Frontier Science: Ken Shoulders

According to an article in New Energy Times announcing that he had died June 7, 2013, Ken Shoulders only finished high school. Yet, according to his daughter Diane Meade, he is known in the scientific community as the father of vacuum microelectronics and as a visionary in a field of new-energy called exotic vacuum objects (EVOs).

Meade also stated that her father:

• Worked at SRI International, resulting in many patents
• Built the first quadrupole mass spectrometers in 1958 while working at SRI

Author John Markoff is quoted in the article as saying, “Before coming to SRI, he had worked at MIT as a technician. Sometime later, he was informally voted the SRI researcher most likely to build a perpetual-motion machine.”

The article refers the reader to Infinite Energy for Ken Shoulders' work with “charge clusters.”

The article also states:

Shoulders worked in some of the most exciting uncharted territories, including novel flight mechanisms as well as remote viewing research sponsored by the CIA.

Link

All of Ken Shoulders' research papers are compiled here.

Mary Rose
. . . he is known in the scientific community as the father of vacuum microelectronics . . .

The Wikipedia article on him says:

He is known for various work related to the field of energy and has also been credited as an early pioneer of electron beam lithography, which has become a key mask-making technology for modern microelectronics.

Link

Mask-making?

Who knows what that is?

Mask making, would have thought given that he was involved with lithography it would be the masking of the surfaces to allow etching/beam exposure for the process to work. Similar to making a mask with a photo-resistive + acid etch PCB kit.

reply to post by ErosA433


Wikipedia says this:

Electron-beam lithography

Electron-beam lithography (often abbreviated as e-beam lithography) is the practice of scanning a focused beam of electrons to draw custom shapes on a surface covered with an electron sensitive film called a resist ("exposing"),.[1] The electron beam changes the solubility of the resist enabling selective removal of either the exposed or non-exposed regions of the resist by immersing it in a solvent ("developing"). The purpose, as with photolithography, is to create very small structures in the resist that can subsequently be transferred to the substrate material, often by etching.

The primary advantage of electron-beam lithography is that it can draw custom patterns (direct-write) with sub-10 nm resolution. This form of maskless lithography has high resolution and low throughput, limiting its usage to photomask fabrication, low-volume production of semiconductor devices, and research & development.

Link

It says "maskless" not "mask-making."

First, is this what a mask is in this context:

A photomask is an opaque plate with holes or transparencies that allow light to shine through in a defined pattern. They are commonly used in photolithography.

Link

Does the electron beam eliminate the need for the plate with holes or transparencies, thus it's "maskless" lithography?

reply to post by ErosA433


I had a short job running a screen print press for circuit boards.
Vaguely similar though on a much larger scale naturally.

Interesting guy.
I think the most creative and inventive people will always come from outside academia.
While the foundations Schools teach are useful they tend to form habits and thought patterns not conducive to anything radically creative.

Mary Rose
. . . a visionary in a field of new-energy called exotic vacuum objects (EVOs).

All of Ken Shoulders' research papers are compiled here.

From the 2 page .pdf "What's an EVO? - Oct 10, 2004" by Ken Shoulders:

Intent of This Writing: An EVO (exotic vacuum object) is just another name in a long line of names for a new electronic effect. In the past, it has been called an EV (Electromagnetic Vortex or Electrum Validum for strong electron), charge cluster (this could be just a piece of dirt with no net charge) and CCT for charge cluster technology. Whatever it is called, the effect can best be characterized by how it is measured using instruments capable of interpenetration in terms of somewhat similar phenomenon. The nearest class of instruments with useful capabilities is those used for measuring the properties of electrons and ions.

Using these, we will assemble a series of observations characterizing the observable entity properties that are most pertinent to new energy and propulsion uses. Use of contemporary buzzwords like zero point energy, space energy or ether and other areas of mystery will be avoided here as they might falsely bias judgment of the true events being measured. It will not even be assumed that the entity being interrogated is an assembly of electrons, even though electrons were put in during formation and an equivalent number of electrons were output at the time of dishevelment.

