place to stand

By William E. Steinman

Syllabus:

November 20, 2006:

Last week I discussed the goals of my next project, which is to solve some of our energy problems. In this essay, I will present my study plan. I can begin by reiterating the steps I think I need to take.

First is to contain auto emissions within the exhaust system. Convert them somehow. Make them harmless. Make them into useable solids. I believe the first step in that is to separate the nitrogen from the oxygen before carburetion. That will eliminate oxides of nitrogen from the exhaust. It’s simple, if you don’t want nitrogen out, don’t put it in. Fuel is a hydrocarbon. It contains no nitrogen.

With no nitrogen output, I must figure out what to do about the oxides of carbon. If the engine is working correctly that will only be Carbon dioxide (CO₂). However, that is one of the major elements of global warming. Even if we compress it and turn it into dry ice we still have to deal with it at some time. Dealing with CO₂ may turn out to be our most compelling challenge. I must think about that one. As long as we use hydrocarbon for fuel, that problem will continue to present itself. It is inherent in the conversion of hydrocarbon to energy.

My second goal will be to make automobiles more efficient. To me, that means to build an octane to electricity converter as a first step. I firmly believe it is possible to convert gasoline directly into electricity. That will eliminate a large part of the inefficiency of the automobile.

My final goal will be to research and build a fusion power source. That is a converter that will used fusion to produce electricity.

This brings me to the interesting part of my commitment. I cannot do squat until I learn a great deal about the problems we face. For example, when I started reading about engines I realized I would have to learn about thermodynamics. Then, I started reading about fuel cells and realized I would have to relearn calculus. There is no sense kidding about chemistry. Even before I stare reading about oil refining, I knew I would have to learn about chemistry. I very deliberately avoided chemistry in high school. I have also realized I will have to review a great deal of what I once learned and forgot. I must start with basic stuff. So, here is my Syllabus.

Elementary algebra:

Advance algebra:

Plane Geometry:

Trigonometry:

Vector Analysis:

Calculus:

Physics:

Thermodynamics:

Fluid dynamics:

College Chemistry:

Organic chemistry:

Battery technology:

Fuel Cell technology:

Oil Refining:

Electronics:

Electrical engineering:

Electric motors:

Gasoline engines:

I may add to or rearrange this list as I go along. Also, I’m not sure about linear algebra yet. I may or may not need to know it. Now, if I went to a normal school to try to learn this stuff, I suspect it would take four years or more. Well, I don’t have four years to urinate away in a turtle paced college program. This slow pace is a large part of the reason I dropped out of college. I was not learning enough for the time I was investing. It was not all the fault of the school. Anther reason is I did not know what my true goals were. It is difficult to learn anything when you don’t know why you are learning it, when you don’t know your real goals. That is the weakness of all primary education. They try to teach kids without considering the kids goals and motives.

It is not enough to want to be an engineer or a scientist. For a fulfilling experience, we must know why we want to be an engineer or scientist. Real scientists come out of a philosopher’s mindset, not an engineer’s mindset. Now, I do know my goals and I don’t think I will need any formal education to achieve them. Formal education will slow me down. I will be very disappointed if I cannot get through this stuff in one year. As I do that, I will be making study notes for my own reference. I will also be posting the notes in this column for others who may be interested. Later on, I will post a bibliography.

I am sure some high school and college students will like this series. They will see it as an opportunity to cheat. One could download these notes to a handheld and carry the stuff right into the examination room. You kids could really put one over on that dumb old mossback teacher or professor. Wouldn’t that be great?

Well, maybe that old mossback is not as stupid as you think he is. Maybe it’s you who are stupid. Did you ever stop to think he may know you are cheating and just doesn’t give a damn? Why should the professors or teachers care? They are there to help you learn. If you are too lazy and stupid to care if you learn at all, why should they give a damn? It’s not their life you are wasting. They have already made it.

You have four, probably five years when you do not have to account for anything. What an opportunity! You can do anything you want. So what will you do? How about cheating your way through? Swell! Go ahead. Piss away a golden opportunity. You have more available time now than you will ever have again, unless you are lucky enough to retire before you die. By then you may not have enough energy left to do anything. Truly, education is wasted on most people. If you just want to slide through, why waste time? You can buy a degree.

That is all the tirades you will get in this series. Cheaters will cheat and I cannot be wasting time thinking about that. For the rest of us, I will go ahead and keep you updated on what I am doing. I will not give you the nitty-gritty details of what I discover and develop unless and until I secure patents. In this ongoing effort to solve problems, I will trust in what some people call serendipity. That is the knack of making fortunate discoveries by accident.

I don’t call it serendipity. I see it as the natural flow of the universe. I see the universe as a single process with everything flowing into everything else. In that universe, it is natural for the things I need to come to me. What I need will come to me when I need it. I have noticed this phenomenon time after time in my own life. I used to think it was a kind of magic. Now I know it is just the way the universe naturally functions. When I exert effort, the universe responds too that by providing what I need. All I need do is make the effort, trust the flow, and pay attention.