RIP - The Amazing Randi, Dead at 92.

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James Randi, a magician and paranormal debunker better known professionally as "The Amazing Randi", has died at 92.  His death on Tuesday (2020-10-20) was announced on Twitter Wednesday by the Randi Foundation, a nonprofit organization that investigates paranormal and pseudoscientific claims and promotes critical thinking.

Randi (born Randall Zwinge in Toronto), was most recognized for his efforts to debunk psychics and paranormal phenomena.  Randi also was a founder of the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry, a paranormal investigative group.  For many years, his eponymous foundation offered one million American dollars to anyone who could demonstrate a supernatural or paranormal ability under agreed-upon scientific testing criteria. The JREF also maintains a legal defense fund to assist persons who are attacked as a result of their investigations and criticism of people who make paranormal claims.  Witnesses to these events included scientists and professional stage magicians.

To date, no one has been able to demonstrate their claimed abilities under the testing conditions, all applicants either failing to demonstrate the claimed ability during the test or deviating from the agreed-upon conditions; the million-dollar prize remains unclaimed.

He and I corresponded briefly about 10 years ago, as he advised me in how to hone my own "Psychic Challenge" testing and debunking skills.  He was a warm, friendly, and intelligent man, with a great sense of humor and a drive to promote and maintain some sensibility in the world.

He will be sorely missed.

He was also known for debunking the Bible.

An easy task, usually undertaken by people who can think for themselves.

So you go to church but think the bible is false?

So you derail this thread to spread your religion and make personal attacks against me?

No I was genuinely perplexed by what you said.

Yes indeed.
Aww, but that's a shame. He was a masterful investigator of charlatans and fakes, always with a wicked glint in his eye. I'm so glad he also found peace in his last years with his spouse, José Alvarez, married in 2013.

Fnord, he reminded me of you...

An amazing man who took down charlatans who preyed on the desperate. He will be sorely missed.

92.
He had a damned good run.

Yeah ... I get that a lot.

The moment I heard about Randi's passing, I headed straight over to twitter to see if Uri Geller had anything to say about it. Not the most gracious reaction, as you'd expect, but somebody did respond with this link to Randi recalling Geller's appearance on the Tonight Show in 1973.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TNKmhv9uoiQ

↑ Yes, that was one of Randi's best moments, and one that mostly destroyed Geller's credibility.  You can hear the tension in Geller's voice and almost smell the aroma of his own flop sweat.  That segment was one of the first events that put me off the idea of any "psychic" being legitimate.

Do you know if he ever looked into Scientology?
Or that ‘Chariots of the Gods’ author?

In 1950, Lafayette Ronald Hubbard (1911-1986) published "Dianetics: The Modern Science of Mental Health".

The book is treated as if it were a holy scripture by Scientologists and they treat it as if it were the cornerstone of their church, their religion, and what they consider to be their science.  Hubbard tells the reader that dianetics "... contains a therapeutic technique with which can be treated all inorganic mental ills and all organic psycho-somatic ills, with assurance of complete cure...". However, in a disclaimer on the frontispiece of the book, we are told that "Scientology and its sub-study, Dianetics, as practiced by the Church, does not wish to accept individuals who desire treatment of physical illness or insanity but refers these to qualified specialists of other organizations who deal in these matters."

The disclaimer seems clearly to have been a protective mechanism against lawsuits for practicing medicine without a license; yet the author repeatedly insists that dianetics can cure just about anything that ails you. He also repeatedly insists that dianetics is a science. Yet, just about anyone familiar with scientific texts will be able to tell from the first few pages of Dianetics that the text is no scientific work and the author no scientist.

Conclusion: Dianetics is a classic example of a pseudoscience (e.g., False Science). L. Ron Hubbard is no more ethical than any other snake-oil salesman.

• • •

The term 'ancient astronauts' designates the purely speculative notion that aliens are responsible for the most ancient civilizations on earth. The most notorious proponent of this idea is Erich von Däniken, author of several popular books on the subject. His "Chariots of the Gods? Unsolved Mysteries of the Past", for example, is a sweeping attack on the memories and abilities of ancient peoples. Von Däniken claims that the myths, arts, social organizations, et cetera, of ancient cultures were introduced by astronauts from other worlds. He questions not just the capacity for memory, but the capacity for culture, intelligence, and civilization itself, in ancient peoples. According to von Däniken's fanstasies, prehistoric humans did not develop their own arts and technologies, but rather were taught art and science by visitors from outer space.

Where is the proof for von Däniken's claims? Much of it is outright fraudulent. For example, von Däniken produced photographs of pottery that he claimed had been found in an archaeological dig. The pottery depicts flying saucers and was said to have been dated from Biblical times. However, investigators from Nova (the fine public-television science program) found the potter who had made the allegedly ancient pots. They confronted von Däniken with evidence of his fraud. His reply was that his deception was justified because some people would only believe if they saw proof ("The Case of the Ancient Astronauts," first aired 1978-03-08, done in conjunction with BBC's Horizon and Peter Spry-Leverton)!

Conclusion: Obviously, von Däniken could not tell the difference between fantasy and theory, a common affliction among UFOlogists and other woo-woo believers.

I am glad that some serious investigations and testing has been done with regard to Von Daniken. His personal history is VERY interesting!
I would have liked to read what ‘Amazing Randi’ would say about either one, after doing his own research.
I would REALLY like to see him discuss/confront either one on T.V./videotape.
If you hear of any video of him opinionating on either group or leader/founder, I’d really, really like if you could post it, Fnord!

There are electronic devices which can interpret brainwave activity, to some degree.
Some would call this "Synthetic Telepathy".