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snake oil
Swiss Army Jacket With Air Purifier Helps You Breathe a Little Easier
Those who have trouble with allergies (and deep pockets) may try just about anything to help alleviate their symptoms, and chances are Victorinox had these people in mind when they developed this Swiss Army Tech Vest with Air Purifier. The purifier itself is located in the left breast pocket, and it supposedly transfers purified air to the funnel collar of the jacket where it can be sucked into sensitive lungs. My guess is that this jacket is nothing more than a means of separating suffering suckers from their hard-earned cash, but I'm not willing to spend the $500 to find out if it works. [Swiss Army via Wired]
snake oil
If the thought of blindness doesn't scare you, this Eye Power thingamajig supposedly uses ultrasonic waves to somehow jostle your nearsighted eyeball into compliance. Its makers claim a ten-minute session can cure those bleary deadlights of yours, so you can toss away those specs and contacts, forever eagle-eyed and triumphant over your once-stubborn progressive myopia. Either that or start getting used to playing lots of blues and wearing very dark sunglasses.
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Eye Power, Your Pushbutton Nearsightedness Cure, or One-Way Ticket to Blindness
If the thought of blindness doesn't scare you, this Eye Power thingamajig supposedly uses ultrasonic waves to somehow jostle your nearsighted eyeball into compliance. Its makers claim a ten-minute session can cure those bleary deadlights of yours, so you can toss away those specs and contacts, forever eagle-eyed and triumphant over your once-stubborn progressive myopia. Either that or start getting used to playing lots of blues and wearing very dark sunglasses.
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gadgets
Wired has put together a list of ten gadgets that have done little more than separate the gullible from their hard earned money. There are some classics on there, including: the harmony chip, MPion MP3 Player, the Philip Stein Teslar Watch, and my all-time personal favorite —the "ionized" Q-Ray bracelet. Seriously, every time I saw that commercial a little bit of my faith in humanity died. What little faith I had left was dashed when I learned that $200 piece of metal garbage managed to generate $87 million. Unbelievable. Hit the link for the full list. [Wired]
10 All-Time Gadget Rip-Offs
Wired has put together a list of ten gadgets that have done little more than separate the gullible from their hard earned money. There are some classics on there, including: the harmony chip, MPion MP3 Player, the Philip Stein Teslar Watch, and my all-time personal favorite —the "ionized" Q-Ray bracelet. Seriously, every time I saw that commercial a little bit of my faith in humanity died. What little faith I had left was dashed when I learned that $200 piece of metal garbage managed to generate $87 million. Unbelievable. Hit the link for the full list. [Wired]
audiophiles
We've been running into quite a few high-end audiophile devices lately, some of them outlandishly priced. Cases in point: those $7250 speaker wires from Pear Cable, or that $6,820 wooden volume control in the pic above. We're wondering how far this audiophile affinity goes, and would like for you to help us. What's the most outrageous audio product you've seen? Send us your nomination in the form of a URL to tips AT gizmodo.com, and we'll put together a gallery of all the most extreme entries. We're not necessarily making value judgments about whether any of these products actually make any difference or not, we just want to have a grand exhibition of the extravagant lengths to which audiophile products have extended. Have they gone overboard? Let's line them all up along with their prices, and then we'll let them speak for themselves.
Outrageous Audio Equipment: A Call for Examples
We've been running into quite a few high-end audiophile devices lately, some of them outlandishly priced. Cases in point: those $7250 speaker wires from Pear Cable, or that $6,820 wooden volume control in the pic above. We're wondering how far this audiophile affinity goes, and would like for you to help us. What's the most outrageous audio product you've seen? Send us your nomination in the form of a URL to tips AT gizmodo.com, and we'll put together a gallery of all the most extreme entries. We're not necessarily making value judgments about whether any of these products actually make any difference or not, we just want to have a grand exhibition of the extravagant lengths to which audiophile products have extended. Have they gone overboard? Let's line them all up along with their prices, and then we'll let them speak for themselves.
calling bullshit
James Randi Offers $1 Million If Audiophiles Can Prove $7250 Speaker Cables Are Better
Our rant about those $7,250 Pear Anjou speaker cables found its way to the James Randi Educational Foundation (JREF), and Randi offered $1 million to anyone who can prove those cables are any better than ordinary (and also overpriced) Monster Cables. Pointing out the absurd review by audiophile Dave Clark, who called the cables "danceable," Randi called it "hilarious and preposterous." He added that if the cables could do what their makers claimed, "they would be paranormal." More »
home entertainment
Transparent Opus Speaker Cables Bring You Audio Nirvana for $43,000 a Pair
We learned a lot from the feedback we got from the story about those "danceable" $7,250 cables from Pear Cable. Besides a complete reinforcement of that concept of a sucker being born every minute, we also found out the Pear Anjou cable's $7,250 price is a downright bargain compared with the prices of these Transparent Opus MM SC cables, where a pair of 25-footers will run you a cool $43,000.
One of the most astonishing accomplishments of the Transparent Cable Company is how it gets "reviewers" to play along with its con game.
