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photo by Scott Beale / Laughing Squid
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In 1878 inventor Thomas Edison ( 1847 – 1931) began working on a system of electrical illumination, something he hoped could compete with gas and oil-based lighting. Key to his system would be developing a durable low resistance incandescent lamp with a carbon filament. He built an industrial laboratory which allowed him to create the first successful light bulb in 1878 Image generated by leonardo.ai background photo from Wikipedia
Thomas Alva Edison (February 11, 1847 – October 18, 1931) was an American inventor and businessman, who has been described as America’s greatest inventor. He developed many devices that greatly influenced life around the world, including the phonograph, the motion picture camera, and the long-lasting, practical electric light bulb. Dubbed "The Wizard of Menlo Park", he was one of the first inventors to apply the principles of mass production and large-scale teamwork to the process of invention, and because of that, he is often credited with the creation of the first industrial research laboratory.
Edison was a prolific inventor, holding 1,093 US patents in his name, as well as many patents in the United Kingdom, France, and Germany. More significant than the number of Edison's patents was the widespread impact of his inventions: electric light and power utilities, sound recording, and motion pictures all established major new industries worldwide. Edison's inventions contributed to mass communication and, in particular, telecommunications. These included a stock ticker, a mechanical vote recorder, a battery for an electric car, electrical power, recorded music and motion pictures. His advanced work in these fields was an outgrowth of his early career as a telegraph operator. Edison developed a system of electric-power generation and distribution to homes, businesses, and factories – a crucial development in the modern industrialized world. His first power station was on Pearl Street in Manhattan, New York.
Artwork: TudioJepegii
The 2018 Ampera Edison, named for Thomas Alva Edison, is the world's first truly practical all-electric supercar. Powered by a monstrous battery pack weighing almost as much as a compact car, the Edison has a highway range of 314 miles on a full charge. Getting 98 mpge, the Edison is also very efficient, but powerful enough to go zero-to-sixty in 3.8 seconds thanks to its four dedicated electric motors, each powering a wheel.
The Edison comes with Ampera's breakthrough GearShift performance modification technology. The Edison is capable of being as efficient as a compact car in "Economy" mode, and offers several different performance modes designed to emulate the driving experience of other types of cars, including "Muscle" and "Sport," among several others. The illusion of these performance classes is augmented through torque vectoring and simulated gear shift lurches. Optional background engine sounds can also be played through the Edison's speaker system.
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Notes:
I did a lot of research on electric drive cars while building the Edison, and wanted to apply this to the concept behind the car. I think electric cars are going to be designed in the coming years to emulate the car classes we've come to love since the early days of automobiles.
Stylistically, the Ampera Edison features many of the same curves I used in the DeLorean O, only amplified for greater impact. The sharp arches make the car taller, but make it seem shorter by recessing the driver further into the body.
For the photography, I decided to forgo the polarization filter and glare shield to allow the car to shine more. The light effects are much more complex than previous effects I've done, and each light is roughly 5 separate layers modifying the underlying tile's color and depth.
©2013 Christopher Elliott, All Rights Reserved
Vintage postcard.
Thomas Edison (1847-1931) was the inventor of the phonograph, power stations, and the carbon switch microphone. With his pioneering film studio, he produced and directed such silent films as The Trick Cyclist (1901), Bicycle Trick Riding, No. 2 (1899) and the first American film version of Frankenstein (1910).
Thomas Alva Edison was born in 1847 in Milan, Ohio, USA. His father, Samuel Edison, was of Dutch ancestry and his mother, Nancy Elliot, was of English descent. Thomas was home-schooled. He used a primitive cylinder and foil device to create the first known recording of a human voice (his own, reciting the poem "Mary Had A Little Lamb"). Although he invented the cylinder recorder (phonograph), it was Emile Berliner who created the flat disc. Edison licensed the patent(s) from him. Other inventions to his credit include cellophane tape, waxed paper, an improved version of the typewriter keyboard, and 'the electric pencil', a forerunner to the fax machine. He is often credited with the invention of the incandescent light bulb, but that is untrue; he only perfected it. Similar bulbs were already in existence but they were expensive, did not last long, and gave off a bad smell. By developing a low-cost, long-lasting, carbonized cotton filament, Edison made electrical light cheap enough to be financially practical.
Thomas Edison is also credited with the invention of sprocketed cinema film. He also invented the Kinetograph camera and the peephole kinetoscope viewer. The Edison Manufacturing Company's earliest films were produced solely to demonstrate the use of the peephole viewer. The studio made several experimental short films, some lasting only several seconds, mostly to test his equipment. One film, Edison Kinetoscopic Record of a Sneeze (1894), features a man sneezing, runs for 1-1/2 seconds. Many of Edison's experimental films were made in a small wooden building dubbed 'The Black Maria' because it resembled a police wagon of the same name. Edison's Black Maria was built on a lot next to his lab and office. The building, essentially a large wooden shed covered with tar paper, was small enough that it was mounted on circular tracks so it could be turned to accommodate sunlight through an opening in the roof. The original has long since burned down, but a reproduction of the structure is located at the Edison National Historic Site, a museum with a preserved laboratory facility in West Orange, New Jersey. Edison himself played virtually no role in the production of individual films by his company which produced the first American film version of Frankenstein (1910). This film paved the way for modern-day horror as we now know it. Edison formed the Motion Picture Patent Company (MPPC), and teamed up with a few other prominent figures in film production, giving them a sort of monopoly on filmmaking. They wouldn't let other filmmakers use their technology, and they controlled the different steps of production. Supposedly, they even hired goons to enforce their monopoly. His attempts to force independent filmmakers to use his patented movie equipment resulted in an exodus of the film industry from the East Coast, where almost all films were produced, to California and a little town called Hollywoodland, now known as Hollywood. The last years of his life were plagued by financial failures, including plans to make houses out of poured formed concrete (it never caught on with the public) and making rubber from goldenrod (it decomposed too quickly). In 1928, he was awarded a Congressional Gold Meda. Thomas Edison was married to Mina Miller and Mary Stilwell. He died in 1931 in West Orange, New Jersey, USA. When he lay dying at his home in New Jersey, newspaper reporters were anxiously awaiting a sign from his wife of Edison's death. She signaled Edison's passing by turning a light ON, not off, in his bedroom. Edison's son allegedly captured his last breath in a glass jar. The jar is on display at the reconstructed Menlo Park at Greenfield Village in Dearborn, Michigan.
Sources: Wikipedia and IMDb.
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A view of the left hand side of the heavy machine shop at the Edison National Historical Site. You can envision the machinists at work crafting items, and occasionally Mr Edison walking through with some hand drawn plans.
At the far end of the aisle is an elevator, which is marked "For Mr. Edison Only"