NOTEPAD for RANDOM IDEAS

[rhull]

Being first a scientist and active experimenter whose time is valuable, I always allow anyone with major claims and ideas to show me what they have. You would be amazed how zero ever show up. I do not need to experiment with the ideas of others if their conviction related to their world beater new energy idea inspires them to such a degree as to do absolutely nothing whatsoever in the way of mechanizing it. It sort of is a very telling thing in and of itself. it gets religated to "the wind blew and the s--- flew" kind of thing and just another new energy bubble that contains only the hot air pumped into it.

I experiment on one thing and one thing only. That which I choose, not that which is appointed or recommended to me by dispeptic, flatulent, non-hackers whose spiel sounds out of tune with reality and appears scientifically bogus.

I have had two specific instances of taking my time and treasure disproving scientifically, and with open experiment, claims made in the new energy field. At the end of the day all my efforts and documented results were ignored by the ignorant and the ever hopeful. The believers continued in their forelorn hope. Once a new energy idea is ensconced, (almost never by wheelwork, but by bluster), it is impossible to dislodge the faithful from their course. Reason is not to be found among them.

Show me or move on to try and locate a hopeful sucker to swallow the clap-trap on faith.

Richard Hull

[Linda Brown]

Mr. Hull,

And perhaps I should ask. What is it about your positive experience or attitude or contributing attributes that would motivate anyone here to show you anything? Using just your words. Show me or move on. Linda

[FM No Static At All]

Up And Atom
Oh, the inverse square of the distance
Is the measure of a mass
That's why every liquid
Appears heavier than its gas

Ionized particles afloatin' in air
Seem to rule the earth
But yet they won't grow hair~
(On ~ bald head)

And we can tell you this
Without sounding too prophetic
That every piece of matter
Is really quite magnet1c

Therefore many a bright man
Has acted like a fool
Trying to prove why gravity
Has a push and pull

Ms. Brown there are those who will not look beyond their beliefs. They will never seek anything that those before did not already prove. And will certainly not allow their saints of physics to be blasphemed by the heresy of those who chose to think for themselves and imagine more than what was known in their present time.

Standing on the shoulders of giants cannot make one see any clearer, but those that climb the mountains where no one has dared go before, surely see hwat no others have seen before.

And Mr. Hull, since you are so narrowly focused on one thing and one thing only, perhaps it that very narrow mindedness that prevents you from seeing the rest of the reality you so vehemently deny exists. Perhaps you do not realize that there a several rather learned and experienced mathematicians and scientists here among us laypersons, who have provided us with guidance and knowledge as we sought to go beyond the classical college physics, to discover what is not accepted let alone taught.

You sir, are waiting for someone else to do the work, and that will happen of course in the not so distant future. And I am sure you will then not only become a convert, but also want to claim some recognition for it. I may not have the formal education, but I have read all of the texts and attended the lectures, and i have been thrown out for my questions by some of the most tenured in their field. And I still say they are the ones that are dreamers, waiting for the proof of a Big Bang that never happened. The world is flat to them and to you sir, for you refuse to take the journey to the horizon with us.

I bless you and offer you the opportunity to look beyond what you have been taught, and seek new experiences to shatter old beliefs.

[Mikado14]

I know Geoff Miller....I know he thinks highly of you....Geoff never had an original thought unless it was to copy from someone else.....nuff said.

I have seen pictures of Tesla coils shooting out fingers across the floor joists and heard the talk of discussion Joe Newman's machine all held within your workshop. I became involved in such a test of the sacred Newman motor. If your comments are based upon THAT particular "free energy" device, I agree with you in regard to bogus physics being perpetrated by unknowing individuals.

