Since you apparently have a problem following links it seems (even though you refer to it as your source of information), I'll just post the article itself..
From Patrick Henry's James Randi Article:
"The Amazing" Randi vists the Lab again
Who says physicists and other scientists are gullible? Amazing Randi that's who. Self- proclaimed professional liar, cheat and thief, James "The Amazing" Randi spoke before a packed house at the Laboratory's Administration Building Auditorium Tuesday afternoon. This was his second visit to the Lab.
He spoke about the gullibility of people and how he believes physicists are the most gullible of all. Randi quoted Bob Clark of the American Physical Society who said, "physicists are the most likely people to fall for this kind of quackery". "We, as practicing scientists, encourage the public to view us as a priesthood" said Randi noting that much of science remains mysterious and magical to the public.
"There are two important things about human nature that allow people to be deceived, said Randi. The first is how easily we are deceived and the second, how we deceive ourselves. He pointed out that making assumptions is perfectly natural and that we do this everyday. Randi used the example of waiting at a traffic light and when the light turns green automatically stepping on the accelerator and driving forward. "We assume that the other drivers will stop and not run the red light and that the road in front of us is not made of strawberry jello 8 feet thick, covered with gravel", said Randi. Unfortunately, Randi pointed out, "assumptions can cost you money, your emotional well-being or your life".
Randi gave several examples of quackery and pseudo-science. The first example he gave was the "Lifeguard" study done by Sandia National Laboratories (see full story) http://www.sandia.gov/LabNews/LN04-24-98/detector_story.html. He described "Lifeguard" as a device much like a dousing rod that contained electronics but had no connectors or power supply. Randi explained that the purpose of the device was to detect the presence of missing people in the rubble of collapsed buildings and that it could do this by detecting the electric signals from a human heart beat up to 600 meters away. Randi continued, explaining that the device could be tuned to find drugs, bullets, weapons etc. and that the manufacturer demonstrated how they could copy the "DNA" of bullets, drugs etc. on to "special" paper that when cut-up and glued to the device could tune the device to find those items. Selling for $60,000 apiece, they were snapped up by several federal government agencies, including the Border Patrol and Customs. The problem according to Randi was that they did not work or do anything that the manufacturer claimed they could do, which was the same conclusion Sandia reached after spending a lot of time and resources to test the device. Randi asked, "Am I living on the other side of the looking glass?" in response to what he considers to be the obvious question, why would people believe such nonsense?
He also talked about the "patented counterfeit pen" that was supposed to be a fail-safe way to check for bogus currency. He demonstrated how the pen worked and how the ink changed color to black when it came into contact with the starch found in the sizing used to make common types of paper last longer. As a joke, Randi said he liked going to the bank and withdrawing several $50 bills that he covered with Niagara spray starch and then returned to the bank that same day, so as not to lose any interest on his account. Of course, the starch made the bills suspect and anyone using them might be accused of counterfeiting. Once again he points out we are fooled into thinking that the technology really works, after all the manufacturer claims it works and not only are we fooled but the government has bought into this deception too. As Randi explains, even after his repeated warnings to the Secret Service they still found it hard to accept and would not admit publicly that the pen did not work and as a result a lot of counterfeit currency is still being circulated.
Randi also talked about other quack devices and technologies such as the ESP Clapper -- the so called mental on-off switch and magnetic insoles, which are better at attracting paper clips on the floor than they are at improving your circulation or easing pain.
But these are just a few of many quack products or devices that the Patent Office has granted patents for, according to Randi. "The Patent Office has gone berserk," said Randi. "They have patented five, count-em, five perpetual motion machines," said Randi. This happens because the patent office no longer requires a working prototype of the item being patented, he explained.
Randi then entertained and informed the audience with some magic and slight-of-hand. He demonstrated a trick that made it appear as though he could through mental telepathy make a matchbox rise and fall slowly on the back of his outstretched hand. This he explained was the same illusion that psychic Ronnie Marcus, successor to Uri Geller, had performed at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. Unfortunately the scientists at LLNL believed Marcus had real telekinetic powers. Another example Randi said of how " scientists can be fooled and are more easily fooled than many lay people".
For his next trick Randi handed a stainless steel spoon to a member in the audience. He asked the audience member to hold it in both hands and raise his arms up toward the ceiling. Then Randi put his thumb and index finger on the middle of the spoon and he began to move it up and down creating the illusion that the spoon was becoming soft and flexible. Randi then took the spoon walked back on to the stage and continued to wiggle the spoon up and down until it started to bend sideways and eventually broke in two. This was the same trick Geller, who in his biography said he got his divine power from the planet "Uva", used to perform.
Randi also tricked the audience into to believing time really does fly. Through slight-of-hand he was able to borrow an audience member's wristwatch and made it appear as though the watch had magically moved an hour ahead just in the short time that Randi had held it in his hands. After doing the trick the first time, Randi let the audience in on the secret by doing the trick again this time in slow motion.
He also revealed the truth behind the miracle of "The Blood of San Genero of Naples." According to legend, the blood of San Genero remains in solid form in it's bottle and only becomes a liquid when it is touched by the Archbishop of Naples. Randi demonstrated with his own bottle filled with water and some volcanic material found in an area nearby Naples. Laying the bottle down on an overhead projector Randi pointed out how the blood-like substance in the bottle appeared to be solidified and stuck at the bottom of the bottle. Then Randi shook the bottle 10 times10 was the magic numberand lo and behold the substance in the bottle began to liquefy and flow just like blood. Was this a miracle or had he simply used the same materials and techniques that the Archbishop had employed all along?
His last trick used Extra Sensory Perception cards, an envelope and a piece of folded black paper and involved another member of the audience. Through the use of slight-of-hand he was able to convince the audience and predict exactly which cards were in the envelope and on which side of the envelope each card was, even though he had less than a 1 in 20 chance of doing so. Fooled again.
In an effort to expose fakes and debunk quackery, Randi created the James Randi Educational Foundation in Ft. Lauderdale. Offering a $1 million prize to anyone who can prove scientifically any paranormal phenomenon, Randi said, "I cannot prove ESP doesn't exist, but I've got a million bucks if you can prove it exists." Randi said he thought there would be lots of takers, but he has yet to give any money away.
In closing, Randi asked the scientists to help educate the public about quackery. "We're well over the edge toward another dark age," said Randi. He told the audience that if this continues we will go back into the caves with the astrologers and soothsayers or we can become enlightened and join him and go forward into the stars.
--Edwin Vigil