IP: Competition to the NSF (laugh (I hope))

[Dave Farber <farber@cis.upenn.edu>]

3. FREE ENERGY: STATE DEPARTMENT OPENS ITS DOORS TO NEW AGERS.  from Whats New
Something called the Integrity Research Institute has announced 
the First International Conference on Free Energy (CoFE), April 
29-30. IRI markets books and videos with such titles as The Race 
to Zero Point Energy, Anti-Gravity: The Dream Made Reality, and 
Holistic Physics and Consciousness. It is headed by a US Patent 
Examiner named Tom Valone, who has been recruiting other open- 
minded people to become Patent Examiners (WN 20 Nov 98). The 
speakers list for CoFE is certainly open minded; topics include: 
assisted nuclear reactions (a.k.a. cold fusion), sonoluminesence 
(a.k.a. cold fusion), hydrogen technologies (a.k.a. cold fusion), 
tabletop nuclear transformations (a.k.a. cold fusion), as well as 
zero point energy generation, negative resistance and...well, you 
get the idea. Where would you hold such a uh, um open-minded 
conference? The notice says CoFE will be "under the auspices of 
the U.S. State Department in the Dean Acheson Auditorium."