Scientologists Tell Feds They Don't Want Randos Repairing Their E-Meters

Flying Squid@lemmy.world to Technology@lemmy.world – 378 points –
Scientologists Tell Feds They Don't Want Randos Repairing Their E-Meters
gizmodo.com
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Can anyone translate this into Dummy please? What is it doing, according to that patent?

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

Our skin layer is about the worst conductor of our bodies but if you have wet salty skin you'll show a higher reading. Maybe that's all the data they need. Maybe they're onto something

This goes a step further though.

Because they are questioning you while "on the cans", your skin's electrical conductivity will change naturally even if being completely honest. These momentary blips will cause the person conducting the interview to ask you more personal, more intimate questions, with the goal of you over sharing.

Basically they use the flawed technology that is the lie detector and based an entire religion around it.

Honestly not a bad idea, if I'm being completely honest and devoid of human empathy.

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.

What do you mean? That machine measured stress very accurately and displayed it in standard stress units

My biggest issue was the lack of clarity over where one should place their feet. Kinda important

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.

So it's a lie detector? Lol

I think it's just a human detector. Or an anything that touches both contacts detector

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