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Topic: Snake oil


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  Peddling Snake Oil; Investigative Files (Skeptical Briefs December 1998)
"Snake oil." The expression has come to be synonymous with a quack remedy.
In time worthless cure-alls came to be known as "snake oil." One source asserts, "There is no such thing as snakeoil, though many thousands of bottles containing stuff called snakeoil were sold to gullible patrons of carnival sideshows in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries" (Morris and Morris 1988).
I once saw a bottle in a private collection with a label on which was actually penned "Snake Oil" and that (if memory serves me) may have dated from the mid-nineteenth century or even earlier.
www.csicop.org /sb/9812/snakeoil.html   (1138 words)

  
 SNAKE OIL BOTTLE
Snake oil is found in many consumer products, and is the main ingredient in advertising materials.
Snake oil is seldom found in its pure, unadulterated form, but now it's available freshly made from the Bull Valley Pottery Company in Port Costa, CA.
Rub some snake oil on your head once in awhile to sharpen your wits; or rub it on your leg when you notice that it is being pulled.
www.claytonbailey.com /snakeoil.htm   (154 words)

  
 MySpace.com - Snake Oil Medicine Show - ASHEVILLE, North Carolina - Psychobilly / Bluegrass / Reggae - ...
Snake Oil's goal is to convey positive energy and ideals to their audiences through music and art.
Snake Oil's goal is to convey peace and positive ideals to their audience through music and art.
Having recorded 6 international releases, The Snake Oil Medicine Show is proud to showcase their newest CD which was recorded at Atlanta's World Class Tree Sound Studios by grammy winning engineer Robert Hannon.
www.snakeoilmedicineshow.net   (1047 words)

  
 Snake oil - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Snake oil is still used as pain reliever in China.
In time, snake oil became a generic name for many medicines that were marketed as panaceas or miraculous remedies, whose ingredients were usually secret, unidentified, or mis-characterized — and mostly inert or ineffective.
An alternate theory for the origins of the term "snake oil" is that it was a corruption of "Seneca oil".
en.wikipedia.org /wiki/Snake_oil   (1102 words)

  
 Snake oil (cryptography) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
In cryptography, snake oil is a term used to describe commercial cryptographic methods and products which are considered bogus or fraudulent.
The name derives from snake oil, one type of quack medicine widely available in 19th Century United States.
Since cryptography is a complicated subject, snake oil salemen may use "technobabble" to sell their product.
en.wikipedia.org /wiki/Snake_oil_(cryptography)   (446 words)

  
 Snake Oil - BPAL Madness!
Snake Oil is the single best perfume I have ever worn, and is solely responsible for converting me from the mass-produced, sterile world of Chanel scents to the wonderful, whimsical world of Black Phoenix perfume oils.
There is a sweet, gentle sparkliness to Snake Oil when it's first applied, and it dries down to a soft, rich nuttiness.
Two colleagues tried Snake Oil on their wrists too, and it smelled totally different on each person, although each outcome was beautiful in it's own way.
www.bpal.org /index.php?showtopic=30   (1780 words)

  
 Snake Oil Encryption   (Site not responding. Last check: )
The easiest way to identify snake oil cryptography is to review the marketing claims made by the crypto vendor.
Snake oil vendors are like the con artists who advertise via spam mail.
Another vendor manages to deliver three snake oil claims in a single sentence on its web site: "Uses 128 rounds of a ridiculously strong 3072 bit paranoid encryption that far exceeds even military standards!" Note the exaggerrated claim, the large key size, and the claim to military-grade security, even though no such thing exists.
www.securius.com /newsletters/Snake_Oil_Encryption.html   (1171 words)

