Elizabeth Holmes of Theranos banned from Owning/Operating Medical Laboratory - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: LabSpokane
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 08, 2016, 03:18:09 pm
content: http://www.nytimes.com/2016/07/09/business/theranos-elizabeth-holmes-ban.html?_r=0Quote

author: TheAmmoniacal
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: July 08, 2016, 03:18:39 pm
content: Should have been a lifetime ban.

author: chris_leyson
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 08, 2016, 05:37:52 pm
content: QuoteTotaly agree with that. Exactly what is this amazing Edison device supposed to diagnose from a microlitre of blood ? According to Wikipedea the FDA provided limited approval for Theranos' Edison device for use in a herpes simplex virus (HSV-1) blood test which tests for disease using a finger-prick's worth of blood,but did not verify its accuracy.I'm not a biochemist but I guess you would have to add a reagent to the blood that would then react with the herpes virus and you measure for certain reaction compounds. Obviously it didn't work.I don't know what the law says but surely this should have been clinically trialled if it's diagnostic equipment.

author: LabSpokane
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 08, 2016, 06:04:26 pm
content: Elizabeth Holmes is largely a figurehead that had a bad idea that sounded good. The backers and enablers that actually put her on the map are the real villains, and they will suffer nothing other than the loss of other people's money.Theranos is UBeam is Batteroo is ...

author: TheAmmoniacal
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: July 08, 2016, 06:13:16 pm
content: Quote from: chris_leyson on July 08, 2016, 05:37:52 pmDiagnosis of herpes simplex (HSV-1 or HSV-2) in such a test would have to be done using fluorescent antibodies, which has to be added to the blood.

author: timb
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 09, 2016, 03:49:21 am
content: How are existing herpes tests run? Is it only blood, or can they do oral/genital mucosa swabs? I would assume it's blood, since it's a virus, therefor you have antibodies, right?Fun fact: If you've ever had a cold sore (fever blister), you have herpes! (HSV-1 is more common orally, if I remember right.)Doubly Fun Fact: 40% of the sexually active population have gentile herpes, though less than 10% will ever have an outbreak. Most who carry it never know, but they can still pass it on (sharing is caring), even without any visible sores! Furthermore, condoms are not always effective protection against herpes; there are a number of factors that can influence the transmission. Normally it's not part of a standard STD panel test and must be specifically requested.The More You Know! ~~~*

author: mtdoc
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 09, 2016, 04:09:43 am
content: Quote from: timb on July 09, 2016, 03:49:21 amThere is a blood test for HSV IgG - that is antibodies. It will only tell you if you've been exposed. It's possible to have positive HSV IgG and never have an outbreak and not be contagious.To to a mucosa swab you need to swab fluid from a "deroofed" herpes blister and then do a Tzanck smear or better, a viral PCR test. So you can only do these tests during an outbreak.

author: Skimask
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 09, 2016, 04:36:01 am
content: A) What a piece of raging shit...B) Wow! I knew some of the people on this forums were diverse, but holy crap...amazing...

author: chris_leyson
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 09, 2016, 05:35:44 am
content: QuoteFluorescent antibodies, I had a feeling it might be done that way, been there, seen that, excite with a xenon flash lamp and measure the fluorescence using a photo multiplier tube and that was probably 25 years ago, not rocket science and it doesn't need a budget of millions. Use stepper motors to drive a small tray containing maybe 96 small plastic vials takes only a few minutes. Edison device

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: July 09, 2016, 08:45:54 am
content: Quote from: TheAmmoniacal on July 08, 2016, 03:18:39 pmYup, and people get jail time for alotless than what she's done.

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: July 09, 2016, 08:48:12 am
content: Quote from: LabSpokane on July 08, 2016, 06:04:26 pmExcept that Theranos actually used a products to do thousands of medical tests who's results were bogus. People health could be affected. She might be lucky to avoid jail time, we haven't heard the end of this.

