Re: [Vo]:Re: Creationism (was Re:OT: periodic table)
Thomas sez: Michel Jullian wrote: The recent discussion on evolution and Mickey Mouse watches reminded me of the opening words of /The Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy/ : You need to watch Privileged Planet I see our privileged planet has once again become the center of the universe. You contended that our solar system was ordinary, P P points out about 130 reasons why it's not. I contend that I could eventually come up with MORE than 130 reasons why I am personally privileged, but I suspect nobody would listen to any of my reasons. The news says that you're getting rather a lot of snow. Yes, Madison, Wisconsin experienced a real doozey yesterday. Haven't seen this accumulated much snow for a single winter season in decades. I believe portions of the mid-west may be close to breaking their records. We experienced a major white-out - way more than a foot of snow in eight hours. Took me more than two hours behind my snow blower last night to reclaim the sidewalks and driveways of my neighbor's and my own. Thanks for asking, Thomas. PS: Yesterday in the mists of observing the whiteout I noticed several of my colleagues at work (who are of the conservative persuasion) who appeared to be positively gleeful. I gather that yesterday's winter demonstration was proof, from their POV, that Global Warming is nothing more than a crock hatched by the liberals, that Al Gore's Inconvenient Truth crusade is a bunch of hooey. It would appear that they are enjoying their revelry while they can. Regards Steven Vincent Johnson www.OrionWorks.com www.zazzle.com/orionworks
Re: [Vo]:Re: Creationism (was Re:OT: periodic table)
Thomas sez: Michel Jullian wrote: The recent discussion on evolution and Mickey Mouse watches reminded me of the opening words of /The Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy/ : You need to watch Privileged Planet I see our privileged planet has once again become the center of the universe. Regards Steven Vincent Johnson www.OrionWorks.com www.zazzle.com/orionworks
Re: [Vo]:Re: Creationism (was Re:OT: periodic table)
How they can they still be so ignorant? Please take comfort in the knowledge that it was a small group of individuals. Regards Steven Vincent Johnson www.OrionWorks.com www.zazzle.com/orionworks
[Vo]:Global Warming, renamed: The Mandelas of Celestial Mechanics
Robin and Jed recently elaborated on the unpredictable nature of weather patterns attributed to Global Warming where it might seem for brief spells as if the exact opposite of global warming is occurring. A branch of computer simulations for which I have immersed myself in for several months now would tend agree with these conclusions. Let me endeavor to clarify. For several months now I have been researching a specific branch of computer simulations based on the simple rules of Celestial Mechanics. I'm sure they are associated with an obscure branch of chaos theory. I basically plot the path of an orbiting satellite as it makes its way around an attractor in a 2D (x,y) plane. Chaos theory employs similar algorithms where the computed results are fed back into the system to generate the next iteration. Certain simulations need to be iterated fifty million times or more in order to build visual patterns. Certain observations where initially the orbital path of the satellite appears to be in a stable orbit reveal how the system eventually becomes unstable, where the satellite eventually breaks free of the attractor's influence. I have explored two unique factors that can cause initially stable orbits to eventually destabilize. FACTOR ONE: Increase the positive attractive force of the attractor while all other factors remain fixed. (This would be the equivalent to raising the temperature, as in Global Warming.) The introduction of instability is primarily due to larger sampling step rates brought about by increasing the force attributed to the attractor. As in Chaos theory the computed (x,y) values are fed back into the system as the seed to the next iteration. Eventually the generated values become too great for the closed system to manage in its current configuration. The satellite's orbital period is forced to reorganize into a different pattern to accommodate the additional forces. Often the reorganization process is unpredictable and abrupt. For brief spells islands or reorganized stability can temporarily reassert themselves between rivers of chaotic instability. Eventually, however, the entire system breaks down utterly and completely. FACTOR TWO: Introduce an outside/external force such as an infinite/parallel force beam. Eventually, if the external force's influence becomes too great it essentially knocks the satellite out of its stable orbit. However, before that happens, as the strength of the external force beam slowly increases, the satellite's orbital path tries to reorganize into new patterns of stability. Some of the patterns generated as the satellite searches for stability are, IMO, visually striking and totally unexpected. Depending on the combination of celestial mechanical algorithms used patterns of precise order and ordered chaos can occasionally find ways to work in seeming harmony in unique dances. Some of the visual patterns generated in fact seem reminiscent, to my POV, of the Van Allen radiation belts, including the bow shock. What my mathematical orbital explorations seem to have revealed so far is that, if given a chance, these systems seem to prefer stable patterns that often involve predictable periodic oscillations. If the initial pattern of stability is disturbed either internally and/or externally the system will attempt to reorganize or reconfigure into a revised pattern of stability – again, if at all possible. However, as additional influences or forces are fed into the system in increasing amounts the ability for the system of having the capacity to find a new level of stability steadily diminishes. Increased chaotic behavior becomes the norm. Increased chaotic fluctuations are also observed. Eventually the system breaks. * * * * * * * I'm seriously toying with the idea of showing, visually, the evolution of some of the more interesting chaotic patterns through a series of computer animations. However, it's also clear to me that it would be an ambitious project, one that I'm not yet sure I want to commit to. There is still a ton of work left to do on just the computer programming side. There remain countless unexplored rocks that I would like to turn over. Each completed simulation seems to generate brand new questions that beg to be explored in greater detail. I would need to create a new subdirectory out on my OrionWorks web site devoted to personal research in this obscure branch of study, where interested parties could drop by and download graphics, animations and accompanying text. Alas, I don't know how much outside interest truly exist in what I'm currently researching. It seems likely to me that previous explorers have already walked through significant portions of this chaotic forest - the famous Mandlebrot set and it's many siblings being the most obvious example. Perhaps they have already mapped, sufficiently, the chaotic domains of Celestial Mechanics as well. I have no desire to embark on a project that promises to be a ton of work, one
Re: [Vo]:Creationism (was Re:OT: periodic table)
Thomas sez: The discussion in question was on the Wall Builders, all one word .com, program. David Barton talks about the beliefs of the founding fathers. It was clear to us that a Biblically based legal system is superior to all others. This is not clear to many people, particularly those who favor what is called the Progressive Agenda. If you want to see supremacy, based on religion, you need to study the reign of the Taliban. I suspect many progressives have difficulty following the logic attributed to comments such as ...a biblically based legal system is superior to all others. from the very next comment where Supremacy, based on religion is associated with the reign of the Taliban. Personally, I think the expression of such opinions, particularly as combined together above, performs an excellent job shooting its own agenda in the foot. Regards Steven Vincent Johnson www.OrionWorks.com www.zazzle.com/orionworks
[Vo]:OT: Those Pesky Carbon Based Life Forms
known to possess a romantic flair, that the laws of nature may actually sense the terrible mistake transpiring on the surfaces of these planetary systems and subsequently rectifies the situation in an expedient manner. There is no known cure for the collection of these cascading malfunctions. For eons intelligent races, along with a few less intelligent ones, pondered how best to keep this annoying carbon-based anomaly from spreading throughout the rest of the galaxy. Eventually a solution was offered by the Vogon race, which came to be known as Project Dark Star. They suggested that all newly forming proto-planetary systems that showed the slightest hint of developing towards a carbon-based matrix be sterilized immediately. At the conclusion of protracted and occasionally heated deliberations the consensus was that the proposal was probably the only plan that had a fighting chance of being successfully implemented. Contract requests were issued to find out who might be interested in managing Project Dark Star. Predictably, the bid was awarded to the Vogons who are notoriously skilled at low-balling any contract proposal brought forth by any species naive enough to believe they could competitively outbid them. However, due to an extended symposium on the origins of Vogon Poetry (Classical Era) held on Vogon Prime, sponsored entirely by the Vogons, the paperwork authorizing the necessary resources have yet to be completely notarized, stamped and approved, filled out in triplicate and deposited at the appropriate bureaucratic repositories. So far, no one has volunteered to enter the symposium to ask the Vogons when they might be thinking of wrapping things up. This is primarily due to the fact that, galaxy wide, no insurance institution has ever been willing to issue a policy specifically for casualties induced by accidental exposure to Vogon poetry. A final warning: When it comes to rare but unavoidable contacts with carbon based life forms incidents that defy rational explanation often seem to be the norm. Even with the best quarantine systems in place accidents happen. For example, a bizarre series of skirmishes transpired on a planetary system that recently had its classification upgraded to mostly harmless where... [remaining text garbled] * * * * * * PS: When recently confronted as to whether the lost text was in fact a complete fabrication, OrionWorks pleaded the fifth. -- Regards Steven Vincent Johnson www.OrionWorks.com www.zazzle.com/orionworks
Re: [Vo]:Creationism (was Re:OT: periodic table)
Thomas sez: OrionWorks wrote: Thomas sez: The discussion in question was on the Wall Builders, all one I suspect many progressives have difficulty following the logic attributed to comments such as ...a biblically based legal system is superior to all others. from the very next comment where Supremacy, based on religion is associated with the reign of the Taliban. Well, when you find another nation, where you are freer and richer than we are, let me know. I've read your reply several times and I have yet to adequately comprehend what it might be that you're really asking me to clarify for your benefit. It might be due to the possibility that IMO, you haven't adequately comprehended the ramifications of what it is that you're really asking of me. Nevertheless, I'll give it a try. My childhood was spent growing up in Japan, Formosa, Guam, and El Salvador. I've had the rare luxury of experiencing a number of interesting world cultures and POVs. I eventually came to live in Madison Wisconsin back around 1967. I like living in Madison, Wisconsin. I like to think that we Madisonians are located reasonably close within the heartland of the good'ol USA. Truth of the matter is that since my 1967 transplant I have felt no pressing desire to once again uproot myself, to re-experience the rich tapestries of other countries. Maybe I just hate to travel extensively. In any case, it's probably an admission of ignorance on my part for there are several countries, particularly in the European commonwealth that would likely dispute your conviction on the matter of who is truly freer and richer. Complicating matters, an incomprehensible irony often lost within the personal paradigms of certain individuals is the discovery that the citizenry of some nations may consider the word free to be a four-letter word. They may feel that to be free eventually leads one to the doorstep of the devil. They WANT someone in authority to tell them what they should do with their lives, and how they should go about doing it, hour-by-hour, day-by-day. They LIKE being inside a cage of predictable boundaries. It isolates them from a cacophony of bewildering choices and the terrifying consequences of being forced to live with the consequences of those personal choices freedom lays at our doorstep. And while we're on the subject of four letter words, other individuals may also feel that being rich is just as evil. Granted, I don't agree with those opinions, but so be it. I have no idea if these personal observations were of any benefit to you. Probably not. Regards Steven Vincent Johnson www.OrionWorks.com www.zazzle.com/orionworks
[Vo]:Kiplinger's 02/15/2008 newsletter comments on ENERGY
What Kiplinger had to say about ENERGY in their 02/15/2008 newsletter: * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Development of a mammoth new offshore oil find in Brazil means that by 2015 or so, Brazil's production will top those of Kuwait, Nigeria, Venezuela and the United Arab Emirates. But the jump won't ease tight global supplies, only help offset declines elsewhere. Most of the oil will head to the U.S. The long trek via the Suez or Panama canals will make shipping it to Asian buyers too costly. Meanwhile, don't fret about threats of a Venezuelan oil embargo. President Hugo Chávez is using a tiff with ExxonMobil to whip up support for his government but knows diverting oil from the U.S. wouldn't work. Too few buyers are interested in his country's heavy sulfur-laden crude. Clean coal? Never mind. That's the message from the Energy Dept., which recently pulled the plug on its $1.8-billion FutureGen program, aimed at developing coal-fueled, emissions-free electricity plants. DOE says the technology to gasify coal and sequester the carbon dioxide is too iffy. Other efforts on storing CO2 underground are a decade away. Utilities will have to rely more on natural gas and nuclear power. That'll bump electricity rates up by about 50% within a decade. An ethanol flood is nearing. By next year, a slew of new plants will lift annual output to about 13 billion gallons. That's more than can be used as E85 in flexfuel vehicles on the road and as E10, the 10% ethanol-gasoline blend approved by EPA for conventional engines. Prices will plunge further, and profits will disappear for makers. Expect the feds to face pressure to speed up market development... building infrastructure and helping get ethanol into more of the country and/or letting blends with over 10% ethanol in them be used in all cars. -- Regards Steven Vincent Johnson www.OrionWorks.com www.zazzle.com/orionworks
[Vo]:(OT) The Earth to Stand Still, again
Before I clarify the meaning behind the subject title (as if most haven't already figured it out!) here's interesting VIDEO footage (and reported analysis) of yet another apparent solid body UFO. This one was spotted below the moonlit skies over Istanbul / Kumburgaz. Pretty amazing detail. See: http://www.ufodigest.com/news/0208/kumburaz.html I can't help but comment on a statement made at the end of this link: Now it's time for world governments to disclose the UFO Reality. Such a disclosure is critically important for all humanity and it would certainly be a turning point for the history of our planet. The disclosure of extraterrestrial life would also launch an unprecedented era, unify humanity by the awareness of being earthlings ensuring peace, harmony and unity consciousness and lead our dear planet to a new age of intercommunication and wisdom. Over the years I've noticed numerous grass roots UFO organizations conclude with similar ...now is the time... proclamations, particularly when another video clip of an unidentified object hovering in the sky is claimed to have been 100% authenticated. For someone like me who has had a life-long interest in the phenomenon these statements exasperate me to no end. What do they really think world governments would end up disclosing? Many of these Friends of the Aliens organizations seem convinced of world government's duplicity in hiding some kind of cosmic Cuisinart thingie, that if it could just be revealed to the masses would solve a plethora of planetary problems as quickly as if Jesus himself were to suddenly pencil us in for a little Second Coming gathering. Many of these UFO organizations seem convinced that our world governments for decades have only been slipping us the little blue pill. World Governments have purposefully been holding back on the nasty little red pill. Many seem to conclude with a conviction that if we could just get our hands on that damned little red pill it would most surely usher in peace, harmony and unity consciousness. From my experience having interfaced with an assortment of earth creatures from various planetary sectors I've discovered that not everyone seems to be in alignment with these perspectives. Set aside the opinions from those whom are convinced beyond a shadow of doubt that UFOs are piloted by the Spawn of Satan's Loins. Set aside the opposite starry-eyed belief that ETs are really nice guys you'd enjoy inviting over for a Sunday afternoon barbeque. What's left is a really big question mark. As best as I can tell nobody really knows, and most of us really hate having to wrestle with too many question marks in our routine day-to-day lives. With a mortgage to pay off, the kids coming down with the flu, and the in-laws targeting us for a surprise two-week visit starting tomorrow, who has time to ponder profound cosmic questions, such as are there ETs traveling about in the vast universe who are dealing with in-laws as bad as our own. IMO, whatever is going on in our skies I suspect world governments remain for the most part just as befuddled as the rest of us common folk. I could well imagine that it's an embarrassing predicament to be in as well. The only thing our world governments (aka: DOD) have going for them is that they probably have better pictures of whatever those solid craft-like thingies are, some which have been determined to have been the size of three football fields or larger. All the more reason to continue perpetuating the myth that anyone who has had the misfortune to have spotted one is summarily determined to have been unqualified to have viewed it. Move along... Move along... Nothing to see here... (Direct U-Tube video link at end of this article) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2BEM-ObMXJY * * * Speaking of little red and blue pills, the classic Science Fiction film The Day the Earth Stood Still is being remade, to be released before the end of 2008. Klaatu will be played by none other than the most excellent, party-on dude, Keanu Reeves. ...or maybe he's playing the role of the guardian robot. Hard to tell. ... It is rumored that John Cleese may be playing the role of Dr. Barnhardt. I'll believe it when I see it! http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0970416/ Regards, Steven Vincent Johnson www.OrionWorks.com www.Zazzle.com/orionworks