For those who don't know Joe, here is an interesting link:

http://www.phact.org/e/skeptic/newman.htm


Mikado

[FM No Static At All]

I know Geoff Miller....I know he thinks highly of you....Geoff never had an original thought unless it was to copy from someone else.....<sip> ... the talk of discussion Joe Newman's machine all held within your workshop. I became involved in such a test of the sacred Newman motor. If your comments are based upon THAT particular "free energy" device, I agree with you in regard to bogus physics being perpetrated by unknowing individuals.
For those who don't know Joe, here is an interesting link: http://www.phact.org/e/skeptic/newman.htm

Mikado

Well, Mr. Mikado, it is apparent that Joe don't know Jack! But for Mr. Hull's remarks here to be based on this guy and others who obviously are charlatans or just plain quacks, and to lump true scientists like Dr. Brown, Nikola Tesla, and Harold Aspden in with that lot is just plain not right. Thank you sir for that interesting URL above, as it does show why a grain of salt is required to season all suck investigation of free energy claims.

And again to Mr. Hull, if you are truly a scientist then why haven't you personally experimented with the devices of others and made that data available for others that are not experienced as you and are shelling out money to these quacks? Can you not see that it would serve the interests of many if someone with scientific knowledge and expertise can debunk these people and save many unwitting laypersons their hard earned money. After all, they are looking to lower their costs of energy use, not trying to make a buck off the backs of others.

[Chris Knight]

I'm jumping into this party long after it has started, but I want to say that I appreciate your honest opinion as well, Mr. Hull.

[Mikado14]

Ok Andrew, I too will jump on that very same wagon as you. Everyone has an opinion and as the old saying goes, I will fight for his right to post here what he believes. However, beliefs are really opinions in disquise. Either one is usually derived on speculation and perhaps empirical observation and not fact.

I for one welcome Mr. Hull's opinions, beliefs, knowledge, expertise etc. However, I too must be very careful so as not to form a hasty opinion based only on an association with someone that I know. Enough said lest my anonymity goes away.

Keep slinging your opinions Mr. Hull and I will sling mine as well as comment upon yours and you on mine.

Mikado

[natecull]

There was a formerly deeply running current of a rather closed sub-culture hype that the internet has turned into a vocal and much vaunted forum for many kooks using the names of many inventors and inventor types to splatter cyberspace with new age waste product that will go no place. The new energy crowd is only a half notch above the new agers in slinging far out concepts and dropping names. Much writing is the watchword and zero work product is the net result of all these efforts. Not one single invention, not one single viable concept has come forth form the countless millions of postings, blogs and internet sharings of concepts ideas and use of dropped names in the quest for real or viable energy solutions.

New energy is a great concept that remains without invention or physical embodiment. New energy is an idea whose time has come but its hardware is nowhere to be seen, yet is overimagined in the extreme.

Thank you for your honesty. Although I'm not an experimenter, I share your frustration with the general inability of the new energy free / energy community to actually *build devices* from their theories and freely share the results. Secrecy, paranoia, overhyped claims taken as gospel truth, outright fraud and just plain bad science seem to be the norm. I've been following this scene intermittently since the late 1980s, and though the Internet has allowed a lot of cross-referencing of formerly hard-to-find documents, it's also generated a lot of distracting crap.

For myself, I'm quite intrigued by Jean-Louis Naudin's dedication to at least *documenting* and sharing freely the operational parameters of the weird devices from all across the scene. It's a pity the Lifters were the only device to 'go mainstream', since they don't seem to demonstrate the 'interesting' (vacuum) Bifield-Brown effect, just ion-wind MHD, which is a cute toy but not the white whale I'm after. I'm sure there's something weird going on with hydrogen, but it's darned hard to identify. Mills' Blacklight Power is claiming an operational prototype as of May 2008, but I don't really trust their trade-secret approach (and if it's true, hydrino compounds could turn out to be the new nuclear waste; 'novel chemistry' is not necessarily our friend). Or it could just be a big scam. Searl has some pretty Youtube videos but that's all so far.

