kPower LLC filing

[kitefreak]

Our paniers never were “predicted” to produce energy.

Austin mutant bike hackers go back decades working with recycled bikes. Many of the paniers were made from recycled political signs (coroplast). Our Cyclown Circus made it to Indonesia from Austin, on recycled bikes, with DIY paniers. I am known as “Don Quijote de la Carretera” along the Mexican Border, pedaling thousands of miles on recycled bikes, and crossed Holland on a 60EU recycled bike, to apprentice at old windmills, and attend AWEC2011

Let third-parties calculate how much more carbon neutral kPower’s radical sustainability culture is, compared to other major players. Our focus remains hands-on hacking. Human power is not really about calculated quantity of energy to us, but a superior quality of life. We use old kites and spare parts to hack AWE.

Let Doug show his ST venture is better than kPower.

[George]

Of course this forum is about airborne wind energy. If you are willing to be so judgemental about other persons efforts do you not think you should justify your own efforts and credentials.
Maybe create a linkedin page to explain your experience and qualifications to all

[kitefreak]

No, I quit LinkedIn because it sucks. One can be judgmental and justified, without LinkedIn.

Credentialism is not by itself much. The Wright Brothers were the least credentialed in their circle (Chanute, Langley, etc.).

kPower has plenty of content archived on EnergyKiteSystems and other venues. On this Forum, kPower is a leader in sharing active R&D.

There is also kpowertechnology.com

Ask Doug about his recent progress. That’s more of a mystery.

[dougselsam]

@kitefreak

Ed Sapir did in fact make a large production run of cargo bike paniers. They were not split buckets, but nicely crafted. He also helped with KiteSat’s small production run. These are coveted items.

Its Doug’s ST that has never neared production, despite PopSci mega-publicity.

Hi Dave:
Glad to hear Ed made some panniers. “A large production run”? Where can we see one? Are they for sale?
It was the split 5-gallon bucket theme I was most skeptical of, not whether bike-mounted carriers are a valid product. Glad to hear he did not use 5-gallon buckets. Sorry, but associating Ed with you invoked high skepticism of any statement of future accomplishments. I’d love to see the resulting non-5-gallon-bucket-product.

I remember my Stingray bike in the 1960’s - had to install wire baskets after I got a paper route. Then I upgraded to a Murray 10-speed I bought for $50 - again, wire baskets. I finally upgraded again to a Fuji 10-speed for $170. Bought leather side-bags for the rear and took a 500-mile trip to Cape Cod with a friend to visit another friend who had moved there, at age 15.

After the bike cargo topic, you went back to your idle bragging, citing a “production run” of your “KiteSat”, claiming it is a “coveted item”. Reading between the lines, I’m thinking you made two, and you, Joe, and Ed each like them, and would like to keep one. Three of you / two KiteSats = “coveted item”. Back to the circular firing-squad of kPower. Anyone else talking about a “production run” of KiteSats? Who else is operating one today? More internally-generated “credentials”. You pat yourself on the back and pretend everyone agrees, hoping someone believes it.
Then you try to change the subject back to me. Yes the familiar theme of “Doug you’re not living up to your potential”. Heard it since long before the sting-ray bike. Yes I agree, but my topic here is your tight circle of 3 or 4 people throwing AWE accolades back and forth, naming yourselves and each other as “geniuses” “visionaries”, Director of Boeing’s Flight Research Institute, Domain Experts in AWE, World’s leading AWE researcher, etc. etc. etc., a never-ending often-false brag-fest about yourself and each other, while never having demonstrated any significant power output in 12 years of this ongoing self-agrandizement. There have been quite a few books, thousands of articles, tons of videos, many technical papers and reports written about AWE since 2009. I was just asking to see a few that referred to you, kPower, Wayne, Ed, Joe, whatever. Know of any?

[kitefreak]

Doug,

Rod cited my AWEC2011 Kite Networks presentation in the Springer Textbook. German media covered KiteSat. Drachen Foundation covered a lot of our work. Gipsa Labs credited our work in public. World Kite Museum wrote us up multiple times. HipFish marveled at KiteMotor1 in action. Austin’s newspaper gave us Metro front page coverage, in 2019. You just are not aware of the many third-party recognitions that have been posted. We are not done, barely even started.

