Comments on: “Imaginary Weapons,” Whole Lotta Fun

By: S. Ray DeRusse

S. Ray DeRusse — Fri, 02 Nov 2007 10:47:34 +0000

This was aa great series of discussion-posts. It should have been on SCIFRAUD as well so I am making a referral from that list to this list.
SRD
http://www.bccmeteorties.com

By: Jeffrey Damien Cappella

Jeffrey Damien Cappella — Thu, 11 Jan 2007 16:18:01 +0000

While I definitely do not support wasting DOD funding (I can not make a judgment either way on the topic of HF bombs as I am not informed on the issue to make such a judgment) I have done some background research on Sharon Weinberger and have come to observe trends in her reporting that lean towards left leaning advocacy journalism. I corroborate such a claim by pointing to the specifics of her academic training (B.A. from »Johns Hopkins University«) to her experiences in the state department an organization whose nature by definition leans to the left regarding international relations. I also point to the fact that Ms Weinberger writes for

By: Lloydarte

Lloydarte — Wed, 09 Aug 2006 17:53:18 +0000

What’s tragic is that, with every post, Collins just digs himself a deeper hole, then jumps down it. His juvenile, whiny posts have all of the intellectual profundity of “what you say bounces off of me and sticks to you.” Carl — for your own sake, just stop! Lighten up!
Btw, Carl — if you had actually used computers for more than a polemical paperweight, you would know that the asterisk is used as a delimiter to identify boldface type in pure-ASCII systems that predate HTML (as in the ARPANET). It’s not a “font.” Other useful delimiters include the underscore, which signifies italics. There are also things called “emoticons,” which allow you to embed some crude graphics, such as smiley faces, winks, grimaces, etc. Don’t let your grad students do all the computer work. You’ll find that many people use asterisks. And underscores. And smiley faces.
;)
And oh. Your pants are on fire!

By: Sharon Weinberger

Sharon Weinberger — Wed, 09 Aug 2006 01:03:09 +0000

I’m going against my better judgment now by rejoining this discussion. I know Noah likes a good argument, and I like Noah’s blog, so what the heck, I

By: Lloyd

Lloyd — Tue, 08 Aug 2006 14:03:31 +0000

Since that “Devil of a Guy” seems able to take it, I am going to go ahead and let your misidentification of authorship pass. Too bad for Collins, but then maybe he did write the email and so deserves some heat. As has been pointed out, it does not matter who wrote it. The result is the same. Sharon Weinberger cobbled together Imaginary Weapons from hearsay and gossip without checking her sources at all. If that email was her source for the Esen Alp story, then I pity her for career dreams in a field in which she is grossly inept. Send her a piece of junk and she incorporates it in her book, and then hides behind the nostrum, “original sources”.
However I am not going to let the rest of the nonsense you write go without correction. Since you are so obsessed with multiple pen names and psychobabble, it tells me that you are writing with several identities. It is not even a reach, because you use some peculiar font that maps ” as *.
As this first amendment exercise of everyone saying everything has developed, there was a healthy trend from fierce to funny. Indeed money was wasted, but actually very little. Even that bit succeeded in producing an impression that Hf-triggering has to be denigrated BECAUSE IT MIGHT BE TRUE. That is something to consider because some of the arguments are quite funny, such as the one that even a (physically) small device would be so radioactive that only a suicide bomber could use it. That was supposed to be an argument why no one could ever use it. Well, I think most people could think of some realistic examples along those lines. Or the argument that it was too expensive to make. Available publications (not from the Devil either) show that the many old cyclotrons aging away all over the world could be realistically renovated and put to work making the isomer in small, but enough, amounts. But, then the product would be even more expensive than gasoline and what bunch wanting to produce isomers in old cyclotrons could afford that kind of money?
Now, the movement of dialog from fierce to funny is well along and since the legals have taken briefs on some of the sides, soon Imaginary Weapons will dry up and blow away, all while denying Sharon Weinberger the martyrdom she seeks. The research on Hf-isomer triggering will continue at Argonne as it should, since the US has no better place. At the end of the day you will be the only one snarling and spoiling the fun.
If you would concentrate on the book and drop your tiresome personal vendetta, you could be more constructive in ways that matter.

