Archer Quinn promised the world a working demonstration of his homemade free energy device called the "Sword of God" by June 20th, but it looks like we're getting a sneak peek a little early: Quinn's detailing the build on his blog, and it's just about as pigs-in-trousers insane as you'd expect. It's hard to even pick one quote as an example here -- Quinn rails on about how he destroyed his first machine because he didn't want Arab nations to starve without oil money but then a picture of Dubai's opulence changed his mind, how "gravity wheels" are perpetual motion machines, how Nikola Tesla presented BS theories, how Australian Nazis are reading his email, and on and on. Most importantly, however, he continues to update on how his project is going. We're not sure if he's done yet or what (it's not exactly easy to follow) but it looks like something's ready -- anyone want to bet if it works? We also have a very nice bridge in Brooklyn to sell you.

[Thanks, Curt]

We want to believe, we really do, but these failed attempts and poorly-lit basement videos aren't exactly confidence inducing. Nevertheless, Thane Heins' Perepiteia generator has reportedly made its way down to a number of universities and labs across America, and while some onlookers did admit that "it works," none have been able to support any underlying theories. No need to keep dashing your dreams -- click on through for one more mind-numbing video of something akin to (but sadly, not) "perpetual motion."

[Thanks, Mihir]

Finally -- the laws of physics have been smashed to itty-bitty, succulent bits, like a thin piece of glass obliterated by a cartoon anvil -- all in some dude's low-lit basement. According to the video which you can watch after the break, a mysterious entity known as Alsetalokin has laser-gunned the forces of the universe to death with a perpetual motion device which he's demonstrated on an obscure internet website called YouTube. Like Fox Mulder, we want to believe, but just like the fate of Steorn's Orbo, this is looking like another quickly-debunked fiasco. After a few hours of this clip doing the rounds, the hive-mind of the information superhighway began to pick it apart, piece by piece. The noise swelled so loudly that the original poster has actually changed his angle on the story, but that won't stop you from seeing the eye-shattering, star-bending magic of this magnet-driven motor.

[Via Digg]

With tail held firmly between legs, Steorn really had no choice but to take a less covert and cryptic approach to their public relations. Behold what shyster-Sean McCarthy calls a working device utilizing their Orbo "free infinite energy" technology (read: magnets). The exploded view below the photograph was cobbled together by Steorn forum members and is a best guess as to how the device "works" at this point in time. The stationary part -- the stator -- is colored green and blue and contains 8 magnets fitted into angled-slots around the central cavity. Within the cavity spins a rotor with an additional 4 magnets evenly distributed around the circumference. Between the two are those dastardly, watch-maker bearings which were to blame for the failed demonstration last week. So yeah, it certainly appears to be just another in a long series of magnetically driven perpetual motion machines debunked by the scientific community for centuries. Still, Steorn employees continue to assert the existence of their magical energy source; they just can't explain how it works or prove that it exists. You know at this point, their rabid self-deception and cult of believers investors are becoming just a tad creepy don't you think?

[Via BoingBoing]

We're sure most of you are well aware of the first law of thermodynamics, which states that energy cannot be created or destroyed, and the second law, which states that putting energy into a system will always result in a loss in potential output -- these are the reasons why everybody buys gas, why we pay for electricity, and in many ways why the world economy is shaped the way it is. Which is why whenever someone comes along and says they've developed a technology that undermines hundreds of years of scientific study with the ability to create boundless amounts of free energy with no emissions, well, you have to imagine we'd cry snake oil -- but it would seem Steorn, claimers of such an absurdity, has already launched a PR campaign to circumvent naysayers such as ourselves. In fact, the Irish tech company issued an ad in The Economist announcing a challenge to 12 of the worlds' finest scientists -- to be chosen by them (hey, is Hwang Woo-suk available?) -- to step forward and disprove their infinite clean energy technology. And once their technology isn't disproved -- and they obviously believe that it won't be disproved -- they'll begin licensing it to the world's energy companies (and charitably freely licensing it for rural water purification and electricity generation). If it's the real deal then after all the congratulations are all over and we've reevaluated the fundamental underpinnings of physics as we know it, perhaps all humanity's energy ailments are finally going to come to a close. But the chances it could be a large PR hoax toying with our desperate need to revamp our global energy situation? Well, let's just hope Steorn proves us all wrong and changes science forever.

[Thanks, Greg & Stephen, via Ireland.com]