Citizen Journalists Elucidate Recent Zenn Shakeup

Zenn Motor Company has recently undergone a shakeup of its board of directors and management that has left many scratching their head wondering what was going on. Thanks to the efforts of a couple inquisitive and remarkably thorough citizen journalists, we have the benefit of a more enlightened view of the battle to control Zenn Motor Company's future.  If you haven't already done so,  have a gander at the AGM diary entries penned by TheEEStory users  -->G<-- and his compatriot PFujimoto.

First, the good news. Zenn's management has been fighting over how to best maximize their EEStor investment.  We would all be in big trouble if Zenn's enterprise weren't serious enough to occasionally generate this kind of situation.  My partial first clue that this was going on was the distinct lack of communication from Zenn to the public for the year leading up to this AGM:  very strange indeed for a little company who seemed to be in every newspaper, magazine and television program in North America the year prior.

Now the bad news. Zenn's management has been fighting over how to best maximize their EEStor investment.  Even though it's also good news,  it represents a risk of uncertainty that no one following EEStor wants to see.  What is the bone of contention?  Most importantly, what caused new board member Roger Hammock to become involved is the burn rate at Zenn and not understanding what exactly the money is being spent upon there.  Hammock & his business partner own over 1 million shares of Zenn and as he mentioned recently, he has visited EEStor.  In plain English, investors like Hammock worry that Zenn is spending money too rapidly requiring a new round of financing which would dilute the value of shares owned by fellows like Hammock.   It's typically easy to have conversations about such things but when one of the parties shows up with an army of attorneys threatening a proxy fight,  there's more than a small disconnect in force.

Newest EEStor Inventor: Dr. Lucas Pettey

1955
Young Dick Weir receives first clue
from God concerning  energy storage.

Perhaps, it is fair to say that for years now, everyone has had the same image of how EEStor runs its operation.   Essentially, you have a collection of short nerdy looking geeks in white lab coats raising their hands until addressed by two large, lumbering characters who stand a good foot taller than everyone else:  Dick Weir & Carl Nelson.   After an initial briefing before important work, the underlings then scurry off to fondle some fantastic piece of equipment hand picked and/or adapted by Weir & Nelson.  You might say the support group sort of polishes the equipment, swats away invading house flies and or moves trays from slot X to slot Z at times prescribed by Weir & Nelson over speaker system from a brightly lit and elevated glass encased control room.   Sometimes, there are just hand gestures indicating that something needs to be done again from the start or slightly nudged left right or up or down, resulting sometimes in impatient shouting over the loudspeaker when body language breaks down.   To complete the picture, you have to imagine a thick multi-strand fiber cable connecting a special hat on Dick Weir's head to a special hat on Carl Nelson's head allowing for the nearly artistic synchronization of two rare talents.  (a connection re-established each morning by Tom Weir  and taken down at night). As the machine that is Weir & Nelson work each day building their dream, support staff or family occasionally interrupt by tossing ham sandwiches in front of their face which get gobbled down almost bionically without interrupting efficiency.  Obviously,  this must be how it can be possible to invent and develop a radically new manufacturing system that pops out bizarrely impressive energy storage components with insanely staggering quantities.

Dr. Pettey hand modeling paramagnetic
& paraelectric properties.
Source: Picasaweb

Sock Puppets

Devout followers of EEStor often wonder if the company's online reputation is the target of sock puppets, ie, individuals paid to bash EEStor online.  It seems everyone has a theory about who is a sock puppet for whom in this regard.  But some will deny that sock puppets actually exist.  

Personally, I definitely believe there are sufficient motivations out there to bash EEStor for a variety of competing interests.  I have my own pet theories about who may be gaming the system but I don't put a lot of stock in them.   One of the more intriguing possibilities is whether it would be worthwhile for a government to play a role in manipulating EEStor's image.   I doubt it but can't rule it out.   If you google it a bit, you'll find ample evidence that China employs sock puppets to control opinion about the Chinese communist party.  But now we know too that they are not alone in this as the US Dept of Defense has apparently invested in some technology that makes it easier to create sock puppets and control them from a central place.  The story appears to have been broke originally by the Guardian. 

As for the various EEStor doubters who have made it their life mission to trash EEStor, I doubt any of them are compensated for their work.  I think what we see there is mostly disgruntled former Zenn investors hell bent on making current Zenn investors pay. 

What's your sock puppet theory, Mr. Sock Puppet?

Shareholders Invade Zenn Board of Directors

James E. Kofman

According to a late night Zenn Motor Company press release, "certain shareholders of the Company" have received cooperation from Zenn management to allow three new individuals to take seats on the Zenn Board of Directors.  Departing board members include Brian Cott, Stephen Rodgers & John R. Wallace.

Inbound board members include long time M&A expert James Kofman, well known Canadian TV personality & journalist Allan Gregg and Roger Hammock, a Zenn shareholder possessing over 1mil shares of Zenn stock.

Allan Gregg

What does this mean?  First of all, it means the new board of directors could seriously pummel almost any other board of directors in Canada.  On the business side,  Kofman has experience with "some of the largest M&A transactions and financings in Canada" according to the release.  Essentially, if you're planning to purchase Zenn Motor Company, you will now need to crawl on your hands and knees and politely relinquish your bid to Sir James Kofman.  As for Gregg, he currently sits on the Advisory Boards of General Motors Canada & Bank of Montreal.  Take a look at his interesting interview of Jeff Rubin back in 2009.   Actually, check out all of his interviews on youtube.  If you have the time and means, it probably wouldn't hurt to do a voice analysis to establish once and for all that he and I are not the same person.  As for Roger Hammock, what can I tell you other than that he owns over 1mil Zenn shares? Well, one thing I could tell you is I had a couple beers with him in Los Angeles last year and got a debrief on why he owns that many Zenn shares.  I can tell you that he & I had a lot of agreement on where EEStor is headed and how Zenn can maximize what it has.  More on that later.

TheEEstory.com Under Attack Again!!!

Image: Starships.com? WT?

Nah, I'm kidding.  It's probably just technical difficulties. You know, difficulties that are technical meaning techniques and technologies are technically tenacious at this time.  Don't worry though, you don't really need TheEEStory.com right now. You have this blog post to read which I can tell you are definitely enjoying.  I know I am enjoying writing it.  Tell me, what if I told you right now that I am shutting down TheEEStory for good?  All gone.  Wouldn't that be sorta like becoming a vegetarian all of a sudden (or vice versa you vegans out there)?  How would you handle that situation anyway?  I know it is crazy to think about.  Blows your mind doesn't it?  Yeah, me too. Whew.  Well, listen, I can't really keep writing this blog post all day. I've got other blog posts to write.  News topics area always coming at me. That's what it's like being the center of the EEStor information universe.  Oh, are you surprised by that statement?  You think Dick Weir is the center of that universe?  No, it is me and only me.  Ok, sure, he does a little bit every now and then but for the most part all of his information is "proprietary" whereas see, I'm open source.  Proprietary. Open Source. See the difference?  I find that followers have adopted me as a solution for EEStor information because I don't require you to invest $5Mil in EEStor to obtain it.   True, I should require it but I don't...for the time being.  Do any of you have $5Mil out there?  If so, send it to me.  Don't worry about what I'll do with it. It will be happy here. I give you my solemn assurance.

Any way, you probably miss your friends at TheEEStory so go ahead and make use of the comment section to talk to your buddies OLD SCHOOL style.  Remember the early days on this blog when Y_Po would post like 85 comments in a day and battle Steve and others?   Wow. What a long time we've been sitting around waiting for Godot.

UPDATE:  Site is back up!