I wish everyone in the community would just wake up and realise that *there's no money to be made in selling physics 'known' to be impossible by mainstream science*. You have to show the world water burning before they'll believe it. And not just show, *put it in their hands*. You've got a breakthrough idea? Great. Build a prototype from parts you can find at the hardware store, write a schematic and an inventory list, photograph every step of assembly and tuning. Make a replication kit: probably a 10 megabyte PDF would suffice. Licence it Creative Commons BY-SA (Attribution-ShareAlike, commercial use allowed). Set up a website. Start a blog. Make a Yahoo Group. Upload it to Wikileaks. Tell KeelyNet and Naudin. Tell Slashdot. Create a web replication community. DO NOT BOTHER TAKING OUT A PATENT. Just document as if your life depended on it. Zero intellectual property restrictions. Forget any idea of making money off it. If it's really new physics, you'll be lucky if people a) understand it, or b) don't try to make it the next A-bomb and silence everyone involved. You need the entire world looking at you and helping. So use that. Let the Internet, peer-to-peer sharing and the Slashdot open-source techno-geek crowd work *for* you. If others can replicate WITHOUT paying you money, you'll be the next Linus Torvalds and get famous, and from famous you can get to rich. Otherwise they'll see you got nothing and sneer you off the stage and your idea, and any business hopes you had, will die.

My two cents, anyway, as an amateur spectator. I think there's something there. But 'business as usual', corporate secrecy and patents, will not get us from hype to confirmed replication.

[Mikado14]

I wish everyone in the community would just wake up and realise that *there's no money to be made in selling physics 'known' to be impossible by mainstream science*. You have to show the world water burning before they'll believe it. And not just show, *put it in their hands*. You've got a breakthrough idea? Great. Build a prototype from parts you can find at the hardware store, write a schematic and an inventory list, photograph every step of assembly and tuning. Make a replication kit: probably a 10 megabyte PDF would suffice. Licence it Creative Commons BY-SA (Attribution-ShareAlike, commercial use allowed). Set up a website. Start a blog. Make a Yahoo Group. Upload it to Wikileaks. Tell KeelyNet and Naudin. Tell Slashdot. Create a web replication community. DO NOT BOTHER TAKING OUT A PATENT. Just document as if your life depended on it. Zero intellectual property restrictions. Forget any idea of making money off it. If it's really new physics, you'll be lucky if people a) understand it, or b) don't try to make it the next A-bomb and silence everyone involved. You need the entire world looking at you and helping. So use that. Let the Internet, peer-to-peer sharing and the Slashdot open-source techno-geek crowd work *for* you. If others can replicate WITHOUT paying you money, you'll be the next Linus Torvalds and get famous, and from famous you can get to rich. Otherwise they'll see you got nothing and sneer you off the stage and your idea, and any business hopes you had, will die.

My two cents, anyway, as an amateur spectator. I think there's something there. But 'business as usual', corporate secrecy and patents, will not get us from hype to confirmed replication.

And here's my two cents. I am not a philanthropist, perhaps you are.

Put your money where your mouth is or shut up. But then most who have this attitude or perhaps outlook would be a better word, don't have a clue about anything and want someone else to build and prove and oh, almost forgot, I want to be able to build with material from Home Depot, Radio Shack, etc. It will not happen that way, get real.

As far as secrecy goes, it works when the moral attitude is there.

TANSTAFFL.... If you don't know this word, here's a hint: The moon is a harsh mistress

Mikado

[natecull]

Put your money where your mouth is or shut up. But then most who have this attitude or perhaps outlook would be a better word, don't have a clue about anything and want someone else to build and prove and oh, almost forgot, I want to be able to build with material from Home Depot, Radio Shack, etc. It will not happen that way, get real.

Lifters happened that way.
The microcomputer revolution happened that way.
Aviation happened that way.

Historically, this is how major breakthroughs do happen. A scientific or hobbyist community builds, publishes and shares rather than hoarding technology. A scene is created, new physical principles demonstrated. Commercialisation comes later, and often slows innovation.

Yes, it's possible that building an exploitable device requires very expensive hardware that can't be bought at Radio Shack. That's the attitude of the hot fusion community and mainstream physics, certainly. That no interesting physical discoveries can be made in a garage anymore because the components require huge budgets. It's possible that that's true.

As far as secrecy goes, it works when the moral attitude is there.

It's my belief, as it was many of the Pugwash scientists, that secrecy might be tolerable in small doses but is fundamentally corrosive to many of the ideals we call 'moral' as well as 'scientific' and 'economic' - such as democracy, repeatability and simple efficiency. If we want to maximise those 'moral' attributes it would seem sensible to minimise anything that gets in the way, such as the compartmentalisation of information. Do we want to follow the AEC model and try to leverage this knowledge into power of one group over against another? I, for one, don't feel safe recreating that kind of closed system.

