Skeptic predicts UK lottery numbers.

[John Jackson]

OK, so how was it done? ??? (http://www.ukskeptics.com/prediction.htm)

It's actually fairly simple to do.

1. The web page was genuinely created today 2nd June 2007 well in advance of the draw.
   
   
2. All the text is now on the page and cannot be altered later otherwise the 'last modified header' will be updated. The header info can be checked easily if you are using the Firefox browser and have the web developer add-on (Tools > Web Developer > Information > View Response Headers).
   
   
3. The 'prediction' is not actually text - the numbers are uploaded as an image.
   
   
4. Once the lottery numbers have been drawn, I simply change the image by adding the the numbers drawn plus the bonus ball and uploading it to the server.
   
   
5. As the web page has not had any direct alterations to it (it just treats an image as an image. What's on the image is irrelevant), the last modified header information will still show the original last modified date (Last-Modified: Sat, 02 Jun 2007 10:36:31 GMT).
   
   
6. It is then that the page's URL is made public and the 'prediction' revealed.

A nice back-up is that the page can be registered on an independent web site before the prediction is revealed. This makes the claim a little stronger as there is some independent verification of the page's existence before the prediction was revealed, but of course the trick is exactly the same.

That is exactly how Brian did his own 'lottery prediction' back in Feb 2007 (see here) and it's also the most likely way he did the Madeleine 'prediction'.

There is a utility called 'Wget' which can download images from a web server and it will reveal the last modified info for individual page items (like images). If this is used to download the prediction image it will reveal that the image was uploaded after the predicted event occurred.

I used this on Brian's Predictions page for the Madeleine McCann prediction and none of the images were uploaded before the 5th May 2007. Madeleine went missing on the 3rd May.

Make your own mind up.



NOTE: there is also a way that the 'last modified' header of the image can be faked so that it can be changed after the event but made to look like it was last modified before the event. I'll reveal that trick should Brian Ladd ever pick up on it.

[bindeweede]

Just ignore this thread for the moment.

I haven't had my predictive dream yet.

I've had my predictive dream. I Know what the numbers will be, and here they are...........

49, erm.............just send me a cheque for £2.50, and I'll email you the others.

NO! This is not MLM!

[John Jackson]

If anyone is under the illusion that Brian Ladd of www.briansprediction.com is involving himself with the Madeleine McCann case purely out of the kindness of his heart ought to have a look at this page:

Brian's Prediction payment page

Notice the 'one off emergency reading' for $1,900. That's exactly the sort of reading that might just appeal to parents (who've been taken in by his trick) of a child who's lost or missing.

As with all psychic predators, he's in this for the publicity in order to make money.

[tkingdoll]

Excellent work John!

[huw-l]

Nice.

The other way to do this is just to over-ride the creation and modification date on the file directly. 'touch' on *nix systems lets you do this. I suspect there is an equivalent for windows systems.

The way you are doing it still leaves the Last-modified header on the numbers image showing a date after the lottery.

[John Jackson]

The way you are doing it still leaves the Last-modified header on the numbers image showing a date after the lottery.

Yes, but I've done it that way on purpose as that's what Brian has been doing.

[John Jackson]

This is on Brian's site today:

brian could u do another rv on madeleine as things seem to b dryin up on the news i know ur v busy with other poor wee kids missing but just see if u get anything at all blessings jen

reply

Hello, I'm sorry as per request of the family, I will no longer be working on this case.

Brian

So he's no longer 'working on' the case and is claiming it's at the request of the family.

That may be true but I do think that this replication and revelation of his trick has made a lot of people realise what he's really doing.

I can't claim that this has resulted in a huge amount of negative feedback for him and forced him to give up, but it's undoubtedly helped to turn all but the most die-hard believers against him.

Perhaps he's realised the tide has turned against him and is cutting his losses.

[chillzero]

This is on Brian's site today:

So he's no longer 'working on' the case and is claiming it's at the request of the family.

That may be true but I do think that this replication and revelation of his trick has made a lot of people realise what he's really doing.

I can't claim that this has resulted in a huge amount of negative feedback for him and forced him to give up, but it's undoubtedly helped to turn all but the most die-hard believers against him.

Perhaps he's realised the tide has turned against him and is cutting his losses.

Brilliant John!!
Well done for raising the profile.

[Kevin36]

Greetings John Jackson,

That is an interesting concept you have there. How ever, did you forget to mention the fact that over 4,000 people receive Brians dreams via email before any of Brian's documented dreams ever takes place?

I guess the fact that Brian himself doesn't believe in half of his dreams doesn't have anything to do with the skeptics out there either.