Its the ST that most lacks the sort of ongoing recognition kPower has. What is the status of ST progress in recent years? Christof and Rod’s work is closer to Harburg and others, than Selsam. The earlier rotary AWES patents have inventive priority. Sorry if you do not enjoy the same sort of mutual admiration kite pros have for each other.

[George]

You could perhaps tone down your judgement of others and talk to your actual experience, that would be better for the forum I feel.
A LinkedIn page would boost your credibility, and maybe help you to respect the credibility of others.

[kitefreak]

No George, no tone-down of judgement, nor would kPower care if you tone down or up your judgement here. Its very important for open criticism of players to exist, so investors have more than hype to work with. Its great that kPower is questioned here, and that kPower questions others.

What counts most to kPower is what intense kite research teaches. LinkIn “credibility” in AWE makes no sense in that vital context.

[George]

credible criticism is always better; if you feel you have to make it

[kitefreak]

Lack of interest in LinkedIn is very “credible” in AWE.

Let future historians of AWE decide whose criticism here was most correct.

[George]

LinkedIn is simple a professional communications tool, there is no good reason not to put your credentials and experience out there, it improves communication and understanding between people who have never met face to face. For a balanced and productive communication in such a highly technological arena its good to know who you are talking to; this is not the Xfactor discussion group after all.

[kitefreak]

kPower is more focused on pro kite tech. LinkedIn is no substitute for face-to-face kite culture. Ours is a small world of obscure but brilliant developers, who already mostly know each other.

The winners in AWE may be those who least need LinkedIn and similar distractions.

[dougselsam]

@kitefreak

Rod cited my AWEC2011 Kite Networks presentation in the Springer Textbook.

Yeah, me too. Thanks Roddy.

Dave says: “World Kite Museum wrote us up multiple times.”
Doug replies: Yeah that’s the guy you said is your cousin, whom you said told you the Honeywell rooftop turbine laughingstock disaster was “a good turbine”, right? More of your “circular firing squad”.

Dave says: “Its the ST that most lacks the sort of ongoing recognition kPower has.”
Doug replies: More delusion. Once again you try to change the subject. Sorry but I don’t think hardly anyone has even heard about kPower, or has any idea what it is. Nobody is talking about any kPower project that I know of, sorry. What about Ed’s bike baskets? Where’s a link?
I’m not running around telling everyone what a genius I am, harassing anyone and everyone for daring to hold a conference on their own continent. I’m not claiming over and over that my friends are great “visionaries”, cooking up fake credentials for them like being “Director of Boeing’s Flight Research Institute”, hoping to gain artificial credibility through association with a person given fake credentials through me telling a blatant lie, hoping to fool people into thinking I must be “somebody”… You four are mostly just big talkers with nothing much to show for it since the conference in 2009, yet you just go on bragging.
Yup I have been pretty slack-a-daisical for the last few years.
Been busy with some million-dollar projects, since some of us feel the need to earn a living, and yes it bothers me.
But at least I’m not out there falsifying credentials telling everyone how great I am.
Just had a call from one of the world’s leading wind turbine aerodynamicists and component manufacturers. Nobody knows his name for the most part, No need - he just does what he does. I don’t need to make up fake credentials for him - he has real credentials.
Let’s see, there’s a Youtube video done on me by a foreign production company working for Discovery Channel, with a third of a million views, and counting. They called me, I didn’t call them. And that was the second documentary done on me. The other one called me too. I just showed up for the shoot. And Popular Science - they called me. I did not call them. Plenty of articles on my old and recent work (real wind energy) in several magazines including wind energy trade publications. Government-funded research. Many patents. As the saying goes, your “rumors of my demise are greatly exaggerated”.
But I’m not here to brag. I look at it like this: if I do anything noteworthy, it will speak for itself. Until then, I’ll be patient. I’m busy working, skiing, participating in hang gliding - having tons of fun.
OK so for now, why not show us a link to your friend Ed’s bike cargo containers from what you said was “a large production run”. Where can we buy one? Where can we see one? More fake credentials for you to soak up by association? Or will you provide a link for us?