But I'm aware that there are people on this forum who don't share that take on how the world works, and it's possible I'm wrong.

TANSTAFFL.... If you don't know this word, here's a hint: The moon is a harsh mistress

Yes, I'm familiar with Heinlein. I simply don't happen to hold to his philosophy.

Look at this forum. Are our small discoveries happening because of secrecy, or because of openness, sharing and trust, on Paul and Linda's part as well as others?

Perhaps a little of both? I'm quite happy to respect people's boundaries and their personal choice of where and when they feel morally able to disclose. But I'd put my money on breakthroughs coming more through the trust than the secrecy.

Perhaps trust takes a while to build. So I don't want to push people who don't want to be pushed. But trust is a two-way street, and from the outside looking in, it is the 'new energy community' who are the ones who are not trusted by the mainstream, and for good reason, because of a history of overblown, fraudulent claims and commercial scams. It does us no good to deny this.

*If* we want to produce workable devices and achieve open validation for extraordinary claims - and perhaps after all is said we do not, perhaps that is too dangerous for the world and we'd rather hide it forever - then we will eventually need to take the scientific route of open, honest, freely replicated disclosure.

(Where I say 'we', I mean a community wider than this forum, of course. I consider this group one of the most open in this whole scene. But rhull has a point.)

Edit: And when you say 'put up or shut up': I've disclosed everything I know to this forum. I have no knowledge of any physical devices that I've witnessed with my own eyes. For all I know consensus reality may be correct and *they may not exist*. I try to keep an open mind, and that requires admitting that for all our stories, this may all be a rabbit hole with no rabbit. Perhaps Townsend Brown only ever did invent an improved loudspeaker and ionic fan and an interesting way of shaking sand. But even if that were the case, I'm glad to have met the people in this group, just as people.

[FM No Static At All]

Perhaps a little of both? I'm quite happy to respect people's boundaries and their personal choice of where and when they feel morally able to disclose. But I'd put my money on breakthroughs coming more through the trust than the secrecy.

So you would put up money, and that would be for what purpose? To buy a new energy device for use, or to make a killing on the new cash cow?

Perhaps trust takes a while to build. So I don't want to push people who don't want to be pushed. But trust is a two-way street, and from the outside looking in, it is the 'new energy community' who are the ones who are not trusted by the mainstream, and for good reason, because of a history of overblown, fraudulent claims and commercial scams. It does us no good to deny this.

Yes, there are many who feel that way Mr. Cull. I know I would not reveal a breakthrough so readily and publicly unless I was able to protect my invention from being exploited by those that would use it to gain profit for themselves and to use in a manner that would be to destroy others or to oppress them. But I would release such discovery in way that would benefit the planet and free humanity from metered power slavery.

*If* we want to produce workable devices and achieve open validation for extraordinary claims - and perhaps after all is said we do not, perhaps that is too dangerous for the world and we'd rather hide it forever - then we will eventually need to take the scientific route of open, honest, freely replicated disclosure.

It would seem apparent that many of Dr. Brown's research and discoveries are hidden for that very reason. Perhaps he and the group that he was associated with had the foresight to see how benevolent use would be a great thing, yet in the "wrong" hands it could mean devastation on a global scale. And also it remains hidden because we have yet to learn how to get along and play nice as a global community.

Where I say 'we', I mean a community wider than this forum, of course. I consider this group one of the most open in this whole scene. But rhull has a point.)

While I may disagree with Mr Hull's narrow mindedness and bias toward all such research, I do see his point regarding no such devices being produced for the consumer market. There are however water for fuel devices that do work, and I am installing one in my Ranger pickup very soon. I cannot presently afford to do the complete hydrogen replacement, but I can afford to use it as a supplement to gas. Eventually I plan on making the full conversion as I can afford the parts.

