Energy Crisis: Solved!

We may be able to achieve thermonuclear fusion within the high temperatures of the collapsing bubbles produced during sonoluminescence. The official name for the reaction is Acoustic Inertial Confinement Fusion (AICF), which is well described in the "Bubble Fusion" Wikipedia entry (here). I first heard about sonoluminescence as part of course that I took some twenty years ago called "Underwater Noise". It covered cavitation and touched upon the experimental observation that the temperatures inside the cavitation bubbles was "as hot as the center of the Sun." As the years passed and cold fusion was "announced" the thought percolated into my brain: if a hydrogen bubble underwent this extreme temperature and pressure wouldn't there be a mini-fusion reaction. In the Wikipedia article they state: "In the March 8, 2002 issue of the peer-reviewed journal Science, Rusi P. Taleyarkhan and colleagues at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) reported that acoustic cavitation experiments conducted with deuterated acetone (C3D6O) showed measurements of tritium and neutron output that were consistent with the occurrence of fusion." Further, in 2005, students of Taleyarkhan at Purdue University published evidence confirming the previous result. Today we learn that a Purdue University committee has concluded that some allegations of research misconduct by Taleyarkhan were founded. (AP article). What a shame. So, where do we stand? I, for one, believe that since sonoluminescence does achieve the temperatures and pressures found at the center of the Sun it is a plausible avenue for scientific research. We must never let one individual or group's errors stand in the way of valid scientific pursuit.

USPS to Me: Pay Online

The U.S. Postal Service taught me a valuable lesson yesterday: "Pay your bills online." You see, when I mailed my credit card payment on Monday I had only put a 41 cent stamp on the envelope. I had forgotten (honestly) that the post office had raised the rates to 42 cents. My post office was kind enough to return-to-sender the envelop with a quick blurb on how to fix the problem by adding the penny stamp, but I took it a different way. Why not pay the bill online? It was just the kick in the pants I needed. After I went through the steps... I found that two of my credit cards are with the same bank and both can be paid online from my checking account. I configured payment alerts and lots of great things like the "go paperless" program. I am now very motivated to pay all my bills online. I'd like to see if I can virtually eliminate all my snail-mail bill paying. Thanks USPS!

Spargel Dein Reises

It is time for all good people to step out of the shadows and asparagus their rice.