Useless bomb detector risks lives

[Mojooo]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/newsnight/84...

Any thoughts on this?

Should there be an investigation and who would that be down to? Absolutley crazy if this guy is making lots of money over this and they are totally useless.

[dilbert]

If the detectees think it works, and the detectors know it's hokum, then it is possible that it's theatrical effect is actually useful.

[andy_s]

They use these a lot - sold to many a developing country - poor buggers.

Anyone with any sense that's seen one has scratched their heads about it. I did a course ran by the archetypal mad professor Alford quoted in the article. We spent most of the time testing his latest gadgets, and what he doesn't know isn't worth, well, knowing.

Edited by andy_s on Friday 22 January 15:44

[Jezza30]

Mojooo said:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/newsnight/84...

Any thoughts on this?

Should there be an investigation and who would that be down to? Absolutley crazy if this guy is making lots of money over this and they are totally useless.

Unbelievable! All paid for by the millions of dollars that were thrown into the country by the Americans no doubt. Poor blokes having to rely on such rubbish.

[andy_s]

dilbert said:

If the detectees think it works, and the detectors know it's hokum, then it is possible that it's theatrical effect is actually useful.

It's a bit of an expensive bluff at $40,000 a pop, you could make your own out of an old tranny (radio) and a - actually, that's it - just an old radio.


Ironically, at least one person has made a bomb from it.

Edited by andy_s on Friday 22 January 15:53

[FourWheelDrift]

First I have heard of them, can't believe anyone would fall for such a device the way it is said to (not) work. Terrible war profiteering. Don't they hang people for that?

[Graykiraa]

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2010/01/22/dowsing_ro...

someones on the case already!

[Mojooo]

Graykiraa said:

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2010/01/22/dowsing_ro...

someones on the case already!

Thats good. Fraud comesd with up 10 year years in jail.

Check out this quote

"McCormick hit back, however, telling the paper that “we have been dealing with doubters for ten years. One of the problems we have is that the machine does look a little primitive. We are working on a new model that has flashing lights.”"

lollage

[dilbert]

andy_s said:

dilbert said:

If the detectees think it works, and the detectors know it's hokum, then it is possible that it's theatrical effect is actually useful.

It's a bit of an expensive bluff at $40,000 a pop, you could make your own out of an old tranny (radio) and a - actually, that's it - just an old radio.


Ironically, at least one person has made a bomb from it.

Edited by andy_s on Friday 22 January 15:53

Not if you figure you're going to get that sort of publicity. I'd say 40K is cheap if you never get the chance to run another business!

[tybalt]

Shame the Nomadics FIDO is ITAR controlled really. Used to have one in my office, and it's a nifty bit of kit.

I would have thought they ought to be able to get something from Smiths Canada that wasn't ITAR though.

Maybe they can't buy anything that works due to trade controls and this is the route they are forced to go down. Theatrics and smoke and mirrors.

[Deva Link]

If he's sold 6,000 of them at $40,000 a pop then it's no surprise he's not very interested in a $1,000,000 offer to prove they work!

[fastfreddy]

"The training manual for the device says it can even, with the right card, detect elephants, humans and 100 dollar bills."

Well, if Iraq stop buying them as bomb detectors, there seems to be lots of other markets he can sell into!

If they have been exported to Iraq from the UK in such big numbers, you would have thought someone in the DTI should have looked at the operation a bit more closely and maybe even tested one of them?

[Parrot of Doom]

I hope his company's assets are seized, and returned in full to the Iraqi government. Quickly followed by this man, who should be tried in the Iraqi justice system.

[FourWheelDrift]

fastfreddy said:

"The training manual for the device says it can even, with the right card, detect elephants, humans and 100 dollar bills."

Is that to detect those famous invisible Elephants or the ones that hide in trees?

Because I don't need a detector to spot an Elephant.

[tybalt]

Deva Link said:

If he's sold 6,000 of them at $40,000 a pop then it's no surprise he's not very interested in a $1,000,000 offer to prove they work!

He sold them at $8k per unit, and the rest went in kickbacks (sorry; training and 'middlemen').

[Deva Link]

tybalt said:

Deva Link said:

If he's sold 6,000 of them at $40,000 a pop then it's no surprise he's not very interested in a $1,000,000 offer to prove they work!

He sold them at $8k per unit, and the rest went in kickbacks (sorry; training and 'middlemen').

I can't help having a sneaking admiration for the guy! He's probably a PHer with a raft of *very* flash cars.

[mcdjl]

He's not the only person to have sold them....the article says they date back to the 1990s under a different name and have been rubbished several times in between.

[FourWheelDrift]

Wouldn't it have been cheaper to hire Derek Acorah?

[smack]

There is a report on this on Newsnight - ie. now.

[CatherineJ]

It has just been on our local news. Apparently when the BBC turned up at their offices today, there was no one around.