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First worthless stick on cell phone antenna's and now this..... — Parallax Forums

First worthless stick on cell phone antenna's and now this.....

RobotWorkshopRobotWorkshop Posts: 2,307
edited 2012-11-07 00:54 in General Discussion
A friend spotted this link on Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/Fuel-Shark-Saving-Device/dp/B004ZML62K/

I can't believe that people fall for this and would actually buy one. What a scam....

Comments

  • mindrobotsmindrobots Posts: 6,506
    edited 2012-11-06 12:35
    I didn't think cars could get electrAl imbalances.....isn't that why they have shakra absorbers???

    I read the reviews....Carl says it really works on his Honda Civic....I think the nay sayers are just jealous of Carl!!
  • Heater.Heater. Posts: 21,230
    edited 2012-11-06 12:35
    Brilliant,

    I think "shark" is the operative word here.
  • JordanCClarkJordanCClark Posts: 198
    edited 2012-11-06 12:38
    I looked underneath at the "What other people bought after viewing this item" section, and found this gem. Perfect stocking stuffer!

    I'm just not sure of the segue from this first to this...
  • Heater.Heater. Posts: 21,230
    edited 2012-11-06 12:52
    Even more brilliant. "Baby's First Zombie Book". Can't be worse than the fairy tales I was told as a kid for example:
    Fee-fi-fo-fum,
    I smell the blood of an Englishman,
    Be he live, or be he dead
    I'll grind his bones to make my bread

    However I wish they had used "babies" instead of "baby's". I would not want to teach poor English to my sproggs.
  • MicrocontrolledMicrocontrolled Posts: 2,461
    edited 2012-11-06 13:01
    Some of the brilliant reviews of this product:
    I was so tired of paying high fuel prices that I decided to buy a case of these little gems! After installing them all in my 76 Chevy, it now requires no fuel!!!! I haven't filled it up in over a month and still have 3/4 tank! Unbelievable!! I wish there were more than 5 stars!
    I've got a bunch of 3-way car-lighter splitters, and put a whole case of these in 'em. My car makes gasoline, it's amazing.

    It's amusing to see what people will buy.
  • Heater.Heater. Posts: 21,230
    edited 2012-11-06 13:10
    Microcontrolled,

    I think, possibly maybe, those people you quoted were taking the Smile, err.., joking.
  • CircuitsoftCircuitsoft Posts: 1,166
    edited 2012-11-06 13:14
    Heater. wrote: »
    However I wish they had used "babies" instead of "baby's". I would not want to teach poor English to my sproggs.
    "Baby's" is correct. In this case, it's a pronoun.

    Would you say "Dad's car" or "Dads car"?
  • Phil Pilgrim (PhiPi)Phil Pilgrim (PhiPi) Posts: 23,514
    edited 2012-11-06 13:18
    'Looks like the audiophile mobsters are expanding into new territory. Pretty soon Monster Cable will be marketing a similar device -- but with gold-plated contacts.

    -Phil
  • Phil Pilgrim (PhiPi)Phil Pilgrim (PhiPi) Posts: 23,514
    edited 2012-11-06 13:21
    "Baby's" is correct: it's the possessive form of "baby." But it's not a pronoun. "His", "her", and "its" are possessive pronouns.

    -Phil
  • MicksterMickster Posts: 2,720
    edited 2012-11-06 13:28
    Yeah, and I got the "Customers also viewed": http://www.amazon.com/Matias-HK101-Halfkeyboard-USB/dp/B00006IZIL/ref=pd_sim_sbs_e_7



    Mickster
  • mindrobotsmindrobots Posts: 6,506
    edited 2012-11-06 13:29
    I was going to say something about Baby's but Heater shared "sprouts" with us, so all is forgiven....read the forum, learn a foreign(?) language!! :0)
  • NWCCTVNWCCTV Posts: 3,629
    edited 2012-11-06 13:53
    Mickster wrote: »
    Yeah, and I got the "Customers also viewed": http://www.amazon.com/Matias-HK101-Halfkeyboard-USB/dp/B00006IZIL/ref=pd_sim_sbs_e_7

    Mickster

    What the $%^&? Half keyboard for $555.00??? Really?
  • Phil Pilgrim (PhiPi)Phil Pilgrim (PhiPi) Posts: 23,514
    edited 2012-11-06 13:56
    We're in the bowels of Amazon now, boys and girls. I hope we brought enough carbide for the lamps.

