I agree that is a good book. Very interesting. There are some unsettling parallels to some aspects of cold fusion research.
I think some of the reviews and comments got the story wrong. They portrayed both Holmes and the company as complete fakes, with no redeeming qualities. She was a fake, but many of the people at the company were honest researchers making a serious effort to improve the technology. They failed. As I recall from the book, the project did not meet any of its objectives. I do not think there was any IP to sell off when they liquidated. That's a waste of money and talent. It is a shame. But it is *not* criminal, and not fraud. It better not be, or every programmer will end up jail, along with all cold fusion scientists. We must be careful not to condemn failure, or equate it to being stupid or negligent, or worse, criminal. Any R&D worth doing is risky. It can always fail. If you knew for sure it would succeed, it wouldn't be research.