There are scientific papers including published books regarding aether and its ability to provide "free" energy out there. I have cited Dr. Harold Aspden and pointed this forum to his web sites in several of my posts here. He is published in many scientific circles and has written several books that offer a different perspective than what is the current paradigm of particle physics today. And he is not asking for investors but rather challenges students and physicists to read his work and test his theories and mathematics. That is all I asked of Mr. Hull, to do the work and not debunk based on what others have done to discredit the entire new energy paradigm. The same is true for UFOs. I cannot debunk their existence because I am a witness. That doesn't mean I believe all of the stories, only that I know from experience that they exist.

I came here to learn and to contribute what I can, not to shoot off my rather loud mouth and put others down. I trust that I have lived up to my intentions here. And I thank you all for sharing with me.

[JZimmer]

RHull and Natecull, and everyone.

You know, I am an educated person, have traveled all over the face of this planet, been involved in some successes and many, many failures and taken more than my fair share of hard knocks over the years. I have tasted the bitter fruit of betrayal from lifelong friends and total strangers, and seen the best and definitely the worst of people in the world.

I am not one to take someone’s word for something, believe in foolish dreams and definitely not one to allow someone else’s ideas to influence my thoughts and opinions without careful thought.

I close to participate in these forums, and jump into this rabbit hole because at a core level I know that something important is going on here. Mr. Hull, you are right that there are lots of fringe groups and those that are way out there as far as what they believe and expect, and many who are looking for nothing but the next payday, but I would challenge you to take a close look at these forums before you judge anyone here.

Do we talk about some off the wall topics, sure! Do we sometimes dive into areas that many would not tread, absolutely! And, are there those that may have some unrealistic expectations of what can be accomplished, what is possible or how we as a society can get there.. absolutely!

But, as Nate has stated, many new and exciting dreams have been turned into reality because of the faith that one places in the ideas that he or she is trying to bring to life; and who are any of us to not help and support those that are trying to get there.

Mr. Hull, you talk about all the fancy ideas that never make it, or the half baked ideas that are way out there and can never be achieved, but at least they are trying to find a new solution. For those of you that are true scientists, do any of you have the luxury or right to assume that anyone’s new concept or idea is not valid?

I would submit to you that your responsibility should be to look at each and every idea with a truly open mind and not be discouraged by their failures for their dreams are what power this world and make it better.

With all that said, I also believe that everyone must believe in something, right or wrong and hold values that are important to them close to my heart and soul, and most importantly that you express your feelings.

Last, I will tell you this. If the work of Dr, Brown is true, and if half or even one if the technology topics that we talk about come to life, would it not be worth your help and support? It costs you nothing to watch, listen and be constructive but could cost you much not to.

Jim Z.

[twigsnapper]

I may be wrong of course but I sense more frustration in Mr. Hulls " voice" than blind singlemindedness and what might look like to others a rather dismissive attitude. I just believe that he cares a whole hell of alot and its bothersome to him to be caught up with a mob which seems .... irrational.

It is odd that his critical review would target the overly and unswaying hopeful, though I do agree with Mr. Hull, Its irritating to see people return unthinkingly to a topic that has been run up the flagpole and found seriously wanting, Yet they don't revise their feeling, they don't seem to even want to learn which is obviously the truth.

Taking that stand is as damaging as the thoughts of a scientist who believes every thing worthwhile has already been invented, someone who closes his mind to the possibility of an every morning miracle.

twigsnapper

[Langley]

I had a real flashback in the reading some of this material. A flashback to the time in the 80's when I followed the new energy threads. All the old saws were there thrown out by hacks that really have never been involved in a physical assembly effort in their lives. They have read all the hype and know all the mantras.

None of Tesla's patents ever gained substaintial value save for his polyphase patents and his radio related patents which were only given precedence after his death.

His mechanical period, 1908-1920, with his turbine and one way valving patents coupled with the automobile speedometer patent were all solid and earned him "keep-alive money". Ultimately, he had to vacate his office in the Woolworth building and remained holed up in his hotel room until in death in the early 40's

All of his other patents have never produced anything nor are suggestive of application. It is often these that the new agers pick for the holy grail. Tesla never made or worked with an electric car or any car. (no images exist or even lab notes) He did theorize and constantly, on the occasions of his birthday, tell assembled reporters of fantastic things he had in the works. (bluster and boast) The world was leaving him behind. by 1920.

