"Selling" Cold Fusion? Public Relations? And this is Science we're talking about? It's disgusting. Guys like Feyerabend were more right than anyone likes to admit. Peer review becomes sneer review and instead of the Defenders of the Dominant Paradigm dying off, we're stuck with obituaries in the wrong camp. If I ever discover free energy, I swear I'm going to reveal it as Jesus did miracles: "Tell no one" - so that the whole world will know, in reaction. On a more hopeful note, I find some joy in the recent worldwide economic disaster, as this and total war are what bring new ideas and talents to the forefront of human progress. War and bankruptcy can remove obstacles that reason and "science" can't. I see opportunities in these areas: 1) The Dead Hand of US car companies may be lifted. We'll get electric cars somehow - and if we don't, the Chinese will. A thousand curses on GM for what they did to the EV-1. 2) Big Evil Drug companies - you know, the guys who brazenly violate the law again and again? Who put out lists of doctors to be "neutralized" ( Australia, Vioxx), who get extentions on patent expirations so generics aren't available? It seems that they collectively forgot to develop any new drugs and the stuff they've got is headed for Generic-City. Good Riddance. The real breakthroughs will come from brave little companies working on stem cells. 3) Banksters - hey, let's run an entire economy on financial speculation! Oh, wait. we've tried that. Eventually, even Congress may be forced to rein in these elite thugs and get investor attention focused on anything more useful. I continue to be amazed at the inventions and competence of ordinary men who came to the fore in WW2 - in an evil way(Nazis who used to be street bums and chicken farmers) and in a good way( the Allies copying the Autobahn, using Jewish scientists to create atomic energy and much more). Feyerabend said to toss in some anarchy once in a while. Maybe he was right.