[dougselsam]

I’d like to take the opportunity to analyze and respond to Dave’s post, line-by-line:

“Windy Skies shut down the AWE Prognosis topic just as Olivier asked about kPower staffing.”
*** I feel for you on having your posts censored, which was a maajor problem when you and Joe Faaust were running “the most open forum”.

“Here is the answer prevented from posting,”
*** How do YOU like being prevented from posting after taking the time to share your thoughts?

“as a kPower company development issue.”
*** This is where we get into the “legend in your own mind” issue. “Company development”? The only “company” I see is like “we’re having company over for dinner” - a few guys fooling around flying kites and posting on the internet. Any results yet? Any power generated after 12 years? What I do NOT see is any organized business or research entity, with no products, no peer-reviewed research, no airborne wind energy solutions resulting, after 12 years of online claims of being the top AWE research outfit in the world.

“Olivier,
kPower has never yet had a payroll, its all been sweat equity, professional work on speculation.”
*** Professional work means people being paid, earning a living from the work.

“I remember being just as mystified about WoW Italian analysts, that they were not familiar with this typical “American style” venture start-up model.”
*** After 12 years of no results, a perpetual “startup”? By the way, forget the Italians - nothing to see there either.

“The wide kPower circle is seen in countless videos and posts over many years. For example, the video just shared on the student project topic was made and hosted by my biz partner, Ed Sapir, with years of hard work on all kPower aspects.”
*** Wait a minute: “biz parter”? What “business”? A “business” that makes no money, where nobody gets paid? What do you mean by “biz”? More deceptive posturing it appears to me. (You gotta watch this guy’s every often-deceptive word.) So one of you made a video of some students. I thought you had a “company”, a “biz”, and “development”. Where are the results? Where is the product? Where is the power generated?

“Joe Faust, a key kPower person, is a member of this Forum.”
*** Exactly what I am talking about: pretending or implying Joe has developed any AWE solutions, pretending that merely being registered on a forum is some noteworthy accomplishment. It is circular reasoning to say kPower is doing anything, or that having one’s name mentioned as a “key kPower person” represents an accomplishment, then saying kPower is noteworthy because of name association with these same people. I go back to the main question: What results has kPower attained in 12 years?

“The core circle is small in number,”
*** Core circle - implying kPower is some huge conglomerate

" but talented and persistent."
*** Persistent in what? Entertaining yourselves? What meaningful results have been achieved in 12 years?

“2019 132m2 kite testing on the Texas Coast was four of us.”
*** Ah back to the same four people. Results? Any power generated?

“The wide circle of professional collaborators over the years is very large, with many national and international figures.”
*** You mean like the “Moab Monkeys”? I recall you telling us years ago (all “accomplishments” are “in the future”) how you would soon be collaborating with them so they could have fun climbing around on your vast arrays of airborne wind energy apparatus. Where is it? Where are they? Where is anything you promise? Seems to me you just imagine anyone you run across or talk to as a “member”(?) of your “company”(?) but then it all disappears like vanishing vaporware.

“Starting in 2007, kPower can document more co-workers and collaborators than almost all AWE ventures.”
*** Yup, anyone you talk to. “kPower” - the most powerful force in the universe! A legend in your own mind. With supposedly more people than every other effort, can you show us any results yet?

“Our mentor list includes some of the greatest figures in kites; if quite elderly, still with us all the way.”
*** Nice. “Greatest”… “Legendary”… “Visionary”… You talk to kite people. Do you have any results yet, after 12 years of this talk?

“kPower’s community was built from Drachen Foundation and KiteShip’s circle, with major presence in the nearby early Makani circle, and many other players.”
*** “Circle” after “circle”… What have you accomplished?

“Hidden behind the PR glare of Makani and AWEurope players, ours is a quietly expanding global kite-pro AWE community, with active direct communications between dozens of major figures in kites and applicable engineering fields.”
*** Wow that sounds impressive. “Major figures”… “global”… “pro”… “community”… What is your most noteworthy project? What results have all these supposedly-combined people achieved?

