Quinn
Breathtakingly blasphemous.
- Joined
- Jan 6, 2002
- Messages
- 2,310
Attention anyone in or near the Bay Area: I recently got an email from noted mentalist and skeptic Ian Rowland, saying he'll be visiting San Francisco in the near future. I asked if he would be interested joining a group of local JREFers for dinner and conversation, and he graciously obliged. So I would like to officially announce plans for the next NorCal JREF get-together, with Mr. Rowland as our guest of honor. 
He'll be in town from June 30 through July 8, but he said he's still working out his schedule and doesn't yet know when the best day would be. In the meantime, all those who would like to attend, speak up and let us know which of those days are best for you. Obviously Ian's schedule will take precedence, but in the event he has more than one evening open to choose from, we'll go with the one that can accomodate the most people. The location has yet to be determined, but will likely be somewhere in San Francisco proper since that's where he's staying.
For those who aren't familiar with the name Ian Rowland, he is a world-class mentalist and magician from England, and a champion of the skeptic cause. He wrote The Full Facts Book of Cold Reading, which is widely considered the bible of the subject and has made life more difficult for many "psychic" readers. He also performed the much talked-about cold reading demonstration on ABC's Primetime last year, which earned him a good deal of wrath from those who would rather keep the public in the dark about such things. In addition, he's also one of the world's foremost experts on spoon bending. For a sample of his writing and his outlook, take a look at this essay comparing John Edward transcripts to known cold reading techniques. While I've never met him in person, my small bit of correspondence with him as well as everything I've ever read by or about him (including the hysterical tirades leveled against him by other, lesser mentalists and "readers" after his cold reading demo) indicate that he's a charming, witty, cordial, talented man whom any skeptic would be delighted to spend an evening with.
So, who's in?
Quinn
He'll be in town from June 30 through July 8, but he said he's still working out his schedule and doesn't yet know when the best day would be. In the meantime, all those who would like to attend, speak up and let us know which of those days are best for you. Obviously Ian's schedule will take precedence, but in the event he has more than one evening open to choose from, we'll go with the one that can accomodate the most people. The location has yet to be determined, but will likely be somewhere in San Francisco proper since that's where he's staying.
For those who aren't familiar with the name Ian Rowland, he is a world-class mentalist and magician from England, and a champion of the skeptic cause. He wrote The Full Facts Book of Cold Reading, which is widely considered the bible of the subject and has made life more difficult for many "psychic" readers. He also performed the much talked-about cold reading demonstration on ABC's Primetime last year, which earned him a good deal of wrath from those who would rather keep the public in the dark about such things. In addition, he's also one of the world's foremost experts on spoon bending. For a sample of his writing and his outlook, take a look at this essay comparing John Edward transcripts to known cold reading techniques. While I've never met him in person, my small bit of correspondence with him as well as everything I've ever read by or about him (including the hysterical tirades leveled against him by other, lesser mentalists and "readers" after his cold reading demo) indicate that he's a charming, witty, cordial, talented man whom any skeptic would be delighted to spend an evening with.
So, who's in?
Quinn
Guess I've been busy and not posting much in the couple weeks since you've joined us.
