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002=Usr:1 CISTOP MIKEY      04/20/89 16:36  Msg:3644 Call:20522  Lines:2
 20 Remember: 186,000mps; It's not just a good idea, it's the law!
 21 **************************************************************************
003=Usr:1 CISTOP MIKEY      04/20/89 17:09  Msg:3647 Call:20526  Lines:512
 22 Path: percival!littlei!uunet!cs.utexas.edu!rutgers!apple!bloom-beacon!
 23 ai-lab!cracraft
 24 From: cracraft@wheaties.ai.mit.edu (Stuart Cracraft)
 25 Newsgroups: alt.fusion
 26 Subject: Pons and Fleischmann paper (at last!)
 27 Message-ID: <1755@gluteus.ai.mit.edu>
 28 Date: 18 Apr 89 04:12:03 GMT
 29 Organization: Toshiba U.S. Research & Development (714-583-xxxx)
 30 Lines: 542
 31     
 32       Electrochemically Induced Nuclear Fusion of Deuterium
 33     
 34                          Martin Fleischmann
 35                      Department of Chemistry
 36                           The University
 37                    Southhampton, Hants. S09 5NH
 38                              ENGLAND
 39     
 40                           Stanley Pons*
 41                      Department of Chemistry
 42                         University of Utah
 43                    Salt Lake city, UT 84112 USA
 44     
 45 Submitted to Journal of Electroanalytical Chemistry March 11,
 46 1989; in final form March 20, 1989
 47     
 48 * To whom correspondence should be addressed.
 49     
 50 INTRODUCTION
 51     
 52 The strange behavior of electrogenerated hydrogen dissolved in
 53 palladium has been studied for well over 100 years and, latterly
 54 these studies have been extended to deuterium and tritium [1].
 55 For discharge of deuterium from alkaline solutions of heavy water
 56 we have to consider the reaction steps:
 57     
 58                        -              -
 59                 D O + e   -> D    + OD                        (i)
 60                  2            ads
 61     
 62                               -           -
 63                 D    + D O + e  -> D  + OD                   (ii)
 64                  ads    2           2
 65     
 66 .
 67 .
 68                 D    -> D                                   (iii)
 69                  ads     lattice
 70 .
 71 .
 72 .
 73                 D    + D    -> D                             (iv)
 74                  ads    ads     2
 75     
 76 It is known that at potentials negative to +50 mV on the
 77 reversible hydrogen scale the lattice is in the beta-phase,
 78 hydrogen is in the form of protons (as shown by the migration in
 79 an electric field) and is highly mobile (D = 10E-7 cm*cm/s for
 80 the alpha-phase at 300K).
 81     
 82 The overall reaction path of D2 evolution consists of steps (i)
 83 and (ii) [2] so that the chemical potential of dissolved D+ is
 84 normally determined by the relative rates of these two steps.
 85 The establishment of negative overpotentials on the outgoing
 86 interface of palladium membrane electrodes for hydrogen discharge
 87 at the ingoing interface [3] (determined by the balance of all the
 88 steps i) to (iv)) demonstrates that the chemical potential can be
 89 raised to high values. Our own experiments with palladium
 90 diffusion tubes indicate that values as high as 0.8 eV can
 91 readily be achieved [4] (values as high as 2eV may be achievable).
 92 The astronomical magnitude of this value can readily be
 93 appreciated; attempts to attain this level via the compression of
 94 D2 (step (iv)) would require pressures in excess of 10E24
 95 atmospheres.  In spite of this high compression, D2 is not
 96 formed; i.e. the s-character of the electron density around the
 97 nuclei is very low and the electrons form part of the band
 98 structure of the overall system.  A feature which is of special
 99 interest and which prompted the present investigation is the very
100 high H/D separation factor for absorbed hydrogen and deuterium
101 (see Figs. 4 and 6 of Ref [2]).  This can only be explained if
102 the H+ and D+ in the lattice behave as classical oscillators
103 (possibly as delocalised species) i.e. they must be in very
104 shallow potential wells.  In view of the very high compression
105 and mobility of the dissolved species there must therefore be a
106 significant number of close collisions and one can pose the
107 question: would nuclear fusion of D+ such as
108     
109                 2    2     3              1
110                  D +  D ->  T(1.01 MeV) +  H(3.02 MeV)        (v)
111 or
112                 2    2     3
113                  D +  D ->  He(0.82 MeV) + n(2.45 MeV)       (vi)
114     
115 be feasible under these conditions?
116     
117 EXPERIMENTAL
118     
119 In the work reported here D+ was compressed galvanostatically
120 into sheet, rod and cube samples of Pd from 0.1 M LiOD in 99.5%
121 D2O + 0.5% H2O solutions.  Electrode potentials were measured
122 with respect to a Pd-D reference electrode charged to the alpha-
123 beta-phase equilibrium.  We report here experiments of several
124 kinds:
125     
126 1)      Calorimetric measurements of heat balances at low current
127 densities (=1.6 mA/cm*cm) were made using a 2mm x 8cm x 8cm Pd
128 sheet cathode surrounded by a large Pt sheet counter electrode.
129 Measurements were carried out in Dewar cells maintained in a
130 large constant temperature water bath (300K), the temperature
131 inside the cell and of the water bath being monitored with
132 Beckman thermometers.  The Heavy Water Equivalent of the Dewar
133 and contents and the rate of Newton's law of cooling losses were
134 determined by addition of hot D2O and by following the cooling
135 curves.
136     
137 2)      Calorimetric measurements at higher current densities
138 were carried out using 1, 2 and 4mm diameter x 10 cm long Pd rods
139 surrounded by a Pt wire anode wound on a cage of glass rods.  The
140 Dewars were fitted with resistance heaters for the determination
141 of Newton's law of cooling losses; temperatures were measured
142 using calibrated thermistors.  Experiments with rods up to 2 cm
143 in diameter will be reported elsewhere [5].  Stirring in these
144 experiments (and in those listed under 1)) was achieved, where
145 necessary, by gas sparging using electrolytically generated D2.
