My offer to MI5

[sphenisc]

At one point in the UK experiments that ensued, the MI5 recruits were presented with sealed envelopes containing unseen pictures of public figures, to which they were asked to apply their awesome powers of divination. What did they get? Every one was wrongly identified, both in gender and physical description. As a result, that idea was abandoned, but only after some £50,000 (US$100,000) had been spent. The UK Ministry of Defense said the research had been “carried out to assess claims made in some academic circles and to validate research carried out by other nations.”

My offer to MI5 is this, for the measly price of, say, £10,000, I will devise a cunning plan to convert all the viewers' incorrect predictions of gender, into correct ones. Now I know you're all going to turn around and say "You're a woo, it can't be done." But I'm prepared, in the spirit of paranormal investigation to test my method here.

If someone would volunteer to compose a list of 10 celebs and then post a list giving their incorrect genders, I will attempt to discern what their true genders are.

(I was going to suggest an independent holder of the list, but what the heck, you all seem trustworthy to me.)

 

[Mojo]

According to Randi, there were 24 psychics involved. If each was only given one photo to describe, if they got the gender wrong every time the odds are over 16 million to one. They could easily make a tenfold profit on the money they've spent on this research.

Assuming MI5 has enough of a media presence to qualify under the new challenge rules, of course.

 

[BillyJoe]

Yeah, he must have meant they were asked to give the gender and description in an attempt to identify the public fugure and that they failed to identify the public figure every time.

I agree it was not what he said:

Jonathan Evans, the new MI5 chief, has learned that a special unit had been commissioned there to recruit both “psychics” and “palmists” – from their ads on the Internet. These 24 woo-woos.....were presented with sealed envelopes containing unseen pictures of public figures, to which they were asked to apply their awesome powers of divination. What did they get? Every one was wrongly identified, both in gender and physical description.

 

[Overman]

I don't understand.

Arn't negitive results good?

What is wrong with performing an experiement correctly?

 

[BillyJoe]

I don't understand....Aren't negative results good?

24 people.
They have to guess the gender of an unknown person.
All 24 get it wrong.
The chance of that is 2²⁴ = 16,777,216 to 1.
Which is the same chance as all 24 getting it correct.

 

[Drudgewire]

Ironically it was David Moorehouse that pretty much convinced me to stop believing in conspiracy theories back in the 90s. I read his book and saw how many "respected" names in the community were fawning all over it and finally had to accept that every single one of them are complete loons.

 

[JonWhite]

Well they could've just paid me £10 and I'd have told them it was all b****cks. But I 'spose they'd then still have to spend another £49,990 to prove it.

Makes me proud not to be paying tax at the moment.

 

[Joe_Black]

"I don't understand.

Arn't negitive results good?

What is wrong with performing an experiement correctly?"

Thats very skeptical of you.

 

[geni]

£50,000 is peanuts by goverment standards. $50,000 to setle the issues seems reasonable.

 

[Joe_Black]

Drudgewire david moorehouse admitted most of that book was made up and "respected" names in the RV community said it was BS because they were there and he made up alot of it.

 

[kbm99]

£50,000 is peanuts by goverment standards. $50,000 to setle the issues seems reasonable.

Except I doubt they will consider it settled, it seems to me that every 12-15 years or so this sort question has to be "properly investigated" yet again.

 

[tracer]

£50,000 is peanuts by goverment standards. $50,000 to setle the issues seems reasonable.

Ooh, but don't get your £'s and your $'s confused! £1.00 is equal to, what is it these days, $1,000,000,000,000,000.00?