Re: [Vo]:Planktos project halted
See: http://dotearth.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/02/13/commercial-ocean-fertilization-project-halted/ Commercial Ocean Fertilization Project Halted By Andrew C. Revkin Planktos, the California company trying to turn a profit by fertilizing the ocean with iron dust, pulled the plug on planned field tests on Wednesday, citing a lack of funds. At the company's Web site, planktos.com, a simple notice blamed the shutdown on a highly effective disinformation campaign waged by anti-offset crusaders. . . . Well, shoot! Just when I was getting ready to plunk down several G's on a sure thing. Guess I'll have to dust off that interesting Nigerian offer I got last month. As Rosan Rosanadana used to say: It's always sumptin! PS: Jed, the return address was your personal email not the vortex address. I had to manually replace it with the vortex address. You might want to check on what might be going on at your end. Regards, Steven Vincent Johnson www.OrionWorks.com www.Zazzle.com/OrionWorks
Re: [Vo]:(OT) The Earth to Stand Still, again
FWIW, All of the concerns and suspicions that have been discussed so far are discussed in more detail in subsequent videos located farther on down at the same link. On Feb 16, 2008 9:25 AM, OrionWorks [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Before I clarify the meaning behind the subject title (as if most haven't already figured it out!) here's interesting VIDEO footage (and reported analysis) of yet another apparent solid body UFO. This one was spotted below the moonlit skies over Istanbul / Kumburgaz. Pretty amazing detail. See: http://www.ufodigest.com/news/0208/kumburaz.html -- Regards Steven Vincent Johnson www.OrionWorks.com www.zazzle.com/orionworks
Re: [Vo]:(OT) The Earth to Stand Still, again
Hi Bear, I think I'm pretty much in agreement with the basic premices you have expressed. Nevertheless, I'd like to offer up a couple of slightly skewed personal observations. ;-) ... Our being not alone, and able to visit other places when we earn the ability will probably destroy faiths depending on the New Testament, but what of the other Abrahamist faiths that rely on the Old book, like Judaism, Zoroastrianism, Mohammedism, and others? Are they resilient enough to bend, or will they break under the weight of truth as well. Time will only tell. It's not just those of a strong fundamentalist/religious persuasion who might have issues with this subject. For example, on another YAHOO discussion group called MadSF where dedicated Madison, Wisconsin, based Science Fiction enthusiasts hang about I posted the exact same diatribe (word-for-word) that I had posted here in regards to the alleged UFO video link. I got what I thought were, for the most part, healthy skeptical responses from two MadSF posters, who incidentally are good friends of mine. One of the skeptic's responses was delightfully satirical when he state: For my part, I'll start paying attention when one of the putative interstellar vehicles lands on the White House lawn in full view of the CNN cameras and somebody gets out and asks to use the toilet in the Lincoln Bedroom. Until then, I'll leave it to the pranksters with their shaky hand-held cameras, fuzzy focus, black-velvet backgrounds, and hubcaps. Maintaining the proper satirical spirit I replied with: Heh! :-) It's down the hall and to your left. Be sure to use plenty of air freshener when you're finished. Actually, I suspect you'll have to wait a very long time for such a momentous event. Any creature with half their trinary frontal lobe ganglia still in operational condition is likely to get it that parking in front of the White House lawn will only get them ticketed. No permit. Only in the movies! But what happened next was a real surprise. Another frequent MadSF poster who I believe is of the anti-religious/atheist persuasion decided to contribute his two cents: Steve, After a certain point of posting a type of post, and getting no interest in it, and repeated hostility, it might be a good idea to take your interest somewhere it is appreciated. Granted, the other two skeptical posters indirectly came to my defense by tactfully suggesting to this poster that if he didn't like my MadSF contributions perhaps he should stop reading them. What this seems to suggest is that there are individuals who truly believe themselves to be intellectually sophisticated, because they read a lot of science fiction, hate religion, consider themselves both intellectually and psychologically sophisticated, and therefore (should) know what's really going on, who also appear to having a rough time with the subject. For one day our neighbors will come to visit and do more than take pictures and tag people for exozoological studies. That day is approaching. Fast. Our government knows this as well, as that is the reason for backing out of the ITER. What are Bush's folks afraid of? Will turning it on finally attract forceful attention akin to Junior finding his mother's gun. Rest assured we are also being watched for antisocial behavior, of which we have no shortage, and its possibility for leaving the bounds of this planet and reaching out into our system. Maybe there are mining concessions in our system that are at risk from our interference. Certainly in some nearby system. If scientists are to be believed, rocky planets near sunlike stars are common. FWIW: IMO, the basic intent of the above comments strike me personally as not being all that different than a proclamation of the second coming. Standing Bear -- Regards Steven Vincent Johnson www.OrionWorks.com www.zazzle.com/orionworks
Re: [Vo]:Baltimore: Fort fest '08
From William Beaty: -- THE INTERNATIONAL FORTEAN ORGANIZATION (INFO) presents FortFest '08 Beyond Belief! *American Visionary Art Museum (AVAM), Baltimore,MD 47th Conference on Anomalous Phenomena, March 29-30 www.forteans.com ... Sounds like great fun. A delightful way to leave the occasionally stuffy confines of our planet for a weekend, and perhaps pick up some interesting souvenirs to bring back as well. ;-) Regards Steven Vincent Johnson www.OrionWorks.com www.zazzle.com/orionworks
[Vo]:Stiffler: [All the news that's fit to pr...]
Jones, Would you by perchance have any new information worth reporting or pondering over out loud as to what's happening in Stifflerland these days? Regards Steven Vincent Johnson www.OrionWorks.com www.zazzle.com/orionworks
Re: [Vo]:Re: Stiffler: [All the news that's fit to pr...]
Two follow-up questions, At this stage of the game is definitive proof more likely to take the form of unaccounted for heat as compared to excess light? I've also gotten the impression that even if one employed the most expensive and most efficient solar cells available on the market a setup, with current technology, still wouldn't possess a sufficient electrical conversion factor to make the device self-running. Are those correct assumptions on my part? (It would be nice to know if my second assumption may soon turn out to be incorrect!) ;-) Regards Steven Vincent Johnson www.OrionWorks.com www.zazzle.com/orionworks
Re: [Vo]:Electron Photographed
From Terry Blanton This reference was found on the Hydrino forum: http://www.physorg.com/news122897584.html If you scroll down, there are links to both windows and apple vids. This image looks like a model someone proposed; but, the name escapes me. It could also be interpreted as an interference pattern possibly resulting from a vortex. Terry The concentric circles remind me of one of the patterns I've been able to generate from my own Celestial Mechanics computer simulations. The algorithm I used to produce similar patterns was not from the traditional 1/r^2 equation (Using: force divided by the square of the distance) but when one instead uses the same constant force applied everywhere, no matter what the distance might be from the attractor. In many cases concentric circular patterns would begin building up where the satellite would prefer to jump only to specific distances or shells, apparently avoiding all the other in-between distances. On the macro scale, I seem to recall that the same application of a constant gravitational force has been proposed to explain, theoretically, the strange gravitational dynamics as recorded in the rotation of galaxies. Interesting coincidences. Regards, Steven Vincent Johnson www.OrionWorks.com www.zazzle.com/orionworks
Re: [VO]: Free Will Power
In an obtuse way the web site reminds me of Dr. Greer's SEAS organization, which incidentally seems to have reincarnated into a new entity called, AERO - Advance Energy Research Organization. See: http://www.aero2012.com/en/index.html ...which I could not help but notice that the web address contains the year 2012 incorporated into to the URL, which immediately makes me wonder if they are planning a special party on that momentous date. ...which, if so, they might wish to pick up a few pointers from another organization known as the Raelians. For example, in UFO Magazine Issue #142, page 5, a letter to the Editor states: --- In your November 2007 (Vol. 22, No. 11) The Rael Dael article, it is said that The Elohim are supposed to appear on Earth sometime in the year 2012 AD. This is not correct. The Elohim only told Rael that they would return to Earth at the latest in 2035. The year 2012 has no special meaning to Raelians. --- ...which as best as I can tell the Raelians appear to be an interesting front for a swinger's club, with a few philosophical eccentricities thrown in for good measure. Ever get the feeling that there's a party being planned somewhere where your name is not on the invitation list? Mark you calendar. http://www.rael.org Oh dear, my mind's wandering... Where's the ritalin. I gotta get back to work... Oh! What an interesting picture of a turtle... Regards, Steven Vincent Johnson www.OrionWorks.com www.zazzle.com/orionworks
Re: [Vo]:GM VP reveals his true feelings
Jed sez: Mr. Lutz's comments about his quote, in which he digs the hole he is in even deeper: http://fastlane.gmblogs.com/archives/2008/02/talk_about_a_cr.html Some people do not understand when to apologize and shut up. - Jed Mr. Lutz appears to say in his blog that GM is going full steam ahead in their work on environmental issues like E85, hybrids, hydrogen and fuel cells, the electrification of the car (the Chevrolet Volt), which hopefully will be out on showrooms in a couple of years. ...all because it's the ...right thing to do. If so, I wouldn't put much stock in his personal opinions, like global warming being a crock of kaka. Shoot! I personally believe all those conspiracy theories claiming the WTC had been crammed full of strategically positioned explosives just prior to the jets slamming into them is kaka too! But whada I know! Deeds are what count. Not opinions. Regards, Steven Vincent Johnson www.OrionWorks.com www.Zazzle.com/orionworks
Re: [Vo]:GM VP reveals his true feelings
A few tangential thoughts on the Lutz controversy. I would caution us all from arriving at too many stead-fast opinions as to the real motivations behind any individual without first questioning them face-to-face. We're all guilty of performing pop-psyche analysis on the motivations of others and, subsequently, performing extrapolations on that analysis as to how their underlying motivations are likely affecting the machinations of multi-million/billion dollar corporations for which they are in charge of running. I'm just as guilty as the rest for having performed these very transgressions. I don't know Lutz. I've never talked to him. I'm not in a position to analyze his motivations publicly. One of the few bits of wisdom I've seem to have acquired as I've gotten older is a realization that the vast majority personal opinions I've stuffed into my wet-wear are just that: personal opinions. I think I became slightly wiser one fateful day (a day that unfortunately only seems to have been recently) when I came to the astonishing revelation as to what do any of my personal opinions have anything to do with what's really going on in the world. All I really know is what's going on in my little world, and even then, I'm not so sure about that. But that's ok. Having personal opinions about this and that subject did not seem to make me any more of a productive intelligent human being. Possessing opinions inevitably caused me to consume huge amounts of personal resources and energy in the task of defending all those personal opinions I had acquired because sooner or later I would come up against some dumb jerk who didn't agree with my personal opinions, and then it was off to the races again. Granted, there are many of us who live for the thrill of the race, and the stadiums always seem to be full of spectators. But for me, all it seemed to do was make me more opinionated. OTOH, has anyone spoken to Mrs. Lutz recently? ;-) Regards, Steven Vincent Johnson www.OrionWorks.com www.Zazzoe.com/orionworks
Re: [Vo]:GM VP reveals his true feelings
Jed I learned some time ago that when I go to the races it's a good betting strategy to wager that your opinions will make a place. PS: Some interesting thoughts from Chris as well Regards Steven Vincent Johnson www.OrionWorks.com www.zazzle.com/orionworks
Re: [Vo]:GM VP reveals his true feelings
Historical facts concerning the birth pangs of our country's railroad system, and the comparisons alluded to in the current auto industrial situation are indeed interesting. These are facts worth knowing and pondering over since we may soon witness history repeating itself on a similar issue - regrettably. With that said, describing Mr. Lutz's at the beginning of this particular discussion thread as an individual who does not seem to know when he should have apologized for previous statements made, and then not shutting up is: an opinion. Stating that Lutz Co. really haven't the slightest interest in the environmental cause is an expressed opinion as well, even if a lot of the facts given to back up that opinion are, to say the least, damning. That is why I stated previously if Lutz Co. continue to do what he claims GM is planning on doing, I personally don't care what his personal opinions might be. Perhaps the real question we should be asking ourselves is: Will Lutz Co. keep their word in spite of what their true opinions might be. Or will they allow their real opinion of the situation to continue driving a stake into their coffins. The cited facts were far more interesting. thanks for sharing them Jed. I learn a lot from your historical knowledge. With that said, I suspect I'm in general agreement with many of the opinions that have been expressed in this thread. But that's just my opinion. ;-) Regards, Steven Vincent Johnson www.OrionWorks.com www.zazzle.com/orionworks
Re: [Vo]:GM VP reveals his true feelings
Jed sez: ... This reminds me a little of a recent hysterical column by Kinsley: http://www.slate.com/id/2185134/ Funny! Ms. Iseman certainly has the appearance of sweet eye candy. Under the circumstances I think Mongo (from Blazing Saddles) had the right attitude. KISS, even if there might be some overhead involved in accepting candygrams. Regards Steven Vincent Johnson www.OrionWorks.com www.zazzle.com/orionworks
[Vo]:New supercomputer is a rack of PlayStations
The esteemed Mr. Jones might enjoy this article: SUBJECT: New supercomputer is a rack of PlayStations By: Louisa Hearn February 26, 2008 http://www.theage.com.au/cgi-bin/common/popupPrintArticle.pl? path=/articles/2008/02/26/1203788327976.html http://tinyurl.com/2vbc87 What makes the gaming console vastly superior to high-end computers for complex research algorithms, Mr Khanna says, is the Cell chip built by IBM to facilitate high-end gaming functions on the latest generation of consoles. Regards Steven Vincent Johnson www.OrionWorks.com www.zazzle.com/orionworks
[Vo]:Took 16 Months, But Google Relaunches Jotspot
Jed, Is this the alternative wiki project you were keeping an eye on, or another variation? http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/02/27/it-took-16-months-but-google-relaunches-jotspot/ Looks interesting. Regards Steven Vincent Johnson www.OrionWorks.com www.zazzle.com/orionworks
[Vo]:The Kiplinger Letter: 03/07/08 comments on energy
The Kiplinger Letter's comments on ENERGY for the week of 03/07/08 * A new black gold rush is under way, this time in North Dakota. The potential payoff is huge...up to 100 billion barrels of oil. That's twice the size of Alaska's reserves...enough to meet U.S. needs for 20 years. An official government estimate is due out next month. Until now, the obstacles to production seemed overwhelming. The crude oil is locked away in rocks that are buried miles underground in the Bakken Play, a field that stretches into Montana and Canada. But times have changed. High oil prices and new technology make it worth the effort. Marathon Oil, Tristar Oil Gas, EOG Resources and Crescent Point Energy Trust are all interested in some of the action. Figure on at least five years before the oil starts flowing. As for Congress' effort to push alternative energy: Forget it. At least for this year. Expect the Senate to bury the House plan to add a 50¢ a gallon tax credit for ethanol produced from farm waste and forestry, trash, etc. Dead, too, are bigger breaks for buyers of hybrid cars and double credits for home energy efficiency measures. The problem is the cost: $18 billion. Democrats would pay for it by revoking oil company credits, but that'll never get past Republicans. -- Regards Steven Vincent Johnson www.OrionWorks.com www.zazzle.com/orionworks
Re: [Vo]:The Kiplinger Letter: 03/07/08 comments on energy
