I just returned from Albuquerque after a whirlwind of activity over the past six days. The presentations were fabulous, the group sessions stimulating, the NPA Expo full of newcomer traffic, the Sagnac banquet appropriately honoring to Tom Bearden and Don Scott. But best of all were the many opportunities to connect and network with each other and with attendees from the Tesla Tech conference held next door. It never ceases to fascinate me to discover who connects with who, and to think that many of these connections would never have been made without the NPA taking the initiative to reach out to groups outside our own circles. Because of this, I see nothing but green lights for the NPA for many years to come.
Thanks are due to many people for making NPA-19 the success it was. At the top of the list are Steve Elswick, John Fiala, Terry Brady, and many other helpful people from Tesla Tech, who provided us with the excellent facilities, technical support, and a warm welcome. In turn, we welcomed many Tesla Tech attendees to the NPA, in what proved to be a mutually beneficial exchange. Conference organizers Susan Schirott, Jim Newburn, David Harrison, Mark Spann, Barry Springer, and several others handled the countless details necessary to make events run smoothly and well.
Inspired by David de Hilster's presentation "Consensus in Science is Wrong", I sense more than ever how the NPA can position itself with respect to the mainstream. When the NPA as an organization finally embraces our diversity of opinion as a strength, not a weakness, we are on our way toward real progress. When we begin to demand the scientific method from the mainstream, and become the acknowledged sounding board for critical thinking about paradigms in science, we can create a voice to be reckoned with. Here's an interesting article, the sort of which I expect to see more and more often, that just popped up out of the blue:
Weird Science: Is Special Relativity Wrong? Posted on July 24, 2012 by Sue Lange
Consequently a near-term goal is to complete our NPA Mission Statement and related literature clarifying who we are, what we do, and why. You will receive notices over the next few weeks about this, asking you to participate in the framing of our NPA narrative, and to vote on the various possible statements. I also invite all NPA members to consider adding material to our "What's Wrong with Mainstream Science" section of our website. The purpose of this area is NOT to propose this or that theory, but to present a clear and concise picture to the general public of the problems that exist in physics today. This will turn out to be far more important to creating an impact than anyone's individual theory.
As you perhaps can tell, I am quite inspired from all that happened at NPA-19, and see it as the dawning of a new era, in which the NPA as an organization can begin to shape the future of science. Details on NPA-20 next year in Minneapolis will be coming out shortly. Hope to see you all there.
