Maybe I can bring some additional perspective to this discussion. I received a flyer in the mail about the THz Conference, and was surprised to see Gaiacomm listed. I Googled them to see what they were up to lately and found this site.

I actually a heard a pitch from them a while ago. Now because they "classified" their pitch as proprietary and confidential, I'll respect their wishes and not discuss its content. I will say that it wasn't any more enlightening than the previously mentioned "Project Nemo" documents.

Ben-Hur really does exist, and that really does appear to be his name. I've no idea what he's a doctor of, or where his degree came from. I didn't ask and he didn't say, and on some level, I think it's kind of snobby to ask that. He's sort of what you'd expect from his writing style: loud, brash, and arrogant. Oddly enough, he appears to be a native English speaker, despite what that bizarre writing style would lead you to believe. He couldn't explain his technology any better in person than he could via the few papers he's deigned to put on the web. In large measure this was due to a near paranoid fear that he'd give away some important trade secret. He'd speak only in very general terms, and rarely approached the specifics. I've spent nearly two decades working in "the scientific community," so I think I've got a pretty good handle on how scientists talk and handle themselves. Ben-Hur did not, in my opinion, come off sounding like a scientist. Like the discussion here, whenever one would object to his ideas as wrong or unphysical, rather than trying to explain them in clearer language, or even scientific language, he'd merely imply that his "theories" were too radical to be understood by a conventional scientist.

Like Skeptic pointed out, there was lots that was worrisome about the company beforehand. One of my colleagues googled their corporate address too and found it located in a residential neighborhood. Kind of funny to contrast that with the "7000 employees by the end of the decade" prediction in one of their press releases. Of course, isn't that how Apple started? (Apple actually produced real products, of course.) Nice catch on the Frost award, by the way. At the time I noted that the Frost press release wasn't consistent about the actual name of the award, and wondered how legitimate it was. I should have thought to look and see how many awards they give per month. I think I shall coin the term "award mill." Searching online for information about Gaiacomm, as near as I could reconstruct, the president (not Ben-Hur, but another guy) used to have some kind of high-paid job that might have had something to do with telecommunications. Sounds like he gave it up, because he wanted to try running his own company. I was envisioning someone with too much money on their hands who was a bit naive. I suspect he hooked up with Ben-Hur, whom I suppose some might consider to be a charismatic figure, insofar as loud brashness is charismatic, and Ben-Hur sold him on his THz ideas.

As Skeptic and Unregistered point out, THz is useful technology for medical imaging and detection over very close range. I imagine if you could come up with a cheap way of producing THz radiation in the 0.1-1 W range, you could even produce a pretty high bandwidth local (hundreds of feet) communications system. But that would be the kind of thing that would speed up my LAN; not radically alter my cell phone. The high absorption coefficient of air and water rule out THz as a scheme for cell transmission. The claims of submarine communication are particularly outrageous. The absorption of THz frequencies in water is HUGE. Like Skeptic said, that's why you use ELF to talk to subs. Light and radio waves don't penetrate the water so well, you know. And the project Nemo documentation does allude to scanning football field size areas and making some kind of weapon of mass destruction (is that a word?) weapons with the technology. Both ideas are simply rubbish.

The problem is, if you only quickly glance at Gaiacomm material, all you see is some stuff about 4G cell phone networks and a lot of reasonable sounding telecommunications buzzwords. You have to dig into their material before you stumble on all the really ludicrous stuff. In my case, that's what happened. Someone had heard about their technology, but just at the "new wireless paradigm" level, and invited them in to talk. They sent some read-ahead material, but because it was in the form of a paper with equations and things, and not a PowerPoint brief, nobody read it. Nobody, that is, until it got to me. I pointed out all the crazy stuff in their material, but my colleagues wanted to hear them out. We listed to their pitch, then metaphorically patted them on their heads and sent them on their way. Everyone was horrified by what they heard, and suffice it to say that "terahertz" is now the running office joke, the all-purpose punchline. I read some of their online (not the proprietary stuff!) writings to my wife, who isn't a scientist. She laughed her head off, then insisted I was making it up. She was horrified too to learn that it was for real. "I can't believe they're that naive!" She said. "How do they think they're going to sell their stuff writing that kind of junk?"

