Peter Heckert <peter.heck...@arcor.de> wrote: I'm sure he would say "go ahead and ignore that if you like; just look at >> the physical facts." >> >> > If he does it this way, then he cannot know the difference between a > random effect, a systematic measurement error or a real physical fact. How > can he know, if he doesnt care about repeatable and predictable precision?
That does not follow at all. You are ignoring the whole history of technology up to the late 19th century. For the last 30,000 years, craftsmen and technicians have depended entirely on observations and physical tests of materials. A Japanese swordsman makes a superb blade using entirely what he sees and smells, such as the incandescent color of the workpiece. These craftsmen were as systematic as any modern scientist or engineer. That is why they were able to do superb metallurgy and build cathedrals without any knowledge of modern physics or chemistry. The people who made Damascus steel and Japanese swords had no knowledge that oxygen exists and absolutely no grasp of physics but they were able to do things that modern metallurgists still do not fully understand. Any metallurgist stands in awe of these ancient people. I have seen videos of Japanese sword makers at work and I assure you they are as methodical as anyone can be. They use no numbers at all. They have no modern instruments. They deal entirely in real physical effects, not measurements in the modern sense. They have tremendous knowledge, and it is accurate and true, but it is not in same form as modern scientific knowledge. Rossi's methods more resemble those of ancient craftsmen more than modern scientists'. That makes it all the more astounding -- and admirable -- that he has succeeded. Your notion that people cannot be scientific without number crunching is typical of the ahistorical view of modern people. You should learn how people did things 100 years ago, or 500 years ago. Your ancestors knew far more than you give them credit for and they were much more methodical and scientific than people appreciate. Look at the buildings and objects and works of art they left us, and you see proof of that. > He will fall victim to parasitic and random errors and instead developing > energy he will develop a method for systematic false measurements. > You cannot have false measurements when you do not use instruments to measure things. Sword makers, cooks, soldiers, farmers, artists, potters working with glazes, and many others people understood temperatures by various direct means such as color, the consistency of materials, or melting minerals (the sort of thing a modern potter uses in a kiln). They did that for thousands of years before thermometers were invented. Modern science began in 1600, but people have been using scientific, logical methods informed by facts about nature for thousands of years. If you showed Rossi's device to an ancient craftsmen, he would instantly grasp the significance of it. It would be obvious to him. Ancient people understood that you cannot keep something hot without fire, and fire consumes fuel at fixed ratio to the heat. That why they they celebrated the Hanukkah miracle (the festival of lights). They understood perfectly well that a candle cannot burn for many days without exhausting the fuel. In fact, they understood better than many modern physicists. I am sure the Hanukkah miracle did not actually occur. it must have been been an exaggeration or a misunderstanding. The point is, people thought it occurred, and they recognized it would be a miracle. Nowadays, modern physicists and the people here wave their hands and make up excuses to explain away Rossi's 4 hours of heat after death. That is like trying to to explain away oil candles burning for eight days with a 1 day supply of fuel. It is grotesque that people do not instantly see this must be an anomaly. - Jed
