Another Act in the Quadro Drama....
Some months back, I discussed the silly device known as the "Quadro" rod, a stick that claimed to be means of detecting golf balls, guns, and drugs at a distance by super-technology invented and offered for sale by the Quadro Corporation of Harleyville, S.C.
AP has just announced that the FBI have indicted:
Wade L. Quattlebaum
Raymond L. Fisk
Malcolm S. Rowe
William J. Long
-- the officers of the corporation -- on mail fraud charges. And I have a couple of comments on that, which their attorney just might like to know about.
I think those charges are unjustified. Despite the fact that I long ago notified the first three of these gentlemen about the true nature of their "invention," and that their grasp of science was non-existent, I really believe that they all were then and still are now convinced that it works. They're simply ignorant of how the real world works, and about how they should have gone about testing the thing. And if that's true, they cannot be properly charged with fraud, but only with being not very bright -- a charge that could be brought against many of us.
I'd be willing to appear in court on behalf of these defendants and testify that, incredible as it may seem, they probably thought that a "chip" made of a scrap of paper could be as effective as an actual computer chip produced by modern technology, that they believed their own constant rationalizations for the 100% failures of the Quadro when tested double-blind, and that their abysmal ignorance of electronics is genuine.
But, I must admit that it's hard to explain why they refused my offer of (at that time) $475,000 for ONE simple demo of the thing. And I recall that Quattlebaum, the "inventor" of the Quadro, wrote me that: "[the officers of Quadro Corp.] may call upon your magical powers to get us out of jail, if the device is not what we claim it is."
If convicted, the Quadro four face up to five years in prison and $250,000 fine on each count of the indictment. And I won't be available....
Randi asked for a motto for a coffee mug to be made for his center and foundation. Some really good and usable suggestions:
I think the UFO one might win. Sincere thanks to all of you who troubled to send in suggestions. We had a great time going through them, and lots of laughs.
(27 October 1996)
I've been rather inattentive to the folks on the mailing list. My apologies. The 12-to-15-hour days I've been putting in at the Foundation have taken my time and attention. Getting the whole shebang off and running is quite a task. But I love it. Things are falling into place nicely.
To share with you a few things that have been happening.... First, I got a message from a would-be "psychic" that read -- and I quote exactly --
What no response to my offer to except your Psychic Challenge. Scared you will lose or what?
I got no "offer to except" or even to "accept" the offer, but that won't stop him/her from crowing that I'm scared of this dire threat to the Pigasus Prize. I recall that this "psychic" claims to be fabulously wealthy, and says he/she doesn't need or want the prize, so why all this carrying on? Make up your mind!
In fact, on 8 November, I'm due to test the weird claim of "Therapeutic Touch" (TT) which -- we won't be surprised to learn -- involves no touching whatsoever. In co-operation with Bob Glickman of PHact (the Philadelphia area skeptics group) I've devised a simple, cheap, easy, direct, definitive test of TT, and though the Pigasus Prize is rapidly approaching one million dollars, and will certainly be there by year's end, we as yet have no acceptances from the vast number of nurses who say they can do this wonder of healing, as they do every day of their lives. If there are no claimants by November First, which is one week before the scheduled test, no test will take place.
A splendid exchange took place between a couple of unhappy "psychics" and myself, in which the psychics complained that the at that time US$742,000 Pigasus Prize was only in the form of pledges, and would be difficult or impossible to collect. They had a point there, since there are just under 300 pledgers in 15 countries who have agreed to pay the successful claimants who just might materialize. I responded by agreeing to an additional clause in the official offer: my personal ten thousand dollars would be paid immediately to any winner, and the additional prize money would be paid within seven days since the Foundation would need that period to convert stock into cash.
Well, that didn't make them any happier. They next bleated that they didn't believe that the Foundation had that amount of money available. In my inventive fashion, I came up with this: If you don't believe we have the money, put your money where your mouth is, just as I've done all my life. Bet me a thousand dollars that we don't have the money. Send your check payable to the Foundation to any reputable lawyer you choose to name. I'll do the same, sending a thousand dollar check payable to you, to that same lawyer. As soon as I'm informed by the lawyer that both checks have been received, I'll send the lawyer a financial statement, notarized by our bank, which establishes that the prize can be covered. At that point, both checks will be sent to the Foundation. Of course, if I can't, don't, or won't, supply that statement, the lawyer will send both checks to you. Any takers? No, not a one. Just silence, as we might expect.
A UFO nut in Florida sent me (via Dr. Gary Posner of the Tampa Bay Skeptics) a bunch of forks and letter-openers bent into various curliqueues, and claimed that a woman he knows did the job using her bare hands, right in front of him. Wow! As we know, this is impossible without magical powers, right? In response, I went out and bought identical letter-openers, and asked Jenny Blair -- one of my employees -- to bend them on videotape in very similar, and even better, shapes. Easily done, within seconds. The UFO cuckoo now has that tape and the bent metal. It will be interesting to learn what alibis will be offered next.
We're taking bids on the contract to build our auditorium at the Foundation. A full stage with state of the art audio and video equipment will be installed.
The membership drive for the James Randi Educational Foundation has had some encouraging success, but we're looking for many more members to come forward.
We're toying with the idea of offering a free hundred thousand dollar insurance policy against alien abduction, to all members. This was suggested by an actual, similar offer made by a regular insurance company, and the news that another company based in Liechenstein has offering a "reincarnation account" which is designed to provide "seed capital" for the next life of the insured. The $130,000 accounts would be invested in conservative growth portfolios and would have to be redeemed within 23 years after the insured person's death. The "reincarnated" claimant would be required to answer questions that only they, in their previous lives, would have known the answers for. But what if one of those powerful psychics were to come along, divine the right answers, and "pass" as the real reincarnated policy holder? Seems risky, doesn't it?
Take a look in at the Web page, won't you? It gets better all the time, thanks to the dedicated work of Maggie Ragaisis and Jutta Degener. We'd like your comments.
I'm in Vancouver, Canada, filming the final shots for the A&E Scams, Scoundrels, and Swindles TV Special, which will air in January.
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