So my overall impression was that they're a well-meaning, but naive bunch. I don't think they're out to deliberately scam anyone. Ben-Hur really believes he's discovered some heretofore unknown physics, and has easily adopted the mantle of victimhood that makes it easy for him to identify with Galileo and Tesla as two persecuted but ultimately correct guys. When he meets an objection or a criticism, he filters it through his persecuted worldview (those mainstream scientist are just jealous and don't understand!) instead of considering how to respond rationally. You can see that in this discussion forum. He won't entertain the notion that he might be wrong. He doesn't attempt to explain his ideas in a scientific manner. He just quotes some irrelevant articles about the history of electric power distribution, and a couple of foreign journal articles that are only tangentially related to his claims. As anyone who is a scientist or engineer knows, that's not the way real science is done.

The moral? I shouldn't worry too much that Gaiacomm will be getting any big government contracts anytime soon. You can rest assured in your knowledge that your taxes will continue to pay for Alaskan bridges-to-nowhere, and $600 toilet seats for the military. Bridge builders and toilet seat manufacturers have at least realized that they need to show a real, live, physical object to get paid outrageous sums of money. Gaiacomm hasn't figured that one out yet, and based on their history of net postings, has for years just assumed that having vaguely articulated ideas on paper will be enough to get them a payout someday. Like I said, it's a naive outlook, and one that has no clue how government funding actually works.

I hope that they give up on their silly ideas about global telecommunications dominance, WMDs, and massive scanners, and refocus into building faster local wireless devices. Although that would still be technically quite difficult to do (remember kids, making THz radiation is HARD), at least it's not impossible, as underwater and long distance air communication would be at THz frequencies.

I think Skeptic is a bit harsh on Ben-Hur. Yes, haha he's got a funny name and won't say where he went to school. I've heard funnier names, and talked to way dumber people who actually admit where they got their degrees. Ben-Hur would certainly help his case by giving a short academic bio, slowing down and editing what he writes, and working on producing prototypes of his systems. Making fun of him, although it might make you feel good, isn't that productive. And it's reaching for the low-hanging fruit anyway, don't you think?

I'll ask him nicely. Doctor Ben-Hur: Over the past few years you seem to be repeating the same cycle again and again (based on my google searches and the hits I get in this forum, and Ariana, and ChemTrails, and AboveTopSecret, and lots of other weird sites). You make some improbable claims with no proof, and then a bunch of know-it-alls jump all over you for it. You throw up a few smokescreens, refuse to talk science, and then go away. You promise a demonstration of your technology or a major announcement in just a few months. But nothing ever materializes.

Nobody will take you seriously this way. You have to demonstrate something. You've just posted a couple of things about Edison and Tesla. Note what they did: they had great ideas, and they proved them by building things. They didn't ask the government to fund them; they just built simple prototypes that demonstrated their ideas, and worked their way up from there. If you think you've got something really new and amazing, stop asking for millions of dollars to build a full-fledged system. Make something small. Show us you can send THz radiation through water. Give us one really good demonstration, and THEN you'll excite people. And if you can't do that, then think about partnering with someone who CAN write and explain things. Put your ideas out there for people to consider. Go ahead and patent it first, if you're worried about it being stolen.

It's clear from reading comments directed at you on the internet that you're not well respected. Put together a brief bio of yourself. Tell us what you've done, where you went to school, what you've published, what you've invented. Should you have to do that? No, of course not. In a perfect world, everyone would be judged on the quality of their ideas, and not where they went to school. But it's not a perfect world. You've got a lot of critics, and they all seem to get turned off by hearing your title, but being given no idea where it came from. Defend yourself! Please?

As for the rest of Gaiacomm...good luck to you guys. I've got my doubts about your CTO, but I'm suspecting you're all pretty well off, and won't starve if this Gaiacomm thing doesn't get off the ground. You really should update the material on your website. It hasn't substantively changed since I looked at it last year. Your press releases are all banal things, and we've discussed the horror of the Project Nemo document. Write some professional looking stuff. Hire an editor and maybe an image consultant. I'm sorry, but you just don't seem credible. Your ideas keep getting knocked, and you're not able to defend them.

Sorry to ramble on so long. I've always been fascinated by junk science and its adherents, and am always disappointed when I watch people arguing about it on the net. You're an idiot! No, you are! No you suck! YOU SUCK! Bah. That's not the way to convince anyone. I've tried to write a reasoned response that can help allay the fears of skeptics like Skeptic that Gaiacomm is going to steal a fat contract from the government, and that can help Gaiacomm to better understand how they can be taken seriously. It's an experiment on my part, and I'm interested to see how it's received.

Oh, and as for that conference. Man, I go to a lot of conferences of various sorts. They're all either free, or charge like $50 to pay for the coffee, donuts, and room. Do people really pay $1500 to hear other people talk? I'm in the wrong business! I need to go into the conference business!

Dear Citizen Arcane:

I would like to thank you for your honest assessment (opinion) of Gaiacomm's technology and myself. I also give you permission to expose who you are, the time we met, where we met, the discussions we had on the technology and the company and or organization you are affiliated with. The Non-Disclosure document you signed can now be superseded.

Since you met me in person maybe you could tell the readers about my physical appearance which is quite obvious and recognizable.


That bit of information would at least let the readers know who you really are. A non registered guest is not good enough to understand your creditability. Once you give us your real name and associated information then I will respond in kind.

Sincerely,
Dr. Judah Ben-Hur
CTO
Gaiacomm International
www.gaiacomminternational.com

I shall decline Dr. Ben-Hur's kind offer to identify my employer. You did not, in fact, make me or my colleagues sign a NDA. Your presentation transmitted only a few particulars that I do not see in open source literature, and since it is my firm belief that at least one those particulars violates further laws of physics and practical engineering considerations (relating to the means of generation of the THz frequencies), no good could come of airing it in this forum. I believe that my employer suffered some embarassment at being connected with this affair, and would prefer not to have their name associated with it. Pehaps you find it hypocritical that I ask you to explain yourself while I do not disclose my own particulars. Perhaps you are correct. But I haven't claimed any credentials. I'm not selling anything. You're the one claiming credentials and a radical, possibly nonphysical, idea. The burden of proof, then, lies with you.

I have no stake in seeing Gaiacomm succeed or fail. I'm not on an ego trip, and am merely trying to add something constructive. You and the readers of this forum are more than welcome to attend my words or dismiss them. Actually, I'd love to have the sort of bandwidth on my cell phone that THz frequencies could provide. In that regard, I'd love to see your company produce something.

As to your personal appearance, I'm fairly bad with faces and terrible with descriptions. The best I can do is say you're in your late 40s, probably about 6" tall, dark hair and a somewhat swarthy, Mediterranean complexion. I think you may have had glasses, a mustache, a cheap suit, and an analog watch with a shiny silver band, and looked not unlike the "Soup Nazi" from Seinfeld. (Yes, dear readers, I'm not the sort of person who'd make a good robbery witness.)

Thank you for reading my assessment. Yes, they're mostly opinions (except for the FACT that THz goes through water like a feather through lead; it DOESN'T). They're also the opinions of colleagues who have also met you and read your literature, so I don't think I'm off base.

May I make another suggestion? Make good use of your time at the conference! I see a lot of legitimate sounding institutions on the list. JHU-APL, Motorola, Raytheon, and others. They'll send scientists and engineers, I hope. Get together with them. Float your ideas. I understand your reluctance to get into trade secret issues, but explain to them in general terms: "Hey guys, we've got a plan to communicate across the globe and under the water with THz frequencies. Got any advice?" They'll say, "Yer nuts! THz doesn't propagate that far," and then you explain why it does. These are people far more qualified than I to pass judgement on your ideas. Don't just give a lame marketing presentation about 4G, get into some specifics about your plan. Use them as a sounding board.

I challenge you, in fact. (This will be a really, really good exercise for you.) Go to the conference, talk to as many scientists and engineers as you can. Take notes. Listen to their criticisms or praise. Good scientists always criticise, because good ideas are obvious, but sometimes bad ones aren't. Then come back here and tell us what you learned. Tell us what they said to you. Be honest. You'll win tons of points telling us what they didn't like about your ideas; way more than you'll earn if you just say, "Bah! They laugh at my ideas! Fools!" All ideas need to be challenged. That's how they become good strong ideas. Please take full advantage of this opportunity. You'll get lots out of it, I guarantee.

I'll be awaiting your report here in May. Perhaps the myself and other readers can take a critical look at the criticisms leveled against you. I'm an equal opportunity critic. Bon conference!

To Citizen Arcane:

I understand your position not to place yourself and your employer in public domain. As now you understand why I do what I do (maybe).
But to Identify yourself should not be a problem. Or in fact you could even email me directly or by phone ask me a question, this way only you and I would know. But that is too easy a task. Its better to play here and pretend, right?

Its difficult to be open and honest with people that you have no idea who they are or what they are capable of is it not?

The content of your response was expected. I appreciate your change in tone.

Your recommendations and constructive criticism's will be noted.

Time will expose the truth in fact.

Sincerely,
Dr. Judah Ben-Hur


PS: I don't like watches...

One last insert:

http://www.thznetwork.org/wordpress/index.php/archives/222

Press release: 1 April 2006

Hello, my name is Dr. Barabbas, CTO of Gaycomm. We are designing the new 5G cellular network, using our patented Gigas and Yottas (GAY) Hertz frequencies. Giga is 10^9 and Yotta is 10^24, so this means 10^33 Hertz. This high frequency means we can transmit a huge amount of information--what we call Jiggajillions of bits per second!

Our frequencies are so high, they actually go backwards in time. Our revolutionary system will allow you to receive messages before they're sent! Mainstream scientists may scoff at this and demand proof, but I've totally designed everything and I just know it will work. My psychic advisor channeled Nikola Tesla and he explained to me how to build it, and I looked in a physics book and copied some equations out of it and one of them even has an integral sign in it so you know it's real impressive. I've got diagrams and everything! And I've got a fancy Ph.D. It says so on that piece of paper up on my wall. No, not the one that says "Dr. Barabbas is the registered owner of a Seiko timepiece," the other one, the one from the University of Nigeria University College of Higher Learning.

Some day we're going to rule the airwaves and then you'll be sorry you laughed at us. We haven't built anything yet, but don't worry. We can have a prototype ready in a week if you just give us $50 million. This will allow our company to add on to the tool shed in my dad's backyard that's currently our headquarters. Then we'll buy all kinds of neat science stuff and machines that go ping and we'll make a device for you. It can't be that hard to build, I've got plans and everything!

So you just think about that before you laugh at me and persecute me like Galileo. Because if you do, I'll irradiate you with my GAYHz wave. I've got trained sharks with GAY beams that will hunt you down and spray GAYHz all over you and then you'll be sorry that you laughed at me and my crummy degree.

So remember our company's name: Gaycomm. Our motto is: "Our technology is totally gay." And if you don't buy my stuff I'll like sell it to Osama Bin Laden or something. That'll show you. YOU CALL ME MAD, BUT I AM THE SANEST MAN IN THE WORLD HAHAHAHAHAHAHA KNEEL BEFORE DR. BARABBAS!!!!one111!!!1!

OMG, lol.
Someone just made fun of gaiacomm really bad...
lol.

And best of all, it seems to have scared Gaiacomm away! Watching that "discussion" reminded me of the adage about how arguing on the internet is like the Special Olympics--even if you win you're still retarded. Ben-Hur's ideas might be ridiculous, but so is arguing with a net.crank. You're just wasting your typing, dudes. These guys always have an (incomprehensible) answer for everything.

Hey Judah (heh heh), please post a picture of yourself, K? We'd all like to see what you look like, and I can't afford to go to the conference. Is the "Soup Nazi" analogy right? "No terahertz for you!"

"Our technology is totally gay" is pretty funny BTW, though the judges also would have accepted "our technology is teh ghey" or "you've been terapwned!"

Oh, and has anybody ever watched "Ben-Hur" all the way through, or do you just watch the chariot race? Every easter I seem to see that scene on TV, but I never catch the movie at the beginning. You think Dr. B-H has one of those spike things on the wheels on his car? Schweet!!!!

Yo, yo, whatup mah homies? Dis is J to tha B to tha hypenated H, dawgs! I be droppin' tha phatest Tizzerhizzertz technology. Y'all best be down wif mah theories, dawgs, else I pop a cap in yo stank behinds.

I be spinnin' some dope rhymes at the THzizzle conference. Come on down and check out my phat beats. Stop by backstage and fire up a blunt with me after the show.

Peace out, dawgs. Stay off tha' pipe, an' don't forget to wipe.

Judah, just admit you don't have a PhD and you don't have workable technology. Nobody believes you. Has anyone ever taken you seriously?

It is quite obvious that the responses and comments generated thus far are generated from sophomoric minded individuals with too much time on their hands. If you are scientists or students of science you may wish to consider your priorities in life and decide if your comments are of those that hold a BS/MS/PHD or even a HS Diploma. If you are educated you may like to ask yourself why you do what you do. It does not bother me at all that you make fun of what scares you or what you don;t understand. And its quite obvious that you are not aware that having a degree does not guarantee that you have knowledge. There are allot of people on this planet that are smarter than you think. Look around you and you may be surprised of how misinformed you are of the world around you.

I take no offense to your ranting, it is your individual right and only demonstrates to the readers how you seem to be ignorant of your ignorance.