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Callahan Spinning Video from DragonCon

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Garrette

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I mentioned this in the thread about The Professor and the MDC, but it is somewhat off topic, so I'm mentioning it here.

This thread at The Magic Cafe was started by Jim Callahan (of Phenomenon mini-fame) to discuss this video.

The video begins and ends with Callahan pontificating about the evils of Randi and the JREF. The middle 3 minutes or so is video from a hand held camera at DragonCon. It was taken by the person with the last question during the MDC session.

Callahan and some others (including The Professor himself, using the screen name Psychic Samurai there) claim the video is proof that Randi and the JREF lie about the challenge. Specifically:

1. They said there would be a test of an MDC claimant at DragonCon when in fact there wasn't.

2. They said The Professor (Dave Koenig) hadn't applied for the MDC when in fact he had.

3. They stonewalled The Professor's application until forced to admit he had applied.

The Professor goes on in the thread to say that it was only the negative publicity of this video that forced the JREF to acknowledge his application, because he received the confirming email from RemieV just a few hours after the video was posted on youtube.

I and a couple of others have pointed out the flaws in their arguments, to some success, but Callahan and The Professor yammer on. Any publicity is good publicity and all that.

It is heartening that I have received some pm's on that board from lurkers who say they agree with me and appreciate my posts.

It is disheartening (in the way that nearly all such discussions are disheartening) that salient points are ignored and blatant lies and falsehoods are repeated ad nauseam as if they have not been refuted.

Anyway, just fyi.

{You may have to register to be able to view the threads at The Magic Cafe; I'm not sure. It's free, though, and they don't spam. Their moderation is tighter than here at the JREF but far looser and more fair than most boards, imo. If you have to register and then have to search for the thread, it is in the section called "The Cellar," the sub-forum called "Penny for your Thoughts," and the thread called "OHhhh-- My--Ohh--My!!"}
 
The Magic Cafe sure seems to be full of a lot of Randi-haters. I don't know if they got silent because of disappointment with Callahan's video (which is being trashed on youtube). I am surprised at how many folks let PS's lies stand.

Can't say I think much of the Magic Cafe.
 
I see there are others at the convention that called the MDC a Sham.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cuyi5boldFA&watch_response
I wasn't there but I guess they did talk about me. I'm still a bit confused as to what was said in total, so I'm waiting for more information.

I'm glad the JREF is not ( A Sham) and I will enjoy working on the Protocol now that the media and academic sections have been approved.
Bottom line .... Those who are interested in a "Fair" Challenge Protocol can help in the appropriate section.
Thanks
Dave
 
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The Professor said:
I see there are others at the convention that called the MDC a Sham.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cuyi5boldFA&watch_response
I wasn't there but I guess they did talk about me. I'm still a bit confused as to what was said in total, so I'm waiting for more information.

I'm glad the JREF is not ( A Sham) and I will enjoy working on the Protocol now that the media and academic sections have been approved.
Bottom line .... Those who are interested in a "Fair" Challenge Protocol can help in the appropriate section.
Thanks
Dave
Click to expand...

I appreciate your positive attitude. Regardless of what was said at the convention (and there may well have been confusion), AFAIK the JREF has officially acknowledged the application, so we can move forward.
 
I was there! So, I know this:

When Randi said "contact the guy who didn't show up" he was refering to other tests that took place, in the past, (such as TAM 5.5, for example). He was NOT refering to this Dragon*Con demo.
 
I swear, I blame the asshats who did that lame 'Loose Change' video for the rise of this type of 'viral' video uptick. The style he used with this new MDC at Dragon*Con video just really reminded me of that garbage. <sigh>
 
It will be, I have been in touch with the Dragon*Con TV people. Brian Richardson told me that once he goes through the boxes of tapes they have from the con, he will encode it and then send me the tape and his first-run encoding of the MDC demonstration video.

