Calling all psychics/remote viewers/clairvoyants/etc:
Here is my challenge to you. I have an envelope on top of my T.V. set. Very simply - what's inside? For bonus points, what is written on the envelope?
1. The envelope is 4 1/8" X 9 1/2" or standard letter size.
2. The envelope is not sealed.
3. For my remote viewing friends - let me narrow your search. I'm in Lincoln, NE 68512. I live in a third floor apartment.
4. If you need to know what I look like for some reason, check here.
5. I will be e-mailing the answer to 3 people - Skeptico, The 2% Company, and my webmaster. The time stamp on my e-mail will show that I did not change my answer after the fact.
6. For those who believe my negativity will have an adverse effect on your ability to "see" the object, please be assured I think it highly possible someone will guess correctly.
7. I hereby give everyone w/ paranormal superpowers full access to my thoughts/mind/soul.
8. You can e-mail me at rockstarryan AT rock.com or leave a comment with the answer. Just make sure I have a way of getting back to you if you are right. Anyone who wishes to remain anonymous will, just let me know.
9. If there is anything unfair about this challenge, please e-mail me. All reasonable requests for change due to unfairness will be taken care of.
*UPDATED 9/1/05
10. Some people have expressed concern that there is a "trick" item in the envelope. No, the answer is not "nothing" or an intangible noun like "honor" or "hope". The envelope contents would be a standard noun/nouns.
*UPDATED 9/2/05
11. This is by no means a replacement for the very serious JREF Million Dollar Challenge. This is not a joke, I just hope the Amazing One is not offended. On a cool note, he did e-mail me back! (I'll never wash my computer again...)
Why should you do this? Well for one, if you can pass my challenge, you have a pretty good shot at passing Randi's challenge for one million dollars. Fair enough?
*UPDATED 9/12/05
Here is the answer!
22 comments:
Just FYI, for making sure you can not "retrofit" your answer, after receiving replies, it would be better to just publish a checksum for the ASCII text making up the information one is supposed to remote view.
This could for instance be done with MD5. For software and information, see e.g.
http://userpages.umbc.edu/~mabzug1/cs/md5/md5.html
This makes it virtually impossible for you, or any other similar challenger, to cheat. And anybody taking the challenge wouldn't have to trust neither you nor any of the people you emailed. (An email date is pretty worthless, as it can of course be faked very easily.)
Not that I believe anyone will be able to see the number(s) (or even bother responding to the challenge), but I thought you might like to know how to improve your protocol. :-)
Anonymous:
Thank you for the suggestion. I want this to be as fair as possible. I will try to do that!
there is a jack of clubs from a blue hoyale card deck. And on the envelop is written the following "Bacon is warm"
AND again, if I am wrong, then I was just joking and this is my real answer: I have been given this gift of psychiness but was told, in a psychic vision, from myself in the future that I must not actually use my amazing talents, or else the whole world would cease to exist. Meaning, I must have made the world cease to exist in the future when I used my amazing powers to tell myself not to use them. Which means, who needs money? Therefor JAMES randi will not get to see me, and even if I proved my trueness, everything would cease to be, including the money. SO, as you can see, my claims cannont be falsified, so I win right?
**I would already know if I won if I used my powers, but again there is that pesky existence ceasing to exist business.... soooooo.... yeah.
bruteforcing md5 for the name of object would be trivial. If you are going to do post md5 hash of an answer wrap that answer in longer paragraph or two :)
In the envelope is a paper clip and written is the word "cherubim"
I'm not psychic, I'm Skeptic with a capital S. Just interested in the odds of a right guess
I never really thought of what the odds of a correct guess would be.
Probably not very good.
Inside the envelope is a one dollar bill. Written on the envelope is a gibberish word in block letters.
I'll let everyone know the correct answer in just a few days. Keep the guesses/intuitions coming!
I pick, a silver certificate, and on the envelope " Wifey, keep your thieving hands off this".
This is just off the top of my head... but it is a card (birthday/anniversary, etc) and what is written is either the mailing information, or simply your name.
What a fun idea!
Ummm..... let's go with a picture/photo of an elephant. And the words, 'Crocodile god'. As being the most unlikely guess.
Your statement "For those who believe my negativity will have an adverse effect on your ability to "see" the object, please be assured I think it highly possible someone will guess correctly" seems at odds with everything else on your blog re such a possibility.
On the contrary Skepticwatcher:
I think it entirely plausible someone might guess correctly. Do I believe it is due to their "powers"?
Not one fucking lick.
My powers indicate that inside the envelope is a quarter. Printed on the outside.. "Call someone who cares." What did you do to that girl Rockstar?
You all are awesome!
Tricksy hobbit! *gollum* Gots my Preciousss in your envelope, you do. *gollum gollum* Just like that thieving tricksy Bilbo and his nasssty nephew Frodo. And it was my birthday present, it was!
Inside the envelope is a lock of Rodney Allen Rippy's hair and a couple of toenail clippings from Joey Heatherton.
What do I win?
I say that inside the envelope it says "Coffee cup" and on the outside it says "You guessed wrong."
How did I do?
No, no, don't be impressed, not even I can fully explain my gift of psychic hindsight!
Man, this one got spizzammed all to hell...
More spammizle cleaned out, permanently.
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