Feedback is our weekly column of bizarre stories, implausible advertising claims, confusing instructions and more
Pearls of wisdom
A DECADE after Harry Frankfurstās celebrated treatise On Bullshit, we are finally rewarded with a scientific investigation of the subject.
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āOn the reception and detection of pseudo-profound bullshitā is a in which Gordon Pennycook and his colleagues attempt to identify behaviours that render people susceptible to nonsense.
The authors define bullshit as a statement that āimplies but does not contain adequate meaning or truthā. To form a Bullshit Receptivity scale, they used satirical sites such as (a random phrase generator trained on the online excretions of guru Deepak Chopra) to create vapid, portentous-sounding aphorisms, which were then judged by participants for profundity.
The authors found that those who judged this bullshit as profound were more likely to hold a belief in the supernatural, among other variables. āA bias toward accepting statements as true may be an important component of pseudo-profound bullshit receptivity,ā add the authors. To which Feedback says: no shit!
Softly does it
PREVIOUSLY Feedback discovered that Bombshell, a perfume from Victoriaās Secret, doubled as an effective mosquito repellent (28 November). āI hope the authors included Avonās Skin so Soft among the alternative insect repellents they tested,ā writes Vera Silberberg. āAlthough Avon did not intend it as such, it is now marketed as a pleasant smelling and effective insect repellent, much appreciated by walkers.ā
Richard Holden concurs: āOn our travels to midge-ridden west-coast Scotland weāve always taken Avon Skin so Soft. Leaves hands dangerously slippery but stops the little nibblers nibbling.ā
Rumour has it that even Britainās elite soldiers, the SAS, make use of the balm ā although whether this is for its repellent or skin-softening properties we donāt know. Will Bombshellās floral tones now join the fragrant arsenal of these fighters?
Unknown unknowns
AN AUTOMATED response from the Australian Department of Infrastructure and Regional Development was sent to Marco Overdale. It reads āIf your email has been received by the Vehicle Imports inbox you will receive an automated email receipt. If you do not receive this, your email has not been received.ā
Marco assumes this email is the response he is supposed to receive, but how would he know if it isnāt?
Through the looking glass
DOES your drinking water lack harmony? If so, the seven wave-form rings of the Amezcua Bio Disc 2 can help, we are told. Spotted by John Boyle, this device ā cleverly disguised as a glass coaster ā will energise bottles of water, improve plant growth, preserve your vegetables and more, when placed nearby.
Shining a torch through the coaster onto your food will make it taste better, with keen to point out āPhotons ā the concept of the basic units of light developed by Albert Einstein ā and their interaction within and on biological systems is a long established field of scientific study.ā Who could disagree?
Birth name
A LONG gestation: fans of nominative determinism should pause to mark the retirement of Richard Bump, who, after 16 years and 2573 manuscripts, is stepping down from his post as Associate Editor for the .
Safety first
READER David Rapley recently acquired a new Epson printer, which came with a thorough warning leaflet. Advice to ākeep this product at least 22 cm away from cardiac pacemakersā is undoubtedly useful, yet Epson doesnāt stop there: āDo not use a telephone to report a gas leak in the vicinity of the leak,ā it .
āThis bears no relevance to risks from a printer,ā ponders David, āso far as I know, they donāt contain pressurised gas canisters.ā He notes that the companyās slogan is āExceed your visionā ā in this case, Epson certainly did.
Silken sounds
WHILST looking for hi-fi components online, Derek Woodroffe stumbled across a unique collection at Studio ZĆØy, whose stock can only be described as āartisanā. The , for example, consists of a capacitor wrapped in linseed oil-soaked silk, glued into a wooden cube with beeswax and sealed with vernice bianca, a varnish made of egg whites, honey and sugar ārumoured to have been used by Stradivarius in his legendary violinsā.
The āā, meanwhile, is a resistor made with ebony wood and silk, although because it āpasses on the full dynamic range of the signal, while being completely transparent itselfā, it may not be the best resistor.
Studio ZĆØy warns it will not be liable for any damage arising from the Invistorās use āin electric devices or elsewhere,ā adding ādonāt even think of installing them in military or medical machinesā.
āIāve seen many websites that claim to improve your hi-fi with gold cables and exotic components,ā remarks Derek, ābut this really takes the biscuitā. To which Feedback says: donāt give them any more ideas.
(Image: Paul McDevitt)
