning "Nevertheless, Say 'Yes' to Life: A Psychologist Experiences the Concentration Camp") chronicles his experiences as a concentration camp inmate, which led him to discover the importance of finding meaning in all forms of existence, even the most brutal ones, and thus, a reason to continue living. 

Frankl became one of the key figures in existential therapy and a prominent source of inspiration for humanistic psychologists.

Viktor Frankl 

Viktor Frankl 

Thomas A. Edison: Poured Concrete House Pioneer

Thomas A. Edison

Thomas A. Edison

Thomas A. Edison

Thomas A. Edison

At 303 North Mountain Avenue in Montclair, New Jersey, there stands a very solid relic to Thomas Edison’s past --  a poured concrete house that was a prototype for what Edison hoped to be the future of urban and suburban development.  

One of only a handful of Edison’s original concrete houses in existence today, 303 North Mountain stands gloriously modern in its concrete design, but is in fact one of Montclair’s antique homes. Thomas Brennan, an actor and director, boasts it as his own and describes it like a piece of art, rather than a structure.

Thomas A. Edison

Speaking of reading the backlog, I’m now reading a compelling bio of Thomas A. Edison, a 2017 Christmas gift.

This is a nifty format indeed — filled with great graphics — it's somewhere between the classic “young adult” reader’s biography of yore and a graphic novel of today. It’s a whole lot of fun to read. Bonus — it has old comic book pages reproduced and vintage editorial cartoons by R. F. Outcault.

By David J Kenton 

This book is designed to appeal to a wide range of readers who want to learn things about Edison not told in other biographies. Packed with colorful and rare illustrations, “Edison: The Inventor of the Modern World” is visually stunning and the writing is light and easy.

Beginning with his upbringing in Milan, Ohio, and Port Huron, Michigan, the book explores how the insatiable curiosity of "Little Al" made his father wonder if he was a bit dimwitted and led his first teacher to call him "addled." Self-teaching through experiment and reading, young Edison quickly shows his inventiveness and business acumen, leaving his doubters well behind at an early age.

Chapters examine his teen years while the Civil War raged, his early improvements to telegraphs, and his contributions to the art of invention. Edison, now called "Tom," rises to celebrity status with the telephone and telegraph, explores the world in his efforts to build a better light bulb, and fights the intriguing War of the Currents against rivals Westinghouse and Tesla. Along the way he acquires two wives, six children, and friendships with some of the greatest names in business history.

Not slowing down as he aged, Edison becomes a movie mogul, an iron ore magnate, builds houses out of concrete, becomes a botanical rubber expert, writes notes for a science fiction novel, and accomplishes much, much more before passing away in his sleep at the ripe old age of 84.

“Edison: The Inventor of the Modern World” tells the story of a man who has left a legacy that few can hope to equal. He was a great deal more than people know, perhaps in both good and bad ways. All are laid out in easy to read language and with spectacular photos, cartoons, and drawings in a format that blends the best of vivid writing with a graphical novel feel.

I am the author of this book. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. See also my earlier book, “Tesla: The Wizard of Electricity.”

Thomas A. Edison

Thomas A. Edison

Thomas A. Edison

Thomas A. Edison

Thomas A. Edison

A. R. Luria: "The Mind of a Mnemonist"

A. R. Luria

I'm now catching up on my garage sale book-buy reading of last summer -- namely, the classic study of a memory "super-savant." The descriptions of the way "S." combines his synesthesia sensations to build a "memory palace" for his images is fascinating. (A. R. Luria studied Solomon Shereshevskii, a Russian journalist with a seemingly unlimited memory, sometimes referred to in contemporary literature as "flashbulb" memory, in part due to his five-fold synesthesia.)

"A welcome re-issue of an English translation of Alexander Luria's famous case-history of hypermnestic man. The study remains the classic paradigm of what Luria called 'romantic science, ' a genre characterized by individual portraiture based on an assessment of operative psychological processes. The opening section analyses in some detail the subject's extraordinary capacity for recall and demonstrates the association between the persistence of iconic memory and a highly developed synaesthesia. The remainder of the book deals with the subject's construction of the world, his mental strengths and weaknesses, his control of behavior and his personality. The result is a contribution to literature as well as to science.

Luria's essay is a model of lucid presentation and is an altogether convincing description of a man whose whole personality and fate was conditioned by an intellectual idiosyncrasy.

A distinguished Soviet psychologist's study...[of a] young man who was discovered to have a literally limitless memory and eventually became a professional mnemonist. Experiments and interviews over the years showed that his memory was based on synesthesia (turning sounds into vivid visual imagery), that he could forget anything only by an act of will, that he solved problems in a peculiar crablike fashion that worked, and that he was handicapped intellectually because he could not make discriminations, and because every abstraction and idea immediately dissolved into an image for him. It is all fascinating and delightful."

Dan C. Wingren: "Franciscans - Rome," 1958 Painting

Dan Wingren

Dan Wingren

Dan Wingren

Through the auspicies of eBay, I have acquired this small canvas by one of my Fine Art mentors, Dan C. Wingren. He painted this scene when I was three years-old and living in Gautemala City, Guatamala.

