TEST SUBMISSIONS CLOSED

Test submissions for the Silvio Solaris Remote Viewing test closed at 12.00 Midnight on the 15th of January, 2010.

Silvio has unfortunately been unable to make a solid attempt due to pressing family matters. (See his notitification below).

His "informal" submission is: B9B

Other submissions received:

R1B

Yq4

Y2K

By2

R9A

B4j

Rb0

Bob Cassidy, the independent 3rd party has revealed the TARGET CODE AS: R4h

Do we have a HIT? No we do not. If you look at the submissions you will see partial strikes of single components, all conforming to chance.

Silvio Solaris Letter:

"Gentlemen,

unfortunately my wife had an accident on the weekend (on by birthday). She cut her foot badly stepping on a shard in a remote location. I forwarded the hospital admittance paper to Ben Harris and you are welcome to ask him for it.
Furthermore a personal issue escalated in regards to my family which is very hard on me.

By no means I am stalling this or making this up to intentionally 'delay' things. To get myself into the state to be able to remote view I need to be relaxed and have a clear mind.

I tried yesterday and I had instant body kickback, meaning that my spirit (elan vital, astral body etc.) couldn't leave my body because my mind was just to overwhelmed with present time problems.

I am still game for it plus I wouldn't have suggested this 'test' to Ben if I couldn't come through.

While reading the test I did had a hunch of the target but by no means this can be taken seriously enough and be called 'remote viewing'.

The hunch of the target was: blue 9B

I am still up for this on a later date if Ben gives me another chance.
I am very sorry if this is a disappointment for you.

sincerely,

Silvio Solaris"

We would be more than happy to test Silvio at a later date.

Ben Harris

The Solaris Remote Viewing Experiment

It's Monday morning, the 11th of January and we've just deposited the target within the box and positioned it alone on a large table.

Silvio Solaris will attempt to view and identify the contents of the box. He will attempt to do this via "Remote Viewing."

To proceed, all parties must agree that the result of any SINGLE test like this cannot produce definitive results. As an example: a failure on Silvio's part does NOT mean he is not psychic, it just means that he "missed" on this occasion. Also, a "Hit" does NOT mean Silvio is psychic. It MAY JUST MEAN he got lucky, or it was a great trick. We will NOT KNOW. The only way you answer the questions properly is to repeat the tests to build the data.

Often with these sorts of tests, with such firm opinions on all sides, results can be interpreted and painted in as "partial hits." (Uri Geller does this on the video you'll find elsewhere on this page with his drawing duplication). So, to keep this sort of thing under control, I came up with a simple test many years ago. It calls for a very specific determination of the target, yet also allows layers of information to be supplied. (Please note, I'm not concerned about Silvio manipulating "degrees of success", it's the many observers with their hidden agendas!)

The Target:

The target consists of a single, blank, business card. On it's face up surface is written a number (from 1 - 10 inclusive) and a letter of the alphabet (A - Z inclusive). BOTH of these will have been written in either RED, BLUE or YELLOW marking pen.

The Test:

The subject (Silvio) needs to reveal the number and the letter, the orientation (is the letter to the left of the number or the right of the number (ie: 6a or a6) AND THE COLOR of the marking pen used to write both (RED, BLUE or YELLOW).

Details:

The REMOTE VIEWING is to be specified as three bits of information:

1. Marker Colour

2. Number or Letter

3. Letter or Number

These three bits must be supplied in correct order (always starting with the PEN COLOR)

as follows:

(a) The Color of the pen is written as either R, B or Y.

(b) The Number from 1-10 is represented by a single digit as one of these: 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,0.

(c) The Letter (a-z inclusive) can be represented as either lower case or upper case. If upper case is used, IT IS ALAYS UNDERSCORED to represent this.

Examples.

"Red Marker", the number "2", and the lower case letter "c": it can be written--"R2c".

"Blue Maker", the letter "d" and the number "8": it can be written--"Bd8".

Note: in all cases, the LETTER can be EITHER upper or lower case. The distinction, which is REQUIRED is expressed by UNDERSCORING the LETTER in the instance of UPPER CASE ONLY.

THE 3 BIT TARGET CODE will be provided to the Independent 3rd Party (Bob Cassidy) later today.

The Target resides in a box, as pictured, on a table by itself. The business card is writing side up and orientated to read from left to right (when viewing the photos).

I DO NOT KNOW what the three bit target code is.

Silvio (if he undertakes the test) is asked to SUPPLY HIS VIEWING expressed as 3 bits ONLY (as per the examples above) -- NOTHING ELSE.

A Hit Looks like this:

Target R2f / Viewing R2f

The target and viewing match COMPLETELY.

ANYTHING ELSE other than a COMPLETE bit for bit matching (in order) is considered a MISS. This is not to say that there may be a "partial hit", but for the sake of THIS EXPERIMENT we are seeking a complete 3 bit match to designate a hit. Partial hits can be weighed later.