By: Laertius

Laertius — Tue, 08 Aug 2006 01:16:05 +0000

Funny how the argument keeps shifting. First, loose allegations of fraud fly about. Then, when faced with contrary evidence, the argument becomes “she’s a sloppy reporter.“
Carl, we both *know* that you sent that email. Watch what you say next — your pants may catch on fire. And then you will indeed be responsible for abetting global warming.

By: Andarte

Andarte — Tue, 08 Aug 2006 01:02:14 +0000

It’s all Weinbergerism — that’s a “fanatical assault with dud ammunition”.

By: Lloyd

Lloyd — Tue, 08 Aug 2006 00:53:25 +0000

Diogenes says “The Esen Alp affair is entirely one of Collins’ doing” — along with global warming, no doubt.
Diogenes needs a stronger lamp, this dim bulb isn’t doing the job. What fantastic illogic. I guess it goes like this. Two years ago Collins plots to trap Sharon Weinberger with a clumsy spoof email and the experienced investigative reporter “acquires” it and falls for it completely. She has no slightest suspicion during the next 2 yrs. What a devil of a guy!
Now, she finally decides to check, but once again there’s Collins ahead of her. The matter is settled by Esen Alp’s lawyers and Collins gets the confirming letter. The letter is posted on the internet. Poor investigative reporter, she needs these many apologists.

By: Stephen J.

Stephen J. — Tue, 08 Aug 2006 00:20:48 +0000

I wonder why Sharon Weinberger did not check with Mr. Alp BEFORE publishing a story about him in Imaginary Weapons. She is supposed to be an investigative reporter and Editor-in-Chief of a once respectable magazine.
The e-mail you reproduced was issued out by Sharon Weinberger yesterday and dutifully distributed by her apologists who seemed to miss the whole point. Whether you wrote it in 2004 or whether Collins wrote it in 2004 it was an uncorroborated source of gossip. In the two years since 2004 she did not even take the trouble to ask Esen Alp if he did it.
In the same alibi yesterday Sharon Weinberger wrote “Here’s Collins’ email that was quoted in the book (and I

By: Diogenes

Diogenes — Mon, 07 Aug 2006 22:19:35 +0000

Strange that those who accuse others of fraud are actually the ones with a truth problem. The “Esen Alp” affair is entirely one of Collins’ doing. If anyone committed a slanderous act, it’s Collins himself! Here is the relevant email. Carl/Doina/“Ingeborg”/Andarte/Leul (have I missed any of your aliases?) can scream fraud all day long, but it just calls attention to their own continued campaign of distortions. With ethics like that, no wonder their scientific work is being questioned.
Naughty, naughty! Bad scientist! Bad scientist! >
Received: Fri, 16 Apr 2004 11:11:49 –0400
Received: ; Fri, 16 Apr 2004 11:11:49 –0400
From: “Carl Collins“
To: “mstickley“
Dear Martin,
Your kind words and enthusiasm continue to sustain us; and we =
Greatly appreciate them. However, I am wondering if somehow you are being “kept in the dark” as far as concerns the depth of the terribly unprincipled actions of the “opposition.” I attach a message from Dr. Yoshitaka Yoda, whom you remember meeting at SLS. As a beamline scientist, I rank his ability far above that of anyone at Argonne.
The individual referenced by Yoshitaka is Esen Alp, a senior manipulator at Argonne claiming to be a scientist. Please notice the dates. The Post Article was published on March 28. Before April 6, Esen Alp had hand-carried a copy to the Director of SPring-8 in order to block our further experiments there. Recall, at SPring-8 we had been getting the time for free and Yoshitaka Had agreed to build the shielding against ElectroMagnetic Interference (EMI) at their expense; and in time for our next (free) experiments. Now we will not have shielding and I suppose we will lose the time. Also, we do not have the money for 2004 yet — another problem.
My reading of the FAR and DFAR regulations is that the actions of Esen Alp constitute a crime that requires us to report such interference in Defense contracted work that impedes the work and raises the price. The unprincipled actions of Esen Alp have certainly committed that action. To whom do we report that; or am I incorrect in understanding it to be a crime?
We are working upon access to an alternate site, but surely will have to pay; and have not received guaranteed access as soon as this Fall.
I am preparing ASAP, a more realistic proposal to you for movement toward a definitive experiment; and ask you again to please wait to send “the letter” until you have the chance to consider what I assert is a more workable scientific alternative.
Very best regards,
Sincerely,
Carl