> At 04:01 PM 5/19/98 -0800, you wrote:
>
> >> --------------------------------------------------------------------
> >> They involve setting up video cameras in the homes of pet owners to
> >> record animals' activities while their owners are away. Then they ask
> >> owners to return home at unpredictable times -- by taxi and not their
> >> own car.
>
> >... I know that a study I did read about showed that most of this dog
> >'psychic' behavior was them hearing the sound of their owners vehicles
> >at a far greater distance than previously thought capable.
>
>
> IAN: The article quoted above noted that a taxi was
> used to eliminate the possibily of auditory clues
> causes by a dog's familiarity with its owners car.
>
> I can see it now PSYCHIC DOG NETWORKS! "Don't be fooled
> by other psychic-dog services, only PDN uses real psychic
> dogs, yes that's right REAL psychic dogs! Call now for your
> free 2 minute consultation. Just ask Rover anything and he'll
> give you the answer, the answer YOUR looking for. 2 barks means
> "yes" and 1 bark means "no." What have you got to loose? Call NOW!
>
> 1-900-RUF-RUFF"
>
> This could really cut the overhead for those psychic "services"
> since they could just have tape recorders attached to the phones
> programmed to select either a 1 or 2 bark recording after the
> caller's voices pauses for a few seconds, indicating that a
> question was just asked and the caller is waiting for the
> reply. A slight delay would even induce the impression
> that the dog was accessing the "inner-psychic channels."
>
> Personally, I think that those psychic networks skirt or
> totally breach the standard of fraud, but enforcing such
> a case against them would be so difficult since the nature
> of the "product" they "supply" is so intangible. I think
> it simply comes down to, the dumb will just be ripped off.
> Playing slot machines is even smarter than calling "psychics."
--- I do belive there are psychics in the world but not of the
nature of he ones on the phone lines. I myself have dreamed
thing that did come true most often in the same context of my
dream. But the thing I am most skeptical about in the predicting
on a whim. Maybe if you where sitting at a government computer
you could be seen as predicting, but it is not something that
humans can accomplish.