This writing is thus an attempt to analyze the actions and basic characteristics of the entity while being as free as possible of preconceived notions about its structure. This aim is heavily biased toward the entities use instead of its name or theory of operation. . . .

What’s Its Name: Although there are many more measured properties having to do with the ability to mask charge and shift mass, the above statements used alone are enough to allow proceeding to the next stage of development without undue risk of the work being stranded for lack of data. Do we mystify the source of this effect with an elaborate name or just give it a bland name and use it?

There is now a wondrously long list of things we do not have to know or do to proceed with a process for passively overcoming the force of gravity—as the entity we are talking about is thrusting against some unseen medium that appears stationary and this medium is not the material it is boring through. Call it what you will, the medium is there and we can now engage it in a very forceful way. No more beating on the air or throwing material overboard to fly! Who cares what its name is? Use it.

reply to post by Mary Rose

E-beam lithography allows scientists to design and place elements at the smallest possible scale. Also, electrons can be used to etch a “mask” whose patterns can be later transferred onto a substance using other techniques (think of a stencil you used in grade school).

iac.uta.edu...

Mary Rose
The article refers the reader to Infinite Energy for Ken Shoulders' work with “charge clusters.”

Link

"Charge Clusters: The Work of Ken Shoulders" by William Zebuhr, in the May/June 2005 issue:

Our cover article in this issue is about charge clusters, which are compact groups of electrons. They defy the common belief that such things cannot occur because of the great repelling forces these electrons should exert on each other. Yet they do appear to exist and are not even that difficult to create, once you know how. Ken Shoulders knows how and has been doing it for about 25 years. Ken and his son Steve experiment with charge clusters (also called exotic vacuum objects or EVOs) in a well-equipped, privately funded lab in California. . . .

Ken's very qualified background has helped convince many people that the EVO phenomenon is real, in spite of the difficulty in believing that electrons can form such clusters. Ken notes: "Nobody believed anything ever said. They only believed the gadgets that were run by EVs. I actually had to almost beat the patent office into submission by a series of brutal assaults with my devices!"

Not only are the clusters themselves exotic to mainstream science but they seem to offer a way of connecting to the most fundamental and universal element of existence, sometimes called the aether. Ken refers to this as the Potentum, a name given by Joe Firmage. Whatever the name, it is a little understood part of the universe that many agree is loaded with energy if we only knew how to tap into it. The EVO may be the fundamental connecting link. Ken considers it a "kind of Universal Clutch as it clutches the basic fabric of the universe by biasing the medium with a dense, asymmetrical charge distribution." This is a very powerful concept and may well be the foundation of any device that operates with an "efficiency" over-unity. . . .

So charge clusters = compact groups of electrons, which are dense, asymmetrical charge distributions, AKA exotic vacuum objects (EVOs).

And the "Potentum" instead of "aether," a term people can't use because mainstream science scoffs at it (in error).

Think of charge clusters as a link or clutch to the energy of the Potentum.

This clutch apparently can operate in many environments. EVOs are likely the source of the extremely high temperatures recently measured in collapsing bubbles formed by cavitation. . . . Sonofusion is likely triggered by the same mechanism and may not really qualify as "cold" fusion. . . .

Tesla is known to have been able to create what appeared to be ball lightning and even was able to let it touch him without harm. Ball lightning is probably a large charge cluster. . . .

Mary Rose
All of Ken Shoulders' research papers are compiled here.

"Lightning as an EVO Based Process" by Ken Shoulders is a 6 page .pdf. Link

Purpose of Writing: I have long associated the actions of plain lightning and ball lightning with EVO behavior seen in the laboratory, although there is a vast difference in magnitude of the ensconced charge. Recently, the job of describing this relationship was made easier by a group of published, high-speed lightning pictures taken by Tom A. Warner of ZT Research. I thought it now appropriate to undertake a written description of the alliance I see between lightning and laboratory EVO data. By doing this, it is felt that a better and more basic understanding of both lightning and EVO behavior becomes available.

