The following is a press release from Looking for Heat
WANT TO JOIN THE GENTLE SCIENTISTS?
The Gentleman Farmer. ‘A man whose wealth or income from other sources permits him to farm for pleasure, rather than for basic income. – From the Merriam-Webster Dictionary.
Have you ever thought about joining the small band of pioneer investigators seeking to explore and develop the many pathways to cheap clean energy that LENR offers? If you have, you know that it is difficult and expensive to begin from scratch. It’s time someone made the essential items simple and cheaper to access. Well known LENR blogger Dr. Bob and I have spent the last three months and many long hours creating a new company which does exactly that. On the 1st of March we are launching Looking For Heat – the world’s first webstore devoted to supplying the needs of LENR scientists working independently. As well as a good stock of hard to find hardware and chemicals there is something very special.
We are offering the world’s first bench-top LENR test and demonstration system. We call it the ‘Model T’ – because like Henry Ford’s famous Tin Lizzie it is simple and reliable.
But first, let’s tell you why we decided to do it.
THE TRAP – A CASE STUDY.
Any Saturday my good friend, a well-known physicist, might put his golfing clothes on and – with golf bag on display – go to his University physics lab ‘in disguise’ to work on a pet and private LENR project. ‘When will you publish?’ I asked him over a beer. He gave me a wry smile, shook his head, and said ‘Almost everyone who works in the LENR field is either retired, dead, or works for Google. I don’t want to be any of those just yet, thank you, I’m staying under the radar.’
He fits the description in the subtitle above perfectly. Saturdays and Sundays he really is a ‘gentleman scientist’, working in his own time, for his own pleasure. In this way respectable tenured academics, gainfully employed in our great institutions can avoid the hideous reputation trap that LENR now represents. It is very sad but they do it to avoid puzzled looks and sly giggles from colleagues who suspect them of having ‘lost it’.
SCIENCE IS NOT ‘JUST FOR SCIENTISTS’ – LET’S TAKE IT BACK
Most of those funded or employed to conduct scientific experiments have been trained in traditional ways. This means perhaps 10 years of study and training after leaving high school. Such formal and intensive professional training equips those with access to the required resources to become successful scientists.
But we contend that informally trained individuals of all ages can also make a huge contribution to our scientific knowledge. Often described as “citizen scientists”, many members of the general public have lightened the burden of academic researchers, particularly those involved in big data projects like SETI. Ordinary people have helped such projects by identifying anomalous radio signals, distant galaxies, monitoring global weather and climate changes — usually and typically without payment or proper acknowledgement. The organisers of these projects tend to describe the volunteer networks they construct in terms which mainly describe how smart they were to think of using free labour.
This habit of limiting the role of non-academics to anonymous data-collector or passive data-processing ‘cogs in the machine’ denies them op-portunities to suggest their own ideas for experiments, or contribute to the interpretation of outcomes. It is our belief –- based on observation — that this group includes many ‘gentleman (or gentlewoman) scientists’ – let’s just call them ‘Gentles’ — people asking their own scientific questions, with the will and the wish to seek answers for themselves.
Our gentle scientists, perhaps working in a garage or other domestic set-ting, won’t always fit the academic mould, but nevertheless want to under-stand more about the stuff our universe is made from. Hopefully, though sadly not always, they apply the same methodology as the white-coated guys at MIT. But they are all important.
IT’S HARD TO BUILD AND STOCK A LABORATORY.
When it comes to LENR research we have found that a gentle scientist faces many obstacles, especially the problem of obtaining supplies. For example, buying hardware and many of the chemicals used in a typical small-scale LENR experiment in reasonable quantities is often difficult and ex-pensive. Not many garage labs need a kilo of Nano-Nickel or as much as a gram of Palladium Deuteride. Incidentally the current cost of PdD is around $4,000 per gram according to one source!
But getting small amounts of even non-exotic materials can be impossible. This situation is made more complex because some suppliers –- Sigma Aldrich for example -– really only want to supply account customers like universities or corporations. Other companies willing to supply private individuals may demand anything up to 10X the regular price for specialist chemicals. There’s something a little fishy going on there!
By undertaking extensive research we at Looking For Heat have developed strong contacts with serious suppliers, and hold stocks of almost anything you might want, ready to send anywhere in the world at sensible prices. You can do serious research without being a billionaire. For example, several decades ago, Stanley Milgram tested his ideas on the ‘Six Degrees of Separation’ using little more than a bunch of postcards.
While ‘big science’ has tended to become even bigger since the 60’s, in some ways it’s easier to create small scale experiments that would at one time have filled Brookhaven Laboratory. It isn’t just computers that got smaller. But to a large extent it’s improved computers and the amazing data and software resources of the web that enable researchers to leverage a tiny budget in astonishing ways. We like to compare the current state of LENR research with the early days of radio. LENR is not just the stunted love-child of physics, but a whole new scientific landscape. And like radio in the pioneering days of Marconi, there is unexplored territory for amateurs to investigate and explain.
ETHICAL AND SAFETY ISSUES.
