Dan's Wild Wild Science Journal

Unlike the UK, where a TV and Radio license  fee pays for the BBC’s slew of excellent educational programming, we have only NPR and PBS here in America. I’ve frequently compared NPR to the BBC with no money. That really about covers it….except.

NPR is still fabulous.

If you see Wonders of The Solar System on in your area, then make plans to watch it. This BBC program is full of fabulous science. (image from the BBC)

In an era where scientific ignorance seems to be at it’s peak, we have very few excellent programs on Science available. Yes, NOVA and NATURE are great. Hopefully the BBC series Wonders of The Solar System by Astronomer Brian Cox will make it here soon as well.

Some of the programming I’ve seen on the History channel and Discovery are absolute junk. Especially the 2012 stuff. In reality there is a slew of junk science programs on backwater cable. Trust me, if it’s about UFO’s, aliens from space helping to build the pyramids, or Nostradamus, then you are being sold a bag of fertilizer.

Discovery does get a kudo from me, and that is for Astronomer Phil Plait’s Bad Universe. Science is, and can be shown to be, rabidly interesting and Phil Plait makes it so.

Before you think that nobody takes those programs seriously, let me tell you something. I was getting a danish in the Albany airport, when the girl behind the counter found out I was a meteorologist. Guess what she asked me?

What is the dew point? Will it rain tomorrow? What does 40% chance of rain (answered here) really mean?

Nope.

The actual Question: “Is the world really going to end in 2012???”

My answer: “Trust me, it’s not.” I wanted to add “you should cancel cable.”

Consider, that hundreds of thousands of gullible folks are buying bracelets that harness magic fields that do not exist. Add in the school boards who are trying to ban science books based on solid  science because they are politically unpopular, and you know we truly have a problem.

American students rank with 3rd world countries now in math and science. I’m not exaggerating. A Canadian high school graduate has more science and math knowledge than many college seniors in America.

Now, comes news that Science Friday on NPR has lost some of it’s funding. I rate that program the best regular science program on radio (U.S. at least). Good solid science that is fascinating and timely.

It turns out that if you make a donation this year to the program they have grant that will match it two to one! The word that their funding might be in trouble has already gotten them an outpouring of support. You can find out more about how you can help here. You can listen to today’s (Friday Oct 8th 2010) program here.

Trust me, they will get a donation from me!

So will my local NPR station that carries the program.

Chris Mooney and Michael Specter along with others did a lecture at MIT last April. MIT has put the video up online and it is well worth a view.

The topic was denialism and disinformation. How can so many people believe things that someone tells them with no critical thinking. (My post on Authoritarians goes along with this quite well I suspect)

I regularly get asked if the world is going to end in 2012, and amazingly I am still getting comments from buyers defending their purchase of the iRenew and Q-Ray bracelets!

Jack Horkheimer. Exec. Director of the Miami Space Transit Museum. He died Friday.

His signature sign-off was “KEEP LOOKING UP!”

Jack Horkheimer was the star of the PBS series Star Gazer and taught millions to look up at the night sky in wonder. He was a grand ambassador for science. He died on Friday, and the astronomy world is the poorer for it.

You can file a complaint with the FTC over these scams. Click the image above to go to the FTC web page.

In the two months since I wrote the post about what a scam the iRenew bracelet was, I have had more comments than any other post I have ever written. Mostly from people who like me are amazed that people will fall for it. Many other comments explain very well why these scammers will make millions of dollars. The adverts are now all over Fox news and other outlets on late night cable TV.

Q-Ray Is A Scam Too

Do not think I’m exaggerating either. A similar piece of junk, the Q-Ray bracelet has already gotten into trouble with the U.S. Federal Trade Commission and were ordered to provide 64 million dollars in refunds. I bet that is a drop in the bucket compared to how much they got away with. You can find out more about the Q-Ray scam and the lawsuits against them on Quackwatch.

While I’m On The Subject Of Scams…

A new scam for those that slept though junior high science Class. Can you say horse hockey? I knew you could...

I saw a new one being touted on twitter the other day. The Zero Point Magnetic Generator. It usually the revolutionary idea of perpetual motion to make free power for your home. Perpetual motion scams have been around for many decades and they have taken millions from the scientifically illiterate.

Just to be clear here- Perpetual motion violates the second law of thermodynamics. That means it will not, cannot, and NEVER will work. Period. A similar scam using a tank of water in your car boot to make hydrogen runs along similar lines.  It’s just as much a scam as the rest.

I mentioned some of those comments I have received on the first post. Many more were political in nature and off topic so they did not get approved. I tried to be more generous than usual in my editing, and here are my fave’s below (with the replies I have held off making).

Comments:

1.after wearing bracelet for 1 week i gained incredible strength, lost 50 lbs, attracted women by the dozen andit cured my cancer. lol people are so &^%ing stupid. I can imagine all the idiots running to their mailboxes in anticipation of their miracle cure. Thanks for putting at least 1 honest review of this scam.