I would ask Silvio to post his 3 bit "viewing" as a comment to this blog, OR at The Magic Cafe. This would need to be done PRIOR to January 15, 2010.

Bob Cassidy will reveal the Target Code on January 15th (time to be advised).

Silvio, if there is anything else you need from me, or any clarification, then don't hesitate to ask.

Good Luck

Ben Harris

UPDATE #8

Silvio Solaris, sent the following comment (which appears in full appended to UPDATE #1).

"as I PM'ed you at the Magic Cafe, I would like to 'divine' the content via remote viewing ONLY if Jim is not coming forward. I am ready."

Silvio Solaris
Glendale, California

We'll be taking up Silvio's offer to see this experiment through. Both of us will be fascinated by whatever results are achieved. I'll talk to Steve Brooks at The Magic Cafe to see if we can run a thread to chronicle this. I'm sure that this will be OK seeing as Silvio and I are on the same team, so to speak. By that, I mean: WE BOTH WANT TO SEE A RESULT!

I'll be fascinated to hear Silvio's story as to how and why he thinks that he can achieve this feat of "remote viewing." I have a completely open mind, and I'm hoping that we can produce a tight, clean test that will please all--with whatever the results may be.

On Jan 11th, I will place the box with item inside on a large table in a room by itself. I'll photograph everything for you to visually lock in. Remember, I'm in Australia and my time is Australian Eastern Standard Time.

I will also, at this time explain, (and hopefully get your agreement on) what is a hit and a miss.

I also suggest that we allow others to take a "guess" so as to look at the resulting stats.

I also suggest I email a third party the TARGET INFO so that we can have independent confirmation, just so no one suspects anything tricky. Who do you suggest? I'd be more than happy with Bob Cassidy or Banachek if either man is interested.

I would like to leave the box sealed and only open it on the 15th AFTER you have lodged your "viewing".

I will NOT KNOW what is in the box. It's more exciting that way!

Details on the 11th.

Have a great weekend everyone.

Ben Harris

UPDATE #7

Jim Callahan has just posted the following in the comments box:

"Will take a few more days to get an answer from Raymond Hill or the entity who was Raymond Hill.(Hoping for video also). It just is not an easy deal on short notice. And as stated I see no reason why you need to know these things of Raymond Hill when I am the one to taking the Challenge. But I will ask. After you get the answer you will prove you have the cash right?

After all I hope you are not wasting our time and if you are I doubt many would not find that to be unethical. In fact i am looking forward to you being on the radio show because I am sure it will generate great publicity for me.

Thanks again,

Jim PS.This reply has been post to the MagicTalk site link here http://magictalk.com/forum/index.php?topic=987.105"

I SAY:

Again, further delays, bluffs and attempts to take control. I have CLEARLY explained WHY the information is needed (so we can formulate the TEST) and that the $5000 would be made available WHEN the said test is designed, then approved by Jim, and when a suitable third party had been agreed upon.

Yet, we constantly go back and forth with nothing but distractions and decoys.

Previously, I had stated that any more distractions like this would result in the challenge being rescinded. Well, consider it rescinded. I will no longer try to nail jelly to your wall, Jim.

I realize that Jim and his boys will play this hard, but that's OK. The public record is preserved here and at the Magic Cafe (Steve Brooks has agreed to lock and preserve the thread concerned).

The information generated within the above Magic Cafe thread is fascinating, and together with the stats gathered by this blog, I feel the results rewarding.

Curiously, TWO OTHER paranormalists at The Magic Cafe asked to "have a go" when the Jim Case was settled. It would make for an interesting experiment and I ask (you know who you are) to come forward if you are still interested. I'm still interested, I WANT the chance to run the experiment. The results, NO MATTER WHAT THEY ARE, will tell us something.

Ben Harris

UPDATE #6

Some interesting developments as we await for Jim to "interact" with "Raymond" as he has indicated he will do.

Alexandre has posted this (from Jim's own website) at The Magic Cafe:

"I am asking those who read this site to remember I am an entertainer, artist & researcher. Please do not get carried away when viewing and interacting with my work. It is to be an entertaining, surreal diversion. I am not a psychic nor a medium. I am a Paranormalist. You are in control of what you believe and do with your life. Just as I am. Have fun and enjoy yourselves ... Jim."

In this statement Jim clearly states he is not a psychic or a medium.

Yet, contrast the statement against the what Jim intends to do (from Jim's email published in UPDATE #4, see below):

"Since I have not scheduled a time to interact with Ray, it will be several days to get the superfluous information you are asking for".

AND

"This will be the only time I request information of this nature from Raymond Hill (editor: he's deceased remember!) on your behalf and am only doing it this time as a public display of good faith".

So which is it Jim, Are you claiming to GENUINELY be in contact with Raymond Hill or not? This is the claim we want to test, not the performance of a trick.

Ben Harris

UPDATE #5

As an aside, I am fascinated by how one would go about "scheduling" time to "interact" or communicate with a spirit (as indicated in Jim's post, below).

Is the "scheduling" done on Jim's side, "Raymond's" side, or both?

