Dan's Wild Wild Science Journal

Sign advertising the Power Balance Bracelets. (Pic taken by my wife)

So I go out to eat on my birthday Wednesday and what do I see?

This sign at a fitness store next to my fave tex-mex place.

Could it be another scam.

Yes indeedy!

I wonder how many thousands they have scammed??

Let’s take a look at their website and see what unscientific goodies we can find.

Here is what they claim on their web site:

•What is Power Balance?

Power Balance is Performance Technology designed to work with your body’s natural energy field. Founded by athletes, Power Balance is a favorite among elite athletes for whom balance, strength and flexibility are important.

•How Does the Hologram Work?

Power Balance is based on the idea of optimizing the body’s natural energy flow, similar to concepts behind many Eastern philosophies. The hologram in Power Balance is designed to resonate with and respond to the natural energy field of the body.

from plognark's blog- gotta love it.

Ok, I have just a few questions if I may.

1. What is the body’s “natural energy field”?? What is it composed of and how is it generated?

2. How is it measured?

3. Who discovered it? Has anyone taken a picture of it??

4. Have there been any papers published on it in a peer reviewed scientific/medical journal?

5. How is this natural energy field connected to the health of someone?

6. Is it radiation? Is it dangerous radiation? Do some people have an energy field while others do not?

7. Do fat people have a bigger field than skinny people? Does it get weaker as you age?

8. How does your little piece of plastic with a hologram printed on it resonate with this so called field?

9. If it does resonate with it, how could this affect the body?

10. How much money have you paid these athletes to claim a piece of plastic and silicone worn on the wrist can do anything other than make your wrist sweat??

The fact that thousands of people are buying this junk is proof positive of the lack of basic science literacy in America. If you are taking a class somewhere and you see one of these on your instructors wrist- run!

(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.

I wrote a post here about the so called “climategate” emails several months ago. None of these have ever been published here because they were private and were stolen.

That’s a felony .

The reality of the planet's temperature rise. From Richard Smith UNC Dept of Statistics from a presentation last week in Washington.

Most of the public have never even heard about them, which is not surprising. Unfortunately, the minority of conspiracy theorists out there have been busy sending death threats to some of the top experts in the world. Some of these experts I ‘ve spent time with (quite recently) and call them friends. What I think of the people behind these death threats is not a big secret.

This blog has always been about science and not politics and I plan on keeping it that way. That said, when someone makes wild accusations or states as facts that are on a scientific basis are flat wrong, they become fair game. Senator Inhofe of Oklahoma is one of them. I have said before and repeat again that he is an embarrassment to the good people of my home state of Oklahoma.

Peter Sinclair a science journalist has been producing some excellent journalism in the form of videos for quite awhile now. They  highlight the inanity of those on the front lines of the war against science. This weeks edition pretty much sums up the reality of the so called “climategate” issue.

That about covers it.

The war on science in America shows no signs of abating. If anything, it’s gotten much worse.

While I try hard to avoid politics on this journal, when people try to change science to their own beliefs or rewrite history for the same reasons, I’m going to talk about it. It doesn’t matter what political party you belong to. This case has to do with some political extremists who run the Texas public schools. Just find me some crazy on the other side of the political spectrum attacking science, and I will gladly give equal time. It’s not about the politics, it IS about the science.

From Climate Progress by Joe Romm. What is happening to science in Texas is downright scary. The cartoon is kinda funny though...

Joe Romm at Climate Progress has this cartoon up. It speaks volumes.

There is not much more that I can add except to say that I was not kidding in the title of this post. If you have kids in Texas public schools, you should probably consider  pulling them out and get them a real science education.

Astronomer Phil Plait has an excellent post on this as well.  It’s not an exaggeration to say that the faculty of almost every science department at every major university in America, are incredulous over these kind of things.

The reason for all of this is the lack of basic science education in the first place. The public’s idea of what a scientific theory is and the reality of what a scientific theory is are totally different.

In many ways- Scientific theories OUT RANK Laws.

Scientific method has taken us from living in wood huts, to walking on the Moon and exploring the outer planets in 400 years. See Science Fights back.

Science will win this war. It always has. It will win because science is based on observation and evidence.

Not political belief.

Update: The NYT has published an editorial today on this subject.

Who has to change that clock??? Dan's picture.

The U.S. has recently lengthened by one month the annual setting of the clocks ahead by one hour. If you are in the USA, the time to do this is 2 AM this Sunday morning 14 March.

The UK, and most of western Europe, will not jump forward until 28 March.

Supposedly, the first person to have the idea was none other than Ben Franklin who argued it would save lamp oil and candles in summer. The reason being that it would get dark much later than in winter and people would go to bed soon after darkness fell. This makes sense and it likely did save energy when first enacted during the first world war.

It almost certainly does not now. There is very good evidence that it actually costs us more money.

Two studies on the past 3 years have come up with the same conclusions. The extra air conditioning use in the evening when people are home from work, costs far more energy than the lower use of lighting. As more and more compact fluorescent lights are used, the difference will be even greater I suspect.

Joe Romm over at Climate Progress has a good post on this. (He actually beat me to it!)

Better yet, read the actual paper. Mouse on the image below to read it.

Kotchen and Grant found, that in Indiana, the change to the clocks in summer cost Indiana folks around 9 million dollars a year extra in power bills! That was BEFORE the congress added a month to it!

Since we still get most of our electricity from the dirtiest method possible by  burning coal, this is adding a lot of pollution and green house gases to the atmosphere.  See A REMINDER ABOUT COAL. A report on CBS News says heart attacks go up 6% during daylight time. Not sure why.

Here is my vote for leaving the darn clocks alone!

Later,

one hour later to be exact,

Dan