Posted by bert hubertWed, 04 Jul 2007 22:29:00 GMT
Well, it might’ve been too good to be true.
First the announcement that internet streaming of the ‘Steorn’ device over at Kinetica Museum would start at 6PM, which was later “clarified” to mean 6PM US eastern time.
And when that time passed, nothing happened. After a while, a notice appeared that due to technical difficulties, streaming would start on July 5th.
Perhaps this is the beginning of the end for Steorn.
Update: Steorn has confirmed the device is not operating as it should, but they say they are working on it, and intend to turn on the streams tomorrow, even if the device is still not working, so we can see “stressed engineers” trying to fix it.
In one of my first posts on this enigmatic company, I mentioned the possibility of them deluding themselves, and I’m afraid the things that have happened over the past few days point in that direction.
I’d still be very happy if Steorn turned out the be on to something, but the signs are not good..
The websites of Steorn and Kinetica still promise a demo, so perhaps they simply are having problems streaming. Will keep you posted.
Posted by bert hubertTue, 03 Jul 2007 06:33:00 GMT
Life is quickly getting silly on the Steorn front (for more details, see my previous post).
Reliable sources have now confirmed a demo *IS* being setup, and although most sources are bound by NDA, it has become clear the demo is this week, and most likely at the Kinetica Museum.
Update: the Kinetica website now contains an announcement that it is hosting a new exhibition starting Thursday, and that details will be announced on Wednesday.
Update 2: An article on RTÉ news reports that Sean McCarthy says the device will be demonstrated tonight from 6PM London time, and that it will be lifting a weight to prove it is generating energy.
Additionally, a short movie has surfaced last night showing someone who looks like Sean McCarthy (the Steorn chief executive) smoking a cigarette across the Kinetica museum. Sean is wearing a t-shirt that says ‘CEO versus CoE’, where CoE stands for Conservation of Energy - the basic law of physics their device is claimed to break.
This movie is classic viral marketing material, which in itself tells us something: Steorn is being REAL serious about generating a hype. They’ve previously availed themselves of the services of Citigate Dewe Rogerson, a high-end public relations firm. This viral is a strong indication they are again taking PR seriously.
If they are as serious as this about getting massive media attention, this will only be the beginning of the onslaught. By itself this movie will not turn heads, but it might be a good start.
We’ll only know more if and when the demo arrives, and many are sceptical about the chances of being convinced by a demo, but for now, expect the hype to increase, with an expected peak on Saturday the 7th coinciding with the Live Earth concert.
Posted by bert hubertSun, 01 Jul 2007 18:28:00 GMT
Quick plug of my new laptop, a spiffy Dell XPS M1210. Kudos to both Dell and Ubuntu, everything just works, and it just works very well. If you need a small but powerful laptop, and want to run Linux, you should consider this one!
Ok, on to the hype.
Update: earlier entries on Steorn are here, here, and here.
Steorn
This week saw the launch of the iPhone, perhaps one of the most anticipated technology events in living memory.
On the physics side of things, we are sort of going through the same thing, except a thousand times smaller. Perhaps a million.
To very briefly recap, Steorn hit the scene in August 2006 with an (expensive) advertisement in the Economist newspaper, claiming to have developed technology that generates energy without consuming fuel.
Their story was that nobody believed them, and that they were challenging the scientific community to join a ‘jury’ to prove or disprove their claims.
Since then, they’ve said the jury is now in place, and will report their results when they feel like it. Additionally, in April 2007, it was stated that there would be a publicly accessible demonstration of the technology in London, early July.
And early July is upon us now.
Why the hype?
Well, if what they claim is true, Venezuela, Russia, and the Middle-East are seriously out of business. Oil would then remain useful mainly as lubrication, and as an ingredient of many substances.
If their technology works, stock markets will collapse, whole countries will default on their obligations, and the nascent ‘new cold war’ between Russia and NATO will be over.
The demo
Since ‘energy out of thin air’ violates most of our understanding of physics, the scientific community is rightfully skeptic. It has been said that extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence (which I dispute, btw - most new physics started out as small, hard to see effects), so the demo had better be pretty impressive.
There is rampant speculation going on about the nature of the demo, and a few things are known.
The demo will happen ‘early July’, and the public will be able to see the machine, talk to Steorn employees, and view the whole thing over the internet 24/7. Additionally, several people have been invited by Steorn to bring their screwdrivers to open up the device. Lots of people on the various forums have already announced they are bringing heat-sensitive cameras, magnetometers, RF spectrometers and other instruments to verify if any demonstrated device is truly operating without consuming power.
The exact date and location of the demo remain unsure. Steorn has repeatedly stated they are not in it for the maximum amount of money, but that they want their technology to benefit developing countries, as well as being good for the environment.
On Thursday the 7th, London hosts the Live Earth concert, which is all about the environment. This has prompted many to believe the demo will coincide with this concert.
On these various pages, several anonymous or pseudonymous sources have stated contradictory things. It has been reported by a guy called ‘MikeDuke’ that the device will be unveiled to the press on Monday the second of July and Tuesday the third, and might be available for viewing on Wednesday, but surely on Thursday. This is then all supposed to take place at the Kinetica Museum.
Another forum comment reports calling the Kinetica museum and being told they are hosting a private exhibition starting Thursday, about which they can’t say a lot.
Then there is a second poster who says the demo will be held at the Science Museum, starting Friday, and that it will only be announced on Thursday.
Finally, and this one is furthest out, there is an anonymous post
stating the demo will be of the ‘rev4.c’ device, and that it will produce 720kW! Not only will it do this, it will emanate a ‘distortion field’!
So what will happen?
As said, speculation is rampant. Many are predicting there will be no demo, or that it will be unconvincing. I’m personally on the edge of my seat, having nearly booked a flight to London to see for myself, but at the last minute decided not to go because it is unsure when the demo will be available.
If there is more clarity, I’ll go over and report here.
Reliable sources have now confirmed a demo *IS* being setup, and although most sources are bound by 