Does the request go through a "central switchboard" on the other side, or is it an instant and "direct" communication?

Fascinating.

Ben Harris

UPDATE #4

I'm happy to report that Jim has agreed to contact "Raymond" and request the information we asked for. This is a positive step and will allow us to propose a meaningful test.

Jim's undertaking to do this is reproduced here:

"I cannot imagine why it is of any value to ask Raymond Hill if he is color blind. (Pretty sure I know the answer but will anyway).

Please explain what this has to do with the challenge made on the Magic Cafe. Why it is important to your ‘Test’ or my $5,000.00 Dark Truth Challenge.

Also wondering why my posts are being edited.

For instance the notification that all postings here were being cross posted to This thread http://magictalk.com/forum/index.php?topic=987.0 in their entirety .

I will request Slim King post this correspondence to the Magic Cafe In an attempt to move this along and not have my intent ‘interpreted’ by you before the public sees it.

Since you appear to have a fixation with Raymond Hill and I really cannot see why you do. I found your use of his name in your posts on the Café distasteful. (But we will cover that at another time).

Anyway I will do go to the trouble in a couple of days to contact Ray and ask about any possible Protanomaly, Deuteranomaly, Dichromasy, Protanopia or Deuteranopia.

For the record I do not.

Do you?

Not that it matters I guess anymore than if Ray does.

Since I have not scheduled a time to interact with Ray, it will be several days to get the superfluous information you are asking for.

Should have it posted by Thursday.

This will be the only time I request information of this nature from Raymond Hill on your behalf and am only doing it this time as a public display of good faith.

As I said I cannot see what it has to do with this challenge.

Best Wishes,

Jim"

We have ALREADY explained WHY we require this information. But will do so again.

The test will be designed to remove ambiguity from Jim's guess. In part, this will require the detection of one of THREE colors:. RED, BLUE or YELLOW. If we know that "Raymond" can clearly distinguish between these colors, then we can proceed.

Now is the time to find out before I get an "oh, he doesn't see yellow" excuse.

Jim, if "Raymond" CANNOT distinguish between these THREE colors can you ask him for ANY THREE COLORS that HE CAN CLEARLY DISTINGUISH between.

Ben Harris

UPDATE #3:

Ok, it seems Jim will not allow a "controlled test" to go forward. He will not provide the information required to formulate a meaningful test. His latest demands are as follows:

"Nope time for you Ben, to put up.

Your challenge not mine.

Don't think you will waste my time to promo your work.

You said you were offering the $5,000 now place in escrow and payable to me upon this thing going my way.

We will then talk about things you need to fix.
(This horrible site to be the first)!

Al of that said, this is great fun and I thank you for the offer to pay me for what was already to be part of my radio shows.

Best Wishes,

Jim"

**********************************************************************************

Once again, Jim: just supply the information required so we CAN PROPOSE THE TEST.

Why are you throwing up the smokescreens?

Ben Harris

UPDATE #2

JIM REPLIES...

I'd like to thank Jim for finally posting the answers to the questions I had posed. Jim's answers are as follows:

A. What kind of box would you prefer for the experiment, metal or wood?

JIM's ANSWER: Does not matter

B. Would you like any salt placed inside along with the target?

JIM'S ANSWER: No

C. Is "Raymond" color-blind? Can he distinguish between RED, BLUE and YELLOW?

JIM'S ANSWER: Never asked.

These answers help us to formulate the test conditions. We need to make sure the test is:

(a) simple to understand

(b) fair and unbiased

and

(c) one that will produce a clear result.

In order to do this, I need a more definitive answer to Question C.

Can you please "ask" (or confirm) whether "Raymond" is, (or is not) color blind?

Can he distinguish between RED, BLUE and YELLOW?

It is critical that this be CLEAR. I don't want "color blindness" being used as an excuse later on.

Once we have the clarification as requested, I will PROPOSE THE TEST and describe the parameters for Jim and the world to consider.

Then, we can fine-tune the test to address concerns if they arise.

That done, we'll need to find an acceptable "third party" to baby-sit the "target box".

If I see you are this serious, and these things do come to pass, I'll put forward the green.

Ben Harris

UPDATE #1

As of this date, there have been two FURTHER emails from Jim. The first was published at The Magic Cafe: you can read it in context by hitting the Magic Cafe link on the right hand side of this blog.

The second, as yet unpublished email, concerns demands regarding money.

All up, more stalling.

So, one last time to Jim and friends...

WE CAN ONLY BEGIN TO DESIGN THE TEST PROTOCOL when Jim agrees to behave like a test SUBJECT--allowing me to create and TO THEN PROPOSE the conditions.

If we cannot get that far, then I'll move on. I will not play this ridiculous game. I've been playing it for 30 years and I've learned when to walk away!

Jim knows what he has to do, and everyone is watching. My questions (in the post below) need to be answered so we can get back to designing the test.

Jim should answer them for all to see, as instructed (again, in the post below).

HAPPY NEW YEAR