Howdy Richard, Just a couple of thoughts: The Kiplinger Letter's recent comments regarding 100 bb'o'crude. black gold reserves stashed away under ND certainly caught my eye. I'm puzzled over the fact that I do not personally recall anyone in the Vortex list ever mentioning the existence of this potential natural resource – and there are some pretty smart cookies here. Has this North Dakota resource ever been discussed here? I must confess that I do not have at my fingertips the current daily consumption of oil within the good'ol U.S.A. I wonder if Mr. Rothwell or Mr. Beene might know those figures. In my experience, The Kiplinger Letter is comprised of a fairly conservative group of reporters who go by the creed of never directly quoting their sources, nor do they directly name their sources – not ever. This anonymity seems to give the their reporting staff a certain level of access to information within inner Washington circles for which other news sources would not necessarily be privy to receiving. What they seem to be good at is digging up and reporting on Washington gossip about national states of affairs – taking the basic temperature of political machinations. They seem to be good at reporting on both international and internal events that will become more generally known to the public in subsequent months. While they do report on interesting and occasionally fascinating technological developments (not yet privy to the general public) it's been my experience that I've rarely read anything in this newsletter that might be considered to be earth shaking in its ramifications. That especially is the case when it comes to the energy front, and what our nation is doing (or not doing) about it. They are extremely conservative in the reporting of our country's energy assessments. That was another reason their reporting on the North Dakota 100 bb'o'oil surprised me. The Kiplinger staff welcomes comments from their paying subscribers (I've been a subscriber since the 1980s) – and they really do respond to individual inquiries! When the Ethanol debate was first brought up here in Vortex I emailed the Kiplinger Staff with a comment or two in regards to what our Vortex group had discussed, particularly how inefficient corn based ethanol production is under current circumstances. I asked their staff if it might be possible for them in the future to report in more detail on the accuracy of whether ethanol production would really help make our nation more energy independent, or not. One of their analysts replied that (and I'm not quoting directly here!) indeed, the ethanol debate was in many ways a politically induced farce that will do absolutely nothing in regards to making us more energy independent. I could tell from the tone of letter that their staff must occasionally get incredibly frustrated with what they uncover and must subsequently report on since from their perspective they can put two and two together and see the rapidly approaching cliff - while many of the anonymous sources they contact appear incapable and/or unwilling to see the same cliff themselves. It's not Kiplinger's job to tell their readership what is politically correct or what is the most sensible action to take. Their job is to report as accurately as possible on what is going on within inner Washington circles and the decisions they are making that will ultimately affect us all for better or worse. BTW, and to their credit, they did eventually report numerous times on how incredibly inefficient corn based Ethanol production really is in regards to creating the illusion energy independence. Based on what I've read I'm convinced some of those anonymous sources have occasionally come from the inner most circles of government including White House staff. This became evident to me during the build up to the eventual ill-planned invasion of Iraq. When we first invaded Afghanistan the Kiplinger Letter stated quite clearly from the very beginning that Iraq was next on the agenda. They told their readership to prepare to start hearing the drumbeat on the need to take care of the Iraq situation. Again, their job is to report on what they uncover, not on the wisdom of what they uncover. Regards Steven Vincent Johnson www.OrionWorks.com www.zazzle.com/orionworks
Re: [Vo]:The Kiplinger Letter: 03/07/08 comments on energy
Interesting comments from Jones, Richard, and Ron. I would certainly agree with the claim that The Kiplinger Letter is pro-business. I'm sure their main clientele is the Business owner (of both large and small operations) trying to figure out what the hell Washington is going to do next, and how best to deal with the consequences. Granted, this North Dakota claim may be nothing more than a game of political smoke and mirrors strategically brought forth in the midst of the political election season. However, if in the following months when perhaps a bit more information is put out into the public domain, and if in those reports it appears to be technologically possible to economically extract sufficient quantities of crude from the Williston Basin (at, say, $100/pb) I can only hope that we put the borrowed time it gives us to good use. If oil corporations are now banking on the price of oil remaining at current prices, hopefully the strategy will indirectly help grow and mature a plethora of AE technologies to the point that some of them will actually become cheaper to invest in. Maybe we can finally get our s__t together. ...in 20 years, you think One can hope. Regards Steven Vincent Johnson www.OrionWorks.com www.zazzle.com/orionworks
Re: [Vo]:Whitley Strieber interview
Thomas sez: ... Whitley's views on the Space Brothers are charitable compared to mine. ... (I'm probably taking Mr. Malloy's comments out of context here.) I just wanted to offer the suggestion that a surefire way of determining whether you're dealing with a good alien or a bad alien is to discern the amount of starch applied to their collars. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/To_Serve_Man_(The_Twilight_Zone) Regards Steven Vincent Johnson www.OrionWorks.com www.zazzle.com/orionworks
Re: [Vo]:[OT] Move Over FSM
On 3/12/08, Terry Blanton [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: http://www.thechurchofgoogle.org/ Thou shalt have no other search engine before me . . . WWGD? Terry Have you driven a Fnord lately? Have faith in Gogle, and all will be retrieved. Regards Steven Vincent Johnson www.OrionWorks.com www.zazzle.com/orionworks
Re: [Vo]:Moon bases
Robin sez: ... I think that there is little point in being in space just for it's own sake. The only real reason to go into space is to go to other planets. If one doesn't have the technology to do that, then there isn't much point. ... I've run across this opinion many times in my life. When I was a tad younger the opinion used to incense me to no end. I used to equate those who were of the opinion that that there is little point in being in space (just for its own sake) as being positively medieval in nature. I suspect I used to equate it with the erroneous assumption that most of these people weren't really interested in advancing technology for the benefit of all. I used to assume that most of these people were anti-technologist - Ludites. Meanwhile, all I could see was the population on our planet increasing, getting completely out of control to the point that we would not be able to take care of everyone in a humane manner. Well, actually that's the case now, and has been for quite some time, but I wasn't interested in nudging us any closer to Soylent Green. As I've gotten a little older I'd like to believe I've become a tad more tolerant of the opinions of others. In this regard I suspect there will be plenty of room for both perceptions to take root. Those who see little point in exploring outer space for its own sake will most likely stay close to mother Earth and tend their gardens. Meanwhile, those who see a point in exploring outer space for it's own sake will most likely do just that. That may eventually include very large interstellar city-ships capable of transporting hundreds and thousands of people anywhere. People will be born, work, study, play, garden, and die on them. FWIW, the on-going debate reminds me of Asimov's Foundation Universe, and all that entails. At least you now where my own personal predilections lay. ;-) steve Regards Steven Vincent Johnson www.OrionWorks.com www.zazzle.com/orionworks
Re: [Vo]:Moon bases
Harry sez: Earth is our space ship. Precisely. And perhaps some day in the near future we may learn how to make a good space ship ourselves - based on our knowledge of the original blue prints. Rhong sez: It might be tolerable to live one's life out on such a ship if it were large enough, but it would be a sad comedown from living it out on Earth. Not necessarily. Given sufficient advancements in technology future space faring cities might possess very enjoyable healthy environments. They could turn out to be great places to live, work, and raise a family. As ROY (from BladeRunner) concluded: I've seen things you people wouldn't believe. Attack ships on fire off the shoulder of Orion. I watched C-beams glitter in the darkness at Tannhäuser Gate. All those moments will be lost in time like tears in rain. Time to die. It will most likely be the young and restless who will seriously consider such options. Not old farts like me. Regards Steven Vincent Johnson www.OrionWorks.com www.zazzle.com/orionworks
Re: [Vo]:Moon bases
Terry sez: Why bother? The plans exist still on Arimathea; and, considering the depressed economy, Olmertibarkslast will give you a bargain! http://www.dudehisattva.com/hhg.htm Hitchhiker's Guide to the Apocalypse. Terry For some obtuse reason the following link seems just as appropriate. http://www.catholic.ie/ Regards Steven Vincent Johnson www.OrionWorks.com www.zazzle.com/orionworks
[Vo]:URL addr: Additional Kiplinger info on the North Dakota black gold rush
http://www.kiplinger.com/businessresource/forecast/archive/The_U.S._Poised_to_hit_New_Oil_Gusher_080317.html or http://tinyurl.com/yqbgcd -- Regards Steven Vincent Johnson www.OrionWorks.com www.zazzle.com/orionworks
Re: [Vo]:Re:Arthur C. Clarke dies [tomorrow] at 90
Jones sadi, Clarke moved to Sri Lanka in 1956, lured by his interest in marine diving - which he said was as close as he could get to the weightless feeling of space. ³I¹m perfectly operational underwater,² he once said. He had battled debilitating post-polio syndrome. I would like to believe that Sir Clark has at last finally had the chance to journey beyond the dimensions of one, four, and nine. Regards Steven Vincent Johnson www.OrionWorks.com www.zazzle.com/orionworks
Re: [Vo]:Why Nam?? was]:Goofy photo of Clarke
On 3/19/08, Jones Beene wrote: Curious factoid, which can be found further down that page. http://lenr-canr.org/News.htm Under News from 2005 there is a breakdown of the country of origin for hits on the site. The one thing which stands out as an anomaly is the disproportionately large number of hits from Viet Nam. More than from the UK, Canada, and others - Yet - there is not much reported RD coming from there. What gives? Perhaps CF had been mistaken as a new form of cheap air conditioning technology. ...it's a stretch. ;-) Regards Steven Vincent Johnson www.OrionWorks.com www.zazzle.com/orionworks
[Vo]:Room-temperature superconductors a step closer with silane
It's difficult to say whether the following line of research could eventually challenge Mark Goldes' RTS work. Sounds like these silane folks have a lot of work ahead of them. It's still an interesting read. Enjoy! http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20080319-room-temperature-superconductors-a-step-closer-with-silane.html http://tinyurl.com/223bch ** SUBJECT: Room-temperature superconductors a step closer with silane By Chris Lee | Published: March 19, 2008 - 07:41PM CT Superconductivity was first observed when Onnes used liquid helium to cool mercury. It was soon found that quite a few metals would superconduct when cooled to within a few degrees of absolute zero. However, the dream of superconductivity at higher temperatures—perhaps even room temperature—has kept researchers pursuing superconductivity. Now, new research on a class of chemicals has yielded some interesting results that may point superconductor research in a different direction: hydrogen-based compounds. Despite the attraction of low-loss superconductors, the cooling demands have limited the application of superconductivity to very high field magnets, such as those used in magnetic resonance imaging devices. In the 1980s, a new form of superconductivity that operated at liquid nitrogen temperatures got everyone pretty excited. Unfortunately, these ceramics are hard to make, harder to handle, and don't carry much current, making them even less useful than their lower-temperature brethren. What we need is a substance that has the more robust superconductivity and handling properties of metallic superconductors while retaining the high transition temperature of the ceramics. In short, a different kind of metal. The ultimate choice would be hydrogen, which, under sufficient pressure, is thought to become metallic. Calculations suggest that the structure and properties of metallic hydrogen would support superconductivity at quite a high temperature. On the other hand, this is just so much mental masturbation, because hydrogen isn't expected to become metallic until pressures of 400GPa—a bit of a squeeze for current lab equipment. Nevertheless, there are several hydrogen-like alternatives, where a compound with lots of hydrogen in it is put under sufficient pressure to become a metal. This works because the presence of the heavier atomic cores act to compress the electrons surrounding the hydrogen nucleus, meaning that it is, in effect, already under a significant amount of pressure. This brings down the metallic transition pressure, putting it within the reach of lab equipment. This is exactly why researchers at Max Planck Institute for Chemistry have been putting the squeeze on silane. Silane is a silicon atom surrounded by four hydrogen atoms, making it one of two perfect candidates for hydrogen-based metals (the other is methane). They found that silane became metallic at around 50GPa, which is still a pretty substantial pressure. On cooling, the metallic silane begins to superconduct. However, the temperature at which superconductivity occurs exhibits some interesting behavior. It hangs around 5-10K for most of the pressure range (50-200GPa), but in a small range between 100-125GPa, it increases quite sharply. Although the researchers only have five data points in the range and never observed a critical temperature higher than 20K, the shape of the curve indicates that, for some small range of pressures, a very high critical temperature might be achieved. A note of caution should be injected at this point: DO NOT TRY THIS AT HOME. Silane is a gas at room temperature and pressure. It is a gas that you will not find naturally occurring because it spontaneously combusts in air. In fact, one can imagine that wires and magnets based on a silane superconductor would also make wonderful pipe bombs—not something that you want in the same room as a million-dollar MRI machine. On a slightly more serious note, the higher the required critical temperature, the narrower the pressure range for which superconductivity can be achieved, meaning that very high quality pressure control would be required to maintain silane in a useful state. All in all, it is hard to tell if this a win for superconductivity. It is, however, certainly a win for materials research. Science, 2008, DOI: 10.1126/science.1153282 --- Regards, Steven Vincent Johnson www.OrionWorks.com www.zazzle.com/orionworks
Re: [Vo]:Arthur C. Clarke dies at 90
From Jed, George Holz wrote: Article url: http://spectrum.ieee.org/mar08/6075 Nice! Thanks for sharing that. I am glad to hear that Arthur's final illness was not too painful or prolonged. When I went to dig out that photo of Arthur and his pet dinosaur . . . it made me weep for a while. It is no tragedy when a man dies after 90 years of the fullest life imaginable, but it never easy to lose a friend. And Arthur had THOUSANDS of friends. I am pleased to see that he left instructions for a completely secular funeral. Absolutely no religious rites of any kind, relating to any religious faith, should be associated with my funeral. He was a profoundly spiritual person in many ways, but an atheist to the core. - Jed Looking at the photo of Sir Clark in bed, I was struck by two things. (ONE) he didn't look a day older than, well, what a nonagenarian would probably look like, and (TWO) despite his advanced age, and all that that entails, a playful spirit was still shining through those eyes. IMHO, a playful spirit is an extremely rare thing to observe in a nonagenarian. I'm reminded of a friend of mine, also a hard core atheist, who last month went in for a knee replacement - what he called his first steps towards making the transition to true cyborg status. I visited him a day after surgery, just as his nurse was prodded him to tentatively negotiate a flight of stairs as part of his physical therapy regime. As I walked behind him I decided to torment him. I told him my wife, knowing full well that he was an atheist, had recently sent him a little get well prayer. She instructed me to tell him precisely what she had done because she knew her action would annoy him - meaning the ritualistic act of futility, as the act is often perceived by atheists, would actually amuse him. What are friends for. He giggled back sarcastically, while carefully negotiating another step. It's hard to disrespect anyone who remains true to their school, no matter what their religion might be. Regards Steven Vincent Johnson www.OrionWorks.com www.zazzle.com/orionworks
[Vo]:Kiplinger 03/20/2008 - Federal Spending
Kiplinger Washington's Letter for March 20, 2008, in regards to FEDERAL SPENDING: *** Look for Congress to jump-start technology RD in fiscal 2009 by funding new initiatives focusing on renewable power, fuel cells for vehicles, nanotechnology and intelligent manufacturing. A new agency called ARPA-E will zero in on renewable energy, teaming with private firms to find ways to cut biofuels production costs. We expect lawmakers to fund the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy to the tune of about $5 billion a year for at least the next four years. ARPA-E researchers will also pursue ways to boost the efficiency of wind, solar, tidal and biomass power systems, among other projects. NIST will focus on fuel cells, nanotechnology and manufacturing, also in partnership with private firms. Public funds for the initiatives at the National Institute of Standards and Technology will likely top out at less than $100 million in the early stages but may be increased later. Clinton, Obama and McCain all strongly favor these programs. --- Regards Steven Vincent Johnson www.OrionWorks.com www.zazzle.com/orionworks
Re: [Vo]:A memory of March 1989 and Arthur C. Clarke
Terry sez: I never did understand what inspired Sir Clarke to write this novel. Terry Like Jed, I'll take a stab at answering this conundrum. I'll also be the first to admit that my comments are highly eccentric, personally opinionated, and filled with a kind of new age mystic drivel that would have likely irked Sir Arthur, being the atheist that he was, to no end, so my apologies up front. I'd like to think that Clarke being the playful and inquisitive old soul that I suspect he was, was likely beginning to sense his own personal connections with the vast collective unconsciousness, or super-consciousness. I gather such recognitions, particularly in the beginning old soul stages of the recognition process, is not necessarily perceived as a welcomed experience since there is the initial fear that one's personal identity, all that one thinks one is, will be completely absorbed or obliterated by something incomprehensibly larger than themselves. Perhaps one of the major lessons old souls like Sir Arthur must negotiate through is the fear of holding onto our isolated identities when perhaps it's time to let go of it. Perhaps when one finally recognizes the fact that one's identity is just another illusion that consciousness has been playing with for eons, perhaps it makes it a little easier to move on - to become curious as to what might be just around the corner. Metaphorically speaking, that's what Childhood's End was all about for me, personally. I gather there are not very many old souls on the planet these days. Carl Jung obviously comes to mind as another likely old soul candidate, considering his writings on the collective unconsciousness. Incidentally, I was about 14 years old when I read Clarke's novel. The ending depressed me to no end. How horrible, I thought to have Earth just after it entered into its golden age abruptly evaporate, to transform into something else that I could no longer comprehend. What a painful loss, I lamented! Guess I ain't no old soul. ;-) PS: Good comments, Jed. Regards Steven Vincent Johnson www.OrionWorks.com www.zazzle.com/orionworks
