Skeptical article on Steorn in BBC

[ElMondoHummus]

Professor Sir Eric Ash just wrote a column on the Steorn device:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/6283374.stm

Two telling elements in that story:

1. "Mr McCarthy (Mr Sean McCarthy, CEO of Steorn, "trained originally as a mechanical engineer") is convinced that it is working."

and

2. "When asked about the conservation of energy Mr McCarthy says quite frankly that he does not know where the energy that provides perpetual motion comes from. He wonders whether he is somehow harnessing so-called "zero point" energy..."

He does not know where the energy comes from, and only has a vague hypothesis about it. He doesn't put forth how the device converts the zero point energy into work. But he still believes in the device.

I'm rather disappointed in this. It seems to point at my more cynical opinion, that the Steorn makers know they're full of (rule 8). That's a rather massive suspension of disbelief.

Then again, Sir Ash stated that McCarthy is genuine in his belief (although categorizes it as "prolonged self deception"... Meh... I'm just disappointed that there's not even any explanation of how this perpetual motion machine works other than some vague stab at zero point energy. At any rate, it's good to see the BBC publish a sober thought piece on this topic.

 

[ElMondoHummus]

(*Sniff*)... no one wants to play on my thread...

It's time to end it all... Goodbye, cruel world...

 

[tmackean]

Don't do it!

Anyway.

The BBC's piece is being discussed on the Steorn forums, too, and most of the posters there seem to think it's pretty fair. Most, not all.

Eric Ash let's them off pretty easy. A couple of magnets and a flywheel is all you need to harness the awesome power of DARK ENERGY. Yeah, right, Sean - watch out for the leprechauns, by the way.

Aren't Steorn being shadowed by a documentary crew? This latest episode will make for good TV, about 2/3rds of the way through the running time, just before an ad break.

It's all quite entertaining, though, isn't it? Can't wait to see their end game.

 

[Locknar]

Excellent article; Sir Ash did an excellent job in presenting what I thought was a fair discussion. It would been much eaiser to just write off McCarthy as a nut case.