Looking for Skeptics

[Cassidy]

Absolutely true. These types of threads have a tendency to degrade quite rapidly with the claimant going off in a huff. That hasn't happened here. I think the skeptics here get a great big "ATTA BOY AND GIRL". This is JREF at its best.

No Pixel not at all, I felt sick at some suggestions, it's the voice of a dear loved one, claiming they dont' want the card tricks. I felt bad asking my daughter to go third party. I don't have a huff, I can only say how sick I felt at some of the suggestions. That does not mean to say that I have not appreciated the time and effort here, I do. I'm new to the understanding of tests, protocols. I certainly haven't wasted my time here, and if you feel that you have, I can only apologise you feel that way.

 

[Maurice Ledifficile]

I had no idea you we're expecting a "white noise" sound. It was nice to meet you and your nephew and thank u. As Tuesday is a busy day, your phone call was unexpected. I did not know if there was a protocol in place at all? I hear Skype failed also? I hope you arrived home safely (I found a £2 coin by where your nephew was standing, has he lost £2 at all?)

I'm pretty sure he didn't know what to expect. Probably not white noise, but certainly nothing but interference and distortion, with you hearing voices in the midst of it all.

And your first post gives no info whatsoever on what transpired. I can't wait for the string of excuses.

 

[George]

I don't think you'll take this wrong because I believe it's what you're pointing out... but that would just make you another witness. Unless there's some way to actually TEST, then the traditional complaints would apply: You could be a person easily persuaded. Flaccon could be the world's most convincing inspirational speaker. She could slip you some balladonna cookies. There could be something funky with the recordings. etc...

Or perhaps he will be plied with crème de menthe?*

* That is of course from the master of farce, the relatively recently dead Tom Sharp. My post seems an appropriate addition given the nature of Flaccons antics.

 

[Maurice Ledifficile]

Hi Flaccon,

I hope you two got along well enough. I have a suggestion for you.

How about something like: “I see how it works now. I shouldn’t take my beliefs so seriously. I won’t swindle the bereaved with my business, fraudulent claims and all. I’ll start a blog about my experiences and browse around the JREF and Skeptic Dictionary to learn more about what happened to me”.

I for one will welcome you warmly, and I promise not to be rude again.
☻☺☻

 

[iknownothing]

No Pixel not at all, I felt sick at some suggestions

No, no, no. You came here and started this thread about the voices. And no one asked anything sickening of the spirits. They suggested that the spirits cooperate with a very reasonable test (not a trick or a game, no matter how many times you use those words). You are trying this "I felt sick" angle as if people asked something terrible of your spirits, and it's absolutely not called for.

 

[IXP]

Hi Flaccon,

I hope you two got along well enough. I have a suggestion for you.

How about something like: “I see how it works now. I shouldn’t take my beliefs so seriously. I won’t swindle the bereaved with my business, fraudulent claims and all. I’ll start a blog about my experiences and browse around the JREF and Skeptic Dictionary to learn more about what happened to me”.

I for one will welcome you warmly, and I promise not to be rude again.
☻☺☻

Maurice, vous rêvez.

IXP

 

[Maurice Ledifficile]

Maurice, vous rêvez.

IXP

En effet. En couleurs, même...

 

[IXP]

I don't have a huff, I can only say how sick I felt at some of the suggestions.

flaccon,

Have you ever been tested for colorblindness? It is a ridiculous, insulting test. They show you a series of circles that have colored dots in them, forming numbers, and ask what number you see. It is so obvious, why would they do such an insulting test?

Can you tell me why that test is not insulting and is reasonable?

IXP

 

[hcmom]

I had no idea you we're expecting a "white noise" sound. It was nice to meet you and your nephew and thank u. As Tuesday is a busy day, your phone call was unexpected. I did not know if there was a protocol in place at all? I hear Skype failed also? I hope you arrived home safely (I found a £2 coin by where your nephew was standing, has he lost £2 at all?)

(I will ignore the part about Tuesday, because while I'm fairly certain flaccon *suggested* that Tuesday was a good day, I'm not going to be bothered to search the previous pages for proof of that)

Flaccon, what did Alderbank hear, then?

 

[Ladewig]

No Pixel not at all, I felt sick at some suggestions, it's the voice of a dear loved one,

Don't worry; we' 've seen this type of sickness before. Many potential applicants have exhibited the very same symptoms.