Re: [Vo]:A memory of March 1989 and Arthur C. Clarke
Terry sez: ... Sir Arthur pitied the overlords, forever the midwife but never the bride. ... Eh, grasshopper? :-) Terry Grasshopper oh s badly wanted to be one of the Overlords. It sure beat the alternative, of having one's home planet personality evaporated! Regards Steven Vincent Johnson www.OrionWorks.com www.zazzle.com/orionworks
Re: [Vo]:A memory of March 1989 and Arthur C. Clarke
I sense another tremor in diatribe forces... It might see ironic, perhaps even contradictory to some, that Sir Arthur, being the resolute atheist that he was, would also appear to have had a ...deep seated yearning toward the mystical as Jed speculated. I would like to suggest that such a psychological combination really isn't so odd after all. I have often noted the fact that a number of atheists I've known are actually deeply spiritual individuals, and I mean that on a primal level. Ironically, most hard-core religious fundamentalists I've met (particularly those that come from traditional religious institutions) don't seem to comprehend the kind of spirituality that atheists can naturally exude from deep within the inner cores. Witness the crazed suicidal bomber who tries to take out as many innocent souls as he possibly can. Are they really doing it for the preservation of their way-of-life, for the glory of Allah, or for the 72 virgins that had been promised them. Oh, sure, it doesn't hurt to feel good about the belief that you'll be dieing to help improve the chances of promoting one's preferred way-of-life, and I'm sure it doesn't hurt to believe that Allah approves of one's holy action either, but I suspect the ultimate selling point often tends to be the fantasy of having been hoodwinked into believing one is going to live in paradise – which includes having sex with willing and obedient virgins for an eternity - which must be pretty intoxicating stuff for an individual who's only exposure to the opposite sex (sans immediate family members) since childhood has most likely been trying to comprehend the mysteries of what might be behind that damned burqa. Jeez! Talk about the creation of science fiction! My previous comments were obviously meant to have been taken in the vein of crude sarcasm. However, on a more serious note, it's been my experience that religious fundamentalists often talk the big talk about all the good the want to do in the world, how they long to set things back to the way things should be in the world. And why shouldn't they think so. It's the best retirement package they can think of, to do what they personally perceive as God's bidding, all in order to ensure their safe passage into a the next world where they can exist in some weird state of static bliss for all of eternity. In other words, such seemingly altruistic acts are in reality thinly veiled selfish acts to ensure their own eternal wellbeing. If the altruistic act helps others, great, they don't have a problem with that, but it's the personal retirement package that really motivates them to do the right thing. Stay in line, and maybe just possibly you won't burn in hell for an eternity. Meanwhile, many atheists often seem to do the right thing while believing there is no personal retirement package waiting form for them as a reward for their selfless actions. Perhaps to some extent, (as I wildly speculate here) its due to the fact that old soul atheists like Sir Arthur see the futility of trying to hang on to their personalities, to ensure its eternal preservation and all the fixings that personality is most likely going to need (i.e. 72 virgins, etc...). Perhaps old souls like Sir Arthur, in the end realize it's a futile gesture. Perhaps a better question to ask ourselves would be: Are we nothing more than just a personality, one that must be preserved at all costs for all of eternity. Or have we actually been (from the timeless beginning) the observer and player of that video game called a personality. Once that conundrum is explored in earnest, a lot of issues don't necessarily seem as important as perhaps they had been when we first started playing this fascinating personality game. Behaving in a selfless manner becomes irrelevant simply because there is no self that needs preserving since it's understood that it's really just a fascinating construct that has been fun to explore in all of its ramifications. One tries to do good things with that personality construct because, quite simply, it sure feels a hell'of-a-lot better than doing bad things with it. How ironic that it often seems to take a millennium to comprehend such a simple concept. Regards Steven Vincent Johnson www.OrionWorks.com www.zazzle.com/orionworks
Re: [Vo]:A memory of March 1989 and Arthur C. Clarke
Hi Thomas, Some follow-up thoughts. Terry Blanton wrote: Particularly is the Thai Buddhist concept of Nirvana. The individual lives but a brief life before striking the earth whereby the mote returns to the dust and the drop makes it way to the sea. Terry Classic New Age Schick. IOW, one does not care to even try comprehending what Terry might have been trying to suggest. It's just easier to take the framiliar path and proclaim it's all New Age Schick. - aka: schtic (Thank you, Terry!) OrionWorks wrote: I have often noted the fact that a number of atheists I've known are actually deeply spiritual individuals, Dennis Prager debated a man at the American Atheists Conference this morning. Dr. Zeiler advanced the case for Rational Scienticism, which he contended could be the basis of a moral system. AFAIK, this position is the position of most atheists. Dennis pointed out that both Stalin and Mao were followers of RS. He continued by mentioning their murderous accomplishments. In his final statement, Dennis pointed out the accomplishments of secularism; in his humble opinion, their accomplishments in governance, culture, education, religion, philosophy, arts, music, are crap. You appear to state that Dennis Prager believes the accomplishments of all those Rational Secularists G_dless Atheists are nothing more than, in your own words, crap. I fear you have parsed Mr. Prager's opinions down to a level where there isn't much left to discuss. I've noticed that you seem to quote Dennis Prager a lot - over and over and OVER, again and again. I'd sure like to know what your own personal opinions might be on these fertile issues. Surely you have acquired a few of your own along the way. Let me put it in another way, I sure wish you would stop hiding behind Prager's opinions. Haven't you a few of your own that could stand on their own two legs? Personally, I'm convinced beyond a shadow of doubt that you do. FWIW, I would suggest that using Stalin or Mao as an examples of how Atheists truly behave is no more of an valid explanation than using the Ayatollah Khomeini as an example of how certain religious minded individuals behave. It is a tragic fact that people occasionally do unspeakable things to their brothers and sisters because they are behaving like ignorant, frightened, bigoted individuals. It's not because they happen to be followers of Atheism, or that they are Muslim, a Jew, or a Christian. To believe and/or claim their despicable behavior is due to their belief in Atheism, or whatever, is never going to cut to the core of the true causes of such human tragedy. For Prager to be seemingly incapable of comprehending that simple fact doesn't give me much confidence in the rest of his perceptions on the accomplishments (or lack thereof) of humanity. I was cheering. At this point, I saw a woman storming out, her body language said, I can't listen to anymore of this. IMHO, it's moments like this which reassure me that there is a just G-d. It would seem on the surface that the woman in question couldn't take anymore of the on-going debate, but then, perhaps she may have suddenly had an urgent appointment with the nearest restroom for all we really know. In any case, that's her problem and that's how she personally chose to deal with it. What I'd really like to know is why you appear to be implying that her walking out proves there is a just G_d. A just god? Is she destined to be a lost lamb for the rest of her miserable life, to eventually burn in hell simply because she walked out on Prager??? and I mean that on a primal level. Ironically, most hard-core religious fundamentalists I've met (particularly those that come from traditional religious institutions) don't seem to comprehend the kind of spirituality that atheists can naturally exude from deep within the inner cores. We understand it perfectly well Steven. What you need to understand is that this system has failed every time it's been tried. This is because it doesn't recognize man's fallen and sinful nature. This is what I want to tell Richard Dawkins. That and; Darwinism, and the ideas which grow out of it like, Spontaneous Biogenesis, Panspermia, the Gia Hypothesis are so fanciful that they deserve to be included in an anthology of the greatest science fiction stories of all time. Let's add the story of Genesis as well! I love all of that knowing begetting that was going on! A real soap opera! Witness the crazed suicidal bomber who tries to take out as many innocent souls as he possibly can. You have to realize that there are two gods in this system, one is the G-d of Israel, and the other is Lucifer. They have produced two quite different religious systems these two gods. One is the Holy Torah, the other New Age. No, I don't have to reduce my realizations down to ...realize[ing] there are two gods. Yes-No Black-White decisions. Why in G_d's name would anyone want to shoot
Re: [Vo]:A memory of March 1989 and Arthur C. Clarke
Hi Thomas, A couple of additional musings. Is she destined to be a lost lamb for the rest of her miserable life, to eventually burn in hell simply because she walked out on Prager??? I think that her mind was already made up. My point was that Dennis' comments cut her to the quick. It sounds to me like you'd like to believe she walked out because you'd like to believe that Prager's comments ...cut her to the quick. The problem here is that what you'd like to believe happened is never, never, EVER as good a substitute as actually finding out what her real reasons might have been. The world is full of these kinds of assumptions and misunderstandings, and the messes they produce. Jeez! I've lost count the number of times I assumed I knew what my spouse was thinking and feeling, and what a jackass I made of myself assuming that I did know what she had been thinking and feeling. Vice versa too. You seem to believe that you know that Prager's comments cut her to the quick. Think again. Better yet, verify. What happens to your absolute reasoning on this matter if deep down inside somewhere inside of your soul, you begin to acquire even the slightest doubt as to it's absoluteness? It's clear to me that we are up against creatures who are smarter than we are, and as evil as we can imagine. If I'm wrong, we're screwed. I find this quite confusing. It seems to me you're saying we're up against some really bad aliens, or perhaps evil spirits (aka: what I have often called the spawn of Satan's loins). But then in your next sentence you state if you're wrong in your assumptions ...we're screwed. I'll go out on a limb here and speculate that perhaps you did not state your actual convictions as clearly as you had hoped, or that you at least left out some important fiddledebits. From what I can tell we're screwed either way. ... Yah, I'm going to be with my friends in the Kehilat (our congregation), and the streets will be paved with gold. It's not clear to me if you're speaking metaphorically or literally here in regards to the gold pavement - so, please feel free to elucidate me on the matter if you wish. If this is a literal interpretation, I would have to say that viewing gold pavement strikes me personally as just a tad too glitzy. It sounds more like what a recruitment poster would advertise - to increase recruitment quotas. At least the promise of walking on gold pavement is probably not as offensive to half the population as being promised 72 obedient virgins. I find the personal metaphor of sitting down together for a thanksgiving dinner, to feast and swap stories, (like a recounting of the time when Jimmy filled the gas tank of Uncle Jack's Mustang with rocks and water) a much more agreeable way to spend eternity as compared to having earned the privilege of walking over gold pavement. Feel free to dine with us. As always, it's pot luck. I'll put in a good word for you. ;-) To each his own. Regards, Steven Vincent Johnson www.OrionWorks.com www.zazzle.com/orionworks
Re: [Vo]:Bin Laden trades
On Thu, Mar 27, 2008 at 8:49 PM, thomas malloy wrote: Taylor J. Smith wrote: Hi All, Meanwhile, the oil glut is intensifying as the U. S. miltary has been able to nullify Bush's laughable sabre rattling, increasing the probability of $40 per barrel oil before the end of 2008. The terror $40 / barrel oil? What planet are you living on? Perhaps that planet where the roads are advertised as being paved in gold? Gold plated, more likely. Regards Steven Vincent Johnson www.OrionWorks.com www.zazzle.com/orionworks
Re: [Vo]:Re: Next Energy News
Nick Palmer wrote: Richard wrote:- Howdy Vorts, Another link.. http://www.nextenergynews.com/ This is a great digest site for partially baked technology... Howdy Richard, Nick, A fun website. Thanks! This site is assured to be as informative as where to find the latest scuttlebutt on those pesky UFOS. http://www.indiadaily.com/editorial/01-06a-05.asp or http://tinyurl.com/4sffj Regards Steven Vincent Johnson www.OrionWorks.com www.zazzle.com/orionworks
Re: [Vo]:The Twinkle in Clarke's sk(eye)
Back in the late 1970s I actually had the fortune of being cast in a small bit part for an amateur audio production of ACC's Nine Million Names of God sponsored by our local Science Fiction community based in Madison, Wisconsin. Thirty years later I remember very little about the experience other than the fact that I think I played the part of one of the programmer troglodytes. It was a fun experience, however I felt intimidated every time it was time to read my lines. Occasional bouts of what I eventually learned was a form of Dyslexia (which had the capacity of striking at any time) made the experience somewhat stressful. I agree with Jed that ACC was an atheist through and through, even though I suspect we are both probably in agreement over the fact that he was more spiritual than most beings. I found ACC's novel 3001 The Final Odyssey to be one of my favorites. It wasn't one of his better stories. Nevertheless, I got the distinct feeling as I read it that Arthur wrote it more for his own enjoyment than for any other reason. I think he was having fun speculating on what he hoped the world would evolve into in another thousand years. I liked his reptilian raptors, which when genetically altered turned out to be excellent gardeners. They also made great nannies. It was a fun romp. I suspect that if anyone were to be so foolish as to conduct a seance and attempt to communicate with the spirit of Arthur from the Great Beyond all they would get back for their efforts would be disturbing visions of a black void filled with stern emptiness. Nobody here! Nothing! Zilch! Well, of course, you ninny! Arthur was an atheist. He's dead! And that's the way it's gong to stay. I can respect that. Same with Douglas Adams too. Regards, Steven Vincent Johnson www.OrionWorks.com www.Zazzle.com/orionworks
Re: [Vo]:The Twinkle in Clarke's sk(eye)
Hi Terry, and Harry, For Terry: Thanks for the U-Tube video Clip. I shall pass this along to my Science Fiction friends in Madison. For everyone else: Here's what I previously said: I suspect that if anyone were to be so foolish as to conduct a seance and attempt to communicate with the spirit of Arthur from the Great Beyond all they would get back for their efforts would be disturbing visions of a black void filled with stern emptiness. Nobody here! Nothing! Zilch! Well, of course, you ninny! Arthur was an atheist. He's dead! And that's the way it's gong to stay. I fear that the above comments were taken more literally than the actual intent. Let me rephrase. I'm personally not an atheist, and I've said so many times in this group that I'm not. That confession in itself should give one a pretty strong clue! Ok then, if I'm not an atheist then what does the previous paragraph infer? If I was a proud card carrying atheist one that had the capacity of being as honest as Arthur C Clarke or Douglas Adams had been (which I suspect I would have failed at miserably), one of the last things I would do after I died would be to hang around seedy séance chambers in the hopes of getting a message back to the living that I was still alive. For one thing I'm sure I would have more interesting things to do with the rest of eternity as compared to answering a lot of silly questions like what's it like to be dead? or ...have you talked to Abraham Lincoln?, or ...is it true the roads are paved in gold? I suspect this concern was actually inferred to a certain extent by Douglas Adams himself, as in one particular Hitchhiker scene when Arthur Dent, in the midst of another life-and-death situation, manages to find a way to communicate with his dead parents in the hopes that they would be able to resolve a dire situation he was having, specifically concerning how not to get killed! At the end of that brief little terse conversation with his dead parents (where he actually does get a helpful suggestion on how to avoid getting killed) they tell him quite clearly that they had better things to do with their lives than to talk to him, and please don't bother calling back! IOW, if someone was still determined to contact me (I'm still playing the part of an atheist here) and that person put a lot of personal effort into the endeavor I might have to resort to drastic measures, like sending a blast of foreboding images, like a smothering foreboding cloud of dark nothingness, a black void of chaos and feelings of non-existence - basically unpleasant imagery to get across the message that, NO, you ninny, I enjoyed being an atheist all my life. Both living and honoring the principals of atheism served me well for that life time. Out of respect for that lifetime that part of me shall remain in the realms of the respectfully deceased. Therefore, I'm supposed to be dead now, and for anyone to try contacting me, an atheist of all people, is simply rude! It completely disrespects the principals held so dear to a lot of atheists. Go away! Go try contacting Lincoln! As for Sir. Arthur I would like to transmit a single one-way message: So long, and thanks for all the imagination. That goes for Douglas Adams as well. Regards, Steven Vincent Johnson www.OrionWorks.com www.zazzle.com/orionworks
