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

[GzuzKryzt]

You do not need to answer me, or the people posting in this thread.

I quote from the thread in the Challenge Application Forum:

"[...]Mr. Koenig has been informed that, as of yet, his claim does not meet the requirements for a Challenge test as it requires subjective interpretation and does not rely upon objective, quantifiable evidence. However, we are
not dismissing his claim outright, and are awaiting responses that will either show us how there will be quantifiable evidence and leave the file open and negotiable, or how there cannot be, in which case the file will be closed.[...]"

From here:
"[...]I am asking you to, once more, please clarify how this test could ever be objective in any way. And if you are again unsuccessful, then I see no reason to leave your Challenge file open.[...]"

You will surely need to answer the JREF: How do you propose to allow for falsifiability in your protocol proposal, The Professor?

Thank you very much, Remie, for posting the communication with The Professor.

 

[steenkh]

Dave could go to the site today, bury a small radio transmitter, and throw some grass seed over it. By October 31, the site would look completely undisturbed. Then, the transmitter hits the right time and date and starts broadcasting whatever he wants.

Or he could swallow a transmitter with a sophisticated way of operating it. That would not show up if he was searched.

 

[xinit]

Or he could swallow a transmitter with a sophisticated way of operating it. That would not show up if he was searched.

Depends how you search...

That's where my suggestion that there be a change of clothes on site, a doctor, and an x-ray machine... cavity search, x-ray, and disposal of the clothes he wore in should prevent carry-in.

 

[AndyD]

Wow! I saw the Prof saying in another thread that the protocol was coming together so I just read through 6.5 pages of questions and one answer, repeated multiple times "I'm going to ask some questions and there'll be some sounds on tape that some interpreter should be able to distinguish as something."

Is this just an ad for a performance David intends to do at the advertised location on the advertised date, regardless of JREF involvement? Is he selling tickets - yet?

David, for the sake of Czarcasm's sanity, can you please tell us who you expect to pay for or provide your entourage and equipment? Oh, and can you maybe also mention what your paranormal claim is?

 

[Piggy]

I am placing my energies on winning this challenge. I appreciate everyone who is helping in a positive manner.
There are companies available for hire (Security Companies if you will) that are proficient in finding ANY electronic devices anywhere NEAR anyone or place. They work for financially secure companies that do not want any information "leaking' or being "brought in". They work for secretive businesses and others that are on the darker side of the law, if you know what I mean. They work for Politicians, Celebrities, and business executives as well as "Importers". They are extremely good at what they do. Miami has some as well as Orlando. You don't find these guys in the phone book
Do you think the JREF would approve of using one of these security experts and their personnel?
Thanks for all the help.
Dave

In one sentence, please, what is the paranormal event or ability you plan to demonstrate?

 

[Marcus]

I was hoping to give Prof the benefit of the doubt, he seems friendly enough, but he has been so persistent in ignoring even simple questions, like the ones above, that the "no time" defence can not explain it.

 

[Marcus]

Since it doesn't appear that Prof is going to answer, allow me to pretend for a moment that I am he.

q) What is your paranormal ability?

a) I have the power to elicit supernatural voices.

q) Have you self-tested?

a) No

q) Do you understand you will have to pay for everything?

a) No

q) How will your results be falsifiable?

a) I don't know what that means.

q) How will you prove these voices are supernatural?

a) Readings from various instruments, and voices recorded on tape.

q) How will these results be made self-evident?

a) Any reasonable person can see that these voices must be supernatural.

 

[The Professor]

Here is an answer to your question (But not necessarily as complete as I'd like). My wife and I are having dinner this evening with a movie producer from California. If all goes well I will be in a better situation to answer that question in more detail. (He's actually written several great books series' you may recognize, but I'll leave his name out of this until he actually want's to get on board BTW, you may have seen him at one of the DragonCons ) I do have a small savings account in addition, but I wasn't sure this was part of the challenge protocol. It seems evident in the rules that I pay for such things. But if this statement reassures you, then all the better.
Thanks for all of your help. I am revamping my application as suggested by helpful members here to make it clearer and more "testable" for the JREF. I should have the new version emailed to Alison Smith in a day or two.
I will also share it with those interested.
Thanks again for all of the help!
Dave

 

[AndyD]

Edited by chillzero: 

Edited out off topic material. Please remember that in this moderated thread, posts should be strictly on topic, to the specific challenge.

No one asked HOW you will pay. The question was WHO will pay? It's a subtle but important difference. I guess we can assume from this reply that you now concede all expenses required to perform the challenge will be met by you?

I remain confused by how the questions are supposed to be answered and what is meant by "I will also attempt to broadcast these question on several different frequencies also".

Assuming this ever gets anywhere near an actual challenge event, will you ask "What is your name oh paranormal entity?" and if there's a noise on the tape that someone says sounds like a name, ANY name, in their language, that will be evidence? What else will you ask? Anything that you couldn't expect to know but which someone can actually verify to be true?

