Psychic Samurai applies for MDC...apparently...

[Azrael 5]

So Professor youask "What is your name?"

A fuzzy whistly hissy crackle is interpreted to be "Bob"

You expect that to be proof?! I doubt that is going to win anything.

 

[Loss Leader]

I will be seated on the Devil's Chair. There will be several "interpreters" around me. These are people who speak more than one language. They will be at least efficiently bi-lingual. Each one is fluent in a different language. English, and the language of their expertise. I suggest, Spanish, German, Russian, French, and Portuguese (there may be more as time allows).
There will also be "the technicians" or those who are handling the electronic devices and anything technical (I would be delighted to use some of the JREF Forum members for any of these positions).
I will speak into a microphone and "broadcast" into the various frequencies of the spectrum.
The first question I ask will be " What is your name?" in each of the agreed upon languages.

Dave -

In exactly what way will your performance be distinguishable from a magic trick? So far, from all you've written, the answer I'm hearing is, "In no way whatsoever." Please explain exactly what you will do that could not be accomplished by a professional magician.

 

[Czarcasm]

Apparently he's got plenty of time to elaborate elsewhere: http://www.themagiccafe.com/forums/viewtopic.php?topic=267933&forum=251&567&start=540

"I will sit on the Devil's Chair in the Lake Helen Florida cemetery, near Cassadaga. (On 10/31 )
I will "summon" if you will, the presence of paranormal entities by simply asking them to manifest themselves. I will ask several questions that require intelligent answers. I will also attempt to broadcast these question on several different frequencies also. The first will be the entity's name. The questions will be asked in several languages. (The most difficult portion for me)
Several Instrumental TransCommunication devices will be"ON" and recording.
Interpreters will be on hand to listen for responses to the questions.
The videos, tapes and other ITC recordings will be examined for Paranormal Evidence.
Basically a straight forward Paranormal investigation.
If the Entity or Entities give their name and answer intelligently, then the test is a success.
I'm not sure why some people can't fathom this. They do it on TV all the time. That is why I want to take the test Now before someone else does!
If the entity actually gives a prediction that verifiably comes true (And I am in no way promising this) that would put the whole thing "Over the Top" ... it's happened before"

Anyone want to count the ways this isn't acceptable for the MDC?

 

[Czarcasm]

Guess who he expects to pay for, and actually build all this electronic equipment? http://www.themagiccafe.com/forums/viewtopic.php?topic=267933&forum=251&567&start=540

"Sorry to pop your bubble but the JREF was asked to build the needed scanners themselves and participate in the demonstration! You'd better read the JREF forum again! (I even posted schematics and self construction videos) How'd you miss that?
I also offered to let James Randi to be the final judge himself. Suicide some would say!
How much fairer can you get?"

How nice-if things don't go as planned JREF gets blamed for faulty(or maybe even sabotaged!) equipment.

 

[The Professor]

I was told that the members of the JREF forum would help in the protocol and that the moderators would keep everything on track but it appears that I am wrong. The members of the Magic Cafe have been coming up with some good advice and I will continue to work with them. It seems that the JREF Forum would be the best place for this but It looks as though I am wrong.
Some of you say "Keep it Simple" and others say "More Details!" while others say .. "This is just a publicity stunt (I wonder how that got by the mods?) Which isn't part of the protocol at all. And others ask "Who's going to pay for this?"
I will stick to describing the event as requested.
If you have good suggestions on how to make this a fair test I will take them. Otherwise I will take your advice and ignore the attacks.
The Faraday Cage to prevent trickery is a good one. I will keep it. Any others?

 

[The Professor]

Here is my last email to Alison
Alison
Is this more along the lines of what you want?

I will sit on the Devil's Chair in the Lake Helen Florida cemetery, near Cassadaga. (On 10/31/2008)
I will "summon" if you will, the presence of paranormal entities by simply asking them to manifest themselves. I will ask several questions that require intelligent answers. I will also attempt to broadcast these question on several different frequencies also. The first will be the entity's name. The questions will be asked in several languages. (The most difficult portion for me)
Several Instrumental TransCommunication devices will be"ON" and recording.
Interpreters will be on hand to listen for responses to the questions.
The videos, tapes and other ITC recordings will be examined for Paranormal Evidence.
Basically a straight forward Paranormal investigation.
If the Entity or Entities give their name and answer intelligently, then the test is a success.
If the entity actually gives a prediction that verifiably comes true (And I am in no way promising this) that would put the whole thing "Over the Top" ... it's happened before.


