BOOK REVIEW: THE SEARCH FOR A NEW ENERGY SOURCE
By Gary L. Johnson
BOOK REVIEW
By Hal Fox
Gary L. Johnson, The Search for a New Energy Source, Johnson Electric Corporation, P.O. Box 1032, Manhattan, KS 66502, c1997, 263 pages, illus., indexed, extensive bibliog.
This is an excellent and timely book addressing many new-energy issues that should be considered by anyone who is involved in new-energy devices and systems either as an inventor, developer, or investor. One of the unusual (but welcome) features of the book is that the author is not reticent to discuss the religious concepts either as an explanation for some new energy sources or in the church's role to ensure adequate proliferation of new-energy sources. Dr. Johnson, a retired university professor, explores with the reader the many concepts that bear on sources for new energy. Even the role of lightning (which we do not, as yet, fully understand) is cited as a possible energy source if we understood the source of lightning.
Gary Johnson has no problem with direct honesty in presenting topics of what we know and what we speculate. Whether it is special relativity or the aether, the author is not concerned about academic acceptance of the ideas discussed. In chapter 5, the author presents a variety of unexplained events that are often ignored in academic texts. He then makes this insightful comment, "If there really is an aether with a high energy content, many of these data [previously cited] will start to make sense. How many times in history has an experimental observation not fit into the then-current paradigm, but someone was willing to follow the leading of the data and made an important discovery?" Dr. Johnson is also direct in chapter 7 when he says, "Rather, they [data] point out that the foundations of electromagnetics are surprisingly weak and raise the possibility that appropriate modifications to electromagnetic theory may predict a new energy source."
In his final chapter, the author even suggests that if we learn to tap energy from the aether or some similar all-pervasive energetic medium, that we should make careful observations to ensure that we are not causing some unexpected damage to such energy source. This is the first time that this reviewer has seen an author discuss this issue. One of the topics that this reviewer would like to see discussed at more length is a compilation of anomalous experimental results and an attempt to relate such anomalies to an understanding of the aether or other energy source. For example, the Aspden Effect (rotational inertia) has been almost ignored as an experiment from which the aether can be noticeably affected. If it takes 3000 Joules to spin up a magnetic rotor to rated speed, stop the rotor, and spin again up to rated speed with one-tenth the energy the Aspden Effect this discovery needs strong investigation and explanation. [see NEN, Feb. 1995]
The author is strongly supportive of the needs of this new-energy technology. In his final page of chapter 8, Dr. Johnson concludes: "In the meantime, we need to do our homework and be ready for a major paradigm shift. Experimenters need to carefully document anomalous results and encourage others to replicate them. Theoreticians need to develop mathematical models for the unexplained observations in this book." This reviewer believes that the $20 price for this book is an excellent investment for any of our new-energy readers.
www.padrak.com/ine/NEN_6_5_7.html
Oct. 25, 1998.