I'd forgotten about this psychic nonsense...

[Islander]

If they are anything like some of the so called scientists I have met they won't know which way is up never mind if it's safe or not

I've done a bit of physics at degree level and what he says is spot on - you can breathe easy

 

[Alastair]

:shrug: I don't understand this obsession with a possible afterlife (or lack thereof)

The promise of a better life after death is the means by which organised religion works to reduce the likelihood of the peasants revolting against the establishment.

If you were to accept that this is it and all you get.. then it doesn't look so fair that 2% have 98% of the cake.. and a spade begins to look more and more like a potential tool of wealth redistribution rather than a means of moving yet more ***t from here to there with the promise of only more ***t to come.. .. .

 

[gabe]

Who needs the supernatural when you have quantum physics. That's well weird. Reality isn't reality anyway. What we see quite often isn't there and most of what is solid, isn't. Shame the whole ghosts phenomenon attracts nutters or it would be more believable!

That is so true. It would be great if the 'ghost phenomenon' could be investigated in a scientific way, but as you say it's thanks to the nutters that nobody will take it seriously. I suppose it's a bit like homeopathy in that respect.

 

[Islander]

That is so true. It would be great if the 'ghost phenomenon' could be investigated in a scientific way, but as you say it's thanks to the nutters that nobody will take it seriously. I suppose it's a bit like homeopathy in that respect.

It's been investigated scientifically many many times. No scientific proof exists. Ditto homeopathy and a good few other alternative therapies.

James Randi has a million dollar prize up for grabs for the first person to scientifically prove the existence of supernatural phenomena - it's been up for grabs in one form or another since the 60s and remains unclaimed

 

[AndyJ1980]

I've been to spiritualist churches in the past, and I must say they scared the crap outta me! One medium knew stuff about me that no-one would have ever known...ie. the exact moment I considered a career change and to study law and where I was at the time (my now ex didn't even know til we got back to the UK) or that my great grandfather was deaf and only turned his hearing aid on when the gg's were on.

I believe there is a way of 'communicating' with the afterlife *for want of a better word* BUT there's too many people out there who exploit the fact you cannot prove what they said is true, and I'm not convinced with the orb thing either.

You know a good medium by what they tell you (specific details such as places...dates are usually too hard to pin point exactly since time is 'warped')

 

[AndyJ1980]

It's been investigated scientifically many many times. No scientific proof exists. Ditto homeopathy and a good few other alternative therapies.

James Randi has a million dollar prize up for grabs for the first person to scientifically prove the existence of supernatural phenomena - it's been up for grabs in one form or another since the 60s and remains unclaimed

we believe there's such a thing as anti-matter, although we cannot see it



oooo I could be on to something here

 

[hashcake]

I see dead pixels

 

[Islander]

we believe there's such a thing as anti-matter, although we cannot see it



oooo I could be on to something here

There's direct evidence of the existence of anti matter and more to the point the data is repeatable. The same can't be said of the paranormal

 

[Islander]

I've been to spiritualist churches in the past, and I must say they scared the crap outta me! One medium knew stuff about me that no-one would have ever known...ie. the exact moment I considered a career change and to study law and where I was at the time (my now ex didn't even know til we got back to the UK) or that my great grandfather was deaf and only turned his hearing aid on when the gg's were on.

I believe there is a way of 'communicating' with the afterlife *for want of a better word* BUT there's too many people out there who exploit the fact you cannot prove what they said is true, and I'm not convinced with the orb thing either.

You know a good medium by what they tell you (specific details such as places...dates are usually too hard to pin point exactly since time is 'warped')

Look up cold reading techniques. It's all quite cynical really. There's an excellent novel by Christopher Brookmyre called the Attack of the Unsinkable Rubber Ducks that explains in great detail how so-called mediums do this.

I'm sure there are some mediums that think they're making a difference for the better but it's still all as fake as a nine bob note

 

[CT]

Derek Acorah got caught out cheating and hamming it up on the TV programme 'Most Haunted' and was sacked. People still flock to see him in droves.

