Wikileaks Heats Up Lithium Ion Drama

The global race to develop lithium ion batteries has suddenly become far more interesting thanks to new Wikileaks documents released recently. According to one of the cables,  the Inter-American Development Bank has given the government of Bolivia a report "that details the serious potential for environmental damage in extracting Lithium."   The cable paints Morales as an eager industrialist who dispenses Climate Change rhetoric but rejects the Copenhagen Accord. Another cable suggests that Morales has a serious tumor whose treatment may be impacting his ability to govern.  In response, Morales used a press conference at the Cancun Climate Summit to express is distinct lack of trust for the American government. He suggests that US intelligence agencies are waging various disinformation campaigns--such as the rumored tumor-- in South American countries which reject capitalism.  This week Bolivia began directly hosting some of the Wikileaks released cables on their own website. 

The US Geological Service estimates that Bolivia has 50-70% of world lithium reserves making it a key supplier for any country attempting to invest in lithium ion manufacturing.   As we learned a year ago, a key part of the US stimulus plan included several billion dollars of funding designed to launch a US based battery manufacturing industry much of which went to lithium ion start up firms. 

UPS Plane destroyed by lithium ion battery fire

Anyone who is paying attention may wonder what will happen if these battery start up firms actually create tenable manufacturing technologies.   Will the price of Bolivian lithium make their accomplishments irrelevant?

Even if a new administration can later smooth over relations with Bolivia, we may be years behind the US's chief competitor in lithium ion production: Japan.  Last week, Japan Prime Minster Naoto Kan hosted--you guessed it--Boliva's Morales who was there to sign deals with Japanese interests for what else--lithium. 

Note: I could not find an environmental risk report for lithum extraction in Bolivia on the IADB website.   

Dear Santa

Dear Santa,

I know it's been a long time since I wrote to you and we both know the circumstances which have made me largely ineligible to benefit from your work, i.e., that I've been a bad boy for a long, loooong, loooonnnggg time.

Rather than live in the past, I thought I would try and start anew, first, by saying I am so sorry for being bad. I will try and not act like the world revolves around me any more.

I'm sure you get sick of so many letters from people asking you for things.  So, I mean, hey man, how are *you* doing???  Hopefully, very well indeed.

Santa, as you know, we are engaged in quite a game of waiting around for old St. Dick, I mean for Dick Weir to wrap up whatever last things he needs to complete prior to making EEStor's next announcement.  I was wondering if maybe possibly if I'm a good guy from now til Christmas if maybe possibly you could use your influence with Dick to get him to finally provide an update on EEStor progress.  If you choose to accept this mission, please don't let him simply say something like "everything is going well" or "we're proud of the progress we've made" or "we're soooo close."  Instead, you gotta nail him down, Santa and get him to reveal publicly that, "the production line is fully certified" or "the EESU components energy density is X as certified by_____" or "the throughput of the production line is _____" etc.   Santa, get ahold of him and make him say something specific.

Yes, I realize your normal role is to bring toys to good boys and girls. And in this case, I'm asking you to maybe suggest to Mr. Weir that all those new toys he wants next year (major financing deal, new building, new production lines,  major new partners) might be withheld if he isn't good.   So, yes, that may be awkward but think of the upside Santa.  Those new batteries will reduce your current battery shipping weight by 4X and last I checked, none of your reindeer are getting any younger.  So, it is important. It is important to you. It is important to me.  So, let's work together.

And that's it, Santa. That's all I want for Christmas this year besides of course peace on earth for every human soul.

-B

-------

Dear B,

Hey man! Good to hear from you and thanks for asking about me.

Trust me, B, I need old Dick to come through as much as you.  Today's batteries are killing us all. The reindeer are on board. The elves are on board. The kids are definitely on board.   So, I'll have a little sit down with Papa Weir at the mall.  (he frequents the chinese buffet in the food court )   I think he just needs to learn that hide n' seek with the EESU isn't winning him any popularity contests.  He's a good guy, B, just let me explain to him how important it is to stamp out myths with verifiable facts so as not to give rise to crazy wackos.

Also, note, you haven't been bad at all. You're just too old for Santa now.  You "get" that, right?  Ok, peace my brotha.

-Santa

NASA Press Conference Bubble Burst: No Life Found On Other Planets

"No life has been found on other planets. "  So says Dr. Steven Benner, panelist scheduled to take part in a NASA press conference tomorrow.   Every major media outlet along with about a hundred thousand blogs are reporting that the press conference may include an announcement of a discovery of life on other planets.

I spoke with Dr. Benner this afternoon and while the exact contents of the press conference are under embargo, he did confirm a few key facts.

