Guy on YouTube attacks the challenge

[KingMerv00]

eBE_nvUFDtY

This guy wants responses. Please help him out. I'm going to bed. Here is the original link:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=eBE_nvUFDtY

[strathmeyer]

Thankfully YouTube does not practice censorship.

[KingMerv00]

Thankfully YouTube does not practice censorship.

Heh. Funny but not informative.

Anyway check out that smug tone with 40 seconds left.

Ok NOW I'm going to bed.

[RSLancastr]

You gotta love the sneers, and the sniffs.

[Brattus]

He's just reading away. Like he really has something to say. Even wrote out a wittle scwipt and everything. LOL!

[kieran]

The young fella says something about Randi discounting all prior "evidence" including the end of his "Fisherman" video ... so I just had to go find out for myself so I sat through that video (in which I thought he played the instrument very well but that is a side issue).

The lights dimmed momentarily near the end of that video ... do you think that is the evidence on which he would like to base a claim for $1M ? :o

[Drs_Res]

The young fella says something about Randi discounting all prior "evidence" including the end of his "Fisherman" video ... so I just had to go find out for myself so I sat through that video (in which I thought he played the instrument very well but that is a side issue).

The lights dimmed momentarily near the end of that video ... do you think that is the evidence on which he would like to base a claim for $1M ? :o

I did the same thing as you did.

All I saw was a brown-out, and if a brown-out is proof of the paranormal then I'm in the wrong business.

[DRBUZZ0]

I posted a video response :-D

[petra10]

Poor wee guy he had no decent points whats so ever.Did he really think people would take him seriously. Liked your video response Dr.Buzzo but you could have made your bed first:p :) :)

[CLD]

The dimming at the end of the video was NOT the camera- it was my lights, during my favorite part of the song. My other ability is that whenever i feel an extreme emotion, the breeze blows harder- its just a fact nowadays. The kinds of abilities i'm talking about James hasn't touched on, thats why im being specific about the 'power' that I can do

OK, he says the lights dim and breeze blows hard when he has strong emotions. That would be easy to test. Although his excuse for failure might be, "I wasn't feeling a strong enough emotion".

[yairhol]

I posted a video response :-D


nice response. You made it very simple to understand. The rules are so simple to understand that one can really loose his control when faced with such stupidity.

Regards,
Yair

[vexed]

OK, he says the lights dim and breeze blows hard when he has strong emotions. That would be easy to test. Although his excuse for failure might be, "I wasn't feeling a strong enough emotion".

He might as well have gone the whole spectrum, "Depending on how I feel I can make the wind stronger, weaker or stop." The kid thinks that not being able to prove something is proof.

[quixotecoyote]

http://youtube.com/watch?v=MepOQikXcZg

The response. Kinda lame, Buzzo, but worth it for the last 50 seconds for a new revelation about Randi.

eta: Good material, but the sputtering and overacting made me cringe.

[Salerio]

I posted a video response :-D

I believe you should seriously think about switching to decaf :)

[Art Vandelay]

I'm not quite clear on the point of this. Is it supposed to be more convincing because he videotaped his speech, rather than just posting it on a blog?

[DRBUZZ0]

http://youtube.com/watch?v=MepOQikXcZg

eta: Good material, but the sputtering and overacting made me cringe.

It's worth noting that I just threw on my labcoat and made this with the live-capture thing without any skript or editing. Yeah... I know... I know...

[CLD]

Buzzo, you should video yourself making the lights go on and off with your "emotions" (while an off camera friend switches them on and off). That would be funny.

[Locknar]

I posted a video response :-D


"You just prove it, and you get the money"; reminds me of a RONCO comercial...."Set it and forget it!"

Good response...but the pic to your left is crooked. :)

[skeptigirl]

I'm not quite clear on the point of this. Is it supposed to be more convincing because he videotaped his speech, rather than just posting it on a blog?Some people are more visual that verbal thinkers.

I was thinking why doesn't he just come to the forum and debate his claims.

[gnome]

I don't sense all of the usual block-headedness. Perhaps he could be persuaded to do a responsible self-test...

[newlyfound]

It's worth noting that I just threw on my labcoat and made this with the live-capture thing without any skript or editing. Yeah... I know... I know...

Think of editing as cleaning, polishing and even sophisticating. I agree with previous comments in respect to you keeping your emotions in check. Also, the background looked pretty "dumpster-y". If you're into constructive criticism, setting a curtain up between you and the rest of your place might not be a bad idea if your place is usually like that.


=================================

This kid would apparently rather James just hand him the Mil $ and be over with. The rules are problem for him, in other words, he wants to get the mill, but he is not willing to sweat for it.