Can you please tell us what your claim is?

 

[xinit]

I remain confused by how the questions are supposed to be answered and what is meant by "I will also attempt to broadcast these question on several different frequencies also".

Assuming this ever gets anywhere near an actual challenge event, will you ask "What is your name oh paranormal entity?" and if there's a noise on the tape that someone says sounds like a name, ANY name, in their language, that will be evidence? What else will you ask? Anything that you couldn't expect to know but which someone can actually verify to be true?

Can you please tell us what your claim is?

I have to say that, as an insufferable pedant myself, I'm seeing a lot of questions being asked and re-asked that have been answered by The Professor. The claim is that he's going to contact a 'paranormal entity' - whether that's a ghost or a faerie or an angel or an earth spirit or what have you is immaterial

The claim is that he's going to contact something and make it sing; or at least speak. These voices will present themselves, if not live, then on the tapes recording the event; ie, EVP.

Everything else is procedural; about how to measure success and to prevent cheating. David's already re-working his application based on feedback here, so hold on a bit and see what he sends to Alison.

 

[RemieV]

Mr. Koenig,

Please keep in mind that "the JREF" is not moderating ANYTHING. The moderators and the JREF staff are not the same entity. The moderators uphold the rules of the forum. If you break them, then yes, your post will be edited or moved, and more than likely the JREF staff won't even know about it.

Honestly, and I mean this, you are behaving as though the JREF is collectively shaking in its boots based on your application when again and again that Dragon*Con video shows that, at least at the time, the only one even AWARE of your application was... me.

Will the JREF close your Challenge file? Possibly. If so, trust me, it is not out of fear. You simply have not, thus far, stated a testable claim. I ask again that you e-mail me and do so rather than continuing to post on forums.

As an aside, I have also requested that other JREF staff review the edited/moved posts and see if they conform to the rules of the forum. If they do, they will be replaced.

~Remie

 

[Pope130]

So far as I can make out from this thread, and the one in the challange section, the claim is: "I will contact and converse with a paranormal entity. The proof will be the EVP recordings."

For this to be acceptable as proof, it would first have to be shown that EVP recordings can, in fact, pick up paranormal entities. If this can be shown, then that, on its' own, would meet the requirements of the challenge and no test on Halloween would be necessary. If, on the other hand, EVP cannot be shown to pick up the paranormal then it cannot be used as proof that the challenger has contacted a paranormal entity.

Or maybe it's just that I don't understand what the challenger is saying.

 

[Czarcasm]

Oh, I think you understand perfectly, and much to his detriment, so does JREF.

 

[Darat]

At the JREF's instructions all The Professor's post that had not been approved because this is a [moderated] thread have been restored.

Replying to this modbox in thread will be off topic  Posted By: Darat

 

[GzuzKryzt]

At the JREF's instructions all The Professor's post that had not been approved because this is a [moderated] thread have been restored.

Replying to this modbox in thread will be off topic  Posted By: Darat

Would it be possible to mark the restored posts - e.g. with a mod box saying: "Restored" - to keep as much transparency as possible?

 

[jmercer]

Probably not without a great deal of effort.

Replying to this modbox in thread will be off topic  Posted By: jmercer

 

[Piggy]

The claim is that he's going to contact a 'paranormal entity' - whether that's a ghost or a faerie or an angel or an earth spirit or what have you is immaterial

No, it's clearly not immaterial. Without defining what "paranormal entity" means, no meaningful claim has been made.

So far, I've seen The Prof claim he can set up an apparatus which, during the course of a performance, will end up with voices on a tape that will say things answering questions he has asked during the performance.

Since this is analogous to the "answer in the sealed envelope" trick, no paranormal claim has been made.

If there's a protocol, that protocol must exist to demonstrate something.

So far, we don't know what that something is, and won't unless "paranormal entity" is defined.

To say it's "paranormal" is simply circular. It is up to the applicant to say what it is, so that it can be decided whether it qualifies.

 

[GzuzKryzt]

Probably not without a great deal of effort.

Replying to this modbox in thread will be off topic  Posted By: jmercer

I thought so.

However, for educational and documentary purposes, it might seem in order to do so.

 

[jmercer]

Unfortunately, as a moderator I don't have access to the detailed audit logs that would make this possible. Only administrators have that kind of access, I believe.

I suggest we simply move on from here and continue the much more important discussion of the challenge and protocols with the applicant, please.

 

[jimtron]

Dave:

We're not giving you a hard time, we're trying to determine if you really have a testable claim or not.

What is the paranormal element? Can you talk to dead people? Whom or what do the voices belong to? So far you have avoided getting specific about the paranormal aspect, which is the most important part. Tell us about that, and then we can move forward with time and place and security teams, etc.

No one is keeping you from being tested except yourself, because you haven't specified a testable claim according to the JREF rules.