Recently crowd-funded science projects have begun to attract interest from academic scientists and – because of this interest – just occasionally the mainstream press. There are several reasons for this change; one being that there is a shrinking number of grants and permanent research posts available even to established academics. But for other projects, there would seem to be no other way to raise cash. This can be the case for some very good causes, like this appeal for $500k in funding to help prevent the total extinction of the white Rhinoceros.https://www.gofundme.com/makearhino
Scientific experiments like this are difficult to do without institutional or corporate support and a good budget. But what about crowd-funding risky stuff? Projects involving animal or human subjects, deadly toxins or high-energy radiation could pose real dangers.
For example, CRISPR/Cas9 – which offers the promise of simple kitchen table gene editing – is beginning to be recognised as a subject area that needs careful watching. The possibility of editing yeast genes to produce psychoactive drugs is just one ‘problem’ issue that has entered the public domain. An escaped strain of such a yeast capable of living in the human bowel – as other yeasts can- might send us all on a permanent trip!
So, legal checks and balances will always be essential for scientific projects, but perhaps the law might have to become less insistent on traditional academic settings for research.
At Looking For Heat we have pondered the risks involved in carrying out LENR research in a home workshop. Hardly any human activity is without risk of course, crossing the road, using a step-ladder or making jam are all risky activities. That said, we offer safety equipment and information to help keep you safe where we think it necessary. Consider all the risks for any experiment before you carry it out. Be safe and learn.
DIG THE DATA MINE AT ‘LOOKING FOR HEAT’
Now that computers and the web have given even ‘Joe the Plumber’ the power to collect and analyse data, and more importantly to share and discuss it with other interested people, new virtual spaces and facilities like our start-up www.LookingForHeat.com are needed. And we are not just selling widgets, an integral part of our mission is to generate funding for our own open-source research program, and to fund others making the same journey.
We have designed our business to accommodate and support researchers working in non-traditional settings. We hope and expect that over the next few years there will be an increase in the number of scientific discoveries made by informally trained “gentle scientists” of all ages and backgrounds. Previously unheard voices, all of them adding to our knowledge base. Their contribution -maybe your contribution – could be valuable, our planet desperately need fearless and original thinkers.
Doctor Bob and all our helpers at Looking For Heat want to share the knowledge we have gained so far, and we would like all our clients and followers to share their findings too. Secrets are best kept in plain sight. Together we can begin to crowd-source answers to the biggest problem man-kind faces – how to lower energy costs and as a result make our planet cleaner, greener and more prosperous.
This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. Cookie settingsACCEPT
Privacy & Cookies Policy
Privacy Overview
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
Looking for Heat Launches Webstore to Supply Needs of LENR Researchers (Press Release)
The following is a press release from Looking for Heat
WANT TO JOIN THE GENTLE SCIENTISTS?
The Gentleman Farmer. ‘A man whose wealth or income from other sources permits him to farm for pleasure, rather than for basic income. – From the Merriam-Webster Dictionary.
Have you ever thought about joining the small band of pioneer investigators seeking to explore and develop the many pathways to cheap clean energy that LENR offers? If you have, you know that it is difficult and expensive to begin from scratch. It’s time someone made the essential items simple and cheaper to access. Well known LENR blogger Dr. Bob and I have spent the last three months and many long hours creating a new company which does exactly that. On the 1st of March we are launching Looking For Heat – the world’s first webstore devoted to supplying the needs of LENR scientists working independently. As well as a good stock of hard to find hardware and chemicals there is something very special.
We are offering the world’s first bench-top LENR test and demonstration system. We call it the ‘Model T’ – because like Henry Ford’s famous Tin Lizzie it is simple and reliable.
But first, let’s tell you why we decided to do it.
THE TRAP – A CASE STUDY.
Any Saturday my good friend, a well-known physicist, might put his golfing clothes on and – with golf bag on display – go to his University physics lab ‘in disguise’ to work on a pet and private LENR project. ‘When will you publish?’ I asked him over a beer. He gave me a wry smile, shook his head, and said ‘Almost everyone who works in the LENR field is either retired, dead, or works for Google. I don’t want to be any of those just yet, thank you, I’m staying under the radar.’
He fits the description in the subtitle above perfectly. Saturdays and Sundays he really is a ‘gentleman scientist’, working in his own time, for his own pleasure. In this way respectable tenured academics, gainfully employed in our great institutions can avoid the hideous reputation trap that LENR now represents. It is very sad but they do it to avoid puzzled looks and sly giggles from colleagues who suspect them of having ‘lost it’.
SCIENCE IS NOT ‘JUST FOR SCIENTISTS’ – LET’S TAKE IT BACK
Most of those funded or employed to conduct scientific experiments have been trained in traditional ways. This means perhaps 10 years of study and training after leaving high school. Such formal and intensive professional training equips those with access to the required resources to become successful scientists.
But we contend that informally trained individuals of all ages can also make a huge contribution to our scientific knowledge. Often described as “citizen scientists”, many members of the general public have lightened the burden of academic researchers, particularly those involved in big data projects like SETI. Ordinary people have helped such projects by identifying anomalous radio signals, distant galaxies, monitoring global weather and climate changes — usually and typically without payment or proper acknowledgement. The organisers of these projects tend to describe the volunteer networks they construct in terms which mainly describe how smart they were to think of using free labour.
