[meteorite-list] You Naysaying Denialists Are All Wrong, Dowsing Works!

From: Michael Fowler <mqfowler_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Sat, 16 Oct 2010 11:06:50 -0500
Message-ID: <6CB207E4-26E6-4B40-BF08-4DC0900306C4_at_mac.com>

Phil,

I'm a bit confused. If dowsing is so effective as you describe, why would anyone spend all that money on a metal detector? A couple of bent coat hangers cost a lot less, not to mention the reduction in weight makes searching a meteorite strewnfield all day long much less tiring!

I can't imagine anyone doing it any other way. You've convinced me that all those non-dowsers are not only idiots, but masochists too!

Mike Fowler

Chicago




> First off, let me say that all you naysaying dowser denialists need to get
> off your high horses, come down from your ivory towers and enter the realm
> of simple, reproducible, empirical evidence-based experimental scientific
> methodology instead of parroting dogmatic drivel and appealing to the
> authority of idiots. I don't think I've ever seen such a display of
> psuedo-intellectual arrogance and phony elitism in my life. (Well, ok, once
> or twice I have). I never thought I'd live to see the day a List member
> would speak thusly of St. Albert, {1} and I quote C.P. : "His opinion should
> not impress anybody". {2} As if the puny intellect of anyone here is but the
> beginnings of a pimple on the left butt cheek of Albert Einstein.
>
> The dowser denialist nattering nabobs of negativity owe an apology to Warren
> Sansoucie, (also known as Warren Peace), his dad, my dad, grandad and
> greatgrandpa (three generations {3} of dowsers and damn proud of it), and to
> all the nameless, faceless and voiceless dowsing utility workers and
> plumbers everywhere. And a shout-out and word of thanks to that voice in the
> wilderness counseling rationality and scientific method, Dr. Vann from the
> prestigious University of Pennsylvania.
>
> Speaking of experimental scientific method, I would like to propose a
> simple, reproducible experiment that can be performed by any genius,
> near-genius, idiot or near-idiot. Now, before shooting off your mouth and
> saying: " That Joshua Tree Museum guy knows not of what he speaketh!" please
> take an hour or so and do this experiment. Trust me, you will be amazed.
>
> I will bet dollars to doughnuts that not a single one of the vociferous,
> self-important dowser denialists has ever actually dowsed. Your ignorance is
> revealed by your words. When I say dowsing, I'm not talking about that
> flakey New Age, divinatory, radiesthesia, occult crap. I'm talking about an
> objective, observable, factual phenomenon that anyone can see with their own
> two eyes. (Unless they're doing it as an actual blind experiment and are
> blind-folded.)
>
> Get yourself a pair of L-shaped divining rods. {4} Any kind of bendable
> wire will work. I used the first thing I found laying around the shop and it
> works perfectly. For purposes of balance, hold the longer part of the
> L-shaped rod in your hands with the shorter part projecting forward, or
> vice-versa, whatever works for you. The rods must be gripped properly for
> this to work. They must be held loosely so they can move freely of their own
> accord. If you grip them too tightly, the experiment won't work.
> This is the traditional closed-fist grip:
> http://i185.photobucket.com/albums/x177/cyphor79/closed-fist.jpg
> I came up with this one myself, I call it the claw-hammer:
> http://i185.photobucket.com/albums/x177/cyphor79/claw-hammer.jpg
>
> Hold the rods parallel to each other and parallel to the ground. Now for
> the fun part: hold the rods over a large iron meteorite, {5}and watch them
> cross all by themselves. Approach the meteorite from a different angle and
> watch as the rods cross as if by magic. It's as simple as that. You may have
> to get down close to the meteorite (depending on the type), for the rods to
> cross. Campos, Sikhote-Alines, Diablos and Gibeons will make the rods cross
> vigorously and quickly. Muonions will make the rods cross very slowly. I
> had my wife and mother-in-law try it and the rods crossed for them. Oddly,
> the rods wouldn't cross over one single Campo out of 10 tested. I got no
> reaction out of pallasites, including a Seymchan that is mostly iron. The
> rods wouldn't cross over the few stone NWAs that I tested. Tomorrow I'm
> going to test more meteorites and shoot some video of the experiment.
>
> I then tested a pyrite meteorwrong, a big slab of float copper, and a dozen
> or so large crystal cluster with no reaction. I held the rods over an iron
> corn stove and they crossed so hard they almost jumped out of my hands. I
> walked outside and held the rods over a steel wheel, an iron fence, several
> cars, and a pile of scrap iron, each time they crossed without any help from
> me. I walked over to a fire hydrant and they crossed over it. I walked
> around the hydrant and they crossed over the underground pipe. I could see
> the pipe cover in the middle of the street. I walked out to it and crossed
> over the underground pipe several times, each time the rods crossed. Two
> kids walking a dog asked me what I was doing. I explained about dowsing and
> the underground pipe. I asked them to try it. Sure enough the rods crossed
> when they passed over the pipe. I then went up to the gas meter and could
> detect the underground pipe going out from the building, under the parking
> lot and could follow it as it ran between the street and sidewalk. I then
> went back into the building and with the rods I could tell you exactly where
> the gas, water and sewer pipes are. I'm going to try this with some
> blind-folded people tomorrow.
>
> I would like to ask each and every naysayer to try this simple experiment,
> then come on the List and publicly tell me it doesn't work. I had four
> people try it and it worked for all of them. This is one of the coolest
> things I have ever done. I'm totally into it and will be conducting several
> more dowsing experiments. All I ask is that you try it yourself before
> running your mouth about something you know nothing about. I was very
> skeptical until I actually tried it. I honestly didn't think it would work.
> I can assure you it does. Anyone can detect underground pipes with two
> pieces of wire. You don't need any fancy-dancy equipment to do it.
>
> And I looked into the Amazing Kreskin's offer. I thought this would be the
> easiest million bucks you could possibly make. Amazing Randi is running a
> complete con and total publicity scam. It's rigged so nobody can get past
> the preliminary tests. If I can detect underground pipes my first day, there
> must be thousands of real dowsers that can do it. Try it, it's easy and it's
> amazing.
>
> Seriously, I want all the deniers to try dowsing over any large iron or
> steel metallic object, buried or on the surface, meteoritic or
> anthropogenic, and then tell me honestly it doesn't work. I know it will be
> hard to eat crow with all the mouthing off and some of you will be unable to
> admit you were totally wrong. The honest ones will swallow their pride and
> agree that once again Einstein was right and you mere mortals were wrong.
> Dowsing works and nobody knows why. It surely has something to do with the
> Earth's magnetic field. The rods are obviously amplifying minute muscular
> movements but what is causing the unconscious reactions and why?
>
> I still am not sure about dowsing for water, but I have no doubt about
> dowsing iron. I don't see why this principle can't be applied to hunting for
> large iron meteorites.
>
> Phil Whitmer
Received on Sat 16 Oct 2010 12:06:50 PM PDT