I will challenge James Randi.

[jmercer]

Ah, argument from authority; gotta love it.

And again.

And yet again.
And do you know what? They're all wrong... or, more accurately, incomplete.
When I was studying translation, our J-to-E professor told us that you cannot merely meekly accept the dictionary edfinition; pointing to all of us he declared, "The buck stops here". Nowhere is that more evident than when translating contracts, as in Japanese the various parties are referred to by the Japanese "ABC" system, namely "Ko-otsu-hei..." In translating, a good professional will render this not as the dictionary says (i.e., "ABC..."), but according to context. So, in a tenancy agreement, Ko and Otsu will become the landlord and tenant, whereas in a bank loan agreement, Ko and Otsu will become the lender and borrower. But as the dictionary doesn't recommend this, you'd prefer all contracts to universally refer to the parties as A and B, right...?

Attempting to redefine the English language to justify your viewpoint is utterly specious. Citing standard dictionary definitions of a word in a debate about the usage of that word is hardly an appeal to authority - it's pointing to a fact. Citing a famous or influential person's viewpoint as supportive of your position is, however, an appeal to authority.

Even citing your professor is an appeal to authority. What's wrong? Can't you provide any proof of your position?

If that's the number of people who believe in a varient of the Great Juju in the Sky, then yes, I do consider them to be whacko. As I quoted, I have no confidence in the collective wisdom of individual ignorance.

Well, thank goodness we have you to set us all straight, then. Of course, you're the one who claims that one must have scientific support for a position in order to not be a whacko. So far, no support is showing... so I'd say you're a whacko, just like the rest of us.

I'll rephrase: with the exception of Gallileo, everyone thought the world was flat.

And you would still be wrong. Galileo was very popular in parts of Europe, and was actually invited to Venice to escape persecution from the Church. His beliefs and writings remained one of the core educations for the so-called "Renaissance Man" of the period, and - in spite of his forced recantation - Galileo's writings were a major thorn in the side of the Church for centuries as it steadily undermined the Church-endorsed Ptolemaic viewpoint of the Earth being the center of the universe.

Galileo actually drew HIS inspiration from Copernicus, but went further by writing books and providing proof (via telescope) that the Copernicus model was indeed, correct. Galileo's numerous followers continued to publish his banned book and teach in secular universities wherever they existed.

Ya gotta do your research if you want to challenge me on this stuff.

I never said anything about the moderators being whacko. On these boards, they are, after all, skeptics.

Oh? Really? Gee. Best change your password, then, because someone logged in as you and wrote:

It seems to me the reason is because the moderators share those whacko beleifs, such as the existence of gods, the existence of chi, paranormal powers, etc.

See The Meme Machine by Susan Blackmore and Viruses of the Mind by Richard Dawkins.
Or will you regard these as appeals to authority as well?

Great books! I've read them, and enjoyed them, and find that I agree with a lot of what's written in them. Of course, those books aren't scientific proof, which is what you demand be presented in order to not be a whacko.

And yes, that's an appeal to authority , or argumentum ad verecundiam.

Got proof?

 

[jmercer]

Re: translation problems

I am of the opinion that much of the debate between jmercer (and others) and Kimpatsu(and others) recently is purely a matter of wording.

I'm not so sure of that.

I am sure that if face to face you two would agree more than disagree. Maybe we can move on? Either to the original contention of 杨建东 (I will challenge James Randi.), or to another less voluminous thread, started by either of you two to debate what you seem to be concerned about, be it the definition of "Whacko" or what it means to be one.

Yep, people tend to be more polite in person. Don't worry about it; I'm pretty much done arguing with Kim, anyway.

 

[Kimpatsu]

Re: Re: translation problems

I'm pretty much done arguing with Kim, anyway.

That's Mister Kim to you, Faceless One.

 

[jmercer]

Re: Re: Re: translation problems

That's Mister Kim to you, Faceless One.

Don't take it personally; sometimes I shortcut people's posting names because I get tired of typing unfamilar words. Most times, I use initials - in your case, I would have used "KP", but it just didn't seem right, so I used "Kim". I'll use your full handle if it bugs ya.

 

[Kimpatsu]

Re: Re: Re: Re: translation problems

Don't take it personally; sometimes I shortcut people's posting names because I get tired of typing unfamilar words. Most times, I use initials - in your case, I would have used "KP", but it just didn't seem right, so I used "Kim". I'll use your full handle if it bugs ya.

