They say you should enjoy the journey, maybe more than the destination, but in my opinion the journey would look a lot more interesting from the destination! There are moments of utter exultation when you think you've cracked it, only to be followed by weeks of plodding trial and error. Trial and error can't be avoided sometimes, even when you have a firm design in mind, in fact when you think about it our entire research and experimentation is one long series of trials and errors!
I have received many offers of help over many years, to try to find the solution to Bessler’s wheel, and a recent comment gave me cause to reflect upon my constant refusal to accept such offers, no matter how well-intentioned. Why do I not wish to be “helped”?
A long time ago, before even the BW forum came into existence, a small group of us joined together to try to brainstorm a solution. We were situated in different countries so could only converse by email, but it was fun and exciting but ultimately we hit a wall. Too many different ideas and opinions clashing. We went our separate ways although some are still in touch.
“Help” is a misleading word, conjuring up images of success, but usually it comes with ramifications. Initially the offer is free, but no one in my opinion could accept such help without, for instance, acknowledging such help, if the “help” resulted in a successful design. Such acknowledgement is the thin end of a wedge leading to confusion over who did what and who deserves credit, and in the end there is potential for continual dispute. Best avoided.
On occasion I have received, uninvited, designs and plans for a PM device, fortunately the concepts are unworkable and can be easily dismissed, but what if they had been valid? I used the word “fortunately” deliberately because I would prefer to avoid any confusion in case of a resulting working device. My response to such offers has to be carefully written, in the words of the sign which used to hang behind the bar in English pubs, “don’t ask for credit, a refusal often offends”. I usually recommend that they try to build a rough model themselves or find someone who can do it for them.
But in the end, I work alone, preferring to build my devices, altering them as I see fit, and covering a lot of ground on the way and owing nothing to anyone. I suspect, although I don’t know it for certain, that most of us are the same. Some seek fame and fortune, some merely acknowledgement and I know of some who just would wish to publish their success anonymously, but most work alone, even if they often visit the BW forum or even my little world of this blog.
I only work on building wheels, although I have try to get to grips with simulations and animations, but I took no pleasure from such endeavors. To design a sim requires a finished design whereas building to a design allows minor or even major alterations which can become obvious in an instance during the build. In my own experience for instance, a mechanism might require a slight alteration in its angle of response which you can immediately understand once you see it in action and the required alteration can be made in a few minutes.
One thing I've noticed over the years, some people post pictures of their ongoing builds and I have to admit they are often beautiful creations, unlike my own which appear to be cobbled together out of old oft-used parts from a previous iteration; and that's precisely what they are. But why spend so much times and effort to build something of such artistry before you know if it will work? Of course if I should succeed in building a working Bessler wheel, I shall have to build a new one of greater attractiveness, and hide the prototype out of sight, or should I boldly display it in all its rough and ready informality?
The build continues, albeit at a snails pace!
My
granddaughter Amy is in a rehab clinic trying to recover from a series
of diseases which suddenly afflicted her about eighteen months ago.
They are CRPS, (chronic regional pain syndrome), FND (functional neurological disorder) and EDS. (Ehlers-Danlos syndrome) .
JC
