cooper@pbsvax.DEC (Topher Cooper HLO2-3/M08 DTN225-5819) (11/02/85)
> Would someone [ . . . ] >please tell us what the definitive, reproducible experiment demonstrating >some "PSI" phenomenon is? [ . . . ] > (I think Randi >describes one in one of his books and encourages people to try it, but >we all know that won't work because of Randi's bad vibes.) > >------------------------------------------------------------------------ >Alan Filipski, UNIX group, Motorola Microsystems, Tempe, AZ U.S.A 85282 >{seismo|ihnp4}!ut-sally!oakhill!mot!al | ucbvax!arizona!asuvax!mot!al >------------------------------------------------------------------------ I'm working on a more extensive answer to this, but thought I would give a quick response to the parenthetical remark. It really has no bearing on the main subject of the discussion but I can't resist. If you are referring to Randi's *Test Your ESP Potential: A Complete Kit with Instructions, Scorecards and Apparatus* it "won't work" not because of Randi's "bad vibes" but because it is an exceedingly bad test. No I don't mean that it's use will in any way "block" ESP. I mean that it is so poorly designed in so many ways that any results, positive or negative, using his "Instructions, Scorecards and Apparatus" would be meaningless. I won't bother to catalogue all the mistakes found in just a few pages of directions, and in the design of his scorecards and apparatus (cards). Let it suffice that there are physical, procedural and statistical problems. One of his sample record sheets even includes a recording error (due, we can assume, to the lack in his procedures of any check to prevent such errors). Topher Cooper USENET: ...{allegra,decvax,ihnp4,ucbvax}!decwrl!dec-rhea!dec-pbsvax!cooper ARPA/CSNET: cooper%pbsvax.DEC@decwrl Disclaimer: This contains my own opinions, and I am solely responsible for them.