Dan: Your Welcome!

2.Jack Rand

Actually I do have an iRenew bracelet, and it has worked for me! I really don’t care why it works, I only care that it makes me feel better. After I bought the bracelets online I got some pdfs from irenew. After reading a little bit about the theory behind this technology, I did a bit more digging and found this video from the same authors. The video called “The Living Matrix” is really amazing. It really breaks down a handful of technologies being used to help restore or heal a person’s body field.

Dan: Jack you missed the point! There is no such thing as a “body field”. See Barnum P.T. and Gary Stephens reply below.

3. You know – I have to add one thing – If you buy one of these, you should need to pass a test before you are allowed to vote. It is certainly one thing to screw yourself but when you vote, now you are passing on your stupidity to the lives of others. So: I-Renew = I shouldn’t vote

and my favourites:

4.what i find amazing is that there is no negative feedback on this product anywhere,(except here)yet,everyone here with negative feed has (never tried) the product. im reminded of a time when the world was once thought to be flat.with that said, if your going to lead the movement,on this so called fake irenew bracelet,at least try the damn thing first!

and gary stephens Reply:
August 14th, 2010 at 10:18 am

you don’t have to stick your head up a chickens ass to know where an egg comes from.

So in closing, while I do not mean to be harsh, if you bought one of these things, or your plans to build a zero point magnetic generator are in the mail, do yourself a favour. Turn off the TV and visit your local library. Might I suggest Tuning into Science Friday on NPR?  Oh, and quit reading the horoscope in your local paper.

That’s a SCAM too!

(Note this post has been updated as of 15 Aug.)

So I turn on MSNBC here in the hotel today to catch up on the days news and on pops this commercial for the i-Renew bracelet.

Here is the advert below.

I went to the company web site and they have a photo of a Mr. Scott Becker MD who is also in their commercial.

Look at the quote:

From the i-Renew Bracelet web site.

Oh, but it gets better, look how carefully the first paragraph on he website is worded:

Purpose – The main health benefit of i-Renew Bracelet is the ability to inspire each and everyone’s inner strength. This is done by reported benefits to create Higher Energy Levels, Greater Flexibility and Better Sleep, by wearing the i-Renew Bracelet. By achieving the three key results above will create a better more stronger you.

Now do you get it?? It’s supposed to inspire you to call on your inner strength. That’s right, this little bracelet is magic. It will inspire you to draw in your inner strength and create higher energy levels. Just how this happens they do not say. They want you to think it’s MAGIC!

They never actually claim it’s magic, but they sure make you think they have!

A little more digging and there is even more interesting tidbits. Take a look at what comes up when you google i-Renew Bracelet:

Google results for search of i-Renew bracelet

Notice the listing beneath the one that says “Seen On TV Offer”. Just what we need an unbiased review. It says, “Do Not Buy until you have read this review!” Well guess who did the review.

The same people hawking the bracelet??

I’d bet yes. They even have a direct link to go buy it! It looks like the whole google search page is full of sites made up by the same company selling this little trinket of junk.

Yea, these people are slick.

Real slick.

They are preying on scientific illiteracy and general ignorance. MSNBC should be ashamed for airing such tripe. The only bracelets the i-Renew people should be wearing in my opinion are handcuffs. If it were up to me they would be put in jail. That TV advert would never be allowed on air in most modern industrialized countries.

Why do we allow this pile of crap to be openly advertised here in America.

Maybe I should start selling a special glass cup. It absorbs the calories from your martini and you can drink a dozen and never gain a pound! It also has binding energy that reduces the effects of the alcohol so you will not get drunk. Amazing.

The state authorities where this Scott Becker has his lic. to practice medicine need to be looking at him as well. I sure would not want any doctor touching me who thinks that putting a plastic and metal bracelet on my wrist is going to do anything but block the sun from the spot it covers on my wrist.

Now, I don’t go around calling people liars very often. I even more rarely put it in writing.

So, come and get me iRenew. Show me one little piece of real peer reviewed science that says your bracelet does what you claim.

You can’t and you know it. Your slick little ad is a big lie designed to steal $20 from the pockets of poorly educated and scientifically illiterate Americans. We have a big supply of them too.

The saddest thing of all is that thousands of people will spend $20 they cannot afford to spend in this economy and buy one. After all, “They would not let them advertise it if it wasn’t true, RIGHT??”

If you read this, do the world a favour and file a complaint with the FTC over these frauds. While you are at it, drop GE a note and tell them to pull the advert. They are just as guilty for letting them air it, when they know good and well, it’s a hoax. You don’t get to be a big dog at MSNBC or GE and still be that patently stupid.

One last thing, what do you bet that I get emails from people who have one and say it really works?!!

NOTE:

After some of the best laughs I have had in years and a fuller realization of the failings of our educational system, I am closing the comments on this post. You can continue on the follow up to this post here.