Lonmgitudinal waves are partially accepted in some quarters, but remain without application or useful purpose. Still they are the base for all manner of hypothetical aetheric energy making devices.

Many of the names mentioned other than teslas are false inventors and kooks that remain legends, themselves, in the new energy community, all without devices or application, but are said to have had the devices but they got lost, the inventors died without giving up the magic formula to recontruct the devices, etc. You get the drift. When I hear those names used in an energy context, the red flags go up higher and higher in proportion to the number of called out names. Tesla is often at the top of the list followed by Brown's.

All the old saws were there thrown out by hacks that really have never been involved in a physical assembly effort in their lives. They have read all the hype and know all the mantras.

Ha. Yea, Im a hack, like, in 1934 VWs were sent on test throughout Germany and my goodness, to see a photo of a dozen lined up on a street in some small German town, they look awesome, weird science. Ive owned over 20. I've written heaps about them. Never worked for VW AG Wolfsburg though, couldnt build an aluminium magnesium crankcase out of the raw ores for nuts.

Guess that makes me a hack.

And of course, the work Tesla did all survives intact and is fully known, the safe was never broken into and nothing nicked???

Say what?

Yea, and fallout is harmless. No doubt our exposures dont matter, not at least until the bomb exchange takes place and then all of a sudden the Hiroshima data will be shown to be in error because the people there had no prior exposure.

History is about addition not subtraction.


Anyway "None of Tesla's patents ever gained substaintial value save for his polyphase patents and his radio related patents which were only given precedence after his death."*

Ill be back later with some examples. and will pad out the application of
US Patent 514,972

Electric Railway System as demonstrated in California in the 1990s. An induction powered bus.

* He wasnt much of a business man, no.

Im back. Is this a good thing? Anyway, here's two simple examples:

BEYOND 2000 Channel 7, Adelaide, 8.30pm, 18.6.91.

The Powered motor way is another "green" Californian initiative, and a variation on the electric vehicle theme. Vehicles using the motor way,
like this bus, are powered by electric cables built into the roadway just beneath the
surface. An inductor fitted to the underside of the
vehicle draws energy from the cable to power the buses' electric motor.
This is a scaled down version of what's buried under the motor way. The large loop of cables has an electric current running through it,
which creates a magnetic field, and that induces
a secondary current in a smaller loop attached to the underside of the vehicle, and this of course, is parallel to the surface of the motorway.

This is a very smooth and easy vehicle to drive. But it takes more than the idea of an electric vehicle to sell to the public. Obviously if the
US wants to even start to do anything about its pollution problem, its the man in the street who counts.

Beyond 2000, Channel 7, 24.9.91
The shuttle Discovery will be beginning something totally new in space exploration..it will deploy a satellite on the end of a tether, and
retrieve it. (A description of the 20 km long tether string follows, and is the focus of the story)..The tether's copper core means that it is
conductive. As it orbits the earth at 7.5 km/second, the tether is cutting through the earth's magnetic field and inducing an electric current.
This system will generate 5,000 volts. It's a fantastic concept -to harness the electricity that surrounds our planet.....

And then there's my shaver.

Oh, and shielded cable.

[FM No Static At All]

Ill be back later with some examples. and will pad out the application of
US Patent 514,972

Electric Railway System as demonstrated in California in the 1990s. An induction powered bus.
<snip>
The Powered motor way is another "green" Californian initiative, and a variation on the electric vehicle theme. Vehicles using the motor way,
like this bus, are powered by electric cables built into the roadway just beneath the
surface. An inductor fitted to the underside of the
vehicle draws energy from the cable to power the buses' electric motor.
This is a scaled down version of what's buried under the motor way. The large loop of cables has an electric current running through it,
which creates a magnetic field, and that induces
a secondary current in a smaller loop attached to the underside of the vehicle, and this of course, is parallel to the surface of the motorway.

And using small wind turbines to provide electric power along the interstate highways with the above. Thank you Mr. Langley. The only reason that many of Tesla's patent's never produced anything is the same reason we don't drive electric cars today. And rather than defend Mr Hull, I think he deserved the raking he received , frustrated or not. I'm pretty frustrated myself regarding these known and proven technologies that are not being used because of the negative hype. There have always been snake oil salesmen, but it's not fair to lump all of the honest inventors in with them.