146 Measurements at the highest current density reported here
147 (512 mA/cm*cm) were carried out using rods of 1.25 cm length; the
148 results given in Table 1 have been rescaled to those for rods of
149 10 cm length.
150     
151 3) The spectrum of gamma-rays emitted from the water bath due to
152    the (n,gamma) reaction
153     
154                 1                   2
155                  H + n(2.45 MeV) ->  D + gamma(2.5 MeV)     (vii)
156     
157 was determined using a sodium iodide crystal scintillation
158 detector and a Nuclear Data ND-6 High Energy Spectrum analyzer.
159 The spectrum was taken above the water immediately surrounding an
160 0.8 x 10 cm Pd-rod cathode charged to equilibrium; it was
161 corrected for background by subtracting the spectrum over a sink
162 (containing identical shielding materials) 10 m from the water
163 bath.
164     
165 The neutron flux from a cell containing a 0.4 x 10 cm Pd-rod
166 electrode was measured using an Harwell Neutron Dose Equivalent
167 Rate Monitor, Type 95/0945-5.  The counting efficiency of this
168 Bonner-sphere type instrument for 2.5 MeV neutrons was estimated
169 to be  2.4 x 10E-4 and was further reduced by a factor of 100 due
170 to the unfavorable configuration (the rod opposite the BF  filled
171                                                          3
172 detector).  The background count was determined by making
173 measurements 50m from the laboratory containing the experiments;
174 both locations were in the basement of a new building which is
175 overlain by 5 floors of concrete.  In view of the low counting
176 efficiency, counting was carried out for 50 hours.  Measurements
177 on a 0.4 x 10 cm rod electrode run at 64 mA/(cm*cm) gave a
178 neutron count 3 times above that of the background.
179     
180 4)      The rate of generation/accumulation of tritium was
181 measured using similar cells (test tubes sealed with Parafilm)
182 containing 1 mm diameter x 10 cm Pd rod electrodes.  Measurements
183 on the D/T separation factor alone were made using an identical
184 cell containing a 1 mm diameter x 10 cm Pt electrode (this
185 measurement served as a blank as the H/D separation factors on Pd
186 and Pt are known to be closely similar).  1 ml samples of the
187 electrolyte were withdrawn at 2 day intervals, neutralised with
188 potassium hydrogen phthalate and the T-content was determined
189 using Ready Gel liquid scintillation "cocktail" and a Beckman LS
190 5000 TD counting system.  The counting efficiency was determined
191 to be about 45% using standard samples of T-containing solutions.
192 The beta-decay scintillation spectrum was determined using the
193 counting system.
194     
195 In these experiments standard additions of 1 ml of the electrolyte
196 were made following sampling.  Losses of D2O due to electrolysis
197 in these and all the other experiments recorded here were made up
198 using D2O alone.  A record of the volume of D2O additions was
199 made for all the experiments.
200     
201 In all of the experiments reported here all connections were
202 fitted into Kel-F caps and the caps were sealed to the glass
203 cells using Parafilm.
204     
205 Results for the mass spectroscopy of the evolved gases and full
206 experimental details for all the measurements will be given
207 elsewhere [5].
208     
209 RESULTS
210     
211 1) and 2)
212     
213 In the calorimetric experiments we can set lower and upper bounds
214 on the rates of Joule heating depending on whether reactions (i),
215 (ii) , and (iv) are balanced by
216     
217                    -                 -
218                 4OD  -> D O + O  + 4e                      (viii)
219                          2     2
220     
221 at the anode or by the reverse of reactions (i), (ii), and (iv).
222 In the former case the Joule heating is simply the cell current
223 multiplied by (cell voltage - 1.54 V) where 1.54 V is the cell
224 voltage at which reactions (i), (ii), and (iv) balanced by (viii)
225 are thermoneutral: irreversibilities in the electrode reactions
226 and ohmic resistance losses have identical effects on the Joule
227 heating.  However, if reactions (i), (ii), and (iv) are reversed
228 at the anode and, equally, if the reverse of reactions (viii)
229 contributes to the cathode processes, then we get an upper bound
230 to the Joule heating which is simply the cell current multiplied
231 by the cell voltage.
232     
233 We have confirmed in long duration experiments that the rates of
234 addition of D2O to the cells required to maintain constant
235 volumes are those for reactions (i), (ii), and (iv) balanced by
236 reaction (viii). Furthermore, subtraction of the ohmic potential
237 losses in solution for the cell containing the large Pt-anode
238 shows that the electrolysis of D2O is the dominant process, i.e.
239 we have to assume that the Joule heating is close to the lower
240 bound.
241     
242 Table 1 gives the results for experiments designed to cover the
243 effects of electrolyte geometry, electrode size, current density
244 (or overpotential) method of operation, etc.  The nature and
245 large magnitude of the effects can be appreciated from the
246 following observations:
247     
248 a)      excess enthalpy generation is markedly dependent on the
249 applied current density (i.e. magnitude of the shift in the
250 chemical potential) and is proportional to the volume of the
251 electrodes; i.e. we are dealing with a phenomenon in the bulk of
252 the Pd-electrodes.
253     
254 b)      enthalpy generation can exceed 10 watts/(cm*cm*cm) of the
255 palladium electrode; this is maintained for experimental times in
256 excess of 120 hours during which typically heat in excess of
257 4MJ/(cm*cm*cm) of electrode volume was liberated.  It is
258 inconceivable that this could be due to anything but nuclear
259 processes.
260     
261 c)      in research on thermonuclear fusion, the effects are
262 expressed as a percentage of the breakeven where 100% breakeven
263 implies that the thermal output equals the input (neglecting the
264 power required to drive the equipment).  In electrochemical
265 experiments we have additionally to take into account whether
266 breakeven should be based on the Joule heat or total energy
267 supplied to the cell.  Furthermore, in the latter case the energy
268 supplied depends on the nature of the anode reaction.  Table 2
269 lists three such figures of merit and it can be seen that we can
270 already make reasonable projections to 1000%.  Some of the
271 factors important to scale-up are already apparent from Tables 1
272 and 2.
273     
274 d)      the effects have been determined using D2O alone.