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: July 09, 2016, 08:50:19 am
content: Quote from: Skimask on July 09, 2016, 04:36:01 ammtdoc is our real resident forum medical doctorIt never ceases to amaze me that there will almost always be some expert on the forum in almost any topic that is bought up.

author: timb
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 09, 2016, 01:03:56 pm
content: Quote from: mtdoc on July 09, 2016, 04:09:43 amThanks, very interesting. That brings up another question: If there's an outbreak and visible blisters, doesn't that kind of point to herpes in and of itself? So why go through the trouble? (I mean that as a genuine question. I guess maybe there might be other STDs or conditions that present like herpes?)Also, I'm adding "Deroofed Herpes Blister" to my list of fantastic names for a band!

author: Marco
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 09, 2016, 01:24:27 pm
content: Quote from: EEVblog on July 09, 2016, 08:48:12 amWeren't all the tests run on standard machines with standard amounts of blood?

author: Len
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: July 09, 2016, 03:28:48 pm
content: Quote from: Marco on July 09, 2016, 01:24:27 pmIt’s hard to say how Theranos were doing their testing. They have repeatedly obfuscated and misled people about their testing process.Some (Most? All?) of the blood tests have been done with industry-standard equipment, not their proprietary technology that they always brag about. When government inspectors visited one of their labs, they were shown only standard equipment, not the fancy Edison system. So either Theranos was lying about using their proprietary technology for (at least some of) their testing, or they hid part of their process from the inspectors.I found this out with a little web research. There’s plenty of information out there, if you don’t stop after the first google result.

author: LabSpokane
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 09, 2016, 03:29:42 pm
content: Quote from: EEVblog on July 09, 2016, 08:48:12 amI meant from a investor/funding side. The delivering of invalid results, likely knowingly, is pure evil.The problem I have with all of this is that the figurehead is the only one being punished.

author: mtdoc
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 10, 2016, 12:33:15 am
content: Quote from: timb on July 09, 2016, 01:03:56 pmGood question. Yes, Herpes is generally a clinical diagnosis - no lab testing needed: A cluster of small painful blisters in a sensitive area after contact with a new partner = Herpes. I've diagnosed it several times and rarely ordered any lab test.IIRC Theranos marketed a "home testing kit" which is popular - for obvious reasons...

author: SeanB
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 10, 2016, 06:18:20 pm
content: Using a monoclonal antibody to test is proven technology, just that you need to have a large enough sample so the reaction is visible, or it has to at least contrast to the liquid it is in enough to be readable over the normal non reaction result. Small sample might mean there is only going to be a few hundred reactions, and thus either you need to have an amplification of this result to make it readable, or it has to be a very large contrast result.Easy to test for hormones in a mostly clear liquid like urine, and as there is a lot of the hormone the test is easy. Not so easy testing for a low concentration of a specific antibody in blood unless you first filter off the red blood cells to get plasma so you can have a clearish liquid. Hard to make a microcentrifuge that is both small, cheap, efficient, disposable, works off a single drop and above all reliable and easy to make in bulk.

author: Skimask
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 10, 2016, 07:34:05 pm
content: Quote from: EEVblog on July 09, 2016, 08:50:19 amIdea for new thread...

author: LabSpokane
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 10, 2016, 07:37:29 pm
content: Quote from: Skimask on July 10, 2016, 07:34:05 pmhttp://www.webmd.com

author: LabSpokane
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 02, 2016, 01:24:58 am
content: From page three of the Flim Flam (Wo)Man's operator's manual: When you can't present a shred of evidence that your technology works as advertised, shovel more bullshit.http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-08-01/theranos-presents-new-product-instead-of-data-backing-old-deviceQuote

author: edy
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 02, 2016, 01:57:44 am
content: Just saw her being ripped apart by Sanjay Ghupta on CNN's Anderson Cooper 360.

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: August 02, 2016, 02:37:50 am
content: Quote from: LabSpokane on August 02, 2016, 01:24:58 amTextbook approach!

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: August 02, 2016, 02:38:11 am
content: Quote from: edy on August 02, 2016, 01:57:44 amOoh, video please!

author: Marco
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 02, 2016, 04:53:07 am
content: It's dead, stick a fork in it. Everything they are doing now is just theater for plausible deniability in case management and board get sued for gross negligence and thus become personally liable.

author: LabSpokane
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 02, 2016, 06:11:01 am
content: Quote from: Marco on August 02, 2016, 04:53:07 amWhat's unclear yet is if someone who received (incorrect) treatment based on a Theranos test has been injured or died as a result.Love to see the clip of Gupta reaming her.

author: edy
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 02, 2016, 11:56:49 am
content: Sanjay Gupta said in the interview to her that someone had a heart attack due to the wrong results. Not sure how. Her blue eyes looked to be popped out of her head. I think she is taking the fall for a lot of incompetancy of others, but that is what captains do.Here is a link, the video should be somewhere, didn't find anything yet on YouTube but it was a long segment on TV:http://www.cnn.com/videos/health/2016/08/01/theranos-holmes-revolution-dr-sanjay-gupta-pkg.cnn

author: LabSpokane
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 02, 2016, 06:14:37 pm
content: Lizzy is without a doubt just the lead muppet.There's a lesson in here for youngsters starting out in business:Muppets go to jail.Muppeteers don't.