Re: [Vo]:The Twinkle in Clarke's sk(eye)
Errata I meant to say: ...one of the last things I WOULDN'T do after I died would be to hang around seedy séance chambers in the hopes of getting a message back to the living that I was still alive. * * * On Sat, Mar 29, 2008 at 12:14 PM, OrionWorks [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Hi Terry, and Harry, For Terry: Thanks for the U-Tube video Clip. I shall pass this along to my Science Fiction friends in Madison. For everyone else: Here's what I previously said: I suspect that if anyone were to be so foolish as to conduct a seance and attempt to communicate with the spirit of Arthur from the Great Beyond all they would get back for their efforts would be disturbing visions of a black void filled with stern emptiness. Nobody here! Nothing! Zilch! Well, of course, you ninny! Arthur was an atheist. He's dead! And that's the way it's gong to stay. I fear that the above comments were taken more literally than the actual intent. Let me rephrase. I'm personally not an atheist, and I've said so many times in this group that I'm not. That confession in itself should give one a pretty strong clue! Ok then, if I'm not an atheist then what does the previous paragraph infer? If I was a proud card carrying atheist one that had the capacity of being as honest as Arthur C Clarke or Douglas Adams had been (which I suspect I would have failed at miserably), one of the last things I would do after I died would be to hang around seedy séance chambers in the hopes of getting a message back to the living that I was still alive. For one thing I'm sure I would have more interesting things to do with the rest of eternity as compared to answering a lot of silly questions like what's it like to be dead? or ...have you talked to Abraham Lincoln?, or ...is it true the roads are paved in gold? I suspect this concern was actually inferred to a certain extent by Douglas Adams himself, as in one particular Hitchhiker scene when Arthur Dent, in the midst of another life-and-death situation, manages to find a way to communicate with his dead parents in the hopes that they would be able to resolve a dire situation he was having, specifically concerning how not to get killed! At the end of that brief little terse conversation with his dead parents (where he actually does get a helpful suggestion on how to avoid getting killed) they tell him quite clearly that they had better things to do with their lives than to talk to him, and please don't bother calling back! IOW, if someone was still determined to contact me (I'm still playing the part of an atheist here) and that person put a lot of personal effort into the endeavor I might have to resort to drastic measures, like sending a blast of foreboding images, like a smothering foreboding cloud of dark nothingness, a black void of chaos and feelings of non-existence - basically unpleasant imagery to get across the message that, NO, you ninny, I enjoyed being an atheist all my life. Both living and honoring the principals of atheism served me well for that life time. Out of respect for that lifetime that part of me shall remain in the realms of the respectfully deceased. Therefore, I'm supposed to be dead now, and for anyone to try contacting me, an atheist of all people, is simply rude! It completely disrespects the principals held so dear to a lot of atheists. Go away! Go try contacting Lincoln! As for Sir. Arthur I would like to transmit a single one-way message: So long, and thanks for all the imagination. That goes for Douglas Adams as well. Regards, Steven Vincent Johnson www.OrionWorks.com www.zazzle.com/orionworks -- Regards Steven Vincent Johnson www.OrionWorks.com www.zazzle.com/orionworks
[Vo]:TIME Magazine's: The Clean Energy Myth
TIME Magazine's latest issue, April 7, 2008, has a great front cover article titled The Clean Energy Myth. It's nice to many of the comments that have been bandied about in this forum finally hit the mainstream. One aspect of the debacle, one that I must confess that I was not as aware as I should have been, was the amount of carbon displacement going on as a direct result of corporations and farmers attempting to cash in on the bio AE market and the horrendous damage it is generating. Their occasionally well-intentioned efforts to produce energy crops are ironically making things worse, much worse for the environment. For one thing, the amount of virgin forests being cut down to make way for cash energy crops is apparently releasing huge amounts of excess carbon as forests are slashed and burned, particularly in Brazil. Ironically, the article states that producing sugar cane is may very well be a good idea (certainly the lesser of other evils), however most farmers prefer to plant other so-called energy crops, particularly soybeans. They do so because they expect to make a lot more money selling the soybeans as an energy feed-stock as compared to sugarcane. And, of course, certain bio-energy crops particularly corn tend to consume more energy than they produce in the form of ethanol. The emerging energy global market is becoming totally f__ked up as priorities and economic incentives are being misplaced driving food prices through the roof, and its going to get worse. Even more now than ever do we need a shot in the arm, such as more breakthroughs in solar, wind, CF, BLP, as well as other more exotic AE arenas. The sooner the better. Regards, Steven Vincent Johnson www.orionWorks.com' www.zazzle.com/orionworks
Re: [Vo]:Earth Hour...yeah....
From Kyle, ... Electric bill this month: $37, rounded up. Gas bill this month: $79, rounded up. Gasoline used: 1 tanks-worth, or 15 U.S. gallons, or about $50 worth. ... I'm impressed! Knock yourself out tonight! Regards, Steven Vincent Johnson www.orionWorks.com' www.zazzle.com/orionworks
[Vo]:CNN.COM (Technology) - Algae: 'The ultimate in renewable energy'
I bet Jones will enjoy portions of this article. http://www.cnn.com/2008/TECH/science/04/01/algae.oil/index.html http://tinyurl.com/2t2de3 Alas, patience is needed. Last two paragraphs read: * * * * * * But Al Darzins of the National Renewable Energy Lab said the world is still probably 5 to 10 years away from any substantial use of biofuels. There's not any one system that anyone has chosen yet. Whatever it is has to be dirt, dirt cheap, said Darzins * * * * * * Regards Steven Vincent Johnson www.OrionWorks.com www.zazzle.com/orionworks
Re: [Vo]:Re: Algae: 'The ultimate in renewable energy'
From Jones, ... Locating and owning optimum sites for algae farming could replace exploration and drilling. While they wouldn't be the same sort of refineries, oil company engineers could do what they do best, designing and implementing the large scale chemical processing plants that give us our present petroleum products. Let's face it. These guys are really good at pumping and chemically transforming huge amounts of liquid and gaseous stuff. I agree. One would think that algoil refineries would be right up their alley. I hope some junior oil exec is doing his best to plant the seeds of corporate expansion. Exxon-Algoil. If it's good enough for our stock holders, it's good enough for Independent Republic of Texas. And now, back to Jericho! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jericho_(TV_series) Regards Steven Vincent Johnson www.OrionWorks.com www.zazzle.com/orionworks
Re: [Vo]:BLP Announcement
From Mike Carrell: The BLP website at www.blacklightpower.com now has new material on energy generation. Mike Carrell. Thanks, Mike! Exerpts from: http://www.blacklightpower.com/applications.shtml#BlackLightPowerPlants ... Blacklight Power has recently achieved a breakthrough in power generation by the invention of a solid fuel that uses conventional chemical reactions to generate the catalyst and atomic hydrogen at high reactant densities that in turn controllably achieves very high power densities. The energy gain is well above that required to regenerate the solid fuel, and experimental evidence confirms the theoretical energy balance per weight of the hydrogen consumed of 1000 times that of the most energetic fuel known. Consequently, the mass balance and cost per unit energy is projected to be much lower than that of burning fossil fuels. Plant designs utilize continuous regeneration of the solid fuel mixture using known industrial processes, and the only consumable, hydrogen, is obtained ultimately from water due to the enormous net energy release relative to combustion. [A solid fuel? That's interesting. It does sound like a new development. It will be interesting to see what that solid fuel comprises. - svj] ... Based on empirical data and experience, BlackLight believes it is reasonable to scale in factors of ten to one hundred. Then, BlackLight intends to rely on existing technologies to convert thermal power to electric power. As BlackLight devices generate surface heat at grades comparable to existing commercial fire boxes in natural gas and coal-fired plants, existing heat-to- electric technologies such as gas turbine, micro-turbine and Sterling engines can be melded with BlackLight power cells to generate electricity, as well as space and process heat. [Sounds encouraging. But what really has changed from what has already been stated for years out at the BLP web site? Can some of Vo's experts weigh in on the matter? Mike?] Regards Steven Vincent Johnson www.OrionWorks.com www.zazzle.com/orionworks
Re: [Vo]:Where's the beef? was: Stupid Academic stunt
From Mike Carrell: ... I wish I could, but such are quite proprietary. It would be reasonable to assume that discussions in that direction have been going on for some time. Even if interested parties duplicated some the effects documented by BLP, there are vexing problems with commercial ultility, as there are with LENR. The current embodiment seems to overcome these problems and one might expect more rapid progress toward utilization. The website clearly invites licensing and expection of increased staff to support partners. Mike Carrell I hope so. I suspect most BLP observes who wish to remain in the game, so-to-speak for the long run have learned over the years to rein in any personal enthusiasm they might feel when some new breakthrough is announced at the BLP web site. One the surface this new solid medium does seems to be a positive step towards the eventual commercialization of the difficult to tame BLP process. Considering the fact that in recent years waning enthusiasm in investing in alternative energy has suddenly increased many fold it can only be considered a good sign for all parties concerned. I personally continue to hope that some of that enthusiasm will continue to wash up on the shores of Cranberry NY. Regards, Steven Vincent Johnson www.OrionWorks.com www.zazzle.com/OrionWorks
Re: [Vo]:aurorahunter
From thomas malloy: But do they involve hydrinos? http://www.aurorahunter.com/ Damned if I know if hydrinos are involved. It's a pretty site, nevertheless. Great aurora photos. Thanks, Thomas. steve Regards Steven Vincent Johnson www.OrionWorks.com www.zazzle.com/orionworks
Re: [Vo]:Fracture drilling and the N word
Jones sez: High gas prices are opening up (so to speak) another kind of oil gas extraction technique, called fracture drilling, which was alluded to in a recent thread on the new oil discovery in the Dakotas and Montana (Williston Basin) http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/08/business/08gas.html?emex=1207886400en=3513e391adf7ae70ei=5087%0A ... Interesting article. The new bonanza of gas extraction going on in Pennsylvania doesn't seem to bare any relationship to what's allegedly going on up in North Dakota. I assume we are dealing with two completely different geological processes. Regarding the NY article... As always, it comes down to the bottom line. The final sentence: When Range came in a lot of people didn't like it, Mr. Deiseroth said, But things changed when they started getting their checks. Regards, Steven Vincent Johnson www.OrionWorks.com www.zazzle.com/orionworks
Re: [Vo]:Jed's misunderstanding of BLP
Without using any recent mathematical trickery. ;-) As Mr. Carrell initially pointed out, there is a new claim of an energy production breakthrough listed out at the Blacklight Power web site. The new process involves the recycling of a solid catalyst. Recent is perhaps incorrect as I would assume BLP has clandestinely been working on this process for, oh, I would imagine over a year, and probably a lot longer. Perhaps BLP has finally stumbled across the right combination of secret incantations. The web site claims the amount of energy released is more than sufficient to simultaneously sustain two key elements: (1) The ability to heat traditional boilers such as those belonging to power plants, and (2) of particular interest to us (as well I would imagine it might be to certain BLP critics), the ability to regenerate the catalyst using processes that presumably involve conventional and well understood chemistry. This is what has been implied. I gather it's always been that confounded regenerative step that has prevented BLP from coming up with an effective path towards commercial application. BLP has tried so many different approaches over the years that no doubt they have lost many a cheerleader due to an extended version of ADD. But hey! In six or seven years of personally watching BLP, and I've noticed that my own attention span has occasionally wandered! Continuing my personal speculations, I would suspect that most of BLP's investors really don't give a rats #ss what the BLP Web site's has to say on the subject, particularly if they signed NDAs, and as such, are privy to what's really going on down in Baron Von Mills' secret laboratory. Perhaps some are even amused. Assuming they really are convinced, they would likely believe that the turkey they helped buy many years ago will eventually come out of the oven. More stuffin'n'gravy for them. In the meantime, we in the peanut gallery can only do what we have been trained to do: Speculate, dream, fret, and squabble amongst each other. ...at least until that damned turkey is placed on the table. Shoot! I'm hungry and I just ran out of peanuts, again. Regards, Steven Vincent Johnson www.OrionWorks.com www.Zazzle.com/orionworks
Re: [Vo]:Jed's misunderstanding of BLP
Jed Rothwell wrote: Mike Carrell wrote: ... The new reactor has sufficient energy outout to be self sustaining with water as an external fuel. I gather this means: The new reactor produces enough heat with enough Carnot efficiency to run a conventional small steam turbine generator. (Not that it actually does run a generator, but it could.) This generator would produce enough electricity to operate the RF power supply and electrolysis. It would thus be a self-sustaining reaction. I assume you mean a steam generator rather than, say, a thermoelectric generator, which is less efficient. Didn't someone donate a Stirling engine to the BLP cause awhile ago? I wonder if that setup could be used to increase efficiency. Regards Steven Vincent Johnson www.OrionWorks.com www.zazzle.com/orionworks
Re: [Vo]:Jed's misunderstanding of BLP
From Jed: Didn't someone donate a Stirling engine to the BLP cause awhile ago? I wonder if that setup could be used to increase efficiency. Stirling engines are inefficient. All small engines are, but as far as I know, conventional steam turbines are the best. I don't know what the smallest one is. The Chinese make many small water turbine generators that produce a few hundred watts I think. They are about the size of a coffee pot. They are used in remote villages to power LCD televisions and satellite dishes, so that Chinese people everywhere can watch government propaganda. - Jed Fired by communist coal I would imagine. For a few hundred watts, I wonder if in some of those villages a moderate sized communist solar dish could work in heating up a communist boiler during the daytime. Regards Steven Vincent Johnson www.OrionWorks.com www.zazzle.com/orionworks
Re: [Vo]:Burning our food for fuel
From Harry Veeder: Burning stuff for power is so archaic. harry Indeed. And Sir Arthur' suggested we learn how to eat oil instead of burning it. Jed, was that succulent comment from Profiles From The Future? Regards Steven Vincent Johnson www.OrionWorks.com www.zazzle.com/orionworks
[Vo]:Kiplinger: Future Electricity Bills in the USA (not good)
This does not bode well. The Kiplinger Letter, April 11, 2008, had the following to say about future electricity bills: Electricity rate increases will accelerate in another year or two. Among the drivers: Financing woes squelching plant construction. Escalating costs...both for materials and for skilled technicians... combined with a more cautious lending environment mean utility companies are shelving plans for new power plants. Despite increasing demand, utilities fear they won't be able to recover costs in a reasonable time. On average...4%-5% annual rate hikes, compared with average jumps of 2% in 2007 and just under 3% this year. Another likely consequence: Blackouts and brownouts will become more common at peak use times. Regards Steven Vincent Johnson www.OrionWorks.com www.zazzle.com/orionworks
Re: [Vo]:Kiplinger: Future Electricity Bills in the USA (not good)
From Frank Z: Regarding Kiplinger's comment: Escalating costs...both for materials and for skilled technicians... That looks good to me. Thats what I do ... start up new power plants, scribbers, etc. Mo money.. yea! ... What about Kiplinger's latter comment: ...combined with a more cautious lending environment mean utility companies are shelving plans for new power plants. Despite increasing demand, utilities fear they won't be able to recover costs in a reasonable time. Have you got that covered? Regards Steven Vincent Johnson www.OrionWorks.com www.zazzle.com/orionworks
Re: [Vo]:Cavitation Weapon
Terry sez: Hunting with a cavitation pistol: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7oCRJSGVIrs This shrimp has great aim. Terry Yum! Zapped shrimp tonight! Dang! Unfortunately I'm allergic to creatures and related family members who walk sideways. Regards Steven Vincent Johnson www.OrionWorks.com www.zazzle.com/orionworks
Re: [Vo]:Nostalgae
Veeder sez: How about algae chips? dried/baked algae with a bit of salt. ;-) Harry As long as it doesn't look like soylent green, I'd give it a try. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soylent_Green Regards Steven Vincent Johnson www.OrionWorks.com www.zazzle.com/orionworks
[Vo]:CNN.COM VIDEO: Fill 'er up with pond scum ... from desert?
