Test for telekinesis to win prize

[becomingagodo]

If you claim telekinetic ability, you should simply tell us what you can do.

I have not got telekinetic abillities.

Truer words have never been spoken.
(if you overlook "pounds" instead of "dollars", of course)

So if some one could move a small object in a air tight clear box, which he hasen't touched and is set up by JREF would he pass the test.

 

[MortFurd]

Does the contest end april the 1st or is it some joke i.e. april fools. So after april 1st JREF will not be doing the preliminary test. Is this contest going to be going forever i.e. the million pounds will always be up for grabs.

It's one million US Dollars, not pounds.

There is a planned change to the challenge that will take effect on 1 April.

Read some of the threads in the Challenge forum, and you'll see some of the reasoning behind the change. Besides the gibberish that turns up there, the JREF also gets written applications that aren't any more coherent.

They've decided on some requirements that will simplify their work. The big thing is that they will be issuing challenges to people who have attracted media attention already. If you've got something that will get you in the news and in public, then the chances are better that you have something - be it a real ability or just a scam.

Part of the drive of the challenge is to take the wind out of the sails of the scammers. Show them to be the fakes they are and stop them taking advantage of the gullible.

I think most folks would be tickled if the the challenge actually turned up something new and real that isn't a scam. I'm not gonna hold my breath waiting for it, though.



The above is just my opinion and understanding. I have no say in JREF activities. You'll have to contact the JREF officially for any kind of binding answers.

 

[Oualawouzou]

If he does so by no mean science currently understands, yes.

No, you can't use a magnet. Science understands that.

 

[petre]

I have not got telekinetic abillities.

So if some one could move a small object in a air tight clear box, which he hasen't touched and is set up by JREF would he pass the test.

As Oualawouzou mentioned they'd require in the protocol steps to prevent known means of success (e.g. they may require that the item not contain any metal, or require a search of the applicant to determine no magnetic device is present).

Such an applicant would indeed have until April 1 to submit the application with a protocol proposal (the full details and changes to the protocol can be worked out after the deadline). After that date, an applicant would first have to draw media attention before the JREF would take notice enough to extend the challenge personally.

 

[IXP]

I have not got telekinetic abillities.

So if some one could move a small object in a air tight clear box, which he hasen't touched and is set up by JREF would he pass the test.

Why the interest then?

IXP

 

[ben m]

I have not got telekinetic abillities.

So if some one could move a small object in a air tight clear box, which he hasen't touched and is set up by JREF would he pass the test.

becomingagodo, I think this discussion will go nowhere unless you can tell us what you can do. Please be specific---it sounds like you have details in mind that you're not telling us. If the answer is "nothing", that's fine---I can't move objects with my mind either---but then we're curious what makes you ask. If the answer is "well, I think I can make the object move, but my method is a secret"----you should be aware, a) the application (and the test) will be fairly public, with the results posted on the web, and b) the regulars on this forum would be really interested in learning about your claim, if any, and in helping you test it, so we'd encourage you to open up. If the answer is "I can make things move across the kitchen table by kicking the table legs (or by concealed magnets, or small radio-servos) and it's fooled every one of my friends; if fooling Randi is worth a million I may as well try"---well, go ahead and apply, but be aware that excluding such tricks is the major focus of the test. There are a dozen ways to simulate TK by trickery in a casual demonstration, but none of these will work in a controlled test.

 

[Oualawouzou]

Just a precision: if you really don't want to tell us (or the JREF) how it is done, it's ok. The JREF is interested in results, not in knowing the mechanics behind them. And, well, given Randi's and cie's track record, I do believe hoping to fool them with a conjuror trick is stupid. Not saying that you're planning to try the latter, just saying it for the fun of it.

 

[Jackalgirl]

Does the contest end april the 1st or is it some joke i.e. april fools. So after april 1st JREF will not be doing the preliminary test. Is this contest going to be going forever i.e. the million pounds will always be up for grabs.

Howdy -- a couple of additional notes (the replies you've gotten are all on the money):

1) The test is not going away on April 1 -- the rules are changing. Check out the "Changes to the Challenge" message thread, if you're interested. In essence, the major change is that you'll have to have some media backup -- in other words, have been mentioned in the press as having powers.

2) However, there are still a lot of skeptical groups out there offering prizes. If you google "paranormal prize" or try a combination of like words, you'll find them. Since you mention pounds, I know that there is a group in Great Britain offering a prize (our local forum member Tony Youens could probably point you in the right direction if you can't find it yourself). Passing one of those other groups' skeptical challenges would qualify you for the Million Dollar Challenge after the 1st of April.

3) The idea that psychic powers (or other paranormal effects) can be based on quantum mechanics is a common misunderstanding. Check out the thread "Quantum Physics for Art Majors". It's heady stuff, but the main takeaway is this: quantum mechanics is a way of describing how extremely small -- subatomic -- particles behave and interact. Once you get into bigger scales (such as, for example, the every day "meat" world in which we all find ourselves), quantum mechanics doesn't apply (it is, more or less, Newtonian physics until one starts to approach the speed of light, and then Einstein takes over). Essentially, what QM says is "on a really small scale, the rules change". Quantum effects cannot be used to move objects on a large scale.

4) You asked about moving stuff in a sealed box and whether that would win the million dollars: the answer is yes, provided that the test (however it's set up) is properly controlled for trickery. For example: if someone claimed to TKly move a light object (such as, say, turning phone book pages or spinning a psi wheel), one of the controls might be to have several of those objects and then have a random method of chosing which one the claimant is to move. I believe that Randi rather famously put styrofoam packing peanuts in the "sealed box" of one TK claimant, which demonstrated that the box was not, in fact, sealed. You'll also have to control for air movement, including air movement caused by heat buildup in the container -- again, putting in multiple objects and randomly determining one to move is a way to control that.

Ultimately, it all really depends on the claim -- that is, what the person claims to be able to move and in what fashion (what I mean by that is does the person spin it? Does the person push or pull it? Does the person flip it? etc). The actual mechanics of it -- how the TK is occuring -- doesn't matter, because there is no verifiable example of TK ever have being demonstrated under proper testing conditions, which makes TK paranormal.

 

[ObscureReferenceMan]

I'm in a bit of a surly mood today, so let me cut to the chase...

becomingagodo - Why are you posting here? You've stated that YOU don't have TK (post #21). So why all the questions? Are you simply curious? If so, have you read the links Jackalgirl provided (post #11)? It sounds like you have not. My "hidden agenda" radar is beeping. A lot of people have posted a lot of helpful info. WHAT DO YOU WANT? WHY ARE YOU HERE?

(Sorry. That was a little brusk. But, seriously, what do you want?)