In the mid-1950s, Dan Wingren traveled to Europe and sketched images of towns and villages in France and Italy. In 1958, he was appointed director of the San Antonio Art Institute and taught painting at the McNay Art Museum (associated with the San Antonio Art Institute) until May 1961. He taught at Trinity University as a guest lecturer in the fall semester in 1961. Wingren moved back to Dallas in May 1962 to paint full time although in the fall of that year he taught a design class at SMU. In 1963 and 1964, Wingren taught drawing and composition and oil painting at the Dallas Museum of Fine Arts School and, in 1965, he began teaching full time in the art department at SMU; he remained at the university until he retired in 1991. In 1971, Wingren was appointed Professor of Art; from 1969-1971 he served as Associate Chairman of the Division of Fine Arts. During his tenure at SMU, Wingren taught classes in art history (19th and 20th Century), design, drawing and painting, and also conducted seminars on contemporary art topics.

Winslow Homer: Bermuda Watercolors

Winslow Homer

Winslow Homer

Winslow Homer

Winslow Homer

Winslow Homer created a series of vibrant watercolor landscapes on his first visit to the Bermuda in December 1899. He left some six weeks later in early 1900 taking roughly ten watercolors back with him. 

He returned to Bermuda in 1901 and continued his study and fascination with Bermuda’s rock formations. He found the faults, the striations, the texture, and the coloring most suitable to his palette and moods. 

His body of Bermuda-inspired work was featured at the Buffalo Exposition of 1901 where they were awarded a Gold Medal.

RIP: Steve Ditko

Steve Ditko

Steve Ditko

Steve Ditko

Meditate: It's Also Legal and It Gets You So Calm

Hypno-Don suggests -- meditate twice a day, for 20 minutes at each session...

Eliot O'Hara: Watercolors

"I might be able to tell what I know about composition or color, but in more senses than one it would not do the student much good. If, however, I can teach him how to do the mechanical part of producing a watercolor, such as tinting a paper, blending colors, or performing the various other operations or tricks of the trade -- then if he has anything to express, his hand will be ready. In other words, I shall try to give him the spelling and grammar -- he must have the ideas." -- Eliot O'Hara

During his lifetime, Eliot O'Hara (1890-1969) was one of America's most widely respected watercolorists and teachers. In addition to an extensive exhibition record, O'Hara wrote eight books, produced more than twenty films on watercolor technique, and taught classes all over the country. From 1930-1947, he ran the successful O'Hara Watercolor School at Goose Rocks Beach in Kennebunkport, Maine, the first such school in the United States. (The school burned down in the great 1947 fire that destroyed over 200,000 acres in Maine, and was never reopened).

O'Hara was born in Waltham, Massachusetts, where his father owned a successful manufacturing company. With the sudden death of his father in 1912, the twenty-two year old O'Hara took control of the business, assuming responsibility for his mother and three younger siblings. In the early 1920s, O'Hara began to paint as a form of relaxation. Soon, however, he spent more and more time developing his painting skills. When he married in 1924, he and his wife honeymooned for several months in Europe where he produced nearly three hundred paintings. That same year, some of those European-inspired watercolors were accepted into the Philadelphia Watercolor Club Annual Exhibition. The following year, his first solo exhibition in Boston sold out. By 1927, O'Hara was a successful artist and could devote all his time to painting. He would go on to receive many honors during his long career, including a Guggenheim Fellowship, a life membership in the American Watercolor Society, and was one of the first watercolorists elected to the National Academy of Design.

Painting on-site, O'Hara worked without an easel, sitting or kneeling directly over his watercolor paper (usually 15 x 22 inches), with his paints and brushes to one side. With almost no formal training, O'Hara taught himself to paint and created his own personal style. Hoping to provide other beginning watercolor students with the painting techniques that he was forced to develop on his own, O'Hara wrote his first book on the subject in 1932. "Making Watercolors Behave" was the first of eight how-to-books to follow. In 1936, he made his first watercolor demonstration film, eventually producing twenty-four color films commissioned by the Encyclopedia Britannica Company.

O'Hara's watercolors are characterized by solid compositions painted with traditional washes, and economic brushstrokes that convey details with a startling simplicity. Said to complete most paintings in little more than an hour, O'Hara was fond of saying -- "It's the last stroke that kills the picture." An avid traveler who painted all over the world (for sixteen years he painted each summer in Maine), O'Hara was a master at conveying the distinctive color and light that characterized each locale he visited.

Among the more than sixty public collections that include O'Hara's work are -- the Art Institute of Chicago, the Corcoran Gallery of Art, the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, the Library of Congress, the Museum of Fine Art Boston, the National Academy of Design, the National Museum of American Art, the Toledo Art Museum, the Worcester Art Museum, and the Ogunquit Museum of American Art.

Eliot O'Hara

Eliot O'Hara

Eliot O'Hara

Eliot O'Hara

Eliot O'Hara