author: rsjsouza
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 02, 2016, 06:36:24 pm
content: <conspiracy_theory_mode="on">Given that Theranos is a newcomer in a multi-billion dollar industry, it is clear this is a move to discredit it surreptitiously by the establishment trying to protect the status quo. During the ban period of two years, the existing players will scrutinize Theranos' work and create their own "portalab" solutions that will completely turn the innovative work absolutely moot.<conspiracy_theory_mode="off">Quote from: LabSpokane on August 02, 2016, 01:24:58 amYeah, it looks like a cheap move.

author: LabSpokane
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 06, 2017, 11:51:34 pm
content: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-01-06/theranos-to-fire-41-of-workforce-in-second-round-of-cutsFrom 715 employees in October, down to 220 in January.

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: January 07, 2017, 12:23:13 am
content: What happened to the movie?

author: LabSpokane
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 07, 2017, 04:10:42 am
content: Quote from: EEVblog on January 07, 2017, 12:23:13 amAlready in the can:http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120338/

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: January 07, 2017, 05:44:19 am
content: Quote from: LabSpokane on January 07, 2017, 04:10:42 amThis is one ending I want spoiled. Please tell me she ends up in jail?

author: LabSpokane
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 07, 2017, 05:50:32 am
content: Quote from: EEVblog on January 07, 2017, 05:44:19 amShe's merely a muppet. The early investor/VCs are the ones that are truly responsible and never will be held accountable.

author: Marco
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 07, 2017, 09:07:56 am
content: Quote from: LabSpokane on January 07, 2017, 05:50:32 amCrucifying the muppet makes it harder to find new muppets. With enough nails maybe she'll roll over and implicate one of the originators for a plea. That's of course not how the system works of course :/ We have to pretend they all thought this could work and was not a giant fraud start to finish, because we might walk away with a libel suit ... while they walk away with millions.PS. though the fact that the second line investors didn't manage to get bailed out by an IPO is at least creating some cry for justice from people who "matter".

author: LabSpokane
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 07, 2017, 07:07:55 pm
content: Quote from: Marco on January 07, 2017, 09:07:56 amI used to think that, but after being in the working world for a couple decades, have come to realize that the muppet supply is endless and totally undeterred by the prosecution of others. What is finite, is the number of people that can put together a Theranos-style investment schema. Those muppeteers live in the shadows, and get their handsome profits back early from the 2nd to Nth round "sucker investors," never to answer for what they have done.Lizzy clearly knows what she is doing is wrong at this point, but she never could have pulled this off without help, lots of it.

author: m98
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: January 07, 2017, 07:40:06 pm
content: I still don't really get why such a huge scandal unfolded on the whole thing? Why didn't they simply cease to offer those tests that can't be reliably done with capillary blood?

author: LabSpokane
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 08, 2017, 12:41:40 am
content: Quote from: m98 on January 07, 2017, 07:40:06 pmBecause that was the entire business model.

author: m98
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: January 10, 2017, 04:52:00 pm
content: Quote from: LabSpokane on January 08, 2017, 12:41:40 amWas it? Their business model was to make blood testing available for anyone with their blood collection device and their minilab technology. There are many tests that could be reliably done with capillary blood using current technology, or the test could be calibrated for the average error that occurs in capillary blood. But instead, things started to go haywire. That's what I don't understand.

author: edavid
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 10, 2017, 05:24:44 pm
content: Quote from: m98 on January 10, 2017, 04:52:00 pmWhy do you say that? The failure of Theranos indicates the opposite is true.Anyway, there was a deeper flaw in their business model, which is that they were trying to make blood tests into a lifestyle purchase. It's just as stupid as 23andme.

author: eugenenine
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: January 10, 2017, 06:20:16 pm
content: QuoteBut does it say that she cannot be a paid consultant to some else who is running a lab?

author: m98
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: January 11, 2017, 10:12:39 am
content: Quote from: edavid on January 10, 2017, 05:24:44 pmhttp://www.iasj.net/iasj?func=fulltext&aId=88741https://www.researchgate.net/file.PostFileLoader.html?id=530f96f2d3df3e6c1b8b464b&assetKey=AS%3A272440385572884%401441966257979etc...

