I went on Facebook (I know I know I know) and they are selling tinfoil hats.

[kali@discuss.systems]

@futurebird blocks internet from my brain ? sign me up.

[netraven@hear-me.social]

@futurebird once upon a time, there used to be a $500 5G blocker that advertised to create a bubble around the user, and the ad art was people literally enjoying life in a bubble. I bet they laughed all the way to the bank.

[futurebird@sauropods.win]

@Netraven

I'd love to see a sketch of what that looked like. This kind of stuff is for me what I think "True Crime" stories are to others.

It makes me upset, but I just have to see it all.

[netraven@hear-me.social]

@futurebird it was back when we have a consumer protection bureau that worked. There was tons of that stuff. I just googled "5G blocker bubble scam" and yep there it is.

NOTE: I did not watch this video in advance. I just know it contains the product I was talking about.

edit: I apologize, I didn't google, I startpaged. gotta get that stupid saying out of my head.

- YouTube

Auf YouTube findest du die angesagtesten Videos und Tracks. Außerdem kannst du eigene Inhalte hochladen und mit Freunden oder gleich der ganzen Welt teilen.

(www.youtube.com)

[muddle@infosec.exchange]

@adrake @futurebird @oldclumsy_nowmad I was thinking about that, and the fact that microwave ovens and wifi both use 2.4GHz. I did a quick search to try to find out the relative power levels. Ovens are easy: they're going to be around 800W~2kW. Unfortunately, the search results were suggesting WiFi pumps out 100--200W. Scary, if true. In fact, the actual power output is in the 20-100mW (*milli-*Watt) range.

I didn't really want to go there because it could play into the hands of those people that want to convince us that Wi-Fi (or 5G or whatever) is making us sick, but the 99.7% shielding figure is good to know. It would mean, roughly, that a 1KW microwave oven with proper shielding is pumping out around 10 times as much radiation as a local Wi-Fi router (1W compared to 100mW).

People pushing conspiracy theories about this is bad enough, but when search engines are promoting figures that are 3 orders of magnitude off, well... that's also very worrying. (and that's before we even get into LLMs...)

[futurebird@sauropods.win]

@Netraven

oh.

Oh wow. When you said "bubble" I was thinking of a little tent... like a real tent ... that could keep your phone from ringing and not improve your health.

But this is just a USB stick with a mysterious copper dot.. animations and made up stories.

[netraven@hear-me.social]

@futurebird GET IN THE BUBBLE, IT'S ONLY SAFE IN THE BUBBLE. /s

I shit you not, mcaffee antivirus software does the same shit to the elderly. If you install their software it convinces them they need to get in the TUNNEL (GET IN THE TUNNEL!!!), the VPN tunnel of course, which they depicted, I shit you not, alien UFOs, criminals, and the ever dubious man in black. who could not get into the TUNNEL. YOU MUST BUY THE TUNNEL TO BE SAFE NOW NOW NOW!!!! (only slightly over-emphasized for effect) and it only cost a low low cost of $100 annually.

edit: of course so mcaffee could sell their browsing data to third parties.

America's biggest industry is scams.

[fluffykittycat@furry.engineer]

@CStamp @futurebird this is an important market for them at scale. So many people so little healthcare

[gw6kwm@toot.wales]

@futurebird

[david_preston@mastodon.social]

@futurebird it's a bit pricey but I'd quite like one.

[jackemled@furry.engineer]

@futurebird Of course they sneak the number 88 in somehow. And what standards do they think exist for foil hats? What about radio waves coming from the opposite side of the hat? Marketing this kind of thing to defenseless idiots is more than just a little predatory!

[burnitdown@beige.party]

@futurebird @mook@possum.city

"who would care outside of a small circle of friends?"

[bweller@mstdn.social]

@futurebird maybe if we enforced laws against medical devices without approval...

this is blatantly thumbing their nose at the law

it claims a medical effect. arrest them.

[rasterweb@mastodon.social]

@futurebird More frightening that someone is selling them is the fact that people are buying them!

[jackemled@furry.engineer]

@AnnieBuddy @futurebird @CStamp Maybe something to do with hair dyeing. I think one of the methods for doing highlights or complete dyeing involves separating bunches of hair & wrapping them in foil to contain the dye as it soaks in so you can do other things while waiting on it.

However it also could have been foil hats. Kids are exposed to more anti knowledge propaganda now than they have ever been.

[jackemled@furry.engineer]

@lemgandi @david_chisnall @futurebird You still use a cellphone to make long distance calls? So old fashioned! I use my parabolic reflecting foil hat to focus radio waves into my hypothalamus, allowing me to receive & transmit radio communications for miles!

[burnitdown@beige.party]

@futurebird @Scofisticated

the hat itself is fine. the reflective lining will keep your head warmer. it's the claims about blocking radio signals that are wrong. there is a bunch of stuff like this on fartbook. for a while i was getting relentless ads for these LED face masks that are claimed to serve some kind of cosmetic purpose, but it's a good bet they do absolutely nothing but make you look pretty unhinged.

[burnitdown@beige.party]

@futurebird @oldclumsy_nowmad@mastodon.social

probably something like this?

[burnitdown@beige.party]

@futurebird @oldclumsy_nowmad@mastodon.social @muddle@infosec.exchange

it depends on the strength and type of signal, and how close you are to the source. an unshielded magnetron from a microwave oven will definitely cook you, including your brain. that's why there are warning signs to not stand in front of microwave radio dishes.

[blp@framapiaf.org]

@futurebird The silver also helps against werewolves.