Two Randi Classics on video

pH

Back in the days when James Randi only had a $10,000 prize

James Hydrick (Gung foo telekinesis) tested on That's My Line TV show
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=7471941094792399305 (18 Minutes)

Randi's encounter with Australian dowsers
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=7461912885649996034&q=randi (44 minutes)

ISAW

pH wrote:

Back in the days when James Randi only had a $10,000 prize

James Hydrick (Gung foo telekinesis) tested on That's My Line TV show
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=7471941094792399305 (18 Minutes)

Randi's encounter with Australian dowsers
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=7461912885649996034&q=randi (44 minutes)

Having browsed a few Randi videos and having met the man himself I was surprised that he has "improved" over time! In the eighties he sort of "let people go" i.e. [following quotes are paraphrases] While he put in controls that demoslihed telekenitics and he showed most of the "psychics" could not beat explainations of chance some of the cold readers got away with "but I got a hit there". In one Stephen fry is sitting beside Hugh Lorrie. The astrologer says that "this person has a sense of humour" it turns out the horoscope was for Hugh Lorrie everything else about Hugh was WRONG. But she says "I got a hit on the humour. See. "
After a brief pause Fry pipes up. "Hands up all the people in the audience who believe they DONT have a sense of humour?"

Anyway today the older Randi would have shut the door earlier.

badger80

Two great videos, I had not seen the James Hydick one before, great stuff. Incidentally the latest skepticality podcast has a great interview between Michael Shermer and Randi, well worth a listen. You can find it here