Biolumanetics... Possible SWift Article?

[NoAstronomer]

I came across this article (http://scienceblogs.com/insolence/2007/10/your_friday_dose_of_woo_the_fuzziness_of.php) at Respectful Insolence. The article refers to a web site at Biolumanetics.net (http://www.biolumanetics.net/). The short story is that this guy believes he has found a way to tell how healthy people are by taking pictures of them and looking at how fuzzy they appear.

Quite apart from the woo aspect, my opinion of this is that the guy is knowingly defrauding his 'patients'. The case study pictures are clearly the result of deliberate manipulation of lighting and shutter speeds. I should know I screw stuff like that up all the time. Notice how the in-animate objects in the pictures are also fuzzy.

Any comments? There is a phone number to contact on the Biolumanetics website but I'm too chicken to call.

I did search the forums for Biolumanetics and 'Patrick Richards' before posting, apologies if this issue has been raised before.

[Schneibster]

The Schneibsteress suggests the following call script:

"Hi, my name is XXXXXX, and I'm taking a survey. Have you ever heard of a product called 'Photo Shop?'"

[Physiotherapist]

Why don't you e-mail Charles Wansbrough who is the UK contact? He is a former dentist who retrained as a homeopath and uses this in his homeopathy practice.

If you look at his part of the website that you can do under contacts, somewhere, he says that he takes all his photos with a Polaroid camera, so the picture is instant, rather than a digital camera.

[Zep]

...he says that he takes all his photos with a Polaroid camera, so the picture is instant, rather than a digital camera.Ah, so digital cameras and photographs aren't instant in he UK. They have slower electrons there. Gotcha, Mr Wansbrough.

:rolleyes:

[Physiotherapist]

If as is claimed on the website, all photos must be taken with a Polaroid camera - meaning that the picture develops in front of you, can that be doctered with Photoshop or similar products such as iPhoto?

[thatguywhojuggles]

If as is claimed on the website, all photos must be taken with a Polaroid camera - meaning that the picture develops in front of you, can that be doctered with Photoshop or similar products such as iPhoto?

The images that we see on the website have been scanned and they definitely can be manipulated with photoshop.

[Beanbag]

It's quite possible to jack with the focus system on a Polaroid camera so pictures will be out of focus.

Beanbag