Newsgroups: sci.physics,sci.math,alt.consciousness,sci.skeptic,comp.ai,alt.sci.physics.new-theories,alt.paranormal,alt.alien.visitors
Path: cantaloupe.srv.cs.cmu.edu!europa.chnt.gtegsc.com!howland.reston.ans.net!news.sprintlink.net!in1.uu.net!world!sphinx
From: sphinx@world.std.com (SPHINX Technologies)
Subject: Re: Stapp, PK & Physics Today
Message-ID: <DDCBtF.Mpn@world.std.com>
Bcc: sphinx
Organization: SPHINX Technologies, Inc., Wellesley Hills, MA
References: <3vv3q6$2h4@ixnews7.ix.netcom.com> <302e0114.56554c43414e@vulcan.xs4all.nl> <40lr97$oou@news.doit.wisc.edu> <302f763a.56554c43414e@vulcan.xs4all.nl>
Date: Tue, 15 Aug 1995 07:08:03 GMT
Lines: 30
Xref: glinda.oz.cs.cmu.edu sci.physics:134533 sci.math:114266 sci.skeptic:120989 comp.ai:32507

In article <302f763a.56554c43414e@vulcan.xs4all.nl>,
Johan Wevers <johanw@vulcan.xs4all.nl> wrote:
>
>The problem is that the only "results" from paranormal research are some
>statistics who claim to find something which is just a very little bit more
>than to be expected from pure random success.
The same, EXACTLY the same, can be said for radar returns which are generally
accepted as proving that radar contact has been made with... the planet
Venus.  (No, REALLY, I *MEAN* the *REAL* planet Venus!)

>... And every time someone who
>claims to have found something paranormal is investigated thorough by people
>who know much more of statistics than I do, they find that there is really
>nothing found, the method was flawed in a non-trivial way or it was just
>downright fraud like the case with the polywater. This makes me _VERY_
>suspicious of _EVERY_ paranormal claim, and so you need to do a lot better
>than unclear statistics to convince me.

This seems to conflict with growing evidence that "remote viewing" is
becoming accepted in military circles as a useful operational tool.
A lot of progress in applying it has evidently been made since Puthoff
and Targ published their article in the March, 1976 issue of Proceedings
of the IEEE and since Prof. Robert E. Jahn, former Princeton Dean of 
Engineering, published his survey of the field in the November? 1982 issue
of the same engineering journal.  See for example, Howard Blum's account of
the Navy's alleged AQUARIUS project in his book "Out There".  Acc. to Blum,
this project is an offshoot of Puthoff's and Targ's work.

-John Sangster 
 Wellesley Hills, MA   
