Alex Chiu
Alexander Yuan-Chun Chiu (born February 8, 1971) is a San Francisco, California businessman who sells a number of alternative health products over the Internet, including magnetic "immortality devices".
Products Magnetic devices Alex Chiu markets plastic magnetic rings which he calls Immortality Devices. He claims that these can arrest and even reverse the Senescence, lessen the intensity of most diseases, and lead to physical immortality when worn nightly. Chiu believes that the rings work by increasing the body's "cell (biology)ular magnetic flux".
The rings are worn on the little finger of each hand and must be aligned in a certain direction. Wearing them incorrectly is supposed to reverse their effect, greatly harming the user's health.
Chiu provides free directions on how to construct his Immortality Devices. The devices consist of an adjustable ring of plastic (grey or white for normal 1000 Gauss (unit), black for neodymium at 21,000 gauss) with teeth. Two magnets are set in each ring, one above and one below the finger, and they are marked on the plastic with a positive and negative sign.
His rings come in a cheaper and weaker variety of earth magnet, and neodymium, a superior form which he claims has a much stronger effect on health. Chiu also sells magnetic foot braces, which accompany the rings.
Chiu has claimed in the past to be working on a true "heal the handicap" machine, based upon coil magnets, and possibly electromagnetism. In 2006 he abandoned the concept claiming it did more harm than good and developed the alternative Gorgeouspil and Super Chi Flush products.
Food and ingested medicine Chiu's Gorgeouspil is advertised as being able to make its users "more and more gorgeous every day", and Chiu himself uses them. If taken daily in conjunction with the rings, Chiu believes that Gorgeouspils can alter the appearance of the user, eventually making them look "even more gorgeous than supermodels". He claims that his pill can change facial bone structure, shrink the skull, straighten the spine and cure any physical deformity. None of these claims have been independently verified.
Chiu's website also offers a Super Chi Flush herbal compound which he implies can cure herpes and cancer, although the site is careful to make no specific medical claims.
Chiu has also sold American ginseng and green tea through his website, which he believes enhance the effects of his immortality rings. He has also sold some sort of rose oil product.
Fortune telling Chiu's website sells Bible Decoder software which he claims can predict the future by observing the implications of secret codes in the Old Testament, using existing bible code systems.
Chiu also believes in the use of I-Ching in telling the future, and has a website for the purpose of giving readings for people.
Chiu's views Chiu's claims about his products are based around Chinese alternative health treatments and magnet therapy. He claims that his ring system targets energy points, in the same manner as acupressure or acupuncture. Several pre-existing theories on his page are credited as being his own invention.
He is considered by skeptics to be an infamous snake oil salesman and Quackery.
Business dealings Refund policy Some claim that he has not honoured his refund policy because he claims his customers are lying or incapable of knowing that his devices actually work.
A legal action against Chiu prompted by Kilpatrick Stockton LLP based in Raleigh, NC, is due to take place on July 22nd, 2007, pending compliance with a customer refund request filed in May, 2007.
In a customer test, every e-mail message that was sent to the webmaster@alexchiu.com e-mail address inquiring information on return address was ignored.
Natural Cures Alex's site and rings were mentioned in Kevin Trudeau's publications.
Free rings for advertising Chiu offered an online program which distributes free rings for clicks on a banner or link that directed to his site. For 80 clicks, an advertiser affiliate would receive a free pair of basic rings. This advertising tactic is largely responsible for his internet cult fandom and large levels of expansion.
Some had claimed difficulty with this offer, in a variety of areas:
Problems logging into the affiliate page at times.
Time consuming calculation of unique clicks
Lack of correlation between unique click count and bar-graph stated click counts
Clicks lost when order is placed, yet order is not sent out
The number of clicks required seems to increase, from previously 50, to 80 under direction of a business associate.
Order said to have been sent out not received.
Most cases have been resolved due to Alex's keeping a phone line open at all times which he does personally answer.
As time progresses many of the problems experienced have either been ironed out or are easily resolvable.
