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25th April 2005, 12:29 PM | #1 |
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Posts: 91
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Yet more oxygenated water...
A friend of mine, a conference interpreter, just accepted an assignment for an employee of a certain company, who apparently will be attending some business meetings in Germany over the next few days. The job notice did not specify the exact nature of the company's product, and my friend, not wanting to lose time, placed his bid and obtained the job. It was only afterwards, while reviewing the client's information, that I mentioned the similarities between their product and all those "oxygenated waters" that have been discussed here time and time again.
Now, I am quite aware that "oxygenated water" is a fraudulent product, and that it advertises under false premises. Ethical questions aside ("is it right to work for a charlatan?" "Isn't the money I'm being paid actually money swindled from a poor sucker?"), he's having some second thoughts about the whole affair for a much more practical reason. Can he be sure that he's going to get paid for his work? On the one hand, we are dealing with a company that sells a "fraudulent" product (in that it incorrectly describes its properties and virtues). On the other hand, I can't help thinking that they are, first and foremost, a business, and that they aim to stay in business, so that their paying morale will be acceptable. Then again, it might well be one of those "take the money (and unpaid invoices) and run" stories.... So what do you think? Fraudsters trhough and through or businessmen doing their job? |
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-You remind me of the babe. -What babe? -The babe with the power. -What power? -The power of voodoo. -Who do? -You do. -Do what? -Remind me of the babe. David Bowie, "Labyrynth" |
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25th April 2005, 03:08 PM | #2 |
Philosopher
Join Date: Jul 2001
Posts: 7,519
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FAQ's
3. How do you keep the oxygen in the water? Answer coming soon. 4. What is energization? Answer coming soon. 5. What is magnetization? Answer coming soon. Sounds like a movie trailer. Well, until they release details of their process, I can't tell you if there's any legitimacy to the process or not. If you find out, I can tell you. Ever since those Oxyclean commercials were released, there has been a wave of marketing techniques claiming to use oxygen to clean things. In truth, oxyclean uses a percarbonate, or CO(-4), which oxidizes color causing molecules found in stains. That's not the same as saying the oxygen you breath is removing the color. There may be a legitemate way of adding an oxidizing agent to water to purify it, but it's not by bubbling molecular oxygen into the water. Keep us posted. |
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25th April 2005, 03:29 PM | #3 |
Anti-homeopathy illuminati member
Join Date: Oct 2003
Posts: 28,209
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The site has been around for about 3 years and has been changed repeatedly:
http://web.archive.org/web/*/http://www.femo2.com/ Their contact information appears to be consistant with their whois data. |
25th April 2005, 03:39 PM | #4 |
Muse
Join Date: Oct 2003
Posts: 586
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Quote:
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25th April 2005, 04:09 PM | #5 |
Penultimate Amazing
Join Date: Sep 2001
Posts: 21,398
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Quote:
Carbonate is (CO3)-2 Percarbonate would have another oxygen |
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Gunter Haas, the 'leading British expert,' was a graphologist who advised couples, based on their handwriting characteristics, if they were compatible for marriage. I would submit that couples idiotic enough to do this are probably quite suitable for each other. It's nice when stupid people find love. - Ludovic Kennedy |
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25th April 2005, 07:20 PM | #6 |
Philosopher
Join Date: Jul 2001
Posts: 7,519
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Quote:
Here are a couple of links: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sodium_percarbonate http://www.chemistrystore.com/Sodium...onate_Uses.htm A similar combination of two weak oxidizers to make a strong intermediate is aqua regia. It's the combination of nitric acid and hydrochloric acid, which make a Cl radical. I used this mixture in graduate school to dissolve gold. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aqua_regia Going back to water purification, such oxidizers can be used to remove unwanted color and odor from water. Historically, it's been done with small amounts of oxychlorates. They kill all the bacteria, but cause a slight chlorine taste. Recently, there has been a flood of other oxidizers, filtering methods, irradiation methods and such, but I haven't been involved in that research so I don't know if those methods are as effective as oxychlorates. The secret in making water taste good in not in what you take out, but what you leave in. Distilled water is the purest water you can make, but it tastes terrible. What gives water it's refreshing taste is trace amounts of minerals such as sodium, calcium, iron, and potassium. I don't know what the perfect combination is, but these are the trace elements found in spring water that make it taste good. Marketing people don't want to sit down and try to figure out all this complex chemistry. They want a hook, something that appeals to the consumer and to the investors. "Oxidation? Sounds like oxygen! You breath oxygen. Yes, that's what makes it good!" Apparantly the Femto people are in the process of coming up with some good BS for the FAQ site. How does the oxygen stay in the water? Dear oh dear. This should be good. The danger here is that the average joe con-man can go out and approach investors with regurgitated marketing bullcrap and claim he has his own "ultra oxygenating energenizing magnetizing whatever" and show them a gastly contraption "designed to do the magic". The investors write the check for the capital while joe con-man fills the bottles out back with his garden hose. Bottom line: If you are an investment banker, you may want to take some chemistry courses or at least hire a chemist as a consultant to investigate the process. I charge $300/hr plus travel expenses. PM me if you want more info or want to have a phone conversation. |
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27th April 2005, 01:22 AM | #7 |
Illuminator
Join Date: May 2004
Posts: 4,787
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If you want oxygenated water, why buy this fancy stuff? Why not just drink hydrogen peroxide? Most people are so used to thinking of oxygen as the "breath of life" they don't even think about the fact that it's a poison; that's why hydrogen peroxide is used as a disinfectant. Pouring oxygen into your stomach is a bit like pouring water into your lungs.
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27th April 2005, 03:19 AM | #8 |
Terrestrial Intelligence
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Location: Terra Firma
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27th April 2005, 03:34 AM | #9 |
Philosopher
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Posts: 5,485
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If only we had gills...
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27th April 2005, 06:29 AM | #10 |
Philosopher
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Quote:
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