Enjoy! http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/international/2008/04/13/obrien.us.pond.scum.cnn http://tinyurl.com/4wov4y Regards Steven Vincent Johnson www.OrionWorks.com www.zazzle.com/orionworks
Re: [Vo]:Cavitation Weapon
David Jonsson ses: On Sun, Apr 13, 2008 at 4:34 AM, Terry Blanton [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Hunting with a cavitation pistol: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7oCRJSGVIrs This shrimp has great aim. Very intersting but I don't see that the cavitation is the actual effect. This shrimp produces a wave wich hits the prey. This shrimp is on par with the mantis shrimp which is also highly advanced. David In another 100 million years, give or take 10 million, and after we are no longer in charge (assuming we're still around), their progeny may very well be the next dominant species. I hope I get over my allergies to shellfish by then. It could likely to be considered a major diplomatic fopah to shake the claw of the highly decorated Sir Chitin Sides and have my palm suddenly break out in hives. Regards Steven Vincent Johnson www.OrionWorks.com www.zazzle.com/orionworks
[Vo]:Babbage's Difference Engine Lives!
This might seem a tad anachronistic to some, but fascinating nevertheless: Building a 5-ton mechanical calculator... from 19th-century plans. http://www.networkworld.com/cgi-bin/mailto/x.cgi?pagetosend=/export/home/httpd/htdocs/news/2008/041108-difference-engine.htmlpagename=/news/2008/041108-difference-engine.htmlpageurl=http://www.networkworld.com/news/2008/041108-difference-engine.htm http://tinyurl.com/5ql8me Enjoy! Regards Steven Vincent Johnson www.OrionWorks.com www.zazzle.com/orionworks
[Vo]:Ultracapacitors back in the news again - Zenn Motors article
Article Title: Ultracapacitors: the future of electric cars or the 'cold fusion' of autovation? ZENN Motors says its electric car will cruise for 250 miles on a single five-minute charge. Skeptics cry shenanigans. see: http://www.csmonitor.com/2008/0416/p13s01-sten.html Regards Steven Vincent Johnson www.OrionWorks.com www.zazzle.com/orionworks
[Vo]:V'Ger must evolve
Got the following article originally from www.codeproject.com. It was original titled V'Ger must evolve! Amusing. See: http://space.newscientist.com/article.ns?id=dn13676print=true or http://tinyurl.com/5uwleq Pioneer spacecraft mystery may be laid to rest 14:30 15 April 2008 NewScientist.com news service Valerie Jamieson, St Louis Excerpt: Uneven heat The wealth of data has allowed them to build detailed computer models of Pioneer 11, including a thermal model which shows how heat is distributed over the spacecraft. This has revealed that Pioneer 11 gives off heat in certain directions more than others. The uneven heat emission is enough to nudge the spacecraft off course, accounting for 28% to 36% of the anomaly detected when Pioneer 11 was 3750 million kilometres, or 25 times the Earth-sun distance, away from us. [But what about the remaining 64% to 72%? - svj] Regards Steven Vincent Johnson www.OrionWorks.com www.zazzle.com/orionworks
[Vo]:STEORN Musings
Speaking of alternative energy companies... It's been a long dry spell since we've heard anything from STEORN, particularly since their spectacularly failed July 2007 demo debacle. My gut reaction would be to assume, sadly, that things are probably not being going well for them. Common sense would suggest to me that STEORN's engineers would have been able to by now correct the kinks so embarrassingly revealed in the failed demo. Surely they would have by now presented a sequel: The new-and-improved ORBO. Still waiting. In absence of hard data, speculation runs rampant. One of my favorite STEORN conspiracies can be found out on Wikipedia where: * * * * * * Eric Berger, writing on the Houston Chronicle website, commented that: Recall that Steorn is a former e-business company that saw its market vanish during the dot.com bust. It stands to reason that Steorn has re-tooled as a Web marketing company, and is using the free energy promotion as a platform to show future clients how it can leverage print advertising and a slick Web site to promote their products and ideas. If so, it's a pretty brilliant strategy.[33] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steorn * * * * * * Taking my own advice to heart, where it is advisable to choose the conspiracy one wishes to believe in wisely, I have to admit that I actually gave Mr. Berger's theory serious consideration. In the end, however, I discarded it on the premise that Berger's theory violated my personal understanding of the principals of Occam's Razor. The theory personally strikes me as possessing too many complicated assumptions that would have to be set in place for the final payoff to eventually be realized. ...and just when is that payoff supposed to occur? Of course, this leave me once again clueless as to what might really be going on. I've therefore decided appeal to the collective intelligence of Vort's membership, particularly to all those entrepreneurs and former CEOs who have suffered their own personal stories - the slings and arrows of outrageous misfortune while running their own companies and start-ups. What say you all to the STEORN saga? What do your own gut reactions suggest? Bugged in Madison, Wisconsin. Regards Steven Vincent Johnson www.OrionWorks.com www.zazzle.com/orionworks
[Vo]:Article: Dark matter may have been found on Earth.
Posted this out to Luke's Hydrino group: Recent article out in NewScientistSpace.com http://space.newscientist.com/article.ns?id=dn13726 Exercpt: This theory predicts that the Earth should be hit by more dark matter particles in June, when it is moving through the galaxy in the same direction as the Sun. There would also be fewer particles in December, when it is moving in the opposite direction. Intense scepticism That's exactly what the DAMA team reported in 2003, following the first phase of their experiment, which ran for 7 years with a 100-kilogram detector. Needless to say, Hydrinos weren't mentioned. I guess one could also argue that s[c]epticism has been misspelled. Regards Steven Vincent Johnson www.OrionWorks.com www.zazzle.com/orionworks
Re: [Vo]:The (possible) oil peak rolls on
There is also a contrarian philosophy that seems to work for some investors: Buy when everyone else is dumping like terrified rats leaving a sinking ship. Often, when certain stocks seem to be tanking and headed for the worst, that's exactly the time when contrarians begin investing. Sometimes, it works for them. Does it pay to be a contrarian under the current circumstances? I suspect If I actually was a dedicated contrarian I wouldn't answer that questions. Trade secret. Considering the recent run up, I suspect some traitorous contrarians may have fessed up. ...or perhaps we're just witnessing another pump and dump scheme on a grand scale. Speculation is cheap. Regards Steven Vincent Johnson www.OrionWorks.com www.zazzle.com/orionworks
Re: [Vo]:Earth Day - The new Lent?
Jones sez: Vo]:Earth Day - The new Lent? If your outlook on life has matured to the point where a degree of sacrifice and moderation are replacing the super-size-it mentality of consumerism- the outlook fostered on all of us shamelessly by the media - then here are simple ways to reduce the footprints which you leave on the planet. You can also amplify your impact and commitment byencouraging others to follow your lead. ... Here's my lent: I'm one of those rare individuals who can take advantage of the fact that they can walk to work. The trip, one way, takes approximately 16 - 17 minutes of strolling through mature wooded neighborhoods and a recently remodeled shopping mall. I'm discovering that walking has its good points, besides obvious health benefits. It's turning out to be a meditative experience. I must confess, however, that walking had not been my initial choice even though I knew all along that it was the politically correct eco-friendly thing to do, especially considering the fact that I live so damned close to work. Ultimately, it was the personal economics of the situation that drove me to my current fate. I couldn't continue constantly being nickled and dimed to death trying to maintain the upkeep on our secondary car, a 1994 Ford Escort. I eventually donated it to a worthy charity a couple of months ago. Meanwhile, my spouse, She-Who-Must-Be-Obeyed, gets dibs on the household's sole remaining car. Typically she gets it three to four days out of the workweek due to mandatory shopping errands, trips to the health fitness center, and taking protesting cats to the vet for their shots and other related indignities. My advise to those who do not live near work: Move closer to work. Negotiate with your boss if at all possible to telecommute on certain days of the week. They might be more receptive than one might initially think. Get used to taking the bus. Regarding riding the bus: I remember reading a lot of novels that way - far more than I do now. It's all trade-offs. Regards, Steven Vincent Johnson www.OrionWorks.com www.zazzle.com/orionworks
Re: [Vo]:Went to see Hillery - dropped her a note.
