Nuclear fusion project.

[nrml]

I came across this by accident when searching for something else. Talk of taking your projects to the next level . http://www.edproject.co.uk/nuclearfusionindex.html The amount of research involved must have been incredible. I hope he revives the project in his new home.

[DavidA]

...I had forgotten how close I actually was to achieving fusion,..

When you look at the JET project (Joint European Torus) and other worldwide fusion attempts, one has to wonder.

And brewing his own Deuterium.

He certainly has been busy; for someone who was also working sixty hours a week.

Dave.

[NormanV]

I have read all of his Nucular(sic) Fusion blog. All I can say is that he will go far.

[Will_D]

He should be made an Honary member of MadModders

 

[DMIOM]

A thread where    truly belongs!

..... All I can say is that he will go far.

especially if he manages to achieve uncontained fusion in his shed !

Dave

[Will_D]

especially if he manages to achieve uncontained fusion in his shed !
Dave

"To infinity and beyond"

[DavidA]

I wonder what his home insurance thinks of it.



Dave

[akitene]

... Hence his anonimity.

What about the fact he's compelled to flee so suddenly to Canada?

Nevertheless, this guy is a clever one. And pretty obstinate, too.

[Pete49]

I guess our Canadian friends are now looking over there new neighbours just in case

[nrml]

What about the fact he's compelled to flee so suddenly to Canada?

Nevertheless, this guy is a clever one. And pretty obstinate, too.

In fairness to him, I can understand why he would want to emigrate. He is obviously a very intelligent and determined young man and he feels undervalued and exploited and sees his prospects of making it to the very top stymied by the system here.

What a lot of the non UK members don't know is that to make it to the very top almost in any profession or politics in the UK, you need to have attended the 'right school', gone to the 'right university', socialize with the 'right people' and have a strong sense of cunning. This is almost always restricted to the more privileged sections of society.

Genuinely talented people occasionally make it to the top but not often. They almost always end up doing the donkey work for some talentless gits who are good at self promotion and exploitation. It is astounding how mediocre a lot of the top brass in various professions here are and how they always think they are better than everyone else.

The grass always looks greener next door. Unfortunately, he will find another set of problems there which he didn't reckon on. I hope he does well for himself.

[Joules]

 I hate that you are so spot on nrml     

[Pete49]

nrml it seems that being in the right schools etc. isn't just a UK thing. I notice here in Australia and as my friend in the US has said it happens there as well but maybe not as blatantly as in the UK with its long history of ruling classes. I think most countries suffer that even the so called communist ones where every one is equal but some are just more equal than others 
Pete

[akitene]

nrml, you're speaking as if you were French too.

We (French) have a tendency to be too confident with every people who have attended the "right school."

[charadam]

nrml it seems that being in the right schools etc. isn't just a UK thing. I notice here in Australia and as my friend in the US has said it happens there as well but maybe not as blatantly as in the UK with its long history of ruling classes. I think most countries suffer that even the so called communist ones where every one is equal but some are just more equal than others 
Pete

George Stephenson, Thomas Telford, I K-B, Barnes Wallis, Phillip Green, Richard Branson, Christopher Cockerell, John Logie Baird, Thomas Macadam, James Watt, John Rennie, Paul Dirac.
Just those that come to mind.
All self-made men.

Britain has always had a culture that encourages enterprise and talent.

[awemawson]

And MANY of those DIDN'T go to what was considered the "right school" at the time!

[nrml]

You left out Michael Faraday who in my opinion was one of the greatest human beings to ever walk the face of this earth.

Some of the men you listed were exceptions. They were the proverbial lights that couldn't be hidden. Fortunately for some of the others, they were in the right place at the right time in history and they made the most of opportunities that fell their way (all credit to them for doing so).

Sadly, it is still true that if you are average or even below average and you go to the right institutions and play the networking game right, you are more likely to be successful and make it to 'higher level' than someone more capable than you who didn't have the opportunities you did. Not everyone is born a genius who will make it against all odds but there are lots of very very smart people out there whose talents are stifled by their backgrounds.

[edproject]

Hi,

Not sure how I came across this thread but It sure is interesting knowing what people think. Sorry if I'm bringing up an old post.

I think nrml pretty much hit the nail on the head, I had the top marks, but not from a well off background and like you say unless you go to the top school and know the right people it's hard to get anywhere. The reason I created my website and embark on sometimes crazy projects is to put myself out there, attract attention and maybe get someone to sponsor me or just to show an employer I'm not your average Joe, that I'm ambitious and I will be seen for what I can do and not what my "social" status is on paper.

