MISSION IMPOSSIBLE

[Taxman]

Mr. Randi I have spotted the logical trap in your exercise.

An "exercise to demonstrate that it is not possible to sort out pseudoscientific gibberish from purposely invented gibberish."

As I doubt that the makers of the device in question have actually conducted any sort of study of anything even remotely related to:

(a) the basis for the machines (supposed) operation, or
(b) whether it actually does anything or not


I believe the purveyors of the machine made up their text.

So we are asked to separate purposely invented gibberish from other purposely invented gibberish.

I think both authors knew what they were writing was nonsense, and the only difference is Mr. Randi has admitted it.

 

[jeffq]

I'll go out on a limb. I say paragraphs 3, 5, and 7 are Randi's; the rest are original. How did I come up with these? It has nothing to do with any nonsense factor. It all sounds pretty nonsensical to me. I'm just going by a quick-and-dirty feel for the flow of the text and which paragraphs could be removed without disturbing it too much or introducing anomalies, similar to intuitive elimination of some multiple choice answers on school exams. I'm curious to see how rusty my cold test-taking skills are!

As far as seriously separating the Randi-invented nonsense from the original invented nonsense, I concede the point to the Amazing One.

 

[Kiless]

Well, this is what I figured out - Paragraph six then seven:

"When the Operator of the ADAM Technology connects with the patient by telephone, a Physical connection is established."

So, you're meant to phone up these people... then

"The Portal reacts to the DNA Code by reflecting, via Resonance generated by a temperature change, a unique DNA-encoded image of the Patient, and admits those patterns to the Gateway, which then triggers a Portal Release. Thus, a temperature rise, independently of any single-element Phononic variance, establishes and reacts to the introduction of a second element, and the starting element pattern is maintained. Heating or cooling will focus on the Portal Release and provide the necessary instructions."

...They apparently claim to change your temperature! By supposedly making your temperature rise and fall, a portal is released?


Okay, I think it's paragraph 6 that's the additional one. Simply because it's the only one that actually tries to make any straight forward claim... even though the claim is 'Phone our 1800 number! We can change your temperature! Get in touch with transdimensional beings who will turn your girlfriend into a dog! Ghostbusters warn that crossing the streams is hazardous to your health.'


(Edited to make the coloured text readable)

 

[TwoShanks]

I'll go along with paragraph six being the insertion as well.

I would like to point out that "Phonons" are not "juvenile twaddle". A phonon is a quanta of lattice vibrational energy, it's a term used in solid state physics.

The definition of it given by these people is, naturally, total crap.

 

[carudatta]

I'd say paragraph 3 is Mr. Randi's, the rest were written by these <del>other</del> charlatans.

 

[Rob Lister]

This is a most interesting topic. Mostly because it's like a puzzle. a puzzle I can't seem to figure out.

What the heck are you all talking about?

I'm sure it's a planned ruse (given the number of posts by the majority of the posters) but I can't figure out what kind of ruse it is.

So...fill me in.

Think of me as a lump of clay that you can mold.

 

[Kiless]

I hate the fact that these people use scientific terms in the wrong way to lure people into believing their garbage. It's a sad fact that not everybody has a science degree or has access to a decent education but could know enough about certain terminology or have seen certain words in the correct context and then make the supposition that this sort of clap-trap is valid due to its simularity to real science.

I didn't know what phonons are. But the context around the use of the word had me crinkling my nose with distain. But then, it could be due to where the article is, too. I might have seen phonons being used as a term in the future and seen it as a fake term... how annoying!

 

[Kiless]

Think of me as a lump of clay that you can mold. [/B]

Oooh, Lister, you dreadlocked dude... I love silly putty!

Okay, but only because I hope you look like Craig Charles.... Boy, is this a recipe for trouble or what??


We're posting about Randi's latest commentary - a little puzzle he put up where he has added either one or more paragraphs to some utter smeg by some group with weirding ways.

Ta da!
http://www.randi.org/jr/050704your.html#1

 

[Kopji]

Gee, I am sort of hoping that the manufacturer of the REAL copyright owners of A.D.A.M software take notice and assert a copyright claim. Although the spelling is slightly different, (lacking periods) the use of "ADAM" for software by another medically oriented company is probably (hopefully) infringement.

 

[DrMatt]

Gee, I am sort of hoping that the manufacturer of the REAL copyright owners of A.D.A.M software take notice and assert a copyright claim. Although the spelling is slightly different, (lacking periods) the use of "ADAM" for software by another medically oriented company is probably (hopefully) infringement.

Well. If the one could be mistaken for the other, it might be a trademark infringement, but not a copyright infringement.