Month: September 2010

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Sadly, since school started I’ve been grading papers instead of writing letters in support of cold fusion. But over the summer, our Cold Fusion Now team did several large mailings of letters to legislators and agencies, accompanied by a Cold Fusion Now sticker, asking for attention and funding for LENR research.

The letters varied, each one unique to that senator’s accomplishments, but all of them discussed funding for low-energy nuclear reactions research using the vocabulary of “clean energy”.

This is the first response from any senator regarding those letters, and it comes from my home-state Senator Feinstein. Interestingly, I have telephoned, sent an email, and written a letter to Ms. Feinstein. This response below came through the email and is regarding my “letter” which did not contain an email address. So I guess they’ve got me sewed up all which ways!

Though the response is stock (it does not mention LENR, LANR, or cold fusion), I have to wonder, where did she put her Cold Fusion Now sticker???

Dear Ms. Carter:

Thank you for writing to express your support for passage of a clean energy and climate bill through the United States Senate in the 111th Congress. I appreciate hearing from you, and I welcome the opportunity to respond.

The “Clean Energy Jobs and Oil Company Accountability Act” (S. 3663) was introduced by Senator Harry Reid (D-NV) on July 28, 2010. This legislation combines a number of proposals that I support to address energy efficiency, climate change, oil spill response and accountability, and funding for the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF). Although Senator Reid did not bring the bill to the Senate floor for a vote in July, please be assured that I support debating the bill on the Senate floor.

The “Clean Energy Jobs and Oil Company Accountability Act” includes five billion dollars for the HOMESTAR program, which provides incentives to promote greater residential energy efficiency. You may be interested to know that I have cosponsored the “Home Star Energy Retrofit Act of 2010” (S. 3434), which provided the basis for the HOMESTAR provisions in S. 3663.

The “Clean Energy Jobs and Oil Company Accountability Act” also addresses oil spill response and accountability issues observed during the recent Gulf Coast oil spill. It would increase the liability caps on those who cause oil spills, require oil spill response plans to be far more specific, mandate that oil companies invest in technologies that help to prevent and respond to oil spills, improve the Federal government’s ability to respond to catastrophic oil spills in deepwater, and reform the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation, and Enforcement (known previously as the Minerals Management Service) to prevent mismanagement and corruption.

Lastly, the “Clean Energy Jobs and Oil Company Accountability Act” would fund the LWCF at $900 million each year for the next five fiscal years. I am committed to preserving our nation’s natural resources. As Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior, Environment and Related Agencies, I have worked with my colleagues to secure funding for the LWCF each fiscal year.

I remain committed to working with my Senate colleagues to advance legislation that will address oil spill response and accountability, climate change, job creation, and increasing our energy security. During this Congress, we have not yet been able to put together a comprehensive climate and energy bill capable of gaining the 60 votes necessary to pass the Senate, but I will continue to work with my colleagues to enact meaningful legislation in this area.

Again, thank you for your letter. If you have any other questions or comments, please contact my Washington, D.C. office at (202) 224-3841. Best regards.

Sincerely yours,
Dianne Feinstein
United States Senator

PS. I have telephoned my senators, as well as others on key committees, and that’s the easiest way to get the “clean energy” meme in their heads. Go ahead and make your call!

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It was a good weekend

…the Long Beach Coin Show, bookstores, a mini-McLuhan meeting AND Wall Street Money Never Sleeps.

I couldn’t wait to see that movie, reading as I did the cold fusion connection. Well, dontcha know, the state of scientific literacy is such that movie reviewers have no idea of the distinction between cold fusion and laser-ignition fusion cause that’s what’s peripherally in the movie.

That “little California company” spoken of in the earlier released clips, is a Big Facility that is researching the laser-ignition method. What a disappointment. Still, it’s not Oliver Stone’s fault reviewers don’t know what’s up in nuclear science, and he kicks it out again with a great movie so I give the production 2 deuterons up.