I will elaborate further if needed.
It is my desire to make this a fair test!
Thanks
Dave


The answers must be "Plain as Day" and not some squeaky mumbo jumbo.
A Faraday Cage can be used to eliminate any trickery if desired.
The language interpreters will be expert translators (many are available here in Florida).
I will also use sign language if I can master the technique in time ( the interpreters for the Deaf from Universal Studios are assisting me)
Any more help will be appreciated. I hope to make this a fair test.
Thanks
Dave

 

[yairhol]

I'd like to add that there must be some kind of proof against cheating as is always the case in these challenges. For example, in every remote sensing challenge, electronic devices are not allowed in order to rule out communication using standard devices.
Now, in this challenge there are lots of electronic devices inherent to the test that will be used to communicate with some deity or whatever. How can we be sure that nobody is transmitting some electronic signals from somewhere in the area or even further that will be picked up by these devices?
I can also communicate with whomever you want. Just give me a walkie talkie and I'll have someone else transmit random beeps to me.

 

[steenkh]

Before I see these designs for scanning devices, I would like to know what function they would have in the test.

What controls will be used? Will you demonstrate that these devices will pick up nothing at other locations but only at the cemetery? Will there be some sort of shielding to ensure that no interference will come from outside the test area? Will there be some sort of control that nothing is interfering fraudulently from inside the test area?

In what way will the output from these machines demonstrate something self-evidently paranormal?

 

[steenkh]

If the Entity or Entities give their name and answer intelligently, then the test is a success.

Why? I do not see any evidence that paranormal events are happening because you can record a name and some answers on a recording device.

If the entity actually gives a prediction that verifiably comes true (And I am in no way promising this) that would put the whole thing "Over the Top" ... it's happened before.

That sounds more like it. But, again, this will have to be self-evident. No judging is allowed as to whether the prediction has come true or not.

A Faraday Cage can be used to eliminate any trickery if desired.

Depending on what is going to be demonstrated. Signals can be transmitted in many ways.

The language interpreters will be expert translators (many are available here in Florida).

Why not include some interpreters for languages that you do not know in advance? If the JREF secretly invites a translator for, say, Xhosa, and you are told how to phrase the Xhosa question, then it would indeed be paranormal if the Xhosa interpreter gets a comprehensible answer to the question, on the grounds that you do not know Xhosa, and you do not have time dig up a Xhosa speaker for the test.

I will also use sign language if I can master the technique in time ( the interpreters for the Deaf from Universal Studios are assisting me)
Any more help will be appreciated. I hope to make this a fair test.
Thanks
Dave[/QUOTE]

 

[0m3g4]

A Faraday Cage can be used to eliminate any trickery if desired.

I don't want to sound disrespectful but even my damn car is a Faraday cage, still I can use my cellphone or listen to music on the radio when I'm in it.

I don't see how anything you propose is paranormal. When your paranormal entity can predict what is inside a sealed envelope or the numbers of the lottery, that would most certainly qualify for the MDC. Speaking over radio in different languages and receiving answers to questions like "What's your name?" or "Are you a ghost?" definitely won't. Even if your doing it sitting on a stone chair, at a cemetery, in the middle of the night.

 

[steenkh]

I don't want to sound disrespectful but even my damn car is a Faraday cage, still I can use my cellphone or listen to music on the radio when I'm in it.

Your car is only a Faraday cage for certain (low) frequencies. It is possible to construct Faraday cage where no normal electrical signal will get trhough.

 

[Hatchet]

The Professor,

If I were trying to prove the existence of EVP, I'd probably start with a protocol similar this:

You ask 10 questions which require distinct answers. Examples could be "What is your name?", "Where were you born?", "What year were you born?", "How did you die?"

The answer to each question will be recorded on 1 of 10 identical recording devices.

After the answer is recorded, the device will be removed from the testing area and labelled with a random, distinct letter and sealed.

One of your representatives and a JREF representative keep a record of which letter matches to which question. These representatives will under no circumstances be allowed to enter the testing or communicate with anyone in the testing area until the test is complete.

After all 10 questions have been asked, the 10 EVP recorders will be returned to you.

You will then listen to each recording and determine which answer is matched to which question.

If you match more than 8 out of 10 questions to answers, the test will be considered a success.

I'm not saying the JREF would accept this protocol, but it is an example of the sort of protocol they might accept. The key here is that it requires no judging to determine if the test is successful. If you could match the questions to answers, the results would be obvious to all.

So I suggest you think very carefully on how you could get your claim into a form where judging by experts or otherwise is not required.

Cheers.

