I've had conversations with people while shelving books in the Metaphysics section of the bookstore where I work. I've read a few chapters in a few books. I've listened to Art Bell at night on the subject. And, finally...I went to the usual Skeptic Magazine websites.
My tentative conclusion thus far is this.
Our Federal agencies have conducted experiments. Those experiments weren't conducted by people with scientific credentials as far as setting up double blind conditions. The results of those studies and experiments were fruitless and the agencies shut down further studies. The expenditure of tax dollars did not justify the expense. They usually don't. :)
The fact that official agencies (Federal) actually worked on Remote viewing experiments has provided a field day for the conspiracy nuts, New Age speculators, talk show flim-flammers and the usual authors who exaggerate simplicity into miracles for monetary gain.
James Randi has a standing offer of one million dollars (set aside in escrow) for any controlled experiment which conclusively demonstrates ANY paranormal powers whatsoever. This would include ESP, spoon bending, water-witching, psychic ability, telekinesis, remote viewing, levitation, etc.
Nobody has ever been able to claim the prize.
See below: (from http://www.randi.org/encyclopedia/remote%20viewing.html )
http://forums.randi.org/showthread.php?t=10386
http://skepdic.com/randi.html
remote viewing This phenomenon first became a celebrated subject after parapsychologists Harold Puthoff and Russell Targ published a scientific paper which reported on experiments in which a remote location had been chosen, an experimenter visited there, and a subject recorded his or her psychic impressions of the spot. Their results seemed to prove that a “remote sensing” faculty did exist.
Subsequently, properly controlled tests were done by several other researchers, eliminating several sources of cuing and extraneous evidence that had been present in the tests. These new tests produced negative results. The data of Puthoff and Targ were reexamined by the other researchers, and it was found that their students were able to solve the locations without use of any psychic powers, using only the clues that had inadvertently been included in the Puthoff and Targ transcripts.
