The feedback, echo to my newest writing was moderate, to use
a polite euphemism. However a nice comment from reader Ruby has inspired me the following idea.
An alternative history of Cold Fusion.
November 1989- the state authorities for research in
the US and in all the other industrialized countries take a
historic decision: "We will go Cold!".
That means- all the funding and forces used for Hot Fusion
will go starting from now to search and develop Cold Fusion.
Great money, thousands of scientists, many hundreds
of labs worldwide, a million of Pd-D cells (soon) all
specialized and dedicated to cold fusion. The best theorists
worldwide publishing Cold Fusion papers in peer reviewed
journals. Patent Offices following the example of US developing
fast methods for the approval of the Cold Fusion patents.
Cold Fusion has successfully climbed all the Everests of high priority.
So it has started, can you tell how it has continued up to today?
Peter
The possible changes in this alternative,(Or counter-factual), history would be so profound, so extreme, that I find it impossible to put it into words. Almost anything put forward, no matter how absurd sounding, could have been accomplished if we had not wasted so many years and resources on the so called "Hot Fusion" "Quest."
ReplyDeleteDear Nixter I agree completely, however i do not believe that the good results can be obtained with a wet cell,
Deletewith electrolysis and palladium.
Hot Fusion is a tragic waste of energies, including creative energy.
Peter, I know you contribute on Vortex, I follow it without being a subscriber myself, and I had a thought about something I read there a few weeks ago. A semi anonymous report from a Dekfelion visitor said that an engineer from there told him that when a view port was installed on a test reactor, they had an unusual reaction, a great white hot light ensued that actually melted the "glass" port.
ReplyDeleteI thought this very unlikely and strange, the next day, when Rossi was asked about view ports and if light is seen, he answered that he saw no purpose to having such a port. So I think we do not know for sure, is there any visible, (or other), emissions produced in a Rossi type reactor. But the aspect I find most of interest is that high quality lab grade view ports can be made from an artificial crystal such as sapphire, this raised the possibility that some sort of Laser, Maser, Phaser effect may have occurred. If we go back to the development of the first Laser we can see some similarity, basically a ruby rod was flooded with photons. I see a small possibility that a similar reaction was taking place in the Dekfalion reactor. I just wanted to tell someone who may be able to discern if anything of value may be contained within this "questionable" report.
I have considered that report as unreliable; plus
ReplyDeletewe know too few things about how those cores are working.
And ut is not believable that the temperature has raised
over the melting point of nickel. Too many unknown unknowns.
But this summer will be very hot, informationally speaking.
Peter, Perhaps you should give up blogging essays and write a science fiction novel. I want to know how it turns out too.
ReplyDeleteI'd prefer a happy ending.
Marshall McLuhan studied how technology effects society and actually changes the "mental imprint" of the mind. I believe the possibility is strong that humans can evolve beyond the petty materialism that plagues us all, and pour our energies into the betterment of ourselves, in service to all life on our planet.
Naivete to some, media ecology to others...
I really like the "We will go cold!" phrase.
Maybe our next bumper sticker???
...in service to all life on *this planet.
ReplyDeleteDear Ruby,
ReplyDeleteThank you again very sincerely for the inspiration
and for publishing about the idea of an alternative
Cold Fusion/LENR history.
If you will find time and patience and read the BASIC
writings and my Septoes from my Blog, you will see that
I have concluded that the world works on the principle
of maximum Interestingness- things are as interesting
as possible. For example:
http://egooutpeters.blogspot.com/2011/01/my-favorite-i-word.html
The same principle was independently discovered by Freeman Dyson- but on a very different mode of thinking)
I am a well documented witness of the really interesting history of the field.
But I think it is better to call it prehistory, LENR as you
has seen from my Technology First! paper from Infinite Energy No 1; the era of LENR starts when it will be a practical energy source. For technology please see:
http://egooutpeters.blogspot.com/2011/08/technology-mon-amour.html
and for the sake of symmetry please read too:
http://egooutpeters.blogspot.com/2011/08/taxonomy-mon-amour.html
I think it is essential that scientists including science journalists should have a deep real understanding of the essence of both Technology and Taxonomy (good thinking).
Now to your idea re me abandoning blogging essays and writing a book- science fiction: no, I have not much time left and I am future oriented. I am not a professional historian so I cannot change history. It is more important to try to contribute to
what will come than to think about what could have been.
The near future is interesting- a good opportunity to congratulate you for your Rossi interview- you are wise!
I think Defkalion will make the Great Step- despite the fact that the things are now much too interesting in their wonderful
country.
Peter