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Panel Suggests Fewer Restrictions on Science

Posted: Fri Jan 09, 2009 5:30 pm
by Mike Holmes
The president elect is being advised to loosen secrecy and immigration policies for scientists: http://www.newsdaily.com/stories/tre507 ... y-science/

Not sure whether, if this is implemented, it would have any effect on the secrecy surrounding Polywell. Interesting, nonetheless.

Mike

Posted: Sun Jan 11, 2009 5:11 pm
by TallDave
It increases the likelihood a Polywell device will be built in China.

Posted: Sun Jan 11, 2009 11:23 pm
by Professor Science
it also decreases the likely hood of a scientist going "bugger this, i'm moving to new zealand"

Posted: Sun Jan 18, 2009 6:22 am
by TallDave
Actually, it just increases the likelihood someone from New Zealand (or China) would come here.

Don't get me wrong, I love the USA but I won't cry if the Chinese are nore willing to throw $200M at this project. If it works, Polywell tech will be harder to control than the cotton gin.

Posted: Sun Jan 18, 2009 11:38 am
by MSimon
TallDave wrote:Actually, it just increases the likelihood someone from New Zealand (or China) would come here.

Don't get me wrong, I love the USA but I won't cry if the Chinese are nore willing to throw $200M at this project. If it works, Polywell tech will be harder to control than the cotton gin.
What is funny is that right now you can't give it away.

I have contacted Brit MPs. Nothing.

The Polywell fan club is world wide. And yet no country or consortium has shown a willingness to put up even a few million for a pulsed test model or a few tens of millions for a continuous operation test model.

If it works I think it will go the way of fission nukes. At best the USA will have a 4 year head start.

Posted: Sun Jan 18, 2009 10:19 pm
by rj40
MSimon wrote: I have contacted Brit MPs. Nothing.

The Polywell fan club is world wide. And yet no country or consortium has shown a willingness to put up even a few million for a pulsed test model or a few tens of millions for a continuous operation test model.

I can certainly understand that. I’ll bet that most people who look into the claims on this will have their bullshit detectors tripped rather quickly.

1. Abundant and clean power at a reasonable price for a very long time.
2. Interplanetary travel.
3. “Decontamination” of radioactive waste. Well, at least a lessoning of the contamination. What was Bussards claim? Something that would have had to have been stored for 90,000 years would only have to be stored for 90 years after treatment from a Polywell.
4. We ought to have a working model in, about, 5 years for, about, 200 million dollars.

Is a government or corporation going to risk anything on this? Now?

But I sure wish someone would.

Posted: Mon Jan 19, 2009 4:49 am
by MSimon
rj40,

For about $5 million they could test the claims. ITER is budgeted at $1 bn a year.

Posted: Mon Jan 19, 2009 5:03 am
by djolds1
MSimon wrote:If it works I think it will go the way of fission nukes. At best the USA will have a 4 year head start.
Contra. The gov't that creates it will have a 4 year lead. The Sovereign Pakistani Caliphate of the Heavens has a perverse amusement.
rj40 wrote:Is a government or corporation going to risk anything on this? Now?

But I sure wish someone would.
Validation would cost chicken feed. Any VC interest could do it. After that the full scale development would be fairly affordable. The cost of ~1.5 F22 fighters.

Posted: Mon Jan 19, 2009 6:23 pm
by rj40
Thanks for the input. My point is I don't think a request for money for this project will get very far in most cases. I imagine most non-profits, governments, companies, and etc. get all sorts of requests. And unless the person reviewing a polywell request knows better, it might seem just as whacky as many of the others.

Imagined requests:

1. $100K for American lifter anti-grav technology
2. $2.5M for vitamin C research
3. $10M for cancer research
4. $1M for rainforest action committee
5. $5M for Polywell research
6. $500K for March of Dimes 2009
7. $50K for Red Cross 2009
8. $3M for Focus Fusion
9. $100K for the AIDS research alliance
10. $250K for global warming group

If I were to look into the details of each of these, say as part of a job as a screener for where to put charity or investment dollars, I don’t think Polywell would come out on top. In fact, without looking further into it, I wouldn’t give Polywell 10 cents. It seems to good to be true. Now Cancer research. Ah! Now I can imagine investing/donating to that.

Posted: Mon Jan 19, 2009 7:19 pm
by MSimon
I have used mega-doses of vitamin C in lieu of antibiotics to fight infections. It works.

Posted: Mon Jan 19, 2009 8:01 pm
by alexjrgreen
MSimon wrote:I have used mega-doses of vitamin C in lieu of antibiotics to fight infections. It works.
Example here: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9926292

Posted: Mon Jan 19, 2009 8:33 pm
by MSimon
alexjrgreen wrote:
MSimon wrote:I have used mega-doses of vitamin C in lieu of antibiotics to fight infections. It works.
Example here: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9926292
If the infections were severe I dosed at the rate of about 1 gram per hour or about 24 grams a day.

It is possible that the study might have gotten better response than 30% with a higher dose.

My criteria for acute infections was to start with 1 g/hr and up the dose until farting began. Kind of an interesting way to measure the proper dose. If not always conducive to decorum and proper etiquette. Not to mention the olfactory discomforts.

Posted: Tue Jan 20, 2009 4:26 pm
by kurt9
rj40 wrote:Thanks for the input. My point is I don't think a request for money for this project will get very far in most cases. I imagine most non-profits, governments, companies, and etc. get all sorts of requests. And unless the person reviewing a polywell request knows better, it might seem just as whacky as many of the others.

Imagined requests:

1. $100K for American lifter anti-grav technology
2. $2.5M for vitamin C research
3. $10M for cancer research
4. $1M for rainforest action committee
5. $5M for Polywell research
6. $500K for March of Dimes 2009
7. $50K for Red Cross 2009
8. $3M for Focus Fusion
9. $100K for the AIDS research alliance
10. $250K for global warming group

If I were to look into the details of each of these, say as part of a job as a screener for where to put charity or investment dollars, I don’t think Polywell would come out on top. In fact, without looking further into it, I wouldn’t give Polywell 10 cents. It seems to good to be true. Now Cancer research. Ah! Now I can imagine investing/donating to that.
You forgot SENS and the Methuselah Mouse Prize.

Posted: Wed Jan 21, 2009 2:58 pm
by kmkramer
Professor Science wrote:it also decreases the likely hood of a scientist going "bugger this, i'm moving to new zealand"
It also increases the number of post-docs from the PRC and India making less than $20k for doing the research of tenured faculty. And they wonder why Americans are going into technology fields in lower numbers.

Posted: Wed Jan 21, 2009 5:16 pm
by Helius
MSimon wrote:I have used mega-doses of vitamin C in lieu of antibiotics to fight infections. It works.
No doubt your twin brother died in the control experiment.