Wasn't sure where to post this, but it seems to me to fit the "Current Events" criteria. :p
While this month's issue of Popular Science was mostly the usual global warming alrmism and praise of extreme security measures by the State, one little gem did slip through. The article is entitled This Machine Might Save the World and - although the cover was given to the USAF's latest and greatest "stealth" project - the article photo shows two men standing next to what appears to be a...well you'd have to see it. The article is available at the following link:
http://www.popsci.com/node/30516
It is very interesting that the scientist doing the work makes such comments as wanting private sector investment to pick up the tab instead of government subsidy. Interestingly enough, the lead scientist also points to projects like ITER as being wasteful and "around the corner" for decades. The lead scientist hopes for a project that will cost a mere $50 million and be on line within 10 years. Eat that ITER ($20 Billion and a good 20 years off)!
So, it seems that - indeed - the free market may well be able to provide fusion long before government.
You can visit General Fusion, the authors of this madness, at their website:
http://www.generalfusion.com/
(Note, I did do some looking into this and it does not at this point appear to be a "Cold Fusion" repeat. Only time, however, will tell.)
Very interesting. Fusion reactors have the added advantage (over fission) of not going critical if they have a problem; they would just stop working. Neutron shielding is an issue, though, for D-D and D-T fusion.
Market anarchist, Linux geek, aspiring Perl hacker, and student of the neo-Aristotelians, the classical individualist anarchists, and the Austrian school.
The ultimate resource in action: human ingenuity. All this worry about running out of energy is a bunch of hot air. Market incentives will lead people to solve the energy problems. I think nuclear is the most evident solution (fusion or fission).