ESP? Or Clever Programming?

[Tenspace]

What would you think of a web page that could guess the card you picked?

Click here (http://sprott.physics.wisc.edu/pickover/esp.html) and try it.

I would love to hear opinions as to how this works. I tried six times, and the f*cker guessed my picks every single time.

Weird.

Tenspace

[Evil_Mage_Ra]

If you notice, the cards shown to you before you click one of the eyes are completely different from the "after" ones. They just pick other face cards of a different suit (but the same color). To see this, just write down all the cards before you click, and see if the remaining ones match up.

[God, my arse]

OMG, it was right, every time, What the hell? Cazy

[Tenspace]

If you notice, the cards shown to you before you click one of the eyes are completely different from the "after" ones. They just pick other face cards of a different suit (but the same color). To see this, just write down all the cards before you click, and see if the remaining ones match up.
But how does that explain the correct pick? The cards are in the same order in the beginning, every time. It's interesting that they are not in the original order after the pick. What is the significance, and how is this used to correctly remove the selected card?

Ten

[Evil_Mage_Ra]

If you notice, the cards shown to you before you click one of the eyes are completely different from the "after" ones. They just pick other face cards of a different suit (but the same color). To see this, just write down all the cards before you click, and see if the remaining ones match up.
But how does that explain the correct pick? The cards are in the same order in the beginning, every time. It's interesting that they are not in the original order after the pick. What is the significance, and how is this used to correctly remove the selected card?

Ten
Okay, here's an example. I start out by picking Eye #3, and I'm dealt:

King of Hearts
Jack of Clubs
King of Spades
Queen of Diamonds
Queen of Clubs
Jack of Diamonds

I pick "King of Hearts" and click Eye #6. I'm dealt:

King of Diamonds
Queen of Spades
Jack of Hearts
King of Clubs
Queen of Hearts

The King of Hearts is certainly gone. However, the remaining cards are *not* the cards that were given to me in the first place. So really, they just remove *all* the cards and replace them with different look-alikes. Most people don't pay too close attention to the cards they didn't pick, so they don't know the difference.

[whoneedscience]

That's embarrassing.

[ghoulslime]

VERY VERY Clever! But not clever enough for Ghoulslime’s handy-dandy JAVA programming eye.

When you concentrate on one of the cards, you make a mental note of it, but your brain makes only a peripheral notation of the remaining cards.

When you click on a button it substitutes ALL of the cards, and replaces them with very similar cards that do not raise any conflict with the peripheral notations of the cards which were not yours – thus lending the appearance of knowing which card you choose.

Total bullshit - like religion!

[Viole]

Clever indeed. That explains why the cards were all a single image, and the complete lack of any actual non-standard stuff in the HTML for the site. If anyone hasn't, go read the explanations people have sent in! They're pretty silly, though I'd wager the correct answer has been sent in far more times than it appears.

[Tenspace]

Yes, as I drifted off to sleep, I realized what was going on... there are twelve potential cards, he displays six, and swaps with the five undisplayed after the pick.

Viole's right.. you must check the explanations... my favorite:

Dear Mr. Pickover I found myself completely enthralled by your ESP Experiment and tackled the problem (and explanation) with joyous vigor. After several unsuccessful attempts at a satisfactory conclusion I was rewarded with the answer but, admittedly, the solution came from a rather strange source and not of my own contrivance.

I will keep the story as brief as possible.

Some years ago I had the opportunity to spend several weeks at a location in the far north at an ancient habitation (DORSET) located in the area of Alexandria Fiord which is, itself, located north of Baffin Island in the Canadian (at that time) Northwest Territories. While there I had the opportunity to explore the 'land' in and around our camp site. Our camp was located at the conjunction of 3 separate glaciers and I was able to spend many pleasing hours at the base of these glaciers.

One such exploration found me at the foot of the most distant glacier that I had hesitated to visit considering the rough intervening terrain and the daunting distance entailed for such a trip in view of the limited time available resulting from time constraints involved through my formal duties (sorry - classified).

While examining the melting face of the receding glacier I noticed a rather shiny patch of metallic material protruding from the ice which I immediately touched and, to my suprise, was able to free from the surrounding frozen glacial matrix. The object measured approximately 4 inches square and was metallic and featureless except for what appeared to be a lens located in the center of one of the faces of the cube. Needless to say I told no one of my discovery and merely placed it in my kit where it stayed until my return to 'civilization. Since that time the 'device' has accompanied me on my travels and has become rather a 'talisman' that I, in times of stress or confusion, handle to bring me to a state of calm.