[CLD]

The kid mentioned one of his "rules" for proving his psychic ability is to be somewhere outdoors - whereby he'd demo his ability to create spontaneous wind or breeze. It sounds akin to cloudbusting claims ("Look! I did that!")

[Uncle Feedle]

He seems very sure of himself, but then that's nothing unusual with such claims.

[Locknar]

Hummm...so he has to be outside; not a large enclosed space? What else can this amazing knucklehead do...bend spoons? Surly if he can cause a breeze, he can do other things....

[MelBrooksfan]

If this kid can effect the wind with strong emotions, we could solve the energy crisis by just keeping him angry.

[Aoidoi]

If this kid can effect the wind with strong emotions, we could solve the energy crisis by just keeping him angry.Some windmills, this kid, and a guy with a bullwhip. Free energy!

[CLD]

Yeah but along with the wind power he also claims to be able to cause power surges when gripped by emotion. So the free energy would include power surges, brownouts, etc.

He might be useful in an Americas Cup sailboat race though.

[MelBrooksfan]

Also, the energy wouldn't quite be free. We would have to feed him occasionally, after all.

[autumn1971]

Actually, he raises an interesting point. How much youtube traffic is sufficient to be considered major media coverage? That "She Bangs" guy was considered a major media personality for a while, and the majority of his exposure was internet-based.

[CLD]

Wow. He's put up a demo of his "powers". Here, he makes a light blink, or something...

http://youtube.com/watch?v=fn43LbdxrkE

[Miss Anthrope]

Wow. He's put up a demo of his "powers". Here, he makes a light blink, or something...

http://youtube.com/watch?v=fn43LbdxrkE

Well, his future in video manipulation is not nearly as bright as Ace Baker's, and that is saying a lot.

[Zep]

I watched that stunning video.











Did anything actually happen?

[Miss Anthrope]

The frame was paused for a while, then it may have been dimmed or simply unpaused, and he moves his hand down.

ETA: I see he lacks the intestinal fortitude to allow comments now.

[CLD]

The kid also claims the lights blinked here (http://youtube.com/watch?v=RzwGesdP_uw) sometime during the end, due to his "powers".

Whatever is supposed to be happening in that video and the video of the ceiling fan is so subtle as to be hilariously subjective. He could plug an AC voltmeter into a random outlet and check it, as varying loads on his house wiring or utility service may be creating frequent, small power variations. But no, he prefers to entertain the delusion that his "thoughts" are responsible:

The thought that made the light flicker was spawned by an Emerson quote "When will the future be worthy of the past?" I then answered (internally), which is what primarilly made the light flicker, THE DAY WE STOP DISTINGUISHING THE TWO.

[Locknar]

Like many, the guitar kid seems to really believe he has a "power"...more the pitty.

[technoextreme]

The kid also claims the lights blinked [edited out URL] sometime during the end, due to his "powers".

Whatever is supposed to be happening in that video and the video of the ceiling fan is so subtle as to be hilariously subjective. He could plug an AC voltmeter into a random outlet and check it, as varying loads on his house wiring or utility service may be creating frequent, small power variations. But no, he prefers to entertain the delusion that his "thoughts" are responsible:
That probably is what happening. I don't remember the exact details but the voltage fluctuations out of an AC outlet does vary depending on how many on the load in the system. The most interesting phenomenon I've experience thus far is the power surge at my place where I work. There is enough heavy machinery operating at any given moment that my boss actually knows when it's 3:30PM (Shutdown Time) because there is a power surge.

[RSLancastr]

ETA: I see he lacks the intestinal fortitude to allow comments now.I believe that was temporary, and not of his doing. There was a message at the top of the screen which said that certain features were currently disabled due to system maintenance. Comments are now enabled on his vids.

[DRBUZZ0]

That probably is what happening. I don't remember the exact details but the voltage fluctuations out of an AC outlet does vary depending on how many on the load in the system. The most interesting phenomenon I've experience thus far is the power surge at my place where I work. There is enough heavy machinery operating at any given moment that my boss actually knows when it's 3:30PM (Shutdown Time) because there is a power surge.

This would actually be a relatively easy preliminary test. Presumably this is a general dip in voltage, but I suppose it could also be a drop in available current or even a having the AC phase get messed up. In any case, you would have to hook up a logging meter to the mains power supply and simply establish that this event does not happen very often on its own and that it does happen when he wants it to.

If his ac is basically clean with a signifficant voltage dip happening only once every few days, but when he concentrates they happen within a couple minutes of his prediction, that would be someplace to start. Next would be to establish he is not aware of or in control of anything interfacing with the line.

