On Cecil’s SD page is an ad for a “free energy” device. Buy whatever they are selling, and you get no-cost electricity and can thumb your nose at the power company.
Exactly how this works, I’m not sure, as I don’t feel like watching a half hour of bullshit to get to the punch line, but I think they are selling plans to build this marvelous paranormal device; you know, the one your government doesn’t want you to know about.
Here’s the link, but I suggest you turn down your sound first:
I’m ashamed to see this on Cecil’s page. What is the Dope coming to?
Somehow I got to list of books they are selling, and looked like just wind and solar power, nothing too whacky.
I think I tried to exit the page, it popped up a “are you sure?” type thing, and I hit no to keep the page open. Then it skipped the movie and went to the books.
Yeah, I think I followed the video to the bitter end once, and it wasn’t pretty. It was selling free energy devices that you could build yourself. I seriously doubt if those would work, or if they provided any energy cheaper than the power lines do. Most of the sales talk was slanted along the typical woo lines of “the power companies are suppressing the REAL story.”
If you REALLY have such a device, the world would beat a path to your door.
The only reason I put this in ATMB instead of IMHO was that Cecil’s endorsement is implicitly behind the ads on his pages, and I think it undermines his credibility.
It looked like they are simply selling solar panels and wind turbines, according the page I saw. Or maybe books/DVDs to build them.
Did you see something different than solar and wind? Those are legit technologies. Still might be a ripoff, but it’s not like they are selling perpetual motion machines.
“All you have to do is pay the small shipping fee…and everything inside teaches you everything you need to install {wind generators} on your own home.”
OK, I’ve listened to all of the 7 minutes, and perhaps it’s less woo than just outrageous salesmanship. But I noticed something else. I closed the window with the video playing, yet the sound continued. I couldn’t find any video window open anywhere, but the sound kept playing. I closed all applications and browser tabs except SDMB (the message board, not the Ask Cecil page), yet it kept playing. Somehow this site has found a way to avoid being closed, and with the message board the only app running, the sound continued.
I still don’t think we should be associated with this scam. Or if we are, I hope Cecil gets a bundle of money from it and can enjoy a laff all the way to the bank.
And the “stay on this page” popup persists even if you close the video window first.
Most ads assault the intelligence and are both misleading and inane. Carrying an ad does not imply an endorsement. It’s not clear to me why the bulk of internet advertising is scammy. But this seems to be the case.
That said, I saw a Shell ad on Cecil’s webpage. Yay! It was in flash and had moving images. Boo! But members don’t see them anyway, unless they view the pages in a browser where they are not logged in. Rah rah?
This is being looked it; it may be a little time before any formal statement or action, so I just wanted it to be known that it’s under review by the Powers Above.
Thanks, CK. I guess the ad in question isn’t quite as bad as I thought (it isn’t selling “free energy”, just solar & wind power construction plans which may or may not work :dubious: ). But it certainly is over the top for promotion methods and I put it in the “most offensive” column of taste.
It would not surprise me if there’s really not that much control over what the ads say when you are getting them third-hand. I think you’d be better off believing that, in general, no site agrees with the ads posted on their site, just like you can assume that any Internet-only ad is full of lies.
