Category: Action

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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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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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Letter to ARPA-E

Here is a copy of a letter I wrote to Dr. Arun Majumdar at the ARPA-E requesting funding for LANR, lattice-assisted nuclear reactions.

Also included was a lovely Cold Fusion Now bumper sticker to hitch on his wagon.

Please take 10 minutes and write a letter to support cold fusion research. Write or call your elected representatives and local and national media.

The lack of funding is a travesty, one that we must rectify.
If we don’t get off this petroleum and gas, we’re cooked – literally!

Here’s what I wrote:

Dr. Arun Majumdar
Director, ARPA-E
Advanced Research Projects Agency – Energy
U.S. Department of Energy
1000 Independence Avenue, S.W.
Washington, D.C. 20585

Dear Dr. Majumdar,

In researching energy issues and ways to reduce fossil fuel consumption, I was surprised to learn that there exists an extremely promising field of inquiry that gets absolutely no funding from the Department of Energy. I am talking about LANR, lattice-assisted nuclear reactions.

Have you looked at the results coming out of labs worldwide lately? Present success is generating megawatts from 0.3 grams of palladium. Energetics Technologies, based in New Jersey, has produced output energy 25 times the input energy!

Please sir, I beg you, give this research the boost it needs. It was recently assessed that a mere $10 million distributed among various groups working in the US could take this research “to the next level”. If we fail to provide a viable alternative energy beyond the renewables in this country, then someone else will. We are desperately in need of a new source of energy and oil and gas have had a great run, but it’s time to move on now.

In addition, the patent process for LANR technologies, as well as LENR low-energy nuclear reactions, and CANR chemically-assisted nuclear reactions technologies, must be updated. Wouldn’t it be great to have another Internet revolution with all the new energy devices whose fuel is deuterium from seawater?

There is no reason at all why this research isn’t supported. Please give it a chance, and we could have a renaissance in technology.

Thank you very much for your work and efforts.
Sincerely,

Your Name HERE!

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Help correct Wolfram Alpha

Perhaps y’all know about Wolfram Alpha, the search/computational engine from Stephan Wolfram.

Well if you look up “cold fusion”, the response is erroneous.

However, there is a Feedback box right below it. I have entered feedback asking them to correct the entry and pointing them to the extensive documentation on the lenr.org site.

Please take a moment to click the “cold fusion” link above, read the entry for cold fusion, and enter some feedback to help correct their mistake.

Now that’s something – correcting Stephan Wolfram!

Addition to post:  LATER……

This was the automated response:

We appreciate your feedback regarding Wolfram|Alpha. 
The issue you reported has been passed along to our development team 
for review. Thank you for helping us improve Wolfram|Alpha.

Best wishes,
The Wolfram|Alpha Team
www.wolframalpha.com
Name: 
Input: cold fusion
Occupation: teacher
Organization: 
Message: Please revise your statement definition of "cold fusion".

An extensive peer-reviewed documentation has occurred over 
the last two decades that shows cold fusion is a new type of nuclear effect 
different than the conventional hot fusion model.

Look at full documentation at  http://www.lenr.org

This is an important energy source for our future.  
Please revise your statement.

Otherwise, thanks for an awesome search engine!
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Letters mailed to Senate Energy subcommittee members

It’ll take a couple of weeks to get through security, but 15 senators will have a nice surprise waiting for them when they get back from recess. Each member on the Energy sub-committee got a unique letter requesting funding for low-energy nuclear reactions research accompanied by two complimentary Cold Fusion Now stickers.

Here’s a sample letter sent to Senator Debbie Stabenow from Michigan:

Senator Debbie Stabenow
133 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington DC 20510

Dear Senator Stabenow,

Please lend your support for the only viable alternative energy beyond the renewables – low-energy nuclear reactions, also know as cold fusion.

We want solar and wind developed, but these are not enough to supply all our energy wants. Nuclear energy is a million times more powerful than chemical energy, and only cold fusion promises, clean, green, safe, nuclear energy from the deuterium in sea-water with no radio-active waste.

The research has gone on for the last 21 years in virtual isolation with $0 from the Department of Energy. That’s right; $0 from the DOE. Yet low-energy nuclear reaction scientists are now getting output energy 25 times the input energy!

The Naval Research Lab and the Army Research Lab both support this research, but the funds are limited. This science needs DOE funding to take the current research to a new level, where the private sector can then begin to develop new energy products. There is just no good reason why the Department of Energy withholds funding for this important research.

You’ve worked hard on issues of water, the environment, and jobs in your state of Michigan. And you also know the danger that petroleum poses. Please take a look at the current state of cold fusion research and I think you will see another opportunity to provide clean energy jobs.

Please direct the DOE to apportion funding for cold fusion research.

Thanks very much,
My name, etc…

The names of the senators who received this particular mailing are:

Sen. John Barrasso WY
Sen. Evan Bayh IN
Sen. Robert Bennett UT
Sen. Sam Brownback KS
Sen. Jim Bunning KY
Sen. Richard Burr NC
Sen. Maria Cantwell WA
Sen. Bob Corker TN
Sen. Byron Dorgon ND
Sen. Menendez NJ
Sen. Bernie Sanders VT
Sen. Jeff Sessions AL
Sen. Jeanne Shaheen NH
Sen. Debbie Stabenow MI
Sen. Mark Udall CO
Sen. Ron Wyden OR

Yes, there’s going to be changeover soon, but that’s OK. I’ll be doing a follow-up letter in October: shorter, and with more specific info relating to each member, and….I dunno……Cold Fusion Now matchbooks? Would they even make it through security???

I will ask those of you living in any of these states to call your senators in September and ask for their support on CF funding for a follow-up.

Find your senator’s info here.

Next up: it’s the House Energy subcommittee.

Not the most fun assignment, but better than some. For instance, reading the Slate article Palladium: The Cold Fusion Fanatics Can’t Get Enough of the Stuff By Sam Kean reveals the level of ignorance of commonly available scientific data by the author, and sadly, the commentators too.

The die-hard will cling to an obsolete belief with such tenacity, staying true to their name. It blows my mind that high-caliber scientists have had to endure such ignorance for two decades. I hope I won’t even have to try…

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