Comments for Woo on the Wing at http://www.randi.org/site , comment 1 to 19 out of 19 comments http://www.randi.org/site Fri, 24 May 2013 04:17:15 +0100 FeedCreator 1.7.3 http://www.randi.org/site/index.php/swift-blog/312-woo-on-the-wing.html#comment-631 re: "Oh hey, Brookstone has a Pain Relief Wand that uses infrared emitting LEDs." I saw an ad on TV for a similar device and told my wife we could get the same effect (ie nothing), a lot more cheaply, by going to the garage, turning on the flashing safety lights on our bicycles and standing in front of them. A while back I bought a handful of spares at the local flea market for about $2 apiece. Maybe if I glue some sort of handle to them and make up a convincing ad I can tap into the woo-woo market. I could use the bucks. - Die Anyway Fri, 05 Dec 2008 08:35:16 +0100 http://www.randi.org/site/index.php/swift-blog/312-woo-on-the-wing.html#comment-477 It's always been my experience that wrinkles are less visible when they are in the path of *less* light. - Trish Tue, 02 Dec 2008 07:59:18 +0100 http://www.randi.org/site/index.php/swift-blog/312-woo-on-the-wing.html#comment-450 I send you a teaser from an article I'm writing, and you do this?? WTF? - GeekGoddess Mon, 01 Dec 2008 10:33:17 +0100 http://www.randi.org/site/index.php/swift-blog/312-woo-on-the-wing.html#comment-388 "Ebarrased Delta Pilot"'s reply is the reason JREF exists. It's here to expose embarrasing woo-woo stuff not for our self-satisfaction of knowing better, but in order to change things if possible. Alas, experience shows it is hard to change these sort of things -- losing those advertisers would cost Delta and SkyMall money, and that is by far the most important concern the companies have. Nevertheless, it's worth a try: it's no use sitting on one's hand saying, cynically, "oh, they won't do anything, they just care about the money". Companies are made of people, and people are sometimes concerned *do* have ethics and other concerns -- or, at least, they want the company to look good publically. We might be pleasantly surprised with the response to "Embarrased Delta Pilot"'s complaint. - Skeptic Fri, 28 Nov 2008 20:09:13 +0100 http://www.randi.org/site/index.php/swift-blog/312-woo-on-the-wing.html#comment-386 The best product by far here is the Yeti garden gnome. It's the only honest product in the batch: it *IS* actually a Yeti garden gnome. It doesn't promise to make your wine taste better, or make you live longer, or is claimed to be made from bits of real Yetis, or that it will attract Yetis to your garden after a two-month waiting period. It's a piece of junk, naturally, but at least it is what is says. Quite an achievement for a product advertised on skymall. - Skeptic Fri, 28 Nov 2008 19:59:05 +0100 http://www.randi.org/site/index.php/swift-blog/312-woo-on-the-wing.html#comment-375 It's not a public company, but my guess is that it's quite lucrative. Their website says the catalog is seen by 88% of all domestic air passengers. - hopfen Fri, 28 Nov 2008 12:36:03 +0100 http://www.randi.org/site/index.php/swift-blog/312-woo-on-the-wing.html#comment-360 @SheldonHelms, you REALLY need to read through the skymall catalogue to believe it. It's not just the woo-woo. Actually I think that's the least offensive bit. It's the remainder of the catalogue containing products that don't pander to supernatural beliefs but to transcendentally bad taste. The impression this gives unsuspecting travelers of American culture is way beyond the merely slanderous. It's the suburbian vision of Las Vegas, if you get me. The woo-woo (of which Jeff highlights the best) is just a natural extension. - Bruno Thu, 27 Nov 2008 20:46:53 +0100 http://www.randi.org/site/index.php/swift-blog/312-woo-on-the-wing.html#comment-354 ishaisagi, I suggest you check out the link that Jeff included in the article regarding Ozone air purifiers. http://www.epa.gov/iaq/pubs/ozonegen.html The EPA's conclusions do not match yours. As a matter of fact, they contradict them. - cwniles Thu, 27 Nov 2008 14:49:21 +0100 http://www.randi.org/site/index.php/swift-blog/312-woo-on-the-wing.html#comment-350 There [i]are [/i] standards for Ozone and how much is safe to use as air (or rather, scent) purifier. There is nothing wrong with the product you are mentioning, except being overly expensive, and probably marketed with too many buzz words. - ishaisagi Thu, 27 Nov 2008 11:56:30 +0100 http://www.randi.org/site/index.php/swift-blog/312-woo-on-the-wing.html#comment-349 As a pilot for Delta, I am extremely embarrassed by this garbage in