[technoextreme]

This would actually be a relatively easy preliminary test. Presumably this is a general dip in voltage, but I suppose it could also be a drop in available current or even a having the AC phase get messed up. In any case, you would have to hook up a logging meter to the mains power supply and simply establish that this event does not happen very often on its own and that it does happen when he wants it to.

If his ac is basically clean with a signifficant voltage dip happening only once every few days, but when he concentrates they happen within a couple minutes of his prediction, that would be someplace to start. Next would be to establish he is not aware of or in control of anything interfacing with the line.
The problem is that I'm pretty sure it won't be. The voltage does deviate from 120VAC. I don't remember how much though and it varies depending on the time of the season. I pretty sure even the act of turning on a larege enough vacuum cleaners would seriously cause the same effects

[AZAtheist]

Does the Air Conditioning ALWAYS kick on when he plays that song? FWIW, he's a long way from the million dollars and a longer way from mental maturity.

[newlyfound]

I don't see anything about that clip. This guy is looking for some attention, nothing more.
I have 2 fans, when on, that instantly creates an interference on tv screen. The tv is less than a year and half old and not a cheap one. The interference usually stops as soon as the fans are off. I could do the same thing, have somebody turn them on and off, snap my finger pretending to bring about the interference when they come on and snap it again once they are off "commanding" it to stop! I could cut the sound just like this dude did, tape only the minimum space to minimize the chances for any "willing" anybody to pick up any hint pointing to what is happening.
I can't believe this many big heads are really working to figure out how he did that. He didn't do anything. Some body mentioned earlier the vacuum would have been able to cause a parallel effect and I agree. I 've had that in the past take place.

[CLD]

When asked if he could blink the lights in NYC's Times Square, he responds:

the machinary (here in New Orleans) is more 'sensitive' to outside influence- time square's light bulbs might be too 'anti-affective'. too energized for a mere human to influence

"Anti-affective"?

[newlyfound]

My guess is he doesn't have a life and he is trying to compensate that by not trying to convince anybody but by convincing himself he has a special ability. The link he is missing is that if he can do anything being human, by association so can at least the majority of us. This automatically annuls the specialness of whatever he has up his sleeve assuming it is authentic, and we are far from being there. I like I think one of Duglas Adams' quotes that goes along the lines of "why can't we just admire the beauty of garden as it is without digging deep looking for some invisible fairies." If this dude's life is generally well catered to and well garnished as far as his social, professional, financial etc. platforms are concerned, why in the world would he be concerned about turning on an off a light with his unable mind when there is a switch conveniently set for that?

[kieran]

I posted a video response :-D
The young fella has made his own video response to DRBUZZO's response ... http://youtube.com/watch?v=SjM_6fQvhUM. He has titled it "Freedom of Speech Wars" - not sure why.

Sorry to say, but I prefer his presentation style to DRBUZZO ... comes across as more considered ... pity about the total lack of meaningful content.

At one point, he claims that "the breeze is 200 years old" - I think he means that some quote in a previous video about the breeze is 200 years old but he's generally vague so I can't be sure.

He does apologize about the things he said about the (JREF) rules - then he goes on to decribe his own "rules" which appear to be the starting point of test conditions.

To test the dimming dimness ... all he wants is an average light bulb, a little room and a guitar to "ignite some emotions" - unfortunately it leaves him the excuse that, if nothing happens to the light bulb under the test conditions, he can claim that his emotions were "not strong enough". A strong blindfold could help but how good are they really? If it could block out any changes to the light then he could be made to state whether he felt his "strong emotions" and then any light dimming effect (if there is any at all) could be checked for correlation with these emotions.
To test the breeze affectation ... all he suggests is "sit outside". On the face of it, this could be harder to control this as he could feel the breeze and claim to be feeling strong emotions at the same time. I wonder if he can affect the breeze while sitting inside, isolated from "the breeze"? If so then, as part of the test, he could be made to commit, in advance, that his emotions should have been strong enough to increase the breeze (as measured outside by an anemometer) in a series of trials. Then the actual effect on the wind speed could be checked against his "strong emotion times" forany obvious signs of correlation.

However, what is the point? He believes that the wind gets stronger, or the light occasionally dim, when he feels strong emotions. I believe the wind occasionally gets stronger, or the lights occasionally dim, anyway - and all he is doing is pattern match against emotions. If and when he is tested, he will come up with pathetic excuses about why this power that he currently states so confidently, seems to have temporarily deserted him. He won't face up to his pathetic little fantasy and learn from his own stupidity. So, what is the point?

[Pardalis]

Doesn't the guy remind anyone of a young Yuri Geller?

[newlyfound]

Ok, he can control the wind, how can the monitoring team monitor/measure the wind's shiftings in his absence? ...they need to be able to know exactly when it's going up, down, or remain study, and at what rate on second basis. that way when he does (in his fantasy world) do anything, they'd know. And that in itself is impossible. I would love to see a meteorologist's reaction to this. Chances are he/she will laugh his/her rear-end off.

