Wednesday, April 16, 2014

Kick-Trash Writerly Wednesday, and True Heroes: N

True heroes are all around us, in our every day lives, but some people stand out. During this A-Z Challenge I hope to share several of my real life heroes, and invite you to share yours in the comments.

ikola Tesla. Yes, I'm a total fan of all things geek...except for maybe Darwinism, so it probably shouldn't come as any wonder I look up to Tesla, who was arguably one of the brightest minds to ever walk the earth. I mean, what I wouldn't give for his wireless electricity! How did we NOT patent that one into existence?

From Serbia, Tesla never graduated college. How's that for ironic? He slept rarely, as in 2 hour stints here and there, and ran 10 miles a day to keep his brain active. He claimed a photographic memory and definitely dealt with OCD.

He found himself working in electronics and migrated to the USA where he worked for Thomas Edison, until he got his own backers. And failed. He eventually secured another backer and went on to create car motors, and such things as X-rays, radio/remote control, transatlantic radio signals, and of course, the Tesla Coil. Heck, he even was working on a "death ray," or directed-energy weapon for the military.

I admire this man for his tenacity, for his pursuit of passion, even when funds were hard to come by. I admire his mind, and the dedication he gave to his work. Really, I'm in love with his brain.


Are you ready to meet a new author and enter to win an awesome book? 

Last week, Tara Tyler shared Pop Travel with us, along with two truths and one lie. Those who guessed the lie correctly were entered into a random drawing for the chance to win one of three amazing prizes.

Tara's game:

1. Tara was a singing camel in a school musical.

2. She was a singing rebel in a school musical.

3. She was a singing penguin in a school musical.

And the lie is: 

#3. Tara was also a tree and a farmer and once had to turn down a part in Hello Dolly because the rehearsals were too far away. She's been in a lot of musicals. She loves to sing and has always had a big mouth that projects well =) She may try out for community theater some day.

Way to guess those of you who got it right! You are officially human lie detectors. And the winners are:

...DRUM ROLL...

Jennifer Hawes
and
Misha Gericke

Congrats ladies!

And now to today's feature, a book I can't wait to read that promises non-stop action and pure awesomeness (and whose author's name starts with an N! How cools is that?):

At the age of twenty, Kanze Zenjiro's bloody footprints mark the bodies of those who stood in his way to protect the throne of his beloved nation of Nihon. Now, the tyrannical Iberian Empire is bent on destroying his kingdom, and they are sure to send their steam-powered giants and iron spiders against him.


Zen embarks on a quest that takes him on the most dangerous journey of his life. To succeed, Zen must live up to his nickname, the Dragonfly Warrior, and kill all his enemies with only a sword and a pair of six-guns and somehow survive a test of faith and loyalty in a world so cruel and merciless, it borders on madness.

Pick up your copy HERE.

And now, let me introduce you to the amazing author: 

Jay Noel was born in New York but lives in St. Louis with his family. He received a degree in English, and despite what people say, an English degree isn't a big waste of time. Jay's been blogging since 2005, and he's a regular contributor to CultureBrats.com and inkPageant.com.

Right now, Jay is on a Farmer's Cheese kick. No artificial anything, and it's got enough flavor without overwhelming you. It's awesome when you shred it and put it on a salad, or you can just cut a chunk off and eat it plain. 

Jay gave me two truths and one lie to test your "lie detector" skills. Those who figure out the lie will go into my magic hat for a chance to win one of these cool steampunk bookmarks. You have until Tuesday, April 22, at 1 p.m. EDT to guess--and be sure to come back for the answer on April 23.



TRUTH OR LIE

1. In 2002, Jay had a near death experience. His heart stopped while in the hospital, and that's why he never takes anything for granted.
2. Jay's a big time extrovert, and spent a lot of time on stage. He participated in musicals, plays, speech and debate. He even got to the National Championships in humorous interpretation.
3. Jay had a strange encounter with a ghost when he was 13 years old and it radically changed him forever. He's been infatuated with the paranormal ever since.



Okay friendlies, which is the lieDo you look up to any intellectuals? Who is your favorite inventor? Favorite modern invention?

109 comments:

  1. I don't think I've ever heard of Nikola Tesla before! (Shame on me?) I can relate to his rarely sleeping thing, though, haha...