I have to say though, selling the nuclear project, some deuterium and something call an exploding wire attracted quite a lot of attention, they were all bought, some Cambridge professor shared his nuclear research notes with me, and I'm pretty sure the government was onto me too,  , and then I looked at the traffic on my website and places like South Korea and Russia have looked at it. I did keep the project mostly secret and only posted it on places like facebook when I sold it, not that I was doing anything wrong, but people always get the wrong end of the stick.

So I guess I was stuck in a rutt for a while at work, when you've finished college, started earning good money you've never had before, bought the workshops you've dreamed of its hard to make a change. I was a cnc machinist in my last job, age was always a big factor, age counted more over experience to begin with, then there was all the maintenance I did, the early starts, the late finishes, the apprentice training, the tool making, and the actual machining, the poor working environment, etc... Put it this way, it was a company of 20 people, and 4 including me left in the last 6 months, not in bottom roles either, in the 5 years I worked there about 14 left, that's the kind of place I worked.

So when work really starts affecting your health you must really think of yourself, so after a lot of consideration moving to Canada was a fresh start. Hopefully the grass is greener, but hey if we never throw ourselves in the deep end we always think what if, or we drown,  .

I sure wish I could have continued with the nuclear project, or my batman grappling gun project, :P. But I don't have a garage here in Canada "yet" so just gonna do electronic projects for now.
I'm sure I might drop a few post here and then, more crazy projects probably.

[NormanV]

I have to chip in on the "old school tie" part of this thread. I have finished my working life, I have never felt that I have been held back by not going to the "right" school. I have had an interesting working life and spent the last 20 years of it as a teacher, mostly in private schools but also in state schools. The difference is one of attitude, the majority of the students in the private schools appreciated the value of their education. In the state schools a larger proportion of students were disruptive. The privately educated students left with the confidence to get on in life and had a better chance of succeeding. What is success? You can be the only judge of your own life.

[edproject]

I agree that in most it is the attitude and ambition of the student, but some need to be taught the correct attitude first. I think the major problem is a students background, those that are disruptive normally have home issues, probably why they vent their frustration at school, nothing worse than being stressed and studying. I remember one of them saying, "I can claim more on benefits than getting a job", probably because their parents had the same attitude. I guess most of the private school kids are successful because their parents are, there's normally a safe environment, little stress, they are encouraged to do well and generally most do.

I went to a college in an area that had a not so good stigma attached to it, I used to apply for jobs every now and then to test the water, the ones I got interviews with were normally too far to commute and had never even heard of the college, I don't know if it was coincidental or the job market, but I've had friends say, "oh you went to that college", if they're saying it, are employers. I do think if two graduates applied for a job, one Cambridge, the other a non-descript, I'm sure the Cambridge would get the job 90% of the time, but again I'm sure extra little bits on the CV can go a long way, then again if you know the boss then you probably don't need a degree.

[NormanV]

Yes, the parents encourage their children and give them goals to work to. I don't think that you can compare yourself to kids that struggle to achieve. You definitely are an achiever, you will go far. Yes, a Cambridge graduate will get the job. Because they will have passed through one of the best educational establishments in the world.

[Eugene]

but again I'm sure extra little bits on the CV can go a long way,

The Oxbridge v Redbrick thing will have an influence, why should it not? There are however other matters of importance too when assessing a candidates suitability.

Ferinstance ... a young woman of my acquaintance took her BA in English and followed it up with a law degree; pretty impressive stuff you might think. However she found great difficulty in getting a starting place in the legal trade no matter how many posts she applied for. When she failed on one she really wanted she approached the outfit and asked why she hadn't been considered; the answer surprised her "Your CV didn't tell us anything about you, that is you the person."

Things she'd missed off were her commitment to fellow students who were wheelchair bound, she'd worked hard at that; she's a pretty tidy golfer and ran a ladies golfing society; voluntary work at a local college teaching English in what might be called a deprived area.

Next application ... bang, got the interview and got the job on the back of it. Now based in London, fully qualified, and earning a fortune. The only downside is much of her time was spent working with Boris!!

So employers look at more than just the qualifications, I certainly did when I was in the chair.

Eug

[nrml]

Thanks for posting Edproject. Good luck with your career. Do post your projects here if you can. You will have a lot of like minded people following with interest. There are some very knowledgeable and helpful people here who might be able to help if you need it.

The importance of  self confidence, communication and networking skills that 'premium education' places emphasis on cannot be underestimated in the age we live in. The last 5 senior appointments (top pay bracket) to my workplace were all done deals well before the interview. In some cases,the posts weren't advertised until the favoured candidate was in a position to apply. In everyone of these cases, the appointed candidates 'networked' and talked their way into the job months or even years ahead of being interviewed and appointed. The poor sods they competed against in the interviews didn't stand a chance.