  
 SNAKE OIL - MAY/JUNE 2001 - Sierra Magazine - Sierra Club
Actually, America is sitting atop a vast pool of oil; the only problem is that it's in a place even more fanatically protected than Alaska's caribou grounds or the California coastline.
And were CAFE raised by a very achievable 40 percent, the United States would save as much oil each year as we import from all the Persian Gulf--with the Arctic Refuge thrown in for good measure.
Preston McAfee, an economist hired by the Federal Trade Commission, estimated that BP Amoco's move resulted in an increase of one to three cents per gallon of gas at the pump--and motorists in Washington, Oregon, and California pump almost 19 billion gallons a year.
www.sierraclub.org /sierra/200105/snakeoil.asp   (2444 words)

  
 snake oil
However, in recent years the oil companies voluntarily reduced the amount of zinc content in most of their products after research indicated the zinc was responsible for premature deterioration and damage to catalytic converters.
The problem is, Petrolon and the other oil additive companies that claim "scientific evidence" from "independent laboratories," all refuse to identify the laboratories that conducted the tests or the criteria under which the tests were conducted.
That's not because we wanted to give a biased report against oil additives - it's because we couldn't find a single laboratory, engine manufacturer or independent research facility who would make a public claim, with their name attached to it, that any of the additives were actually beneficial to an engine.
www.dieselsite.com /prodrev/snakeoil.htm   (5858 words)

  
 Password Busters: Snake Oil FAQ   (Site not responding. Last check: )
This is a compilation of common habits of snake oil vendors.
Listening to the claims made by some crypto vendors, ``snake oil'' is a surprisingly apt name.
They must be truly random, using a real random source such as specialized hardware, radioactive decay timings, etc. Some snake oil vendors will try to dance around this issue, and talk about functions they perform on the bit stream, things they do with the bit stream vs. the plaintext, or something similar.
www.passwordbusters.com /FAQ_snake_oil.htm   (4056 words)

  
 Yarrow: Seneca Snake Oil
Snake oil also is grease to lubricate, and solvents to wash these metal machines.
Snake oil is a chemist's dream—a shape-shifting substance able to transform into endless materials—even simulate natural ones.
Plants concentrate essential oils in flower nectar and pollen—these are the rainbow snake oils.
www.championtrees.org /yarrow/snakeoil.htm   (8085 words)

  
 Snake Oil
Currently, the most common and popular oil additives on the marketare those that contain PTFE powders suspended in a regular,over-the-counter type, 50-rated petroleum or synthetic engine oil.PTFE is the common abbreviation used for Polytetrafloeraethylene, more commonly known by the tradename "Teflon," which is a registered trademark of the DuPont Chemical Corporation.
This conclusion seems to be borne out by tests on oil additives containing PTFE conducted by the NASA Lewis Research Center, whichs aid in their report, "In the types of bearing surface contact we have looked at, we have seen no benefit.
The solids in the oil tend to accumulate at inlets and act as a dam, which simply blocks the oil from entering.
www.logan.com /cht/oil.html   (6055 words)

  
 Snake Oil
Snake Oil and the Development of Aesthetic Musculature
There are three principle reasons for engaging in the effort to increase the size of ones muscles.
I wish there was a clear guideline I could give you that would enable you to separate the beneficial supplements from the snake oil.
www.pipeline.com /~bakti/MuscleMaker/snkoil.html   (1191 words)

  
 Snake Oil Warning Signs:Encryption Software to Avoid
This is a compilation of common habits of snake oil vendors.
Listening to the claims made by some crypto vendors, ``snake oil'' is a surprisingly apt name.
They must be truly random, using a real random source such as specialized hardware, radioactive decay timings, etc. Some snake oil vendors will try to dance around this issue, and talk about functions they perform on the bit stream, things they do with the bit stream vs.
www.interhack.net /people/cmcurtin/snake-oil-faq.html   (4062 words)

  
 Avoiding bogus encryption products: Snake Oil FAQ
The Snake Oil FAQ is posted monthly to sci.crypt, alt.security, comp.security, comp.answers, and comp.infosystems.
For a variety of reasons, this document does not mention specific products or algorithms as being ``good'' or ``snake oil.'' Basic Concepts In an effort to make this FAQ more complete, some basic information is covered here.
Snake Oil Warning Signs ``Trust Us, We Know What We're Doing'' Perhaps the biggest warning sign of all is the ``trust us, we know what we're doing'' message that's either stated directly or implied by the vendor.
www.faqs.org /faqs/cryptography-faq/snake-oil   (4136 words)

