Mike and Case discuss pseudoscience and quackery in self-help gadgets, with a focus on “magnetic” and “ionized” bracelets.
Sam Mulvey is a producer and the technical brain behind Ask an Atheist. He is a collector of vinegar varieties, vintage computers, antique radios, and propaganda.
The Australian Skeptics have been covering these magical bracelets quite a bit of late. “Power Balance” is the most well-known one here, and they’ve recently been ordered to retract statements from their advertising as they’re unsupported. Making “Ask an Atheist” bracelets was mentioned on the show. In their investigations, the AU Skeptics found that you can order existing designs from the factory that makes them for a few cents each if you order somewhere in the vacinity of 1000, vs. the retail price of about $60-$70 for one. A skeptical duo calling themselves “skeptic bros” had their own design made… Read more »