Who shows up here, stays here and leaves here.

[Richard Hull]

This site is very insular and as such will appeal to a very few people arriving here, long term.

Who shows up here?

Many show up, take a look at the material here and never join or contribute. fully 90% just look at the complexities and scientific jargon and never return. 10% are curious enough and interested enough to "lurk" the forums for any of a number of reasons. Some lurk around for weeks, months or even years as we have noted and been told when they finally join in the forums and post for the first time.

Who stays here?

This a far more complex question to answer well. Certainly, the largest number of people who stay and join us in posting are searching the multiple forums for information about something specific they are doing or are interested in. Perhaps we have more folks showing up trying to do vacuum science technology unrelated to fusion. Others are more interested the the radiation forum issues or the theory of fusion forum. Most tend to get what they need and might hang around for a year or two with irregular postings.

Perhaps the largest portion of folks showing up here and staying a while, (months to over a year), are the very young DIY crowd who have a driving interest to do fusion at home. Most are too poor to even begin the effort and fall out rapidly. Others struggle to do fusion and might make a demo fusor, (non fusing, work-a-like, look-a- like. These folks might go a few months at the effort and leave. Other significantly interested and cash secure older DIY types spend thousands to do fusion. Once they score a win, we never hear from them again. They may be here over 2 years in their struggle. These folks were here for a "win" and did not care about fusion or future use in experiment.

The very few who arrive and stay over time arrive fully equipped with a large and broad knowledge of electrical, electronic, vacuum related skill sets. They are also often handy with their hands in "the doing of things". They have machined and welded metal, constructed electronic gear or wired household electrical needs. They are extremely interested in fusion and want to do fusion. They are pre-focused on the effort and have the "where-with-all" and verve to get the job done and to use fusion to activate various elements, etc. They are not here to win but to learn and contribute. We term these folks to be "old boys". They have a hang time of many years and a rich record of service and contribution to these forums. These are the real winners here.

Who leaves here?

Well, virtually everyone, eventually. Naturally, as mentioned above 90% never stay. The weak and those not packing the gear to remain active and contribute might leave due to financial reasons or limitations, skill level deficiencies and loss of interest over varying periods of time up to a year.

Yes, even the best here who stay for years leave as life's direction changes and circumstances in life style moves on. This takes a toll over many years for the best of the old boys. They leave reluctantly for the most part.

Summary

Well, there you have it from my viewpoint. These are very serious and technical forums. They are often not suitable for the casual arrival looking for a "quick rinse" on fusion. We are indeed very insular as forums go on the internet. We tend to pride ourselves on most here being a "cut above" the average person in many areas of study and interest, possessing more innate skills and knowledge than the average person as relates to fusion and many other scientific and "hands-on" topics.

Richard Hull

[Frank Sanns]

On lifelong learning.

I discovered the site by accident back when it was still in the songs/intranet days. It was high frequency plasmas and quantum tunneling that I was researching. Richard had previously been quite involved in Tesla coils and was one thing that came up in the searches. Having already done that in previous years, it was not of any real interest, however, there was some info on fusion.

At first I was skeptical that it was just another bunch of internet nut jobs saying they were doing fusion. As I read and crossed reference information that I already knew and with other info that I researched, it was indeed possible and most likely achievable.

It was the achievable portion that gave me interest and the ease to do it that gave me enough motivation to cobble something up fairly easily.

The easily is what I think is important here. It is part of life long learning. I mean, I had already worked with vacuums but not the slightly higher ones needed for fusion. I had already worked with 150KV+ personally and professionally. I had handled gases including highly toxic and corrosive ones.

To do fusion was just a small step beyond my experience base. It was the metrology to detect the neutrons and the cross sections that I had to learn so it was not overwhelming.

Again, it was life long learning that made it a small step in learning and assembly to fusion.

I cannot encourage enough the life long learning aspect. I was not one to waste much of my time with things that would not be with me for life. A video game or watching a sports game is fun for a short time. It however resets at the end of the season or level and nothing is retainable.

Instead, I spent my free time having fun learning and experimenting in various areas. I learned music, language, history, cultures, science, and many other things. Learning became even easier as I aged because there was more base to move forward from. I just picked up learning cello a few months back and already had a fairly competent recital. Life becomes simper and easier the more you know.

Building a fusor by somebody that has no knowledge in any of the required fields is daunting and will take years to get there. The more new knowledge that needs to be acquired is inversely proportional to the chance that somebody will stick with it and have success.

[Dennis P Brown]

I agree with Frank - life long learning is essential - even retired and in my upper sixties I am still trying to master advanced fields I never had the opportunity to learn long ago; even in Grad school. Yet this site, with its doable fusion certainly attracted me and I too decided to do fusion. Not because it was to get into the list of the Neutron Club but to do one of the very fundamental energy production methods in the Universe (and that is legal to do.)

Yet thanks to Richard and his hosting the HEAS meeting, that too was something I wanted to participate in, as well (And we all owe Richard a huge "Thank You" for all his efforts in that regard over all these years.)

But the best part is the vast store house of knowledge contained in this forum. But the far greater knowledge here is offered by its members (And again, Richard is heads and shoulders above everyone in that regards.)

[Bob Reite]

I'm always learning. To stay in business I have to keep up with technology. I always tell people that five years from now I will be working on things that haven't been invented yet. I was already up to speed on high voltage, electronics in general, metal fabrication and welding. But I had to learn vacuum technology before I could build my first fusor.