His website is available in a number of languages, including English language, and has links to pages explaining his plans for, among other things, a world-wide corporation, a device for teleportation and a method for exactly divining the future. One of his web pages claims that he is not Taiwanese but overseas Chinese and that his device for eternal life is not designed for Taiwan independence.
According to his website, he follows the Judaism and bases much of his philosophy on the Old Testament (referred to as the Tanakh by Jews). He claims that immortality is possible as described in the Tanakh, and offers predictions as to who he believes will be the Messiah. He is also a supporter of the state of Israel, believing its establishment to be a fulfillment of Bible prophecy.
Alex Chiu has also achieved internet fame through pop-culture flash movies called animutations. His rings were parodically compared to the power-rings used by the Planeteers in the Captain Planet series.
He has also been featured on the podcast Web Drifter with Martin Sargent on the Revision3 Network. While in a cemetery, he said to Martin Sargent, "I am a loser, girls don't like me...it doesn't help girls keep on thinking you're Frankenstein, because, you know, you think you can make people live forever." The podcast also featured Alex Chiu singing a karaoke version of Alphaville (band)'s Forever Young (Alphaville song).
An allegation is also made in the podcast that Alex Chiu has bought over three million dollars of real estate in the California area through the sale of his rings. Alex was brought back on the show several times, and on Episode 28 of Sargent's 'Infected', Alex was made the official movie reviewer to secure his role in the series. In it he reviewed Superman Returns and claimed (at Sargent's suggestion) that his rings could have saved Christopher Reeve, but that he denied them to him because he wanted to play the role of Superman.
While not addressing his rings specifically, magnet therapy in general has been featured in the Penn & Teller: Bullshit episode on Alternative Medicine, where it was shown to probably be a placebo.
Google Alex Chiu's website has been blocked by Google since August 2006, possibly because of keyword stuffing. The site can still be found through Yahoo and other search engines. While Alex's main site does not show up, his other websites do, and Google even features a sponsored ad for one of his websites at the top of a search.
See also
References
External links
Alex Chiu's websites
Products Magnetic devices Alex Chiu markets plastic magnetic rings which he calls Immortality Devices. He claims that these can arrest and even reverse the Senescence, lessen the intensity of most diseases, and lead to physical immortality when worn nightly. Chiu believes that the rings work by increasing the body's "cell (biology)ular magnetic flux".
The rings are worn on the little finger of each hand and must be aligned in a certain direction. Wearing them incorrectly is supposed to reverse their effect, greatly harming the user's health.
Chiu provides free directions on how to construct his Immortality Devices. The devices consist of an adjustable ring of plastic (grey or white for normal 1000 Gauss (unit), black for neodymium at 21,000 gauss) with teeth. Two magnets are set in each ring, one above and one below the finger, and they are marked on the plastic with a positive and negative sign.
His rings come in a cheaper and weaker variety of earth magnet, and neodymium, a superior form which he claims has a much stronger effect on health. Chiu also sells magnetic foot braces, which accompany the rings.
Chiu has claimed in the past to be working on a true "heal the handicap" machine, based upon coil magnets, and possibly electromagnetism. In 2006 he abandoned the concept claiming it did more harm than good and developed the alternative Gorgeouspil and Super Chi Flush products.
Food and ingested medicine Chiu's Gorgeouspil is advertised as being able to make its users "more and more gorgeous every day", and Chiu himself uses them. If taken daily in conjunction with the rings, Chiu believes that Gorgeouspils can alter the appearance of the user, eventually making them look "even more gorgeous than supermodels". He claims that his pill can change facial bone structure, shrink the skull, straighten the spine and cure any physical deformity. None of these claims have been independently verified.
Chiu's website also offers a Super Chi Flush herbal compound which he implies can cure herpes and cancer, although the site is careful to make no specific medical claims.
Chiu has also sold American ginseng and green tea through his website, which he believes enhance the effects of his immortality rings. He has also sold some sort of rose oil product.
Fortune telling Chiu's website sells Bible Decoder software which he claims can predict the future by observing the implications of secret codes in the Old Testament, using existing bible code systems.
