Garry P Dalrymple Page 44 – an Index to the Book Reviews In
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TBS&E #76 – January and February 2018 Revised So, this is the front page and you probably want an Editorial, the disclosure Now in Century Gothic! of stuff I haven’t got round to mentioning Produced by Garry Dalrymple elsewhere in this issue, or something of a as a contribution to ANZAPA biography of how this this issue emerged, mailing No. 302, of the as an Easter weekend rush job. Australian and NZ Amateur At the moment I’m past a few things and Press Association. in the middle of others. The collection of stories from the 2017 Sydney Freecon Postal Address: 1 Eulabah Ave., (‘Eve’s Gift and other stories …’) is out, as Earlwood NSW 2206 a Contributor’s edition and a production edition. I hope to ‘sell’ most copies as Home phone (Best after 7 pm) part of a Cloud funding exercise, i.e. 02 9718-5827 donate $12 to the 2018 Sydney Freecons Email; [email protected] and get a copy posted to an Australian address plus a $5 2018 Paradox Auction book voucher, or donate $2X and get a INDEX to this issue $X 2018 Paradox Auction book voucher. Page 1 – Index and Editorial. Pages 2 to 4 – Brynn Hibbert at the SMSA I have also published a few Trove based February 22, 2018, on Fake Science: Astronomy History booklets, most recently Crooks Cranks & Charlatans. on the Rev. Thomas Roseby and Mars Pages 4 & 5 – the Canterbury and District and the NSW Astronomers, 1877-1945 Historical Society AGM meeting (twice mostly as material for the Skywatcher’s delayed) of February 27, 2018. Website. So I’ve not been idle, and the Diabetic need for exercise and the cash Pages 5 to 13 – Sydney Futurian Meetings; for trash innovation, where, ‘The streets Pages 5 to 9 - January 19, 2018, Topic; are paved with ten cent pieces’ has Your Best & Worst SF&F from 2017. probably improved my health, even Page 8 - The popularity of Concord though my mass refuses to melt away. Library SF&F Book Group’s monthly book My weight is down from a peak of 148 to choices for 2017 150 kg. Page 9 to 13 – February 6, 2018, Topic; I think I’d like to try aiming at being half Doctors and other Medical staff in SF&F that, but it will take a looong time to stories. reach. I’d also like to run the city to surf Pages 13 to 25 – Garry’s Book Reviews with my nieces children, but that might See index on back page be a bucket list item in two senses? Pages 26 to 43 – Traveler’s Tales Pages 43 & 44 - Basenjis Tail Piece Garry P Dalrymple Page 44 – An Index to the book reviews in this issue. 1 TBS&E #76 – January and February 2018 than was put in to drive the process. It was hard to refute, until be realised that Water is the Low Energy version of Oxygen and Hydrogen, so extracting energy from it was illogical. He attempted to silence this criticism by The February 22, 2018, Sydney issuing a writ, but nothing came of this. Mechanics School of Arts, a Not known at the time, but Mr Brown was lunch time meeting, with Brynn later unmasked by the Business Today TV Hibbert, President NSW Royal show as being a serial fraudster. In a Society, on Scientific Frauds later court case, about an alleged infringement of his copyright, Bryn was Who was there? – Towards 130 people called and was able to re-state that it (more than 10% of the SMSA’s members) wouldn’t work. The Ion Mat, a local innovation - This The Speaker – Migrated to Australia from Wonder product, a rubberised plug-in the UK in 1987, as a refugee from the mattress cover that claimed to cure economic and Science policies of pretty much everything, for only $2900, Margaret Thatcher’s rule (She was the first was sold by ‘Giraffe World,’ by mail order, UK Prime Minister with Industrial Chemist from their Pitt St. Sydney offices (just up training!). the road from this venue). It’s wealth of He was able to take up Australia’s Only claimed health benefits followed from its University chair of Analytic Chemistry. ability to deliver ‘Negative Ions.’ Why The role of Analytic Chemistry is to and How ‘Negative Ions’ have been investigate what is in stuff, and how it canonised as a Double plus Good cure might have useful effects. Consequently all, while ‘Positive Ions’ have been he was an automatic choice – go to demonised, is a mystery to Science, but it person – for people with Weird things and seems to be an established and relied on Ideas that they wanted to be endorsed Alt Health ‘Fact.’ So, when these health by ‘Science.’ This includes the fraudulent claims were questioned, they went to and the deluded who frequently make court, but vanished shortly after, leaving Scientific sounding claims, which are heaps of Ion mats behind in their difficult for Scientifically trained people to abandoned office! refute, as Science Training assumes Truth Why Scientific Fraud? - Reasons include; in evidence rather than delusional hijacks Criminal intent to gain monetary reward. of Scientific terms, and usually seeks to -Mistakes in research that start off explain the why and the how an innocent, but which soon spiral out of observed phenomena. I.e. the control as the principal tries to keep face memorable saying of the Scientific Saint, -Genuine belief initially, then fraudulent Julius Sumner-Miller, was, ‘Why is it so,’ avarice develops rather than ‘You are just a Nutter.’ His The mindset of Academia is also at fault, first encounter with the unusual was in ‘Publish or Perish,’ being the rule, with the 1988, when he was introduced to temptation to ‘improve’ results to achieve Mr Brown’s Gas, which featured on the a memorable conclusion, also, adding front page of that journal of scientific the name of respected but largely record, the Sydney Morning Herald (Sept. uninvolved Scientific figures to your list of 13, 1988). Mr Brown’s Gas featured a Co-Authors may make publication / process of treating water, involving citations easier to achieve. Unlike the splitting water into Hydrogen and real world, Science could / should value Oxygen, such that it was a power source, negative results as much as the positive i.e. more it produced more energy out, 2 TBS&E #76 – January and February 2018 results, which only serve to confirm pre- to give talks about Frauds, for existing work. appearance money and book deals! Science inherited some intellectual The Modern Twist – Enabled and baggage from the Alchemists. Albertus detectable by on-line technology, there Magnus (1193-1280) suggested that is fraud in scientific papers by Alchemists should keep their discoveries reproducing fraudulent data. Research secret, in order to exclusively profit from results can be invented, the same data them, this secrecy / lack of transparency, used and re-used in multiple papers. offers splendid opportunities for America has a ‘False Claims Act,’ where fraudulent claims. The dawn of the Government Grant money can be marvels of the mechanical, pre-scientific recovered from Researcher’s home age, ahead of the discovery of the rules institutions if false data or fraudulent of physics, allowed opportunity for many reporting was used to claim grant money. schemes about forms of perpetual Only 21 cases and $3 million were motion / free energy mechanisms, such involved, but as this law rewards whistle as self-powering water and wind mills. blowers, who get a statutory cut of the Proponents found that money could be damages extracted, the financial risk to made from exhibiting scale models of Universities may greatly concentrate their these mechanisms (with hidden power attention to the quality of research sources) as well as by seeking funds from conducted under their roof. investors. The outstanding exponent of Fraudulent ‘Tells’ – How can you detect a this trade was J.W. Keely (1837-1898). likely fraud, well information is the key It was only after his death that a (feel the length, not the quality), you will basement steam engine, distributing encounter LOTS of big, meaningless but power about his home, was in fact Scientific sounding words, to explain the responsible for the powering of his many discovery or the process. Mr Keeley was miraculous models. an active exponent of this word-smithery. Follow the Money, or how to make Money In Academic circles, the polite term from Fraud (Don’t alarm the donors) is ‘Research -Sell plans of the machine for other Misconduct.’ people to make, i.e. when it doesn’t work -More Energy out than in – violations of it’s the buyer’s fault for not building it the laws of thermodynamics are NOT correctly. subject to appeal, even in a Republican -Pay per view – Publicly exhibit the stacked Supreme Court. amazing new machine and charge -Ghod asked the inventor to make it. admission. -How long the ‘Inventor’ has been -Grant Swinging – Seek the money of researching his invention. Government or private backers to fully -You are invited to contribute money for investigate the ‘discovery,’ with the hope further research / commercialisation. that the later ‘break through’ will -The claim that it really does work, but the financially benefit insiders (If they can Scientists (known for their affluent keep the secret). –Sue – Take legal lifestyle?) have all been bought off action against your critics for damages to reputation, or against other inventors / Jan Hendrik Shon, an Ignoble Scientific manufacturers on the basis that it might Fraud – Employed by the highly be cheaper to settle a fraudulent claim prestigious Bell Laboratories, on track for a than to actively contest it in court.