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    1. WHAT!?!? Okay, go remedy that now. You have your assignment.

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  2. Hmm, I'm going to go with #2 as the lie.

    Madeline @ The Shellshank Redemption
    Minion, Capt. Alex's Ninja Minion Army
    The 2014 Blogging from A-Z Challenge

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  3. So, I've always thought that the Tesla car was the coolest thing ever, but I never knew much about Tesla himself. Well now I do, and I'm a convert - I love him, too! What a brilliant, self-made, persistent man. Much to admire there.

    Congrats to Tara and Jay! I'm guessing the lie is #3.

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  4. Tesla had some amazing ideas, such a great, great mind. 2 hours sleep at a time - he must have had a most peculiar natural rhythm.
    Tasha
    Tasha's Thinkings - AtoZ (Vampires)
    FB3X - AtoZ (Erotic Drabbles)

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  5. You have to admire a mind like Telsa's!

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  6. Intellect makes guys so much more attractive. I've seen Jay's book around. I think I might check it out!

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    1. Loni, agreed. That's half the reason I married mine.

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  7. Tesla is proof that college is way overrated and not nearly worth the dollars we suckers shell out for it.

    Hmmm, I'm going to guess that #2 is Jay's lie.

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    1. It's true. Real intelligence doesn't often do well with formal requirements.

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  8. I too, am in love with Tesla's brain. SO very glad he existed and did what he did in such a short time. I don't know if I could have lived with a man so obsessed, but I do admire his work and what he left to the world.

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    1. Agreed. My husband has to pay attention to me. =)

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  9. I think the lie is #2 I love history and history makers and inventors. Henry Ford, the Wright Brothers, Leonardo daVinci, Philo Farnsworth:)

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  10. Sorry to say I've never heard of him, but glad you enlightened us. Can't imagine being able to do anything worthwhile without proper sleep. Heck, I've got more dark circles under my eyes then he did. And forget that whole running thing, just makes my knees hurt thinking about it. Good looking guy!
    Traveling Suitcase

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    1. *gasp* How is that even possible? Well lady, you have now.

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  11. Both awesome authors!
    Tesla worked on so many things that most people don't know about.

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  12. I've heard the name before -- a tortured genius, given his OCD and such. I, too, am in love with his brains. Find that very sexy. :)
    SilviaWrites

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  13. A lot of smart people don't have college or even high school degrees. Doesn't make them any less brilliant. :)

    I'll guess that the lie is #2.

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  14. This guy pops up on my Tumblr stream ever so often talking about his achievements and I always laugh a bit at the death ray part.

    ~Patricia Lynne~
    Story Dam
    Patricia Lynne, YA Author

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  15. I have never heard of him, but he's invented some great things. Thanks for the intro.

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    1. I know! How would our society function without his innovations?

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  16. Are you familiar with Roland Yeomans' historical fantasies. I finished reading Death in the House of Life recently and loved it. Nicola is prominently featured together with Oscar Wilde, Mark Twain and Ada Byron, Lady Lovelace in a tale from Egypt in the late 1800s. Available on the Kindle.

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    1. Yes! I've read Roland's fun mash up. He picked some epic brains to include.

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  17. Sorry, I should mention that I to am fascinated by this man's brain power. His fate as a scientist is a shame, I think. Thanks for bringing him up for the letter N

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  18. "How did we NOT patent that one into existence?" J.P. Morgan and Thomas Edison, among others. They were nasty to Telsa and publicly sabotaged his work. No money in free electricity, you see. I read about Telsa in depth.

    Thanks for spotting Tara and Jay today! :)

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  19. Not heard of Tesla but he sounds awesome. He was definitely high energy with the little sleep and running 10 miles a day. That's a lot of exercise.

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    1. He understood an important aspect about the workings of the body, eh?

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  20. Gosh, how could he think on just 2 hours stints of sleep here and there? I can hardly think with a full 7 or 8.

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    1. Yeah...I actually kind of get it though--after my fun with insomnia. I functioned pretty well only 2 hours of sleep for an entire day sometimes.

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  21. I don't know if I ever heard of Tesla before. Glad to learn about him.

    And I'm going to guess #2 is the lie for Jay.

