Xref: utzoo sci.research:781 sci.space:10289 sci.environment:704 misc.headlines:7410 sci.misc:3328
Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!cs.utexas.edu!siddarth
From: siddarth@cs.utexas.edu (Siddarth Subramanian)
Newsgroups: sci.research,sci.space,sci.environment,misc.headlines,sci.misc
Subject: Re: Success with cold fusion reported
Message-ID: <5113@cs.utexas.edu>
Date: 28 Mar 89 16:30:54 GMT
References: <18213@glacier.STANFORD.EDU> <3451@aplcomm.jhuapl.edu> <77762DBH106@PSUVM> <1989Mar28.041030.2291@gpu.utcs.toronto.edu>
Sender: news@cs.utexas.edu
Followup-To: sci.research
Organization: U. Texas CS Dept., Austin, Texas
Lines: 29

In article <1989Mar28.041030.2291@gpu.utcs.toronto.edu> kocic@gpu.utcs.UUCP (Miroslav Kocic) writes:
>
>The discussion in this newsgroup has so far been about the authenticity of the
>Utah breakthrough, but I have two different concerns.  First, what if fusion
>turns out to create problems we don't foresee?  We didn't foresee radioactive
>waste or meltdowns back when fission was at this stage, and, if history teaches
>anything, it teaches that every benefit has a proportional price.  Second, what
>if cold fusion becomes the crack-cocaine of energy production?  I can imagine
>a thousand fanatics in 750 terrorist cells making an H-bomb in their kitchen.

Wow. Some people really love to  pour cold water on  things before they even
get off the  ground. Here we're  discussing a method  that  has not even been
well  documented yet. We don't know if it's  economically feasible or even
theoretically   sound. To  go from here  to H-bombs  in one step does take
a lot of  imagination.

While  I agree  with  the need for  caution  in  looking at any new process
or technique, I believe  that  something as important as room-temperature
fusion  should first be studied for its merits as an  energy source. As
for H-bombs, note  that many  do-it-yourself  guides  have been  written for
producing fission bombs  already. Fortunately  for  mankind, few people 
combine both genocidal instincts and the intelligence  required   to make
such a bomb. Even  the worst terrorist groups have not  resorted to bomb
production. There's no  reason to think they're  going to now.


-------
SIDDARTH SUBRAMANIAN
siddarth@cs.utexas.edu     "$#$#^&^*())*&&^hghg@44*&^##[][]" - R2D2