Is Your Office Haunted? 266
WormholeFiend writes "You know Halloween is around the corner when websites like Forbes.com releases a story wondering about the supernatural. From the article: 'Maybe the spirits have decided that spooky mansions and creepy battlefields are passé. Maybe they want to cash in on the glamour of corporate life. Maybe they just wanted the sushi.'" Anyone out there have any encounters with a spiritual Milton?
snicker... (Score:5, Informative)
Re:There are no pink unicorns (Score:2, Informative)
My office? What about my house? (Score:4, Informative)
Happy halloween...
Greg
Re:Fishy (Score:4, Informative)
The fact that nobody has ever been tested is testament to the fact that "Paranormals" are a bunch of frauds. At best they're entertaining, at worst they're criminals.
As this excerpt from the FAQ points out. Finger pointing is pointless. Either you have the skill or you don't and since you have to agree to the test protocol you can't claim that it was some set of "arbitrary" rules.
Since 1964 parnormals have had the opportunity to put up or shut up, yet in over fourty years, none have.
Taken from http://www.randi.org/ [randi.org]
1.1. What's the history of the Challenge?
The Challenge started in 1964 when James Randi put up $1,000 of his own money to the first person who could provide objective proof of the paranormal [1]. Since then, the prize money has grown to the current $1,000,000, and the rules regarding the Challenge have gotten more and more official and legal. It is vital that you understand this fact before you apply. The contract signifies your willingness to adhere to the Challenge rules. If you do not feel that you can abide by the rules, you should not apply, because NO rules will be circumvented on your behalf. So don't even ask.
1.2. Why is there a Challenge in the first place?
During a live radio panel discussion, James Randi was challenged by a parapsychologist to "put [his] money where [his] mouth is", and Randi responded by offering to pay $1,000 to anyone who demonstrated a paranormal power under satisfactory observational conditions. [2]
1.3. How many applicants have there been for the Challenge?
Between 1964 and 1982, Randi declared that over 650 people had applied [3]. Between 1997 and February 15, 2005, there had been a total of 360 official, notarized applications.
1.4. How many people have passed the preliminary test?
None. Most applicants never agree to a proper test protocol, so most are never tested.
1.5. How many people have passed the formal test?
No one has ever taken the formal test, as one must first pass the preliminary test.
2.1. What do you mean by "mutually agreed upon"?
"Mutually agreed upon" means that neither side can force the other side into doing or saying something that they don't want to, and that if no agreement can be reached, the application process is terminated, with no blame or fault attributed to either side.
It's easy to point fingers after a Challenge claim comes to an impasse and say that the other side was being unreasonable. This phrase is used to insure that finger-pointing has no merit.
Re:paranormal and proving it.... (Score:2, Informative)
Each person would have to pass a test. There is nothing that says they have to just start giving out a million dollars to everyone who claims to have a certain power. So far none have even passed the preliminary test.
"Besides, it wouldn't be the first time that financial considerations have held back valuable information."
I'm pretty sure that if a paranormal wanted to be tested by the randi foundation purely for the betterment of science and NOT take the million dollars that he'd accept. Further, I suspect the test would be no different. Remember, the randi foundation doesn't do the testing. That's done by universities and other houses of reason.
All of this is a red herring of course. Because there has not been a single repeatable successful paranormal experiment in all of science history. No valuable information is being held back for "financial reasons". What is true, is that financial movitavation is the ONLY reason "paranormals" exist in the first place. If you want a solid theory of why they exist, science isn't needed, look no further than Econ 101.
Re:Amazon.com (Score:3, Informative)
I believe the engine room is pretty thoroughly closed off. We went everywhere we possibly could in the ship, and didn't manage to get anywhere near the engine room. I know, I wanted to get there, too. Who knows, maybe someone will find the right unlocked door sometime... keep trying!
Anyway, if you ever go back... getting to the pool at night is tricky, like I said. And getting out is even trickier. Just remember the doors are one-way. There's barely any lighting in the pool room at night, so a flashlight would be a good idea. I recommend spending some time just hanging out chatting with the night clerks there... if you seem like a decent sort, who knows, they might give you a bit of a clue about how to do it. Otherwise, just start walking around looking for open doors...