Steorn - A Non-Update

A number of readers have asked for an update even if it is just to say that there is little of note happening to talk about. It will come as no surprise to hear that my silence reflects the lack of real information needed to shift my position one way or another. To many, convinced that the Steorn phenomenon is dying, the lack of noise is proof that it was all vapour in the first place. For me, like most things Steorn, it can be read in many ways. After the non-demo, Sean and Co decided to change how they interacted with the public. The showmanship is muted, serious work is being done behind the scenes. Someday we will all be amazed when they pull back the curtain. Maybe.

Most of us only see the results of a new technology or scientific progress after it makes the headlines. In the past, this has been when an actual product hits the streets or peer review reports that there is a real reason to get excited. For good or ill, we have been party to the messy underbelly of trial and error. Anyone who has tried to push the boundaries of any field will recognise the confusion and mistakes for what they are. The net, and our insatiable appetite for sensation, have brought us a little too close to the forge and sparks are flying. Our expectations are unrealistic - these things take time.

While I am no longer convinced that Steorn has found energy's Holy Grail, I still hope. Patience is restored. The company may be folding as I write this, but I doubt it. They might be covering their tracks, but they could equally be doing what they say they are doing - what they should have done all along. We are all culpable in stirring the hype; and I have played my part in helping it along the way. I will no longer do this. If I get excited in the future about something Steorn has revealed in the SPDC, it will be for good reason. Until then, I remain circumspect about the whole affair.

As an aside, I believe in Science. Its structure and its practitioners have changed our lives – mostly for the good. That does not mean, however, that there is no room for improvement. No matter the outcome of this drama, I think we are witnessing something extremely important. The power of the net to unite people for and against a particular idea or claim is likely to accelerate the pace of change. The evolution of memes has a new engine and our world view will alter as power shifts away from the centralised control of the establishment into the hands of the many – or at least the educated subset. We are likely seeing the downside of this at the moment, but in the end I believe the gravy will be rich. Yes, there will be more froth as fashion and hype feed from gullible minds, but when tangible results bubble to the top, no one will be able to deny them. When they do, we will not care where they came from. The collective intelligence will be driven by a few stars that could, in effect, become the new filters that replace the slow moving juggernaut guarding the temples of accepted knowledge. The difference will be that these stars will no longer be immovable, propped up by vested interests. I do not believe there is a global conspiracy to keep new ideas out of sight, but I do think that, when a few individuals hold so much power, their certainty, the notion of infallibility, the investment of time, energy and intellect can clog the filter and halt progress. Will the Steorn outcome shore up their position or point to the dynamic power of the new order? I don't know, but for me, the answer is at least as important as the idea of free energy. For this reason and many others, I watch and wait.