275 Projections to the use of appropriate D2O/DTO/T2O mixtures (as is
276 commonly done in fusion research) might therefore be expected to
277 yield thermal excesses in the range 10E3 - 10E4 % (even in the
278 absence of spin polarisation) with enthalpy releases in excess of
279 10 kW/(cm*cm*cm).  We have to report here that under the
280 conditions of the last experiment even using D2O alone, a
281 substantial portion of the cathode fused (melting point 1554
282 degrees C) part of it vapourised and the cell and contents and a
283 part of the fume cupboard housing the experiment were destroyed.
284     
285 TABLE 1. Generation of excess enthalpy in Pd-cathodes as a
286 function of current density and electrode size.
287     
288 Cube        Sheet      Rod       Rod       Rod        electrode type
289     
290 1x1x1 cm    0.2x8x8cm  0.4x10cm  0.2x10cm  0.1x10cm   dimensions
291     
292 125         0.8        8         8         8      current density (mA/cm*cm)
293     
294 WARNING     0.153      .153      .036      .0075    excess rate of heating
295                                                     (watts/cm*cm*cm)
296 IGNITION?
297 (see text)  0          .122      .115      .095     excess specific rate of
298                                                     heating (watts/cm*cm*cm)
299     
300 250         1.2        64        64        64     current density (mA/cm*cm)
301     
302             .027       1.751     .493      .079     excess rate of heating
303                                                     (watt)
304     
305             .0021      1.39      1.57      1.01    excess specific rate of
306                                                    heating (watts/cm*cm*cm)
307     
308             1.6        512       512       512      current density *
309                                                     (mA/cm*cm) *
310     
311             0.79       26.8      3.02      .654     excess rate of heading
312                                                     (watt) *
313     
314             .0061      21.4      9.61      8.33     excess specific rate of
315                                                     heating (watts/cm*cm*cm)
316     
317  * Measured on electrodes of length 1.25 cm and rescaled to 10 cm.
318     
319 TABLE 2. Generation of excess enthalpy in Pd rod cathodes
320 expressed as a percentage of breakeven values.
321     
322 0.4x10cm    0.2x10cm   0.1x10cm   dimensions
323 8           8          8          current density (mA/cm*cm)
324 111         62         23         excess heating * (% of breakeven) *
325 53          27         12         excess heating** (% of breakeven) **
326 1224        286        60         excess heating*** (% of breakeven) ***
327 64          64         64         current density (mA/cm*cm)
328 66          46         19         excess heating * (% of breakeven) *
329 45          29         11         excess heating** (% of breakeven) **
330 438         247        79         excess heating*** (% of breakeven) ***
331 512         512        512        current density (mA/cm*cm)
332 59          14         5          excess heating * (% of breakeven) *
333 48          11         5          excess heating** (% of breakeven) **
334 839         189        81         excess heating*** (% of breakeven) ***
335     
336 *       % of breakeven based on Joule heat supplied to
337         cell and anode reaction
338     
339            -                  -
340         4OD  -> 2D O + O  + 4e
341                   2     2
342     
343 **      % of breakeven based on total energy supplied to
344         cell and anode reaction
345     
346            -                  -
347         4OD  -> 2D O + O  + 4e
348                   2     2
349      
350 ***     % of breakeven based on total energy supplied to
351         cell and for an electrode reaction
352     
353                 -             -
354         D  + 2OD  -> 2D O + 4e
355          2             2
356     
357        with a cell potential of 0.5V.
358     
359                  2    2
360 All %'s based on  D +  D reactions, i.e. no projection
361 to [next line lost in scanning]
362     
363 3)      Fig. 1A illustrates the gamma-ray spectra which have been
364 recorded in regions above the water bath adjacent to the
365 electrolytic cells and this spectrum confirms that 2.45 MeV
366 neutrons are indeed generated in the electrodes by reaction (vi).
367 These gamma-rays are generated by the reaction (vii).  We note
368 that the intensities of the spectra are weak and, in agreement
369 with this, the neutron flux calculated from the measurements with
370 the dosimeter is of the order 4 x 10E4 1/s for a 0.4 x 10 cm rod
371 electrode polarised at 64 mA/(cm*cm).
372     
373 Figure 1A
374     
375 gamma-ray spectrum recorded above the water bath containing the
376 rod cathodes.  Measurements carried out with a sodium iodide
377 crystal scintillation detector and a Nuclear Data ND-6 High
378 Energy Spectrum Analyzer.  The background in this region (taken
379 over a water bath 5 m from the experiment containing identical
380 shielding materials) is level at about 400 counts; spectrum
381 accumulation time: 48 hours.
382     
383 4)      In agreement with this low neutron flux, the accumulation
384 in the electrolyte also indicates a low rate for reaction (v)
385 (which has been found to be somewhat faster than (vi) in high
386 energy physics experiments).  The time dependent fraction of
387 tritium in the solvent can be shown to follow(?)
388     
389 (1):
390                         -(1 + lambda * delta   )*Rt
391                                             D,T
392 alpha  =   gamma  * exp ---------------------------
393      T          T            lambda * S    * N
394                                        D,T
395 .
396     
397                                                  delta
398                                                       D,T
399          + ((1 + lambda)gamma  + beta/R) * --------------------- * -+
400                              T             (1 + lambda*delta   )    |
401                                                             D,T     |
402                                                                     |
403                         +-------------------------------------------+
404                         |
405                         |                  -(1 + lambda * delta   )Rt
406                         |                                      D,T
407                         +-->    * (1 - exp --------------------------)
408                                                 lambda*S   * N
409                                                         D,T
410     
411 where:
412  
413 gamma  is the fraction of T in the electrolyte/solvent feeds,
414      T
415     
416 lambda * R (atoms T/s, here 4x10E11 atoms/s) is the sampling rate
417            which has been assumed to be continuous in time,
418     
419 N is the total number of atoms of D in the Dewar (14.6x10E23),
420     
421 S    is the D/T separation factor,
422  D,T
423     
424 beta is the rate of the nuclear reaction (v) (events/s), and
425     
426 R is the rate of electrolysis expressed as atoms D 1/s
427   (here 1.24x10E14(?) atoms/s)
428     
429 It can be seen that the final value alpha  for the cell containing
430                                          T
431 the Pt-cathode (for which we assume beta  = 0) is:
432                                         A
433     
434 .    