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germproof, almost
VIOlight Travel Toothbrush Sanitizer, for Germophobes on the Run
Out here on the toothbrush beat, you run into all sorts of fear-mongering products such as the VIOlight Toothbrush Sanitizer. Now you can take that germophobia out on the road with the VIOlight Travel Toothbrush Sanitizer, a smaller version of that near-miraculous home version that probably does no good but might make you feel better anyway. More »
sucker magnet
Body Energizer Vibrating Exercise Machine Shrinks Something, But Not Your Butt
The Body Energizer Vibrating Exercise Machine claims to improve your muscle strength and bone density, using some magic high-frequency vibration. Doesn't this remind you of those worthless butt-shaking machines that were so popular back in the '60s? This one's makers also boast about how it could actually speed weight loss. They even drop the possibility of a few Olympic athletes using it. Take the jump to read the entertaining and incredible exultation to get you to buy this thing. And hey, it's on sale! More »
miracle drops
Poof! Stink Extinguisher, a Logical Review
Okay, if you're one of those fops whose shit don't stank, or if you can't stand a little potty talk, skip right on down to the next post. For the rest of us, here's Poof, a liquid deodorizer that somehow creates a translucent seal at the surface of the water containing those malodorous turds. Just two magic drops of this stuff can supposedly kick up the "refreshing scent of Japanese mint" while shielding the rest of the world from the essence of your nether throat. Does it work? More »
fish head antidote
Ionic Fridge Freshener Tries to Suck Up Stench
This Ionic Fridge Freshener looks to be the same size and shape as a garden-variety soda can, but it's festooned with evocative imagery, perhaps in an effort to convince you that it will actually get that horrible smell out of your refrigerator. What are you storing in there, anyway? Dead bodies? More »
germs run rampant
Those paragons of journalistic virtue, reporters from TV tabloid/rag Inside Edition, decided to see what kind of flora and fauna were thriving inside and on top of cellphones, and you may not like what they found. Eww. All kinds of shit, including HARMFUL BACTERIA, were seen crawling around when swabs from volunteer cellphones were rubbed on petri dishes and viewed under a microscope. Alert the media! Wait, this is the media. Okay, alert some gullible person!
Inside Edition Uncovers Tons of Crap Hiding in Cellphones
Those paragons of journalistic virtue, reporters from TV tabloid/rag Inside Edition, decided to see what kind of flora and fauna were thriving inside and on top of cellphones, and you may not like what they found. Eww. All kinds of shit, including HARMFUL BACTERIA, were seen crawling around when swabs from volunteer cellphones were rubbed on petri dishes and viewed under a microscope. Alert the media! Wait, this is the media. Okay, alert some gullible person!
1:53 PM on Mon Jul 2 2007
By Charlie White
7,347 views,
19 comments
Latest by sebas0069: When will Germs and Human Coexist? Come on, give them a break! Where are the Germs rights? more »
snake oil
MPION MP3 Player is Expensive, But Good for Magical Facials
When you get tired of listening to its measly 128MB worth of music, slap this MPION MP3 player up against your face and it'll give you a nice soothing facial. Get your mind out of the gutter, not that kind of facial. Its negative ion generator is said to magically clean all that gunk out of your skin's zillions of pores, supposedly doing that job far more effectively than mere soap and water. More »
snake oil
Talking Crotches Now Protected from Deadly Cellphones
We know a lot of guys whose crotches do the thinking for them, but we've yet to see anyone pressing a cellphone up against the old 'nads for a cellphone conversation. If there are such people, here's some radiation-proof underwear that'll keep those balls protected from deadly radiation, keeping their billions and billions of delicate sperm out of harm's way. You do know that cellphones emit killer rays that fry your brain with every call, don't you? Imagine what they could do to your family jewels. More »
snake oil
TwiLight Ultra Blue Light Sleep Therapy System Lights Your Way to Cloud Cuckoo Land
Maybe it doesn't really cost $2300 to get yourself a light that will jerk around your circadian rhythms. Now Verilux is rolling out its $89.95 TwiLight Ultra Blue Light Sleep Therapy System, which purports to do the same thing: improve your sleep patterns. More »
quack, quack, quack
Harmony Chip Uses Quantum Mechanics to Cure All Ills, Fix Your Car
Well looky here folks, it's finally arrived, the Harmony Chip, using the mysterious principles of quantum mechanics to give you a cure for anything that ever ailed you. It heals cuts, drives away aches and pains, makes you think more clearly, cures osteoporosis and high blood pressure, and hey, it can even make your car run better. One guy even said it made his knives stay sharper longer. Hook one up to your cellphone and protect yourself from "electro-smog," and those deadly "chaotic scaler waves," too. Thank goodness, we were getting worried about those. More »
gadgets
Expertise 3P Screen Mist Chases Away Those Killer Electro-Waves
You never know when your brain might be fried by those harmful electromagnetic waves, swirling around us and ruining our lives, electron by electron. That's why you need this extra special Expertise 3P Screen Mist from Clarins. It'll protect you from all those electronic creepy crawlies, and the stuff makes you look younger, too. This from the company's breathless press materials:An ultra-sheer screen mist containing a pioneering combination of plant extracts capable of protecting the skin from the accelerated-ageing effects of all indoor and outdoor air pollution but most significantly, the effects of Artificial Electromagnetic Waves.It's hard to believe there are enough suckers in this world to buy into bullshit like this. Sadly, chumps will snap up this innocuous liquid by the caseload. Oh yeah, it's $40 for a 3.5 oz bottle. Let's just call it a stupid tax. More »
gadgets
Hopefully you didn't get too excited about our recent post about Enviga, the Coca-Cola Company green tea that apparently claims to burn more calories than it contains. Our Consumerist pals are the ones with the whole truth, and they found that the research behind this claim is bogus. Studying the fine print, they discovered the study only had 32 people participating, and all were of normal weight. Plus, the results showed no difference in fat burning between the ones who drank this swill and those who drank up a placebo version of it.
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Enviga Fat Burning Tea: Snake Oil Scam, Just as You Predicted
Hopefully you didn't get too excited about our recent post about Enviga, the Coca-Cola Company green tea that apparently claims to burn more calories than it contains. Our Consumerist pals are the ones with the whole truth, and they found that the research behind this claim is bogus. Studying the fine print, they discovered the study only had 32 people participating, and all were of normal weight. Plus, the results showed no difference in fat burning between the ones who drank this swill and those who drank up a placebo version of it.
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