interview with Mark Basile...

[William Seger]

1. Time to catch up, wildbill

Trash incinerators also produce microspheres by melting and partially reducing very small pieces of rust. Coal-fired boilers produce fly ash that also contains iron microspheres, produced by melting and reducing small iron oxide impurities embedded in the coal. Neither of those reach the temperatures necessary to melt large chunks of iron, but according to Basile's "logic" there must be a thermitic reaction going on, because crackerjack chemist Basile doesn't know any other way to make iron microspheres. Never mind that there isn't any elemental aluminum to participate in a thermitic reaction -- just like Harrit's chips! -- it's gotta be thermitic, because, science.

Actually, there are any number of ways to make iron microspheres, including my new favorite: When you strike a piece of steel with, say, a piece of flint, guess what those sparks are? (Hint: If you guessed molten flint, you'd be wrong.) Now, if you grind steel and concrete together, what would happen? According to Basile's "logic" there must be a thermitic reaction.

And you still can't figure out why these clowns are not taken seriously by real scientists?