From: ham789@netzero.net   
      
   On 11/27/2012 7:44 PM, j wrote:   
      
   >   
   > I don't have a dog in this fight, and haven't read through the whole   
   > thread. But I'm still inclined to cut him some slack. It's really no   
   > crazier than the guy with a bicycle generator trying to save money.   
   > What's the point in beating him up?   
   >   
   > Jeff   
      
   One of my hobbies is debunking.   
   Once the debunkee realizes that he's going nowhere, he can divert   
   his money and energy to a hobby that he might enjoy.   
   And it discourages others from trying to replicate a failed premise,   
   thus saving them from the same fate.   
      
   A large percentage of what you read on the web is pure crap.   
   Stuff that sounds good if you don't look behind the curtain.   
   It gets buried in conjecture and effects not considered.   
   People just don't bother to run simple tests on their innovation   
   before declaring it as gospel and defending it to the death.   
      
   Much of it is pure scam.  Some is pure failure to understand   
   basic principles.  Just mention Stan Meyer and Tesla and accuse   
   the naysayers of whatever conspiracy you like.   
      
   I offer methods to test the hypothesis and prove it with simple   
   tools.  If the debunkee can't be bothered, it's a scam.   
   If they do find a way to make a measurement, they either quit messing   
   with it or call a patent attorney.  Either way THEY win.   
      
   You can't reason with an innovation based on wishful thinking,   
   but it doesn't mean you shouldn't try.   
      
   If this thread looks like it fits that model...   
      
   Aside:   
   I had a chance to meet an individual who had a fancy website   
   offering to sell his technology for a HHO car.   
   He had wild claims for improved mileage.   
      
   When questioned one-on-one, he finally realized I wasn't buying   
   the generalize BS he was feeding me, he disclosed that he'd made one   
   test run   
   and based the mileage calculations by filling up at one station,   
   driving 30 miles at constant speed on the freeway then filling   
   up again 0.7 gallons at a different station.  Strike one.   
      
   Further questioning revealed that he had a ECU tweak chip   
   and had tweaked the mixture lean until the car stopped   
   running and backed up till it started again.  Strike two.   
      
   He had no concept that tweaking the ECU was illegal.  Strike 3.   
      
   Being the helpful person that I am, I offered to build him a   
   real-time digital readout of relative MPG so he could tweak it   
   in real time.  He agreed.   
   I spent a week building it, but when it came time to test it,   
   he'd changed his mind.  Guess he decided that real data would be   
   detrimental to his business plan. ;-)   
      
   If you can't be bothered to do some simple measurements that could   
   easily verify your innovation beyond a doubt, I put you in the same   
   category as the esteemed Andrea Rossi.  You can decide for yourself   
   whether that's good company.   
      
   Are we having fun yet?   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)