If you’re so ignorant, irrational or politically brainwashed that you think climate change is a hoax or won’t be a serious problem then go to see this movie which opens soon in (February). Here’s a climate change movie that doesn’t even care if you believe in climate change. See it and you’ll probably end up thinking it’s a good idea to wean ourselves off fossil fuels rapidly anyway.
click image above for link to movie website
Readers may have noticed, in my side bar, that I say I am a ”Cold Fusion Advocate”. This is there because, since the early days of 1989 when the first press conference, by Fleischmann and Pons, was held announcing the topic, I have been following the subject via online (before the Internet!) bulletin boards. I have corresponded with the main archivists and publicists of the field and have seen (and held!) experiments they were doing to confirm various claims. I am pretty sure that the effect is real but it has always suffered from “reproducibility” problems. This means that the experiment can be conducted in exactly the same way and sometimes something happens and sometimes it doesn’t.This is not the way to convince fellow scientists that real science is taking place. Another “problem” was that, in most cases, the energy created was pretty small and hard to measure. To be fair, on occasion, explosions have taken place, metal and concrete has been melted but these events are rare and cannot be easily predicted in advance so most scientists remain unconvinced. The full story of the research is very much more complex than this quick sketch that I have drawn but that might come later. One of my contacts is Jed Rothwell – a major figure in the field – who runs the LENR-CANR. org website where the majority of the scientific papers published on the subject over the last 20 years can be downloaded.
One of the very few countries which carried on with the research was Italy. At 10 am today, Andrea Rossi and Sergio Focardi are presenting a device which they claim is generating 10 kilowatts by reacting nickel with hydrogen. Much previous cold fusion research used very expensive materials like platinum and palladium (and deuterium – “heavy” hydrogen) which, if developed, could not have provided the new global source of energy that the effect promises – there simply would not be sufficient quantities of the elements around. That is why they are part of the rare metals group! Very few researchers claimed to have had success with ordinary nickel and ordinary hydrogen. Tantalisingly, the experiments of these researcher seem to have produced quite a lot of energy – enough to heat a motel room (as Jed Rothwell once witnessed). Nickel/hydrogen systems seemed to be even harder to replicate than palladium/deuterium systems. It remains to be seen if this latest spectacular claim is valid but preliminary feedback from the preview yesterday are positive. Wait and see. I just might have to republish my article from the 80’s in “Infinite Energy” magazine where I put forward an ”Environmentalist’s perspective on Cold Fusion” in which I speculated that this might be the “answer” to global warming, Peak oil, pollution, exhaustion of resources and developing the third world.
Make no mistake. If this announcement is legitimate, the world just changed. And not in a small way…
Here is a link to the scientists blog which has several videos. This is the first one
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What follows is a report from one of the first eye witnesses to see the demonstration. Bear with it because it has been translated from Italian.
Photo of the device from last month
I had reported that the Focardi and Rossi demo would be on Jan 15th (based on an online notice) that was the online press conference and that will happen tomorrow. Today there was the italian press conference.
Bologna, 14/1/11 - Focardi-Rossi Ni-H cold fusion test reactor - live report from demo now taking place Friday, Jan. 14, 2011; photos and video pending.
Here is a live update transcript
18.07 - Someone else asked if the nickel is the same increase in temperature. Rossi said that the reactor is fed a powder of nickel and that, compared to much lower temperatures placed, can be found granules of nickel zone (which based on the 1500 ° C).
18.05 - Someone asked if nickel can be used in addition to other metals. . Yes - Rossi responds - but clearly advantageous because nickel is inexpensive.
17.55 - Another application for Ferrari, there were variations in the details of the structure of the nickel? Yes, "replied Rossi - occurring isotopic variations were observed by comparing a sample of virgin nickel with another who had" worked "six months into the machinery. Ferrari states that asked if there were changes from a structural standpoint, the crystalline structure. Focardi himself explains that the electron microscope has identified a number of changes. So probably - Ferrari said - not so much energy could be derived from the same material as the energy potential of the crystal structure.
17.50 - Speaker Prof. Ferrari, Department of Physics, University of Bologna. It is clear - he says - that the device uses "something", something that is transformed, transmuted and eventually runs out. The question is, beyond what this "something", as it can be turned on until the car I keep the machine turning on the machine consumes picograms (thousandths of a billionth of a gram) of nickel and hydrogen to produce kilowatts. Therefore in this type of technology the problem of material consumption is not here with an ounce of nickel we can get 1,000 billion KW.
17.45 - He spoke to Prof Christos Stremmenos to expose its assumptions operation of Rossi-Focardi alas, I can not follow him. But concludes by saying that before it was built the steam engine was then developed the theory that explained the thermodynamic functions
17.40 - Levi Professor of the Physics Department has confirmed - in response to a question - he does not know how the reactor is built, it was limited to measuring what it produces.
17.38 - Celani points out that there was a slight increase (50%) of gamma radiation, but not consistently fluctuating. this is good because it excludes the possibility of a scam (artfully hidden sources of energy into the device). He says it interesting that there was a small flash of gamma rays is that the power is switched off.
17.37 - took the floor to Prof. Celani INFN Frascati.
17.36 - Prof. Levi announced that there was no consumption "measure" of hydrogen, also confirmed that there has been no radiation apart from the environmental fund.
17.34 - Rossi's statement that room there are representatives of a European industrial group that will produce large-scale apparatus, on the basis of the patent held by Focardi and Rossi. The reactor can be connected in series to raise the temperature produced, and in parallel to increase the amount of heat at the same temperature (as if they were electric batteries!).
17.32 - Someone asks how we can call this equipment. Catalyst Energy - Rossi answers - rather than reactor, a term is too general. Rossi maintains that at a theoretical level we can only speculate what happens in the machinery, but there is still much to study. Therefore, the performance (when a factor 15) can certainly go up, we are the Ford T, we arrive at Formula 1!
17.27 - Rossi explained that they were produced from the reactor about 10-12KW, the average energy input was 600-700W (was also measured the dryness of the steam). The experiment was performed by the patent holders and professors from the University of Bologna unrelated to the project
17.25 - Rossi now gives you the word journalists. This will be the most popular of the conference.
17.23 - A few minutes ago was closed hydrogen. The outlet water temperatures (C3) are falling apart (we are already about 65 ° C). Rossi has now announced the start of the press conference, I imagine that there will be an interesting debate. Different physicists have certainly found a lot to do!
17.20 - I'm listening to the comments of others have taken, take for granted the good faith of Focardi and Rossi. But the fact remains that we are faced with a "black box" and we do not know what's inside.
17.15 - The projector continues to display the PC screen with measurements updated in real time (every 2 seconds) to room temperature (C1), inlet water temperature (C2), temperature steam output (C3). The temperature curve (C3) shows that in about 30 minutes (from 16.30 to 17.00) has reached 101 ° C. For example, we have to 17:15:00 23.10 ° C = C1, C2 = 13.40 ° C, C3 = 101.30 ° C.
17.00 - The experimental setting is basically what I am going to describe here. A pump passes the water in the reactor where it is warmed by heat generated by the reaction of cold fusion Ni-H. It is measured the temperature of the incoming and outgoing (now as I said is stable over 101 ° C). The trigger is made by heating the reactor, the absorption apparatus 1269W at the moment is not yet provided us with the data of power output. Rossi explained that the equipment can produce depending on 6 or 7KW or otherwise - he added - up to 10KW. Not to mention of course, but thermal electric power.
16.55 - At this time the temperature of the water (steam) output from the reactor has reached 101.3 ° C and remains constant.
16.45 - Rossi and Prof. Levi are explaining the experiment in groups of six people at a time. I made several photos insert tomorrow.
16.40 - I managed to take a look around the room, the door is now open. The equipment is the photo I posted a couple of days ago on the blog. Pending no explanation, take this opportunity to point out a clarification made by Prof. Levi during his first presentation. Researchers at the University came into play to verify that the equipment will work, that actually produce interesting amounts of energy through cold fusion, and nothing else. And of course that this is not a hoax! Still there is a real physical theory able to explain point by point the phenomenon of cold fusion. And above all, the reactor is covered by an industrial patent: it is not reproducible by anyone on the basis of general knowledge of the principle of cold Fuson.
16.30 - - The RAI is carrying cameramen filming of the reactor according to the room. There is a lot of excitement among those present. I imagine that soon will return to speak out Focardi, Rossi and Levi.
16.25 - The reactor is operating and is producing heat! . Now the data of the experiment are shown in real time by a projector (the outlet water temperature begins to rise).
15.55 - Prof. Levi has finished speaking at the reactor and returned. I regret not being able to put hours of the photos now, I'll do once back at home. There are now around fifty people. Vi spiego la situazione. Let me explain the situation. We are inside a large square room (about 400-500 square meters) set inside an industrial warehouse, located in a corner is a room of 30 square meters where is the equipment. What happens in this room and show time in the room directly on a TV screen than thirty inches.
15.50 - Also - read Levi - were brought by the Department of Physics - INFN Bologna two sodium iodide scintillator to measure the radiation output.
15.45 - Rossi took the floor, anticipates that the reactor will be switched soon. Pass the word to Professor Giuseppe Levi, Department of Physics of Bologna. Explain the types of measures that will be made: 1) estimate the energy produced on the basis of the measure of how much water is vaporized in the second, and 2) to understand the source of the process of energy production seek to ensure that hydrogen is not burned (by measuring the mass at the beginning and end of the experiment).
15.35 - - took the floor Focardi, said colleagues in the Physics Department are taking action in the calibration of measuring instruments. In about 10 minutes the experiment is to begin.
15.30 - Focardi is very close to me, chatting with a colleague of INFN. : If anyone still doubted to what is happening here, here it is the text of the disclaimer that I necessarily had to sign at the entrance:
The undersigned . resident of ... Prov. made aware and conscious of seeing an experiment in energy production with a new kind of reactions between hydrogen and nickel and the possible consequent risks to people, property and animals DECLARE
wanted to attend my own risk to the stated scientific experiment to be held in Bologna, Via Electrician 6 / D, on 14/01/2011 from 15:00 to 20:00.
Explicitly exempts from any direct or indirect individual, company, event organizers and / or speakers of that scientific experiment that would like to attend. in faith
15.20 - I credited (there is a security service to keep out the curious) and I have taken a stand on the tables ready for printing. I am in a shed, the guests continue to arrive into account when about thirty people, I recognized Focardi and Rossi. I see that there is also a troupe RAI, so the news may already be on the TG tonight.
11.00 - I'm leaving now to Perugia, to Bologna. Pollute (and spend) less than those who travel to diesel and gasoline. Due to my multiple natural gas, and the original winning formula that Fiat has squeezed like a lemon and taken to a dead end (it's out of production last September) rather than continue to develop and evolve. With dismay of many who, like me, now can not find any cars on the market capable of replacing it.
09.50 - Rimando, who had not already read them, the post I wrote Wednesday and yesterday to prepare for this dramatic development of cold fusion. Certainly in the next few days, the relative Wikipedia entry will be integrated to what will happen today.
09.30 - I'm getting ready to leave for Bologna, where this afternoon to attend the demonstration reactor Ni-H-Focardi Rossi. A working prototype ready for production on an industrial scale. Technology made in Italy, even though - alas - Rumor that the patent has already been sold abroad. Rossi wants to avoid repetition of the collapse of a winning idea what was refluopetrolio (1). Moreover even Rubbia , Nobel Prize for physics, you have to "migrate" in Spain, after his run of ' ENEA and its Archimedes Project (CSP) here at home were blatantly and carelessly boycotted.
Readers may be interested in an email exchange that occurred between me and a couple of our local politicians here in Jersey in the run up to the Cancun conference. I have decided to leak a few…
A local “climate change friendly” politician, along with all other elected States members, had been sent a piece of anti-global warning science propaganda about the so-called Climategate emails originally sourced from a far right wing American website (The American Thinker) and I had it passed along to me for comment. Click for link to original propaganda piece Here’s a bit of the “debate” that ensued.
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Dear (name removed),
Here's a list of links to credible responses as to whether the "Climategate" emails dent the case for AGW (short answer - not in a million years).
http://thingsbreak.wordpress.com/2009/12/07/the-emerging-scientific-consensus-on-the-swifthack-emails-get-real-denialists/
Nick Palmer
On the side of the Planet - and the people - because they're worth it
Blogspot - Sustainability and stuff according to Nick Palmer
http://nickpalmer.blogspot.com
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Nick, my complaint is that the politicians are wanting to sacrifice the world economy on the basis of fraudulent science. Adaptation not mitigation. And please make a clear distinction between CO2, a useful gas, and pollution.
Regards
name removed
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Hi (name removed),
Oh, don't be so silly. The science isn't fraudulent. You quote from Pielke who you describe as "another genuine scientist". I agree. There are very few credible "contrarian" scientists left who dispute the basic IPCC position. Pielke is one of them. Similar credible darlings-of-the-deniers are Lindzen, Christy, Spencer and Pat Micheals. For the purposes of this argument, I will include S. Fred Singer in this list too - although he is no longer a credible voice.
Here is what Pielke said, in his own words, in the extract you sent in, in which you rather shoot your own position in the foot:
"The role of added carbon dioxide as a major contributor in climate change has been firmly established. However, as you know I have questioned its relative role and our ability to accurately predict its longer-term effects. But that it has an effect is clear...
Policies focused on controlling the emissions of greenhouse gases are justified for many reasons beyond the climatic effect of CO2, so I want to be clear that the science questions are not necessarily directly translatable into policy implications. But one implication of my own work and that of others is clear — however successful we are in reducing emissions, a significant problem of human-caused climate change will remain as the other equally or even more important major contributors to climate change are not addressed by emissions reductions.
So I am urging that we take this broader perspective. It is not an argument against reducing emissions of greenhouse gases, but it is recognition that the human role in the climate system is much more than just the added CO2. I have no problem with well thought out policies focused on reducing greenhouse gas emissions. I do have a problem with equating such policies with a comprehensive approach to climate change."
All the other darlings-of-the-deniers scientists hold similar views. Several of them are on film confirming this in this Climate Crock video
but it's also easy to find longer statements confirming their views online. As an obvious consequence, the vast majority of the thick, evil or politically blinded and deafened denialosphere's rhetoric and arguments and claims can be seen to be the complete garbage and lies and breath-taking stupidity that anyone who understands the basic physics of the radiative/absorptive transfer characteristics of gases knew they were all along.
Where the "Ds of the Ds" scientists differ from the overwhelming majority of credible climate scientists is that they believe the climate sensitivity (the figure by which global temperature is expected to rise for each doubling of CO2) is less than the IPCC estimate of about 3 degrees. If so, then the horror stories won't come to pass. If it is 3 degrees, then the predicted shock-horror stories are likely to come to pass. If it is greater than 3 degrees, then we face climate Armageddon and the almost certain extinction of large numbers of species with large areas of the globe becoming uninhabitable not to mention the elimination of most marine life, in a mass extinction event.
The thing about the figure for climate sensitivity is it is not known exactly. It is estimated from how past climate changes played out plus from the basic physics of greenhouse gases. How all the feedbacks work is also subject to a fair amount of uncertainty. We do know that the climate has changed catastrophically in the past under less "forcing" than we are currently applying.
Without the use of a time machine to go back and run different experiments on the planet's atmosphere it is not possible to definitively establish a figure until we have run the experiment through to the conclusion/bitter end, checking observations as we go. If we take no serious action then, if sensitivity is a lot less than 3 deg, happy days. If it is 3 deg, then we're in for increasing trouble that won't stop for thousands of years. If it is more than 3 deg, then our world as we have known it ends, along with civilisation and the death of most the population. It might end with a bang or a whimper but wouldn't it be fun if it ends with someone telling the (local politician’s name removed)s "I told you so"?
The point is (name removed), it comes down to whether you believe we will be lucky or not. The majority of scientists say we won't be - all the computer models (20+) say we won't be - none even hint that the opposite is probable. You have a perfect right to risk your own future neck and I will just about fight to the death to defend that right, however, you haven't got the right to risk everybody else's future that you may drag down to climate hell with you, if your "optimistic" view prevails. As complete certainty of the eventual outcome is not possible to know before it is far too late to reverse the accelerating bad stuff, deciding what to do is a matter of calculated risk assessment.
Do you feel certain enough of your views that you will risk billions of lives? Do you feel lucky, punk?
Oh, BTW. I think the person interviewing the "Ds of the Ds" scientists in the video may be Martin Durkin, the (edited) who put together the appallingly mendacious "Great Global Warming Swindle". As you can see they set him straight. I suppose he is even worse than Anthony Watts.
Nick Palmer
On the side of the Planet - and the people - because they're worth it
Blogspot - Sustainability and stuff according to Nick Palmer
http://nickpalmer.blogspot.com
p.s Adaptation is not possible to some of what is likely if nothing adequate is done. What hubris to imagine adaptation is a viable strategy!
CO2 in excess can be called a pollutant when its deleterious effects begin to overwhelm its positive effects. Obviously vital in the correct proportions, excess CO2, like excess water or cheeseburgers, can kill. I am surprised to see you stoop to that cheap Competitive Enterprise Institute piece of propaganda - watch their achingly funny but sinister video on Youtube - Global Warming - "Energy" with the fantastically stupid end quote - "they call it pollution - we call it life". You couldn't make it up!
Oh finally, exactly what sort of economy do you think the world could support if the few left have been forced back to the mediaeval times? At least that would be a genuine mediaeval warm period...
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Nick, I am not going to indulge in a point scoring match – I am merely concerned with what is the best answer based on solid evidence. If there had been a proper debate on the science instead of the political approach taken, then there could have been a much more constructive debate. Instead we have ignoramuses like Al Gore prancing round making totally ignorant statements and making a great deal on money to boot.
You know perfectly well that the science is never settled – there are always improvements, better data and evidence and so forth. The important thing is to look at new data objectively and not politically.
Regards
(name removed)
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The email “debate” fizzled out after that. It shows the sheer incorrigibility and imperviousness to argument of those who call themselves sceptics or contrarians. Whatever evidence or logic one brings to bear is just shrugged off with a political shimmy. Some people really do seem to be convinced that what they believe, or want to believe outranks reality. Should we trust such people with positions of power no matter how much we ourselves may want to believe the things they are saying?
I have just found the rather special online satirical website Guernsey FUTU (clue: probably means the same as the French word foutu…). It is very funny. I thought I’d steal one of their recent articles to encourage people to have a look at more – click for link to e-zine.
The E-zine reminds me a little of Wet Wet le Geyt/Sergeant Pipon’s lonely hearts club band (“Back in Omar’s Moustache are Fab” for those with long memories) - the band with the Jersey name that sounds like another band which isn’t from Jersey - as an example of intelligent cutting local humour (that may not all be understood by “outsiders”). This article (beware the odd sweary word lurking within right from the start) however has universal relevance to anyone who participates enthusiastically in the consumer society and doesn’t quite “get” the Story of Stuff video.
It’s official: the people of Guernsey still don’t have enough stuff.
It had been hoped that having each acquired hundreds of pounds’ worth of consumables on Christmas Day, Islanders’ appetite for purchasing things would have been sated – at least until mid-January.
But this week Town has been packed with people desperate to buy ever more stuff.
“I haven’t acquired anything in 36 hours,” said a sweating, twitching Melanie Retch, shortly before racing up the High Street in search of a shop – any shop – that was prepared to take her money in exchange for soon-to-be obsolescent electrical goods or ill-fitting clothes that would be worn once and then discarded.
“I know I’ve got piles of unopened gifts at home, but there is still stuff out there that I haven’t got that I think I sort of need. I like to fill my life with all this crap so I don’t have to think about dying.”
WHERE’S MUMMY?
Jenny Pettifogger, 37, was first in line for the Next sale. “I’ve been camping outside the shop since May 2002,” she said. “Anything for a bargain or a Page 4 photo in the Press!” She held up three carrier bags full of stuff that she’d convinced herself she liked. “It was worth giving up eight years of my life, and missing my children growing up, just to be the first through the door – even though most of this will end up in Oxfam by March.”
“It’s the sales,” said Mary Hurtle, another shopper. “Lots and lots of stuff I don’t need is suddenly 10% cheaper. Whereas before Christmas I thought I could live without it, I now realise that I must absolutely own it – if only to replace it at some point during 2011.”
Mrs Hurtle was happy to share her purchasing strategy: “I tend to go into each and every shop and grab the first thing that I see, regardless of its cost, quality or utility. Sometimes, I’ll just rush up to a display table and sweep armfuls of brightly-coloured stuff into my basket, tears of joy streaming down my cheeks.”
DEAD INSIDE
Chris Hurdle, father of two, was queuing up to buy a new 700-inch flat-screen TV, despite having received six over Christmas. “But this one is in the sales,” he explained. “And besides, buying it will push my credit card debt up to exactly £5,000 – a nice round number.”
Joshua Tree, 8, said that he’d amassed a personal fortune of £40 thanks to the generosity of various aunts and uncles. He had already decided to spend it on Bullet Whore VI, despite getting Bullet Whores I to V from Father Christmas.
Guernsey Futu asked him why he was so desperate to spend his Christmas cash. “What’s it going to do sitting in my bedroom at home?” he asked. “Nothing. It’s dead money.”
Geoff Malt, 32, was queuing up in HMV. He told Guernsey Futu that he was midway through his annual DVD box set upgrade.
“All the box sets I bought this time last year are now incomplete because they’ve brought out sequels or new TV series,” he explained. “This is the sixth time I’ve bought the Peep Show box set.”
Asked why he couldn’t just purchase future series on individual DVDs, Mr Malt shot Guernsey Futu a pitying look. “Because they wouldn’t be in the box, would they? They wouldn’t be in the special box with the other DVDs. You know, with Series 1 through to Series 5, all contained in a little cardboard slipcase. Jesus.”
WANT IT
“I get twitchy unless I obtain a car boot’s worth of useless shit between Christmas and New Year,” said Max Bastion, hauling a dozen carrier bags back to his 4×4. “I’m a consumer, through and through – buying nothing makes my penis shrivel up. I’m not even going to open half this stuff. I’ll just stick it in storage.”
“If Town is closed for more than one day, I begin to feel physically sick,” admitted Maud Comet, who had been parked at North Beach since 7am on Monday 27th December. “What else is there to do in Guernsey except spend money on cheap, mass-produced inessentials?”
“I literally burnt all the presents I got for Christmas,” said Kirk Chagrin. “Unwrapped them, gave ‘em the once over, doused ‘em in petrol and torched the fuckers. I had to clear the way for the influx of entirely new stuff that I intend to throw away in due course.”
NO FUTURE
Paul Glut of the Retailers Consortium gave the post-Christmas buying frenzy a double thumbs-up.
“It’s been a fantastic week,” he said. “Over-the-counter purchases hit £400 billion an hour and levels of personal indebtedness rose to a record high.
“Retailers and consumers alike should give themselves a pat on the back: spending money you don’t have on shit you don’t need to fill an emotional gap you can’t explain is surely what Christmas is all about.”