435                                                 delta
436                                                      D,T
437 alpha  = ((1 + lambda)*gamma  + beta/R) * ----------------------   (1)
438      T                      T             (1 + lambda * delta   )
439                                                              D,T
440     
441 Blank experiments using Pt-cathodes (which have very similar
442 separation factors to Pd) indicate little accumulation of DTO so
443 that S    is close to unity under the conditions of our
444       D,T
445 experiments.  DTO accumulates in the cells containing Pd cathodes
446 to the extent of about 100dpm/ml of electrolyte and Fig. 1B
447 demonstrates that the species accumulated is indeed tritium.  Use
448 of equation (2) then indicates that reaction (v) takes place to
449 the extent of 1-2 x 10E4 atoms/s which is consistent with the
450 measurements of the neutron flux, bearing in mind the difference
451 in radii.  On the other hand the data on enthalpy generation
452 would require rates for reactions (v) and (vi) in the range 10E11-
453 10E14 atoms/s.  It is evident that reactions (v) and (vi) are
454 only a small part of the overall reaction scheme and that other
455 nuclear processes must be involved.
456     
457 (see figure on trailing pages)
458     
459 Figure 1B
460     
461 beta-ray disintegration scintillation spectrum measured with a
462 Bockman LS5000TD counter-spectrometer.
463     
464 DISCUSSION
465     
466 We realise that the results reported here raise more questions
467 than they provide answers and that much further work is required
468 on this topic.  The observation of the generation of neutrons and
469 of tritium from electrochemically compressed D+ in Pd cathode is
470 in itself a very surprising result and, evidently, it is
471 necessary to reconsider the quantum mechanics of electrons and
472 deuterons in such host lattices.  In particular we must ask: is
473 it possible to achieve a fusion rate of 10E-19 1/s for reactions
474 (v) and (vi) for clusters of deuterons (presumably located in the
475 octahedral lattice positions) at typical energies of 1eV?
476 Experiments on isotopically substituted hydrides of well defined
477 structures might well answer this question.
478     
479 The most surprising feature of our results however, is that
480 reactions (v) and (vi) are only a small part of the overall
481 reaction scheme and that the bulk of the energy release is due to
482 an hitherto unknown nuclear process or processes (presumably
483 again due to clusters of deuterons).  We draw attention again to
484 the very large magnitude of the effects in the confinement
485 parameter diagram, fig. 2.  We note that the values of the
486 confinement parameter are extremely high compared to conventional
487 research on fusion (high particle densities, lifetimes of 10E2 -
488 10E4 years) while the chemical potential is very low compared to
489 the equivalent parameter, (T), in those experiments.  It is
490 evident that diagrams of this kind require extension in the third
491 dimension for electrochemical experiments since the results are
492 so markedly dependent on electrode volume (increase of current
493 density displaces the points in a vertical direction).  We draw
494 attention again to the fact that the experiments already carried
495 out are close to the breakeven point; further work to extend the
496 electrode dimension (and to establish the nature of the processes
497 responsible for the enthalpy release) is in progress. Finally, we
498 urge the use of extreme caution in such experiments: a plausible
499 interpretation of the experiment using the Pd-cube electrode is
500 in terms of ignition.  Projection of the values in Tables 1 and 2
501 to more extreme conditions indicate that this may indeed be
502 feasible.
503     
504 Figure 2
505                                                           2    2
506 Confinement parameter-chemical potential-size diagram for  D +  D
507                                                   2    3
508 fusion reaction in Pd-cathodes, projection to the  D +  T
509 reaction.
510     
511 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
512     
513 We wish to thank Johnson Matthey PLC for the loan of precious
514 metals for this project.
515         
516 LITERATURE REFERENCES
517         
518 1. W. M. Mueller, J. T. Blacklodge, G. G. Libowitz, "Metal
519    Hydrides", Academic Press, New York (1968); G. Bambakadis, Ed.,
520    "Metal Hydrides", Plenum Press (1981).
521         
522 2. B. Dandapani and M. Fleischmann, Journal of Electroanalytical
523    Chemistry, 12 (1972) 323.2.39
524         
525 3. A. N. Frumkin and N. A. Aladzhalova, Acta Physicochim.
526    U.R.S.S., 2 (1940) 1.9
527     
528 4. Unpublished results
529     
530 5. M. Fleischmann, M. Hawkins, and B. Pons, to be published.
531     
532  
533 *************************************************************************
004=Usr:84 Michael Miller j  04/20/89 18:50  Msg:3648 Call:20529  Lines:22
534  
535 &*&*&*&*'s
536      The paper above has the potential to change the world. (I'm 
537 commenting on it, I didn't do the uploading.)
538  
539      So many of the things we take for granted today did not exist 20 years
540 ago. Many of the things we will be using in 20 years do not exist today.
541 Cold Fusion combined with the possibility of room temputure super-conductors
542 are the greatest scientific discoveries of this decade.
543  
544      If things work out as it appears they will, the face of the world
545 will be changed radicly.
546  
547      I remember hearing that somebody said 'may you live in interesting 
548 times.' and meaning it as a curse. It is sad that anybody would be that
549 blind to the potential of the progress and the future it can bring.
550  
551      So, comments?
552  
553 An Astral Dreamer
554 &*&*&*&*'s
555  
005=Usr:219 Friar Mossback    04/20/89 19:12  Msg:3649 Call:20530  Lines:9
556 [][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][]
557 I hope it is all true.
558  
559 The paper that appeared to all in the Inn roused even sleepy old Friar. 
560 A force greater than Magik itself had been foretold in the past, and the
561 paper that we read said it might be coming soon.  This would be the end
562 of life as we know it.  It would become better.