And I'll call you ? for short.

 

[jmercer]

 

[De_Bunk]

Kook...

Your nic on here...Oh dear...

And you wonder why no one is taking you seriously...

Comprehend the world as a halfwit...then you might gain some insight to how things are...

DB

 

[Iamme]

The purpose of the article is to seek co-operation with certain scientific research centers and other organizations to study my mysterious ability. As far as I am concerned, there is going to be a blockbuster in physics and biology fields if my mysterious ability had been fully explained. If there are no interests from those scientific-research organizations, it would be a huge loss in terms of scientific innovation and development.
There is my personal profile: Name: Yang JanDong, Place of birth: ShanXi Province, China. E-mail address: ajtah@hotmail.com. The following parts of the report will present my special ability specifically.

Chapter1. Introduction to my ability
When I was in high school, half of my classmates who lived in the dorm with me found they can see a strange illusion from time to time. They saw a soul was being naked and transparent around them, and they thought that was my soul , because the looks of the soul is very similar to me . But in fact I was dressed neatly and I felt nothing uncommon as usual. In addition, when I was thinking, my classmates can perceive exactly what I was thinking. They described what they perceived as listening from the soul. Graphics in my thoughts also are perceived by them , They described that they have seen the graphics what was in my thought. They have the illusion even when their eyes are closed . Even the people who lived next-door, they can feel the same thing and have the same illusion as the people who lived in my room have. As time goes on, I found more and more people who surround me feel that as well. Most of my neighbors can sense the same scenario no matter where I live.
Dreaming can be defined as consecutive psychological movements generated in people’s minds when they are sleeping. When I was dreaming, people can have the sense of seeing clearly what I was seeing and hearing in dreaming . We can propose an assumption; there is an area exists in human brains. When people are awake, this area monitors people’s physical movements. While people are in a sleep, this area relaxes and it is not monitoring people’s physical movements. At this time, this area conducts people’s psychological movements which lead people to dream. However, this section in my brain might have been mutated which can load all my dream information and send it to other people who are not far away from me, through a particular but peculiar medium. There are many people have received my signals since my special ability had been found. Up to here, I suppose these strange and interesting phenomena may arise some interests from many physicians and biologists.
People cannot read my memory.
Many people can receive the signals which I send subconsciously, but some people cannot. Approximately half of the people who surround me can get my signal. The greater distance away from me, the fewer people can sense that. In some cases, people can sense what I am thinking from 300 kilometers away.
The signals sends out from my brain dose not controled by anybody.
A small portion of people can read my mind all the time, but most people are only able to get that at night.
I suppose my ability has similar functions as the wireless electronic wave. The signal launched from the radio station can be received by many radios in different locations, so I think the signal from my brain works the same way as the wireless electronic waves do.
People see my physical image appears in different directions. Some people said that they saw my naked body in front of them, and some said the soul what they feel see even lay under their body when they were sleeping.

The value of my mysterious ability

Nowadays, it is a digital era, so information is significant. I am sending unknown signals to people involuntarily. What is the conformation of the signal? What is the code of the signal? Can the signal load people’s genetic information or psychological information? Based on those unsolved question, I can say my special ability has a significant value for science.
1. The signal from my brain may have an automatically translated code which people can get easily, so it is worthy of Information technology research.
2. Scientist can study human brain through the signal. It is helpful for them to study human intelligence.
3. Psychologist may study other’s psychology from the signal if it had been fully exploited.
4. Theologian may consider my mysterious ability is caused by some unknown ghosts or holly spirits, so it is worth for them finding the truth through study my ability.
5. Other potential values of my ability: Scientists could invent new generation of artificial intellectual robots based on my brain. Moreover, if I can send my signal to extremely long distance or almost endless, scientists could use it to explore the outer space and to find new resources and species in other planets.
Hope Randi will interest in my mysterious ability.

I'm sorry I never have read or responded to this thread OP before. I read it. This is all quite simple to prove, you know. All this guy has to do is record all his thoughts, all the time. Then, you take random people chosen by the testor, that the testor knows has no affiliation with the guy that has these mysterious powers. Then see if a group of these people, as claimed, can say what the guy has recorded.

I have not read anymore than the OP so far. You would think this guy already would have taken the steps to have his powers authenticated by means I suggest. Its just simple common sense.

