wu :: forums - Print Page


    
      
        wu :: forums
        (http://www.ocf.berkeley.edu/~wwu/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.cgi)
      

        riddles >> general problem-solving / chatting / whatever >> Free Energy
        
(Message started by: TenaliRaman on Sep 2^nd, 2006, 1:36am)

Title: Free Energy
Post by TenaliRaman on Sep 2^nd, 2006, 1:36am

What do you call this season, the season where i get to read all sorts of bizarre stuffs about revolutionary physics decrying the old physical laws or a very simple proof to fermats last theorem??

Well, in any case, the form for an interesting read,
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steorn

-- AI

Title: Re: Free Energy
Post by towr on Sep 2^nd, 2006, 9:38am

There's a lot of 'free energy', even wind energy qualifies..
If their invention does 'generate' energy, it'll come from somewhere no doubt. Perhaps it cools the room, or taps earth magnetic field, I haven't read it carefully..

Title: Re: Free Energy
Post by TenaliRaman on Sep 2^nd, 2006, 11:37am

The fun part is actually the challenge thrown by that company to scientists and engineers to verify that claim. (Ofcourse, its not all open and they are being quite closed about it). I dont know how far they are right but heck they have created one hell of a publicity.

Title: Re: Free Energy
Post by rmsgrey on Sep 4^th, 2006, 7:44am

There seem to be 3 possibilities: they're lying; they're mistaken; or they're right.

Based on the history of such claims, the odds are against the third possibility, but it's impossible to rule it out completely without knowing more details of their claims.

Their behavior makes it more likely that they're lying - or at least it seems that something dodgy is going on (unless the unpatentability of the device means that they're worried about someone else stealing the technology)

If the machine checks out, my money would go on them being mistaken - that there's some subtle energy source being tapped into without them realising...

Title: Re: Free Energy
Post by towr on Sep 4^th, 2006, 1:24pm

If I had a machine that produced free power, I'd be starting a power company..

Title: Re: Free Energy
Post by Grimbal on Sep 5^th, 2006, 11:27pm

on 09/04/06 at 13:24:24, towr wrote:

If I had a machine that produced free power, I'd be starting a power company..

Who would buy power, if it is free? ;)

Title: Re: Free Energy
Post by towr on Sep 6^th, 2006, 1:27am

on 09/05/06 at 23:27:11, Grimbal wrote:

Who would buy power, if it is free? ;)

Well, diamonds are free, you just dig them up. People still buy them.
Selling free things for money is a good business plan, as long as the other people can't also get it for free. ::)

Title: Re: Free Energy
Post by Grimbal on Sep 6^th, 2006, 1:44am

Actually, I thought the same. If it works, patent it and start to produce power. Then license the process.

My thoughts: It could be a marketing campaign. They could even make profit by just selling ads on their web site.

Or maybe they get a grant for researching the process. So it doesn't matter whether it works or not. They've got a revenue.

Title: Re: Free Energy
Post by towr on Sep 6^th, 2006, 5:48am

on 09/06/06 at 01:44:35, Grimbal wrote:

My thoughts: It could be a marketing campaign. They could even make profit by just selling ads on their web site.

That's clever.. Maybe I should try that some day.

Title: Re: Free Energy
Post by Icarus on Sep 8^th, 2006, 4:29pm

While I agree with all the comments - particularly about being unable to judge without any information, this sounds like an investment scam: you announce a spectacular breakthru that will revolutionize an industry. You dress it up all nice and pretty, while holding the "details" close to your chest. People looking to make a killing by getting in on the ground floor of this new phenomenon (who among those of us who were around back in 1980 doesn't wish we had bought some Microsoft stock) start investing in the new firm. The invested money is "used to create infrastructure" or pay for overpriced advertising. Eventually the claim is discredited, and the company busts. The stock collapses and the investment is gone. The assets are seized, but don't add up to anywhere near what is lost. The owners are either missing, or else have found some place where they can legally lick their wounds with the millions in assets from their salaries which they've managed to protect by loopholes in the bankruptcy laws.

This might be a false accusation against Steorn, but I would not invest in them at this point.