"Low Energy Nuclear Reaction" or LENR (formerly known as Cold Fusion) Real or Not?

Several months ago I got into a discussion with my teenage son about different types of energy production.  For some reason, he was convinced that "perpetual motion" was real.  I tried to explain that the scientific consensus that a perpetual motion device would violate the first and/or second law of thermodynamics.  Anyone who knows my son, also knows it can be difficult to change his mind.

For the last several years, I have been hearing more people talk about "Low Energy Nuclear Reaction" also known as LENR (formerly known as Cold Fusion) as being a plausible and clean form of energy production.  I figured if my son wanted to investigate controversial technologies, I would prefer him investigating LENR then perpetual motion.

Below are some of the most reliable sources of information that I have found so far on the subject:

Here is an excerpt from an article posted on the NASA web site, "Although there is a quite long history of "anomalous" observations, including transmutations, the "recent" consideration of Low Energy Nuclear Reactions (LENR) began in the late 80's with the Pons/Fleischmann observations and assertions regarding what they termed "Cold Fusion." However, subsequent difficulties with experimental replication and an utter lack of convincing theoretical explication forced research in this arena "underground" with minimal financial support. " Finish reading the article: Low Energy Nuclear Reactions, the Realism and the Outlook

Video: NASA LaRC | Abundant Clean/Green Energy by Joseph Zawodny.

More related information:

• Video: NASA's Method for a Clean Nuclear Energy For Your Power Operated Technology
• CBS News: Cold Fusion Is Hot Again
• Wikipedia: Low Energy Nuclear Reaction (LENR)

Damian Palin: Mining minerals from seawater

Video Description: "The world needs clean water, and more and more, we're pulling it from the oceans, desalinating it, and drinking it. But what to do with the salty brine left behind? In this intriguing short talk, TED Fellow Damian Palin proposes an idea: Mine it for other minerals we need, with the help of some collaborative metal-munching bacteria."

Jack McBrayer & Triumph Visit Chicago's Weiner's Circle - CONAN on TBS

Video Description: "CONAN highlight: Jack McBrayer & Triumph the Insult Comic Dog pay a visit to Chicago's infamously hostile hot dog stand."

This is the funniest video I have seen in a long time, be aware its very vulgar but it is bleeped. I hope you enjoy it and are not offended by it.

Paul Otlet, Envisioning Internet/Web in 1934

Video Description: "Paul Otlet, a Belgian bibliographer, pacifist and entrepreneur imagined a day when users would access the database from great distances by means of an "electric telescope" connected through a telephone line, retrieving a facsimile image to be projected remotely on a flat screen."

Paul Otlet is one of several people who have been considered the father of information science. (More information)

Anil Gupta: India's hidden hotbeds of invention

Video Description: "Anil Gupta is on the hunt for the developing world's unsung inventors -- indigenous entrepreneurs whose ingenuity, hidden by poverty, could change many people's lives. He shows how the Honey Bee network helps them build the connections they need -- and gain the recognition they deserve."

Magnus Larsson: Turning dunes into architecture

Video Description:"Architecture student Magnus Larsson details his bold plan to transform the harsh Sahara desert using bacteria and a surprising construction material: the sand itself."

Eben Bayer: Are mushrooms the new plastic?

Video Description: "Product designer Eben Bayer reveals his recipe for a new, fungus-based packaging material that protects fragile stuff like furniture, plasma screens -- and the environment"

MaKey MaKey: An Invention Kit for Everyone

Product Description: "MaKey MaKey is an invention kit for the 21st century. Turn everyday objects into touchpads and combine them with the internet. It's a simple Invention Kit for Beginners and Experts doing art, engineering, and everything inbetween" (more information is on Kickstarter)

Ultimate Marketing/Promotion Ideas Super List - The Jason Chronicles

Do you need a list of promotional ideas that you can use to increase the sale of your products and services?  Here is an excerpt from an article about the subject: "Below are marketing and other types of promotional ideas that you can use to increase the sale of your products and services. This is a broad list, it includes different methods and other considerations that several different types of businesses have used to promote sales or set their merchandise a part from the competition." (finish reading the rest of the article)

Number One Factor that Drives Sales - The Jason Chronicles

Do you know which one factor that will influence sales and brand awareness in your marketing efforts?  Here is an excerpt from an article about the subject: "The first thing that you need to realize is that there is one main factor that determines whether a customer is going to buy from you or your competition. That one factor that will drive sales and brand awareness is how well you understand and utilize "human psychology " in your marketing efforts." (finish reading the rest of the article)

Drew Curtis: How I beat a patent troll

Video Description: "Drew Curtis, the founder of fark.com, tells the story of how he fought a lawsuit from a company that had a patent, "...for the creation and distribution of news releases via email." Along the way he shares some nutty statistics about the growing legal problem of frivolous patents.

Regina Dugan: From mach-20 glider to humming bird drone

Video Description: "What would you attempt to do if you knew you could not fail?" asks Regina Dugan, then director of DARPA, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency. In this breathtaking talk she describes some of the extraordinary projects -- a robotic hummingbird, a prosthetic arm controlled by thought, and, well, the internet -- that her agency has created by not worrying that they might fail."

Rory Sutherland: Perspective is everything

Video Description: "The circumstances of our lives may matter less than how we see them, says Rory Sutherland. At TEDxAthens, he makes a compelling case for how reframing is the key to happiness."

Reuben Margolin: Sculpting waves in wood and time

Video Description: "Reuben Margolin is a kinetic sculptor, crafting beautiful pieces that move in the pattern of raindrops falling and waves combining. Take nine minutes and be mesmerized by his meditative art -- inspired in equal parts by math and nature."

Speed of Light / aka / The World's Tiniest Police Chase

Video Description: "From the brains behind viral smash Address Is Approximate comes the smallest police chase ever seen, made using the world's smallest video projectors. 100% projected and filmed FOR REAL without CGI trickery, Speed of Light features an escaped convict, a determined cop and a fully armed police helicopter!"

Disney-lapse: A time-lapse journey through Disneyland.

Video Description: "Over 30,000 still images, taken over the course of a year."

How Piracy and Pornography Drive Technology

Here is an excerpt from the article: "Over the years piracy and pornography have played accidental roles in defining the direction of technology and creating new commercial business models. I want to state that this article is not advocating piracy or pornography, but shows how it unintentionally drives technological and business innovation, by influencing customer buying decisions.


Throughout history sexual content has influence language, art (e.g. sculptures, drawings, paintings, etc.), printing (Pietro Aretino's Postures (1524)), photography, film, cable, telephone, computer (e.g. content and games), VHS, DVD, Internet Streaming. The basic appeal of sexual content has help standardize technologies when there are media format wars such as VHS vs. Beta. Its often speculated the VHS won this format war because the pornography industry backed the VHS standard, because Sony refused to allow sexual content on the Betamax system." (read the rest of the  article )