author: Bud
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 18, 2017, 02:56:56 am
content: More news herehttp://www.businessinsider.com/theranos-creates-technology-advisory-board-2017-1

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: January 18, 2017, 03:11:45 am
content: Quote from: Bud on January 18, 2017, 02:56:56 amTHE Henry Kissinger?Why would anyone want to join this turkey now?Yeah, yeah, I know, money...

author: Bud
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 18, 2017, 04:16:17 am
content: I am sure they reserved a chair for Obama.

author: 3db
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: January 18, 2017, 02:14:55 pm
content: Quote from: LabSpokane on January 07, 2017, 07:07:55 pmIf this is the company I'm thinking of then the board was stuffed with the "great and good'.So THEY are just as culpable as her.3DB

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: June 14, 2017, 07:02:59 am
content: Office clearance sale!

author: IanMacdonald
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: July 07, 2017, 05:17:04 pm
content: "..has seen her personal wealth fall from $4.5 billion to zero."Think I'd have pressed 'Collect' once I hit the billion mark.

author: bitwelder
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 14, 2018, 08:19:33 pm
content: SEC charges Theranos and CEO Elizabeth Holmes with ‘massive fraud’:https://www.engadget.com/2018/03/14/sec-charges-theranos-and-ceo-elizabeth-holmes-with-massive-frau/

author: Stray Electron
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 14, 2018, 10:41:07 pm
content: Not just those two but also Ramesh "Sunny" Balwani. Now I think they're getting closer to the brains of the operation. They've all be charged with "fraud relating to the startup's fundraising activities". It looks like somebody is likely to go to jail. In addition, Holmes is "now barred from serving as the officer or director of a public company for 10 years. " What amazes me is that somebody was still willing to give them a "last minute $100,000,000 loan"!

author: edy
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 03, 2019, 08:01:49 pm
content: Just an update... not sure about when this came to light but WOW!!!!! :https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elizabeth_HolmesQuoteThis may help her case... seems she was made into a figure-head puppet as she was naive and controlled by an "experienced" bamboozeler.

author: tsman
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: January 03, 2019, 08:10:32 pm
content: Quote from: edy on January 03, 2019, 08:01:49 pmThe expanded paragraph is from an edit on8th September 2018. Before that, it was just mentioning they had a relationship and citing the WSJ article.

author: edy
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 03, 2019, 11:31:24 pm
content: Stuff related to the relationship on the Wikipedia page of "Sunny" also which I didn't know about:QuoteQuoteQuoteQuoteI guess when you are a naive 18-year old just graduating high school, young and good looking, lots of energy and the media just gobbles you up like you are the next Einstein out of Berkley... and you meet a very rich older man, present your idea and his "light bulb" goes off with the sound "cha-ching" Let's make some cash... We have the makings of a giant investment fraud scheme and nobody seems to step back for a second and actually think to VALIDATE and PROVE if it is legit.

author: cdev
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 04, 2019, 12:58:07 am
content: Some extremely good con artistshave NPDThey are very very good liars. And they have this sort of energy that sucks people in.I don't know what happened in this case. The world these people travel in is very different than our own. There are a lot of things going on, stories arent always the way the media spin them.That said, there are a lot of con artists these days. A lot.And a lot of people looking to make a quick buck too.

author: james_s
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 04, 2019, 04:51:52 am
content: Quote from: TheAmmoniacal on July 08, 2016, 03:18:39 pmDoes it even matter? Who is going to let her run a medical lab even if there is nothing legally barring her from doing so?

author: cdev
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 04, 2019, 05:10:50 am
content: Their processes did have some value, the big picture, however just was nowhere near as good nor as repeatable as they claimed it was.Within an AI context, however, it would have been helpful. How do you ascertain values of data in situations where its just a data point, not 'the' data? All illnesses are places along a continuum, as is all science. Improve a few parameters and does somebody suddenly become no longer sick? Officially, they do.

