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Starlite

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Re: Starlite

#32
post #28

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Noone can reverse engineer WD40 with plenty of samples.

What do you mean? There are plenty of WD40-work-a-likes on the market. Additionally, the ingredients to WD40 are on Wikipedia[1] and Wired had a mass spectroscopy done and published even more precise details[2]. [1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WD-40#Formulation [2] http://www.wired.com/science/discoveries/magazine/17-05/st_w...

It's in the same marketing category as Coca Cola's `secret formula'.

Re: Starlite

#33
post #13

What sort of scientific Scrooge chooses to take his invention to the grave like that? What has he gained in the end?

> What has he gained in the end?

Nothing. Most dead people, not matter what they "achieved" in life, gain nothing in the end. They are just dead.

The idea that your goal in life is to leave a "legacy" is not universal. Life happens as it happens. Apparently for this "scientific Scrooge" it didn't happen in a way that enabled him to share his invention, so when the time came, he just took his invention to the grave.

Same thing most likely happened numerous times in history with inventions, works of art and other "legacy items" we never heard about...

Re: Starlite

#36

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Mr Ward came to my lab about a year before his death > needing help to turn what was essentially a party trick > into a useable & commercialy viable product. So, this person heard a huge, "Whooosh" when Graphene hit the scene too, eh? "It's just Scotch Tape and pencil doodles!" I definitely Want To Believe. World-Changing technology always has its detractors. Remember the airplane? Silly, silly invention.

The quote is incomplete. Right after all that, he says: >But rest assured, as of this time I can say that there is at least 1 complete & superior product in testing, testing that so far is going remarkably well. So one day there will be a product on the market that will save life's while also having countless other uses. The inspiration behind this project.... Mr Maurice Ward I'm not sure when this comment was writte…

The meeting happened in 2010, going by the fact that it happened one year before Mr. Ward's death.

Re: Starlite

#38
post #28

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Noone can reverse engineer WD40 with plenty of samples.

What do you mean? There are plenty of WD40-work-a-likes on the market. Additionally, the ingredients to WD40 are on Wikipedia[1] and Wired had a mass spectroscopy done and published even more precise details[2]. [1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WD-40#Formulation [2] http://www.wired.com/science/discoveries/magazine/17-05/st_w...

You are right. My mistake. Second link you provided is very informative.

Bonus: What people think they can use WD40 for: http://www.snopes.com/inboxer/household/wd-40.asp

Re: Starlite

#39
I remember this being on Tomorrows World (which is a show that needs to come back), and practically every year that memory pops into my head and I wonder whatever happened to it. I think the segment ended with him showing it to NASA.

If I remember correctly, he created it in his garden shed using off the shelf products that you could buy on the high street, and he just started mixing them together and testing the results... and I think hairspray was mentioned as being an important ingredient.

Or maybe my mind is full of holes.

Re: Starlite

#40
Ward certainly believes in his product, claiming publicly that it could have prevented the space shuttle disasters. 'Starlite has a Q-value [an energy absorption rating] of 2,470. The space shuttle tiles have a Q-value of 1.' Not only that, but because Starlite is so lightweight – 1mm thick, compared to 75mm for the space tiles – it's actually '2,470 x 75 times better'.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/5158972/Starlite-the-n...

What is a "Q-value" in this usage?

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