  
 Snake Oil   (Site not responding. Last check: )
Currently, the most common and popular oil additives on the market are those that contain PTFE powders suspended in a regular, over-the-counter type, 50- rated petroleum or synthetic engine oil.
This conclusion seems to be borne out by tests on oil additives containing PTFE conducted by the NASA Lewis Research Center, which said in their report, In the types of bearing surface contact we have looked at, we have seen no benefit.
The oil companies have gone to great lengths to develop an additive pack age that meets the vehicle's requirements.
alumnus.caltech.edu /~sschang/snakeoil.html   (6463 words)

  
 [No title]
The PTFE Mystery Currently, the most common and popular oil additives on the market are those that contain PTFE powders suspended in a regular, over-the-counter type, 50-rated petroleum or synthetic engine oil.
The Infamous "No Oil" Demo At at least three major motorcycle rallies this past year, we have witnessed live demonstrations put on to demonstrate the effectiveness of certain oil additives.
Their nationwide television ads claim that this oil treatment bonds a 1-molecule-thick low-friction coating to metal surfaces in the engine resulting in longer life, better mileage, more savings.
www.math.uwaterloo.ca /~rblander/snake_oil.txt   (5755 words)

  
 Snake Oil!
Please note, however, that a long list of oil additives of the sort discussed in the "Snake Oil!" article have nevertheless been the subject of federal prosecution, regardless of how Mr.
The demonstrators would have a bench-mounted engine which they would fill with oil and a prescribed dose of their "miracle additive." After running the engine for a while they would stop it, drain out the oil and start it up again.
That's not because we wanted to give a biased report against oil additives -- it's because we couldn't find a single laboratory, engine manufacturer or independent research facility who would make a public claim, with their name attached to it, that any of the additives were actually beneficial to an engine.
neptune.spacebears.com /cars/legal/oiladd.html   (6630 words)

  
 Med Journal Watch
No one would expect to find the big five tricks, as may be described in the snake oil chapter of "Peddler's Handbook", in a serious modern cancer report with a multi-professor authorship.
Present Mrs Jones to the crowd and have her confirm that she applied snake oil and later her pain disappeared.
But rheumatic pain comes and goes in phases anyway, and it is just a matter of chance that an application of snake oil is followed by a pain remission.
medjournalwatch.blogspot.com   (2331 words)

  
 What is snake oil? - A Word Definition From the Webopedia Computer Dictionary
The term snake oil, which is credited to Matt Curtin for using in reference to computer security products, comes from the 19
Snake oil salesmen would falsely claim that the potions would cure any ailments.
The term has been appropriated to mean security and encryption products that make impossible claims, such as unbreakable codes.
www.webopedia.com /TERM/S/snake_oil.html   (146 words)

  
 Crypto-Gram: February 15, 1999   (Site not responding. Last check: )
The term we use for bad cryptography products is "snake oil," which was the turn-of-the-century American term for quack medicine.
These snake-oil warning signs are neither necessary nor sufficient criteria for separating the good cryptography from the snake oil.
Further reading: The "Snake Oil" FAQ is an excellent source of information on questionable cryptographic products, and a good way to increase the sensitivity of your bullshit detector.
www.schneier.com /crypto-gram-9902.html   (4469 words)

  
 Amazon.fr : Snake Oil: Livres en anglais: Richard Dawkins,John Diamond,Dominic Lawson   (Site not responding. Last check: )
Amazon.fr : Snake Oil: Livres en anglais: Richard Dawkins,John Diamond,Dominic Lawson
Author of Snake Oil, John Diamond, believed journalism to be an ephemeral thing: "If I wanted to write for posterity's sake, I'll start another unfinishable book." Sadly, he did.
Intended to be "an uncomplimentary view of complementary medicine", he was spurred into writing the book by the 5,000 letters he received suggesting alternative cures for his terminal cancer.
www.amazon.fr /Snake-Oil-Richard-Dawkins/dp/0099428334   (542 words)

