Tom Higgins, owner of realm, which operates Irish Psychics Live bought Dickens’ desk today at auction. He said:

I actually think it’s worth a lot more than what I paid for it and expected it could have gone for as much as five million (pounds).

But that doesn’t make sense because he must have just asked his psychics what he’d bid and how it would turn out. He also knows how his space flight will turn out. Life must be very dull for Mr. Higgins.

Unless…The Irish Psychics aren’t actually psychic?

The terms and conditions says:

Users should note that The Company does not make any specific claims about the abilities of its Readers and does not imply or mean to imply that any or all of its Readers are capable of foreseeing or predictions future events other than as a matter of personal opinion and Users are strongly cautioned and advised not to act upon any information received or perceived to have been received without recourse to their normal decision making processes

Then on the web site proper it says:

Irish Psychics Live™ is operated by genuine celtic psychics, the most psychic race in the world.

Wikipedia says:

In popular culture the word psychic (pronounced /ˈsaɪkɨk/; from the Greek psychikos - “of the soul, mental”) refers to the claimed ability to perceive things hidden from the senses through means of extra-sensory perception.

So all the language seems to be designed to create impressions in the users head without actually stating anything that is legally refutable.

Nothing new I know, but it’s just all so cynical and depresses me.

Like from this interview in 2006:

Every new customer is a valuable asset and you have to work hard to keep that customer happy and using your service on a regular basis.

At least a subset of those customers are genuinely under the belief that they’re communicating with a psychic. Indeed, the psychics themselves may believe they are psychic. Great. Solves nothing for anyone. Someone ring them and ask them when the next car accident is going to happen and how to stop it.

I can only console myself by enjoying the Skeptics Dictionary Newsletter #68, which tells the whole story of Pat Kenny’s (he got to be a hero and not a plank, this time) interview with Mr. Higgins, and the ensueing BCC complaints, RTE’s response, and the accusations of slander by one of the psychics.