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I've been treating myself with my Violet Ray Machine "Violet Ray Machine" for a while now. I guess they figured out a new way to increase secretions.

Cool, huh?

I look at this as the thing that we will be laughed at by people in 100 years. Think 100 years ago, people used to wear radioactive radium watches, and 60 years ago, people exposed themselves to harmful amounts of radiation to make sure their shoes fit properly. Hell, Marie Curie, the father (mother) of modern radioactive theory kept a beaker full of radium next to her bed because it made a swell nightlight. Now, nobody is going to accuse her of being stupid, seeing as how she developed the initial scientific theory leading to most of what we know about physics today. It's just that they didn't know any better. Nowadays, we say "She did WHAT?!?"

I think in 100 years they will be saying "They did WHAT?!? They put microwave transmitters RIGHT NEXT TO THEIR BRAINS! What morons!" The cell phone industry can fight it all they want, but the cigarette industry didn't acknowledge that cigarettes were addivtive until the 1990's.

You know, back in my day, they didn't have magnets for keeping razors sharp - the fad back then was using a small pyramid (I kid thee not). This pyramid would not only sharpen razor blades, it also gave water stored in it miraculous healing properties...

That's nothing! Back in my day, when we wanted miraculous healing properties of water, we used radium ore: "By the patented composition of highly selected and scientifically compounded radium ores of which the Revigator is made, this lost element is perpetually restored to all drinking water placed therein." We drank radioactive water, we ate radioactive drugs and we wore radioactive cotton--we were that cool.

You'd be surprised to find out what they did to the first guy that discovered that radium was dangerous.

Commerce and Science have always striven to serve and benefit humanity. Out of nothing but the noblest and most generous ideals - the ample distribution of peace, comfort and plenty.

Like, here,
or here,
But, that's in the past. It's *today* that counts! :)

Quote from http://www.school-for-champions.com/science/xrays. htm :
X-ray machines in shoe stores

In the 1950s, every shoe store had a x-ray machine. People would try on a pair of shoes and stick their feet under the x-ray machine to look at how well the shoes fit their feet. Not only could you see the outline of the feet and the bones inside the shoe, but you could also see the nails that held parts of the shoe together.

After an increase of cancer among shoe salesmen and people using those shoe x-ray machines often, they were banned.
From TV monitors

X-rays coming from TV tube and PC monitors is general low-level. There has been efforts to provide shielding in the monitor screen to reduce any harmful rays.

Most people don't sit close to a TV for 8 hours a day, but man y do sit close to their PC monitor at work. It is uncertain if the low-level x-ray radiation from the monitor can cause harm, but it does not seem to be the case.

Oh, by the way :
http://www.amk.ca/personal/pictures/qmd.html

It says he developed cancer in his leg in 1985.

Maybe he did spend some time as a kid selling shoes:

http://www.mtn.org/quack/devices/shoexray.htm

He's an interesting guy. Not only does he collect quackery and old typesetting machines, he's also an ordained Unitarian Universalist minister. When a geeky friend of mine was getting married several years ago, he was quite concerned about finding a minister with a theology and temperment he could relate to. I suggested Bob, the wedding was a success, and they're still happily married.

He's an interesting guy. Not only does he collect quackery and old typesetting machines, he's also an ordained Unitarian Universalist minister. When a geeky friend of mine was getting married several years ago, he was quite concerned about finding a minister with a theology and temperment he could relate to. I suggested Bob, the wedding was a success, and they're still happily married.

Located in the Science Museum of Minnesota, it features quack medical devices throughout the decades that have been marketed to fools and skeptics alike. A neat collection. You'd be amazed what people would ingest or put their bodies through. (the vaccum-operated breast enlargement machine is interesting, as well as the sticks of radium that people would carry in their pockets).

Link Here. Creator's website is Here

Go to the Minnesota Science Museum in St. Paul. Find the section that contains the exhibits that belonged to the now-defunct Museum of Questionable Medical Devices. For a preview of the awesomeness within, visit this website and prepare to be amazed.

I visited the Museum of Questionable Medical Devices before the curator retired and left everything to the Science Museum. It was incredibly cool.

Also, you should check out the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago.

While I've got people's attention, I'd like to warn you to avoid South Carolina like the plague -- from a geek's perspective, it's a cultural wasteland!

Steve

In Minneapolis: The Bakken Museum

Across the river in St. Paul: The Museum Of Questionable Medical Devices which is now in the Science Museum of Minnesota

My PDA will make noise and always be sounding the "dirty bomb" alert when I'm going to get water out of my Revigator!

As I recall, around the time this story was written, Radium with the Spiffy New Thing. As I recall from my readings of the "Blahblahblah of Mars" series many, many years ago, I seem to recall that science-fictiony stuff throughout was "Radium powered", from guns that shot radium bullets to Radium-powered lights. In the "Real World", at the same time, Radium turned into a health(!) fad. The Museum of Questionable Medical Devices has bits and pieces related to this, including a box from the time labelled as containing Radium Suppositories (No joke!)

The website above has a couple of pictures of other Radium related "health" things, as well as a bunch of other rather mind-boggling things...

I hope the filmmakers KEEP the absurd "Radium" stuff in the movie, frankly (as well as any other "early-1900's sci-fi" elements of style) rather than doing something screwy to make it more "modern"...

Make sure you keep us informed of what happens to you.

I prefer the technical cure for carpal tunnel syndrome.