The world of Ted Serios : "thoughtographic" studies of an extraordinary mind

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It was while a graduate student that the formerly materialist Braude first became interested in the paranormal. In 1969, some friends invited him to participate in a game of ‘table up’, and he was surprised (and frightened) to witness multiple convincingly paranormal table movements. 1 However, it was not until the summer of 1975 that he began to seriously investigate parapsychology, 2 and he waited until he had been awarded tenure before publishing on the topic. 3 Jule Eisenbud collection on Ted Serios and thoughtographic photography, 1931–2001, bulk 1964–1989 at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County Unlike all other psychic materializations of which Braude was aware, Katie’s foil had the unique property of not dematerializing afterward. This made it available for laboratory analysis, which showed it to be brass – copper and zinc in a ratio of roughly 4:1. Lists of publications for which Randi has written and places where he has spoken, up to 2009, can be found here. Awards

In these tests, by the way, witnesses often provided their own cameras and film and when they used cameras supplied by Eisenbud, they were allowed to inspect them before the sessions and to impound them afterwards for further inspection. Participants also made open paper gismos on the spot. These were always subject to inspection and often signed by the witnesses to avoid changes or duplication. Kripal, Jeffrey J. (2011). Authors of the Impossible: The Paranormal and the Sacred. Chicago, Illinois: University of Chicago Press. p.285. ISBN 9780226453897 . Retrieved 6 December 2017. Jule Eisenbud, The World of Ted Serios (New York: Penguin, 2006), 245; Stephen E Braude, The Gold Leaf Lady and Other Parapsychological Investigations (Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press, 2007),107.Ted Serios was in his mid-thirties when he became famous. He worked as a bellhop and elevator operator in a Chicago hotel, and had developed an interest in hypnotism. He discovered that he had the ability to manifest images onto film, first using an ordinary box camera and then a Polaroid land camera. Serios demonstrated these skills to various researchers in the Chicago area for several years, but it wasn’t until he drew the attention of Jule Eisenbud, a Denver psychiatrist and psychic researcher, that Serios’s star began to rise. Randi retired in 2015 and until his death in 2020 continued to live with Peña in Florida, giving occasional appearances and lectures. Sceptical Activism

Brugioni, Dino A. (1999). Photo Fakery: A History of Deception and Manipulation (1sted.). Dulles, Virginia: Brassey's. p. 160. ISBN 9781574881660. Randi, J. (1991). James Randi: Psychic Investigator. London: Boxtree Ltd. [Companion book to the Open Media/Granada Television series.] Dart, J. (1986). Skeptics’ revelations: Faith healer receives ‘heavenly’ messages via electronic receiver, debunkers charge. Los Angeles Times (11 May). Although work with Serios effectively ended after 1967, indications of Ted’s remaining abilities continued to surface from time to time. For an account of some informal tests conducted with Serios as late as 1999, see Braude (2007). 8 Literature McLuhan, R. (2010). Randi’s Prize: What Sceptics Say About the Paranormal, Why They Are Wrong and Why It Matters. Leicester, UK: Matador.

SERIOS PRODUCES A MEANINGFUL PHOTO

Obituaries in mainstream outlets were generally laudatory. The Guardian described his paranormal ‘debunking’ in positive terms referring to the Million Dollar Challenge and lamenting the death of an ‘effective sceptic’ in the age of anti-vaxx, anti-5G and anti-Covid-19 conspiracy theories. CNN, New York Times and Daily Mail made similar assessments, citing his role in the founding of CSICOPand his ‘debunking’ of Uri Geller on The Tonight Show in 1973. Rolling Stone Magazinequoted science populariser Bill Nye: ‘He left the world better than he found it. He will be missed.’ Criticism and Support