US scientists set to announce fusion energy breakthrough

This is huge news, potentially very disruptive. I wonder what the push back from the oil industry will be. This is the holy grail of energy. If they can make it work, it's essentially free energy forever. Well, free for the producers that is. We'll pay a premium.

In fact the oil industry may rejoice because it's oil they'll need at first, for decades at least, to get this up and running to a production level. The GODS will make out very well on all levels.

And interesting that lasers are involved. I wonder if synthetic rubies play a role? Maybe Parney Albright would know. After all, this fusion research comes out of Livermore Labs, and he was their director before taking over at HRL (Hughes Research Laboratories)

And the Gemstone File is named after such rubies, but that's a reach, admittedly. And yet, Hughes. Rubies. Lasers. They're all very much a part of our lives right now. We'll here much in the coming weeks about fusion, but less about the lasers and HRL and Livermore, the forces behind it.

This Parney character has an amazing biography for somebody that nobody has ever heard of. If the earth were to end and only a few thousand people could be lifted to safety, I bet he'd be on the vessel.

Dr. Parney Albright is president and CEO of HRL Laboratories, LLC. Dr. Albright joined HRL in 2014 after serving as director and associated director at large, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, and senior advisor, Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI), Intelligence Advanced Research Projects Activity (IARPA), on assignment under an Interpersonal Agreement (IPA), where he supported IARPA as well as ODNI senior leadership on a variety of issues.

Before he joined LLNL, Dr. Albright served from August 2005 to November 2009 as president and vice chairman of the board of Civitas Group, LLC. He led the analytic team in support of the first Quadrennial Homeland Security Review, and in addition, led the development and publication of a comprehensive Biodefense Net Assessment under DHS sponsorship.

In October 2003, Dr. Albright was confirmed by the Senate as assistant secretary of homeland security in the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). He served in that position until July 2005. His responsibilities included developing the multi-year strategic planning guidance and budget execution for the complete portfolio of programs comprising the Science and Technology Directorate. Dr. Albright served as principal scientific advisor to the secretary of homeland security on issues associated with science, technology, and the threat of biological, nuclear, and chemical terrorism. On these issues he served as the department’s primary representative to other U.S. government agencies, the Homeland Security Council, the National Security Council, the Office of Science and Technology Policy, and foreign governments.

Between January 2002 and the startup of the DHS, Dr. Albright concurrently held the positions of senior director for research and development in the Office of Homeland Security and assistant director for homeland and national security within the Office of Science and Technology Policy. He was the lead official within the White House responsible for providing advice to the Executive Office of the President on science and technology issues surrounding homeland security, and on the threat of biological, nuclear, and chemical terrorism. In July 2002, he was asked to lead the planning for the Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear Directorate of the proposed Department of Homeland Security; this later evolved into the Science and Technology Directorate.

Between 1999 and being asked to serve in the White House after the events of Sept. 11, 2001, Dr. Albright worked in the Advanced Technology Office at the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). While there he developed and managed programs associated with special operations, intelligence collection, molecular biology, communications, and maritime operations.

More here.

And here.