Once I get it I am going to send a copy to the JREF, and also chop it into YouTube chunks to put it online.



TheDoLittle said:
Has any video from that test been made available yet? I'd like to know where it is *IF* it is available.
Click to expand...
 
Who is the guy sitting to the right of Randi ? It would be fair for me to know the guy who says he knows me :)
In the spirit of fairness and all :)
 
The Professor said:
Who is the guy sitting to the right of Randi ? It would be fair for me to know the guy who says he knows me :)
In the spirit of fairness and all :)
Click to expand...

On Randi's right on stage is Jeff Wagg if we're both looking at the same scene; curly haired guy. The only other male seated on stage was Patrick Burns.

As far as 'knowing you' I understood that as meaning he's aware of you, as opposed to being your drinking buddy.
 
Brian from D*C TV told me that they usually take 'off' until mid-October after the con is over, before they start to go through and encode, and catalog all the video footage from the past years con.

He said he has a bit more than 400 hours of film that was taken this year, so once he gets to all the Skeptic content he will dupe it and then send me the original tapes so I can encode them down into whatever footage I want. I watched them record and film the debate, and the challenge both, so, I know it is in that 400 hours of stuff.

Once I get it, I'll encode it here, and then figure out the best way to release it for everyone to see in raw, un-spun glory. :D
 
As this doesn't appear to be discussing the MDC, and TheProfessor's challenge specifically has a thread already, I'm moving this to the paranormal forum
Replying to this modbox in thread will be off topic  Posted By: chillzero
 
I kind of thought is almost ALL about the challenge in a way. It was during the demonstration and discussion about the MDC when all of this fuss happened. :)
 
I bet, considering the quality of his 'minion' I got see at Dragon*Con... he wouldn't even know how to come to this site or read the posts here... :boggled:
 
xinit said:
I've been using the term 'shill' rather than minion... but here he is, in all his credulous glory;

http://www.new.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=917033&l=610da&id=500321661
Click to expand...


Lets take a closer look at this photo, shall we?

shillminion.jpg
(NOTE: I did a quick pass in Photoshop to bring out some of details in the faces and crop it down to a little more manageable size for the forum. Sorry, but I don't have the filter installed in this machine that checks for "lizardability" in photos.)

Let's start with the corporeal entity to the right of our "shill". This person has this expression of "I'm gonna female-dog-slap this maternal-firetrucker if he don't shut the Fuddruckers-up and sit the Dante's-Inferno down!" What is preventing this individual from performing that violent, yet necessary, action? Common decency, Dragon*Con etiquette, or is Callahan projecting a protective aura around his "shill"? I think we all now the real answer!

Then we have the svelte, and tragically hip organism to the "shill's" left. He is obviously using his newly acquired x-ray specs to check out the heavenly endowed female wearing the Leia Slave Girl outfit, and her newly found female friend dressed as "Dawn", or what he thought was a female and has now been shown otherwise thanks to his new geek specs, that "Dawn" in fact just has a really *GREAT* plastic surgeon. Becuase of his new discovery, he is also looking up the definition of "Futanari" through the micro computer in his name badge. We know this because everyone knows that x-ray specs double as a computer screen and sewn into the pockets of every pair of jeans are a bluetooth keyboard and mouse touchpad. Since he is paying attention to the action across the hall and not on our "shill", the aura of protection is considered a mute point for him, so my guess is Callahan is not projecting at peak strength.

They shoulda tazed him, bro...

 
Since my name is involved I will add a bit to those with open minds, all others please don't bother. I'm just happy the JREF is continuing with my Challenge. Whether the release of this video helped spur the JREF is not my focus at this moment. I am working on the protocol :)
The DragonCon situation is being discussed here ...
http://www.themagiccafe.com/forums/viewtopic.php?topic=273024&forum=15&274

Thanks to everyone who has helped me so far and please feel free to join in the protocol thread if you'd like :)

And THANKS JIMTRON for the answer!
 
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