Frank sez: ... I was watching the trains along the main line PRR on Sunday. There was more traffic on the rail than I have ever seen. I assume that fuel prices are producing this. Pherhaps it is time to purcase some rail road stock. Frank Z My wife and I were planning on flying out to Denver in August to attend the World Science Fiction convention - DENVENTION. (One must maintain some kind of presence within the science fiction commuity! ;-) ) Round trip airfare from Madison to Denver was quoted over $500 for an individual ticket, the cheap seats of course. We're taking Amtrack. If we went coach the cost would have been about half the current air fare, maybe even less. We're actually traveling by car down to Mount Pleasant, Iowa, and directly hitching the train from there, as compared to going through Chicago. Unfortunately Amtrack doesn't go through Madison, Wisconsin. We decided to go in style, paying a little extra for our own private room. It's still significantly less than the air far. The down side, the train ride will take a leisurely 13 hours. Not a problem. I bet we're not the only couple seriously reconsidering traveling habits. Mongo like choo coo. Why didn't Mongo think of choo choo before. Regards Steven Vincent Johnson www.OrionWorks.com www.zazzle.com/orionworks
Re: [Vo]:OFF TOPIC A friend without health insurance
From Edmond Storms: This is indeed a sad story, Jed, that is repeated many times each day. The basic problem is that the American people have accepted the idea that life in this country should be based mainly on the individual effort, with socialism being un-American. Liberalism, which tries to use the state to protect the individual, is considered a dirty word. These ideas are accepted by the ordinary working person even though this is not in their self-interest to do so. Your friend probably even voted for Bush and would not support a politician who proposed socialized medicine, even though variations of this approach work well in other countries. We get what we vote for. If we are too ignorant to vote wisely, we get the government we deserve. Hopefully, the pain inflicted by the Bush philosophy will cause people to reexamine their criteria for voting. Ed I work for the state of Wisconsin. As a humble public servant we have, relatively speaking, some of the best HMO heath insurance the common man woman can get in our country. Like most health insurance costs the state's aggregate expenses have steadily increased along with everyone else's, often well over 10% each year, year after year. Predictably, these relentless increases eventually hit the state coffers in unpleasant ways. About three to four years ago our state unions were informed of the fact that we would actually have to start PAYING a small monthly premium OUT OF OUR OWN POCKETS. Boy! Did the ka-ka hit the fan! I don't expect much sympathy from the Vort membership, especially from those few brave souls who are actually trying to make a living pursuing the American dream of private entrepreneurship. Unfortunately, it would seem that some of my colleagues prefer to gloss over the fact that the common taxpayer, the private business man woman who pays our state salaries are struggling each day to make ends meet, let alone pay their own draconian health insurance premiums. As best as I can figure most Wisconsin state employees are now required to fork out somewhere around $30 (single) to $80 (family plan) a month from out of their own pocketbooks to pay their share of the premium. Meanwhile the state kicks in somewhere around five hundred (single) to a thousand (family) a month tax free to pay the remainder of the premium. This is, of course, not taxable. I consider myself extremely lucky. The smarter of my colleagues consider themselves extremely lucky as well. Few of us well get rich on our government salaries. OTOH, it's not likely that any of us will need to declare bankruptcy as a result of an unexpected trip to the emergency room followed by a few days stay at the local hospital. I agree with Jed, and especially with Mr. Storm's assessment of the situation. Some form of a modified (Americanized) socialism is probably the only way we will be able to survive the health cost crisis. Unfortunately, I fear too many of us still consider the s word to be as unspeakable and un-American as uttering the n word in mixed company. We are getting what we paid for. Regards Steven Vincent Johnson www.OrionWorks.com www.zazzle.com/orionworks
[Vo]:The Dark Side of the UGA
) Increased instances of UGA diabetes. (3) And last of all, growing discontent from former UGA citizens who got used to being perceived as special and powerful, primarily because they were extremely skilled at acquiring more than their daily gumdrop allotments. Now everyone gets to consume more than one gumdrop a day. Well... almost everyone. That's no fun! I'm no longer special! My skill of accumulating extra gumdrops is no longer envied! Some of the disgruntled discontents decide to install their own UGA lawmakers who have pledged to pass a law making it illegal for individual UGA citizens to manufacture more than one gumdrop per day – on the premise that excess gumdrop manufacturing is depleting UGA's finite resources, UGA's sacred cache of raw materials that go into the manufacturing of gumdrops. * * * * Well, that's the end of my essay. I never said I had the solution. Gumdrops, get back. I'm all right jack keep your hands off of my gumdrop With apologies to Pink Floyd: http://www.lyricsfreak.com/p/pink+floyd/money_20108700.html Regards Steven Vincent Johnson www.OrionWorks.com www.zazzle.com/orionworks
Re: Fw: [Vo]:The principle of the conservation of energy is farce, corrected
Howdy Richard, It's kinda funny that scientists spend so much time in theory and musing when they have the book to go by. Frank makes reference to vibration frequency. That sounds like sound.. The bible state that God said... let there be light. This is sound, vibration or whatever you choose to call it. It also makes reference to the music of the stars. This sounds like thare is a system that uses sound to keep the universe in calibration. The book of Genesis and the book of Job remain the best scientific reference textbooks on the subject of physics. Richard Metaphorically speaking. Unfortunately, too many scientists are tone deaf. ;-\ Regards Steven Vincent Johnson www.OrionWorks.com www.zazzle.com/orionworks
Re: [Vo]:CNN.COM: Scientists offered $1 million to grow laboratory chicken
Jed sez: The PETA prize turns out to be bogus. They will only give it to researchers who have already succeeded and who are in a position to make billions. This is like offering a prize for a working cold fusion generator. See: http://www.slate.com/id/2189693/ - Jed A follow-up thought. IMHO, this goal of trying to create an exact replica of meat as it REALLY -should- taste, as if it had just been slaughtered right off the hook, is a ridiculous one. I regularly chew on BOCA brand veggie burgers. I consume vanilla SILK with my breakfast cereal. Both are soy products. Both advertise the claim that they mimic the taste of an original food group, like (BOCA) hamburger or (silk) milk. Neither does. In the long run, it's irrelevant. If the new products taste good, or at least taste interestingly good I don't care. It's all an acquired taste, just as eating slaughtered farm meat and drinking milk from cows for the first time was an acquired taste. This is not to say I'm against the mass-production of test tube meat. I'm certainly not. The process WILL become more relevant, even vital to our planet's self-interests, I'm sure of that. What I'm trying to suggest is that test tube meat will never, EVER, no matter what they try engineering will taste like farm grown meat. They may get the product to taste and feel closer to the original flavors and textures, and that's ok, but they will never be able to create the original enchilada. To which I say: get over it, America! Grieve for what you can't have, and then allow yourself to embrace what IS available. It ain't that bad. It might even be more nutritional as the manufacturing process will be able to better control production standards, eliminating unwanted, maybe even dangerous by-products. Regards Steven Vincent Johnson www.OrionWorks.com www.zazzle.com/orionworks
Re: [Vo]:CNN.COM: Scientists offered $1 million to grow laboratory chicken
Terry sez: I regularly chew on BOCA brand veggie burgers. Have you tried the Boca Brats or Italian Sausage? They're pretty close. Terry My spouse is the actual carnivore in the family. Unfortunately, it would appear that the BOCA genus seems to disagree with her GI track. Fortunately, not mine. I only get the opportunity to bolt them down when she's on a business trip. I've wondered about the BOCA brats Italian Sausage species. Upon your recommendation I may try hunting down a few the next time I explore the vast Serengeti plains of Sentry Foods. It's nice to know that my actions of picking off the weak, sick, and helpless helps maintain a strong soy herd. I expect Nature to do a documentary on this ancient ritual some day. PS: At the local farmer's market we actually can purchase Elk meat. A vender couple is raising elk on their homestead. It's not bad. Low fat content. Another acquired taste. Regards Steven Vincent Johnson www.OrionWorks.com www.zazzle.com/orionworks
Re: [Vo]:CNN.COM: Scientists offered $1 million to grow laboratory chicken
Jed sez: What I'm trying to suggest is that test tube meat will never, EVER, no matter what they try engineering will taste like farm grown meat. They may get the product to taste and feel closer to the original flavors and textures, and that's ok, but they will never be able to create the original enchilada. I think it is far too early in the development of this technology to make that prediction. I agree. It was a personal opinion, FWIW. However, as long as we are speculating, let me make two counter-predictions. In the distant future, decades or centuries after the technology is perfected: 1. In vitro meat will taste far better than farm grown meat. By present day standards it will be as good as the finest Kobe beef, or whatever the best cut is. (I wouldn't know.) There will also be cheaper, tougher cuts suitable for stew or pot roast. I agree on all accounts. However, I don't think it will take centuries. Back in the 1980s I personally envisioned that one day we would see meat growing factories. My personal vision involved vast processing rooms where they would grow muscled tissue on specially prepared surface membrane structures. The structures would allow blood vessels and nerve endings to grow through the artificial membrane and into the muscle tissue allowing the product to grow thick and fibrous. Fully functional nerves would occasionally be stimulated to tone up the muscle tissue. Genetically engineered blood would flow through the artificial membrane and circulate though the muscle tissue bringing nutrients and oxigen and removing all the toxins to be reprocessed in other areas of the factory. The toxins could be collected and processed as a high grade form of nitrogen fertilizer. When it was time to harvest the tissues, one simply peals the product off the artificial membrane. The membrane is then prepared for the next growth cycle. And while we're at it, we might as well manufacture skin, or the exterior hide, some with and some sans hair. Some of the finest leather Gucci purses, shoes, and Harley Davidson Jackets and mink stoles will come from this process. 2. The most popular flavor will be the meat of Homo sapiens. Ah! Long Pig! There's more than one way to serve man. Regards Steven Vincent Johnson www.OrionWorks.com www.zazzle.com/orionworks
Re: [Vo]:CNN.COM: Scientists offered $1 million to grow laboratory chicken
The Leak sez: even worse will be the premium meats, getting made and eating a genetic copy of YOURSELF. or a ceo of a company making all new employees have a Big Bob burger, guaranteed rump of our president, Big Bob. Wait a minute. Hasn't this already been done? And when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me. - 1 Corinthians 11:24 Regards Steven Vincent Johnson www.OrionWorks.com www.zazzle.com/orionworks
Re: [Vo]:CNN.COM: Scientists offered $1 million to grow laboratory chicken
Terry sez: Google jesus and mushroom together. ;-) Terry Allegro sez: I'd match my philology with any of that lot, Hm. Interesting metaphor. Regards Steven Vincent Johnson www.OrionWorks.com www.zazzle.com/orionworks
Re: [Vo]:Oil price elasticity: Cutting through the fog
From Stephen Lawrence ... I was surprised -- I thought we were heading for the cliff a lot faster than this, and $200/bbl oil next year was a no-brainer. But, apparently not. Impressive analysis. Several weeks ago the Kiplinger Letter claimed that current commodity prices are significantly above what supply and demand factors would historically dictate. See: http://www.kiplinger.com/businessresource/forecast/archive/commodity_prices_near_turning_point_080409.html http://tinyurl.com/46a6as What's behind it? Investors chasing high returns...pouring cash into commodity futures because other choices seem less attractive. Herd behavior. What could burst the bubble? Sez Kiplinger: A number of factors could burst the commodity balloon: A cut in worldwide commodity demand, big stock market gains, a more stable dollar or tame inflation signals. Prices will drop by about 30% if all these factors come into play at once, but declines will be smaller and gradual if signals are mixed. Oil will slide to $85 a barrel, with a smaller reduction at the pump, because risk is still a factor. Just to be clear on this point, Kiplinger doesn't expect the bottom to fall out. Unfortunately, Natural Gas won't come down. Sez Kiplinger: Demand for natural gas for industrial, heating and other uses is sure to remain strong, and prices, currently around $9 per million British thermal units, may top $10 per million British thermal units next winter. Natural gas supplies are roughly adequate for normal weather, but harsh conditions are likely to cause real stress. Fading quickly: hopes that liquefied natural gas will increase supplies. LNG is going to Asian and European buyers, who are outbidding U.S. purchasers. Personal reflections: I hope they're right. Not sure that I do. Regards Steven Vincent Johnson www.OrionWorks.com www.zazzle.com/orionworks
Re: [Vo]:******2012: The Ultimate Solution to Total Destruction
From Esa Ruoho 5 hours later, after terry blanton sent this, i clicked on the url and it worked. ohwell http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-1836306637510497206hl=en Worked for me as well last night. Anyone care to critique its contents? Regards Steven Vincent Johnson www.OrionWorks.com www.zazzle.com/orionworks
Re: [Vo]:IPKat - weblog: The continuing incredible adventures of Dr. Randell Mills
From Mike Carrell: A standard tactic of patent examiners is deny and cite objections and force the applicant to overcome the objections. Objections of this type have been seen before. The process of overcoming them is iterative, lengthy, expensive, and private. It is reasonable to believe that such interaction is ongoing and necessary to protect investors and prospective partners. Legal action may follow, which would make interesting theater. Mike Carrell Hi Mike, Is the new solid fuel process commercially viable? The implication over at the BLP web site has been that the new-and-improved process has been proven experimentally to self-generate through well-known chemical manufacturing processes. If this really is an authentic breakthrough in how to sustain the critical regenerative process to produce excess energy couldn't BLP lawyers simply patent the process that generates the excess heat and, well, sort of gloss over (at least for now) the alleged theory behind it? Hasn't experimental evidence always trumped what theoretical explanation may currently be in vogue? Regards Steven Vincent Johnson www.OrionWorks.com www.zazzle.com/orionworks
Re: [Vo]:IPKat - weblog: The continuing incredible adventures of Dr. Randell Mills
From Mike Carrell: IMHO the solid fuel reactor is the closest to commercial viability of anything so far posted by BLP. BLP usually can back up such posts by experimental work, as stated. The fact that critical details are glossed over I interpret as evidence of ongoing patent application negotiations. The claimed evolution of H and catalyst from heating the solid fuel could enable high energy density in the reactor. In the animation, an end product of KH(1/4) is mentioned. This implies a very energetic reaction which is claimed to enable regeneration of the fuel, electrolysis of water, and operation of a heat cycle engine to produce useful external work. The patent issue is something else. BLP seeks fundamental patents whose claims will read on all possible applications to garner royalties for the BLP investors and partners. ... Seeking fundamental patents involves the existence of hydrinos. The resonant transfer penomenon is a natural phenomenon, which cannot be patented. Thus BLP is faced with the whole of accepted physics in trying to get patents. And without a strong patent base, investors and partners may not risk the development cycle. Mike Carrell Ok, I'm still a little confused on some of these points. Why is it important for BLP to prove to the scientific community that hydrinos exist, particularly if BLP's investors can finance the building of a prototype that proves the point that a commercially viable regenerative process can be manufactured. How does legitimizing the existence of the hydrino theory help BLP's investors protect their patents. Regardless of whether hydrinos exist as Dr. Mills claims or not, couldn't a savvy competitor either way, just as easily, and just like what happened in RCA, devise a ...circuit which walked around... BLP's patents leaving BLP high and dry? How does legitimizing hydrinos make that possibility any less of an issue for BLP? This is such a smarmy issue, particularly since I gather there are a number of alternative theories, some discussed extensively within vortex, that elude to the existence of the hydrino species but with very different characteristics, certainly not beholding to Dr. Mills CQM theory. It still seems more important from my perspective to simply develop a POC prototype that proves that BLP's investors were on the right track all along, rather than trying to legitimize hydrinos in the eyes of the scientific community. The latter effort seems to me to be a massive waste of finite financial resources, and is in real danger of failing, particularly if BLP can never gat a single POC financed and demonstrated to a skeptical community. I assume I must be missing an important business strategy in my latest machinations. I'm just worried that if they continue focusing on the patent issue, BLP may never get their bird off the ground. Regards Steven Vincent Johnson www.OrionWorks.com www.zazzle.com/orionworks
[Vo]:How many volcanoes would it take...