Apple Computer was started in a garage. Intel wasn't far behind. I have heard of great discoveries coming from MIT, one of which is Tesla's idea of wireless electric transmission. Another is transparent circuits from Oregon State. Imagine transparent solar arrays built into the vehicle's glass.

OSU Creates World's First Transparent Integrated Circuit

03-16-06

By David Stauth, 541-737-0787
Source: John Wager, 541-737-2994

CORVALLIS, Ore. - Researchers at Oregon State University have created the world's first completely transparent integrated circuit from inorganic compounds, another major step forward for the rapidly evolving field of transparent electronics.

The circuit is a five-stage "ring oscillator," commonly used in electronics for testing and new technology demonstration. It marks a significant milestone on the path toward functioning transparent electronics applications, which many believe could be a large future industry.

A report on the findings has been accepted for publication in a professional journal, Solid State Electronics. The research has been supported by the National Science Foundation, Army Research Office, and HP. Recently, OSU also licensed to HP the rights to market new products based on this work, which provides the university a partner to help scale-up and commercialize the technology.

"This is a quantum leap in moving transparent electronics from the laboratory toward working commercial applications," said John Wager, a professor of electrical engineering at OSU. "It's proof that transparent transistors can be used to create an integrated circuit, tells us quite a bit about the speeds we may be able to achieve, and shows we can make transparent circuits with conventional photolithography techniques, the basic patterning methods used to create electronics all over the world."

Collaborators on the work at OSU include Wager; Doug Keszler, professor and head of the OSU Department of Chemistry; Janet Tate, a professor of physics; and Rick Presley, who as a master's candidate in electrical engineering at OSU has been at the cutting edge of a new electronics industry.

Transparent electronics, scientists say, may hold the key to new industries, employment opportunities, and new, more effective or less costly consumer products. Uses could range from transparent displays in the windshield of an automobile to cell phones, televisions, copiers, "smart" glass or game and toy applications. More efficient solar cells or better liquid crystal displays are possible.

Recently, OSU announced the creation of a transparent transistor based on zinc-tin-oxide. The new transparent integrated circuit is made from indium gallium oxide. Both of these compounds, which are amorphous heavy-metal cation multi-component oxides, share some virtues - they have high electron mobility, chemical stability, physical durability and ease of manufacture at low temperatures.

They also will be cost-effective and safe - alternative heavy metals such as gold and silver have been ruled out because of their expense, and others such as mercury, lead or arsenic avoided due to environmental concerns.

There are still challenges that need to be met, Wager said. The technology needs to be scaled up to larger sizes, all process steps must be functional for manufacturing, physical protection is needed for the new circuits, new markets and products identified. And work will continue toward a "P-channel" device would provide a number of advantages, such as lower power consumption, simple electronic architecture, and ability to do both analog and digital processing.

"What's exciting is that all of the remaining work seems very feasible," Wager said. "It will take some time, but we just don't see any major obstacles that are going to preclude the commercial use of transparent electronics with these compounds.

"In a way," Wager added, "it's shocking how fast this field has progressed. We might be able to bring transparent integrated circuits to widespread use in five years or so, a process that took a couple of decades in the early evolution of conventional electronics."

When perfected, researchers say, some transparent electronics applications may be so cheap and effective that they could be used in "throw away" devices, or used to replace conventional circuits that don't even require transparency. The electronic capabilities of the materials are sufficiently impressive that have already outperformed organic and polymer materials that are the basis of millions of dollars of research every year.

OSU officials believe the evolution of these products and the collaboration with HP may be one of the most valuable the university has ever developed with private industry.

The project is affiliated with the Oregon Nanoscience and Microtechnologies Institute, a research collaboration involving Oregon's three public research universities - OSU, Portland State University, and the University of Oregon - as well as the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, the state of Oregon, and the regional business community.

In order to move the research along more quickly, the university has emphasized collaboration between scientists and engineers to address basic science, as well as engineering and manufacturing issues. The end result should be not only breakthroughs in fundamental science, but also compounds that will be practical to manufacture and use.

