Remote possibility

The Two Percent Company today have put out a call for all psychics to help in the search for Natalee Holloway, the young girl who has sadly gone missing in Aruba. Of course – this is the ideal opportunity for Allison Dubois, Sylvia Browne et al to prove their powers to the world and do some good to boot, although I won’t be holding my breath.

This article made me think of Psi Tech. They are the people who supposedly purchased Remote Viewing technology from the US government. (I’m referring to project Star Gate, the US government’s multi-million dollar attempt to harness psychic powers for spying operations that was so successful the project was cancelled.) Sounds like just the ticket to find a missing girl, wouldn’t you think? Psi Tech used to do this kind of thing although their enthusiasm for remote viewing guessing the locations of missing girls waned following their spectacular failure to “remote view” the location of Elizabeth Smart’s dead body, and the identity of her killer. (Smart was found very much alive some months later.)

Unsurprisingly, Psi Tech took the Elizabeth Smart report off their website, but you can still see what they said, thanks to The Wayback Machine. This is the page they want to forget, the hilariously entitled Solving (sic) The Elizabeth Smart Case:

At the request of Elizabeth Smart's Uncle last July 2002, PSI TECH directed its team of professional Technical Remote Viewers to gather information to assist the Smart family and law enforcement in solving the mystery of Elizabeth's disappearance. The investigation had three goals from the outset: 1) Find out if Elizabeth was alive 2) Pinpoint her location 3) Identify the abductor.

Since the commencement of this project, PSI TECH has worked diligently on the first objective; to find Elizabeth. It was determined within the first few hours that she was deceased.

(Snip)

On September 17th we identified the perpetrator as a Caucasian male in his 20's or early 30's about 5'6 in height who works on cars and is either a mechanic and/or operates heavy machinery like a tow truck or a front-loader. He wears a uniform in his current employment. The ground search team led by chief investigators Jeff Lewis (a former bounty hunter) Greg Chase (a former Information Intelligence Specialist from the Salt Lake City P.D.) and Clive Peterson (from Utah PI) identified a person who perfectly matched our description. They provided us with an actual photograph of the suspect

(My bold.)

Not only did they incorrectly state she was dead and waste the time of officials searching for the body in the location they had “viewed”, they also incorrectly fingered an innocent (of that crime) man. Above are the sketches they drew, and a photograph (obscured), of the actual man they accused of the crime.

FYI, this is Elizabeth’s actual abductor.  Spot the similarities? Me neither.

At the time I emailed Psi Tech to ask them to explain this blunder, and to suggest that maybe remote viewing is just a load of old nonsense.

This was the reply I received from the President of Psi Tech:

This is is (sic) the first time we have been wrong about "dead or alive". The mistake was made in the analysis of the data not the data itself. This is still a young technology and the analysis of the data is even younger. So, people can wait another twenty years until we prefect (sic) it or they can be pioneer's (sic) to help perfect it but be cautious because pioneers need backbones. It doesn't make this technology any less valid - it only makes we, (sic) human beings fallible but we knew that already.

You might think “dead or alive” is a pretty major difference. You might also think that if this is “the first time we have been wrong about ‘dead or alive’", maybe that’s because such girls are rarely found alive, and that Psi Tech just play the odds and prey on grieving families. You might also think the choice is not to “wait another twenty years until we prefect (sic) it”, but rather to determine if there is anything in it at all. There is no point in “perfecting” something that is a load of nonsense to start with. 

Anyway, perhaps we should let them try again. So I just emailed the President of Psi Tech Joni Dourif, to see if they can find out what happened to this girl. Feel free to do the same. I’ll report back with any replies.

Comments

[Tom]

Outstanding! I can't wait to hear their response.

[latibulum]

their mistake was to be so precise, if they had left it much more vague, they could be claiming, they were right.

[Orac]

I love it. Let us know what their response is.

[Rick]

If they played it right they could locate the girl, take Randi's million, amend their earlier "smart" blunder and enhance their company's credibility all in one remote viewing. I'm guessing however, that the enlightened ones are much too pure in heart to consider such base prospects.

