An honest liar

Speaking of magicians, our old friend James Randi, magician and debunker extraordinaire, is the subject-to-be of a new film project. The film is still very much a work in progress, and indeed the film-makers are looking for investors. So if you have a few quid to spare, you can donate here. In the meantime, here's the trailer.

An Honest Liar - Work-in-Progress trailer from Justin Weinstein on Vimeo.

Happy Birthday Mr Zwinge!

On this day in 1928, a boy was born who would go on to become the world's most prominent 'skeptic'. Randall James Hamilton Zwinge would later change his name to James Randi and become the scourge of psychics around the globe. Happy birthday Mr Zwinge!

What is the Million Dollar Challenge?

That is a good question. Which is, of course, why you asked it. The Million Dollar Challenge is offered by the James Randi Educational Foundation, or JREF, to anyone who can demonstrate genuine paranormal abilities under controlled conditions. Nobody has ever claimed the million dollars. Detailed information can be found on the JREF website.

James Randi at TED

After yesterday's brief stray into politics (don't know what happened there...), back to the important matter at hand. Below is another clip of my soon-to-be-nemesis, Mr Randi. This was filmed at TED back in 2007, but was only posted online a little over a week ago.

The man with the cash

A short clip of James Randi, he of the Million Dollar Challenge, courtesy of YouTube:



The clip dates from March 2008 and it is stated at the end that the challenge "...only lasts another couple of years." Fortunately (for me) the decision to withdraw the challenge in March 2010 was itself withdrawn last summer!