Re: self-powered magnetic pump

Nick Hall ( nick@domini.org )
Wed, 03 Nov 1999 09:57:12 +0000

At 19:09 02/11/99 -0600, you wrote:
>Hi Folks!
>
>Dan LaRochelle sent in this interesting URL claiming to be a magnetic
>pump that runs itself and the US government is interested in it.

Hmmm.......

I have looked carefully at this site and would make these observations:

1) The author claims: "This is to announce that `Psitronics Group Systems,
International` and it's sister-companies [snip]... are now `Hot Linked` to
the `National Aeronautics & Space Administration`"

What does `hot-linked` mean here????

In the normal usage on the web it means "hyperlinked" - and at the bottom
of the page there is indeed a hyperlink to the NASA web site.

However, the overall tone of the paragraph is trying to give the impression
that Psitronics and its sister companies are in a commercial partnership
with `blue chip` technology companies to develop this motor. In other
words it seems to be trying to give the impression that NASA is a partner
(thus giving it credibility) while not actually saying that.

2) In the author`s resume page, he says "I designed a Self-Sustaining
Permanent Magnet Motor from scratch in 1976!"

Which begs the question: "Fine - so why 23 years later are you still
looking for funding????"

If the thing worked, why haven`t we all been using them for years????

3) More generally, the level of investment asked for is ridiculous:
250,000,000 dollars - why so high? You only have to demonstrate one to any
existing large electromechanical manufacturing corporation and they will do
the rest and pay a handsome royalty.

4) The photographs are clearly labelled "Concept model" - why no photo of
the 600 HP working prototype?......

5) I`m always suspicious of vague and therefore unverifiable claims such as:

"I am currently working closely with Government and Industry"

- Which agencies?
- Which companies that are #NOT# just `sister companies` also run by the
same person?

"These Blueprints have recently been Favorably Evaluated by The United
States Navy"

- When and where?
- Official documents proving this claim?

None of the above counts against the validity of the above claims, but it
causes me to be a little less than enthusiastic.

At the least I feel that it points to an amateurish web site in support of
an enthusiastic but possibly naive inventor.

However, it does make a testable claim:

"All this is to be a Surprise to the World on January 1st, 2001 When our
Full-Sized `Millennium Motors` are also released to the Marketplace"

I have emailed the inventor and asked him what he could actually
demonstrate (i.e. a working model) to potential investors.........

Nick Hall

Manchester, UK

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