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Randi agrees that non-paranormal claims can win the prize.
3rd Nov. 2006 |
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Definition of a dry spot
What exactly does "dry spot" mean? When James Randi says "find me a dry spot" what
exactly is he thinking about? When I accept his challenge, and agree to find the
dry spot he wants what exactly am I agreeing to?
In this section I state exactly what I mean, and (because I know that some people
will disagree with my definition) I provide a justification for it.
About two years ago I attempted to discuss the matter with James Randi himself, to find out exactly what he had in mind. I found Mr Randi to be hostile, uncomunicative, and unwilling to discuss the matter. Readers can follow a full transcript of our discussion
here
I offered him a prototype definition of "dry spot" and asked if he would accept
the definition. Mr Randi chose to ignore the question several times. He simply would
not answer either yes or no but kept changing the subject. Eventually, he rejected
my definition, but refused to specify one that he would find acceptable.
During the discussion he offered the following two definitions:
1) "A dry spot would be a spot at which water is not to
be found in a practical sense, in an area where water might otherwise be expected
to be found."
2) “free from moisture or excess moisture; not moist; not wet.”
He has declined to give any more detailed description, leaving me to accept the definition he gave. I consider that I have given him ample opportunity to discuss the definition. He chose to decline. If he doesn't like the definition I propose, then he really only has himself to blame.
In addition, I note his comments that :
1) the definition of dry spot would have to be "decided by the dowsers"
2) Stating that the applicant must "define the parameters. That’s required of everyone."
I have taken his comments to heart, I have decided on the definition and defined the parameters myself, as he told me, and followed his instruction that a dry spot has no water in a practical sense, and is free from excess moisture.
To be a source of water in a practical sense a well must meet three criteria. If it fails on any one of these three, then it is not a source of water in a practical sense, and thus is dry by Randi's definition.
1) Quantity - It must yield enough to serve practical purposes
2) Quality - the liquid that comes out of a well must be clean enough to use for industrial, agricultural or domestic purposes.
3) Accessibility.- It must be possible to reach and the water without excessive expense or dificulty.
Based on this I have written a detailed desscription of what is, and what is not a dry spot. This is part of my formal application, where I define a dry spot as :
- Where there is water found in only minute quantities. A well that yields less than one half of a gallon per minute (0.5 GPM) would be insufficient for any domestic, industrial or agricultural purpose. If the yield is too small to be of any use, then it would not be water “in a practical sense.”
- Where there is a large amount of water, but tightly bound to the particles of the soil. If the water is tightly bound to the ground, and cannot be extracted, then there is no water “in a practical sense.”
- Where the water has been contaminated by chemical or biological pollutants, or has a too high mineral content, or is seawater. If a well produces seawater, or toxic sludge that is too badly contaminated to be of any use, then it is not water “in a practical sense.”
- Where the water is underneath a deep layer of very solid rock. Drilling through this layer to reach the water would be very expensive, if not impossible.If water cannot be reached, or can only be reached at great expense, then there is no water “in a practical sense.”
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| This article copyright by Peter Morris all rights reserved. |
| Not to be copied without the express permission of the author |
