The Rhine Research Center, haven for parapsychological research, has the following on their website...
"There are reports from all cultures throughout history in which objects or events in the environment appear to be influenced by the human mind. We are looking for people who may have experienced such effects known as psychokinesis or PK (also called telekinesis) to participate in a research study at the Rhine Research Center.
PK experiences are those where your conscious or unconscious mind seems to directly influence the physical world around you, without the use of any known physical means. Some examples might be: affecting the roll of dice, affecting lights or other electrical equipment, affecting your computer, bending spoons, moving objects, or psychic healing. Unexplained physical effects are also reported surrounding times of near-death, dying or after the death of a loved one, for example, a clock stopping at the exact time of someone’s death. These are also of interest for this study.
We are collecting reports of this type of experiences and would love to hear from you by email or postal mail. At a later stage we will be undertaking face-to-face or telephone interviews with some individuals who have experienced this type of phenomena, and who are willing to discuss their experiences in more detail. All reports are confidential."
I wonder what they would make of this story...
Once upon a time, I had a seasonal job dealing blackjack at casino parties. (Come on, you knew I was going to try that.)
It was a slow night, and near the end of the night a man walked up to my table. People play for fake money at these parties, and they usually use that fake money to buy raffle tickets or to participate in some kind of bidding for prizes. This man (naturally) wanted to win some more money before the end of the night. My table is empty and he quips to me something to the effect of 'Is this a lucky table?'. (Knowing smile.) Me: Let me see what I can do for you, sir.
He plays all seven available hands at the table, and bets the max ($5000) on each hand. At this point, I don't just want to ensure that he wins one or two hands; I want to ensure that he wins every hand. (I get a little cocky when challenged.) To ensure that he wins every hand, I first have to ensure that none of his hands bust. Which I did. I didn't do this by focusing on the initial two cards in each hand; focusing on getting him one or two blackjacks probably would have resulted in less of a payout overall because I would have been working within a less favorable framework of events. Rather, I waited until there was a need to control the outcome - i.e., when the man felt compelled to hit for more cards. (We haven't discussed the advantages of a dichotomous split in possible outcomes yet, but that's the tool I used to keep him from busting in these situations.)
After he played out his seven hands (all of which were still viable), I then had to focus on my hand. And the easiest way for him to win was for me to bust. Which I did. That man walked away with an extra $35,000 and never had a clue as to what went down during that game. He didn't even tip his friendly (and talented) dealer.