How do you feel about dream research? I know it doesn't sound like it has anything to do with what Brian does and sadly many people think that Brian is a pyschic that gives readings. What do you know about dream research? This has a lot to do with what Brian does in life because Brian places his dreams on his website and to over 4,000 other people on his mailing list. Speaking of Brians mailing list, why do you think that Brian doesn't charge anyone to get his emails, even though Brian pays money to a mailing list provider?

If I may I would like to send your recent post from May 31st. to Brian and see if he can account for your skeptical research on him. If not, I will understand.

My name is Kevin and I am Brians manager. I would hope that being a skeptic also means that I will be treated with the same respect that I would give anyone here. If not then there is no need for me to be here.

Take care,
-Kevin,
Brians manager.

[John Jackson]

Greetings John Jackson

Greetings Brian Kevin.

That is an interesting concept you have there. How ever, did you forget to mention the fact that over 4,000 people receive Brians dreams via email before any of Brian's documented dreams ever takes place?

Probably because I'm not interested in how he does the majority of his 'predictions'.

All he's doing is producing a multitude of drawings without any context and then letting his readers fill in the meaning afterwards. That's just a bog-standard psychic routine.

Of course, it would help if every now and then he predicted something big to keep everyone interested: like the lottery numbers.

So, I'd say that most of the time he's just posting meaningless pictures and letting others apply the meaning to them but every now and then he resorts to cheating and fakes the odd sensational prediction.

Remember, he was caught red-handed when he did his fake lottery prediction (!)

How do you feel about dream research?

Red herring.

If I may I would like to send your recent post from May 31st. to Brian and see if he can account for your skeptical research on him. If not, I will understand.

Go ahead - send them all

Say hello from me and ask him to account for his being caught cheating making his lottery prediction. Now THAT is an explanation I would like to hear.

-Kevin,
Brians manager.

Now why would Brian, who's not doing this for money or anything , have a manager?

[Kevin36]

Greetings John,

You have a lot of questions, which is good because many of them can be answered through study of Brians website. Concerning the lottery, I will ask Brian about this.

I am a litle confused on your responce to my question John (sorry). You stated that other dreams from Brian are not your concern, yes? Was that answer in relation to my question concerning Brians mass emailings? Why is it that when Brian emails out his dreams one or many of them come true an hour or day or week later? Brian does not even consider himself a pyschic, yet some people call him that name. Brian has dreams like everyone else. Actually he doesn't understand how pyschics can do readings for people. He doesn't understand how some pyschics rake in millions of dollars. Dreams are what we all have and we can explore them and be skeptical of them (both is good).

For example: If I had a dream and it came true most people would not believe me because they did not see what I had seen in that particular dream. What I don't understand is how some people tell me that my dream wasn't real and that they think I am trying to be pyschic. Also, these same people don't consider the possibility that my dream was real and that it did come true. Based on these facts I have no choice but to feel that those same people (who did not believe my dream) are closed minded people. I did not use this example to call any one here "closed minded", I'm just stating what I believe to be the facts in the world. You are a skeptic John and I commend you for this.

I really do like what everyone here is doing on this forum. In this day and age people must be skeptical about many things.

Again, please give me some time to email Brian your lottery question John and I will get back to you as soon as possible.

Take care,
-Kevin,
Brians manager.

[John Jackson]

I look forward to Brian's response as to why he uploaded the lottery numbers image after the lottery had been drawn and then claimed he'd had a predictive dream.

[Araneus]

Why is it that when Brian emails out his dreams one or many of them come true an hour or day or week later?

Probably because they don't. What I expect you meant to say was "Many of them appear to have some vague and subjective similarity to something or other which happened to the person reading the email", which is very different from a dream "coming true" to the last objective detail.

Like last night, for instance, I dreamed about the guy who sits next to me at work. You know what? Today, I saw him in the office! Isn't that incredible, my dream coming true just like that? I should start a mailing list or something.

[John Jackson]

Based on these facts I have no choice but to feel that those same people (who did not believe my dream) are closed minded people. I did not use this example to call any one here "closed minded", I'm just stating what I believe to be the facts in the world.

Ah ha!! Do I spot an occurrence of Jackson's law?

Jackson’s law: as a discussion with a credulous believer grows longer, the probability of him or her not claiming to be open-minded, or that his or her opponent is closed-minded, approaches zero.

It is similar to Godwin’s law, which states: As an online discussion grows longer, the probability of a comparison involving Nazis or Hitler approaches one, but it differs in that the claim to be open-minded usually occurs early in the argument therefore the longer the discussion the less the probability becomes that the claim will not be made.

You made it to 2 posts!!

See also: The Open Mind.

[Kevin36]

Thank you John I very happy that I made it to two posts. Can we call this the 3rd. post now?