8 ms·
Pulling apart a £339 anti-5G USB stick
- rendx 6y agoEthical dilemma of placebos. If they give relief...?
- Sayrus 6y agoIs the price part of the placebo?
- BiteCode_dev 6y agoYes. More value, more effect.
- djaychela 6y agoI know what you mean - and the relief side of it is OK, but the downside is that people then think that this is a real thing, and 5G really is the issue, and they're right to do this, etc... When I try to think about it in terms of the effect on people, it's much more complex than my initial "you muppets deserve to be relieved of £300 for believing total rubbish" reaction. You then think 'well, these people just need to be educated about this and then they'll see what's actually happening', but those kinds of strategies don't have the success rate you'd hope for in a rational world. I wonder how many they've sold?
- robin_reala 6y agoThe problem is that it’s one more step on the road to burning 5G masts because they cause COVID.
- ClikeX 6y agoI'm fine with placebo's if people get relief. The problem with this is that it validates the 5G hate.
- MattGaiser 6y agoIf it will stop people from burning towers, let them sell a million.
- numlock86 6y ago> [...] promises to protect your family from 5G, using ground-breaking quantum technology My intuitive guess would be that for the target audience "ground-breaking quantum technology" would cause even more problems for their family than 5G. Interesting.
- deleted 6y ago[deleted]
- pb82 6y agoDon't think so. Quantum is often used as a convenient explanation for why things work in those circles (at least from what i've seen). How does it protect me from evil radiation? It's quantum, you wouldn't understand.
- numlock86 6y agoHm, I was always under the impression that not understanding a physical system is the root cause for such technological fears. Clearly quantum mechanics are in the same realm. But maybe this can be used as a cure for many fears? I mean multiple studies have shown that the root cause for fear of flying comes from not knowing or understanding how a plane flies. I mean sure, it clearly does not flap its wings, so it might crash any second? But some quantum-stirred and fossil-entangled jet fuel might help.
- ClikeX 6y agoIronically, they fear the logical explanations they don't understand. But with "quantum" they can wave off everything as if its magic. These people distrust sciency explanations because they think its harmful manmade stuff. They only trust things that sound like they're part of the "natural order" of things.
- deleted 6y ago[deleted]
- microcolonel 6y agoWhat ‘AI’ is to B2B, ‘quantum’ is to B2C.
- Synaesthesia 6y agoI have some oxygenated water to sell you. Oh and oxygen free copper cables. I see the radius of the bubble is large enough to protect my entire house.
- timrichard 6y agoThis item is based on no science and horribly overpriced, but cosmetically attractive and sneakily marketed. Shocking. They should diversify into premium Hifi. Edit.
- franciscop 6y agoWhere is the pseudoscience? It seems like an outright scam from the author's post, without any science pretense.
- djaychela 6y agoHave you read the claims on the website[1]? It's a case study in pseudoscience. [1] - https://5gbioshield.com/ https://5gbioshield.com/
- romwell 6y ago>They should diversify into premium Hifi. All they need to do is make that plug golden, and sell it for $1K.
- Avamander 6y agoYeah, you can even sell gold-plated TOSLINK cables.
- Macha 6y agoTheir previous business was diet supplements.
- boomboomsubban 6y agoWhy is this product even a USB stick? The advertisement says it works fine just placing it near your cell phone. Do people have some sort of trust in USB sticks?
- MattGaiser 6y agoIt is the cheapest electronic looking thingy that can easily fit on a key chain.
- boomboomsubban 6y agoMaking it electronic looking at all seems like a strange choice. Surely at least some people would know electronics need electricity.
- MattGaiser 6y ago> Surely at least some people would know electronics need electricity. If you buy into the conspiracy, then electricity is probably some kind of dark magic to you. EDIT: They actually have you plug it in to charge it periodically or expand the protective field.
- boomboomsubban 6y agoIf they say that, the lack of a battery on disassembly could make their claims provably false rather than obviously false.
- pornel 6y agoNah, you're looking for an old-fashioned official-science battery. It charges a bio-quantum spiritual battery.
- gambiting 6y ago>> Surely at least some people would know electronics need electricity. I think the Venn diagram of people who know this and people who think they can protect themselves from 5G with a crystal stick has absolutely no overlap.
- s1t5 6y agoThings like this go to show how much money can be made with low effort if you don't have a conscience.
- MattGaiser 6y agoIf the cost of progress is having the opponents of progress waste their money to allay their fictional fears, I could come to terms with the ethics of that.
- titzer 6y agoAbsolutely. Now realize the entire economy is a sliding scale of quackery from completely quack-a-scamtastic to fairly sober. It's just a question of the weighting of that spectrum.
