I guess for some people too-good-to-be-true trumps too-absurd-to-be-a-lie...
Harry From: Jed Rothwell <[email protected]> >To: [email protected] >Sent: Wednesday, July 6, 2011 5:24:37 PM >Subject: Re: [Vo]:Suppose the DoE were testing a device instead of the Greek >Min. of Energy > > >I wrote: > >Memo from the Director of Safety Testing: Did you measure the generated heat? >>> >>>Response from testing technician: No, of course not, that wasn't in the test >>>specification. We did not see any explosions. . . . > > > > >Let me point out another thing about this un-funny joke, and the many similar >comments coming in by private e-mail. >The Greek government, like all other EU counties, has to certify that a >product does what is claimed. A company is not allowed to sell a product which >does not meet the advertised claims. That would be consumer fraud. Products >are tested by agencies to prevent this. If the company says a hybrid car gets >50 mpg and goes 100 mph, it has to submit prototypes to a testing agency that >will assure that is true, and give the car a rating. This is how things work >in U.S., the EU and Japan. > > >Defkalion has a reactor they claim inputs 450 W and outputs 20 kW. If there is >no anomalous heat, and output is actually 450 W, the regulators will see that. >They will not allow Defkalion to go around claiming this is a kilowatt heater >if it isn't. > >A correspondent wrote to me that she does not trust EU regulators. They might >not do this job adequately. My response: > > >"To what extent do you not trust them? Do you think they are incapable of >measuring 450 W input and 20,000 W output, continuing for weeks or months? How >difficult do you think that is to confirm? > > >Do you seriously doubt that an EU government agency is incapable of >determining that? Have you ever been to Europe? You will note that buildings >there do not often collapse, the trains do not run off the rails, and Airbus >aircraft do not routinely fall from the skies. Evidently, their industrial >standards and agencies are about as good as ours. > > >It is one thing to have doubts about the ability of engineers to measure some >subtle effect, or to do a particularly difficult state-of-the art test. What >you are saying is that you don't trust these people can measure the difference >between 450 W and 20,000 W." > > >That's preposterous. > > >Abd is either joking, or he imagines it would not occur to these people to do >this measurement. That is also preposterous. It is also insulting and it >defies common sense and what all know about modern governments and commerce. >Corporations are not allowed to manufacture and sell fake >300,000 kilowatt scale reactors that actually only produce 450 W. That would >be like advertising and selling an ordinary 25 mpg car as a 2500 mpg magical >super-car. Regulators will notice you are doing that. They will shut you down >with a criminal injunction. Unless, of course, they have tested the car and >determined that it is true. > > >Lots of people -- customers and regulators -- would notice if Defkalion did >that. There is no chance that Defkalion will make money doing that. No country >on earth would allow them to do it. So stop with the absurd fantasies and the >denial of common-sense reality. > > >- Jed > > > >