  
 Bartleby Press--Snake Oil: Life's Calculations, Misdirections, and Manipulations
Selling snake oil is the ultimate con, and readers will find within these pages everything from classic deceptions to the most recent of ruses.
From fooling your friends to dangerous stage stunts, Jim Rose, snake oil salesman extraordinaire, provides new angles to old tricks.
Those who dare to explore these pages will find themselved enticed by this special brand of snake oil.
www.bartlebythepublisher.com /snakeoil.html   (196 words)

  
 Intro
SNAKE OIL - based in Byron Bay, Australia, Snake Oil are an original acoustic guitar & vocal music duo, featuring Hinch & Dr. Baz.
This is natural music at its best - warm, vibrant, with strong rhythmic feel, great vocals and meaningful lyrics.
and good dancin' music is the best tonic for the soul." Snake Oil is the Remedy.
www.snake-oil.com.au   (73 words)

  
 Snake Oil? PC Magazine - Find Articles
Just as traveling hucksters rolled through the Old West selling miracle nostrums to cure all dangerous and shameful illnesses—real and imagined—plenty of shady characters peddle "utilities" that promise relief for everything from embarrassingly unoptimized memory to unsightly IP broadcasting.
We don't have space to debunk all the snake oil purveyed via pop-ups and spam, but here are a few things to watch out for.
You may buy the program or not, but you won't be left clutching a bottle of snake oil.
www.findarticles.com /p/articles/mi_zdpcm/is_200306/ai_ziff42185   (583 words)

  
 TAP: Web Feature: Snake Oil. by Matthew Yglesias. January 21, 2004.   (Site not responding. Last check: )
This snake oil may work on election, but character -- exhibited by a determination to implement viable public policy -- is fundamentally more important.
Copyright © 2004 by The American Prospect, Inc. Preferred Citation: Matthew Yglesias, "Snake Oil After hearing the State of the Union address, we take a look at the gap between Bush's claims and the real world.," The American Prospect Online, January 21, 2004.
This article may not be resold, reprinted, or redistributed for compensation of any kind without prior written permission from the author.
www.prospect.org /webfeatures/2004/01/yglesias-m-01-21.html   (1341 words)

  
 » A “Market for Lemons”, a Nobel Prize, and Snake Oil SEO - John Andrews - johnon.com
This puts the prospective SEO client at a distinct disadvantage, and provides an opportunity for the contract-seeking “snake oil SEO salesman” to close a deal at a good profit, often without realistic accountability or other consumer safeguards in place.
John Andrews post about A “Market for Lemons”, a Nobel Prize, and Snake Oil SEO is one of those occasions.
An article called, “A “Market for Lemons”, a Nobel Prize, and Snake Oil SEO” from John Andrews argued for the increase in transparency for an industry where the consultant holds an unfair advantage in service negotiations because of their unique knowledge of the SEO industry that the customer does not have.
www.johnon.com /293/seo-consulting-2.html   (2342 words)

  
 USENIX ;login: - electronic snake oil
However, over the years, a few common practices have developed that have helped us identify the traits of those whose products are "snake oil." Before we consider those, though, let's cover some terminology and basic concepts of cryptography.
In many fields, the term is used to denote something sold without consideration of its quality or its ability to fulfill its vendor's claims.
The fact that a vendor is a well-known company or the algorithm is patented doesn't make it secure either.
www.usenix.org /publications/login/1999-4/snake_oil.html   (3763 words)

  
 Snake Oil Your Guide to Kooky Kontemporary Kristian Kulture   (Site not responding. Last check: )
They are the false followers, viewers of religious programming who tune in not for a spiritual message, but for the unintentional humor, pathos, intrigue, and outlandish hairdos that await them inside the Electronic Church.
Religious Broadcasting is bigger and more out of control than ever, and now there's Snake Oil, a publication devoted to keeping up with the more bizarre elements of this phenomenon.
Snake Oil was a fanzine about Robert Tilton and other TV preachers in those pre-WWW days of the early 90s.
www.devilsweb.com /snakeoil   (335 words)

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