- ngold 6y agoA fool can be parted from their money, but only time will tell
- notahacker 6y agoSurprised none of the many 5G-related Android apps appear to be marketing themselves as being able to turn off the evil high speed connectivity yet. I hear they're especially efficient on non 5G capable phones :)
- BiteCode_dev 6y agoIf you see "quantum" in a general public health product, you know it's going to be a scam, but probably a successful one. My mother loves those kind of things and no amount of discussion with her will create any doubt in her mind. I can't blame people falling for this though. They have been disrespected by the traditional health institutions for so long any escape seems good to them. You can see the same effect in politics. To an extend, the current authorities have a lot of responsability in people listening to crooks.
- ahsima1 6y agoIt can also even be literally radioactive https://youtu.be/mEm9ooXyKss https://youtu.be/mEm9ooXyKss
- djaychela 6y agoIf you think this is just bunk, and you'd like a laugh, read the FAQs on the website [1]... My favourite: >Does the device remove the EMF from the environment? If so can I use a meter to measure EMF? >>The 'electro magnetic meter' can only measure the intensity of radiation which is not changed by our technology nor does it change the quality of connection and speed of data transfer. Well, that's convenient, isn't it? >>Our device harmonises all harmful frequencies into life affirming frequencies - it doesn't block - it transmutes. I note there is no mention of which frequencies are 'harmful' and which are 'life affirming' - which would be even more useful given the frequency range of a WiFi or Cellular device, so you'd know which is which... >> The only methods that we know can measure the difference between imbalanced radiation (without protection) and balanced radiation (with protection) These positive test results can be found on our website - please look for 'Case Study ' under Science and Research tab. The Case Study starts with this paragraph: >>In our civilization is emerging new science based on knowledge, whereas the official (old) science is based on information. We get information through our senses which are dual and deliver us an inverted picture of the truth and consequently, information is the opposite of knowledge so that all the old scientific concepts are therefore the upside down of the true concepts. Do people actually believe this nonsense? It sounds like the kind of thing that Russell Brand was wittering about a couple of years ago - that your senses are the only way to interface with reality, and if you can't sense it it's not there, etc... Which can be disproved in seconds, even by a 10-year old child. I find it profoundly depressing when this kind of bamboozlement of the gullible is done in the form of sciency language. And it always seems to be done with a big price tag at the end of it. [1] https://5gbioshield.com/frequently-asked-questions/ https://5gbioshield.com/frequently-asked-questions/
- PoachedSausage 6y agoReminds me of the ADE651 fake bomb detector[0]. At least people will not die because of this. [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ADE_651 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ADE_651
- SenHeng 6y ago> Investigations by the BBC and other organisations found that the device is little more than a "glorified dowsing rod" with no detecting ability. In January 2010, export of the device was banned by the British government and the managing director of ATSC was arrested on suspicion of fraud;[3] in June 2010, several other companies were raided by British police.[4] ATSC was dissolved on 5 March 2013.[5] On 23 April 2013, the founder of ATSC, James "Jim" McCormick, was convicted of three counts of fraud[6] and subsequently sentenced to ten years' imprisonment.[7] Let's hope our false saviour meets the same fate.
- Zenst 6y agoSelling tin foil as specialist EMF limiting wallpaper would be more honest than this device and yet, there will be people out there who will buy this and what's more, some of those will believe it works whatever you tell or show them.
- topoftheforts 6y agoTwo things come to my mind: - this is basically an ignorance tax - sometimes I wish I had no conscience, I would be much richer
- CodeGlitch 6y agoSee the gambling industry...
- bonzini 6y agoIf you've never heard about the Gopher, read on: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-29459896 https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-29459896 Also here is a hilarious recount of the same story in Italian, you might have success with automated translation: https://bagniproeliator.it/cerca-una-pallina-da-golf-trova-ritardati-mentali/ https://bagniproeliator.it/cerca-una-pallina-da-golf-trova-r...
- gpderetta 6y ago«È un’invenzione supersegreta di un mio amico, ex direttore della NASA. Intercetta le vibracole moleizzate dell’atmosfera catafrastica protocollo Trider G7 tu del cosmo imbattibile eroe.» I'm literally^Wfiguratively rolling on the floor laughing!
- topoftheforts 6y agoI hadn't heard of it, also I happen to be Italian so that's perfect, thanks!
- BubRoss 6y agoAmazingly, it is still less of a scam than Lacie hard drives.
- technicolorwhat 6y agoWhat I don't understand is that a site like BBC, doesn't actually harshly denounce it as a scam. Why?
- djaychela 6y agoIf they do, they'll be accused of bias as part of the MSM, and being a front for the 5G industry that's trying to enslave us all with their deep-state motives and digital vaccine master plan. Or something fitting that closely.
- gerdesj 6y agoIf you read the article carefully you will hear a quiet sniggering in the background. Devastating.
- thinkingemote 6y agoPossibly they assume that those who are able to read the article are able to form that obvious opinion for themselves? I'm comparing this to the lowest common denominator style of news in the USA.
- Macha 6y agoThe BBC is very proud of its neutrality, where neutrality is usually interpreted as "quote both sides, even if one is obviously crazy"
- colourgarden 6y ago> The BBC is very proud of its neutrality Not just proud of it - it must be impartial as per the terms of the Royal Charter and licence under which it is allowed to operate.