[CLD]

Actually -- with all his bizarre "thoughts for the day" ("the breeze is 200 years old" ) --the kid reminds me of a young JIM JONES. :(

[Tamazon]

BIG into astrology too. He has a whole video about Capricorns.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=neLkEi_nnrc&mode=user&search=

Hey, that's me! I should be a rock star apparently. Why wasn't I informed of this earlier? Can't sing to save my life though.

Oh wait, maybe I'm supposed to be a ruthless killer. Oh it's so confusing! Either way, I'm one messed up puppy.

[sivazh]

I don't think he has done Randi's credibility any harm.

[Locknar]

Kieran - I'd have to agree. Overall...all that the U-Tube guy has done is outline a "test" that has no real merit or definable metrics to measure.

If the light-bulb does not dim, he has the typical "woo-ers" out; something (the testing setting, the time of day, the negative energy of the testers, etc) prevented it from happening.

The wind; I'm really at a loss....sitting outside, with the claim that he can manipulate the wind; really, what are the odds that if he plays his guitar long enough, there won't be some type of breeze. Honestly, I do not know why a large "warehouse" type setting would not work.

[CLD]

I'm sorry, the kid needs therapy, not testing. Isn't dementia treatable?

[rjh01]

To make a definite diagnosis of dementia they do a post mortum. Otherwise they rule everything else out and then say based on the symptoms it is dementia.

[Slimething]

Hey, that's me! I should be a rock star apparently. Why wasn't I informed of this earlier? Can't sing to save my life though.

Go for it. Watch this video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rUli8vf3Bjw)to see how it's done.

[Yahzi]

Although his excuse for failure might be, "I wasn't feeling a strong enough emotion".
You know, give me a baseball bat, and I bet I can guarantee he'll be feeling a strong emotion...

:D

["Astral"Girl?]

I can't post a comment for some reason, but I dont get these whiners....

:idea:
For the affidavits, Simply go to your doctor and display this "talent". I'm sure if you are this confident, you can control your emotions and your power. Take this testimony and a written press release to your local paper.
This covers the media coverage - You dont need to be wealthy to think of this BTW-

Show 2 other people and you are set. If you can't show this power what chance would you have of passing a double blind test ? Just do it and quit whining !

That's what I was going to post... I feel better now :wide-eyed

[777]

I absolutely loved the part where he tried to tell Jame Randi's character with astrology. That's a huge cold reading, isn't it? I said that to people who were born in January, March, April, May, and November, and they all said that it applies.

[RSLancastr]

I absolutely loved the part where he tried to tell Jame Randi's character with astrology.You must be an air or water sign person to have said such a thing.

[cbish]

Buzzo,
I thought your response was fine. It's U-tube for crying out loud! An amature post followed by a quick response.

[AtaraX]

I did the same thing as you did.

All I saw was a brown-out, and if a brown-out is proof of the paranormal then I'm in the wrong business.

I think the explanation might even be simpler than that. I think it was just the CCD sensor in his webcam adjusting itself. If you notice he doesn't repond to the light diming in the room in the video and also it seems to be a general darking of the picture instead of the light sources in the room dimming as you would see in a brown out. Just glitchy technology, not the paranormal.

[Locknar]

I find myself asking what exactly this guy is claiming? He talks about being able to dim lights, and affect the breeze; what exactly does this mean?

In term of dimming the lights…does he mean he can affect the actual properties of light itself, the light bulb in terms of the properties of the filament coils (assuming a incandescent bulb), or the flow of electrons?

I’m at a loss on the breeze aspect; since he states he needs to be outside, I’m guessing he does not mean to imply he can effect/manipulate the physical gases that comprise “air”. Perhaps he is implying he can effect magnetic fields (which would tie to “light bulb” in terms of disrupting the flow of electrons)?

Should the lad wish to be taken seriously in terms of wanting to be tested, he needs to work on defining what he is actually claiming vs making You-Tube videos and playing his gutiar.

[CLD]

Well he basically claims that if he thinks of an Emerson quote while strumming his guitar, he gets so emotional that he causes the lights in his home to dim, or the breeze to blow (when he is outside).

Gotta give him points for originality.

[Locknar]

Well he basically claims that if he thinks of an Emerson quote while strumming his guitar, he gets so emotional that he causes the lights in his home to dim, or the breeze to blow (when he is outside).

Gotta give him points for originality.


Yes...I get that part; I just think both claims are simply to vague to be tested, or even taken seriously….which is something he seems to what (that is, to be taken seriously).