Classical Values :: Fusion

Fusion - False Alarm

It turns out California To Fund Bussard Fusion is a false alarm:

Here is Joe Strout's comment at Wed Jul 25, 2007 5:09 pm at Talk Polywell.

UPDATE: I got a call back from Bill Maile in the Governor's office. He spoke with the Governor's policy advisors, and in brief, the story is false. This is the first anyone in the Governor's office has even heard of the idea.

He is going to do some research to try and find out the source of the story. Hopefully he'll have better luck reaching somebody at nextenergynews than I have; the site lists no name or phone number, and is registered through domainsbyproxy.com. But maybe a Governor's office carries enough weight to shake loose some real contact information from them. We'll see... He promised to call me again within two hours, and when he does, I'll let you know what he found.

This is very disappointing. However it does raise the visibility of the effort and has gotten some exposure at the Governator's office. It is possible that this may have some good fall out. It is starting to reach political circles. Well, I loved the buzz while it lasted.

Cross Posted at Power and Control and at The Astute Bloggers

Comments

Did Next Energy News just make it up? Weird.

Harkonnendog · July 25, 2007 06:25 PM

The release seemed really well sourced. They got the facts of the device mostly right. The got Dr. B's credentials correct.

It looked real to me.

I started getting suspicious when there was no news after 6 or 8 hours and my e-mail to them got no reply.

M. Simon · July 25, 2007 06:51 PM

Ah poo. Well, if the hoax is played big time and nationwide, it might get the public interest needed to finally get approval and funding.

Scott · July 25, 2007 11:30 PM

I mean, just imagine the headlines:

WORLDWISE ENERGY PROBLEMS SOLVED!

CHEAPEST ELECTRICITY RATES EVER!

THE END OF GLOBAL WARMING FEARS!

BANKRUPTCY OF TERROR-FINANCING OIL STATES PROJECTED WITHIN YEARS!

...

...If you just call your governer's office and lobby him to fund a fusion reactor, that is.

BUT IT'S ALMOST HERE! HURRY WHILE STOCKS LAST!

Scott · July 25, 2007 11:40 PM

Scott,

I like your way of thinking!

M. Simon · July 26, 2007 12:34 AM

Hmmm... Now for a little spontaneous conspiracy thinking. Might someone (or some entity) be trying to kill the idea by stirring up false hopes? The word "fusion" is already heavily associated with cynicism as it is.

I'm intrigued by the background.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_W._Bussard

the final tests of the last device, WB-6, reputedly solved the last remaining physics problem, just as the funding expired and the EMC2 labs had to be shut down.

Considering that "the USNavy had put an embargo on publications of the research, in 1994" what might be going on? First they silence him, then they cut the funding? Now that he has started talking, there's a false report that he's being funded, and (it would appear) a news blackout.

I'm not in a position to know, but is it possible that the powers that be might consider fusion research to be "disruptive" of the status quo?

Eric Scheie · July 26, 2007 09:15 AM

"Next Energy News" appears to be a hoax web site promoting alternative energy developments. The operator's identity is hidden, of course.

I'm wondering who would go to the trouble to do this, and why.

Another one of their stories has drawn a lot of Freeper attention:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1866962/posts

No idea whether it's on the level, and I don't have all day to get up to speed on something that might turn out to be B.S.

Eric Scheie · July 26, 2007 09:40 AM

There is some discussion going on at:

http://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/forums/thread-view.asp?tid=5367&posts=1618#M164873

about the motive behind this.

I'm well versed in the technical details of Dr. Bussard's efforts and the report looked credible to me. Some one who understands Dr. Bussard's work went to a fair amount of trouble to do a really good fake out.

M. Simon · July 26, 2007 01:10 PM