563 Where is that mole fellow, he might enjoy hereing about this too!
564 [][][][][][][][][][][][][]   Friar    [][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][]
006=Usr:465 Gregg Harris      04/20/89 19:42  Msg:3650 Call:20531  Lines:59
565 )(*&)(*&)(*&)(*&)(*)(*&)(*&&)(*&)(*&
566  
567 Doom, Dispare, Distruction.
568  
569 "When will my jailor release me?" asked the Mole to himself.
570  
571 "NOW" boomed a voice around him.
572  
573 the voice had come from a short aelf, a full 6" shorter then the others.
574 the aelf, later introduced as rodrigues, opened the thick jail door
575 with a strange square key and lead the Mole into a small room next to his
576 previous prison.
577  
578 "So, your the Mole. What were you doing down here?" asked rodrigues.
579  
580 "Me? I heard a noise coming from the floor of my room, so I dug down
581 to investigate."
582  
583 "Well! A curious type are you. We have ways to deal with curious 'types."
584 said rodrigues.
585  
586 "So can I go now?" asked the Mole.
587  
588 "GO! YOU WANT TO GO! "
589 "SURE We'll let you go, go to the other side you will!"
590 "Right into their hands, Tell them our floor plans. help them plan their
591 attack"
592 "Sure, We'll let you go"
593  
594 "Just asking." whispered the Mole.
595  
596 "What did you say? whispering into a mic no doubt."
597 "Manuel, get in here!"
598 An aelf walked into the room and saluted.
599 "Private Manuel reporting for duty"
600  
601 "Private, search this prisoner." ordered Rodrigues.
602  
603 The aelf frisked the mole, pulling out from the numerous folds of
604 skin; two cans of dehydrated worms for long journeys, a can of
605 Fosters', claw ointment to keep those clas nice and sharp, and
606 the last months edition of playmole with pictures cut out for
607 reading material.
608  
609 "Obviously packed for a long journey, now aren't we mr. mole" said 
610 rodrigues sarcastically.
611  
612 "Oh, yea. We moles don't have any real permanent homes to speak
613 of, so we always carry the bare neccesities with us at all times.
614 makes livin' real cheap." said the Mole.
615  
616 "Humpf! Manuel, stuff this overgrown rodent into the cell. i'll
617 deal with him later." said rodrigues.
618  
619 As Manuel started to shove the Mole back to the cage the mole said
620 "Well, can't I at least keep the magazine.."
621  
622 The Mole
623 )((*&)(*&&)(*&)(*&()*&&)(*&)(*&(*&()*)(*&
007=Usr:84 Michael Miller j  04/20/89 21:46  Msg:3651 Call:20535  Lines:28
624 .
625  
626      "What do you mean when you say your quiting College? You must
627 be nearly done by now."
628      "No, I've got the better part of another year to go."
629      "Its only one more year then, why not get it done with?"
630      "Because, I'm sick of the whole thing. Most of the Profesors don't
631 care, the subjects I'm interested in are always taught by people who 
632 really should find another field to work in... And, because I want to."
633      "Aren't you being selfish? How hard can it really be? You just go
634 to class and you do your homework and in three terms you'll be done."
635      "But I can't do that anymore. I've been grinding myself down for
636 three and 1/2 years now, and there just isn't much left. I need to grow,
637 and I'm being stunted."
638      "Think about your future, do you know what this will do for your 
639 earning power?"
640      "I have thought about it. I know someday I'll have to go back if I
641 Really want to accomplish the goals I've set for myself. But right now
642 I can earn fairly good money, and I'm still young. I'll have time later."
643      "Thats what my father thought, he never did go back."
644      "But he had a family, and a full time job..."
645      "And you won't in a few years?"
646      "I just don't want to talk about it ok?"
647      "You can't get away from it you know. I am you after all."
648  
649   
650 .
651  
008=Usr:4 Milchar           04/21/89 01:07  Msg:3652 Call:20541  Lines:44
652 ::: BGN CYBER-LINK: ID F78B:9EA1:C88D CODED: SEMAPHORE :::
653         The muted drone of a flycar interrupted Sem's fitful doze.  He
654 jerked awake, a wild terror posessing him for a few moments.  The
655 flycar passed on, not knowing or perhaps not caring to know about the
656 havoc it had wrought.  Tremors wreaked Sem's thin body.  Sleep
657 was his enemy, the little Death that tried to posess him.  Sem fumbled
658 for his roll of blood-red derms that lay upon the very top of his
659 console, yearning for the reprieve they would lend him.
660         His body shook as he peeled the thin backing and applied the
661 time-release packet to his inner wrist.  There it would deal out minute
662 quantities of the energy he desired.
663         The derm hit him with a rush of power.  Every fiber of his body
664 sang with the drug's sweet song.  It was very special stuff, made up
665 in a private chem-shop in Atlanta and coded to Sem's DNA.  It cost half
666 of what Sem made on his job, but it was worth the price-- any price.
667 It gave Sem his edge.  If a console jockey got wind of critical data
668 just ten minutes before anyone else, he could be rich for life.  Sem
669 was good.  Very good.  He'd topped out the C-space aptitude test in
670 school- a talent that would have been worthless in another day and age,
671 but enabled Sem to live any way he wished.
672         Calmed now, Sem turned to his console.  It was as unique as
673 Sem was, a towering monster of circuits, solder, and fiber-optic cable.
674 His keyboard resembled that of an organ, and his 'trodes hung from a
675 large hook on his left.  It was custom-made, all of it.  Factory
676 prototypes from all over the world meshed in a titanium-steel frame to
677 produce the most powerful ICE-cutter ever built.  Sem felt like a god
678 at its controls, able to alter history with a few well-timed commands.
679         He carefully placed the 'trodes upon his head and adjusted
680 them for comfort.  Nothing could be allowed to intrude upon his
681 concentration, once he was in the C-space matrix.  In there, it could
682 be infect or be infected.  Virus programs could cripple a console,
683 reduce its effectiveness, render it useless.  It would be unable to
684 protect the operator from lethal feedback programs.  Too many things
685 could go wrong on a "sick" console, which explained the dozens of
686 quality rigs on the black market that had been involved in one run
687 too many.  Buying one was like playing Russian roulette.  Never paid
688 to stay with one longer than you had to.  Eventually all the luck ran
689 out-- or so superstition went.  Jockeys that believed changed rigs
690 often, avoiding the end of the luck in each one.
