Nearly There...

Today we learn that Shaun Menzies, one of the founders of Steorn, reached the South Pole after 58 days of hiking. To learn more, check out Shaun's blog or visit the team's website, Beyond Endurance.

Creating a new sticky thread entitled "Nearly There..." sure caught a few people's attention today. Sean McCarthy, CEO of Steorn, was kind enough to answer a couple of questions:

overconfident: Sean, Did Shaun take an OC MPMM with him to keep warm? What does it take to get you to participate here?

Steorn: Hi OC - sorry man - life has been hectic, all in a very positive way :-), I was going to say that Shaun was in fact testing bearings in different climates, but to be honest that would just be making a joke of what is a huge achievement on his part, something that he has wanted to do since I have known him - and fair play to him.

I will have more time over the next while so I will try to pop in and chat.

Sean

WhiteLite: Sean, I think overconfident is refering to this video that has caused quite a stir. ;-)

Steorn: Hi WhiteLite,

Yep I saw it, seems pretty cool. Go ahead and test the hell out of it, from the chat that I have seen it looks like the guys know what they are doing on that front.

Sean

As WhiteLite points out, and many of you have already noticed, Alsetalokin has been the center of attention the past few days in the forum with his video, posted primarily to shut up Omnibus. Unfortunately for Alsetalokin, he has attracted every other nut out there. With this episode so far we've learned more about the dynamics of the free energy community and the larger geek community more so than the interesting physics that might be occurring within Alsetalokin's WhipMag.

New Year's Wish: Closure in 2008

I'd like to wish everyone a happy New Year. Thank you all for your contributions in 2007 to Free Energy Tracker, together we've been able to keep up with Steorn's events and claims. My hope for 2008 is that some form of closure is reached. I realize that this might be wishful thinking on my part! To everyone, including Steorn, enjoy your holiday, and have a successful and productive 2008!

Wired: Vaporware 2007

In addition to making Wired's 10 Great Snake-Oil Gadgets, Steorn now comes in at number 10 on Wired's annual 10 Vaporware Products of 2007. One interesting note is that unlike the great snake-oil gadget list, Wired's vaporware product list is determined by votes cast by Wired readers. Steorn is becoming part of the geek culture, unfortunately not in the manner that they had anticipated.

‘Free energy’ firm raises €1.1 million

It looks like 15-india-street isn't the only one checking out Steorn's latest financials. Gavin Daly, a writer with The Post.IE, writes his second Steorn article:

Steorn, a Dublin firm that claims to be developing a system that creates free energy, has raised €1.1million in funds amid rising losses.

Gavin Daly was the first to write about Steorn and its free energy ambitions, a few months before their official Economist announcement. In the article Firm strives to extend mobile battery lifespans, Sean McCarthy, CEO of Steorn, compares Steorn's tech to kinetic watches.

Free Energy Trackers

I came across a new website called Ning, which allows anyone to set up a custom social network, like Facebook or MySpace. I've set up Free Energy Trackers for all of us who are interested in what is going on with Steorn. Our first members are Dr. Mike, Sean McCarthy, and myself. Join and connect, and maybe we can figure this out together!