This habit of limiting the role of non-academics to anonymous data-collector or passive data-processing ‘cogs in the machine’ denies them op-portunities to suggest their own ideas for experiments, or contribute to the interpretation of outcomes. It is our belief –- based on observation — that this group includes many ‘gentleman (or gentlewoman) scientists’ – let’s just call them ‘Gentles’ — people asking their own scientific questions, with the will and the wish to seek answers for themselves.
Our gentle scientists, perhaps working in a garage or other domestic set-ting, won’t always fit the academic mould, but nevertheless want to under-stand more about the stuff our universe is made from. Hopefully, though sadly not always, they apply the same methodology as the white-coated guys at MIT. But they are all important.
IT’S HARD TO BUILD AND STOCK A LABORATORY.
When it comes to LENR research we have found that a gentle scientist faces many obstacles, especially the problem of obtaining supplies. For example, buying hardware and many of the chemicals used in a typical small-scale LENR experiment in reasonable quantities is often difficult and ex-pensive. Not many garage labs need a kilo of Nano-Nickel or as much as a gram of Palladium Deuteride. Incidentally the current cost of PdD is around $4,000 per gram according to one source!
But getting small amounts of even non-exotic materials can be impossible. This situation is made more complex because some suppliers –- Sigma Aldrich for example -– really only want to supply account customers like universities or corporations. Other companies willing to supply private individuals may demand anything up to 10X the regular price for specialist chemicals. There’s something a little fishy going on there!
By undertaking extensive research we at Looking For Heat have developed strong contacts with serious suppliers, and hold stocks of almost anything you might want, ready to send anywhere in the world at sensible prices. You can do serious research without being a billionaire. For example, several decades ago, Stanley Milgram tested his ideas on the ‘Six Degrees of Separation’ using little more than a bunch of postcards.
While ‘big science’ has tended to become even bigger since the 60’s, in some ways it’s easier to create small scale experiments that would at one time have filled Brookhaven Laboratory. It isn’t just computers that got smaller. But to a large extent it’s improved computers and the amazing data and software resources of the web that enable researchers to leverage a tiny budget in astonishing ways. We like to compare the current state of LENR research with the early days of radio. LENR is not just the stunted love-child of physics, but a whole new scientific landscape. And like radio in the pioneering days of Marconi, there is unexplored territory for amateurs to investigate and explain.
ETHICAL AND SAFETY ISSUES.
Recently crowd-funded science projects have begun to attract interest from academic scientists and – because of this interest – just occasionally the mainstream press. There are several reasons for this change; one being that there is a shrinking number of grants and permanent research posts available even to established academics. But for other projects, there would seem to be no other way to raise cash. This can be the case for some very good causes, like this appeal for $500k in funding to help prevent the total extinction of the white Rhinoceros.https://www.gofundme.com/makearhino
Scientific experiments like this are difficult to do without institutional or corporate support and a good budget. But what about crowd-funding risky stuff? Projects involving animal or human subjects, deadly toxins or high-energy radiation could pose real dangers.
For example, CRISPR/Cas9 – which offers the promise of simple kitchen table gene editing – is beginning to be recognised as a subject area that needs careful watching. The possibility of editing yeast genes to produce psychoactive drugs is just one ‘problem’ issue that has entered the public domain. An escaped strain of such a yeast capable of living in the human bowel – as other yeasts can- might send us all on a permanent trip!
So, legal checks and balances will always be essential for scientific projects, but perhaps the law might have to become less insistent on traditional academic settings for research.
At Looking For Heat we have pondered the risks involved in carrying out LENR research in a home workshop. Hardly any human activity is without risk of course, crossing the road, using a step-ladder or making jam are all risky activities. That said, we offer safety equipment and information to help keep you safe where we think it necessary. Consider all the risks for any experiment before you carry it out. Be safe and learn.
DIG THE DATA MINE AT ‘LOOKING FOR HEAT’
Now that computers and the web have given even ‘Joe the Plumber’ the power to collect and analyse data, and more importantly to share and discuss it with other interested people, new virtual spaces and facilities like our start-up www.LookingForHeat.com are needed. And we are not just selling widgets, an integral part of our mission is to generate funding for our own open-source research program, and to fund others making the same journey.
We have designed our business to accommodate and support researchers working in non-traditional settings. We hope and expect that over the next few years there will be an increase in the number of scientific discoveries made by informally trained “gentle scientists” of all ages and backgrounds. Previously unheard voices, all of them adding to our knowledge base. Their contribution -maybe your contribution – could be valuable, our planet desperately need fearless and original thinkers.
Doctor Bob and all our helpers at Looking For Heat want to share the knowledge we have gained so far, and we would like all our clients and followers to share their findings too. Secrets are best kept in plain sight. Together we can begin to crowd-source answers to the biggest problem man-kind faces – how to lower energy costs and as a result make our planet cleaner, greener and more prosperous.
Alan Smith
[email protected]