The cure:

two parts denial
one part special pleading
four parts goalpost moving
one-fifth part indignity for being treated so poorly while trying to help the world
a soupcon of superciliousness


Down it all in a single gulp and the sickness goes away as soon as one pretends that the thread never happened and that ones's special powers are even more special than they were before.

 

[xterra]

Don't worry; we' 've seen this type of sickness before. Many potential applicants have exhibited the very same symptoms.

The cure:

two parts denial
one part special pleading
four parts goalpost moving
one-fifth part indignity indignation for being treated so poorly while trying to help the world
a soupcon of superciliousness


Down it all in a single gulp and the sickness goes away as soon as one pretends that the thread never happened and that ones's special powers are even more special than they were before.

ftfy. The indignity comes from scrambling around trying to retreat, recover, and regroup.

 

[Paul2]

And no one asked anything sickening of the spirits. They suggested that the spirits cooperate with a very reasonable test (not a trick or a game, no matter how many times you use those words). You are trying this "I felt sick" angle as if people asked something terrible of your spirits, and it's absolutely not called for.

Exactly.

 

[trustbutverify]

Have you read her website? Quite a lot of effort for a simple trolling.

That said, I have myself thought it would be really funny if flaccon and Alderbank were actually the same person.

As has been noted before, the writer of that site is not the writer of these comments. No way.

 

[Vortigern99]

As has been noted before, the writer of that site is not the writer of these comments. No way.

What makes you think that? I find a similar misuse of punctuation and lack of clarity on the site as in F's posts.

 

[trustbutverify]

I really don't know why the heck you'd think a CV and pay grade rule you out from having woo traits.

Interesting question. Are you one of those skeptic people?

 

[Stray Cat]

Interesting question. Are you one of those skeptic people?

How much does one have to get paid in ones important job before one becomes immune to woo?

 

[Dumb All Over]

Flaccon, what did Alderbank hear, then?

I would like to echo hcmom's sentiment and ask you, flaccon, what you think Alderbank will post here about his visit. Please describe your impressions of the visit. What happened?

 

[trustbutverify]

What makes you think that? I find a similar misuse of punctuation and lack of clarity on the site as in F's posts.

I might be wrong. But the written "voice" on that site appears to me to be a completely different voice from flaccon. Again, maybe I shouldn't have been so sure of it.

 

[Alderbank]

flaccon is a delightful lady and welcomed us to her home in a picture-book Cheshire village.

She played several files, carefully explaining what she hears on each one. On one file I heard what she explained is her father saying Evidence although to my ears it sounded like Embleton or Wimbledon.

I tried hard but I could not recognise any speech on any other tracks. flaccon accepted this without argument. She said she needs to listen over and over until she deciphers what the words are.

I thought the tracks all sounded similar. There was no white noise. The sound was like a ring modulator or band pass filter modulated at about 1.6 Hz. As the BPF swept through human voice formant frequencies there were brief snatches of what could be taken for vowels. I can produce similar sounds on a synth at home.

I have no idea how flacon creates these however. She has a mid-range Samsung 15.4" laptop with a pair of Bose companion 2 computer speakers. She says she makes recordings with the laptop's built-in microphone and integrated soundcard.

At my request flaccon copied several files onto a clean pen-drive I had brought. They sound the same on my equipment at home as they did on flaccon's computer and quite different from the files posted by Stray Cat. I asked permission to post these files but flaccon asked me not to do so.

flaccon hears sentences and recognises the speech cadences of her deceased father, her brother who is still living and others. My nephew who is interested in these phenomena went along with me. Neither of us could make out any words or sentences.

I asked if the spirits had left any messages for me or about me. They had not.

flaccon said the spirits want to be recognised so that they can tell their message to the world. I asked why then will they not take part in any demonstration that they exist? All flaccon could do was refer me to messages like We don't want card games.

To help them get the publicity they crave, flaccon says she intends to go to the papers and also to hire a hall to play her recordings to the public. She says she would like better equipment to record on. There are audio specialists on this forum - I told her to ask for specific advice in this thread.

That's about it. Sorry about Skype - it didn't seem appropriate. Also the playing cards stayed in my pocket.

Questions, anyone?

 

[trustbutverify]

How much does one have to get paid in ones important job before one becomes immune to woo?

Another good question. Is there a government table available?