Doc, do you think it's possible that the technology for controllable fusion reactors is already out there but not being shared?

"I have a great idea.  Let's figure out a workable design for a fusion reactor that could solve all the worlds problems and make us rich and famous, and then not tell anyone."

Yeah, I didn't think so either.  When it happens it'll be shared and no government would have control over that kind of technology.  We'll get a few false-positives first- like remember when water-based controllable fusion was a thing (they even published in Nature/Sci Am, but it was a false alarm) and then of course there was the Italian group that designed the E-Cat.

 From time to time we hear about these possibilities (like the E-Cat, but that was proven not to be a feasible design.)

There is always a possibility that some eccentric amateur stumble upon something scientifically revolutionary, so let them by all means try and let's check what they claim, but I think plan A needs to be something it takes a national effort to create, and then I don't think any results will be easily hidden.

 From time to time we hear about these possibilities (like the E-Cat, but that was proven not to be a feasible design.)

There is always a possibility that some eccentric amateur stumble upon something scientifically revolutionary, so let them by all means try and let's check what they claim, but I think plan A needs to be something it takes a national effort to create, and then I don't think any results will be easily hidden.

I read something awhile back that some teenage kid came up with an idea for a nuclear fusion reactor the size of his garage and actually built a prototype and got the attention of the DOE (department of energy).  I don't know if that led to anything.
It's just that I don't trust government any more than I trust corporations, these people are most likely to do what is in their personal best interest (greed, power, etc.) rather than what is best for humanity as a whole or the planet for that matter.

When it happens it'll be shared and no government would have control over that kind of technology.

That is a pretty bold claim, it took leaks of classified information for the Soviets to catch up with the United States on nuclear weapons.  The same could happen with things like fusion or maybe it is accomplished by a public works project but that is still no guarantee it will be shared.

When it happens it'll be shared and no government would have control over that kind of technology.

That is a pretty bold claim, it took leaks of classified information for the Soviets to catch up with the United States on nuclear weapons.  The same could happen with things like fusion or maybe it is accomplished by a public works project but that is still no guarantee it will be shared.

Oh if it happens at the government level first then I agree with you, but I meant if it's first developed by some private group or individual first.  I hope we're past the cold war days- I can't stand "nationalism" or even narrow-minded flag-waving "patriotism".  If someone from the government came to me and told me to keep something I was developing secret, no matter how much money they offered me, I would tell them !#$% you.  I have no obligation to any nation, the only obligation I have is to the betterment of humanity and the planet.

Some times keeping something secret or under tight control is for the betterment of humanity.  

... If someone from the government came to me and told me to keep something I was developing secret, no matter how much money they offered me, I would tell them !#$% you.

And you seem to be under the illusion that governments are not averse to keeping people quiet by means other than buying them off.
I reckon we'll know when you invent a fusion reactor — your posts will suddenly stop. :o
-Alex

Some times keeping something secret or under tight control is for the betterment of humanity.  

I suspect you are talking about if bad people get their hands on something and use it for their own nefarious needs.  Maybe in that case, but we can have the proper safeguards (like we do with fission reactors) to prevent that from happening.

... If someone from the government came to me and told me to keep something I was developing secret, no matter how much money they offered me, I would tell them !#$% you.

And you seem to be under the illusion that governments are not averse to keeping people quiet by means other than buying them off.
I reckon we'll know when you invent a fusion reactor — your posts will suddenly stop. :o
-Alex

Haha that's quite possible, I don't put governments above violating their own laws, it seems to be a frequent occurrence.  The sad part is the military commandeers so much research and just puts it into more killing.

Irma is now a Cat 5, it is still expected to strengthen for the next 12 hours and gusts are already over 200mph

Irma has intensified into an extremely dangerous Category 5
hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale with maximum
winds of 175 mph (280 km/h) with higher gusts.

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that's terrible. I want to visit Barbados next summer. Hope everything will be ok with the island...

Amazing MODIS image taken today of the wildfire smoke, which now completely covers Washington, Oregon, and Idaho.  Probably the worst smoke event this area has had in at least 50 years -- even the old timers can't remember the last time it was this bad.

Wow that's horrible!  I remember we had bad forest fires on Long Island and in NJ back in August 1995 when we had no rain for the entire month.

On the hurricane front, sad news to report that the Governor of Barbuda reports that 98% of all structures were destroyed there They and St Thomas and the rest of the Virgin Islands took a direct hit at 185 mph  The new track shows Irma's eye passing right over Miami, Ft Lauderdale, West Palm Beach and Melbourne as it parallels the coast so it doesn't lose much strength (part of the eye is onshore and part is offshore on the model projection) and the NHC predicts landfall intensity at 145 mph which is high end Cat 4.  Then she gets back over the water (she's moving almost due north at this point) and makes a second landfall between Savannah and Charleston.  Never saw a track like this before but it's close to a worst case scenario for the southeast coast of FL. Comparing Irma to Andrew, Irma is much larger in size.   Irma looks like she's even strengthening right now.

The uncertainty in the forecast location for the storm's center is wider than Florida itself, so the eye could pass offshore on either side, or go straight up the middle.  Either way, the northerly track over or close to Florida will bring intense hurricane conditions to somebody, and all parts of Florida should be prepared.

Infrared view of the eye of the storm over Barbuda last night: