From: "S. Hieber" <shieber@yahoo.com>
Reply-To: Aquatic Gardeners Association Member Chat
<aga-member@thekrib.com>
To: Aquatic Gardeners Association Member Chat <aga-member@thekrib.com>
Subject: Re: [AGA-Member] undergravel heaters -- or -
uncoveringthecostsandbenefits
Date: Mon, 7 Mar 2005 12:11:38 -0800 (PST)
--- Troy Hendrickson <t_hendrickson@qwest.net> wrote:
> Yeah, funny but you don't hear the dark side of Edison's
> success, good
> inventor, too bad he tried to use his inventions to gain
> monopolies, but
> such is the corporate world.
>
> Interestingly enough, from what I've read, Edisons
> original idea was to have
> localized generating stations in every neighborhood,
With DC that would have been mandatory. That was the
biggest drawback to DC vs AC, the distance it could be
carried usefully.
> each home having
> it's own generator. Considering the problems of
> maintaining a massive
> infrastructure as is required for AC power, time may show
> the ultimate folly
> of AC, escpecially since many household electronics
> immediately convert AC
> to DC before any other process.
The cost of power generating stations every few blocks was
going to be astronomical. It will never get any cheaper.
> . . .
> Interesting though, back to original discussion, at least
> to the point where
> I hijacked it, lineman routinely hook up to live lines
> suspended on
> platforms and other devices, the only ill effect being a
> queezy feeling,
> which is due to the fields surrounding them when doing
> so, a mesh suit
> apparently takes care of that.
They are enjoying essential the same protection as the bird
on a wire - the current has better places to go than
through their body, if it's done right.
>
> I like to imagine the first person they tried that system
> on.
On a smaller scale but evidencing the same principles, that
would have been Tesla ;-) .