[Rezwan]

Well, that’s one way to look at it. Another is that telling the fusion story is going to require quite a few more articles, and testing different frames. Obviously, if LPP gets splendid results, then the story is that we are well on the way to pB11 fusion. But this approach gives people (and media) a “wait and see” out, where they can ignore what’s going on in fusion until there is the earthshaking result.

If results are required, the media at present doesn’t have much to back any fusion story. Right now fusion is still a bunch of underappreciated guys who may or may not succeed. Toiling away for the cliff-edge breakeven event and the validation that might bring. It’s all in exploratory, hypothetical mode. The issue is, how do you make the case that it’s important to do the research when you’re not sure what the results will be? What is the intrinsic value of the pursuit of knowledge? Why is the world only interested in the results and not the process?

I don’t think we (mankind) deserve the results if we’re dismissive of the process. That makes the world a bunch of fusion free riders when the results finally come.

[Rezwan]

jamesr wrote:
No mention of DPF devices or Focus Fusion though. Are the other guys PR budgets that much bigger or is it simply a case, that LPP isn’t including magazines like New Scientist, Scientific American, Popular Mechanics, Physics World, IEEE Spectrum etc on the press releases to raise their awareness of the project.

None of the above. Per the author:

I was aware of your project and would have liked to include it (and others) but space was limited and I had to skim over the surface of the subject.

[Rezwan]

Cool! Don’t forget to add in the NIMBY effect (Not in my back yard): http://www.inference.phy.cam.ac.uk/withouthotair/c18/page_109.shtml

[Rezwan]

I see it as more of a redemption story.

Regarding the NYT article, here’s a note from a friend who works at NIF:

Regarding the 4×10^14 neutrons – that is an accurate number. But it doesn’t actually tell you anything, since the fuel is diluted. The NIC campaign is currently “tuning the engine” to get to the point of ignition over the next year or so. This involves refining the details of the implosion using a wide spectrum of x-ray, neutron, charged particle and optical diagnostics. Up until the point of ignition, the neutron yield is (by definition) low by a few orders of magnitude compared to passing the threshold of ignition. The whole point about ignition is that it is a cliff-edge phenomenon.

[Rezwan]

The problem is that I don’t have time, and I’ve left a lot of people who want to sign up wait for quite a while before getting to the activation. I’m sure that’s a big turnoff.

A compromise: I have now set up member self-activation, but the default class is “Member2”. Such members are still not able to post in the forums, but they can at least get started on their profiles, and they have immediate response that way.

In order to post, they need an “upgrade”. For that, they have to contact me, and say they want an upgrade. Then they get “Member” status, so that’s like “1st class” : )

I suspect there’s more we can do with the registration form to weed people out – like require address and phone numbers and other such info just to register. And an email verification where the recipient has to click to activate… Not sure how to set that up. If it’s something simple, we’ll attempt it. Note to tech folks, we use expression engine for this forum if you want to research some ways of beefing up the registration process.

[Rezwan]

This is kind of confusing. I think the previous poll was easier to understand, explained the issue better.

This is the issue, though – people are apathetic and don’t respond. If we had a formal membership structure, we’d have to chase after them and demand they respond. At least up until a quorum (although actually, in our present bylaws, the only thing they need to do is show up for one meeting, and vote – and it’s whoever shows up. So if just one person shows up – that’s a quorum.)

[Rezwan]

Breakable wrote:
I can’t edit the poll now, lets see if I can get some results.

Click the edit button on the first post, then scroll down to poll,
click “Edit poll”.

[Rezwan]

There are many variables between this present differential in n/J and ultimate project success. I had suggested adding the following to the press release to clarify the road ahead, but that didn’t happen.

While a lead in neutrons per joule is a great indicator, success is ultimately dependent on scalability from a small experiment to one that makes net power. This, in turn, is dependent on follow through and commitment to the experiment, in short, consistent funding and support. NIF researchers hope to achieve ignition (more energy out than in) within a year. They then hope to improve efficiency in a project called LIFE in the coming years, but LIFE’s funding is far from assured. LPP expects to widen its lead as early as this month as major upgrades to FoFu-1 are completed. FoFu-1 must then improve its performance by several orders of magnitude to demonstrate the feasibility of net energy.

Lack of public commitment to the fusion endeavor leads to a paucity of projects. To judge from the work of most scientists at the conference, an observer might think that there were only two approaches to fusion: NIF and ITER. These two approaches receive the bulk of government fusion funding, in an ever more fiscally austere funding environment. Many fascinating, fusion approaches are not pursued for lack of funds, and private investors have only recently begun to explore the possibilities of fusion. It is hoped that positive results in small scale projects encourages decision makers to expand both private and governmental fusion investment to include far more ideas, particularly LPP’s “lightning in a bottle.”

They said it sounded like begging, a bit of a downer. “Keep it simple”. But given the variables involved in the road to ignition, I thought this was a good way to go.

[Rezwan]

Please elaborate. I’m not sure what you’re saying.

[Rezwan]

And of course, spread the word about LPP’s latest press release!

Discuss over here in forums.

[Rezwan]

We had a poll earlier. Here were the results. https://focusfusion.org/index.php/forums/viewthread/670/

[Rezwan]

Ivy Matt wrote:

As soon as I saw the title, my thoughts were about the spectral wavelengths of elements involved. I suppose with tartan, you might also be able to work the actual gaps between the spectral lines into the design 🙂

Well, I hadn’t thought that deeply about it, but in fact I have had similar ideas about working binary codes into a tartan design. I do realize that the colors I used here (which are based on actual weavers’ colors) are only a rough approximation of hydrogen/deuterium/lithium/helium and boron plasmas/flames, but see my thoughts above about aesthetics. Also, the thing about tartan is that colors don’t need to be specified exactly, so this tartan could be blood red and forest green or bubblegum pink and lime green (which would probably be closer to the real plasma colors), and it would still be regarded as the same tartan.

That is cool. Above and beyond. I think it was Inca’s who didn’t have written language – they used a complicated system of knots.

[Rezwan]

Ivy Matt wrote:
Thank you. I’m not entirely sold on the idea of fusion-related consumer products (with the possible exception of plasma nightlights :cheese:) in general at this stage. Nor am I quite certain how to make this tartan a “consumer product”, as I have few connections with the tartan industry and wouldn’t know how to go about setting up a profit-sharing arrangement with one of the tartan mills. In fact, I’m not sure if making this tartan exclusive is what I want to do. Then again, introducing aneutronic fusion to a group of men (and a few women) whose numbers may be very small, but who collectively hold a fair amount of purchasing power (as evidenced by their ability to spend large sums of money on fine-quality, but nevertheless expensive clothing), would be a form of marketing, would it not? (Of course, tartan—or plaid here in the US—is not limited to expensive worsted wool kilts, but I have even fewer connections with cotton mills than I do woolen mills.)

This conversation is amusing.

You put it nicely! Now to contact Tiffany’s or some such to make limited edition expensive aneutronic jewelry for an upscale clientele and create awareness of aneutronic fusion thereby. And, of course, all income ranges.

[Rezwan]

It appears to be a bug, not a hack.

[Rezwan]

Yes, I’ve noticed that too. I think that might have to do with the rearranging that I’ve been doing – moving forums about and switching categories.

But this attribution switch from you to Admin is weird.

[Author]

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