Needless to say, my presentation to your ESP Experiment left me in an expanded state of confusion as well as decided mental turmoil..at which time I, as is my custom when confronted with mystery, began to twist the cube in my right hand, flipping it at a speed consistent with my agitation. At one point the 'lens' of the cube became directed at the screen containing your 'experiment' and to my wonder (and yes, horror) a voice issued from the cube and, in perfectly clear English, explained the process involved which allowed the astounding 98% accuracy rate. Even more astounding was the next statement which, in perfect simplicity, advised how the program could be modified to provide a true 100% ACCURACY in its predictions.

Now the sad part. Rather than have a calming mental balm sweep my intellect the exact opposite occurred and, in a fit of extreme turmoil, I smashed the device. I crushed it into its component parts and disposed of it in a manner that would never again allow it to be seen.

Oh, the crushing regret, the mental self flagellation...I rend my garments and cover my brow with ashes. The regret at this rash act leaves me in a state of remorse never envisioned. I fear that I may commit an offence that is unforgivable but then...I do recall that, in the ice... were shadows. Shadows of immense size, just waiting for thaw. I know that no one has returned to that scene of discovery...do I?

Yours in bewilderment

A. Paul M

[Rhinoqulous]

I once found this funky rubrics cube, and my girlfriend screwed around with it and went crazy and was committed to a mental institution and then the gate to hell opened up and this crazy demon with pins all over came and started tormenting people and stuff. Oh, wait, that was Hellraiser 2. Sorry.

[Evil_Mage_Ra]

Yes, as I drifted off to sleep, I realized what was going on... there are twelve potential cards, he displays six, and swaps with the five undisplayed after the pick.

Viole's right.. you must check the explanations... my favorite:

Dear Mr. Pickover I found myself completely enthralled by your ESP Experiment and tackled the problem (and explanation) with joyous vigor. After several unsuccessful attempts at a satisfactory conclusion I was rewarded with the answer but, admittedly, the solution came from a rather strange source and not of my own contrivance.

I will keep the story as brief as possible.

Some years ago I had the opportunity to spend several weeks at a location in the far north at an ancient habitation (DORSET) located in the area of Alexandria Fiord which is, itself, located north of Baffin Island in the Canadian (at that time) Northwest Territories. While there I had the opportunity to explore the 'land' in and around our camp site. Our camp was located at the conjunction of 3 separate glaciers and I was able to spend many pleasing hours at the base of these glaciers.

One such exploration found me at the foot of the most distant glacier that I had hesitated to visit considering the rough intervening terrain and the daunting distance entailed for such a trip in view of the limited time available resulting from time constraints involved through my formal duties (sorry - classified).

While examining the melting face of the receding glacier I noticed a rather shiny patch of metallic material protruding from the ice which I immediately touched and, to my suprise, was able to free from the surrounding frozen glacial matrix. The object measured approximately 4 inches square and was metallic and featureless except for what appeared to be a lens located in the center of one of the faces of the cube. Needless to say I told no one of my discovery and merely placed it in my kit where it stayed until my return to 'civilization. Since that time the 'device' has accompanied me on my travels and has become rather a 'talisman' that I, in times of stress or confusion, handle to bring me to a state of calm.

Needless to say, my presentation to your ESP Experiment left me in an expanded state of confusion as well as decided mental turmoil..at which time I, as is my custom when confronted with mystery, began to twist the cube in my right hand, flipping it at a speed consistent with my agitation. At one point the 'lens' of the cube became directed at the screen containing your 'experiment' and to my wonder (and yes, horror) a voice issued from the cube and, in perfectly clear English, explained the process involved which allowed the astounding 98% accuracy rate. Even more astounding was the next statement which, in perfect simplicity, advised how the program could be modified to provide a true 100% ACCURACY in its predictions.

Now the sad part. Rather than have a calming mental balm sweep my intellect the exact opposite occurred and, in a fit of extreme turmoil, I smashed the device. I crushed it into its component parts and disposed of it in a manner that would never again allow it to be seen.

Oh, the crushing regret, the mental self flagellation...I rend my garments and cover my brow with ashes. The regret at this rash act leaves me in a state of remorse never envisioned. I fear that I may commit an offence that is unforgivable but then...I do recall that, in the ice... were shadows. Shadows of immense size, just waiting for thaw. I know that no one has returned to that scene of discovery...do I?

Yours in bewilderment

A. Paul M
I have too much faith in humanity to believe that Paul M's letter is genuine. I mean, I'm sure he wrote it, but I'd like to believe it was just a joke. Maybe I'm being too naive.

What's funny is that some of these guys are *so* close to the right answer. They'll say things like "I even picked *two* cards, and they BOTH disappeared!". :lol: