[ExI] Steorn back from the grave?

[Damien Broderick]

On 12/17/2009 12:00 PM, John Clark wrote:
>>> They say it produces 3 times as much energy as it consumes, and they
>>> have the output connected up to the input, so I don't understand why it
>>> doesn't spin faster and faster until it explodes.
>>
>> Because, according to the video, it dissipates a lot of kinetic energy
>> as heat. A sort of very slow, controlled explosion, if you like.
>
> They must be using some VERY cheap bearings!  If it produces 3 times as
> mush energy as it uses and the output is connected to the input it
> should melt down into slag.

No doubt you're right. The thing has to be bogus. The question is: what 
the hell are they up to? What's going on? My guess: they started with an 
apparent anomaly, got wildly excited, figured they were destined to be 
world-changers, got some research funding from investors, looked 
seriously and honestly into it for a couple of years, kept getting 
nothing repeatable, the lower ranks stayed on it because hey it's a job, 
the top guys like Sean perhaps remained delusionally committed (protect 
sunk costs etc, keep the faith), and so it continues until finally they 
have to do *something* visible to the public. My guess: by now it has 
become a deliberate scam even if it didn't start that way, or their 
pride stops them admitting they made a silly mistake, sorry folks, 
nothing to see here. Luckily there's at least no theological reward as 
with "faith" scams, except for the ideological driver of "the giant 
oil/nuclear/fusion research interests are covering this up" variety.

But maybe there's some other, more subtle explanation, neither 
deliberate scam nor real effect. I can't think of one, though.

Damien Broderick