Preferences For This Writing: The fundamental assumption in this writing is that much of the lightning behavior shown originates with moving clusters of electronic charge behaving like those seen in laboratory experiments and named EVOs (Exotic Vacuum Objects) by Ken Shoulders. What appears most likely is that many of the main strokes of lightning that are formed are formed after initial seeding of the air with ions created by EVOs large enough to be named ball lightning. Determining the actual size or total charge of these entities is beyond the scope of this treatise and the reader is referred to the ball lightning literature.

The philosophical basis for most of the observations cited here spring from the old Hermetic expression:

“As above – So below”

In the present context, this phrase means that the lightning above has a corollary with the laboratory experiments I have done below. So far, the findings show an exceptionally close relationship, although excessive conjecture is often the norm for this early phase of such an investigation. In doing an analysis of this lightning video, the author hopes to hasten the joining of his micro work with a more useful size near that of the lightning objects shown, knowing a shortcut in work is available if good analysis is applied. . . .

The document has 8 videos associated with it, but the links to the videos don't work and have to be accessed from here.

Here's Video 1:

Mary Rose

Jerry Decker is the person responsible for the Ken Shoulders' research papers archive linked to in the OP, which is a mirror of Ken Shoulders' index of the material. Link

Jerry Decker is the YouTuber for the series of 8 videos, and I can see that he has copied and pasted from the .pdf for the Description for Video 1:

Published on Dec 8, 2013

Source of EVOs: A video clip showing three separate moving ion trails or threads of light moving upward from a metallic tower source, with towers likely over 1,000 feet tall, is shown in [Video 1].

This represents a large version of an EVO source commonly used in the laboratory in that a metallic cathode is used to explosively form an EVO when adequate field is applied to cause ionization near the cathode.

After the initial ion formation, regeneration carries the process to completion by exhausting the plenum of locally stored energy available.

In this regenerative process, the ions near the cathode increase the field causing further electron emission from it, which in turn, cause more ionization, etc, etc.

It appears to be the nearby, large energy storage reservoir that produces the large EVOs. Nothing else is necessary in this simple scenario using no apparatus except air, metal and water vapor.

Laboratory tests show that no electron compression process is involved after extraction from the cathode as the electrons are extracted as EVO electron clusters directly from the metallic cathode, an interesting bit of physics in itself.

reply to post by Mary Rose


I've never heard of him and will try to remedy my ignorance. thanks for the thread.

Would you say his work was head and Shoulders above everyone elses? (pun not intended and should not be read)

reply to post by Aleister


I have to thank Sterling Allan for keeping me informed. I think of his website as a clearinghouse for frontier science, which is really the only science I'm interested in.

I was introduced to Ken Shoulders because Allan posted a video that John Hutchison posted of a rare interview of Ken Shoulders:

He's talking about black holes.

I see he has a 1 page paper with black holes in the title:

Black Holes as EVOs.pdf Last Modified 26-Jul-2006 (Link)

It's short enough to post the whole thing:

Black Holes as EVOs by Ken Shoulders © 2006

There is a good chance common, small-sized EVOs can be classified as legitimate black holes; although I am sure Astronomers will object to this as much as they object to associating WIMPS with EVOs. Such associations lower the status of astronomy by being compared to mundane and ubiquitous examples. Still, when making a comparison between common, everyday EVOs, even obtained by sparking to a doorknob, the resemblance in a fundamental sense is striking.

EVOs make both negative and positive charges of matter simply go away by removing the effect called charge and mass! If that is not the essence of a black hole, what is? A laboratory scale EVO is most likely a black hole in every real sense of the term. The size is an entirely different matter and should not be confused with the action produced.

Given this notion of providing an exit strategy from our portion of the universe, would it not be prudent to consider launching EVOs as black holes loaded with radioactive nuclear waste and project them into the vast dumping ground of space? Although EVOs are capable of radioactive nuclear waste transmutation to a safe species, the process of discharging the whole kit and caboodle into space seems easier to do than first chemically processing and then transmuting the nuclear waste into something more innocuous. The launching process appears to have a high safety factor associated with it, partly due to the small quantity of material launched per shot. This intermittent action gives a chance to check, on a microsecond time scale, to see if the event occurred as planned or if a parameter controlling launching success should be modified before firing again.