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  22. Wow, you've made me a true fan of Tesla too! Hah! I live in the Silicon Valley and those Tesla cars are a beauty. I know it's a brand name coined after Tesla, but it's a marvel all on its own.

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  23. Edison got the laurels that Tesla deserved.

    Damyanti, Co-host A to Z Challenge April 2014, My Latest post

    Twitter: @AprilA2Z
    #atozchallenge

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  24. Some kid I didn't even know tried to get me to do a report/paper on Tesla for him when I was in 9th grade. He saw me reading and writing in the hall all the time during lunch, and so figured I was some smart bookworm who could do a paper for him. After he gave me the materials, I began eating lunch elsewhere, possibly on the little playground near school grounds since it was warm weather. When I ran into him again, I acted like I had no idea what he was talking about.

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  25. Hi Crystal, thanks for the visit to my blog and the cool comment.
    I am now following your blog.
    Cheers :)

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  26. Tesla was brilliant. I don't think Jay saw a ghost. I have his book so don't put me in the running if I'm right.

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    1. Not even for the bookmark? I think I will enter you anyway, if you guessed right. =)

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  27. I'll guess lie #3 for Jay. Interesting post about Tesla, learning something new everyday.

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  28. I'm hoping #1 is the lie.

    I can totally see Tara on stage. She's got so much energy!!

    That whole Darwin thing...not saying I am a total unbeliever, I think species tweak themselves, but what boggles my mind is that the idea of a single cell transforming into a fish, then a monkey, then a human is completely considered rational, yet the theory of intelligent design is poo pooed. I'm not a science wiz, but I do recall phrenology was, at one time, considered good science.

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    1. Selective evolution, yes. Darwinism? Please. Crazy people. =)

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  29. I've read that about geniuses quite a bit--they don't sleep much. It's as if their brains are too active to let them rest! However, I think in the past, people didn't sleep 8 hours straight like we did, right? I've read before that broken sleep patterns may have been the norm.

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    1. Ah! Does that mean I'm getting smarter--with the onset of insomnia? ;)

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  30. Nikola Tesla is someone I have always admired and in ways strive to be like. The lack of sleeping I can relate to, at least ;)!!

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  31. I love Tesla too. Such a wonderful mind. What I wouldn't give to be able to interview someone like him, if only we lived in the same century. :-)

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    1. I know! Wouldn't that be a fascinating conversation?

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  32. Okay, CRAZY stories with Jay! Wow… He seems so cool. And yay for Tara! And only 2 hours of sleep for Tesla??? No wonder he accomplished so much! I didn't know all those fun facts about him. Now I'm fascinated too. :)

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    1. Jay is pretty cool. And yes, Tesla is fascinating.

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  33. 'All things geek...' Geeks unite! (which would be more possible if geeks weren't always tucked away in their hiding places being geeks)

    The Immarcescible Word

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    1. *high five* Thank goodness for the erevolution--so we can TAKE OVER THE WORLD. ;)

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  34. I read Tesla's bio a few years ago. He was an amazing man. So glad you featured him here as a hero today.

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  35. Funny my husband, Liam was just talking bout Tesla the other day at dinner. Enjoyed the post. Oh I will go with #3

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    1. We must be tuned into the same mental channel. =)

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  36. Hmm, I'm going to guess #2, for no real reason! Jay's novel sounds fantastic!

    And Tesla--who doesn't love a nerdy guy? :)

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  37. You forgot to mention his time machine and the adventures he had in it with Mark Twain.

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    1. (Shh! We can't let anyone on that fact. People might figure out I've got his time machine and then there'd be all kinds of trouble.)

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  38. I've heard of Tesla so many times, but I'd never seen his picture before. He was pretty good looking. OCD can come in quite handy.

    Love,
    Janie

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    1. He was indeed. And he never married--although he had plenty of women interested.

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  39. Enjoyed the post. Interesting information. Congratulations to Jay!

    Nas

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  40. I love Nikola Tesla! Did you ever see The Oatmeal cartoon detailing why he's so awesome?

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  41. Tesla, definitely a BIG hero. My father told us all about him because so little, if anything, was said about him in school. And HE'S the one we have to thank for the kind of electricity we use. What an amazing inventor. Edison get's all the credit, but all he did was steal Tesla's ideas. Tesla was the genius.

