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The 2nd show of “The Next Uri Geller” 2008

2008-01-15

This is about a show from the first German season of “The Next Uri Geller” from early 2008. You can also:
» Show all my reports from the first season.
» Show everything about the second season 2009.
» Show really all articles about Uri Geller.

bent :arrow: General reading tips (German): GWUP info page, GWUP special site.

The contestants’ contracts

Skeptiker (GWUP) and Stern report about the contracts – among other things, the contestants would originally have had to sign that they “have distinct mental and intuitive abilities, such as mind reading, telekinesis, sugestion or autosuggestion”.
:blossnicht: » More (in German) at Stern!

The contestants’ web sites

In my first show’s summary, I was wondering:

The question is how much the contestants are behind the “real powers” balderdash which also was clearly shown in the short films introducing them – or if they rather submitted to the show’s demands.

And checked their websites. I should do this for the other five contestants, too, of course (my translations):

  • Dr. Lord Jack Nasher, “Management Psychology”, also gives courses. „Jack Nashers Mind Mysteries are demonstrations of human perception deception. […] a performance with psychology, knowledge of human nature and pure deception – not forgetting irony.“ The lord didn’t even give a basis of paranormal for ProSieben’s short texts. :)
  • Alexander Hartmann: „In my show I do things that seem inexplicable to most people to create extraordinary moments. My goal is exclusively to offer good entertainment – not to claim or prove the possession of any supernatural abilities.“
    :applaus:
  • Farid (by the way, are there any clearly laid out pages on MySpace?) writes: “Farid has already entertained his audience with professional magic when he was 10. […] A new and modern kind of magic.” Not really extensive, but for itself, it doesn’t sound bad. But if he really stands behind what the ProSieben website says that he has said: “I remember it clearly: as a little child, I was raised out of my bed one night like by ghost hand”, then:
    :thumbsdown:
  • Thorsten Strotmann Magic Entertainment: A “magician, magic artist, entertainer, infotainer, host”, who, on the one hand, presents himself quite businesslike, on the other hand unfortunately also writes: „Mental magic: thoughts are energy. […] As a child, he already recognized that he has a special gift and can grab energy and thoughs on another level. […] As well, he can influence energetically “charge” objects by the power of his mind.“
    :thumbsdown:
  • Leo Martin, “staged communication”: “[…] suggestive communication, perception deception and attention guiding. He creates illusions in the heads of the people and makes them do things that they wouldn’t have considered possible beforen.” Sounds rather psychological and magic-artistical than supernatural. ProSieben, by the way, writes “…have been able to before.” You can read this as a small but relevent difference towards more balderdash…

And I still think: In any case, a magician who doesn’t think too lowly of himself should not have applied for such a show in the first place.

Geller about his powers

clock parts On the one hand in an interview of the Berliner Kurier (all my translations):

“? So you do have telepathic abilities?
! Without a doubt.
[…]
I beleive I had been given an extraordinary paranormal energy.”

On the other habd in the Magische Welt (magic world), the independent German magazine for magic artists:

“I don’t claim anymore that I have supernatural powers. I am an entertainer, I want to do a good show. My entire character has changed.”

Now what? :confused:

The show from 15 Jan

At the beginning, press reactions are mentioned and shown in the background – only briefly and only positive ones, there must be a relation. :) And did Geller really say, “we don’t claim to have supernatural powers, we just want to enjoy it”? So really the new, more conservative line, if you will? (Cf. above.) Well, hopefully not the most interesting thing this evening…

Continue Reading »

Build yourself an album cover

2008-01-15

I simply had to join this CD Cover Meme :) – found first at Fearblog, and e.g. the Dia-Blog has some links, and there’s a large Flickr pool, too.

It works like this:

And be so honest and really take the immediate results without reloading. Then put it all together, and this is my result:

(» original photo – Jael, if you don’t want me to use it for this just-for-fun purpose, sorry, just let me know and I’ll remove it. — Original quote from Woody Allen: “Eternal nothingness is fine if you happen to be dressed for it.”)

You don’t have to record music of your own, of course. (Phew!) Now anyone who wants may take this baton and create his/her own random album…

PS: The evaluation of my “Music 2007” blog carnival that ended yesterday should be done by tomorrow, at most on Thursday. And tomorrow will see the next instalment of my Music Quiz series.

Climate-neutral hearth bonuses are degenerate!

2008-01-15

The second place of “Word of the Year” (in Germany) is the “winner” of the “un-word” (doublespeak) 2007: Herdprämie ≈ hearth bonus. Number 2 and 3 are “klimaneutral” (climate neutral) and “entartet” (degenerate) – read more (as long as the official site is not updated yet) e.g. at Informationsdienst Wissenschaft (shouldn’t they translate press releases if they offer an “English” link??).

Parcel tracking is good…

2008-01-14

…but it could be implemented a little better sometimes.

Mi. 21:23: E-mail with dispatch confirmation of a shop (emphasis mine):

Immediately after the order is placed, you have the possibility to track the shipment’s status online.

http://tracking.[…]

Important notice!

