Can We Scientifically Determine if a Complex Event is Specified?

Intelligent-design theorists have long argued that finding complex and specified information (CSI) is the best way to reliably detect intelligent design in nature. Complexity measures the unlikelihood of an event. Specification claims that the event matches some independent pattern. Recently a correspondent wrote to ask whether we can scientifically conclude that a complex event is in fact specified.

I responded that objections to the "specification" part of CSI have been raised for many year...