How to Spot a Psychopath

There is still a drought of letters to me in my capacity as Atomic I/O letters answerer. (Probably because people just switch to e-mailing me at dan@dansdata.com after I answer one question.)

But my two Atomic addresses - dan@atomic as well as io@atomic - do receive the occasional missive. Usually they're spam. This time, there was this:

From: "bo"
To: dan
Subject: pg64 atomic magazine.
[That's the page my Ground Zero column fell on in the most recent magazine. This column was about sci-fi batteries and their theoretical limits. If you don't get Atomic, you'll have to wait another six months before I reprint it on dansdata.com.]
Date: Mon, 22 Dec 2008 19:55:36 +1300

Hi Dan-

I can get you the battery technology that will take you well
beyond your 10x Lithium - ion battery.

New - Technology- in comparison hundreds of volts compared with an ordinary 12 Volt battery

Yes its real. real technology and yes you can own it -

Let me know if you are interested.
Price is NZ$50,000 - and it is the knowledge of making
new materials that will enable you to construct a battery
that is well well beyond the current technology..

So for that money I will give you the new material Knowledge
for to construct as many batteries as you require -
which is new material science..
-
Tradionally batteries have been made by top scientists -
the likes of Sandia National Nuclear Labs USA. - Using a lifetime of
knowledge and equations - substance purity and property etc etc

So if you want it - its yours for $50,000-
just a method ( which is the new material science) to make much better batteries.
Note: There is some Trial and Error - but you will get there in the end.

Let me know if you are interested.

Its a matter of Trust - just like Auctions on the Internet -
you send me the money - and I will send you the method-

Thanks

Beau
[an address @ xtra.co.nz]

Wow! Hundreds of volts, you say! Unprecedented!

Regrettably, I lack the resources to pay anybody fifty thousand dollars in any currency but that of Zimbabwe.

If anybody reading this would like to invest in this very promising-sounding enterprise, though, I suggest you send the $50,000 to me, so that I can pass it on to Beau.

Just like auctions on the Internet.