Terry Blanton wrote:
But, what most of our list members might not know, as they were
possibly not privy to the information, is that Patterson ran out of
the working microspheres and new batches did not work. The real
question is why could he not replicate the balls? The key must lie in
the method of deposition of the materials or the materials themselves.
No doubt that is where key must lie.
It is not clear that he ran out and was unable to make more beads. He
may have run out of gumption rather than beads. He lost heart after
Reding died.
Some people told me he was unable to replicate. Others told he did not
even try. One of the last things Patterson told me was, "I could make
new beads anytime I want." I probably answered: "then why on earth don't
you?!?" I don't recall his answer.
As I said, it was heartbreaking.
Patterson's attitude was hard for me to understand. He was a chemist,
and as I recall he dabbled in real estate investments (or something like
real estate). The thing is, he treated cold fusion as a side business.
When it did not work out, he put it aside the way an investor might sell
off an unprofitable rental house. To me, cold fusion is the most
important discovery in modern history. It may be necessary to prevent
global warming. It can save the lives of roughly 50,000 people every
week. So, if I were in Patterson's position, being elderly, no longer
able to make beads, and knowing that I would not live to make a profit
on it, I would still do everything in my power to pass on my knowledge
to others. I would do this to save people's lives. To benefit humanity.
I am sorry to say this, but I got a sense that Patterson saw cold fusion
mainly as a way to make money, and he did not appreciate the larger
implications. Perhaps he did not care about that. That is an awful thing
to say about a person, but that was my impression. He was a nice person
and I don't like to think he was cold hearted, but as far as I know he
did little to ensure his knowledge would survive him.
Many cold fusion researchers see the subject as just another scientific
project. Rossi appreciates the importance of cold fusion. So do many
others, McKubre and Mizuno in particular.
- Jed