Even with the wrong kind of fusion (and I have nothing against laser-initiated fusion for huge, centralized, and highly complex engineering projects that produce fusion power will still be good for something), as the movie ended, your #1 Cold Fusion Advocate gave out Cold Fusion Now stickers to the bemused patrons as they left the theater! I think they thought I was part of the whole movie event! You see, I shall never miss an opportunity, even when it’s not actually an opportunity! Perhaps we’ll get a few hits on the website, who knows. But that’s not all….

At the coin show, yapping with my ancient coin friends (and breathless from the ounces and ounces of AU and AR just LAYIN AROUND) I bring up cold fusion and dontcha know they not only knew what it was, but asked “How far away are they from getting that going?” Of course, I didn’t have an answer to that one, I was just happy that they knew about it, and support it fully, in spirit anyway. It was a good conversation that put the most important energy research on the planet back in the short-term memory of a few guys who travel constantly. Sadly, in all the excitement of precious metal ogling, I had forgotten to bring my batch of CFN stickers, but I’ll be sending those guys some stickers for sure.

But that’s not all! At one of my regular bookstore stops in LA, Alias Books on Sawtelle, just south of Santa Monica Blvd., I was paying for my purchase of Baudrillard’s The Perfect Crime (do NOT read that if you are already depressed) and I overhead two fellas talking and one said “Well, I work in the news business and …yadda yadda yadda…” I don’t know what his affiliation was, there wasn’t much time, and I didn’t want to be too rude interrupting his conversation, but as I was leaving I asked him “Hey, maybe you could do a story on cold fusion, a form of energy production with nuclear-sized power that uses a fuel derived from seawater….The whole sector needs some press and recognition bad.” He didn’t know what cold fusion was and had never heard of it (he was a pretty young guy, so I wasn’t surprised), but he said “you’ve intrigued me and I’m going to look it up.” Though I get the feeling it was my use of the word “sector” that increased my legitimacy with him, he really seemed interested in learning about it. We’ll see…

What’s on tap? The whole CFN crew is gearing up for the 10/10/10 Global Work Party where Cold Fusion Now will have a table with info, stickers, a DVD player, and lots of CF/LENR/LANR/ info right smack in the middle of downtown Eureka! Will an angel walk by???

We’re also looking forward to the new documentary “The Believers”. Hopefully, it will be positive portrait that shows the dedication and sacrifice that many have made in search of solutions for our planet. A good new doc would be great to start having some movie viewing parties…..

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Forecast: Cold on 10/10/10

Science just isn’t cool. The last time science was kind of cool seemed to be in the 90s, when computer hacking punched through pop culture. Who can forget Angelina Jolie as the sexy-smart soon-to-be MIT student in Hackers?

But today, environmentalism is cool. And although many environmentalists could use a dose of science, it’s true enough that science could use a good dose of environmentalism.

So Cold Fusion Now will holding an action event coordinated with 350.org, a group dedicated to reducing CO2 in the atmosphere below 350 ppm. On 10/10/10, 350.org is sponsoring a Global Work Party to highlight climate change and our politician’s lack of response with leadership in this area.

There will be tree plantings, city clean-ups, solar stove installations – all kinds of actions and events around the planet – and Cold Fusion Now has signed up to participate. After all, what energy-producing technologies promise the kind of kick that cold fusion could deliver with practically zero emissions?

We’ll be giving out free Cold Fusion Now stickers with FAQ/information cards about low-energy nuclear reactions, like “What is cold fusion?” etc. We’ll be making some posters for a table, and heck, if I can get some more books (I’ve given all I had away!), we’ll have those out as well.

Think about your own event for 10/10/10. What could you do to change our energy paradigm? If you’ve got something in mind, no matter how small, go to www.350.org and post your event. The more people see the words, the closer we get to putting this science at Top Priority, where it should rightly be.

Look up our zip code 95501 on their event finder and check out our Cold Fusion Now event updates page. I can’t wait!

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Cold fusion cracks Wall Street

Oliver Stone‘s new movie Wall Street Money Never Sleeps has a cold fusion twist!