It's so simple, a matter of fact, that I'll have to read on and see if this whole thing is some kind of joke.

Remember the N'Kisi Project with the african grey parrot? This reminds me somewhat of that. Claims of one person or creature being able to recieve the signals from another.

 

[Iamme]

Hello,Kiless!This is my answer!
My power is my brain can send out unknown signals , the signals contain graphics and words and everything in my thoughts . Aapproximately half of people who surround me can percieve the signals. While they perceive the signals , people feel they see the graphics and feel they hear the words in my thoughts . Even when their eyes and ears are closed. The signals are not controled by anyone .
Distance is the limite of the proposed demonstration .The greater distance away from me, the fewer people can perceive the signals send out from my brain. A few people can sense what I am thinking from 300 kilometers away.
My answers to Patricio Elicer.
Will you please to test my ability?
"some cases" means a few person , I don't know the percentage ,it is needed to be tested.
Do you have colsed friend in China , I'm pleasure notarize to him.

Have you ever tried to hold hands with a group of people, like in a prayer ring to see if this helps boost the reception over a greater distance due to the connection?

Regarding the Randi challenge: Even if you can do as claimed, you ain't goona win no money. I'm sure there will be an excuse like 'It's not paranormal. That we've all known of the possibility of telepathy...that even parrots can perform this feat.' (Something like that.) The only way anybody will win the money, I think, is if some space alien came and brought James Randi, himself, up to their mothership and perhaps took him back to their planet "Smirnoff" for a weeks stay, or something. And even at that, Randi would probably surmise that he must have been dreaming, or in some altered unexplained state of consciousness.

There is this psychic medium by the name of Sylvia Browne. On national tv, in a debate with James Randi, she predicted that some part of his heart was bad. Now, suppose Randi had went in and found out the heart was bad in the way Sylvia had said. Do you think James Randi would just say, "here you go. Here is the million." ???? No. Same with YOUR ability. It will be written off as either being common knowledge or chance, probably. Just like how atheists think the trillions of combinations that happen to work out on our earth, that make our earth such a life-giving wonderful place occurred from chance.

 

[Iamme]

I need something clarified for me. What is exactly an "unknown signal"? What does 'unknown' mean?

 

[The Central Scrutinizer]

TCS, why don't you answer my qustion?
Which train station will you get?And when can I meet you ?Please give me a correct time and place.
And May I know Which country are you from?

Mr. œ,

Where were you? I was waiting at the station? I just now made it back home! Please let me know, and I will return to help you.

TCS

 

[The Central Scrutinizer]

Why you let me "And send me money."?I never promised to send you money.You are a cheater!

Mr. 建ä,

Where is my money? You must re-imburse me for my expenses during my grueling and dangerous trip to your country. Send it now, or your credit rating will be adversely affected.

TCS

 

[CFLarsen]

I need something clarified for me. What is exactly an "unknown signal"? What does 'unknown' mean?

I don't know.

 

[Iamme]

Originally Posted by Iamme :
I need something clarified for me. What is exactly an "unknown signal"? What does 'unknown' mean?

CFLarson:
I don't know.

Iamme:
That makes two (or more of us. And until we hear further from this author of this thread, we aren't going to learn much more about his abilities, unfortunately.

*I* might have abilities. I have the ability to slay deer with no damage to a vehicle. I have the ability to have street lights go out in my presence. I have the ability to concentrate on beef sticks (did that today, and I haven't done that before) and ecman goes to the store, comes back and places something down next to me here. It was...you guessed it! And this kind of stuff goes on with me all the time. Last year when I was wondering how I was going to pay some taxes I owed, the IRS calls me up out of the blue to tell me that I don't owe taxes! Yesterday, I said to myself, I think I'm going to hear from my dad about what I plan to do with the rental propery. Just a little while later I get a call from my mother asking me what I have decided to do about the rental propery. I know...it's all just coincidences.

 

[Ripley Twenty-Nine]

I have the ability to concentrate on beef sticks...

I'm afraid I can't come up with a witty remark that can top that.

 

[eri]

I remember hearing Randi on Skepticality saying that once a test protocol had been agreed upon, with a set 'pass' level, and the test had been preformed, he would be legally obligated to turn over the money if the applicant had passed, regardless of how they did it (including cheating). If someone passes, they get the money. End of story. If Sylvia doesn't come up with a test protocol and submit an application, she doesn't get the money no matter what she 'predicts'.