counterfeit

OK, this has been bugging me for a while. After reading about those stupid detector pens here a long time ago I wondered why can't some consumer protection group try to get them off the market. There are class action suits that you hear about all the time for stuff that doesn't work. I know...

I was in a Las Vegas shop earlier this week and saw that the owners had purchased and installed a very elaborate counterfeit money detector. One would place a bill on it and a small white light would shine through the area with the watermark while a UV light shined down on the bill to make the...

My expertise is in computer and network security. I'm not a physicist. I was hoping someone could help explain something to me. I have read "The Code Book: The Science of Secrecy from Ancient Egypt to Quantum Cryptography", but Simon Singh. In the section on quantum cryptography, he talks...

A month or so ago, a man next to me at the customer service desk in my local grocery store gave them a $100 bill, which they placed on the desk and made a mark on it with a special pen they had nearby. I had already read Randi's commentary on these counterfeit detector pens, but was surprised to...

Counterfeit god As it’s so hard to know a counterfeit god I have developed a device to detect them. Enter any room which you suspect there may be a counterfeit god present and use the device. Activate the god detector by moving the ergonomically designed switch. If the White Light of Truth...

Recently there has been comment on how a pen can (supposedly) detect counterfeit money, but in actuallity is nothing but woo-woo. Well, in a sort of role reversal, I came across some money that was placed (years ago) in a cedar jewelry box -- two new (at the time) $50 dollar bills. (Yes, I...

Long, long ago (like 12 years maybe) I worked in retail, and the Powers that Be introduced us to the magic pen. There was an undeniable implication that we could all relax, our counterfeit problems were over, that we could use the pen and disregard our our previous unreliable techniques. As...

Has anyone in the U.S. actually sprayed some starch on a large bill to see how the cashier reacts when they use the "yellow pen" on it? Were you delayed getting home? I've always been tempted to try this, but I'm concerned about the possible hassle and loss of a legitimate bill. What are the...