Achau Nguyen Challenges! (again)

Hmm, sounds like someone has had some lessons in probability. As far as I can tell from the past challenge, Mr. Nguyen just has to guess words from a known list, so this is a challenge that could be won by chance unlike something like telekinesis. It seems that after failing the first test test needing to get 19/20, he now only wants to get 18/20 and is applying to five places at the same time. Maybe I'm a little cynical, but it sounds suspiciously like he is just trying to increase his chance of getting lucky.
 
Cuddles said:
As far as I can tell from the past challenge, Mr. Nguyen just has to guess words from a known list,
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I thought the words on the lists were unknown to him until the test started.

And I assume there'll be new lists with new words for this test.
 
The Atheist said:
Hey, whining after a loss is allowed - at least he tried!

He'll probably whine when he loses this time as well.
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My hat's off to Nguyen, even if he is trying to up his odds of getting lucky.

What first brought me to JREF was the challenge application posts. What I noticed pretty quickly is that most of the applications were BORING. Most of the applicants--Buzz, Ali, Edge--are tons of snide talk and zero action.

Nguyen is not a psychic; but at least he's not a troll.
 
I'm not sure that Edge falls into the same category as the rest mentioned. He was tested in the past; in fact, he showed up right on Randi's doorstep and asked to be tested right away. He did what I think any of us would do if we were actually convinced that we had super powers.

He's been humming and hawing about the retest. Really though, who can blame the guy; he wants to make sure he has the greatest possible chance of winning the million after failing pretty spectacularly last time, and offering some of the most cringe-worthy excuses imaginable.
 
Ripley Twenty-Nine said:
I'm not sure that Edge falls into the same category as the rest mentioned. He was tested in the past; in fact, he showed up right on Randi's doorstep and asked to be tested right away. He did what I think any of us would do if we were actually convinced that we had super powers.

He's been humming and hawing about the retest. Really though, who can blame the guy; he wants to make sure he has the greatest possible chance of winning the million after failing pretty spectacularly last time, and offering some of the most cringe-worthy excuses imaginable.
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True. Senor Sacagawea is a wiz with excuses.



Achau's original protocol.
 
I wouldn't think Achau "whined" after the test. He made a few excuses, blamed his recipient a bit. But overall, he took his lumps. I've got real respect for the guy. I hope he gets re-tested.

Keep us up to date TA!
 
Cuddles said:
Hmm, sounds like someone has had some lessons in probability. As far as I can tell from the past challenge, Mr. Nguyen just has to guess words from a known list, so this is a challenge that could be won by chance unlike something like telekinesis.
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Neither Achau, his recipient, or the on-site testers will know what the words are before the envelope is opened.

Winning by chance is not an option.

Given the enormous number of nouns to choose from, 1/20 would be better than chance - 18/20 would be proof that he either has this power, or has invented a novel form of cheating. Given Achau being a pretty up-front sort of bloke, I seriously doubt that he'd try cheating.
 
ObscureReferenceMan said:
I wouldn't think Achau "whined" after the test. He made a few excuses, blamed his recipient a bit. But overall, he took his lumps. I've got real respect for the guy. I hope he gets re-tested.

Keep us up to date TA!
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Here you go!

Achau has finally posted his details, although he doesn't have test date arrnged yet.

His post regarding the challenge is here. (Note his name: "krytical-thinker"!)

There's nothing new in his post, but nice to see him telling us in his own words.
 
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Thanks for the link, The Atheist. Although given the saturation of your pantalonial area, I'm looking forward to the test at CFIW.
 
Ah, my mistake. For some reason I had the idea that they would have helped make the list beforehand, but it seems that's not the case. I wouldn't go so far as to say 1/20 would be better than chance. Assuming that they are fairly common words that both of them know it is not too unlikely that a few could be guessed by chance, although I have no idea how you could work out the actual probability. 18/20 certainly seems unlikely enough for the challenge though.
 
How to cheat at this test.
Bribe the person making the list so you know the contents of the list beforehand. There may be several envelopes but if they all contain the same words, or know which envelope to pick this is no problem. The receiver can then memorise the words. Then on the day very easy to repeat the words.

There are other methods, but I would start with that one.
 
Cuddles said:
Ah, my mistake. For some reason I had the idea that they would have helped make the list beforehand, but it seems that's not the case. I wouldn't go so far as to say 1/20 would be better than chance. Assuming that they are fairly common words that both of them know it is not too unlikely that a few could be guessed by chance, although I have no idea how you could work out the actual probability. 18/20 certainly seems unlikely enough for the challenge though.
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I think the words have to be in the right order too. So if AN sends "watch" for word #3 but the receiver has it as word #18, it's a miss.

1 for 20 looks pretty impressive now! :-)
 
rjh01 said:
How to cheat at this test.
Bribe the person making the list so you know the contents of the list beforehand. There may be several envelopes but if they all contain the same words, or know which envelope to pick this is no problem. The receiver can then memorise the words. Then on the day very easy to repeat the words.

There are other methods, but I would start with that one.
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I would go with: come up with a code with the other person who is helping you.

Give me and another person a bit of time to come up with such a code, and I suspect I could get well above chance.
 
NoZed Avenger said:
I would go with: come up with a code with the other person who is helping you.

Give me and another person a bit of time to come up with such a code, and I suspect I could get well above chance.
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The sender and receiver are in separate rooms with no communication between them (except telepathy of course) ;-) . A think a code would require one of skeptics to be in on it.

Electronic implants however…
 
Another "How to Cheat"

rjh01 said:
How to cheat at this test.
Bribe the person making the list so you know the contents of the list beforehand. There may be several envelopes but if they all contain the same words, or know which envelope to pick this is no problem. The receiver can then memorise the words. Then on the day very easy to repeat the words.

There are other methods, but I would start with that one.
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How about this very old dodge: "To ensure there's no cheating" AN should insist that the word lists be on some specified standard sized cards and sealed in standard sized envelopes. (So he can't tell them apart, of course.) He should also insist that each set be created secretly by a different person. (So that he'd have to bribe all of them.) Then all he has to do is bring his own set and choose it instead of any of the ones the testers made.
 
And if a known list of words is used, they could be memorized in order by both sender and receiver. Twenty words.

Since the test administrator radios to let the receiver know when the sender has projected a word:

Sender and receiver have synchronized their watches. Each time the sender begins, he starts on the minute: 12:01:00. If the call comes within the first five seconds after that, it's number 1 on the list; between 12:01.05 and 12:05.10 it's number 2, and so on. Even if only the first twelve words are memorized, that's enough to give the sender an average well above chance, and 12 assured right answers would put him withing luck distance of 18 out of 20.
 
ObscureReferenceMan said:
Thanks, AT! Do you think Achau will come back to post here?
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Hope so, I've invited him to, but he seems to be quite single-minded; he's sstated his claim and hasn't got much to discuss.

I'm guessing from the comments he posted that he doesn't feel there's much to be achieved. Either way, I hope he's at least reading what's in here and realises that we're all actually rooting for him.

Yes, we tend to deride people with people with claims, but Achau hasn't attracted anything negative yet, so that's no issue.

What I wish these challengers realised that if one actually came off, it would be the most earth-shattering event to happen in any of our lives - it certainly would be for me - and that we'd be witnessing the dawn of a new era. A time when magic is possible and that the rules of phsyics which we think rule the universe, have missed something rather important.

Moon landing x 10^100 for me.
 
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