1) The press conference will NOT include an announcement of life on another planet. Instead, "it will be all Earth centric. We're going to be talking about the basic chemistry of life on earth and whether it can be different. "

2) Dr. Benner will be the skeptic on the panel "and you're going to hate me at the end of the day.  I'm going to be there to say that this is not proven and I'm going to dampen everyone's enthusiasm."

3)  The discussion will focus on a paper to be published in Science by Felisha Wolf-Simon, one of the other scheduled panelists.  According to Dr. Benner, "she will be excited."

4) Some journalists have been given advanced copies of the article under condition of an information embargo.

5) NASA will not be releasing any new information on EEStor energy storage which clearly is of alien origin since no one can figure out how the technology works including inventor Dick Weir.

PS. If you are an alien, I'd love to interview you.  But only if you're using EESU's.

-B
eestorblog@gmail.com

-TheEEStory.com

Chu Touts Metal Air Ionic Liquid Battery

US DOE Secretary Chu spoke today at the National Press Club in Washington, DC.  After spending a good deal of time talking about innovation and it's importance to the USA's economic future, he presented a few potential breakthroughs.  First on the list is the Metal Air Ionic Liquid battery under development by a spinoff from Arizona State University called Fluidic Energy.    See slide 23.  Chu says this battery could be 3-5X cheaper than "today's lithium ion" and enable an electric vehicle range of 500 miles.  It would also be "inherently safe."

Apparently this press conference was available via webcast.   If you attended the presentation or listened online, shoot me an email: eestorblog@gmail.com

EEStor Followers Resort to Open Weeping

Reader mail suggests that the mood surrounding EEStor followers is a somber one even giving way to open weeping.   The underlying source of tears appears to be Dick Weir's adept performance of the quiet game.   Sure, in the past, many EEStor followers (and Zenn shareholders) have expressed anger, outrage and even open hostility and mental derangement.  But now, it seems a new phase is coming over the believer set:  profound sadness at having ever gotten involved in the EEStory saga.

Some readers have written to me to see if it would be possible to connect an EESU to Dick Weir's butt.  That is possible but not recommended and it would probably actually delay things greatly if it were discharged.  This reality seems to have caused even more tears to flow.

Naturally, some think I can offer some words of encouragement and solace.  Even if I had some, I think a better approach is to simply say this:  go ahead and have yourself a good cry.  Really let it out too.   Don't be ashamed because crying is a natural part of experiencing grief and holding back only prolongs the inevitable.  So turn on the tears and set it to high.  If it helps, write a poem or song or long journal entry.  Remember, you are the first line of defense on your mental health.  You may have a lot to cry about.  So cry then.

Thank-you

You could have done a million other things with your life.  Some of those would have been far more financially rewarding, less physically demanding and require less of your courage.  But you didn't go down that path.  You chose to serve your fellow citizens, to make personal sacrifices for a greater good.

For your choices, your effort & your service.

  Thank-you. 

EEStor & Halloween: Halloweestor?

If you live in or around Cedar Park, TX and a gentleman in his 70s tries to trick or treat your house this year, would you please inform the Great Pumpkin to finish his work with the batteries first.  There will be plenty of time for great big bags of candy in due time. 

Here are a couple vids to help true believers feel good about Halloween. Enjoy

Regards to RT for originally drawing this to my attention.  Halloween is over and I missed it!   You owe me restitution!




-Linus

EEStor's Law Firm Sued: Intellectual Property Conflict of Interest Claimed

Former Entrepreneur

In the United States, we are proud of our entrepreneurs.  They create. They innovate. They take risks and create new businesses and jobs.  Venture capital firms seize upon this sentiment and often claim loudly that they deserve credit for sharing the risk and providing the financing and connections required by start up businesses.  Often times what turns out to be the most valuable asset of such start up firms is the intellectual property it wins through the work of it's attorneys.  Therefore, this legal work is an important essential component of the success of American innovation.   To be a successful entrepreneur then one must go beyond having a workable idea--you have to hang on to it and fight off more powerful entities such as VC's and law firms.    Therefore, the entrepreneur is always the underdog which gives us all the more reason to admire their accomplishments.

So, it is accordingly horrendously shocking when an IP firm teams with a VC firm to bully an entrepreneur.   A lawsuit by a biotech startup against Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati--EEStor's legal team-- raises this awful spector.   The claim advanced by startup Existence Genetics is that WSGR was hired to advance their IP claims but failed to disclose they were also working for a competitor. How was this discovered?  Navigenics patents were published by the USPTO revealing the same firm was supporting both organizations. 

