Freethought & Rationalism Archive

Veil of Fire · 07-17-2002, 06:45 PM

Kally: If all you're going to do is flame, it'd be better if you DID leave for good.

Jeremy Pallant · 07-17-2002, 06:55 PM

[moderator]

I would like to reiterate my colleague's admonition. Could we please practice a little more politeness, and a little less vitriol.

[/moderator]

Dr Rick · 07-17-2002, 07:09 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Optics Guy:
ok, since I started this I get to perform the ceremony. rick, you can be best man.

*sigh*
Always the groom's-man, never the groom.

Rick

MrDarwin · 07-29-2002, 09:23 AM

I don't especially want to re-open this discussion but I can't resist posting this article from the Washington Post: <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A59356-2002Jul24.html" target="_blank">Reach Out and Claw Someone</a>

Veil of Fire · 07-29-2002, 12:39 PM

Yipes. That's cold-reading alright, and a pretty bad job of it.

Radcliffe Emerson · 07-30-2002, 07:35 AM

removed

[ July 30, 2002: Message edited by: Radcliffe Emerson ]

Radcliffe Emerson · 07-30-2002, 07:37 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Corwin:


She does have to respond to the animal to some extent, and having a very basic understanding of animal psychology helps. (Trying to tell a python owner, for example, that the snake is telling her he wants prekilled food... wouldn't work very well since any python owner knows most snakes prefer live food. If they haven't killed it most of them won't eat it.)
]

I saw a tape of it my mom made where she did that with an alligator. The gator wasn't responding to the gator farm owner. She asked the guy when did he change the gator's diet. The guy replied they weren't giving him red meat anymore, just chicken. She said "that's why he's mad and won't respond".
The guy started giving the gator red meat again, and the gator went back to his normal self. You can't train gators to do too much, so I'm at a loss how she would have pulled this one off.

MrDarwin · 07-31-2002, 08:43 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Radcliffe Emerson:
You can't train gators to do too much, so I'm at a loss how she would have pulled this one off.

Pulled what off? I'd be a lot more impressed if rather than asking a vague question, the first thing the "psychic" said was, "he doesn't like chicken and wants you to start feeding him red meat again."

Radcliffe Emerson · 07-31-2002, 08:53 AM

Well the first thing she said was "When did you change his diet?"
To which he responded then said noone had mentioned anything to her about the gator's diet being changed. Even if she knew about the diet being changed beforehand, how would she know that giving a gator redmeat would get him to respond again?
How can anyone know how an animal with a brain the size of an alligator's is going to respond?
The gator was halfway across the lake and did not come when the guy called him at the beginning. After the guy started giving the gator redmeat again, it started swimming over as soon as he called it. I don't think anyone could predict if that would work or not, even if they knew beforehand what was going on.

Godless Dave · 07-31-2002, 09:18 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Radcliffe Emerson:
Well the first thing she said was "When did you change his diet?"
To which he responded then said noone had mentioned anything to her about the gator's diet being changed. Even if she knew about the diet being changed beforehand, how would she know that giving a gator redmeat would get him to respond again?
How can anyone know how an animal with a brain the size of an alligator's is going to respond?
The gator was halfway across the lake and did not come when the guy called him at the beginning. After the guy started giving the gator redmeat again, it started swimming over as soon as he called it. I don't think anyone could predict if that would work or not, even if they knew beforehand what was going on.

I disagree. Changing an animal's diet is bound to have an effect in its behavior. Try switching dog food brands sometime. It seems like a good guess on the "psychic's" part.

07-30-2002, 07:35 AM	#66
Radcliffe Emerson Veteran Member Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: the dark side of Mars Posts: 1,309	removed [ July 30, 2002: Message edited by: Radcliffe Emerson ]</p>

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07-17-2002, 06:45 PM	#61
Veil of Fire Regular Member Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: South Carolina Posts: 451	Kally: If all you're going to do is flame, it'd be better if you DID leave for good.

07-17-2002, 06:55 PM	#62
Jeremy Pallant Veteran Member Join Date: Dec 2000 Location: Tucson, Arizona, USA Posts: 1,242	[moderator] I would like to reiterate my colleague's admonition. Could we please practice a little more politeness, and a little less vitriol. [/moderator]

07-29-2002, 09:23 AM	#64
MrDarwin Veteran Member Join Date: May 2001 Location: Washington, DC Posts: 4,140	I don't especially want to re-open this discussion but I can't resist posting this article from the Washington Post: <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A59356-2002Jul24.html" target="_blank">Reach Out and Claw Someone</a>

07-29-2002, 12:39 PM	#65
Veil of Fire Regular Member Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: South Carolina Posts: 451	Yipes. That's cold-reading alright, and a pretty bad job of it.

07-31-2002, 08:53 AM	#69
Radcliffe Emerson Veteran Member Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: the dark side of Mars Posts: 1,309	Well the first thing she said was "When did you change his diet?" To which he responded then said noone had mentioned anything to her about the gator's diet being changed. Even if she knew about the diet being changed beforehand, how would she know that giving a gator redmeat would get him to respond again? How can anyone know how an animal with a brain the size of an alligator's is going to respond? The gator was halfway across the lake and did not come when the guy called him at the beginning. After the guy started giving the gator redmeat again, it started swimming over as soon as he called it. I don't think anyone could predict if that would work or not, even if they knew beforehand what was going on.

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