I've watched Janice Williams on TV stopping people in the street at random and telling them jaw dropping stuff. I'm the most cynical person you'll meet but I can't work out how she does it.

 

[swanseamale47]

Look up cold reading techniques. It's all quite cynical really. There's an excellent novel by Christopher Brookmyre called the Attack of the Unsinkable Rubber Ducks that explains in great detail how so-called mediums do this.

I'm sure there are some mediums that think they're making a difference for the better but it's still all as fake as a nine bob note

What a fantastic title.

 

[Islander]

Derek Acorah got caught out cheating and hamming it up on the TV programme 'Most Haunted' and was sacked. People still flock to see him in droves.

I've watched Janice Williams on TV stopping people in the street at random and telling them jaw dropping stuff. I'm the most cynical person you'll meet but I can't work out how she does it.

Cold reading.

 

[Islander]

What a fantastic title.

He does have some rather good titles

 

[AndyJ1980]

I'm sure there are some mediums that think they're making a difference for the better but it's still all as fake as a nine bob note

what I mean by exact details, I was on top of Eiffel Tower, watching sunset, with my ex, and it was that moment I decided to study law (took me 2 years to apply, and applied straight after speaking with the medium).

no one would be able to guess that

 

[Islander]

what I mean by exact details, I was on top of Eiffel Tower, watching sunset, with my ex, and it was that moment I decided to study law (took me 2 years to apply, and applied straight after speaking with the medium).

no one would be able to guess that

You'd be very surprised what a skilled cold reader can get out of you.

 

[MartynK]

I've never had a paranormal experience and I haven't a clue if there is an after life, or if "ghosts" are likely to be related to it in any case. OTOH, I'm reasonably open minded and I don't have any difficulty in accepting that there are an awful lot of things that we don't know anything about or understand. That doesn't necessarily mean they're all nonsense.

Switching on a television, or using a mobile, would probably have got you burned at the stake a few hundred years ago. Could this whole paranormal industry just be capitalising on perfectly normal phenomena that are beyond our ability to explain at present?

 

[AndyB]

Who needs the supernatural when you have quantum physics. That's well weird. Reality isn't reality anyway. What we see quite often isn't there and most of what is solid, isn't. Shame the whole ghosts phenomenon attracts nutters or it would be more believable!

Love quantum physics - all full of theories to explain unknowns when we don't have a real answer. Even uncle Albert was known to fudge his maths to get the answer he wanted. Until something is proven it's as unlikely as orbs.

I have my own theory on where the dark matter is anyway. Belly button fluff. If you add it all up it's probably about the right amount considering how many people inhabit the universe

 

[Islander]

Love quantum physics - all full of theories to explain unknowns when we don't have a real answer. Even uncle Albert was known to fudge his maths to get the answer he wanted. Until something is proven it's as unlikely as orbs.

I have my own theory on where the dark matter is anyway. Belly button fluff. If you add it all up it's probably about the right amount considering how many people inhabit the universe

Can you be sure that they all have belly buttons though...

 

[AndyB]

Well yes actually - otherwise the dark matter theory wouldn't add up

 

[hunter20ga]

Well yes actually - otherwise the dark matter theory wouldn't add up

Ah...classic circular reasoning.

You have to be born (not hatched) to have a belly button...and only placental mammals have 'em.

And then you have to take into account the ratio of "innies" and "outies" and the variance in amount of belly button fluff (BBF) that each can hold, then calculate the quantity of BBF that randomly escapes from said belly buttons, leaving room for more to accumulate. Sounds dicey.

 

[AndyB]

Ah but the point is that there is always fluff there. The universe finds a balance so when fluff drops out naturally more fluff then accumulates in it's place. Therefore it could be said that there is a finite amount of BB fluff.

Outies are an evolutionary branch that is increasing. Therefore, altough the population is increasing steadily the number if innies remains constant. The amount of BB flush also remains constant.

This theory does of course, assume that all fluff has the same density.