If it makes any difference, Jed confided in me this whole story when it happened. I found it appalling. Patterson wanted the $1M from Motorola but he wanted control of the secret. I had empathy for Motorola since they gave me my first job out of school and I wanted to see CF succeed. CETI could probably have easily have gotten a 40% share out of the batwings but they were greedy.
It was a horrible story and we were devastated by it. On Sat, Dec 20, 2014 at 12:37 PM, Jed Rothwell <jedrothw...@gmail.com> wrote: > Alain: If you want to post a message at 22passi explaining that I wrote > that, and you feel like copying my message posted here, go ahead. > > Bob Higgins <rj.bob.higg...@gmail.com> wrote: > > He was a fool. He told me he wanted a 100% market share. I said "you will >>> end up with 100% of nothing." I was right. >>> >> >> I think that description of Patterson is not as kind as Dennis described. >> > > Patterson and Redding both told me they wanted a "100% market share" and > they said they were delighted that other people did not believe the claims, > because that reduced the chances of competition. I told them they were out > of their minds. It was not a friendly exchange. > > > >> He may have been worried that with the Motorola deal, the way it was >> structured, he wouldn't be setting his grandson up the way he wished. >> > > He was not in a position to bargain, especially since he refused to make > the experiment convincing and -- as it turned out -- he could not replicate > it. He should have settled for something rather than nothing, or he should > have shopped around for a better deal. > > > >> He took his secrets to the grave. >>> >> >> That is not the way that I recall Dennis telling me. Dennis said that >> Patterson was unable to replicate it himself after running out of his >> supply of NASA microgravity plastic beads and running out of his original >> plating solutions. >> > > That's what I meant. He could not reproduce and he did not take steps to > fix the problem. As far as I know, he didn't. Shortly before he died he > told me, "I can make more of these beads anytime I want." > > > . . .but was apparently unmotivated after the loss of his grandson, and >> until his passing. >> > > He was depressed, which is understandable. He turned down help from > various people. I tried to make him see the larger issues, and the fact > that this was important for reasons beyond his personal life. I told him > that mankind desperately needs this discovery, and he should try to make it > work for that reason. He did not see it that way. Very few cold fusion > researchers do. It is always their baby, and their private hobby. Patterson > was more interested in making investments than doing cold fusion as I > recall. Les Case was similar. It is a mindset I cannot understand. > > - Jed > >
