An octopus outsmarts astrologers
By vijayanths
@vijayanths (7877)
India
July 13, 2010 10:16am CST
2010 FIFA world cup is just over. Octopus Paul outsmarted astrologers in predicting the game results. It has become the super star. Its prediction accuracy is about 80%, they say. No one else could show such an accurate results. You may be wondering how an octopus predicts game results.
Before every match the owner of the octopus places food in two containers each container referring to a team. The octopus chooses one of the two containers. The country represented by that container will win the game, how is this?
Weird? do you think it's just a crap and purely a coincidence?
or do you think there is something in these octopus predictions?
8 responses
@vijayanths (7877)
• India
13 Jul 10
rajesh I thought like that first. But after seeing its predictions with 80% accuracy, now I am a bit not sure about this. I don't know how this is possible. I know astrology and I know there are some calculations we can make to find an answer for a problem. This is something I can't understand.
1 person likes this
@rajeshout (207)
• India
13 Jul 10
there are cases where predictions can happen upto 100%.I think u even know this.
if not so,then his prophecy should happen in that 20% also na.
1 person likes this
@vathsala30 (3732)
• India
13 Jul 10
It is still a mystery vijayanths. As I do not know anything about it and still wondering about the predictions, I do not want to comment about this issue
1 person likes this
@vijayanths (7877)
• India
13 Jul 10
Yes, vathsala, it remains a mystery to me too. I just can't figure it out. May be we must know more about this. The information that we have now with us is not at all adequate to come to a conclusion. But I am truly surprised when I watched the last two matches when Germany and Spain won as predicted by the octopus.
1 person likes this
@vijayanths (7877)
• India
13 Jul 10
I thought that Kala but in that case the owner must be a great astrologer. But why should he say octopus predicted accurate results when he could have earned that fame by now. I just can't understand anything about this. It's beyond my imaginations and knowledge. I will try to know more about this in future before commenting boldly on it.
1 person likes this
@Buchi_bulla (8298)
• India
14 Jul 10
The predictions are done in front of many press reporters. I do not think the smell difference will be there in the food that is kept in the containers. Further this will amount to the Paul's credit going to the person who has chosen the container and kept the smell difference food.
@vijayanths (7877)
• India
15 Jul 10
yes, buchi prediction is done in front of so many people. I have no idea whether the owner does something to attract octopus to one particular container. i can't say much on this as I don't have adequate information on this. May be there is something strange about that octopus, can't be sure though.
@1hopefulman (45120)
• Canada
13 Jul 10
No one but God can accurately foretell the future, neither astrologers nor any other creature. We can only make guesses, sometimes we guess right and other times wrong. It's just the way it is. If an octopus can outguess humans then the more arms one has the better guesser they are. 
@vijayanths (7877)
• India
13 Jul 10
hi, hopefulman, I agree with you that no astrologer can predict future 100% accurately. Then he will become God if he does. But this octopus matter I really can't understand. May be I don't have enough information on this to come to a conclusion, I think.
@vijayanths (7877)
• India
14 Jul 10
I am sure octopus has no idea about what it is doing. I just can't understand this. Can't find the logic (if there is any) behind it. May be we will have more information on this in the coming days. I am sure octopus foretelling will become more popular in future.
@1hopefulman (45120)
• Canada
13 Jul 10
You stated that he has only an 80% accuracy, that's very far from 100%. Remember too that the octopus has no idea what it's doing when it chooses the food. It's just part of the fun!
@mercedlegurpa (955)
• Philippines
15 Jul 10
I think this is just a coincidence. Weird and I don't believe there's something special about this octopus. Maybe the trainer is just good with his skills to do something unique for his octopus. Why is the octopus's brain bigger than an ape? If ever his brains is bigger then I would say Paul is better than astrologers.
@vijayanths (7877)
• India
15 Jul 10
hi,mercedlegurpa you may be right, I have no clues about all these things. Only thing that attracted the world is that all its last predictions were 100% correct. In fact when it predicted that Germany would lose, Germany was a bit unhappy with this octopus. But its prediction came true all the time.
@Hatley (163776)
• Garden Grove, California
13 Jul 10
hi vijayanths I think perhaps someone might know that Paul might like one type of food better than another and he will always choose that one
container as it has the food he likes the best in other words this whole thing could be rigged the food that the favored county s container holds will of course be what the octo pus chooses. I doubt he had any physic ability at all just the ability to remember which tastes the best.lol It is rigged of course.
It is rigged of course.@vijayanths (7877)
• India
13 Jul 10
That is what i also thought first Hatley. In that case the owner fixes the results. It means the owner is capable of predicting the results accurately. In that case he could have become a famous astrologer with his results. Why should he hide behind an octopus? I really can't understand this. May be after some time we will get a clear picture.
@vhings_88 (294)
• Philippines
13 Jul 10
I think there is something on that octopus predictions since I heard it does have its prediction every world cup. But I heard on the news a few hours ago that this octopus id going to retire soon. I don't know what the reason. If he does, there gonna be no more octopus prediction again on the next FIFA world cup.
@vijayanths (7877)
• India
13 Jul 10
yes, vhings, I don't know why the owner announced the retirement? I think there will be more octopus predictions on the next world cup. But this octopus from Germany may retire but 10 other octopuses would be ready for next world cup. I also think that this will become a big business soon. People will seek octopus consultations for predicting their future.
1 person likes this