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    1. It's true. He never got the attention he deserved, and it's a great tragedy.

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  42. What an incredible brain this guy had! I also love that he was OCD because I am too and it's so inspiring to see how much we can accomplish despite our mental nuances. ^_^

    Yay for English majors! ^_^
    I pick Lie #3

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    1. I'm finding most geniuses/big successes have some kind of disorder...or what we'd define as one these days.

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  43. Doing a quick browse of your A to Z posts, only really had time to read M and N, but both are lovely. I'll try to get back and browse some more.

    I know and like Jay. I'm hoping his book takes off big time. I do believe the LIE is #2.

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  44. For the lie, I'm going to guess #1.

    Which metal band did a whole album on Tesla? He's popular among a certain set.

    But the sleeping thing makes me think of something I saw a while back about sleeping. That there are other sleep cycles. That some people take frequent naps (like every 2 hours or so). I wish I remember where I saw that...

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    1. You mean screamed about Tesla while harsh guitar squealed in the background? ;)

      Yes! So my insomnia is a symptom of my growing intelligence? I'll take it.

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  45. I have such great respect for people that have the intelligence and tenacity to do what they love to do, which in turn helps society :)

    Thank you so much for your really sweet comment Crystal :)

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    1. I have the same feelings, Launna. Certain people are placed here for a reason, eh?

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  46. HI, Crystal,

    I never knew about Telsa... His is a fascinating story!

    As for Jay, I guess 2 ...

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    1. Agreed. I would love to get into it more, but space is limited.

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  47. I look up to ALL intellectuals. But I liked this post; previously my only source of information about Tesla was the movie "The Prestige," and an old OMD song called "Tesla Girls," the latter of which was not superhelpful.

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    1. I think I saw that movie, and I loved it because of what you learned about him.

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  48. Tesla was so amazing. Each time I read something new about him, I get frustrated that his brilliance was not able to shine more brightly. And I have to admit *small voice* he was kind of hot, too.

    Hope you’re having fun with the A to Z challenge,
    Jocelyn

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    1. LOL! It's true. He had women falling all over him.

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  49. I'd like to think I look up to all intellectuals on principle, but that's a little too abstract for me to be sure about. ^_^ But Tesla was indeed awesome. I read that he never did blueprints or plans, just came up with everything in his head and built it, which is why so much of what he did is still a mystery. And he got utterly screwed out of so much. Fascinating guy.

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    1. No blue prints or plans... He must have the same mental shelving system I do. He is definitely fascinating.

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  50. Loved reading this.... I like reading such inspirational things....

    P.S. Thank you so much for the comment. Yea I'm participating this year too.... but lagging behind so much... Courtesy: Work and personal and Easter!!! .... trying to catch up

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  51. Hate Edison for what he did to Tesla and yes! Tesla is the ultimate geek! <3

    The 2 AM Writer

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  52. I see why you're in love with Tesla. He's dark and handsome, in addition to brilliant and determined.

    Hm, Jay's three statements are believable. I'm going to guess #3.

    Thanks, Crystal, for helping me with the contest. I appreciate it!

    xoRobyn

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    1. LOL! He never did marry, although he had quite a few women in love with him. (Understandably.)

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  53. I think 3 is the lie.

    Congrats to the winner.

    Wow, I didn't know all that about Tesla.

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  54. Tesla really led an incredible life, and there's no denying that he truly was a genius. The Tesla automobile is rated as one of the best vehicles of all time. Congrats to Tara and Jay! Looking forward to following you Crystal!

    Julie

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  55. This was interesting. I knew about Tesla's inventions but didn't realise he never graduated college. Dragonfly Warrior sounds like a good, action-packed read. I don't know whether I can guess the lie correctly as they all sound plausible but I'll go with number 3. My favourite modern invention is the Kindle-much more space for all my books on there than on the shelf.

    ~Tizzy @ Creative Therapy

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    1. Yes! I love....loved my kindle too. =( Mine just died.

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  56. Telsa was awesome. My brother was/is a huge Telsa fan. So I have heard about him most of my life. Great stuff.

    --
    Timothy S. Brannan
    The Other Side, April Blog Challenge: The A to Z of Witches
    Ask an Atheist Day

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Hit me with your cheese!