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Some bots producing fake reviews on Amazon are just too funny to write off. My favorite (https://www.amazon.com/Evaluation-Astroskin-Behavioral-Self-Monitoring

Some bots producing fake reviews on Amazon are just too funny to write off. My favorite (https://www.amazon.com/Evaluation-Astroskin-Behavioral-Self-Monitoring-Spaceflight/dp/B01BJCADZO#customerReviews https://www.amazon.com/Evaluation-Astroskin-Behavioral-Self-...): "Wow!!!!! this product exceeded all my expectations. When I travel through space, I have always wished there was a way to measure my vital signs without bulky hardware and uncomfortable wires! Arun's project report taught me everything I needed to know about the benefits and limitations of astroskin! Now I can purchase this system for myself and my crew with confidence that I did not have before. I highly recommend this report to anyone wanting to measure their blood pressure in space or other extremely harsh environments." The product is being sold for $169.43 on Amazon, and is actually a PDF available for free via NASA.gov. See: https://ntrs.nasa.gov/api/citations/20150021842/downloads/20150021842.pdf https://ntrs.nasa.gov/api/citations/20150021842/downloads/20... As for the peeing in bottles thing, Amazon is not that smart. There are people that look completely normal, that experience life-threatening autonomic dysreflexia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Autonomic_dysreflexia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Autonomic_dysreflexia) from having to hold their bladder, even if it is just for seconds, like me. Perhaps I should try working in a US Amazon warehouse. It would be perfect lawsuit material and the ultimate power play against their inhumane policies around toileting breaks.

tgsovlerkhgsel 6y ago
What makes you think it's a bot or paid shill, not a human that found it funny that someone is selling such bullshit and making fun of that fact?
- asdff 6y ago
  Because you can find an example of these ridiculously artificial reviews on every single product on the Amazon store.
  - mimischi 6y ago
    What makes you think it's a bot or paid shill, not a human that found it funny that someone is selling such bullshit and making fun of that fact?
    - asdff 6y ago
      Because that sort of cynical sarcastic person with too much time on their hands is pretty rare given how many of these blatant fake reviews I see all over Amazon and elsewhere on the internet, where there is a strong financial incentive to game reviews. I'm also aware that people are far more likely to leave a negative review than a glowing one. I'm not going to review some toaster I like positively, why would I waste my time on this $30 toaster that does the job it's supposed to do? But if I have an axe to grind, I get serious catharsis warning future people from buying this toaster from hell. It's especially telling when the reviews are highly bimodal: you see either people all have the same exact fault with the product, or borderline cult level derangement 5 star reviews that don't even mention the name of the product and could have been written about anything from a hair dryer to a garden hose.
aembleton 6y ago
I'm not sure that was created by a bot.
- disabled 6y ago
  A lot of my work revolves around physiological research of bioelectrical signals produced by the human body. If you have spent as much time in this niche field as I have, you would know that this had to be a fake, both from the apparent context already stated along with details that others do not know. For example, for your 5 person "crew" to be using the Astroskin, let's just say that you would have to invest $10k-$15k to even start. The prices of the Astroskin are obscene and are not publicly advertised. Its extremely similar, slightly less advanced counterpart, the Hexoskin, is much more reasonably priced: https://www.hexoskin.com/ https://www.hexoskin.com/ From a technology standpoint, the actual hardware and materials for an Astroskin system cost around $175-$200 (clothing set + processing unit) to produce, so they really are making bank.
  - wheybags 6y ago
    To me, it reads like a joke, not a bot.
    - Uberphallus 6y ago
      Yeah, it's certainly a joke. Also it's the one single review of that item. Why would you bot a single review of an item?
snarf21 6y ago
I don't think they are making it illegal to go the bathroom they are just making it economically awful. If you miss X minutes in an hour, the whole hour doesn't count. You have to deliver X packages per hour everyday and one miss gets you written up, which can lead to firing. You seem to forget that a lot of these workers are unskilled and have few choices. Amazon may be paying $15/hr but they will work you like dogs. Some people will accept that because they need the money and McDonald's just doesn't pay enough. It will be interesting to see what Amazon will have to pay if some of the minimum wage increases start to pass.
- disabled 6y ago
  > I don't think they are making it illegal to go the bathroom they are just making it economically awful. If you miss X minutes in an hour, the whole hour doesn't count. You have to deliver X packages per hour everyday and one miss gets you written up, which can lead to firing. It's called disability discrimination. Getting paid less on the sole basis of your disability is generally considered to be disability discrimination in the US. Having to use the toilet every hour or so for 1-3 minutes to take care of business in this case is a reasonable accommodation legally mandated in US law. Considering that it is /immediately life-threatening/ and /immediately quantifiable/ (via blood pressure readings-continuous, spontaneous, or otherwise), it is very clear that Amazon would have an extremely difficult time weaseling their way out of trouble with their strict enforcement of a zero-tolerance, all-or-nothing, policy. > You seem to forget that a lot of these workers are unskilled and have few choices. Congratulations for pointing out the obvious. There are a ton of people who have ended up with UTIs and other health consequences from having to not only hold it at Amazon warehouse, but also being forced to purposefully dehydrate themselves, in the short term and long term. The toilet issue is so ridiculous that somebody who can should take them for a ride and fight for the people who are less fortunate. I would look to it as an adventure and a "summer job". I have legal authorization to work in both the US and the European Union on a long-term, permanent basis, so why not test the waters? As I said, the condition I have is immediately life-threatening, so it's pretty clear cut that they would be putting my life in danger (strokes, seizures, retinal detachment, etc.) by "punishing" me for using the toilet.
  - 6y ago
duskwuff 6y ago
That review is pretty obviously a joke. The account has a long history of occasional legitimate-looking reviews on ordinary products -- it's nothing like the pattern that's typical of bot reviewers.

