Friday, July 4, 2008

1. SCIENCE BUDGET: ROUND-OFF MONEY AVERTS LAYOFF.

As WN pointed out last week, $400 million in the $186 billion supplemental war spending bill, or about 0.2 percent, is for science. It's divided among four agencies. Still, it allowed Fermilab, the nation's top accelerator laboratory, to resume its research program and avoid the lay off of 80 employees. Fermilab has been paying employees from an anonymous $5 million gift since May. For the top high-energy physics research facility in the world's most powerful nation to be reduced to operating on private charity is a national embarrassment. We desperately need change in our science policy. Somebody's campaign slogan is "change," but neither candidate ever mentions science.

2. CHANGE: IT SOUNDS GOOD, BUT WHICH WAY IS IT GOING?

It is standard political lore that anyone seeking nomination must fish in friendly water. Once nominated, they should begin casting their lines in the direction of their opponent. So it is that having secured the nomination Obama is now trying to hook a few evangelicals, even calling for expansion of Bush's controversial faith-based initiative. His fund raising now targets the big fish rather than the ten-dollar mom-and-pop donations he boasted of during the nomination. Yesterday, according to the NY Times, Obama gave a talk in Fargo, ND in which he made his usual point that the United States cannot sustain a long-term military presence in Iraq, but then added that he might "refine" his policies on Iraq after he meets with American commanders in Iraq next month. This, I'm assured, is smart politics, but I liked him better when he wasn't that smart.

3. ENERGY: HIGH FUEL PRICES BRING OUT THE VOODOO SCIENCE.

The latest is something called the Hydro Assist Fuel Cell. It's not a fuel cell as the rest of world uses the term; it's a kit to modify your existing car. It extracts a hydrogen-oxygen mixture from water and adds it to your fuel, doubling your mpg. The same people are now offering the Pre-Ignition Catalytic Converter, PICC, to upgrade performance of the HAFC. Never mind the laws of thermodynamics, it's "based on scientific observation." But this is another mom and pop operation; the big fish are still biting on BlackLight Power. Let's take a look.

4. HYDRINO SCAM: IT COULD HAVE BEEN A LOT BIGGER.

According to an article in Wednesday's CNN Money.com, BlackLight Power has raised $60 million from investors "in its 19-year history." Nineteen years would take it back to its cold fusion roots. WN has followed Randy Mills since 1991 (WN 26 Apr 91) when he held a press conference in Lancaster, PA. The full history can be found in the What's New archives, http://www.bobpark.org, click on Search and type in "hydrino." Some estimates were that Mills could raise $1 billion with an IPO, but he was unable to protect his intellectual property, if any, with a US patent (WN 6 Sep 02) . He then sought to patent the process abroad. In April 2008 he was denied 4 patents in the UK.

Bob Park can be reached via email at whatsnew@bobpark.org
THE UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND
Opinions are the author's and are not necessarily shared by the University, but they should be.