It may be that your package number is known to the system only up to two days after dispatch handover and thus only then its course can be tracked.

Strictly speaking, you might even say that this is not really contradictory. It certainly isn’t practical, though.

The rest is rather banal:

I checked on Thu at about 19:00: no status. Could the package arrive today, then? Or can’t it? No. And also Thu ca. 18:00: no status. Only Thu ca. 22:00: status from Mi. 20:35: “Shipment handled in dispatch center” (everything in my translation, by the way).

Fri ca. 10:00: status from Fri 4:45: “The shipment has gone on tour.” (Only this last status was shown.)

Fri ca. 13:00: status from Fri 10:15: “The shipment has gone on tour.” By the way, where can you buy tickets for the tour? Who’s the supporting act? :P

Fri ca. 14:30: package arrived.

Others are a little more extensive… but alright, as long as the products arrive safe and reasonably fast, it’s fine with me. And when I find topics to write about that are more interesting than this, it’s even finer with me.
:bigsmile:

Textual cat content

2008-01-14

A JavaScript-animated dancing kitten in Ascii art [?] – here’s half a freeze-frame:

                                                          ,,
                                                     ,caTAAs
                                                   ,CRRRRRRC
                                               ,  ,RRRRRRRRc
                                           ,,   cRRRRRRRRTCc
                                          ,,,, ,TRRRRRRRTCs,
     CRRRRRTc,,,,,         ,,,,,,,,    ,,,,   TRRRRRRRAaccc,
   cARRRRRRRRRRRa,   ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,   ,,,  ,RRRRRRRRRAac,cc,
   ,sTRRRRRRRRRRRATTs,,,,,,,,,,,, ,  ,,,,, ,CRRRRRRRACs,,cac
     ,CTARRRRRRRRRRRRRTc,,,,,,, ,,,,  ,  ,    sRRRRACc,,,sAs
     ,CCCTARRRRRRRRRRRRCc,,,,,,   ,,, ,,,     ,csaCCCc,,,aAa
     ,asccsCTARRRRRRRRTacc,,,,  ,, ,        , , ,,,cc, ,c,,
     cACc,,ccaCARRRRTsccc,,,,,, , ,         ,, ,,,,,,,,aTc
     sRTc,,,ccaTRRAacccc,,,,,,,,,,,  , ,,,,,, , ,,,,,,cCTc
     sRAs,  ,,csssssccc,,,,,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,ccc
     ,sCTa,  ,,ccsccccc,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,ccc,
       ,aac,,,,ccssccc,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,ccc,c,ccc,,
          cacccsssscccc,,,cccc,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,sTAARRAac,cccc,
         ,aCscssssccc,,cccccc,,,,,,,,,c,,,,,,cTRRRRRRAccc,ccsc
         ,sCscccccccccc,cccccTATscc,,,,,,,,,csccaARRRRcc,,,cccc,
          saccccccccccc,ccCRRC,CRRsc,,,,,,,,,cTRRRRRRa,,,,,,,cccc,
         ,saccccccc,,c,ccsARRC CRRCc,,,,    ,,TRRRRRAc,,,,,cc,,,cc
       ,TTacc,,cccccccccsTRRRRRRTsc,,      ,        ,,ccccccc,
       ,TTasc,,c,,,,,,,,csCTRRRRsc,,               ,,ccccccssc
     ,caTCascc,,,,,,,ccc,,,,,sTac,     ,sCc,,,,,,,,ccssccsas,,
     cAATCacccc,cc,,ccccccc,,,, , ,,,  ,TAa,,,,,,,,,caTCacc,
     cTTCascccc,,,c,,c,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,ccc,,,,,ccccccaCCc
   cTATTTCCasccccccccccccsssasscc,,,,,cccccccccccccsc,
   cTTaCTTCasccscssccccccssaaaasccccccccccsscccccsccc
       ,aTCCCCCCCCCCaaassscccccsccccccccsssscssaCCs
         ,CAATTTTTTTTTTTTTCCaCaaaaaasssaaaCCAAARa
          cccccc,,aARAAAAAAAATTTTTTTATATATACCCCTc
                  cTTTTTTTTTCCCCCCaTTTCTCCasccccc,,
              ,,,,c,ccccccccccccccccscsscccccccccsc
            ,,,,,,c,ccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccc
            ,c,,,,,,cccccccccccccc,,,,,,,,,,,,,,cc,
           ,cc,  ,,,,ccccssccccc,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,ccc,
         ,aCc,, ,,,,,,,csassccc,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,ccc,c,
         ,ss,,,,,,,,,,,ccssscc,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,cc,,,,
           ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,sascc,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

See the whole kitty on this Russian page (you can change the text size in the select box). If I interpret Altavista’s translation correctly, the title means “for dear friends” and the text “Watch it when you’re sad… remember the best” or something like that.

(via Bastie.Silke via Bloggerei.de)