You’ve definitely read and created enough lists to have a wealth of knowledge stored in that mind of yours!! Let’s get RIchhh!!! haha =) VERY COOL list!

http://www.randi.org/site/index.php/1m-challenge/challenge-application.html

Excerpt:
“All tests must be designed in such a way that the results are self-evident, so that no judging or voting process is required.”

Try again…

Wouldn’t it be more fair if the “judges” consists of not only Randi’s team but another team who believes in those stuff (paranormal)?

I mean if a singing contest was held and the judges are accountants who know nothing about music, would it be fair to the contestants?

There is no <$1500 rocket capable of making it even close to space, let alone orbit. Okay, so what about launching a rocket from a weather balloon?
Launching a rocket from a balloon was considered even in the very first attempts to put a satellite in orbit. It was quickly dismissed though since even at the maximum altitude for a balloon, you're only reducing the performance requirements of the rocket by a small fraction.
A balloon is going to top out at 35km (or less). You still need a rocket that can gain an additional 115km+ altitude and (harder still) at least 15,000mph horizontal velocity. A rocket capable of this is still too large to realistically be lifted with balloons anyway, and far and away beyond the capabilities of any amateur rocket, let alone the $1500 max of the challenge.

Lol I’ll be sure to do that, just because you said so.

The crux is Rule 15…Randi himself gets to set the conditions of what constitutes “proof”, and if the applicant refuses to agree to them, the application is flatly refused with no recourse for appeal or resolution.

If, for example, some theoretical “genuine” psychic were to apply, Randi could still demand some logically-impossible, or beyond-the-claimed-ability-of-the-applicant criteria, and then use the challenger’s inability to agree to it as the basis for rejection.

Of course I obviously can’t deny this as being possible, but in reality has he ever done that? To what end would that achieve? There’s more at stake than just giving away the money. If a person truly has an ability, it’s not like Randi is the only possible outlet for proving it, and actually the publicity that would be generated by such a hypothetical person would be enough to prevent Randi from copping out in such an obvious way. At least not without being publicly humiliated and possibly sued. It’s not like he’s operating behind a cloak of anonymity. If someone truly has an ability, no “unfair obstacles” put up by Randi (whether genuine or perceived) should prevent a person from successfully demonstrating it.

please do not insult actual scientists by helping to perpetuate the misconception that Randi is one of them

I never said Randi was a scientist, but you don’t have to be one to employ scientific methodologies. Also, you seem to imply that “real scientists” are infallible. Don’t get me wrong, I have utmost respect for members of the scientific community, but they can be fooled. Geller has done it. So has Randi.

@KGraves (64): One example for the Randi challenges bias is this: when testing an individual for OBE, they wanted them to read off numbers that were hidden in the room. The individual couldn’t read off the numbers, but when they awoke, they informed Randi’s team of certain things they were doing in a seperate room (in no contact or view of the individual), to which Randi’s team admitted they couldn’t explain, that the individual had accurately described things that really were happening in another room, but since he didn’t read the numbers, he was disqualified.

How is this “biased”? I’m not familiar with the details of this particular case you refer to, but it sounds to me like the typical “bait and switch” tactic of a huckster. The claimant breached the contract protocols, not Randi. The test was specifically designed to test for a certain, mutually agreed upon outcome, and when the claimant could not produce (which he likely already knew he would not be able to), he attempted to cloud the results and confuse the panel by going out of scope with something for which no controls were established. Typical misdirection play. If this person’s ability is in fact true, then why don’t they put in another claim in effort to produce those results instead? Perhaps JREF doesn’t allow “second tries”? Then why hasn’t he gone on to prove it elsewhere, rather than fade into obscurity like every other phony? I agree with mom424 that Randi is an attention monger, but any true ability should be able to pass scrutiny of even the most rigid of tests.

Regarding the example you mentioned, I dont think it´s necessarily worng of the Randi team did not award this fellow the prize. The rules are fairly straight forward: to compete, you must find mutually acceptable test results. The man obvisouly agreed that in order to win, he would have to read the numbers. He failed.

Now, in the interest of curiosity, I would have taken this experiment and gone one step further: if this man can again and again accurately describe what was going on in the other room, then he should win.

Now, just one more clarification: I dont think the object is to EXPLAIN paranormal phenomenon (no one is asking exactly how this stuff happens) they want to prove if it even exists. In order to scientifically prove its existance, they must be able to repeatedly test it. For instance: accurately predicting actions being performed in the next room over and over and over again.

And just so you know, I do believe in the “supernatural” call it God, sixth sense, etc. and yet I dont think the rules for this challange are unfair. You want to PROVE it exists, you have to work for it.

“Randi has powerful anti-psychic powers, and his mere presence is sufficient to damp my own powers.”

Please.