(disproven)
The Yes Men, not getting electrocuted by the Famous Machine

The famous machine is based on a technology called “Recognition Amplification.” It was believed that the Recognition Amplifier, the human-sized chamber pictured above, would cause a human test subject to become known- even famous. First brought to the remote deserts of west Texas, the chamber failed catastrophically, due to the use of high electrical currents and explosive materials. As far as could be ascertained, the initial trial only marginally increased the fame of the test subject, Max Juren. However, it did garner interest at the technology center Eyebeam in New York. Further research and development took place in Eyebeam’s Open Lab, and a “Celebrity Transference Module” was added to the machine, in an attempt to jumpstart recognition utilizing pre-existing celebrities. The machine was activated once again, for its final trial, with Max Juren attached to the well-known public speakers the Yes Men. Predictably, the machine failed, only emitting a bright flash of light before burning out.

       
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Detailed analysis of the event and related media phenomena revealed a disturbing conclusion: if the machine had killed, or at at least maimed, the Yes Men, it is likely to have catapulted Max Juren into full-blown, quantifiable infamy. Analysis of the machine's design suggests that had the flash system been greater than 50 volts, rather than the 12 volts that was designed for safety, then physical contact with the Yes Men could have been fatal, and consequently large-scale celebrity transference and recognition amplification could have taken place. The researchers, fearful of their conclusions, promptly destroyed the famous machine. The remaining mirrored hemispheres can still be seen hanging on the wall in Eyebeam’s Open Lab. The researchers remain mystified by more subtle methods of obtaining fame, although, arguably, your reading of this analysis could be a delayed after-effect of the machine.
 

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