[Tom]

Just a note. That Miraclist character who commented in response to our "Calling All Psychics" post has "retracted" her predictions about Natalee Holloway (although she maintains that they are still true), and she has blamed Skeptico and the Two Percent Company for being rude to her. Her other accusations about both of us include that we called her predictions "eerie" and "spooky" and that we are responsible for the downfall of society. You can see the details in our trackbacked post above.

Just thought you'd like to know that all of the world's ills are your fault (and ours)!

[Greg Chase]

I have just read your comments. Interesting, considering you are now arm chairing the entire Elizabeth Smart investigation two years after the fact. Where were you during this time when it was going on? What did you do? what position did you take? Or do you just come along well after the fact and point out all the faults that people make that actually get out and try. For you to use me in your cheap little e-mail here is amazing, considering you know nothing of me, or what I've done and accomplished. If you would ever like to compare accomplishments please feel free to get ahold of me. Obviously you must be a much better investigator than me, so finding out my e-mail address, or phone number wouldn't be a problem for someone as good as you. I'll look forward to your contact. WHo else would you like to blast that at least had the guts to try; who puts it out on the line. Unlike you! Perhaps your next attack can be what everyone else did wrong back during Biblical times. Maybe you could point out where Moses was wrong. Tell ya what if you ever do something worth talking about, and take the lead on anything, then we can talk. Until then stop trying to make a living off of other peoples good and honest efforts. Besides your trying to make a buck...everything everyone else did was for free. That just shows what kind of slim you really are.

[Skeptico]

And this rant justifies PsiTech’s claim to be able to “remote view”, how exactly?

[BronzeDog]

RE: Greg Chase

Where were you during this time when it was going on? What did you do?

I don't recall where I was during the whole thing, but I do know one thing I did to help the investigation: I stayed out of the way, where undoubtedly countless psychics wasted police time and resources by phoning in their useless tips. Last time I checked, psychic powers have NEVER helped a police investigation, but they have hindered some.

what position did you take? Or do you just come along well after the fact and point out all the faults that people make that actually get out and try.

I take the position that people using a useless technique shouldn't get in the way of police, who are supposed to be into, you know, evidence. I also take the position that people shouldn't extort the time, money, blood, sweat, and tears of the families of these victims by giving them false hope.

...considering you know nothing of me, or what I've done and accomplished.

Please educate us. Provide documentation of what you've done.

If you would ever like to compare accomplishments please feel free to get ahold of me.

Our accomplishments are irrelevant to this argument, though over our time as skeptical posters, we may very well have convinced people not to waste their time and tears on con artists and delusional people.

Perhaps your next attack can be what everyone else did wrong back during Biblical times.

Been there, done that. A crime in the past is still a crime, and people should be discouraged from making identical mistakes.

Until then stop trying to make a living off of other peoples good and honest efforts.

They aren't all good and honest: Psychics are delusional and/or con artists who waste time, money, and manpower that could be better spent solving these crimes.

Besides your trying to make a buck...everything everyone else did was for free. That just shows what kind of slim you really are.

I post for free, and if I get a website of my own, I'll be operating it at a very small loss, namely the price of maintaining the domain name. Many psychics, however, do charge for their unproven talents, and those who don't are still wasting the even more valuable resource of time, as well as playing with their victim's heart strings.

[Rockstar]

...Obviously you must be a much better investigator than me, so finding out my e-mail address, or phone number wouldn't be a problem ...

Ok Greg. I have a challenge for you. Finding my email and phone number is as easy as going to www.labeledmusic.com. You can email me at rockstarramblings AT yahoo.com, too.

[Rockstar]

Hey Jeff Lewis:

Quit calling my manager at home. I gave you my info in case you wanted to take part in my challenge. The challenge is over and no one won. I'm not Skeptico. If you want to email him, look over this way!

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BTW - psychics are not bounty hunters