"RHADOMANCER, n. One who uses a divining-rod in prospecting for precious metals in the pocket of a fool." --Ambrose Bierce

November 4, 2009 10:47 PM

...[T]he Ministry of the Interior... reported that the ministry bought 800 of the devices from a company called ATSC (UK) Ltd. for $32 million in 2008, and an unspecified larger quantity for $53 million. [...O]fficials paid up to $60,000 apiece, when the wands could be purchased for as little as $18,500.... ATSC’s promotional material claims that its device can find guns, ammunition, drugs, truffles, human bodies and even contraband ivory at distances up to a kilometer, underground, through walls, underwater or even from airplanes three miles high. The device works on “electrostatic magnetic ion attraction,” ATSC says.... If there are explosives or drugs to the operator’s left, the wand is supposed to swivel to the operator’s left and point at them.

But you can much more cheaply make your own wand that works identically, from a wire coathanger!
posted by orthogonality (15 comments total)

Dupe of http://www.metafilter.com/86373/Iraq-Swears-by-Bomb-Detector-US-Correctly-Sees-as-Useless
posted by effugas at 10:50 PM on November 4

A dowsing rod? Really?
posted by nola at 10:52 PM on November 4

Proponents of the wand often argue that errors stem from the human operator, who they say must be rested, with a steady pulse and body temperature, before using the device.

Then the operator must walk in place a few moments to “charge” the device, since it has no battery or other power source, and walk with the wand at right angles to the body. If there are explosives or drugs to the operator’s left, the wand is supposed to swivel to the operator’s left and point at them.

I don't see what the problem is. Seems perfectly scientific to me.
posted by dersins at 10:56 PM on November 4

See now, if you bought one, you could've found the double.
posted by Pope Guilty at 11:00 PM on November 4 [3 favorites]

We don't want the smoking gun to come in the form of a mushroom cloud.
posted by zoinks at 11:05 PM on November 4

Still one the front page, but if it makes you feel better for your effort, I like this one better.
posted by cjorgensen at 11:11 PM on November 4

If only you could have swindled yourself millions of dollars for this post, like ATSC did with their junk!
posted by five fresh fish at 11:20 PM on November 4

I wonder if this is a money-laundering operation. Helluva way to move tens of millions around.
posted by five fresh fish at 11:21 PM on November 4

My dowsing rod led me to piss on this hydrant.
posted by dirty lies at 11:32 PM on November 4

Huh. My mother dowsed wells for people using two segments of wire coat hangers. I guess with cutbacks they could only afford one.
posted by Kickstart70 at 11:39 PM on November 4

My family went on a day tour of northern England where they showed us all the creepy rock circles and sites where there'd been UFO sightings. At one place, they had us get out of the van and walk around this one rock circle with dousing rods. They would tell us which stones the rods were supposed to point to, and voila! It was great fun.
posted by roll truck roll at 11:50 PM on November 4

“I don’t care about Sandia or the Department of Justice or any of them,” General Jabiri said. “I know more about this issue than the Americans do. In fact, I know more about bombs kickbacks than anyone in the world.”
posted by PeterMcDermott at 12:27 AM on November 5

"One who uses a divining-rod in prospecting for precious metals in the pocket of a fool" is the dictionary definition of a Salesman.
posted by oneswellfoop at 12:55 AM on November 5

Aparecium! Waves wand. Credo quia absurdum est!
posted by moonbiter at 1:25 AM on November 5

The wand will only reveal current explosives, but a widespread deployment of palm-reading technology will reveal future threats.
posted by twoleftfeet at 1:59 AM on November 5