Tesla had the ability to see his thoughts as solid objects which would at times block his view of the real world.  Although Tesla considered this an ailment he still put it to good use in the development of many inventions.   He felt he could devise a machine which could capture these thoughts and project them for others to see as the above news paper article illustrates.

When Tesla invented the first AC motor he test ran it for many weeks (in his head), making observations, disassembling it to check for wear and tear on the parts, then making alterations if needed.  When it came time to build this device in the physical world he had his workers each take one part to construct, giving them all the needed measurements verbally.  Each worker performed their construction task in secrecy (the usual work mode), at times to machined tolerances of 10,000ths of an inch.  Tesla assembled the parts, threw the switch and it worked perfectly the first time.

This almost mystical process would be used by him countless times, which I think helped give him the reputation as a crackpot/quack...  also his annual birthday presentations to high ranking public figures and celebrities, at which he demonstrated to unsuspecting audiences his latest inventions. usually scaring them to death with his electrical feats.

Tesla said of Tom Edison:"If Edison had a needle to find in a haystack, he would proceed at once with diligence of a bee to examine straw after straw until he found the object of his search."

"I was a sorry witness of such doings, knowing that a little theory and calculation would have saved him ninety per cent of his labor."

Edison did not retrain himself for new technologies. He avoided almost entirely the area of electronics. He ignored a new discovery - radio waves. He did not investigate alternating current systems.

In his new laboratory he pushed forward in familiar areas or explored new subjects that did not require radically new techniques. He improved the phonograph, invented a way of producing motion pictures, devised a method of separating iron ore magnetically, built concrete homes, tried to develop a storage battery for automobiles, and searched for a source of rubber.  Some of his ventures were successful; others, like iron ore separation, were spectacular failures.

Edison's attempts to increase his productivity tenfold were probably doomed as long as he considered his new laboratory as a larger version of the old one. His first laboratory had been basically an extension of himself; other people were there to help facilitate his ideas. West Orange was too big for that. Structuring and managing a laboratory so scores of inventors could create and contribute to many new inventions was not his style.

Tesla didn't care much for the process of mass production of his inventions, he would rather leave that to others, instead he preferred the process of discovery.  He often gave his tid bits to anyone who was interested.  Marconi came to Tesla after hearing of his work in wireless transmission.  Tesla opened his lab and books to him, and we all know what happened next... Marconi implemented a small portion of Tesla's invention and became famous.

Even though (in 1943) the Supreme Court ruled Tesla invented the radio 8 years prior to Marconi it amazes me how society continues to teach us otherwise.  I was taught in High School (early 70's) that Marconi invented the radio and Edison was the "greatest inventor of all time", both claims need to be remedied in our "institutions of higher learning" ...and a few like Yale are starting too.

Recently Yale University has moved toward giving Tesla his place of honor.   They have placed this bronze bust in their school for future generations.

"In 1943, the Supreme Court granted full rights to Tesla for the invention of radio, nullifying the claims of Marchese Gugliemo Marconi who had patented a two-tuned-circuit design and a more practical  four-tuned-circuit modeled after Tesla's. Marconi's patent on the invention of radio was overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court because Tesla's work predated it (Case #369, 6/21/43).  Marconi did succeed in beating Tesla as the first person to send a wireless telegraph across the Atlantic, which prompted Tesla to remark, "Let him continue. He is using seventeen of my patents." In addition, Tesla's 1903 patents 723,188 and 725,605 contain the basic principles of the logical AND circuit element basic to all computers."
View the entire Yale Scientific Magazine article at the Yale site by clicking here.
 
 

The Wardenclyffe Tower (above) was to be the production model of Tesla's Colorado Springs discoveries.  It was to transmit signals and electrical power from Long Island NY to Europe.  In Tesla's own words it was to be his "crowning glory".  (Trivia:  the 187' high all wooden structure was designed to allow the removal of any spar at any time for repairs).  The only metal was the giant sphere which stood a top.  This photo shows the tower in the construction phase.

This is when J.P. Morgan bailed out (his funding of tesla ceased), it was then demolished by the US government.  Tesla would live out the remaining years of his life broke and alone with his pigeons and doves in his New York hotel room, always expecting to have his many designs accepted and the associated funding resumed.

``War cannot be avoided until the physical cause for its recurrence is removed and this, in the last analysis, is the vast extent of the planet on which we live. Only through annihilation of distance in every respect, as the conveyance of intelligence, transport of passengers and supplies and transmission of energy will conditions be brought about some day, insuring permanency of friendly relations. What we now want is closer contact and better understanding between individuals and communities all over the earth, and the elimination of egoism and pride which is always prone to plunge the world into primeval barbarism and strife. Peace can only come as a natural consequence of universal enlightenment.''

from  "My Inventions: the autobiography of Nikola Tesla", Hart Bros., 1982. Originally appeared in the Electrical experimenter magazine in 1919.