I've been a member of this board for a long time. There is little 'new' that comes up, just folks too lazy to do a bit of research, IMO. I might add there might be some who are ignorant of terms ... or can't spell. But, those are few in comparison to the ones who totally fail to research.

Of course there is another field of posts, the rehash of the unworkable. like the VAWT. This batch fails to read the piles (can have several meanings) of data and research paid for by US tax dollars and sold as scrap aluminum.

Each time I have thought I had a new idea research usually 'slaps' me back into reality. There have been several times my employers have asked if 'ideas' I have are patentable. As far as I know, no matter how wild an idea may seem, someone, in recorded history, has documented it. Many times what seems a great idea is just another application of an existing technology or process.

When I was a bit more ignorant of how folks failed to do research, I would do a bit of research, show that it had been tried and failed, and post it for them. I was called negative then.

I didn't grow up in the world where we where one was coddled and their thoughts were precious. I was taught the best help was to tell the truth and let the rest settle out on its' own. There should be little shame in failure ... unless one chooses to repeat a failure due to ones stubbornness or lack of research.

I was also taught one did their own research. Just because it was easy to ask a question of one who had the knowledge, it was not right. You are asking for his/her  time. That is one commodity we cannot create.

Now, I am told I have little original thought, I am bitter and angry. This is by folks who have no knowledge of me or my thought process.

Have a nice day,

Like a famous saying of a french persecuter (someone who knew about the truth)
"kill them all,god will choose the faithful"

When the are kind enought to share with us, we all benefit from it.
Gaining a little me insite or proof to what we have already learned.

So long as someone is not trying to shovel some "Over Unit" stuff onto the board, I don't see a problem. It's their time and money spent trying to learn! If there is an Expermenter's section they could request advice on how to improve the accuracy and validity of their tests. No one has to anwser if they don't want to, like any other request.

I for one like to see other's projects, whether they work or not. With my little one at home I've had to lock up most of my toys. I go over what is said on this site everyday, always get some enjoyment from it.

Ron;
  My comment was never meant to be a slam or anything of that nature, merely to point out why some with thinner skin than others would take offense at the VAWT comment.
I know you can hold your own in any debate here, but I feel the most recent comments here came after my post and think they are headed down the wrong road and off topic of the original post.

Just an observation of the past few comments, and remembering the honest help Ron has given for several years free of charge.

This is a Rants area but once again comments are supposed to be with a smile :-)

The problem with "New Ideas", as I see it, is usually 1 of 3 choices.

1.  It isn't new, and is a huge step toward bad.  Meaning an old idea with problems that were fixed.
2.  It is proposed as "Super-Great, Revolutionary, Ground-Breaking, Advancement", even though it has serious issues easily seen by people with more knowledge.
3.  It is known to have issues by the poster, who asks for comments or methods to improve the idea.  

One guy that comes to mind claimed he could get a 300% output improvement in a design getting 80% of Betz.  His credentials were impeccable. "Proof is in the pudding" he said.  Some fancy software proved it he said. He'd be back with results he said.  Wonder where he and his results went?  Best guess is he went to some OU forum.

Anyway, most forum members (even Ron!) don't have a problem with a 'new idea' that is semi-researched.
Some new ideas seem to be a copy/paste of something 10 posts below.
Some posters only want to hear "Wow! Great! No one ever thought of that!"

I had 100 'new ideas'.  99 were old ideas, or they simply didn't work for reasons I now know (people told me why).
And I didn't look long for stuff related to the 100th new idea.  I am not sure how 'New' it is.
I knew it would work, I built it, it worked, I posted it.

There are never new ideas.  Officials for the US Government stated this fact.
"Everything that can be invented has been invented."
-Charles H. Duell, Commissioner, U.S. Office of Patents, 1899.

People should not be PO'd if their new idea was patented 100 years ago.
That's all I'm saying.

Ron ain't so bad... If you scratch his belly, he will love you till the day you die.
[Eddie- referring to Snots the Dog- "Christmas Vacation"- I'm forced to watch it over and over this time of year]