Matt Blaze Solves Randi's Puzzle, Doesn't Ask for Million

[jhuntington]

Wednesday, March 14, 2007
Cryptographer Solves Psychic Challenge

Crystal_ball In January, James Randi secured a mystery item in a specially designated locker in his Florida office, and challenged clairvoyants everywhere to use their remote viewing skills to divine its nature and claim a million dollar prize.

As usual with Randi's contests, there's weren't a lot of takers in the professional psychic biz. But for perhaps the first time in the history of the supernatural challenges issued by the 79-year-old skeptic, there was a winner of sorts. Cryptographer Matt Blaze and a colleague correctly identified the contents of Randi's black box from a thousand miles away, using only the powers of their minds.
...

More here:
http://blog.wired.com/27bstroke6/2007/03/cryptographer_s.html

 

[boojum]

An earlier discussion can be found here: http://www.internationalskeptics.com/forums/showthread.php?t=73303

 

[jhuntington]

An earlier discussion can be found here: http://www.internationalskeptics.com/forums/showthread.php?t=73303

Aha, I searched "Matt Blaze" before posting, but didn't find anything...

Thanks,

John

 

[jhuntington]

Weird, i just searched again, and now it turns up that thread I don't know what I did wrong the first time...

 

[Mercutio]

As an aside, I'll says it's a sad state of affairs when the world's best psychics are shown up by a couple math geeks. I assume Sylvia Browne chose not to participate because she's embarrassed about a 15-year-old kidnap victim recently turning up alive, four years after Browne told his parents and a national television audience that he'd been murdered and his body dumped in a wooded area near two large, jagged boulders. How this woman sleeps at night is an unsolved mystery that I'd wager even Blaze can't unravel.

 

[Davide]

Matt's piece is absolutely terrific. He's done a fabulous job of balancing the technical/scientific and human dimensions of the subject at hand. Plus he's literate. I commend his article to your attention. Just follow the links. It really is worth it.