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: January 04, 2019, 05:18:36 am
content: Quote from: edy on January 03, 2019, 11:31:24 pm*cough*Meredith Perry (uBeam)*cough*Mark Cuban*cough*

author: edy
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 04, 2019, 10:00:43 am
content: Quote from: EEVblog on January 04, 2019, 05:18:36 amYes, but at least Mark Cuban didn't have an illicit affair with Meredith Perry, causing her to drop out of college, then go on to divorce his wife and shack up with her, operating things in the background and then officially joining the company a few years later, running it in a culture of "secrecy and fear" to defraud investors of millions of dollars, and then try to split once investigations started.Sometimes movies just write themselves... So the book came out, now who is going to write the screenplay?https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bad_Blood:_Secrets_and_Lies_in_a_Silicon_Valley_StartupAnd apparently one of our own EEVBlog members noted something about Mederith Perry being dropped as CEO from the company a few months ago as mentioned in this blog post:https://liesandstartuppr.blogspot.com/2018/09/meredith-perry-no-longer-ubeam-ceo.html

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: January 04, 2019, 11:39:30 am
content: Quote from: edy on January 04, 2019, 10:00:43 amThat would be Vanessa Taylor, with Jennifer Lawrence starring!https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5795144/BTW, how does it take $50M to make a drama film?

author: cdev
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 04, 2019, 02:34:55 pm
content: I think some of the scenes in "The Social Network" capture the startup atmosphere in the Bay Area pretty well.

author: Magiciaen
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: January 04, 2019, 04:29:27 pm
content: Quote from: EEVblog on January 04, 2019, 11:39:30 amThe title is the obvious one to go for, but ingenious nonetheless.

author: edy
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 11, 2019, 09:31:28 pm
content: So a documentary is coming out by HBO titled "The Inventor: Out For Blood in Silicon Valley". Here is an article about it on CNN:https://www.cnn.com/2019/03/11/tech/the-inventor-theranos-documentary/index.htmlHere is the Wikipedia page:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Inventor:_Out_for_Blood_in_Silicon_ValleyCan't wait to watch it! Should be out next week, and soon available for streaming thereafter. Here's a clip:I though this quote from the CNN article was quite enlightening:Holmes declined to participate in the film. But producer Jessie Deeter had a five hour dinner with Holmes in an attempt to convince her."She wasn't giving much up, but what she did convey to Jessie was that she was the victim — not that she'd done anything wrong," he said.Gibney, whose body of work has examined deceptive individuals over the years, said he wasn't surprised."I think a lot of these people who over promise and imagine that they can do things well beyond what anybody else has done so far, they are possessed of a certain delusional quality — a certain kind of narcissistic belief in their own powers," said Gibney. "That's become, in a way, kind of my stock and trade: to examine those characters, 'cause there's something glorious about that."

author: edy
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 26, 2019, 11:27:07 pm
content: This is not the HBO movie but it is a nice quick summary which I'm sure ColdFusion decided to do to cash in on the HBO searches on YouTube. Here it is:[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS: I just finished watching the video, not bad at all. I recommend it as it gets pretty quickly to the point and gives a lot of background information as well]

author: DimitriP
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 27, 2019, 12:06:07 am
content: I prefer the ancient Egyptian custom of erasing names as if they never existed.Now we just make them even more famous.Progress, I guess.

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: March 27, 2019, 12:32:39 am
content: Is she in prison yet?

author: chris_leyson
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 27, 2019, 12:47:39 am
content: Thanks edy, just watched the ColdFusion documentary. It still leaves a lot of unanswered questions, like why the investors showed no due diligence, no vetted technical and scientific fact checking.

author: edavid
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 27, 2019, 01:01:44 am
content: Quote from: EEVblog on March 27, 2019, 12:32:39 am"Although a date for the trial has not been set, ABC News reported that both Holmes and Balwani are expected to appear for a status hearing on April 22 in San Francisco."Source:https://people.com/movies/whats-next-elizabeth-holmes-trial-wedding-jennifer-lawrence-movie/

author: floobydust
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 27, 2019, 03:28:08 am
content: I like her business model, after Thomas Edison- she named her blood analysis machines the "Edison".You know, where you promise investors a light bulb and then take 1,000 guesses and years to make it eventually work...The engineers said "it's physically impossible to do all the testing in a tiny machine, we need to make it bigger" and they were of course, denied making anything larger than a cute, fake analysis machine.The NDA's were so over-reaching, nobody dared blow the whistle.She must be a sociopath. The fact she never blinks her eyes on camera or stage is too creepy.

