Out of curiosity, has there ever been a teardown of one of these to see what kind of snake oil actually powers them?
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.
https://www.cs.cmu.edu/~dst/Secrets/E-Meter/hubbard-patent.html
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.)
Midichlorians?
Prion disease.
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.
My head cannon is just that they’re attracted to beings that can manipulate the force
They don’t give any powers. But the more you have the higher your latent abilities are and they can just sense that
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
They could get your patent invalidated if they can demonstrate you copied them
I like that fundamental misunderstandings of how the law works can still be found on this website, was my favorite part of reddit
wouldnt that force them to admit the public patent and all its details are a copy? thus confirming exactly how the device works…and isnt that something they dont want?
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.
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/r/electronics/comments/8zrlav/detailed_teardown_of_a_scientology_emeter_high/?rdt=44960
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.
I imagine whoever tries gets sued into oblivion faster than John Deere with a farmer fixing his tractor
I might have a solution, just hear me out… what if they just folded their phony religion and left everyone alone? See? Everyone wins!
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?
“Repairing” as in “noticing they don’t actually do anything beside measuring resistance like any common multimeter from the DIY shop”
Zenu forbid everyone finds out their off-the-shelf multimeter from the 70s is just as special and important as their beliefs (not at all).
Someone should invent an e-meter that’s ten times as accurate.
ETA: That might just be a biofeedback device.
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 hunting 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.
Ah so it is, much like the matters with Apple and John Deere, a misuse of IP law. Right to repair serves the public. Giving the CoS even a religious monopoly on e-meter testing does not.
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