TED: James Randi

Mark Frauenfelder 10:18 am Fri Mar 9, 2007

Picture 2-33
Magician and hokum-dedbunker extraordinaire James Randi is giving a fantastically entertaining presentation about scammmers who say they can communicate with the dead, which he says is a "cruel farce" that ruins people "emotionally and financially." Randi offers a $1,000,000 prize for anyone who can demonstrate a psychic phenomenon. So far, he's had no takers. "Wouldn't they take this money just to make me look silly?" He is pushing for laws against psychics. While I agree psychics are scammers, I don't like the idea of outlawing them.

(He started the talk by eating 36 homeopathic sleeping pills — "six-and-a-half days worth — a fatal dose of homeopathic sleeping pills. Why don't they affect me?") Link

Amazon used a China firm on U.S. blacklist for thermal cameras to monitor workers for COVID-19 fever

• Amazon's new Chinese thermal spycam vendor was blacklisted by U.S. over allegations it helped China detain and monitor Uighurs and other Muslim minorities READ THE REST
Financial Times journalist Mark Di Stefano accused of accessing private Zoom meetings, then publishing the information

Mark Di Stefano of the Financial Times is accused by The Independent of accessing private Zoom meetings held by The Independent and The Evening Standard as journalists were learning how… READ THE REST
Hackers tried to break into WHO, which faces more than two-fold increase in cyberattacks

Hackers tried to break into the World Health Organization earlier in March, as the COVID-19 pandemic spread, Reuters reports. Security experts blame an advanced cyber-espionage hacker group known as DarkHotel.… READ THE REST
Short Post, just one paragraph

Dessert cheesecake wafer bear claw fruitcake. Fruitcake chupa chups donut candy canes marzipan. Apple pie sweet roll tart chocolate cake macaroon marshmallow carrot cake gummi bears sweet. Pastry sugar plum… READ THE REST
Save 50% on a 1-year subscription to Dashlane's premium password manager

We all know vital information about ourselves and our private digital accounts can be compromised by cybercriminals. However, many would be frightened to know just how compromised they and their… READ THE REST
The Bite Helper removes the itch of a mosquito bite in seconds

While mosquitoes have certainly earned their title as the deadliest animal on earth, their impact on most of our lives is usually a lot less consequential. But even though they… READ THE REST