Aug 21, 2018 06:41 PM
I have had one of them read my life story like a book. And knew things about my love life that convinced me that these people are for real. I was wondering if anyone else has had any of these experiences?
Peter Popoff, the Born-Again Scoundrel: But a key component of his act eventually spelled his downfall. In 1986, a team of freelance debunkers, including the magician James Randi, took a radio scanner to a [Peter] Popoff revival, where they overheard Popoff 's wife, Liz, feeding him names and illnesses. Apparently, plants in the audience would chat people up or get them to jot down details, then feed their information to Liz, who passed it on to her husband through an earpiece. Listening through the gizmo in his ear, Popoff would call out to the crowd as if he possessed the omniscience of the Lord.
Randi's tape of the ruse made its way to *The Tonight Show*, where Johnny Carson—who harbored great disdain for charlatans—exposed Popoff 's technique. *The Tonight Show* exposé made national news, and in 1987 the Peter Popoff Evangelistic Association filed for bankruptcy. He seemed done for. Yet here he was, all these years later, peddling miracle water and his own healing touch to an audience [...] who seemed not to have gotten the memo that he was a mountebank. It appeared to me that Popoff was exploiting more than just American forgetfulness. He was tapping into something far more powerful: our desire to get something for nothing.
(Aug 21, 2018 08:11 PM)C C Wrote: [ -> ]To better establish the possibility of the results of a psychic visit being genuinely unusual or at least indicating the "practitioner" having an extraordinary level of technical expertise which might baffle even a magician...
Always maintain a poker face around a psychic. Say nothing and give no facial expression that indicates their exploratory generalities are hitting the right paths for refining downward on. Or do the opposite and provide encouragement when they're actually on the wrong routes (for instance -- look astonished and confirming when, say, they mention "a child" in vague context if one doesn't actually have children).
Obviously, never answer any questionnaires prior to a visit; and if encountering someone else before meeting a psychic (in a lobby, crowd, waiting room, etc), never divulge any personal information if they try to chat one up in a friendly way.
In terms of the current era, and aside from a fake card, not much one can do if a desk or admittance area asked for and required an ID, address, etc beforehand. Giving an underling a chance to browse for data on social media or the web at large to relay discoveries to the psychic by whatever means, either prior to or during the reading. Hidden snapshot camera and an AI-guided reverse image search might even allow a truly sophisticated outfit to track a client down in cyberspace minus details provided at admittance.
Peter Popoff, the Born-Again Scoundrel: But a key component of his act eventually spelled his downfall. In 1986, a team of freelance debunkers, including the magician James Randi, took a radio scanner to a [Peter] Popoff revival, where they overheard Popoff 's wife, Liz, feeding him names and illnesses. Apparently, plants in the audience would chat people up or get them to jot down details, then feed their information to Liz, who passed it on to her husband through an earpiece. Listening through the gizmo in his ear, Popoff would call out to the crowd as if he possessed the omniscience of the Lord.
Randi's tape of the ruse made its way to *The Tonight Show*, where Johnny Carson—who harbored great disdain for charlatans—exposed Popoff 's technique. *The Tonight Show* exposé made national news, and in 1987 the Peter Popoff Evangelistic Association filed for bankruptcy. He seemed done for. Yet here he was, all these years later, peddling miracle water and his own healing touch to an audience [...] who seemed not to have gotten the memo that he was a mountebank. It appeared to me that Popoff was exploiting more than just American forgetfulness. He was tapping into something far more powerful: our desire to get something for nothing.
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(Aug 22, 2018 06:25 PM)Ostronomos Wrote: [ -> ]I've spoken to one psychic over the phone and they asked "Is this girl a different nationality than you?" I said "yes" because it was true. It seems that the source of their information is tarot cards and astrological signs. They seem to know quite a lot. But I see what you're saying. One should always maintain a healthy dose of skepticism before jumping to conclusions.
Quote:I've spoken to one psychic over the phone and they asked "Is this girl a different nationality than you?" I said "yes" because it was true. It seems that the source of their information is tarot cards and astrological signs. They seem to know quite a lot.Honestly Ostro, if s/he had to ask then they didn't know.
(Aug 22, 2018 06:29 PM)Syne Wrote: [ -> ]Do you have an accent, Ostro?
(Aug 22, 2018 07:24 PM)Zinjanthropos Wrote: [ -> ]Quote:I've spoken to one psychic over the phone and they asked "Is this girl a different nationality than you?" I said "yes" because it was true. It seems that the source of their information is tarot cards and astrological signs. They seem to know quite a lot.Honestly Ostro, if s/he had to ask then they didn't know.