Tuesday, March 9, 2010

Gone Are The Days

Well sure, the new release of the W4G books is about to come out, and they're taking the technology global. The the books are going to be free now instead of costing $99 or $59 (on sale in the last days...)

So the movement is expanding, and people are getting on-board and understanding that the high cost of driving can at least be reduced. That's good. The technology is getting better, and in many cases one no longer needs a dialed-gadget installed on or under the dashboard (things that made my wife give me that look).

On the other hand there is indeed something missing isn't there? The first and foremost missing item is the cheap "sex sells" logo at the the top of all the W4G site pages. All I can say about that is  - finally! But there's also that missing element of the average person taking a few common ingredients, figuring out how to make or where to buy specific parts, and assemble something unique. This was that something that opened the world of using water to extend mileage. It was suddenly yours to understand and implement. As it turns out the technology has grown to the degree that all you have to do now is buy a kit.  You can still get the books, but the focus has switched to getting something packaged and shiny. It is after all the American way. Why make a hard-boiled egg when you can buy one  pre-boiled and wrapped in plastic? Here's the email I received this morning:

Hi Guys!
The complete set of eBooks is nearing completion and will be uploaded to the servers on Wednesday, March 10th at 12:01 am Pacific Standard Time!
Thank you for your support during this lengthy process. As the revisions were made,many tens of thousands of people continued to sign up and expand our membership!
Now we are poised for the next huge release as promised: The International Showcase of HHO Technology and Global Membership Community!
All this follows the critical March 10th Release Date - Be Ready!
Make sure you are registered for access by signing up or confirming your subscription here: water4gas.com/join.htm
Happy Water-Fuel Motoring!
Ozzie Freedom
Founder, Water4Gas

I don't want anyone to get me wrong on this - I fully support this movement, and I do believe that it is something that is needed in the world, but I miss the connection to personal innovation that was inherent in the early days of a couple of years ago. I also miss that feeling of a grass roots movement, fighting the powers of the oil companies. I miss my part in that process when I identified parts that were difficult to make or come by and created a small business where I sold those few items (at a very small mark up) to others who recognized that what I was doing had as much to do with my personal sense of integrity as with anything else. (I always made sure to provide links and connections to people who were selling similar items to my own - encouraging the expansion of the movement in as many ways as possible.) 

Those days are now past. At some point Ozzie stopped communicating with me on any level but as a possible dollar sign. What has really happened? I suppose that W4G has gone the way of so many great underground movements: it has become a corporate entity that has it's sights set clearly on the bottom line. 

Ah well. Notice that the link in the copy of the email above is a live one. In spite of  the demise of my early close personal connection with W4G - I continue to support any technology that will drive down the costs of driving while cleaning up the environment at the same time. I encourage anyone who is not already involved to sign up if for no other reason but to find out the possibilities. I say, let's get on with it. But I also say this: keep an eye to a future that may well reveal something else that might do the same things - but once again returning the power of making it work to the common person. 

As I've said many times in the past: the goal is not always about making money, rather it is about making this planet a better place Right?

Saturday, September 26, 2009

Something New Has Been Added - 45+MPG!

Well as many of you have figured out by now - I haven't been around here for a while. Such is life:-) However my fascination with obtaining the best possible mileage has not diminished at all, in fact I have been carefully keeping track of the mileage that I've been getting (or not getting) on my new 2008 Honda. The car is rated at 35 highway and 26 in the city, but the reality is that I've been getting around 17 in the city and 27 on the highway. Naturally, I've been complaining to Honda about this for the entire past year and they've been telling me that their computers verify that the car is running perfectly. I felt I was getting the run around and I said so. Finally, the service manager, Antony at Paragon Honda agreed with me that the car should be road-tested by his best technician, Ken. We arranged a time, and because it took a month to do this I thought I was being stalled - but I went along with it so that I could at least get it done.

So two days ago Ken and I got into the car, went together to a gas station and filled it up. At that point he said that the driving conditions were that all accessories had to be turned off and that the windows had to be rolled up. I said no problem. We drove approximately 50 miles (about 10 on city streets and 40 on the highway) - all the while obeying the speed limits. I was vigilant in keeping track of when and where the miles were being racked up - figuring that staying on the highway longer was certain to slant things in their favor, but still I was okay with that since I figured that the best he would be able to do would be at the very most - 29 on the highway and possibly 20 in the city - if he coasted a lot...

When we returned to the gas station and filled the car once again to measure the mileage I'm sure that my mouth fell open - we got 45+MPG on that little trip! He explained to me that the aerodynamics of the car with the windows up were responsible for a lot of that difference, and that leaving the AC off in particular assured that the Alternator did not kick in. Naturally, the Alternator creates drag on the engine.

It was 80 degrees out and with the windows up it was damned hot in that car, but that he was able to prove to me without a doubt that the car could actually do much better than advertised was stunning. His driving was not all that different from the way I drive normally - trying to stay below 2000 RPM and not revving the engine etc., but still he got that impressive mileage in my car.

Should Honda and other car makers be telling us that in order to get superior mileage, as stated on the sticker, we need to travel around in a well appointed sweat-boxes, with the windows up and using none of the gadgets installed by them? Yes, of course they should! Will they ever do such a thing? Hell no, it would be bad for business - right? Is this a scam? No not at all: it is simply a lie by omission designed by ad agencies to sell cars. As long as we continue to buy the lie we are as responsible for the problem as they are.

Fight back by continuing the search for a better way, better mileage, and a better life for us and our children. If we don't do it we can be certain of one thing - the corporations won't do it either.

Saturday, July 4, 2009

The Way Things Stand Now

As most of you know I've been away from this blog for quite some time. Part of that had to do with the accident, and part of it has to do with my relationship to Water4Gas. Obviously, I continue to sell hard-to-find and hard-to-make W4G parts, and I fully support the technology.

As one of the very few original people marketing my products in the W4G Marketplace I believe that I was of real assistance in helping quite a lot of people get started. The fact is that it was o early on that when I signed up and received the books Ozzie Freedom called me himself to welcome me onboard and let me know that he was around to help if I needed it...

Later on when I found that the W4G Marketplace was operating in a way that made it impossible for newcomers to get in and offer their products I took a stand and helped usher in a better and more fair way of showing product and services for sale. Many of my fellow dealers called to thank me. A couple of those who were at the heart of the problems on the site called to rage at me... Ah well, what I did was right, and I would do it again.

Things changed toward the end of last year and W4G instituted a transformation in the way dealers of parts and systems etc. could be supported. What they did was they sent out a letter encouraging all dealers, including myself, to set up an Affiliate Program so that W4G could then become our affiliate instead of the other way around, and would thus make money when they directed people to us. Well that sounded like a great idea and I got on it immediately. With a lot of work and a fair amount of money I did exactly as they asked and then using the form they sent out I submitted my site and information. They never responded in any way. I sent it again. Again, they did not respond... This happened six times. As recently as a month ago I submitted the information again. They act as if I do not exist, yet still, because I know the value of the technology I continue to support it, I continue to sell W4G parts at IgnitingWater.com, obviously I've not made the blog disappear, and I continue to reach out to W4G in hopes that they will at some point realize that it is a good thing to have me in their corner.

All of this may not be directly related to assisting everyone who wants to to turn their car into something more than the automakers were willing to do, but I believe that it is important to be truthful in all aspects of my experience, and this is absolutely a part of that truth.

Drive on,

Jon

Tuesday, November 4, 2008

Sometimes...

...it's just hard to get rolling again after an extended period, but I'll make the attempt to get back on track. As you can imaging I continue to be quite busy in spite of not posting here all that much. I can only suppose that because I do what I do well - people tell their friends.

Anyway, this post has to do with my ongoing search for an installer in NYC. I had high hopes when over the weekend I received an email informing me that someone was indeed taking on that task here in my neck of the woods (although all the woods have been pretty much chopped down or regulated to parks - but never mind that for the moment).

So that you know how difficult such a search can be I've decided to post the original email (with all identifying information of the sender removed) I received and my response to it. I am not posting this to mock anyone or deter anyone from doing this work. Rather I am posting this so that it's clear to everyone that I'm not willing to just wildly promote anyone without testing their mettle. I actually say in the note on the right side of this blog, "I am looking to be able to recommend persons of the highest integrity and expert level knowledge that can fill this needed position." - These are not idle words, and they are not without meaning. It is important to me that I stay clear in my goal to promote water4gas in a way that supports it over time.

COPY/PASTE BEGINS
xxxx Sun, Nov 2, 2008 at 8:25 AM

To: jon@ignitingwater.com

Good morning Jon.
I am starting installations of systems in the NYC area
thanks
xxxx xxxx
cell:xxx xxx xxxx
xxxx@hotmail.com

Jon Ellis Sun, Nov 2, 2008 at 3:24 PM

To: xxxxx
Hi xxxx- Really great to hear that you're doing this. Congratulations!

Let me offer my blog as a platform for you to let people know about the installations you've done, and the results that your customers are achieving. Naturally, because I do not know you, or have any personal experience of what you're doing I cannot put myself in a place of recommending your service, but I do fully support it and will do what I can to assist you in having your business grow.

If you are interested in making use of the platform I'm offering here please respond to this email and I will place our current communication up on the water4gasreport as a post inviting you to comment further as a response to that post. Once you have made your first comment I will then place a link to your ongoing posts - in the section at the top of the page where I currently have the notice "Seeking a Water4Gas Installer in the NYC Area."

Sound good? Let me know.

Best,

Jon

Jonathan Ellis
Welling Court | Astoria, New York
C: 917 617 6870
jon@ignitingwater.com
www.ignitingwater.com
http://water4gasreport.blogspot.com/
COPY/PASTE ENDS

Well as it stands now on voting day (yes, I voted already) I've not yet heard anything in return. Hopefully he will respond and I will be able to help him a grow a business that will not only save gas for people but will be a continuing service to the environment. I look forward to the opportunity

Wednesday, October 1, 2008

Okay I'm Back and Continuing to Explore

Yes, yes I know I haven't posted here since the 17th of September and I really have no excuse whatsoever. Still, being in an accident can take it out of you a bi,t and what the shock cannot manage to do, is then in the hands of the insurance companies, and they are so good at what they do.

Anyway, these are scans of the first two fill-ups for my new Honda Civic.
It's amazing that I've come out of what was a gigantic mess with a new car that my wife, son and I have fallen in love with. The navigation system is the most amazing (and necessary) gadget ever... And before you laughing guys point it out to me - yes, I did read today about a second idiot, in a matter of weeks, who ended up on the railroad tracks by blindly listening to GPS instructions. Brother!

As you can see the mileage is not bad right off the get-go, but eventually I will introduce the w4g components into the system. What am I waiting for you ask? I'm waiting for Ozzie's fabled piggy-back device - so that I have no knobs, switches or otherwise inside the cabin of the car which is pretty darned important. Just ask my lovely wife:-) Also I'll want to be very careful about how I proceed so that I don't give Honda any opportunity to void the warranty. A couple of my neighbors want their cars to be my new test subjects - so I have them carefully noting down their mileage so we all can know what's happening under those hoods before we get started.

One other thing is that in a day or so I'll be posting a new video which will demonstrate how to properly place the windings on our newest Igniting Water towers. Oh didn't I mention that? Oh well - yes we will be soon offering a new version of both of the 1 /4" thick tower styles ( 3/8 and 1/4 notched) - that will accept an additional 15 or so inches of wire... Nice huh?

See ya' later

J

Wednesday, September 17, 2008

Spreading the Word

Hi Jon,
I'm working on a similar project at hodworks.com, testing my own car and a couple of friends' cars with the system. Your site's a good resource - thanks for the work.
I added a link to my site - if you wanted to reciprocate that would be cool.
Thanks,
Brad

>

You got it Brad - I'm glad you found the info useful. That's what it's all about. I'll set up the link to your site tomorrow. With your permission I'll also post your e-note to me which of course includes the link you've placed there - and I will also place a link to you in the right side-bar. Nice to have the company:-)

Best,

Jon

Adding links to the sites of others is a policy that I will continue to keep open to anyone who would like to have that happen. All anyone has to do is ask:-)

Wednesday, September 10, 2008

Communication About Overheating

Hi Jon, My name is Mike XXX and I purchased some of your products a few weeks ago. I have built one so far and installed it in my 2000 suburban along with a map enhancer purchased on ebay. I been having a problem with overheating and melting the tower, shorting out and blowing fuses. I have lessened the baking soda to 1/8 tsp from 1/4 tsp. Thought may be that could be the problem. And also the water does not last very long. Would you have any suggestions what to do next. Many thanks. Mike XXX

Hi Mike - A couple of things you can look at:
  • check to see that you system isn't wired into the alternator in some way
  • check to see that you don't have the poles reversed (two strand wire on the Positive side instead of the Negative)
What you're experiencing has to do with too much juice flowing through those wires. I had some similar stuff happen that I ultimately cured by using two Electrolyzers connected in series. - And that series part is all important since it reduced the 12 volts to 6 each across the two units. Once I did that I was able to use as much a 5 teaspoons of Baking Soda per unit with no overheating.

Because this is such a common experience to everyone I've decided to post our conversation to the blog.

Take care Mike and please let me know your results.

Best,

Jon