“By the way, folks, the legendary AWE visionary, Wayne German, is back in contact.”
*** Oh boy here we go again, your “final answer”, your “ace-in-the-hole” trump card with the fake credentials you provide. “Back in contact”? After how long? Why were you out of contact if he is such a key player and kPower is so noteworthy? Exactly what “legend” are we talking about here? Who, besides you calls Wayne “legendary”? I’d love to hear all about such an impressive “legend”. Any links you could provide? What “vision” of Wayne’s has made the most difference in AWE? What “vision” of Waynes has kPower developed?

“We worked together the summer of 2007, as KiteMotor1 took shape,”
*** And this experiment was meaningful because…? With such “legendary” and “visionary” supposed aerospace talent as input, KiteMotor1 made how many Watts?

“and he continued to collaborate when KiteLab Portland transitioned to KiteLab Ilwaco.”
*** Oh yeah, KiteLab-this, Kitelab-that. Legendary. In your own mind. Then you moved, so the legend gets a new name? I get confused between “KiteLab” and kPower" What’s the difference?

“Payroll never came up,”
*** What happened to “professioal”?

“but lots of visionary AWES ideas did.”
*** Everyone gets ideas. What have you done with any of them? Interesting how you yourself once again use the term “visionary”. Anyone else you can point to who shares that opinion? What are kPower’s results from such “visionary” input?

“Its takes a serious but loving work community to advance greatly.”
*** “Loving”…nice touch Dave. OK so what advances have you made in 12 years? Any significant power generated yet? Any products? Any AWE solutions developed?

“I personally would not be anything in AWE without so much great collaboration.”
*** Huh? What are you in AWE, at this point, besides a lot of hot air? Where is your most impressive AWE work? How much power has it generated? Where are your working AWE solutions? What have you or “kPower” actually accomplished in 12 years?

“Someday kPower can have its payroll.”
*** I guess we’re back to all accomplishments being perpetually in the future. How about this for a slogan: “kPower is about to revolutionize wind energy, and always will be”? After 12 years, making a single dime is still “someday”. No products, no power, no solutions. Still all “in the future”… But I thought you were the world’s leading AWE researcher?

“Meanwhile, its an avoidable expense and distraction”
*** True - if you have nothing to develop, why waste everyone’s time and money on nothing?.

[kitefreak]

Doug,

Its Google that has wasted the most AWE R&D dollars, on just one narrow architecture. kPower is the most cost effective of any key player.

Here is the Skateboard EV, two days ago, charging via regen braking, with just a 1.8m2 toy kite. Its all COTS TRL9 components in USP3987987 fig5 config. Notice the kite is flying itself without a pilot or digital controls-

Thanks to Joe Faust for his help.

Please share any ST progress you may have. Complaining about kPower is great, but not enough by itself.

[dougselsam]

Wow impressive video. Yup looks like more of your fine work.
Nobody can accuse you of videos being too long or detailed.
So that’s your answer - 12 years of worldwide talent, to wiggle a skateboard for a few seconds?
Thanks for making my point.

[PierreB]

Despite the funny and well-contextualized comment above, I will try to highlight the arguments of kPower.

First of all, let us not forget that only kiwee is sold. Other companies are trying to deepen a method while kPower, whose status ultimately does not matter, aims to test different concepts by implementing ideas such as the earth as a rigid bar, a multi anchor, passive stability.

Besides it one could say that “the greatest figures in kites” and in pioneering co-exist with the greatest figures in moderators. To paraphrase @kitefreak but this time by uniting the three W:

Wubbo, Wright, Windy-Skies live!

[kitefreak]

Pierre, Wind Skies is a nightmare here, censoring my posting at every turn. You don’t get to see the many hidden posts Windy removes, but a comparison of Windy with Wubbo or the Wright Brothers is unfair to the memory of actual achievement.

As for kPower, no one else knows how to make a power kite pump passively like this.

The skateboard is a true COTS TRL9 regen EV that weighs ~25kg and takes quite a bit force to move in turf. The kite is a COTS TRL9 1.8m2 toy, but a 400m2 COTS ship kite in even better wind higher can do the same sort of action.

Imagine how it will work with larger power kites, with a pilot kite added as needed. Its not just the few seconds of video, its hours of test flying successfully.

[kitefreak]

Censored Image: reposting.