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Comment by lifeisstillgood | Hacker News Reader

Aren't you actually asking for a grant to be an installation artist working in the field of pretty moving machines.

I don't think society should fund research into the flatness of the earth or perpetual motion, but I do think there is plenty of scope for making beautiful things.

Especially if you explain it gleefully when you unveil your latest :-)

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I’m afraid no one would define any of my attempts so far as pretty except to call them pretty bad! That’s actually a great idea though, I could probably reduce the money sink a bit by trying to them some of my projects into art work. Thanks for sharing that idea!

There is serious work happening on building perpetual motion machines of the third kind (one that moves forever but does not produce energy). But to contribute to that work takes years of serious study. It's probably a good idea to do that study in a formal setting to avoid fooling yourself into thinking you understand when you don't.

Although impossible, I wonder if striving for perpetual motion could lead to discoveries to create very efficient machines? So may be worth funding.

Working towards perpetual motion would probably lead to advancements in low-friction materials, which might make cars more efficient, for example. I think you're right that it's not an entirely pointless endeavor, although the actual goal will probably never happen.

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