This article makes it seem as though Thane Heins has ruined his life in an obsession to understand what he’s created — a machine that is (at least initially) stumping physics experts, recently including MIT’s Markus Zahn.

“It’s generally always the same reaction,” says Heins. “There’s a bit of a scramble on the part of the observer to put what they’re seeing into some sort of context with what they know. They can’t explain it. They don’t know what it is.”

He’d be happy if somebody did, even if the news was bad. His wife has kicked him out. He doesn’t earn an income. He can’t pay child support. The certainty would be welcome. “I’ve tried to quit many times, and thought if I could just be a normal guy I would have a normal life … But I had this idea and I believe it works.”

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