691         Sem avoided the superstitious.  He had faith in his console.
692 It wouldn't fail him.
693         Especially not on the most important run of his life...
694 ::: END CYBER-LINK: RUN TIME 00:10:45 CODED: SEMAPHORE :::
695 ::: ADVERT: buy Silicon vallEy stoCk and pRoducE a forTune :::
009=Usr:71 David Shult       04/21/89 12:19  Msg:3653 Call:20545  Lines:71
696 696969696969
697 APn  04/21 0451  Tanker Spill
698 By PAUL JENKINS Associated Press Writer
699    NAKED ISLAND, Alaska (AP) -- For a few seconds, Interior Secretary Manuel
700 Lujan Jr. tottered this way and that on an oil-slickened rock. A worker laborin
701 to rid the shore of gooey oil stepped in and saved him from an embarrassing
702 fall.
703    While Lujan and two congressman were touring a section of the Prince William
704 Sound shoreline Thursday, a giant Soviet oil skimmer was testing its booms at
705 Resurrection Bay some 80 miles west in the Gulf of Alaska.
706    The Coast Guard plainly was delighted with the promise of progress brought b
707 the 425-foot Vaidogubsky, and gains made by a 120-foot Mr. Clean III, a skimmer
708 from Santa Barbara, Calif.
709    "This was a major step, having those two skimmers out there," said Coast
710 Guard Lt. Gary Stock, who was monitoring the cleanup in Anchorage.
711    Exxon spokesman Henry Beathard in Valdez estimated that more than 2 million
712 gallons of the 10.1 million-gallon spill was recoverable from the surface of th
713 gulf and Prince William Sound. The spill occurred March 24 after the tanker
714 Exxon Valdez hit Bligh Reef.
715    Lujan, Reps. Don Young, R-Alaska, and Curt Weldon, R-Pa., and a sizable
716 entourage flew from Valdez on Thursday by helicopter to Naked Island, a remote
717 beach 45 miles to the southwest.
718    The group got a look at the only area in Prince William Sound where shorelin
719 cleanup operations have started. Exxon estimates it has cleaned 2,100 feet of
720 the more than 300 miles of oil-splotched shore.
721    As Lujan inspected the cleanup effort, oil glistened off rocks or stood in
722 gleaming puddles in the bright sun. A black stain along the driftwood-strewn
723 beach marked the high-tide line. The smell of crude was strong.
724    From a distance, the shore was a palette of oil-smeared workers clad in hard
725 hats and bright orange, yellow and black rainwear. They used fire hoses to blas
726 oil off a 75-yard stretch of rocky beach as the sun played through the mist,
727 casting rainbows.
728    Landing craft laden with heavy equipment hugged the shore, and an oil skimme
729 dipped up the runoff from the beach facing McPherson Passage.
730    Lujan, wearing an orange float suit, picked his way to the end of the beach
731 nearest his aircraft, and in moments was posing with a fire hose for
732 photographs.
733    Before it was over, several of the secretary's traveling companions had
734 joined him. Laughing, they enthusiastically blasted the oily mess with such
735 force that it carried over a boom and into the water workers were trying to
736 protect. That sparked an obscenity laced tirade from people on a barge nearby.
737    Retreating, Lujan said, "It looks like this is going to be a big job to clea
738 up."
739    But he said it was too early for him to know what he would tell President
740 Bush come Monday.
741    Lujan and the congressmen were briefed early Thursday by the U.S. Coast Guar
742 in Valdez, then by Exxon officials.
743    Weldon, a member of the House's Merchant Marine and Fisheries Committee, sai
744 he was unimpressed.
745    "There were a lot of people covering their rear ends," he said.
746    Weldon noted the two briefings covered essentially the same ground, "but the
747 were completely, diametrically opposed."
748    He said the question that must be answered is why -- if there were a
749 contingency plan -- it was not implemented almost immediately after the spill.
750    Young credited the beach workers with making some headway.
751    "They're making progress, that's the big thing," he said.
752    Vice President Dan Quayle will stop in Anchorage and Valdez on May 4-5 as he
753 returns from a Pacific Rim excursion and will tour spill sites, U.S. Sen. Frank
754 Murkowski, R-Alaska, said.
755                                                                            
756                                                So when will Bush and his people
757 and EXXON take the oil spill seriously?  So how much higher will gasoline price
758 s go before there is a consumer revolt?  How much are you doing to express your
759 dissatisfaction with the handling of the environment?                        
760                                                                            
761 B O Y C O T T   E X X O N---BOYCOTT EXXON---B O Y C O T T  E X X O N
762                                                                           
763                                                                            
764 696969696969696969
765                                                                          
766                                       
010=Usr:131 THE VISION        04/21/89 15:34  Msg:3654 Call:20551  Lines:3
767 Fastest fill on a disk I've ever seen.
768 --THE VISION
769  
011=Usr:84 Michael Miller j  04/21/89 17:35  Msg:3655 Call:20556  Lines:15
770 &*&*&*&*'s
771 Turbo Pascal 5 is really nice. Not only the language, but all the support
772 stuff as well. Some of the things you can do are really neat.
773  
774 It seems that the tools have finally caught up with the IBM's 
775 kamilian nature. You can tell what sort of space you've got on the
776 screnn, and lots of other neat stuff. Plus it is nearly trivial to 
777 write a TSR. (Though I don't know how hard it once was, I'm writting my
778 first right now.)
