WHAT'S NEW Friday, 17 Jan 03

WHAT'S NEW   Robert L. Park   Friday, 17 Jan 03   Washington, DC

1. FIRST LAW: SELF-POWERED FUEL-LESS GENERATOR AVAILABLE ON ebay. 
Machines that violate the First Law of Thermodynamics are not
new, they are perpetual (WN 5 Apr 02).  A sharp-eyed WN reader
spotted a classic on ebay.  This fully-portable generator is
described as a 3 cubic foot "black box" (what else?) with three
standard 120-volt electrical outlets to plug home appliances
into.  It will generate 700 watts continuously...forever.  Or so
it says.  This is not some wild claim about zero-point energy or
anti-gravity; the device simply uses an electric motor to spin an
alternator that supplies the power to drive the motor.  I know,
you're going to say the alternator can't possibly supply enough
power to run the motor plus a bunch of appliances.  But a
schematic shows the inventor thought about that   a bicycle chain
connects the motor to FIVE alternators.  That should do it. 

2. MORE FIRST LAW: GENESIS PROJECT SHUNS "CONVENTIONAL THINKING."
Genesis World Energy (WN 13 Dec 02) proposes to free the world
from fossil fuel dependence by "harnessing energy from the
molecular structure of water".  The idea is deceptively simple:
use electrolysis to separate water into hydrogen and oxygen and
then use a hydrogen fuel cell to generate electricity.  I know,
you're going to say it will take more electricity to split the
water than the fuel cell can generate.  We've got to think
outside the black box.  The Genesis people say they assembled a
team of 400 top scientists.  You think these guys never heard of
the conservation of energy?  "For security purposes," Genesis
explains, "the Genesis Team has elected to disclose little about
the science behind the technology.  In the absence of detailed
information, it is not possible to understand how Genesis' stated
results were achieved.  Therefore, the scientific community at
large will analyze the Genesis Project based on conventional
thinking."  OK, I'm busted!  I've been relying on the First Law
of Thermodynamics, which is about as conventional as you can get. 

3. HYDROGEN FUEL CELLS: STILL LOOKING FOR A HYDROGEN WELL. A year
ago, the Bush Administration announced the "Freedom Car" program
to reduce reliance on foreign oil by stimulating development of  
hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles.  The media gushed that only water
would be released into the environment.  Hydrogen is generated by
electrolysis of water, and 65% of our electricity is generated by
power plants that burn fossil fuels. WN asked rhetorically if
Spencer Abraham had discovered a hydrogen well (WN 18 Jan 03)?  
WN has now learned that, meanwhile, selected deep-pocket
investors were approached by Genesis to bankroll their secretive
Project (see above).  The criteria was that they be millionaires. 
They could save the world and become even richer in the process.  

4. ROLL OVER: DETROIT IS LOOKING FOR REALLY BIG FUEL CELLS. 
Don't look for a big drop in fuel consumption when Detroit turns
out its first hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles.  What's coming out
first will be monster SUV's, a market Detroit is loath to cut
into.  Meanwhile, however, the Administrator of the National
Highway Traffic Administration warned that SUVs pose a threat to
lighter vehicles and have a dangerous propensity to roll over.  A
recent study by the National Academy of Sciences found the death
rate for SUV occupants to be higher than that of passenger cars.

THE UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND and THE AMERICAN PHYSICAL SOCIETY.  
Opinions are the author's and are not necessarily shared by the
University or the American Physical Society, but they should be.
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