Chiu also believes in the use of I-Ching in telling the future, and has a website for the purpose of giving readings for people.
Chiu's views Chiu's claims about his products are based around Chinese alternative health treatments and magnet therapy. He claims that his ring system targets energy points, in the same manner as acupressure or acupuncture. Several pre-existing theories on his page are credited as being his own invention.
He is considered by skeptics to be an infamous snake oil salesman and Quackery.
Business dealings Refund policy Some claim that he has not honoured his refund policy because he claims his customers are lying or incapable of knowing that his devices actually work.
A legal action against Chiu prompted by Kilpatrick Stockton LLP based in Raleigh, NC, is due to take place on July 22nd, 2007, pending compliance with a customer refund request filed in May, 2007.
In a customer test, every e-mail message that was sent to the webmaster@alexchiu.com e-mail address inquiring information on return address was ignored.
Natural Cures Alex's site and rings were mentioned in Kevin Trudeau's publications.
Free rings for advertising Chiu offered an online program which distributes free rings for clicks on a banner or link that directed to his site. For 80 clicks, an advertiser affiliate would receive a free pair of basic rings. This advertising tactic is largely responsible for his internet cult fandom and large levels of expansion.
Some had claimed difficulty with this offer, in a variety of areas:
Most cases have been resolved due to Alex's keeping a phone line open at all times which he does personally answer.
As time progresses many of the problems experienced have either been ironed out or are easily resolvable.
His website is available in a number of languages, including English language, and has links to pages explaining his plans for, among other things, a world-wide corporation, a device for teleportation and a method for exactly divining the future. One of his web pages claims that he is not Taiwanese but overseas Chinese and that his device for eternal life is not designed for Taiwan independence.
According to his website, he follows the Judaism and bases much of his philosophy on the Old Testament (referred to as the Tanakh by Jews). He claims that immortality is possible as described in the Tanakh, and offers predictions as to who he believes will be the Messiah. He is also a supporter of the state of Israel, believing its establishment to be a fulfillment of Bible prophecy.
Alex Chiu has also achieved internet fame through pop-culture flash movies called animutations. His rings were parodically compared to the power-rings used by the Planeteers in the Captain Planet series.
He has also been featured on the podcast Web Drifter with Martin Sargent on the Revision3 Network. While in a cemetery, he said to Martin Sargent, "I am a loser, girls don't like me...it doesn't help girls keep on thinking you're Frankenstein, because, you know, you think you can make people live forever." The podcast also featured Alex Chiu singing a karaoke version of Alphaville (band)'s Forever Young (Alphaville song).
An allegation is also made in the podcast that Alex Chiu has bought over three million dollars of real estate in the California area through the sale of his rings. Alex was brought back on the show several times, and on Episode 28 of Sargent's 'Infected', Alex was made the official movie reviewer to secure his role in the series. In it he reviewed Superman Returns and claimed (at Sargent's suggestion) that his rings could have saved Christopher Reeve, but that he denied them to him because he wanted to play the role of Superman.
While not addressing his rings specifically, magnet therapy in general has been featured in the Penn & Teller: Bullshit episode on Alternative Medicine, where it was shown to probably be a placebo.
Google Alex Chiu's website has been blocked by Google since August 2006, possibly because of keyword stuffing. The site can still be found through Yahoo and other search engines. While Alex's main site does not show up, his other websites do, and Google even features a sponsored ad for one of his websites at the top of a search.
See also
References
External links
- Alex Chiu's interview with Martin Sargent's WebDrifter series (Video)
- Episode 8 Alex Chiu's first appearance on 'Infected'
- Episode 28 - Pure Entertainment! Alex Chiu's first time as the video reviewer for Infected, on the phone
- Alex Chiu's interview with Slashdot.org
- Interview of Alex Chiu in the Wackorama.
- Interview of Alex Chiu with Jeremy Bornstein
Alex Chiu's websites
- Alex Chiu Rings
- Perfect Body
- Rejuvenating Rings
- Super I-Ching
Alex Chiu News