779  
780 Now, If we could only get rid of that 640k limet.
781  
782 An Astral Dreamer
783 &*&*&*&*'s
784  
012=Usr:131 THE VISION        04/21/89 17:57  Msg:3656 Call:20557  Lines:9
785 __T_H_E__V_I_S_I_O_N___
786  
787 Lurking up a storm...
788  
789 Hey AD how's it going?
790  
791 _*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_
792  
793  
013=Usr:465 Gregg Harris      04/21/89 18:59  Msg:3657 Call:20558  Lines:9
794 )(*&)(*&)(*&)(*&)(*&)(*&)(*&(*&
795 Lurk mode.
796  
797 Der svingee on der svango.
798  
799 Huh?
800  
801 The Lurking Mole.
802 )(*&)(*&)(*&)(*&)(*&)(*&)(*&)(*&)(*&
014=Usr:465 Gregg Harris      04/21/89 21:16  Msg:3658 Call:20561  Lines:7
803 )(*&)(*&)*&)(*&)(*&)(*&)(**&)(&)(*&(&
804 SSSHHH. I'm huntin' luwrkwers. hehehe.
805  
806 There's one now. bang bang.
807  
808 The Mole
809 )(*&)(*&((*)*&((*)&()**&)(*&((*)&&()**
015=Usr:33 Mike Stanfill     04/21/89 21:50  Msg:3659 Call:20563  Lines:5
810 /*/*/*/*/*/*/*
811 be vewwy vewwy awied... I'm hunting wurkers too... huhuhuhuhuhuh
812 Hey, you!  Yeah, you!  Wurker!  Post somefing now owr I'w bwow youwr
813 bwains out!  Youuuu scwewy wurkers....
814 /*/*/*/*/*/*/* -swob (A Self-Willed OBjec{ and self-appointed LurkBuster)
016=Usr*53 prince dragon     04/21/89 22:43  Msg:3660 Call:20565  Lines:4
815 .-=-.-=-.-=-.-=-.-=-.-=-.
816 Oh good we are all in a *LURKER war* HHHMmmmmm 
817 (that was in post mode)
818 .-=-.-=-.-=-.-=-.-=-.-=-.prince dragon aks dragon@agora
017=Usr:84 Michqel ]iller j  04/21/89 23:09  Msg:3661 Call:20567  Lines:52
819 &*&*&*&*'s
820 I'm fine Vision. Going through a spat of the blues, but I'll survive.
821  
822 An Astral Dreamer
823 &*&*&*&*'s
824  
825 .
826      The new console was in. On the outside it was shiny and blue, but
827 in was what was on the inside that counted. Kit wistled while reading
828 the specs. He'd heard about this model some months back, and had been
829 waiting for it ever since.
830      Berry sat on the couch watching Kit. After listening to Kit whistle
831 and sigh for several minutes he decided it was time to break in.
832      "Yo! ,Kit. I need my money."
833      "Money? Oh yeah, Payday. Do you want it in the ussual place?"
834      "Sure, I've got a shipment comyng yn tommorow..."
835      Kit grew more distant. "Fine, I'll take care of it somtime before 
836 tonight."
837      "Look man, don't be playing those mind games with me. You think I 
838 like my life?"
839      "Look, relax. I didn't mean to upset you.0I just don't like to
840 hear about you and your drugs."
841      "Hey man, we all got to get by somehow. Take you away from the
842 net for more then a week and you'd be a basket case. Can't even go
843 outside. Atleast I don't have those proble}c."
844      Kit walked over to one of the chairs that sat by the small table
845 in his dining area and sat down. "It's all got to come down you know."
846      "Sh*t, your not going off on that kick again are you?"
847      "What Kick? I'm just telling you straight and true that all the C*ap
848 we put up with has got to end."
849      "I'd really thought you were over that. Man, can't you understand that
850 the human race just doesn't give a d*mn anymore? We're on the road to
851 extinction in dxe fqst lane."
852      "Hey, its not to late."
853      "It was to frigging late when we climbed down out of the trees. Something
854 just wasn't right. We've been working overtime since then to kill ourselves 
855 off."
856      "I just can't believe that."
857      "Fine, don't face the facts. But don't be suprised when you get ground
858 under either."
859      "If I go down I'm going to take a lot of people with me."
860      "You just get to sounding older everyday. If your going to boar
861 me gith this Sh*t, atleast have the decency to do it quitly."
862      Kit sighed. "I'm all talk and no do."
863      "Glad to see you realize that. You used to be really great to."
864      "Yeah, well maybe I'm ready to start again."
865      "Its about time. Just remember though,Cerius wants you. Your still 
866 his man."
867      "Yeah? Well I guess its about time I showed him what I'm going to be
868 doing for him from now on."
869 .
870  
018=Usr:4 Milchar           04/21/89 23:47  Msg:366"0Cal|:20568  Lines:1
871 ++++++++ brief Milchlurk.  Wow, talk about a fast disk. +++++++++++++++++++
019=Usr:131 THE VISION        04/22/89 12:50  Msg:3663 Call:20576  Lines:11
872 ________T_H_E__V_I_S_I_O_N_L_U_R_K_E_R_______
873  
874      OH OH! I've been shot!!  Ahhhhhhhhh!
875  
876                  HEY AD!
877     
878      Glad to hear you are doing pretty
879      good. Well, not more to say so later!
880  
881 _*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_
882  
020=Usr:84 Michael Mil|er j  04/22/89 13:32  Msg:3664 Call:20577  Lines:11
883 &*&*&*&*'s
884 I've been busy revising Patricks story. I'm going to be uploading the
885 latest (And probably last electronic.) Version to Enky, and possibly
886 alt.prose on usenet.
887  
888 I've been thinking about the rest of the story, I may begin the next
889 part sometime soon. You'll see it here first! (Big deal Ah? :-) )
890  
891 An Astral Dreamer
892 &*&*&*&*'s
893  
021=Usr:465 Gregg Harris      04/22/89 18:04  Msg:3665 Call:20%85  \ines:9
894 (*&)(*&&()**&&)((*&)((**)((*&)(*&)(*(*(&)(*&)((&((&
895 a hundred lines to finish this disk. com'on ever' body kill this disk off.
896  
897 And now a word from our sponser.  Aaaaiiigggghhhh!!!!
898  
899 And a minute passed, and yet qnotxer minute passed .......
900  
901 The Languid Mole (Not knowing what Languid means)
902 )(*)(*&)(*&)((*&)(*&)(*&()*&()*&)*&()*&()(*(*&)(*&
022=Usr:84 Michael Miller j  04/22/89 19:01  Msg:3666 Call:20587  Lines:8
903 &*&*&*&*'s
904 Well, I sent the story off to alt.prose. And what happens? I find out that
905 there is atleast one glaring error. After writting something and then
906 reading it 15 times it gets a bit harder to notice these things.