SkyMall. Although I fly the planes, I've never really looked at the on board magazines. I've posted the link to this piece on the Delta pilots' web forum and I'm going to find the email of someone high up at this company who I can send this to. All for now...leaving for Nice. - W0X0F Thu, 27 Nov 2008 10:12:51 +0100 http://www.randi.org/site/index.php/swift-blog/312-woo-on-the-wing.html#comment-347 Bruno, I don't know why you'd infer that the U.S. has cornered the market on woo-woo. Every country in the world has its share, and most are far wose about falling for it than we are. Why do you think Randi has collected so many Frequent Flyer Miles? The man travels far and wide to challenge people in just about every tiny, cesspool on the planet to prove their claims...yet, in true America-bashing style, your first response is to go back where you came from? Not sure where that might be, but I bet we could write a nice little blog entry about the bull$#!+ superstitions and nonscientific beliefs found there. - SheldonHelms Thu, 27 Nov 2008 06:45:36 +0100 http://www.randi.org/site/index.php/swift-blog/312-woo-on-the-wing.html#comment-346 Just a reminder: Ask The Pilot, a series by Patrick Smith, is a well-written description of what is going on around you while you ponder the contents of SkyMall. - Radwaste Thu, 27 Nov 2008 06:32:46 +0100 http://www.randi.org/site/index.php/swift-blog/312-woo-on-the-wing.html#comment-344 @osmosis: Thanks, fixed that. - JeffWagg Thu, 27 Nov 2008 01:03:14 +0100 http://www.randi.org/site/index.php/swift-blog/312-woo-on-the-wing.html#comment-340 The success of "fuel saving" devices is just one more sign of the severe lack of critical thought given by many people to their purchases. Since fuel efficiency is a big selling point for many types of automobile, it stands to reason that any device which actually worked to reduce fuel consumption would be fitted as standard to many production cars in short order. In fact, there are a number of improvements in engine design and fuel management that have been made over the years which have done just that. It stands to reason, then, that the only fuel saver you should be retrofitting to your car is one that comes as standard in this year's model. - Marcus Wed, 26 Nov 2008 22:00:06 +0100 http://www.randi.org/site/index.php/swift-blog/312-woo-on-the-wing.html#comment-339 Dude, LED stands for Light Emitting [i]Diode[/i]. - osmosis Wed, 26 Nov 2008 21:07:05 +0100 http://www.randi.org/site/index.php/swift-blog/312-woo-on-the-wing.html#comment-338 I see I'm not the only one picking through the sky mall catalogue for that intoxicating mix of laughs and groans. Too bad discussing the "sharper image" and "hammacher-schlemmer" sections of the catalogue is off topic... First time I leafed through this on my way to the US I found myself whimpering "let me go home, I don't wanna go there." @Willy K, I remember those. My brother got the sea monkeys and a classmate got the X-ray glasses. The former is a kind of hybernating krill and is still being sold (http://www.sea-monkey.com/) the latter relied on an optical effect to make an upheld hand look skeletal. - Bruno Wed, 26 Nov 2008 20:53:47 +0100 http://www.randi.org/site/index.php/swift-blog/312-woo-on-the-wing.html#comment-337 Now wait a minute--in regard to Sea Monkeys, they did actually "come to life". Of course brine shrimp don't quite look like the funny little people in the ad, but at least they were organic and pesticide-free, and easy to flush after a week or so. - tctheunbeliever Wed, 26 Nov 2008 20:45:08 +0100 http://www.randi.org/site/index.php/swift-blog/312-woo-on-the-wing.html#comment-335 When I was a kid reading comic books back in the late 1950's and 1960's I always wanted to get some of those cool gadgets listed on the back page. Does anybody remember some of those things? Like the X-Ray glasses that would let you see through girls dresses? And the "Sea Monkeys" that would magically come to life when put in a glass of water? Maybe the folks who sold those useless gadgets had kids who are carrying on the tradition of selling useless stuff. Only now they charge a lot more! ;) Willy K - Willy K Wed, 26 Nov 2008 18:49:03 +0100 http://www.randi.org/site/index.php/swift-blog/312-woo-on-the-wing.html#comment-334 Read what the Western Australian Department of Consumer and Employment Protection had to say about [url=http://www.docep.wa.gov.au/corporate/Media/statements/2008/October/Questionable_Fuel_Saving_Devic.html]Moletech Fuel Saver[/url] in October this year. - AndyD Wed, 26 Nov 2008 18:07:53 +0100