Even if WSGR successfully defend themselves against this lawsuit, this is NOT GOOD AT ALL for entrepreneurs wishing to work with this law firm.   Here's why.   Even if they throw a couple of their attorneys under the bus (namely Vern Norviel who apparently caused this mess to ensue by apparently failing to identify the COI), it strongly suggests that as an organization,  WSGR does not have good controls over prevention of conflicts of interest.   I mean really---it's 2010, how can something like this really happen from a technological & procedural point of view? Are there no checks and balances against such an arrangement or are attorneys able to be judge, jury and attorney when bringing in new clients?  WSGR will no doubt have a spirited defense but they are certainly not going to extend an olive branch here due to the $100Mil damages figure appended to the complaint. 

In the complaint, we learn a bit about how WSGR may have interfaced with EEStor in terms of deal structure which allowed them to become part owners of EEStor.   According to Existence Genetics, they were offered $20,000 worth of patent protection work in exchange for 1.5% and a 10% discount on legal fees.  WSGR apparently also said they would not require payment til the fees hit $100,000. 

Apparently in the dealings leading up to inking an agreement,  Vern Norviel advised against working with Kleiner Perkins.  The claim makes it seem like he did this in order to conceal an already established arrangement with Navigenics.  But, one wonders whether this is about billing legal fees or possibly there was also an equity stake in Navigenics in play.   Additionally, when the conflict was discovered, why was the non Kleiner funded company the one severed? 

Personally, I want to believe that the most powerful law firm in Silicon Valley is cleanly run by people entrepreneurs can trust. I want to believe that if the claims have merit then they reflect only the actions of an individual and not an organization.  Because let me tell you something,  if you bully entrepreneurs you are bullying American Innovation!   

If I were WSGR, I would begin making some courtesy calls to all of my Intellectual Property clients to assure them that conflicts of interest do not exist in relation to their support of their particular firm.  Better to be proactive than to have the USPTO running public affairs for you.  If it turns out that WSGR has actually more instances of this problematic case, then all trust is certainly lost when it comes to WSGR providing IP support to entrepreneurs.  There's a reason why law firms are named after the individuals who compose it--because trust is the fundamental grounding for the services they provide. 

If you're with me, and you see a problem here, then take a moment to think about Venture Capital firms. Luckily, legal firms have these conflict of interest issues to deal with when bringing on new clients. But what about VC's?  Do they have any legal obligations to ensure conflicts of interest do not occur and that firms into which they invest receive undivided support?  I don't know the answer to that.   We know VC's often back two or three battery companies, solar companies, wind companies, software companies, etc etc.   What transpires when these investment firms are actually competitors?  Would a VC with a larger stake in one company use its access to the competitor to gain valuable information?  I don't even like to think about the answer to that question.  But I definitely think VC's should answer to it...so ask them. 

Yet Another EEStor Patent Allowance: Method of preparing ceramic powders using chelate precursors

Patent application 11/369255 has been issued an allowance by the United States Patent and Trademark Office.

It means it will soon be granted a patent number to become a full fledged piece of EEStor intellectual property.

This patent was hard fought if the submission of 4 affidavit's is any indication.  

Many are rightly wondering what the significance of this patent is amid all of EEStor's IP pursuits.  I think I can shed some light on that subject.   Here are 10 key points to summarize its importance.

1) This is the most important patent ever allowed anywhere on earth ever.
2) This is the most valuable patent ever allowed anywhere on earth ever and always will be forever.
3) This is the most awesome patent ever conceived, prosecuted, considered, fought over and read ever.
4) This is the greatest patent in the universe
5) This is most well worded, succinct, thrifty, friendly, wholesome, insightful, analytic, beautiful patent ever allowed
6) This patent is better than 80% of Shakespeare's plays
7) This patent is the key to taking over the world and holding everyone in it hostage (oops, that's an exaggeration)
8) This patent has magical properties making anyone who reads or understands it able to chelate out
9) This is the sexiest patent alive
10) This patent proves beyond any doubt that the US Government loves EEStor Inc with all of it's heart

MUAHAAHAAH!

11) Whoever wields this patent is the most powerful force in the Milky Way
12)  All other patents strive to be a fraction as good as this patent
13) .....  [please feel free to grow the Top 10 list to infinity with your praise]

PS: Photo of Ben Franklin included to further intimidate.

11/369,255

EEStor says its Paraeletric Material is also Paramagnetic...with Paranormal Effects

MuhahahahahahahahahahahahahahAahahahahahahahahahahahahhhhhhahaaaaahhhhhh New October 2010 Patent Application aahhhhhaaaahahahahahahahahahahahah.

Muhahahahahaahhahaah