Useless bomb detectors in use.

[CrossLOPER]

The ADE-651 is a magical bomb detector that runs on the power of... you. It is seeing usage in Iraq. Aside from the likelihood that someone was simply bribed to ignore the dangers, how is it that the ADE-651 managed to become so successful? Moreover, how many more products like this are on the market?

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programme...ht/8471187.stm

[Whacker]

I'm very seriously in favor of seeking the death penalty for Jim McCormick over this.

[Vladimir]

Major General Jehad al-Jabiri, who appeared at a press conference with Mr McCormick following the December explosions, said he did not "care about Sandia" and knew more about bombs than the Americans:

"Whether it's magic or scientific, what I care about is it detects bombs," he said.

And policemen manning checkpoints in Baghdad have told the BBC that you need to be relaxed to use the ADE-651 and that it does not work properly if the user is stressed or has a high heart rate.

That's all I need to read.

[Banquo's Ghost]

The security/terrorism industry is rife with such snake oil salesmen. And governments all too willing to hand over cash in biblical quantities to them.

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

If it wasn't so serious, the guy should get an award for the best sales line of the century.

In similar news, those multi-million dollar airport screeners don't work either. Well, not for explosives, but you can see children naked, which has to be a plus for someone.

[al Roumi]

Oh my god that is truely horrific. I honestly hope this guy has some sort of condition or disability (not just extreme venality) that might reasonably exempt him from being judged as a rational human being, in command of his faculties. Otherwise, I would be ambivalent to relieved for him to disappear under a bus or suffer a horrendous shaving accident. He'd better have believed his own detectors worked... Too many have died if this is really fraud.

Then again, who on earth bought them without trials or evidence???

[rory_20_uk]

He is selling junk. But why was the junk bought - for millions of dollars? Did they not get it reviewed - or even look to the Americans who have already stated on two occasions that it is worthless.

Now the authorities are so embarrassed they're defending the crap, lest they are seen to have wasted a moderate fortune.

[al Roumi]

Now the authorities are so embarrassed they're defending the crap, lest they are seen to have wasted a moderate fortune.

... or face a mutiny by the unfortunate people they've equipped with this junk.

[Husar]

So if it's proven to be fraud, they can't get their money back?

But yeah, it's rather upsetting.

And Banquo, I saw that before, it's a scanner that scans for body heat IIRC and they say the guy should have been scanned from the sides as well in a realistic scenario.
It's still bogus though as someone who wants to kill himself anyway might just as well shove the explosives up his **** and hide the rest in his mouth and the scanners wouldn't see it, whether they detect heat or send something that bumps off the skin, I'm certainly not convinced.

[Vladimir]

I don't buy the naked children argument but I know it's less offensive to have a dog sniff your butt. Which, by the way, is the long-term answer to explosives detection.

[Tellos Athenaios]

It's still bogus though as someone who wants to kill himself anyway might just as well shove the explosives up his **** and hide the rest in his mouth and the scanners wouldn't see it, whether they detect heat or send something that bumps off the skin, I'm certainly not convinced.

If you want to commit suicide you might as well kill yourself without going to the trouble of visiting a local airport. Anyway, if you really want to make a big hit as a terrorist the thing to do would be to blow yourself up in the queue before the checkpoint. That ought to cause more casualties than to blow up a plane (which is rather difficult to blow up anyway since it has been built to withstand quite a lot).

[Aemilius Paulus]

If you want to commit suicide you might as well kill yourself without going to the trouble of visiting a local airport. Anyway, if you really want to make a big hit as a terrorist the thing to do would be to blow yourself up in the queue before the checkpoint. That ought to cause more casualties than to blow up a plane (which is rather difficult to blow up anyway since it has been built to withstand quite a lot).

Hmm, modern terrorism always somehow brings my mind on Herostratos. Being widely-infamous is as much of an incentive as the promises of virgins and revelry in paradise.

Which in turn brings me to mind on my chief grievance with Islam - all the theology, all the holiness, all the religious stuff only to reach a seemingly hedonistic paradise where one can act out their forbidden desires of flesh. Surely other interpretations of Islam exist? In this regard, Islam makes Christianity seem progressive, with the more higher-order tenets regarding afterlife...

[Husar]

If you want to commit suicide you might as well kill yourself without going to the trouble of visiting a local airport. Anyway, if you really want to make a big hit as a terrorist the thing to do would be to blow yourself up in the queue before the checkpoint. That ought to cause more casualties than to blow up a plane (which is rather difficult to blow up anyway since it has been built to withstand quite a lot).

They'll just put detectors at the end of the queues, and then more at the end of the new queues, and then...
You see, these companies are really thinking long-term.

[Subotan]

Wait, how could something that's useless be in use?

[miotas]

The Government is pretty stupid for giving their security guards equipment that's never been tested, the blame is only being lumped on McCormick so those idiots can save face.

[Askthepizzaguy]

Wait, how could something that's useless be in use?

Major General Jehad al-Jabiri, who appeared at a press conference with Mr McCormick following the December explosions, said he did not "care about Sandia" and knew more about bombs than the Americans:

"Whether it's magic or scientific, what I care about is it detects bombs," he said.

Same reason that people turn to fortune tellers, tarot cards, lucky numbers, or keep charm bracelets around: They work, sometimes. If you do it just right, these things will often work just as well as not having anything at all.

People believe in magic, therefore magic sells.

[Vladimir]

People believe in magic, therefore magic sells.

Because there's always someone there with big red shoes...

[CrossLOPER]

Wait, how could something that's useless be in use?

Easy: When something fails entirely to perform its intended function.

[A Very Super Market]

Wait, how could something that's useless be in use?

For shame, that falls below the acceptable level of a one-liner.


McCormick is at no fault for selling stupid products. Unless he specifically created these to sell to the Iraqi government, he hasn't done anything wrong. He's just been marketing right. Reward him, capitalism!

The blame falls squarely on Iraqi officials, who apparently avoided doing tests in favour of just dumping them everywhere and telling everyone to follow their hearts. Negligibly useful even for love, using your heart is absolutely pointless for everything else. As miotas noted, the officials are simply trying to shift the blame. Unfortunately, these men were not unsure investors swindled by a very enthralling timeshare plan, but stupid tourists purchasing knick-knacks made from spit and paper from the Spit-and-Paper factory of Spitpaperville and expecting them to last and impress the nieghbourhood.

[Major Robert Dump]

Well on the up side they can still be used to track RFID tags. I'm sure the security guards know where every container of MREs and green blankets are located.