907  
908 An Astral Dreamer
909 &*&*&*&*'s
9!0  
023=Usr:33 Mike Stanfill     04/22/89 19:31  Msg:3667 Call:20589  Lines:13
911 /*/*/*/*/*/*/*
912 Lines Remaining:  89   Disable LURKMODE 
913 Hey what's the record for a disk fill around here?  Are we even close?
914 I'd write more, but my "monitor"0is getting so bad I can hardly see what
915 I'm typing.  Someday I'll learn to buy a decent monitor BEFORE I've had 
916 the computer for several years.  Sigh.  MultiSync, here I come!
917 [related drivel deleted for lack of existence]
918 /*/*/*/*/*/*/* swob (A Self Willed OBject)
919   
920      p.s. Smile, you could have been crushed by a giant meteorite
921           the other day!
922   
923 /*/*/*/*/*/*/*
024=Usr:233 molusk the crab   04/22/89 22:05  Msg:3668 Call:20593  Lines:7
924 *:*******************************
925 76 lines to fill on this disk,
926 75 lines to fill. Write something
927 down and then wrap around, 
928 73 lines to fill.
929 *********************************
930  
025=Usr:84 Michael Miller j  04/23/89 01:06  Msg:3669 Call:20598  Lines:10
931 &*&*&*&*'s
932 I heard about that meteor. Very rare event from what I've been able to find
933 out. Should be several million years more before we have to worry about
934 it.
935  
936 Sigh, what am I doing awake at !qm a~yway?
937  
938 An Astral Dreamer (Who did not always do his borders this way.)
939 &*&*&*&*'s
940  
026=Usr:84 Michael Miller j  04/23/89 12:33  Msg:3670 Call:20605  Lines:6
941 &*&*&*&*'s
942 Mighty quit around here today.
943  
944 An Astbal Dreamer (Don't be afraid to fill the disk.)
945 &*&*&*&*'s
946  
027=Usr:228 Phoenix Polymorp  04/23/89 21:26  Msg:3671 Call:20611  Lines:2
947 Phoenix just lurking around..................
948 ^P
028=Usr:53 prince dragon     04/23/89 22:35  Msg:3&72 Call:20612  Lines:3
949 .-=-.-=-.-=-.-=-.-=-.-=-.-=-.-=-.prince dragon
950 a lurking we will go alurking we will go etc..
951 .-=-.-=-.-=-.-=-.-=-.-=-.1000days to go
029=Usr:33 Mike Stanfill     04/23/89 23:02  Msg:3673 Call:20613  Lines:11
952 /*/*/*/*/*/*/*
953 47 lines to go!  Do I get a prize if I fill the rest?  Too Bad!  I ain't got
954 46 lines of stuff to say.  Well, not important stuff anyway.  
955      Hey, Astral, what *does* your border mean?  Looks kinda like some 
956 obfuscated S co~struct (address-of-contents-of-address-of-contents-of-...).
957 But then again by the same (exceedingly subtle compiler joke alert!) token,
958 mine is like a *really* important comment... hmmm.... I kinda like that!
959 And I thought it just looked nice!
960 */*/*/*/*/*/*/ swob (A Self-Willed OBject)
961 Ampersands, comments and splats, oh my!
962 */*/*/*/*/*/*/
030=Usr:84 Michael Miller j  04/24/89 00:16  Msg:3674 Call:20615  Lines:32
963 &*&*&*&*'s
964 My border? Well, it started out looki~g like this '&*&*&*'s' and evolved into
965 what you see it as now over a couple of months. (I'm working hard to become a
966 backwater historian, have read all of 87,88 and 89 so far. Now its time to 
967 go back to the real early days.)
968  
969 As for what the boarder means... Well, I guess it just sort of went with my
970 handle.
971  
972 A Historical note follows.
973      The first Inn was destroyed when backwater one was taken off line. When 
974 backwater two came up (Nearly two years ag.) Q new slate was decreed. 
975 Unfortunetly, things have meandered since then. The Inn was resurected las
976 {_t year, perhaps accidentally by Friar, who mentioned an etherial tavern. It w
977 as pick up on by Hagbard Celine first, and then one Trokyn Krka(sp?) followed
978 by Kurfur and myself. And no doubt others. A multi-author story started and
979 we meandered on for awhile before friar and Trokin dissapered. 
980  
981      I have been toying with a rather revised Inn in some of my story untries. 
982 At the time I wrote them I did not know that the origional had been destroyed.
983 (It was at that time that many great names passed from the scene, Bard, the
984 psi master, voyeur, Green eyes, and others.
985  
986      There has been qltogether to little story telling going on these last two
987 years, though things have been fairly decently here these last few months. I
988 sort of wonder why we never see CM make entries anymore... 
989  
990 Enough of my meanderings, I've filled e~ougx of this disk. It is time for me to
991 depart and leave the last few lines for others.
992  
993 An Astral Dreamer
994 &*&*&*&*'s
031=Usr:71 David Shult       04/24/89 01:00  Msg:3675 Call:20616  Lines:4
995 BOYCOTT EXXON---BOYCOTT EXXON---BOYCOTT EXXON---BOYCOTT EXXON---BOYCOTT EXXON--
996 -BOYCOTT EXXON---BOYCOTT EXXON---BOYCOTT EXXON---BOYCOTT EXXON---BOYCOTT EXXON-
997 --BOYCOTT EXXON---BOYCOTT EXXON---BOYCOTT EXXON---BOYCOTT EXXON---BOYCOTT EXXON
998 ---BOYCOTT EXXON---BOYCOTT EXXON---BOYCOTT EXXON---BOYCOTT EXXON---BOYCOTT EXXO
032=Usr:13 voyeur            04/24/89 01:51  Msg:3676 Call:20618  Lines:1
999 ::::::::O O:::01:54::::::voyeur - on the bottom:::::::04/24:::::::O O::::::::::
