Post by Wayne Smith on Nov 23, 2020 14:23:03 GMT 10
Dice Man
Tolu F. applied for the CFIIG $250,000 Paranormal Challenge on 8/16/20 and was assigned to Stan on 9/14. An introductory email went out to Tolu on that same day.
Tolu claimed he was a telepath and could project any image into anyone’s head. After much back and forth, a protocol was developed for the preliminary test, which was conducted in a hotel lobby in Tacoma, WA, on 10/4/20 at 11AM, near where Tolu lived. The test transpired as follows:
Tolu and his friend were seated at opposite sides of a room with their backs to one another. Stan was seated near Tolu, while Stan’s assistant stood near Tolu’s friend.
For each trial, Stan rolled a pair of six-sided dice. Tolu wrote the resultant (combined) number down and then telepathically sent that number to his friend. Tolu had 30 seconds to send the number to his friend who wrote down whatever number he received.
This (roll, write, send, receive, write) sequence was the first trial, and was executed a total of 10 times. Tolu and the CFIIG agreed that the test would be considered a success if 8 of the 10 numbers he and his friend wrote down matched one another.
Neither Tolu nor his friend were allowed to have their cell phones in their possession, nor were they allowed to speak, make any sound, or otherwise communicate in any way with one another during the test. The test was videotaped.
After ten trials, the two lists were compared. Tolu got the 1st and the 9th trials correct. Because he did not get the required 8 correct per the agreed upon test protocols, the test was declared a failure. The probability of getting 2 or more of the ten correct is (unremarkably) a little less than 1 in 4, assuming truly random guesses on Tolu’s part. (His odds would have been a bit better had he guessed “seven” every time.) Of course, if he really had the ability, he wouldn’t be guessing at all.
Tolu then said that maybe his friend was not as receptive as other people might be, and asked if he could try the test with Stan’s assistant. Stan agreed and the test was conducted again. Tolu got 2 correct in that test as well.
Stan told Tolu that since the test was a failure, he could apply again in a year if he wished.
