Tesla - The Forgotten Genius

Perhaps inventors like Thomas Edison got all the credit for inventing the ubiquitous light bulb, but did you know that the electric currents that run through our homes and workplaces are based on the work of another, more obscure, inventor? His name was Nikola Tesla. His persona was revived a couple of years ago in the film 'The Prestige.' The are two distinct stories that have come down to us over the years about Telsa: one tells the tale of a visionary genius, whose inventions were so unbelievable and ahead of their time that many of them have yet to be put into practice; the other story is one of envy and greed, which motivated his competitor, Thomas Edison, to discredit his work in the eyes of the public. Here are two short videos that tell these two stories (answer the questions that follow): First, a scene from 'The Prestige': And here, a home-made mini-documentary put together in a humourous fashion: Questions: 1. What characteristics about Tesla do both videos emphasize? 2. (First video): What question does 'The Great Danton' (the character played by Hugh Jackman) ask Tesla? What is Tesla's reply? 3. (Questions 3-10 are all about the second videoclip): What three adjectives are used to describe Tesla's childhood personality? 4. Why did Tesla have to abort his junebug experiment? 5. What was Tesla trying to accomplish with the two cats? 6. What 'misunderstanding' was there between Tesla and his employer, Edison? 7. What kind of efforts did Edison make to discredit Tesla? 8. What were the limitations of Edison's direct current? 9. How many patents did Tesla have? 10. What was the cause of Tesla's death? Did he die a wealthy man?

Do you know who she is? No? Well, let's get to know Noomi Rapace. Watch this interview and answer the questions:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EZZy6R97c0o
1. How did Rapace prepare for the role of Lisbeth Salander? Why did she feel these preparations were necessary?
2. Is Rapace's English perfect? Can you detect any errors? Do they impede communication?
3. What do critics say about Rapace's performance?
4. What kind of life did Rapace lead as a teenager?
5. What did Rapace not want to do in the violent scenes of the film?
6. What do we know about Rapace's taste in film? Would she accept a role in a Hollywood film? Do you believe her? (sorry, that's me being cynical again).
7. Do you think Millennium is a "mainstream" novel and film (according the video it is not)? What does mainstream mean, anyway? Examples?
Discussion questions:
1. Have you read any of the Millennium books? If so, why so, and if not why not?
2. Do you think Millennium is a mainstream phenomenon or a fringe cult series?
3. How many books do you read per year? How many movies do you see per year? Why do we tend to see more movies than read books? What's more satisfying? Why?

Facebook feud

Meet the real Winklevoss twins, depicted in the film 'The Social Network.'. These are the guys who sued Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg and eventually won a settlement for $65 million. Watch the video and answer the questions below. Before watching this video, you might want to get some background on the story here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tyler_Winklevoss 1. According to the assumption made in this interview, whose original idea was it to start a social network which eventually went on to become Facebook? 2. How did the Winklevosses feel when they first discovered that their idea had been stolen, and what did this feeling involve into? 3. How successful were the Winklevosses in 'righting the wrong' committed by Zuckerberg? 4. How straightforward are the Winklevosses about the money they have been awarded by the courts? 5. What is the motto of Harvard and why is it being cited? *************************************************************************************** And in case you haven't seen the film, here's a clip of actor Armie Hammer, who plays dual roles as both twins: