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PETA and what not knocking on my door.” The only failed test was a missing grapefruit. It was 1998 by the time Marcum decided to try the machine himself. "My main concern was I'm bigger than a guinea pig," he said. "Though the animals always survived, I had no way of knowing what the long-term effects were since this had obviously never been done before and they couldn't tell me how much pain they felt, if any.". Marcum wasn't concerned about the 3,000,000 volts of electricity crackling beneath him; he was concerned about the fall. If his jump failed, he would fall 60 feet to the concrete floor. "I was mostly worried that my mass would be too much to jump and I'd simply fall to the floor and break my legs or neck." PETA and what not knocking on my door." The only failed Neither Richardson nor Toomey thinks that time travel test was a missing grapefruit. will be ironed out any time soon. "Sure we could wake It was 1998 by the time Marcum decided to try the up and time travel could be real," Toomey said, "[but] machine himself. "My main concern was I'm bigger thana these discoveries are not going to happen in our guinea pig," he said. "Though the animals always lifetime. We'll all be long dead before that." survived, I had no way of knowing what the long-term Marcum said he's heard this before. "I had a few effects were since this had obviously never been done inputs from a few career theoretical physicists that were before and they couldn't tell me how much pain they felt, listening to Art Bell's show and each told me something if any." Marcum wasn't concerned about the 3,000,000 different," he said. "It was like getting a medical volts of electricity crackling beneath him; he was diagnosis from a doctor, then getting a second and third concerned about the fall. If his jump failed, he would fall opinion and being told something else each time. Too 60 feet to the concrete floor. "I was mostly worried that many unknowns and too early in this line of work to be my mass would be too much to jump and I'd simply fall to sure.". Marcum likens time travel experimentation to he floor and break my legs or neck." building the first battery without knowing what it could do. "You have to discover [it] yourself and experiment to Could His Time Machine Work? see what else electricity can do. Northwest Missouri State University Similar situation." physics professor David Richardson, PhD, and physical chemistry professor ey 9 The Grand Finale Rick Toomey, PhD, both doubt the But Marcum didn t Marcum stood on the cherry picker science behind Marcum's claims. ice j in the Kansas City warehouse above "What he's basically produced is Yel he simply his machine. Two cylinders the outer ocalised lightning,” Richardson said. disappeared. made of 24 insulated rings, the inner "It will produce heat but not enough in “c 7 constructed of grounded copper mesh, hat localised area [to produce the From “thy point of “acted as a strike point for the rotating eat signature Marcum claimed]." view, it was like electric field". He looked into the four- Another problem is that if this getting hit with a foot-wide shimmering wave 60 feet off localised lightning" produced a time the floor, and jumped. "The heat- vortex, these vortices would appear flash-bang, a loud signature event horizon was held in everywhere that lightning struck the centre of the inner cylinder, with during a thunderstorm. "Any crack, thud and jumping into it equalling jumping rough a horizontal tube," Marcum said. "The inner cylinder phenomenon he could create with a transformer could be bright light to ’ created with every lightning where you can't was only about five feet in strike," Toomey said. There are see, hear or walk diameter, so I risked hitting it if | also no current theories in panicked in mid-air and missed physics that involve electricity well for several e target. I'm not afraid of and time travel. "Nothing," minutes...” eights and it takes one heck of Richardson said. "Absolutely an amusement park ride to get my nothing." adrenaline pumping, but that was pretty spooky." That's because he Marcum's time machine, the didn't know if he'd be fried, professors said, is that it doesn't crushed or pulled apart or if he'd correspond with any current time travel theory. "All the materialise inside a solid object. But Marcum didn’ potential time travel involves gravitational effects and panic: he simply disappeared. "From my point of view, i really high speeds,” Richardson said. "There's really no was like getting hit with a flash-bang, a loud crack, thud heory that includes electricity and gravity together." and bright light to where you can't see, hear or walk wel This, Toomey said, would be the Holy Grail of physics. for several minutes, but no permanent physical damage,” Even if Marcum had found this Holy Grail, Toomey he said. "I'm sure the people that donated the oresees other problems. "When you look at the equipment were quite worried as it probably looked like equations, I don't know if a biological system could was exploded to pieces, just with no fleshy residue." maintain its integrity," he said. "I just can't imagine your When Marcum regained his senses, he was in a farm nervous system can go through that and survive." field near Fairfield, Ohio, cold and hungry. "The firs Marcum expressed the same sentiments to the St. Joseph thing | did was start walking when | could, after freaking News-Press in 1995: "With death a risk factor, I'm not out once | realised I was in the middle of nowhere," he ready to step into an electrically charged vortex," he said. "There's still some stuff I've got to iron out." Continued on page 84 The main problem with panic: he simply disappeared. “From my point of view, it was like getting hit with a flash-bang, a loud crack, thud and bright light to see, hear or walk well for several bP minutes...” 62 * NEXUS But Marcum didn’t where you can’t Continued on page 84 AUGUST - SEPTEMBER 2011 www.nexusmagazine.com