tgsovlerkhgsel 6y ago

What makes you think it's a bot or paid shill, not a human that found it funny that someone is selling such bullshit and making fun of that fact?

asdff 6y ago
Because you can find an example of these ridiculously artificial reviews on every single product on the Amazon store.
- mimischi 6y ago
  What makes you think it's a bot or paid shill, not a human that found it funny that someone is selling such bullshit and making fun of that fact?
  - asdff 6y ago
    Because that sort of cynical sarcastic person with too much time on their hands is pretty rare given how many of these blatant fake reviews I see all over Amazon and elsewhere on the internet, where there is a strong financial incentive to game reviews. I'm also aware that people are far more likely to leave a negative review than a glowing one. I'm not going to review some toaster I like positively, why would I waste my time on this $30 toaster that does the job it's supposed to do? But if I have an axe to grind, I get serious catharsis warning future people from buying this toaster from hell. It's especially telling when the reviews are highly bimodal: you see either people all have the same exact fault with the product, or borderline cult level derangement 5 star reviews that don't even mention the name of the product and could have been written about anything from a hair dryer to a garden hose.

aembleton 6y ago

I'm not sure that was created by a bot.

disabled 6y ago
A lot of my work revolves around physiological research of bioelectrical signals produced by the human body. If you have spent as much time in this niche field as I have, you would know that this had to be a fake, both from the apparent context already stated along with details that others do not know. For example, for your 5 person "crew" to be using the Astroskin, let's just say that you would have to invest $10k-$15k to even start. The prices of the Astroskin are obscene and are not publicly advertised. Its extremely similar, slightly less advanced counterpart, the Hexoskin, is much more reasonably priced: https://www.hexoskin.com/ https://www.hexoskin.com/ From a technology standpoint, the actual hardware and materials for an Astroskin system cost around $175-$200 (clothing set + processing unit) to produce, so they really are making bank.
- wheybags 6y ago
  To me, it reads like a joke, not a bot.
  - Uberphallus 6y ago
    Yeah, it's certainly a joke. Also it's the one single review of that item. Why would you bot a single review of an item?

snarf21 6y ago

I don't think they are making it illegal to go the bathroom they are just making it economically awful. If you miss X minutes in an hour, the whole hour doesn't count. You have to deliver X packages per hour everyday and one miss gets you written up, which can lead to firing. You seem to forget that a lot of these workers are unskilled and have few choices. Amazon may be paying $15/hr but they will work you like dogs. Some people will accept that because they need the money and McDonald's just doesn't pay enough. It will be interesting to see what Amazon will have to pay if some of the minimum wage increases start to pass.

disabled 6y ago
> I don't think they are making it illegal to go the bathroom they are just making it economically awful. If you miss X minutes in an hour, the whole hour doesn't count. You have to deliver X packages per hour everyday and one miss gets you written up, which can lead to firing. It's called disability discrimination. Getting paid less on the sole basis of your disability is generally considered to be disability discrimination in the US. Having to use the toilet every hour or so for 1-3 minutes to take care of business in this case is a reasonable accommodation legally mandated in US law. Considering that it is /immediately life-threatening/ and /immediately quantifiable/ (via blood pressure readings-continuous, spontaneous, or otherwise), it is very clear that Amazon would have an extremely difficult time weaseling their way out of trouble with their strict enforcement of a zero-tolerance, all-or-nothing, policy. > You seem to forget that a lot of these workers are unskilled and have few choices. Congratulations for pointing out the obvious. There are a ton of people who have ended up with UTIs and other health consequences from having to not only hold it at Amazon warehouse, but also being forced to purposefully dehydrate themselves, in the short term and long term. The toilet issue is so ridiculous that somebody who can should take them for a ride and fight for the people who are less fortunate. I would look to it as an adventure and a "summer job". I have legal authorization to work in both the US and the European Union on a long-term, permanent basis, so why not test the waters? As I said, the condition I have is immediately life-threatening, so it's pretty clear cut that they would be putting my life in danger (strokes, seizures, retinal detachment, etc.) by "punishing" me for using the toilet.
- 6y ago

duskwuff 6y ago

That review is pretty obviously a joke. The account has a long history of occasional legitimate-looking reviews on ordinary products -- it's nothing like the pattern that's typical of bot reviewers.