    -Phil
  • mindrobotsmindrobots Posts: 6,506
    edited 2012-11-06 14:23
    Phil Pilgrim (PhiPi) wrote: »
    We're in the bowels of Amazon now, boys and girls. I hope we brought enough carbide for the lamps.

    -Phil

    ...and keep a sharp eye on the canary!!
  • jazzedjazzed Posts: 11,803
    edited 2012-11-06 16:01
    So no one here believes a cigarette lighter can be use to filter car electrical noise or that such filtering would help save gas? LOL
  • Martin_HMartin_H Posts: 4,051
    edited 2012-11-06 16:35
    When I was a kid the snake oil salesman were hawking cattle magnets to improve gas mileage. It didn't work and didn't make sense how it could work.

    The half keyboard is a real product designed for one handed typing. Apparently it can function as either side of a full keyboard which allows a handicapped person to type at speed. The company that makes it sells normal and Dvorak keyboards at more reasonable prices. So I imagine that the half keyboard is such a low volume item that they can't amortize their costs among enough people. They also show a person using it with a mouse in one hand and half keyboard in the other which is also a niche market.

    I first encountered it after reading an XKCD strip about a half keyboard and finding out it was real.
  • Oldbitcollector (Jeff)Oldbitcollector (Jeff) Posts: 8,091
    edited 2012-11-06 17:01
    jazzed wrote: »
    So no one here believes a cigarette lighter can be use to filter car electrical noise or that such filtering would help save gas? LOL

    If anything the additional current draw from the alternator would increase gas usage.
  • mindrobotsmindrobots Posts: 6,506
    edited 2012-11-06 17:10
    I think someone needs to make one of these with RGB LEDs so you can judge the mood of the electrical imbalance in you car. That could be good for a $39.95 deluxe Super Shark!!
  • Oldbitcollector (Jeff)Oldbitcollector (Jeff) Posts: 8,091
    edited 2012-11-06 17:13
    mindrobots wrote: »
    I think someone needs to make one of these with RGB LEDs so you can judge the mood of the electrical imbalance in you car. That could be good for a $39.95 deluxe Super Shark!!

    By George I think you've got a good idea! and auto "mood" ring.. mine would be black most of the time. :)
  • xanaduxanadu Posts: 3,347
    edited 2012-11-06 18:05
    Captain obvious here. You know what would be cool? If you could actually measure fuel economy down to a small and accurate level. There's just no way driving around could be used as a control experiment to measure anything like this.

    I wanted to setup a test rig with a car engine and alternator and test various products like this in a nice clean and controlled environment and never did. I think it would be fun though.
  • CircuitsoftCircuitsoft Posts: 1,166
    edited 2012-11-06 18:20
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Engine_test_stand
  • davejamesdavejames Posts: 4,047
    edited 2012-11-06 19:37
    ...here's another:

    http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005QDPJD4/ref=dra_a_cs_mr_hn_it_P1700_1000?tag=dradis-20

    What with the price of gasoline so high, I can see why people would be looking for a "majik pill".

    Too bad these things are probably selling.
  • GadgetmanGadgetman Posts: 2,436
    edited 2012-11-06 23:31
    Well, my car hasn't used more than a liter or two the last couple of months...
    Of course, that's not because I use any of those devices, but because my engine is dead.
    (Only fuel usage has been attempted startups and testing)

    Anyone in the market for a big lump of 'cast and machined' Aluminium?
  • LoopyBytelooseLoopyByteloose Posts: 12,537
    edited 2012-11-07 00:54
    The Fuel Shark certainly looks like complete junk in the grand tradition of fuel milage scams.

    But.....
    That stick on cell phone antenna is something akin to a Yagi antenna and I did have one in a Nokia in the early days of cell phones in Taiwan as a boost to weak signals. It did seem to work and the electrical principles are around to support tuned antenna reflections. Much depends on where you stick it (please don't get vuglar!).

    I still have a few if anyone cares to make some objective tests in a weak cellular phone area. Service in Taiwan improved coverage to the point that the device is pointless unless I wander in the mountains.
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