Assuming we could magically, starting tomorrow, stop emitting all forms of CO2 as a result of our technology: How many active volcanoes would it take to produce an equivalent amount of CO2 that humanity currently produces and/or is indirectly responsible for producing, such as deforestation techniques through burning. I was wondering how prior active volcano counts lined up with previous epochs, along with the prevailing weather patterns and temperatures of that time. Regards Steven Vincent Johnson www.OrionWorks.com www.zazzle.com/orionworks
Re: [Vo]:IPKat - weblog: The continuing incredible adventures of Dr. Randell Mills
From Mike Carrell: Mills is no fool, nor are his board of directors. He business strategy is very different from Jed's concept -- but there could be a global scramble of entrepreneurship when BLP becomes real. Mills has to have his 'ducks in order' for what might be a firestorm. The new solid fuel reactor is a non-trivial anouncement. From Jed Rothwell: For too long, people in cold fusion and at BLP have been searching for an experiment that will convince the skeptics, or they have been trying to write a bulletproof paper that will be published in Nature. These are the last steps you take, not the first steps. To put it another way, these steps are analogous to the World War I military strategy of attacking the enemy at his strongest point after giving him a week's notice that you are coming, and after ordering your soldiers not to wear helmets. It is self-defeating. The 2004 DoE review of cold fusion was a good example. I would agree with Mike's perception in the sense that BLP's recent solid fuel reactor announcement is indeed a non-trivial announcement. The only way I can read the announcement, and in a way that makes any sense to me, is that BLP has finally discovered a commercially viable process that is exploitable in conventional terms (No new science and/or technology needed!), even if that process still has to be commercially developed and at great expense. I think Mike has, in recent years and months, hinted though his positioned un-official source(s) over at BLP that things continue to progress in a positive direction. Unfortunately, I gather Mike is not privy to anything more specific than that, which of course leaves such banalities totally up to interpretation for the rest of us, and probably for Mike as well. (Half full / half empty). The rest of us fools are forced to continuously speculate through the tea leaves of the latest BLP announcements which remain carefully couched in public relation terms to accentuate the positive while simultaneously glossing over what I could well imaging are daunting engineering tasks that could be as serious as trying to get the Apollo 13 astronauts back home safe and sound after their on-board fuel cell had the audacity to spring a leak in route to Luna. Cranbury, We have a problem! We appear to be venting hydrinos into outer space! It's frustrating to be left in the peanut gallery year after year. I would also agree with Jed's perspective in the sense that choosing to go into the lion's den to make their demonstration case is not likely to be as effective as focusing first on collecting as much friendly support as possible. For now, I feel I have no choice but to rely on Mr. Carrell's vast experience in the world of RD, combined with his judgment of character regarding Mills Co's strategy plan. Considering the millions of dollars in investment capital BLP has been able to secure over the years, I guess I would have to agree with the premise that they aren't fools. This of course pisses off the skeptics to no end. Regards Steven Vincent Johnson www.OrionWorks.com www.zazzle.com/orionworks
Re: [Vo]:STEORN Musings
A follow-up on my recent STEORN musings. There is another possibility that comes to mine, a remote scenario that involves a bit of drama. It assumes STEORN still has something of value that they eventually plan on revealing. However, based on the fact that there have been no official announcements since October 2007, it is admittedly a stretch, even a leap of faith for me to assume that the Dublin based company may still be in the running. Assuming for the sake of argument that it has taken STEORN's engineers this long to fix the embarrassing ORBO problem. If so, I could see how in order to generate maximum effect the marketing portions of the company might be planning on presenting their comeback on the 1st year anniversary of the original Kinetica failed demonstration. Again, it's a stretch, but I will be noting the date on my calendar. Meanwhile, a more realistic and prosaic conclusion to reach under the circumstances is that STEORN's engineers may have discovered much to their dismay that the ORBO PM configuration is not as robust as their original tests indicated. If so I would well imagine there's a lot of internal hand wringing and what-to-dos being bandied about. Back on April 17, 2008, OrionWorks sed: Speaking of alternative energy companies... It's been a long dry spell since we've heard anything from STEORN, particularly since their spectacularly failed July 2007 demo debacle. My gut reaction would be to assume, sadly, that things are probably not being going well for them. Common sense would suggest to me that STEORN's engineers would have been able to by now correct the kinks so embarrassingly revealed in the failed demo. Surely they would have by now presented a sequel: The new-and-improved ORBO. Still waiting. In absence of hard data, speculation runs rampant. One of my favorite STEORN conspiracies can be found out on Wikipedia where: * * * * * * Eric Berger, writing on the Houston Chronicle website, commented that: Recall that Steorn is a former e-business company that saw its market vanish during the dot.com bust. It stands to reason that Steorn has re-tooled as a Web marketing company, and is using the free energy promotion as a platform to show future clients how it can leverage print advertising and a slick Web site to promote their products and ideas. If so, it's a pretty brilliant strategy.[33] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steorn * * * * * * Taking my own advice to heart, where it is advisable to choose the conspiracy one wishes to believe in wisely, I have to admit that I actually gave Mr. Berger's theory serious consideration. In the end, however, I discarded it on the premise that Berger's theory violated my personal understanding of the principals of Occam's Razor. The theory personally strikes me as possessing too many complicated assumptions that would have to be set in place for the final payoff to eventually be realized. ...and just when is that payoff supposed to occur? Of course, this leave me once again clueless as to what might really be going on. I've therefore decided appeal to the collective intelligence of Vort's membership, particularly to all those entrepreneurs and former CEOs who have suffered their own personal stories - the slings and arrows of outrageous misfortune while running their own companies and start-ups. What say you all to the STEORN saga? What do your own gut reactions suggest? Regards Steven Vincent Johnson www.OrionWorks.com www.zazzle.com/orionworks
Re: [Vo]:Ethanol Al
Michael Foster sez: Just for the record, now that they are all running for cover and ducking the tough questions, those so-called enviromentalists and global warming twinkies who initially promoted biofuels need to be held accountable. They won't, of course, since they'll be responsible for the death of hundreds of thousands, if not millions of the world's most vulnerable people and of course, the usual excuse will be offered... They did it in a good cause. ... Not all are ducking Certain potential Ethanol sympathizers have countered with their own accusations. The recent TIME magazine Front Page article titled The Clean Energy Myth (April 7, 2008) did have two interesting letters in defense to certain biofuel practices. I've transcribed their letters below, followed by my own comments: * * * * THE CLEAN ENERY MYTH misses the mark [April 7]. The one-sided and scientifically uninformed piece ignores the large potential of second- and third-generation biofuels to reduce greenhouse gasses and the ability of modern agriculture to responsibly manage land use. The Science magazine article (by Searchinger et al) on which Time relies has been thoroughly rebutted by leading scientist at the Department of Energy Argonne National laboratory. TIME owes its readers the totality of facts to avoid misinformation. For many decades, the U.S. has worked with farmers and the scientific community to increase crop yields, reduce the intensity fo pesticide and fertilizer use, improve water productivity and promote conservation tillage that reduces erosion and sequesters carbon. Substantial progress continues in all these areas and was not sufficiently addressed. Last year alone our agencies invested more than $1 billion in research, development and demonstration of next-generation-biofuels production from nonfood feedstocks, which remains the core U.S. strategy. Our government is committed to advancing technological solutions to promote and increase the use of clean, secure, abundant, affordable and domestic alternative solutions. Ed Schafer, U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary, and Samuel W. Bodman, U. S. Department of Energy Secretary Washington * * * * It is wrong to attribute a significant part of the increase in Amazon deforestation to biofuels, as Mr. Gunwald does. First, suggestions that Brazil is a major culprit in global warming are not supported by scientific facts or reliable statistics. Second, the growth rate of Brazilian emissions has been on the decline primarily because of decreasing rates of Amazon rain-forest deforestation, which is the main source of carbon emissions in Brazil, and increasing use of ethanol fuel. Furthermore, from 1970 to 2005 the use of ethanol in our energy mix has averted the emission of 644 million tons of CO2, the equivalent of Canada's annual emissions. When compared with the unsustainable energy paterns used in major developed countries, the Brazilian experience can be considered a model. Contrary to what the article claims, ethanol has been a central part of the solutions. Antonio de Aguiar Patriota Ambassador of Brazil to the U.S. WASHINGTON * * * * Personal comments: DOA Secretary, Shafer, and DOE Secretary, Bodman, complain that Grunwal's article ignores the large potential of second- and third-generation biofuels to reduce greenhouse gasses and the ability of modern agriculture to responsibly manage land use, (as analyzed by Searchinger et al). That is incorrect. Grunwald's TIME article specifically states: The lesson behind the math is that on a warming planet, land is an incredibly precious commodity, and every acre used to generate fuel is an acre that can't be used to generate the food needed to feed us or the carbon storage needed to save us. Searchinger acknowledges that biofuels can be a godsend if they don't use arable land. Possible feedstocks include municipal trash, agriculture waste, ALGAE [My caps!] and even carbon dioxide, although none of the technologies are yet economical on a large scale. Tilman even holds out hope for fuel crops - he's been experimenting with Midwestern prairie grasses – as long as they're grown on degraded lands that can no longer support food crops or cattle. Ambassador Patriota's comments that Brazilian emissions has been on the decline primarily because of decreasing rates of Amazon rain-forest deforestation would seem to contradict Grunwald's claims. For example, Grunwald's TIME article states at one point that a Rhode Island-size chunk of the Amazon was deforested in the second half of 2007 and even more was degraded by fire. I could see how it might be possible that Patriota's claims are accurate - due to the possibility that in 2008, there is now less and less of the Brazilian forest left to deforest and burn. Regards Steven Vincent Johnson www.OrionWorks.com www.zazzle.com/orionworks
[Vo]:Hard Drive recovered from Colombia solves Physics Problem
See: http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?id=hard-drive-recovered-from-columbiaprint=true http://tinyurl.com/65vhrq excerpt: He [Robert Bobby Berg, the lead investigator for CVX-2 and a physicist at the National Institute of Standards and Technology in Gaithersburg, Md.] notes that the experiment could have only worked in microgravity, to prevent the xenon from settling under its feather-light weight. With NASA's priorities shifting away from basic research, he says, this is the sort of experiment that won't be duplicated for a long time, if ever. Regards Steven Vincent Johnson www.OrionWorks.com www.zazzle.com/orionworks
Re: [Vo]:The Bendini Motor
why call him bendini - what possible use is it to mispell Bedini? why call the company energetics when its called Energenx? http://www.energenx.com ? Esa, A suggestion which you are free to ignore. I once accidentally misspelled Hal Puthoff's last name as Putoff within the Vortex mailing list. I was astonished by the amount of ire my grammatical blunder produced. People actually assumed that I had deliberately attempted to besmirch Puthoff's reputation, and told me so in no uncertain terms to pay more respect to my elders. Was I guilty of misspelling Puthoff's name. Yes, most certainly. Grammar and spelling was never my strong suit in school. Was I guilty of attempting to disrespect Hal Puthoff? Certainly not. Unfortunately, without checking, too many simply assumed that I had deliberately misspelled Puthoff's name for my own nefarious reasons. Unfortunately, not everyone has an editor on call 24 hours a day to check for spelling and grammatical errors. Thank g_d for editors. Regards, Steven Vincent Johnson www.OrionWorks.com www.Zazzle.com/orionworks
[Vo]:Blacklight Power: Sci-fi science rejected by UK-IPO
For those who have a propensity towards understanding lawyer-speak. Jones? Mr. Carrell? http://lawbites.com/blacklight-power-sci-fi-science-rejected-by-uk-ipo/ http://tinyurl.com/5wwbvp and http://www.ipo.gov.uk/patent/p-decisionmaking/p-challenge/p-challenge-decision-results/p-challenge-decision-results-bl?BL_Number=O/076/08 http://tinyurl.com/439trx There is a 13 page PDF document that can be downloaded from the UK IPO that describes the reasoning behind rejecting Blacklight's attempts. What I'd like to know is whether UK IPO's final decision was due to a difference in scientific opinion or whether other factors may have been involved. Regards Steven Vincent Johnson www.OrionWorks.com www.zazzle.com/orionworks
Re: [Vo]:Blacklight Power: Sci-fi science rejected by UK-IPO
Reading Ed and Mike's comments makes me wonder why in the world BLP would attempt to patent a theoretical process involving the calculation of electron states via software simulations. Is this latest battle related to Randy's Millsian Molecular Modeling endeavors, or is this a follow-up to recent alleged breakthroughs involving excess heat using the new breakthrough solid fuel base. It's as if BLP is attempting to explore a different legal strategy: To establish a precedent, where they are trying to legitimize the CQM theory indirectly through software simulations that are presumably backed by physical evidence. ...Perhaps I should say, one better hope BLP can back up their computer simulations with real physical evidence!!! This is an interesting conundrum from my perspective as sharper minds than mine have always stressed the fact that a theory or an idea can not be patented, at least not within the United States. When dealing with the development of industrial processes, such as a novel way to generate excess heat as BLP hopes to cash in on, I was under the impression that only a process, a procedure, or improvement to a process or procedure can be patented. The theory explaining why the process or procedure seems to work should (in practice) take second stage to actual physical evidence. OTOH, I gather the theory in question has not always taken second stage to physical evidence such as when BLP attempted to explain the reasons behind some of their experimental evidence as modeled through CQM theory. I believe it has been suggested more than once that BLP would fare better if they would simply focus their finite resources on patenting procedures for which their experimental evidence reveals the generation of substantial amounts of excess heat. Perhaps I'm not seeing the bigger picture, because this recent UK endeavor gives me the impression that BLP continues to spend an inadvisable amount of time and effort on attempts to legitimize CQM rather than focusing on protecting the actual processes that are known to generate substantial amounts of heat. Regards Steven Vincent Johnson www.OrionWorks.com www.zazzle.com/orionworks
Re: [Vo]:Pedal Power
Jones sez: In both rural and urban areas on the West Coast(USA) recreational bicycling is very popular. Queen sed it best: http://www.sing365.com/music/lyric.nsf/Bicycle-Race-lyrics-Queen/5143FBFDE0AA6AB44825689400022B7A http://tinyurl.com/d7y7s Regards Steven Vincent Johnson www.OrionWorks.com www.zazzle.com/orionworks
[Vo]:Britain reveals UFO documents
It's been in the news lately that Britain is releasing a plethora of files on UFO sightings, to prove to the public that they have nothing to hide. A few recent links: http://www.space.com/news/ap-080514-british-ufo.html http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/world/2008/05/14/black.uk.close.encounter.cnn What a surprise. No revelations. Move along... nothing to see here. Regards Steven Vincent Johnson www.OrionWorks.com www.zazzle.com/orionworks
Re: [Vo]:New ENERGY TIMES (tm) May 10, 2008 -- Issue #28
Terry sez: I think it is Donk's way of saying that your president (bush/shrub) is no smarter than any occupant of the rose garden. Terry MPATHG said it best: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knights_who_say_Ni PS: My spouse and I have tickets to see Spamalot tomorrow night. Can't wait! Regards Steven Vincent Johnson www.OrionWorks.com www.zazzle.com/orionworks
Re: [Vo]:The Bush is a Plant
Krivit sez: I think it is Donk's way of saying that your president (bush/shrub) is no smarter than any occupant of the rose garden. He's not *my* president. ;) http://www.bushslastday.com/ s Just say Ni! Regards Steven Vincent Johnson www.OrionWorks.com www.zazzle.com/orionworks
Re: [Vo]:Britain reveals UFO documents
rant Howdy Richard and Robin, Must be a slow day in Vortexland. Once again distinguished participants have been reduced to talking about those strange squiggly lights seen in the night time skies! ;-) It would seem from my perspective that the so-called UFO phenomenon is ubiquitous to the human psyche. Historical accounts abound of strange encounters from just about every time period and culture. I used to be more rabid in my enthusiasm when talking about the subject of UFOs. Apparently, UFOs weren't listening to my rants, and as such, I've settled down a bit. Will we ever know the answer? Is the truth out there in Muldareland? Does Cold Fusion exist? Do hydrinos exist? Is there truly excess heat emanating from BLP's new breakthrough process involving a new solid fuel? Will we eventually see cheap space heaters using the patented BLP process or perhaps an equally exotic CF process selling like hotcakes off of Wall-Mart's shelves? Will I someday have a magic electric box the size of a cloths hamper lurking down in the corner of my basement supplying my household with up to 25kw of continuous electricity? Will gas soon once again sell for less than twenty five cents a gallon? Questions, questions, questions! Perhaps I'll be in a better mood after I see Spamalot tonight. Ni! /rant Regards Steven Vincent Johnson www.OrionWorks.com www.zazzle.com/orionworks
[Vo]:More rejection!
CNN.com Breaking news: Saudi Arabia has rejected a plea from President Bush to increase oil production, a top White House aide said today. Those darn white house guys! What will they think up next! Regards Steven Vincent Johnson www.OrionWorks.com www.zazzle.com/orionworks