The flight velocity of such projectiles is likely to be slightly less than the velocity of light. This velocity is efficiently reached due to the greatly reduced mass of the slug of waste material being propelled while entrained in the EVO format.

Ken refers to this as the Potentum, a name given by Joe Firmage.

I guess this is the Joe Firmage referenced. From Wikipedia:

Joseph Firmage (born October 26, 1970 in Salt Lake City, Utah) is an American Internet entrepreneur. He founded several business ventures prior to and during the dot-com boom and currently is involved with two closely linked organizations: ManyOne Networks, of which he is CEO, and the Digital Universe Foundation, of which he is a co-founder and member of the Board of Directors.

Link

Wikipedia's article on Digital Universe (which it says needs updating):

Digital Universe is a free online information service founded in 2006.[1] The project aims to create a "network of portals designed to provide high-quality information and services to the public". Subject matter experts are to be responsible for reviewing and approving content; contributors are to be both experts (researchers, scholars, educators) and the public.[2]

The project was founded in 2005 by Joe Firmage, CEO of ManyOne, with Bernard Haisch as the president. It launched in early 2006. Larry Sanger was a director, and helped with the launch of the project's Encyclopedia of Earth. Sanger left in late 2006 to launch Citizendium.[3][4][5][6]

Link

The banner at digitaluniverse.net:

Link


I recognize the name Bernard Haisch from the "How to Tap the Zero-Point Energy?" thread.

Not only is the term "aether" a problem for mainstream science, "zero-point energy" is, too. Confusion abounds.

I like this new term "Potentum."

We need to tap the energy of the Potentum.

Shoulders used to try to sell EVO bombs to the DoD. Only thing was, he was never able to demonstrate an EVO. He did like to talk about it, though.

It came and went faster than nuclear isomer weapons. At least you can demonstrate that nuclear isomers exist.

eta: If we're going to like terms that describe non-existent things, I like "fairy flatus". We should tap the energy of fairy flatus.

From the 2 page .pdf "Basic EVO Questions" by Ken Shoulders © 2008:

View of Existing Science

What I say about EVOs is viewed as the ultimate heretical doctrine by established and entrenched science because my vanguard statement is that many sacrosanct laws of present, single particle physics are baloney when considered from the multi-universe view I advance. For example: neither charge nor mass is fixed in magnitude and energy does not equal mass times the velocity of light squared. In addition, matter, even biological life forms, can be teleported with ease in concealed form at thousands of times the velocity of light. Nuclear transmutation is a trivial act, as many cold fusion workers have already revealed. This is dissent heresy from a normal, existing science point of view. . . .

Link

(EVO = exotic vacuum objects)

It sounds like what Shoulders is saying is that the idea of sonofusion is incorrect: The idea that nuclear fusion is brought about by the use of ultrasound on a liquid to produce collapsing gas bubbles during acoustic cavitation.

He seems to be saying that the process is actually that of an EVO generator, where a charge separation process has formed and burst the bubbles.

Bedlam
Shoulders used to try to sell EVO bombs to the DoD. Only thing was, he was never able to demonstrate an EVO. He did like to talk about it, though.

What is your source for this?

Bedlam
If we're going to like terms that describe non-existent things, I like "fairy flatus". We should tap the energy of fairy flatus.

The difference being that the aether, or zero-point energy are quite real. Scientists just can't say "aether" because of left-over misinterpretation of past experimentation and "zero-point energy" has that description of "lowest, ground state" attached to it which only serves to seemingly minimize it.

reply to post by Mary Rose


What, that he was pushing getting funding for an evo weapon? I think I posted something about it way back called "I will fear no evo" but its all over the trade rags of the day. If I get a break I'll go dig you something up right now I'm in family mode. It was back around the time the isomer weapon was in its first pass.