Alt-NRG X Prizes ? Here's one. Jones Beene wrote somewhere, sometime:
> There has been talk recently (wishful thinking?) of a governmental > initiative, or preferably a private foundation (or joint > public/private) initiative to jump-start the development of > several forward-thinking alternative energy technologies. But not > funded through the traditional and wasteful cost-plus system, > much-loved by our military ... Instead, the best ideas are > rewarded by a very large cash prize - and only for success. IOW > The X-Prize on steroids, part deux. Bump the value up to $50 > million and stand back. ... The $10 million Ansari X Prize was primarily a publicity gimmick for the winner (Burt Rutan's Scaled Composites) since it neither paid for the development of the launch system nor did the vehicle itself get within a fraction of Earth orbit (minimum 200 km altitude at 8 km/s; see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Low_Earth_orbit). Instead it got up to just over 100 kilometers; the so-called "boundary of space". Getting their vehicle to orbit would have required 30 times more energy. All this using variations on known technology. BUT!! If you are looking for a prize for new energy developments -- or anything -- based on new physics, may I suggest the James Randi Educational Foundation's One Million Dollar Paranormal Challenge. When I queried JREF about the eligibility of "cold fusion"-type phenomena, Mr. Randi himself responded in the affirmative. "Perpetual motion" machines have also long been accepted. No challenger has even made it to formal testing. The nice thing about this is: You don't even have to have a practical device. Just show with some experiment that you are clearly violating accepted physics -- probably harder than you think! -- and the prize and glory are yours. Of course, convincing yourself and your witnesses (see the Challenge rules) as well as Mr. Randi's representatives that you really have something isn't scientific proof of anything. But the publicity would certainly attract industrial backing for further exploration and development. (Or you might find that you had simply fooled yourself and some other people for a while. Either way the scoffers would have an opportunity to work themselves up into a high dudgeon; always fun.) Link for the Challenge: http://www.randi.org/research/ Email queries: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Some critiques of the Challenge are noted at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Randi_Educational_Foundation Please read the Challenge rules carefully before you contact JREF. -Walter