From the USA Today release:

Enter hot young trader Jacob (Shia LaBeouf), the fiancé of Gekko’s estranged daughter Winnie (Carey Mulligan). Jacob, a specialist in alternative-energy investments, has a score to settle with the head of another investment bank (Josh Brolin) and a cause: a cold-fusion company that needs a cash infusion.

Wow. Two things I love coming together! Wall Street (the movie) and cold-fusion funding! Awww…it’s probably in a minor way, but heck – the MEME IS SPREADING!

Here’s a link to CNBC FastMoney, which doesn’t even mention any cold fusion aspect, but DOES have a fabulous exchange with Oliver Stone and the Fast Money crew.

I really can’t wait to see this movie now. But first – who knows where I can contact Oliver Stone??? He needs some Cold Fusion Now stickers!

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We don’t know what can’t be done

“The best way to predict the future is to invent it”.  That’s how Vinod Khosla, in quoting Alan Kay, perceives our energy unknowns.

A friend of mine sent me an audio file from the founder of Menlo Park venture capital firm Khosla Ventures.  It’s from a while ago, but still relevant as ever.  Download the .mp3 or listen online here.  http://ecorner.stanford.edu/authorMaterialInfo.html?mid=2051

Now we have only recently understood the difference between i) funding in basic research and ii) funding for engineering and product development.  And yes, this fellow’s portfolio is mostly on the development side.

BUT check out the Seed Fund page http://www.khoslaventures.com/khosla/seed_fund_wm.html on the Khosla Ventures website.  There MUST exist cold fusion projects that can meet this criteria.

Here’s a quote from Vinod:

“It may be hard to wrap a plan or even an application around a significant technology breakthrough or science experiment. But just because we cannot quantify an opportunity does not mean it is not a real or a large one. Big technical breakthroughs do not lend themselves to spreadsheet analysis or IRR calculations, but we will often take the risk if it feels right. Even a technology with 90 percent probability of failure may be worth doing if there is a 10 percent chance of massive impact in a large, important market.” 
Khosla Ventures

Do you have a scientific breakthrough?  YES.
Why is now the right time?  BECAUSE WE WON’T SURVIVE OTHERWISE.
Continue compelling argument….

From their Submit business plan page:

“If your plan fits our investment criteria, we would like to hear from you.

The plan does not need to be fancy or long but should address the key points articulated in the seed and main fund sections. We like concise, 4-6 page summaries of the business plan or the presentation, addressing key questions. ……

….Every business plan within our investment areas will be reviewed. Due to the volume of plans and materials, we may take a few weeks to get back to you.”

CF Scientists: There must be 4-6 pages floating on a hard drive somewhere, written during an earlier time, when energy was not so much on the front burner.

Cold Fusion Now has arrived on the scene 21 years late, and waltzed into a bog of politics and policy.  But we want this new technology (that’s not even developed yet!) and we want it yesterday.  We are on the ground writing letters, submitting requests, giving away copies of books AND talking cold fusion at every opportunity, to friends, artists, co-workers, at street fairs, flea markets, art shows, in the food store, at the pizza shop, and even just walking down the street. (Yes, we are VERY friendly!)

A little ignorance can be a good thing, because we at Cold Fusion Now don’t know what can’t be done, and we’re willing to go the distance and pound on doors trying. We hope our small blindness can open one of those doors.

Till then, o my peoples! how about contacting this fellow with a short proposal.  What do you have to lose?

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MALL vs LENR

Excerpt from essay at http://Elienation.com

While everyone else in the country is suffering, losing jobs, companies and businesses folding, Santa Monica is celebrating the grand opening of their 265 million dollar mall. Unreal, but it’s one for the “what were they thinking” history books, when they look back post collapse and try to put some pieces into place.

And that’s the excess that this place (Los Angeles) has. There’s so much wealth floating around, that it does just that, it floats around; the aimless shuffle of dollars back and forth. An area in America where at any given time there’s a handful of 50 million buck movies being pumped out factory style.

And technologies that can save the world, literally, struggle for 20 years to rack up a mere 100 million dollars in research and development funds. But 2 years and 250 million bones for a mall with a Nordstroms in it is cause for celebration.”


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