U.S. scientists have fired the ZEUS laser, short for Zettawatt-Equivalent Ultrashort pulse laser System, producing a burst of power that briefly exceeded 100 times the total electricity output of the entire planet. According to the National Science Foundation and Popular Science, the ZEUS laser, based at the University of Michigan, reached a peak output of 2 petawatts, or 2 quadrillion watts, during a single pulse that lasted just 25 femtoseconds, that’s 25 millionths of a billionth of a second. While the total energy used was small, the intensity of the pulse was so extreme that, for that brief instant, it outpowered all global electricity combined.
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Julian Gough surfaces after a hiatus from his magnus opus, Blowtorch Theory, which has garnered a lot of attention since February. He’s not a scientist per se, though well versed in cosmology, and maybe because that, is free to take paths unnoticed by the scientific herds. There’s reason to think he’s come upon a profound explanatory nugget for the real scientists to poke and gnaw on.
(8) A short, late, but positive update - by Julian Gough
This second link is his full Blowtorch Theory. It’s full of other links to more mainstream scientists whose theories he used to synthesized Blowtorch Theory. It’s the ultimate rabbithole, but many–i haven’t read them all–are helpful.
(8) The Blowtorch Theory: A New Model for Structure Formation in the Universe
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That is very cool. Now for the $64,000 question: Is it anywhere near cost effect, or is there a path to being cost effective?
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Details, details…
I asked my pal Perplexity and this is what it said:
Boston Metal’s carbon-neutral steel, produced via molten oxide electrolysis (MOE), is designed to be cost-competitive with conventional steel, according to the company and independent reporting. Their process uses renewable electricity to convert iron ore directly into high-purity liquid metal, eliminating the need for coal, coke, and several traditional steps, which reduces both emissions and operational complexity39.
Key points on cost competitiveness:
- Cost-Effective Design: Boston Metal emphasizes that its MOE technology is “cost-effective, scalable and creates value throughout the steel value chain.” The process can use low- and mid-grade iron ore fines, further reducing feedstock costs39.
- No Need for Carbon Capture or Expensive Inputs: The process does not require water, hazardous chemicals, or precious-metal catalysts, which helps keep operational costs in check3.
- Direct Comparison: The company claims its platform is “an efficient, cost-competitive and environmentally sustainable solution” for steelmaking39.
- Industry Backing: Major investments from ArcelorMittal, Microsoft, and other industry leaders signal confidence in the technology’s economic viability167.
Market context and caveats:
- Commercialization Timeline: Boston Metal expects to reach commercial-scale production by 202635. While pilot and demonstration runs have proven the process at scale, full cost parity at industrial volumes will depend on continued scaling and the price of renewable electricity28.
- Demand for Green Steel: There is already strong demand for low-emissions steel, especially from sectors like automotive and construction, which may allow green steel to command a premium in some markets, at least initially5.
- Electricity Source: The ultimate cost competitiveness depends on access to affordable, renewable electricity. If this input remains cost-effective, Boston Metal’s steel should remain price-competitive with traditional steel310.
In summary:
Boston Metal’s carbon-neutral steel is positioned to be cost-competitive with conventional steel, especially as the process scales and renewable electricity prices remain favorable. The company and its investors are betting on this parity, though widespread adoption and true cost competitiveness will be proven as commercial plants come online by 20263910.
- Boston Metal forges path to commercialization for… | Canary Media
- This startup just hit a big milestone for green steel production | MIT Technology Review
- Green Steel - Boston Metal
- Meet the green technologies set to transform the geopolitics of steelmaking | Reuters
- https://glasp.co/youtube/ShREiW19PK4
- ArcelorMittal and Microsoft Back MIT Green Steel Firm With $120M
- US company gets $120 million boost to make 'green steel' | The Independent
- Boston Metal Celebrates Historic Commissioning Run of MOE Green Steel Cell - Boston Metal
- https://www.bostonmetal.com
- Making carbon-free steel with clean electricity
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Is that it?
Which begs another question:
This puts it into conflict with some other powerful industries from the get-go.
Boston Metal, yeah.
Your friend did a good job.
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It’s my favorite AI. Though I admit to using it by habit more than the other big ones and so can’t make a real comparison.
Yeah, well, that’s just AI’s highly annotated opinion…
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Do you mean annotated or anecdotal? 
I took a human short cut and presumed the highlighted blue words supported the AI text. But maybe AI is conscious-free and will reflexively mouth My Bad like a sociopath when caught in a fabrication. WWHD?
Ha, no you’re correct the link annotate what the AI finds and evaluates. It does attempt to find the most legitimate sources, usually does that pretty well.
AI definitely conscious-free and does offer flimsy apologies when caught being bad.
Some are worse than others for sociopathy, as recent news stories have documented.
A new type of engine, long predicted by Albert Einstein, is now becoming reality — and it could change how we travel forever. Unlike electric or gasoline engines, this proton engine uses nuclear fusion, the same process powering the sun, to generate clean, nearly limitless energy. Instead of burning fuel or relying on batteries, it creates thrust by accelerating jets of protons produced in fusion reactions, offering a pollution-free and extremely powerful propulsion method.
Einstein first theorized in 1929 that such an engine could exist, capable of propelling spacecraft close to light speed by harnessing the intense heat of fusion to expel proton jets. For decades, building this engine seemed impossible due to technical limits. But recent advances have made it feasible. New heat-resistant metals and ceramics can contain the extreme temperatures inside the reactor without damage. Improved mathematical models now predict plasma behavior more accurately, helping avoid failures. Powerful superconducting magnets keep plasma stable at over 100 million degrees by preventing it from touching reactor walls, greatly improving efficiency.
RocketStar, a startup founded in 2021, built the first working prototype based on a funnel-shaped magnetic field design that compresses and accelerates protons to start fusion and generate thrust. Because it uses hydrogen fusion, the fuel is practically limitless, making it a promising, faster, and cleaner alternative for space travel. Although designed for rockets now, scientists imagine future uses in planes or trains as a fossil fuel replacement.
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The universal mind is also a very old idea, Brahman (and Atman, the individuated version in all beings) in Hinduism.
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You’re making me want to block out the rest of the world and reside permanently in this James Webb Telescope thread. Progress, hope, belief in a bright future for all of mankind–it’s the airbrushed 50s again!!
Seriously, thanks. I love reading these snippets you come across.
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My TV is off unless my wife is home or there’s sports on that I like. Politics are off the table not just here, I refuse to lose friendships over our current state of affairs but I insist on and will walk away or hang up on anyone who doesn’t respect that. There is hope out there in the form of some pretty cool discoveries, I esp am interested in alternate energy, my grandparents emigrated from Denmark and they already can produce more than they use. There is so much more out there to remain positive out there than what the media decides to feed. It is in fact their job to make you mad because that’s what brings you back, very powerful and if you don’t believe it just listen to people from both sides talk and the emotion behind their voices. I pass, not to know but to interpret any subject from my own perspective, not from the the media.
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