The Little Bomb-Detecting Device That Couldn't 217
theodp writes "Widely deployed in Iraq and promoted by military leaders, BusinessWeek reports the ADE 651 bomb-detecting device had one little problem: it wouldn't detect explosives (earlier Slashdot story). 'The ADE 651,' reports Adam Higginbotham, 'was modeled on a novelty trinket conceived decades before by a former used-car salesman from South Carolina, which was purported to detect golf balls. It wasn't even good at that.' One thing the ADE 651 did excel at, however, was making money — estimates suggest that the authorities in Baghdad bought more than 6,000 useless bomb detectors, at a cost of at least $38 million. Even though ADE 651 manufacturer James McCormick was found guilty of three counts of fraud and sentenced to 10 years in prison in May, the ADE 651 is still being used at thousands of checkpoints across Baghdad. Elsewhere, authorities have never stopped believing in the detectors. Why? According to Sandia Labs' Dale Murray, the ideomotor effect is so persuasive that for anyone who wants or needs to believe in it, even conclusive scientific evidence undermining the technology it exploits has little power."
I haven't played golf in several years (Score:3, Insightful)
But, back when I did, I can tell you: a functional golf ball detector would've been very handy.
I knew it (Score:5, Insightful)
but Perfect for America security theatre (Score:3, Insightful)
Nobody can prove your claims to the contary for the make belive threats you countered
Re:nothing new... (Score:5, Insightful)
I wish (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:Thank you... (Score:5, Insightful)
According to Sandia Labs' Dale Murray, the ideomotor effect is so persuasive that for anyone who wants or needs to believe in it, even conclusive scientific evidence undermining the technology it exploits has little power."
That explains a LOT about how the US Congress thinks/works.
...And those who elect them.
Re:I haven't played golf in several years (Score:4, Insightful)
Do some of those have stripes on them?
Re:nothing new... (Score:4, Insightful)
Ahh. the salt peter myth.
No, I "broke one off" there many a time my friend.
The kits tested for nitrate-based and some others I don't remember. Octyl-based? Wished I still had the little hand-out.
We had a VBIED there later on. So I can see residue then. But not before. We DID fire our weapons all the time, but not over the lunch meat! There are nitrates in lunch meats, but if lunch meat causes a false-positive then your kit isn't really worth much.
Is this the real reason? (Score:5, Insightful)
The real reason they continue to use these isn't because they somehow have convinced themselves that it works. It's probably not even directly a scam insofar as they're shoving money to some business cohort through the military industrial complex. I would suspect that what this is really about is that it's far cheaper to stick a device in a young man's hand and convince him that it's there to protect him, so that he'll actually continue to actively do his job, and have him wind up being blown up -- than it is to spend money on any sort of real device. The man is disposable. The worthless device is the placebo to motivate him to feel safe in doing his job. And when he dies, it was a far cheaper investment than the amount that any sort of real device would cost to produce, purchase, train on, and deploy.
Re:But remember kids (Score:5, Insightful)
All those FDA approved food additives are are fine.
The scanners the TSA uses are safe and effective.
Putting millions on subsidized healthcare and ensuring even more of the incidental costs are hidden from consumers will reduce healthcare spending.
There was no coup in Egypt ...
One of those, the third one specifically, stands out as not fitting the theme.
You do realise it's the *same government* that has given us the TSA, the FDA, and the many other ruinous mistakes in every area it's involved in that you expect is magically going to take charge of health care and make us all better?
Surely you jest.
This is also the same government that put a lander on Mars with a sky crane and created the internet. And how come the FDA doesn't get credit for making food and drugs in the USA among the safest in the world?
Re:It has a deep tradition it seems (Score:5, Insightful)
That's the ideomotor effect. You know, possibly subconsciously, where the water is likely to be (read Blink! by Malcolm Gladwell) based on experience. So when you walk to that spot, the stick points down.
I've had well drillers dowse for wells before. I didn't give them any crap for their show. Because they had a track record for finding water. Why? Probably 30 or 40 years drilling wells. But even if they think its the stick, that's fine with me. Same as with the baseball players with the lucky socks.
Re:I wish (Score:5, Insightful)
I don't know what you are talking about. There is loads of scientific evidence on the oil reserves in Iraq.
Re:It has a deep tradition it seems (Score:5, Insightful)
"... very religious so not a liar."
Yeah, because that obviates any concern that someone might be self-deluded into believing in magical things.
(Btw, I also have relatives said to be wonderful dowsers... and I don't believe it a bit from them either.)
Re:But remember kids (Score:4, Insightful)