- krak12 6y agoA perfect target for Softbank or other VCs in the valley, such margins can’t be ignored.
- notkaiho 6y agoWhat an absolute lack of surprise that the person with one of these is from Glastonbury
- sgt 6y agoWhat's so special about Glastonbury?
- notahacker 6y agoGlastonbury is a town with a long history, some ancient myths concerning its historic monuments and a very famous music festival which make it attractive to various types of New Age spiritualists and retired hippies. The UK has plenty of councillors with very unusual views, but Glastonbury is where most satirists would locate a councillor who believed in magic anti-5G fields [just like they'd locate the retired major colonel who's disgruntled about parking issues or lack of respect for royalty in Tunbridge Wells]
- inscartwheelies 6y agoReminds me of the fuel "savers," "no-soap ionic" laundry balls, sonic insect "repellers," solar freakin roadways, Kailo, and free energy "inventions." Many people want so desperately to believe that magical-thinking shortcut "solutions" will work that they'll spend good money to try to make it happen that they will suspend logic and critical thinking.
- dhsysusbsjsi 6y agoThe most worrying thing I found about this article is the seriousness of the review - as if the pseudoscience is real and the review is checking if the fake device works against the fake science. This is very worrying it made it into the BBC.
- lb1lf 6y ago-I read it more like the BBC trying to keep the reporting neutral to a tee while still leaving no doubt (to anyone but the most ardent believer in quackery) that this device is a scam. Decidedly British, I'd say.
- speedgoose 6y agoI think the article makes a lot of fun about the product and is obviously described as a funny and expensive scam between the lines : "So what's different between it and a virtually identical 'crystal' USB key available from various suppliers in Shenzhen, China, for around £5 per key?" asks Ken Munro, whose company, Pen Test Partners, specialises in taking apart consumer electronic products to spot security vulnerabilities. And the answer appears to be a circular sticker. "Now, we're not 5G quantum experts but said sticker looks remarkably like one available in sheets from stationery suppliers for less than a penny each," he says.
- dhsysusbsjsi 6y agoOh I totally missed the humour here. I guess we are bombarded with so much idiocracy now that it’s hard to tell spoof comedy from real news.
- detaro 6y agoshould probably point to source URL: https://www.pentestpartners.com/security-blog/reverse-engineering-a-5g-bioshield/ https://www.pentestpartners.com/security-blog/reverse-engine...
- gerdesj 6y agoGlasto is renowned for being a bit different: "Mr Hall said his remarks in Glastonbury Town Council's 5G Advisory Committee report should not be seen as a recommendation to buy the product. But he had no regrets about buying it and since plugging it in had felt beneficial effects, including being able to sleep through the night and having more dreams." "I also felt a 'calmer' feel to the home," he told BBC News. It's reassuring to know that your taxes are well spent on ensuring town council members can get a full night's sleep by buying a sticker.
- tonyedgecombe 6y agoGlastonbury (the town) is like a different world, you have to visit it to appreciate it. https://normalforglastonbury.uk https://normalforglastonbury.uk
- dejv 6y agoReminds me adapter plugs that filter out electricity generated by nuclear power plants.
- b3lvedere 6y agoI've always wondered how people manage to seperate the 'bad electrons coming from nuclear power plants' from the 'good electrons coming from good old safe coal power plants' :)
- kmlx 6y agoyour tax £££ hard at work: Report and Recommendations from Glastonbury Town Council’s 5G Advisory Committee PDF: https://stop5g.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/FinalReportandRecommendationsfromGlastonburys5GAdvisoryCommitteePRINT.pdf https://stop5g.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/FinalReporta... Toby Hall's comments are gold. > Surveillance, IOT- Internet of Things, and 5G. Crowd control, mind control, ‘voice to skull’, and the ability to manipulate individuals or groups of people emotionally, even to self-harm are achieved via RFR programming. This patented technology is being used worldwide. 5G is the vehicle for total control and the ‘surveillance state’, this is pernicious and dangerous. > Medical/Health damage. RFR damage can be slow and accumulative. With higher levels it can be lethal and dramatic. Such as flocks of birds falling out of the sky dead when 5G is turned on. People get nose bleeds and suicide rates increase.
- TorKlingberg 6y agoThe website of the "professor" behind this is lovely: https://teslastyle101.com https://teslastyle101.com It's almost Time Cube level (he seems to prefer other polyhedrons).
- sargun 6y agoIf it makes people feel better, and gets people to stop being unreasonably unhappy about something harmless, who are we to ruin that for them? I guess we could be opening ourselves up to a slippery slide, or some danger that people make unsafe decisions because of this, but I think this is relatively innocuous.
- wilt 6y agoPfft this is already out of date. My usb stick with a sticker of a dolphin can block 6g.
- senectus1 6y agoWhen will they solve the problem of Dihydrogen Monoxide? The stuff just falls from the sky!! https://www.dhmo.org/ https://www.dhmo.org/