Cold Fusion Videos Website
The International Society for Condensed Matter Nuclear Science (ISCMNS) is supporting a project to collect cold fusion videos and make them readily available on a dedicated website. It is located at coldfusionvideos.org.
When Fleischmann and Pons made their radical announcement in 1989, the event was recorded with VHS (for Visual Home System) technology. VHS was introduced in the mid-1970s and dominated the video market until 2010 to 2015, when it was displaced by CD and DVD technology. Most of the significant events in the early years of cold fusion were therefore recorded using VHS, which makes them a critical resource for the history of cold fusion.
Martin Fleischmann and Stanley Pons at the 1989 Press Conference
A principal objective of the ISCMNS Cold Fusion Videos project is to help document the “story” of the announcement, rejection, and continued pursuit of cold fusion by a dedicated community of researchers. A related purpose is to help reinstate cold fusion legitimacy and realize its energy benefits.
Approximately 50 videos are included on the website so far. They have been categorized in seven classes: conferences, documentaries, events, interviews, newscasts, presentations, and “other”. The website has an introductory homepage and subsidiary webpages for each category of videos. Two additional subpages provide information about the ISCMNS and on the website and its development. Descriptions have been prepared for each of the videos as a major feature.
The videos on the subpages (e.g., Presentations, shown below) are displayed in tables having seven columns for important attributes: title, year, summary, link to video on YouTube, link to video on Internet Archive, source, and ISCMNS ID. The subpage tables are sorted in reverse date order.
Screenshot of Video Entries on the Presentations Webpage
The hyperlinks to the videos in YouTube and Internet Archive are primary features. Most of the videos are in their original form. The “Summary” link opens a window containing a description of the video. The website continues to be improved and expanded. Please be patient with the evolving status of the videos included and the information presented on each one.
The story of cold fusion and how it was announced, rejected within a year or so, and continues to be marginalized by mainstream science is remarkable. This is particularly so given the excruciating need for non-fossil sources of energy in the context of the global climate change crisis. Videos of events in the early years after the announcement are essential sources for documenting what happened. Revealing the details may in turn help restore cold fusion legitimacy and realize its energy benefits. Having the early videos readily available is a major step forward for developing the story.
ISCMNS Volunteers
Thomas Grimshaw
Rob Christian
Seamus Lonergan