author: edy
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 01, 2019, 05:22:08 pm
content: Quote from: floobydust on March 27, 2019, 03:28:08 amIn that ColdFusion documentary I linked earlier it points out that she uses a "baritone voice" in all her interviews and meetings, and that it is a faked to sound more authoritative. I thought that was creepy!!! Why would women need to do this?It points to deeper sociopathic problems, insecurity issues... as quoted from one of the articles I linked below:Quotehttps://www.forbes.com/sites/jerryweissman/2019/03/29/elizabeth-holmes-baritone/#12b551844b8bhttps://www.thecut.com/2019/03/why-did-elizabeth-holmes-use-a-fake-deep-voice.htmlhttps://www.businessinsider.com/theranos-founder-elizabeth-holmes-deep-voice-2019-3Sure we all have 20/20 hindsight.. these traits seem to indicate mental issues, putting on a fake persona and image, etc... but this "voice lower" and "unblinking eyes" thing is apparently something people are being coached to do for improving their careers or improving their sales pitches. So who can blame Elizabeth Holmes for perhaps being a bit over-zealous when she read somewhere that this would help her improve her career. The problem is that once you start, you can't just turn it off again as people will see it is all some stupid act. It becomes a trap.

author: KC0PPH
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: April 01, 2019, 10:26:52 pm
content: Google BioFire Film Array....

author: Bud
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 01, 2019, 10:34:25 pm
content: I do not think you can control blinking for a prolonged time, as you eyes need to be moisturized . This may have more to do with a person's physiology.

author: edy
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 01, 2019, 11:49:24 pm
content: Quote from: KC0PPH on April 01, 2019, 10:26:52 pmBioFire Film Array is a very interesting device. Very different though than what Theranos was trying to do.The BioFire system basically does PCR (polymerase chain reaction) on samples to try and find positive presence of one or several known pathogens. The "mixture" of PCR primers contains however many numbers of pathogens they have made unique markers for... and they also know the lengths of the output products (the length of the DNA chain products) that correspond to each pathogen. So their system runs the sample with this group of 10, 20 or 30 primers (each made specifically to target certain pathogens they are looking for) and see what comes up.I used to do this kind of stuff in my undergraduate genetics lab years ago, then run the products to see the length using gel eletrophoresis and staining it blue or some other color.The other advantage of PCR is that tiny samples are needed because the reaction itself has significant amplification properties. That is why it is used on DNA testing, forensics and so on. You need only a tiny sample to get a large amount of duplicated DNA strand product which then can be visualized.Theranos was trying to do basic laboratory testing on blood looking not at DNA but at amount of various cells, chemicals, proteins, sugar, electrolyte, etc... You need various chemistry to do each of these analyses and you destroy your sample usually so you can't conduct another test on it. So you will need a large amount of sample to be able to run a whole panel of tests. Lower your sample too much and you end up having lots of inaccuracies. Also the machine itself cannot accommodate all the chemical reactions required.

author: andersm
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 18, 2019, 03:22:40 pm
content: ABC ran a 7-episode podcast series calledThe Dropout, which is being made into aTV series by Hulu.

author: mairo
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: April 25, 2019, 12:25:15 pm
content: I saw a Tek power supply on the video and the only thing I am thinking about is: Has the company's assets gone on auction already, or not yet?

author: donotdespisethesnake
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 26, 2019, 09:25:12 pm
content: I'm not sure she is that much different to many other "players" in tech start ups, or business in general. A lot of business leaders are basically charismatic sociopaths. I've worked for some similar people. Despite having virtually no relevant knowledge or skills, somehow they attract funding and people who believe, and even after someone points out what they are trying is basically impossible, those people are quietly advised, "play along, take the money".The main difference is she got caught out. The "successful" sociopaths are smart enough to not get caught out, e.g. by keeping promises and product deadlines vague. Steorn (and several other companies in the "free energy" field) kept going for quite a while, and burned up a lot of investor cash, even though their product was theoretically impossible. It is not that surprising that something that is vaguely plausible can attract a lot of funding.Those who got lucky and succeeded are remembered as geniuses (like Edison), those who failed are thought to be frauds.

author: Marco
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 29, 2019, 04:40:17 pm
content: Quote from: chris_leyson on March 27, 2019, 12:47:39 amI guess the ones with skin in the game saw it as more of a quid pro quo favour to the people involved ... and the rest did too, but without skin in the game.

author: Technobabble_
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: June 03, 2019, 01:34:54 am
content: QuoteSlick salesmanship. In addition, investors probably don't want to admit they made a mistake, so they bury their head in the sand. FWIW Henry Kissinger and James Mattis (former Sec. of Defense) put their money into Theranos.

author: sdouble
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: June 05, 2019, 08:03:22 pm
content: Henry Kissinger is .. 96