 

[Czarcasm]

Faraday cage to eliminate all electronic signals?-sounds o.k. if possible.
Faraday cage to allow only signals from beyond?-I don't think so. If it can be received, it can be transmitted. And we keep coming up with the problem of who is going to pay for:
1. The Faraday cage
2. All these interpreters and experts
3. All of this electronic equipment

Also this expectation that the JREF with supposedly be building some of this equipment from blueprints.

 

[Hatchet]

The answer to each question will be recorded on 1 of 10 identical recording devices.

There is an obvious and probably unfixable information leakage problem with this protocol. But it still serves to illustrate the general idea.

Cheers.

 

[The Professor]

That is a great idea Hatchet!!!!!
Om3g4 ... most cars have an antenna
But I get your point.
I also agree with Steen!
Now we are getting somewhere.
Schematics have already been provided.
Thanks for the help. I want to insure that we have a solid and fair test at all times.
Dave

 

[0m3g4]

Your car is only a Faraday cage for certain (low) frequencies. It is possible to construct Faraday cage where no normal electrical signal will get trhough.

You are right, I stand corrected. I do think a literal "cage" won't block radio transmissions sufficiently though.
And Czarcasm has already pointed out that a Faraday cage will not at all guarantee "to eliminate any trickery".

 

[Czarcasm]

That is a great idea Hatchet!!!!!
Om3g4 ... most cars have an antenna
But I get your point.
I also agree with Steen!
Now we are getting somewhere.
Schematics have already been provided.
Thanks for the help. I want to insure that we have a solid and fair test at all times.
Dave

Will you be paying for the interpreters, experts and all of this equipment? According to the rules, you have to.
Will you be building this equipment? It is not the responsibility of JREF to do so.

These aren't items to be be hashed out in the protocol-these are in the rules you agree to before hand. have you read the rules, and do you agree to abide by them?

 

[xinit]

Here is my last email to Alison
Interpreters will be on hand to listen for responses to the questions.

I'm concerned with regard to the number of people that need to be in place for this; any one of these translators or any one of these electronic devices could be used as a communication device.

If the translators were located remotely, or at least out of sight and vision of the participant, risk of their being shills could be mitigated.

If the Entity or Entities give their name and answer intelligently, then the test is a success.

With the translators, we're dealing with a situation where the chances of a recognizable voice on EVP go up simply by increasing the number of languages that might be heard. If we are relying on translators, then there should be two different translators minimum; they must listen and note what they hear in private, on paper. If their answers are compared and they do not match, then it is not a success. At least one of those translators should be selected by the testing organization from an independent source.

Build a farraday cage around the site, use EMF, bug detectors (bring in the FBI?), etc to ensure there are no electronic devices in the scene. Control all access to the site once this is done; nobody who could be compromised can be allowed access to the site unsupervised. No security guards, no camera men, etc.

One remote camera should record video from outside the cage, and one microphone should be placed inside the cage. A second and third camera might be useful opposite the first to provide 360 degree coverage. Nothing wireless or electronic will be used within, say, 300 yards of the site; no laptops, no monitors, nothing except the cameras and microphone.

The cameras and audio recording techniques will be chosen by the
testers. Audio will be recorded RAW and uncompressed.

Participant arrives on site. Have a doctor give the participant a nice, thorough checkup. Participant changes into clothes and shoes provided at the site; spooky black or another scary colour can be agreed upon ahead of time. I'd suggest an x-ray of the stomach and mouth to avoid any possible regurgitation...

Participant is escorted to the final site by a test supervisor and strapped into the chair.

This should prevent any devices from arriving in the location on or in the participant.

This all okay with you too?

 

[xinit]

You are right, I stand corrected. I do think a literal "cage" won't block radio transmissions sufficiently though.
And Czarcasm has already pointed out that a Faraday cage will not at all guarantee "to eliminate any trickery".

Of course it won't eliminate any trickery, but it'll kill the use of radio or cellular devices in performing said trickery.

 

[Piggy]

That is a great idea Hatchet!!!!!
Om3g4 ... most cars have an antenna
But I get your point.
I also agree with Steen!
Now we are getting somewhere.
Schematics have already been provided.
Thanks for the help. I want to insure that we have a solid and fair test at all times.
Dave

No, we are not getting anywhere, because so far you have not described anything paranormal.

What you have described is a stage show for a conjuring performance.

We're still at square one until you describe something paranormal you are going to demonstrate.

All this about location and who's going to be on stage and what sort of gear you're going to have on stage is pointless.

Please give a succinct summary of the paranormal ability or event you intend to show evidence of.