About Oregon State University: OSU is one of only two U.S. universities designated a land grant, sea grant, space grant and sun grant institution. OSU is also Oregon's largest public research university, garnering more than 60 percent of the total federal and private research funding in the Oregon University System. Its more than 19,000 students come from all 50 states and more than 80 countries.

And more recently

6/18/2008 5:24:39 PM
OSU’s Transparent Electronics Key to Solar Energy Breakthrough

Transparent transistors and optoelectronics created by researchers at Oregon State University and HP have found their first key industrial application in a new type of solar energy system that its developers say will be four times more cost-efficient than any existing technology.

Xtreme Energetics, Inc., of Livermore, Calif., announced they will use the OSU inventions, on which HP holds the exclusive licensing rights, in technology they believe will convert sunlight to electricity at twice the efficiency and half the cost of traditional solar panels.

OSU and Xtreme Energetics are pursuing continued collaborative research on this solar technology. HP has funded some of OSU’s research in advanced materials, collaborated with the university to invent transparent transistor technology, and is now making this technology available worldwide through its intellectual property licensing group.

Although this is one of the first applied uses of transparent electronics, it had not even been envisioned when OSU researchers in recent years developed the world’s first completely transparent integrated circuit from inorganic compounds.

“After the first discoveries with transparent electronics, we were thinking of applications like transparent displays or consumer electronics,” said John Wager, a professor of electrical and computer engineering at OSU. “But as with any breakthrough, sometimes at first you can’t even see all the possible uses. The potential to create solar energy technology that’s far more efficient and affordable is very exciting.”

Wager said that the concepts being developed by Xtreme Energetics should be an excellent fit with the capabilities of transparent electronics and integrated circuits.

“The approach being used by Xtreme Energetics is innovative, it involves a very new way to optimize solar energy collection,” Wager said. “Clearly there will be some challenges we will have to work through, but there do not appear to be any major problems. We’re all optimistic that this system is going to work. And there are still many other potential applications of transparent electronics as well.”

Most advanced solar energy systems use mechanical means to track the sun and optimize the concentration of energy. The system developed by Xtreme Energetics - which the use of transparent electronics will facilitate - has an optical approach to tracking and focusing the light. By eliminating mechanical tracking and using a flat design that could be implemented either on rooftop panels or central utilities, company officials say they can achieve an “ultra-high” level of solar energy efficiency that will be far more cost-competitive with other energy forms.

OSU announced just two years ago that it had created the world’s first transparent integrated circuit, based on fundamental materials science research in the College of Engineering and the College of Science at the university. The work is also affiliated with the Oregon Nanoscience and Microtechnologies Institute, an Oregon-based collaboration of universities, private industries and the state.

The work has moved rapidly from fundamental development of new compounds – amorphous oxide semiconductors – to applied uses, in part because researchers were quick to cast aside approaches that might have been scientifically interesting but impractical for real use.

“We didn’t even try to work with some metals such as gold and silver which are too expensive, or others such as mercury or lead that might have environmental concerns,” Wager said. “We knew all along it would be important to create transparent electronic materials that were stable, environmentally friendly, and able to be manufactured at reasonable costs. We wanted systems that would work, not just be laboratory curiosities.”

According to OSU researchers, some of the research that could bring transparent integrated circuits into applied use may be accomplished in a period of a few years, OSU researchers said, compared to decades in the evolution of conventional electronics. Licensing to HP of the exclusive rights to develop and market products based on this technology has also helped the inventions move ahead quickly. HP officials have said they envision applications in the display, printing, medical and automotive industries – not to mention solar energy.

New industries, employment opportunities, and more effective or less costly consumer products are all possible as the era of transparent electronics evolves, OSU researchers say.

OSU scientists also just published the first-ever book in this field, titled “Transparent Electronics,” through Springer Science and Business Media.

So again, thanks Mr. Langley for bringing some of Tesla's genius forward and reinforcing the fact that Mr. Hull may have been invited to join us, but hasn't been welcomed with open arms because he has not done his homework before shooting off his opinions and lumping together the genius of honest scientists with those of less scrupulous com artists. Dr. Brown deserves better.