Scientologists Tell Feds They Don't Want Randos Repairing Their E-Meters
3 years ago by Flying Squid to c/technology
The first version was actually patented, so we know how that one worked fully. The latest versions are secretive but they still likely measure the same thing.
Or given that the device’s purpose is to be a prop for psychological manipulation, the current ones might, rather than simply reading out skin resistance, produce some other value more conducive to that purpose. I’m which case, dumping and disassembling the firmware would be as much a threat to Scientology as dumping slot machine firmware would be to casinos and gambling firms. (True story: someone once did this with a slot machine, proving that it was rigged.)
The scions of prions? Lucky pions!
Hey Shakespeare did it, so it can't be wrong.
Sadly midichlorians make sense compared to episodes 7, 8 and 9.
My headcanon is that they’re a bacteria that feeds on the force rather than that they control the force or grant powers. They need a host so that’s why you find lots of them in force sensitive people.
Although you do realize that technically, if their new versions are not patented then they are considered trade secrets right? If you can get your hands on one and patent it then you have a decent pathway to sue the Church of Scientology for patent infringement.
That would be a fun one to work out
I like that fundamental misunderstandings of how the law works can still be found on this website, was my favorite part of reddit
They would still have to pay an inordinate amount of money in legal fees fighting it, and if they invalidate the patent then the publication would go public domain.
Sure, and then they either disappear you, or you have an "accident". Or you just so happened to get beaten half to death in the restroom by a "random" act of violence.
Or anything equally as sinister, but to your finances, possessions, loved ones, or life.
Scientology is not some super powerful cult with secret enforcers all over the place. They might have that much power in Clearwater Florida but outside of that what are they going to do?
If they had the ability to act like a mafia the way that you're suggesting then they wouldn't be able to walk and operate freely in America without somebody from a three-letter organization breathing down their neck.
It’s measuring resistance, just like a multimeter can. Basically, it’s measuring how “difficult” it is for electricity to reach from A to B. High quality wire will have low resistance, while something like rubber has a very high resistance. This is basically just measuring resistance and moving a needle back and forth on a meter. It’s an Electrical Engineering 101 class project.
What makes certain people have different measurements? I assume that’s what they’re after in the cult to determine who goes where
Isn't there a name for bullshit devices that produce some ouput that has no bearing on what is being tested? Like that device Dee and Charlie use when they are in the superberry MLM on Sunny in Philadelphia. Like, its snake oil but I thought there was a word for that kind of thing.
It's like a voltmeter set to resistance mode. It can detect small changes in electrical energy and show that change on a meter that moves right for higher resistance, and left for lower resistance. In other words, it's a bunch o' bull crap.
Yes. Guy on Reddit a few years ago stole one out of a tent where they were giving free readings and did a full tear down. It’s a cheap Chinese ohm meter with a few extra circuits added for fancy dials and lights. It’s basically a movie prop.
Edit: of course it was part of the purge: https://www.reddit.com/...
Damn I would have loved to see that.
I found this
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I say 2 AA batteries
Given the era, I would suspect more like a single 9 volt battery.
Fuck scientology, but honestly, props to Ron. It takes a significant amount of rizz and a good lack of fucks to go from being quoted on how lucrative it would be to start a religion while he was a well known science fiction author, only to make a religion and gain untold wealth.
I mean it's one thing to grift an idiot, but when you tell them to their face that you're going to grift them who's fault is it really?
Problem is when you start grifting kids. They can't exactly consent. Same issue with any religion/grift really. If it's aimed at a child it's abuse.
Do they even measure resistance? Hold the probes on a multimeter. Tell me how much resistance you're measuring. With my MM I'm registering microohms.
That just goes to show how important proper training is. Without the right scientology certifications you have no idea how many evil alien ghosts living in your soul those microohms indicate!
... Do you mean you're measuring megaohms (M) across your body? Or microohms (u) between probes directly? Or milliohms (m)?
I've wet my finger and measured like 30kOhms across a half inch of skin or so. And if you get into your bloodstream, the salty liquid has very low resistance BUT BUT BUT this will kill you if the probe paths across your heart
It's hard to define concepts like "accuracy" when the basic claim is that the gadget can count the evil dead alien ghosts living in your head to hassle you.
It measures skin resistance and then has special metrics regarding Thetans or clarity.
So one could make one that is even more sensitive, that allows you to practice altering your skin resistance with mind thoughts (roaring ocean waves and salty sea air! Seagulls and warm sun! Sand squishing between your toes!), thereby potentially improving your clarity, or at least improving the measured metrics.
I'm not a Scientologist, but according to some biofeedback enthusiast friends, ASMR might help them game their readings better.
When Scientology is your ally... You're on the bad track
Not the onion
It occurs to me the CoS doesn't need a state law preventing outside sources from repairing their gizmos. An intra-church policy will do just fine.
Similarly the Catholic Church doesnt need to impose a state law against third parties making Uriel's®️ Heavy Duty Double-Divine Holy Water for demon huntering and exorcism when an internal ruling will do as well. The same for Uriel's Fastin-EZ quick-transubstantiation communion wafers (available also in chocolate, mint and sweetcream flavors!).
There is a group offering CoS-equivalent services free of charge as a bit of a challenge to it (CoS Lite, CoS Methadone). They do so by acquiring these devices second-hand and I guess maintaining them is needed and the CoS wants to limit their impact by limiting their right to repair the devices.
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Out of curiosity, has there ever been a teardown of one of these to see what kind of snake oil actually powers them?
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