NYTimes Feature on James "The Amazing" Randi

[Doc Al]

Nice article in the NY Times Sunday magazine on The Amazing Randi:
The Unbelievable Skepticism of the Amazing Randi

 

[phinds]

Great article. What a life that guy has had.

I was really tickled by a paragraph late in the article:

When he was still a young man appearing in Toronto nightclubs and pretending to predict the future, Randall Zwinge created what he hoped would be his greatest trick. Each night before he went to bed, he wrote the date on the back of a business card along with the words “I, Randall Zwinge, will die today.” Then he signed it and placed it in his wallet. That way, if he were knocked down in the street or killed by a freak accident, whoever went through his effects would discover the most shocking prophecy he ever made. Zwinge kept at it for years. Each night, he tore up one card and wrote out a new one for the next day. But nothing fatal befell him; in the end, having wasted hundreds of business cards, he gave up in frustration. “I never got lucky,” he told me.

 

[DennisN]

Nice to read!
By the way, here is the TED talk mentioned in the article:

 

[Astronuc]

That's quite an article.

When the hoax was revealed a few days later on “60 Minutes,” the Australian media was enraged at having been taken in; Randi countered that none of the journalists had bothered with even the most elementary fact-checking measures.

So, the media gets enraged because they got caught for failing to do their work - investigative journalism. Well - That's Entertainment!

 

[phinds]

That's quite an article.
So, the media gets enraged because they got caught for failing to do their work - investigative journalism. Well - That's Entertainment!

and pretty much to be expected THESE days but it was, I think, less common back then. They really dropped the ball.

 

[Astronuc]

and pretty much to be expected THESE days but it was, I think, less common back then. They really dropped the ball.

Sometimes I wonder. I strongly dislike sensationalism, and that seems to be what news is about these days, or at least the headline/mainstream media. I want information, not infotainment.

 

[phinds]

Sometimes I wonder. I strongly dislike sensationalism, and that seems to be what news is about these days, or at least the headline/mainstream media. I want information, not infotainment.

Sure. So do I. But the networks are not not in business to give us what we want they are in the business of making money so they give out what MOST people want, which is FOX News and The Housewives of New Jersey. This is sound business on their part.

 

[Astronuc]

Sure. So do I. But the networks are not not in business to give us what we want they are in the business of making money so they give out what MOST people want, which is FOX News and The Housewives of New Jersey. This is sound business on their part.

I think a minority 'want' to watch dysfunctional reality TV. It's probably reality for some folks, but not the majority, or at least I hope that's not the case. I don't care for FOX news, but I wouldn't necessarily put them in the same group as 'Housewives', although I wonder about some of the personalities. Then again, I find some personalities in the broader media landscape are full of themselves to the detriment of the reporting.

Call me a cynic, although I try not be.

 

[phinds]

I think a minority 'want' to watch dysfunctional reality TV.

Ratings say otherwise. Networks follow the ratings. Why do you think there are so many "reality" TV shows on the air? Profit makers pander to the majority, not the minority.

 

[Greg Bernhardt]

Love me some James Randi, we need more people like him!

 

[phinds]

Love me some James Randi, we need more people like him!

+1 on that !

 

[zoobyshoe]

Love me some James Randi, we need more people like him!

There's at least one major one; Derren Brown is certainly following in Houdini and Randi's footsteps as a performer/debunker.

 

[Tobias Funke]

I hope the JREF site improves now that he's once again taking on a more active role. For a couple of years it seemed like just a platform for two bloggers, and even the old archives--the best part--were taken down. Fingers crossed...

 

[Dembadon]

Nice article in the NY Times Sunday magazine on The Amazing Randi:
The Unbelievable Skepticism of the Amazing Randi

Thank you for posting this, Doc. I've always admired Mr. Randi.

 

[berkeman]

Great stuff. I subscribed to the Skeptical Inquirer for many years. :-)