Polywell Update: Tragedy, Hope
Dave Price
Dr. Bussard has died, a tragic loss for mankind. Fortunately, his work continues.
I had the good fortune to speak to Bussard several months ago on a radio program where he was invited to talk about the implications of Polywell fusion for space travel. As those of us who supported his efforts mourn his passing, we can take some solace in the knowledge that the attention we brought to the issue helped his project gain funding before he passed away.
I didn't always agree with him, but he was a most excellent, creative, innovative, pioneering, and insightful engineer, scientist and inventor. By the way, the very first university paper I ever wrote, when I was about 12 or 13 included an analysis of the practical use of the ramjet for human space exploration and multi-sectional ship design. So, it's personally kinda sentimental to think back on all that stuff. From what I know and hear he was also a humble and a good man, a rather wonderful and somewhat rare combination in a modern man these days.
I hope one day after death to meet him again and perhaps he is even now busy at some new project.
God rest your soul old man.
On second thought, God put it to work again.
I'm sure you still got lots of useful ideas inside you.
Jack.
You'd think with a man like Bussard his death would be scattered around the Geek kingdom of the internet like loose garbage around a Nerd's fungus infested shower stall.
But word of this is only scattered around a few places, and then you gotta really look.
Has this all been a hoax, or is it still possible to slip one under the all-seeing, all-mighty internet.
If so then Bussard's death may say something extremely interesting about what the modern internet has become, and what the function of it is, versus what it was when it mostly serviced men like him.
The Internet is no more, now it is the Public Interestnet. Maybe we should call this the Bussard Effect of the Internet.
It's like a Doppler Shift in mass communications. Science is now in the deep red, and Britney is racing towards us so fast that the blue is so bright it can't be seen anymore. Maybe if Bussard had exploded and went supernova instead of just passing away then it would finally be reported on Google News.
Behold the Brave New World.
It's Web 3.0, the California years.
Of course we all lose our tempers now and then. Dean freely admits to being imperfect in this regard, which is why regulars to this establishment will generally be cut more slack than people who we don't know very well.
Still: behave like an adult, or go find somewhere else to play. Thanks.