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Archive for May, 2009

May 30

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The Journal of Scientific Exploration

The Journal of Scientific Exploration (JSE) has just made their archive available online for free. If you have a chance, I would browse the entire archive. In the meantime, here are some interesting selections from Rupert’s work:

Experiment Effects in Scientific Research: How Widely Are They Neglected? by R Sheldrake
Abstract: A survey of recent papers published in a range of scientific journals showed that the use of blind methodologies is very rare in the so-called hard sciences. In the physical sciences, no blind experiments were found among the 237 papers reviewed. In the biological sciences, there were 7 blind experiments out of 914 (0.8%). There was a higher proportion in the medical sciences, 6 out of 102 (5.9%), and in psychology and animal behavior, 7 out of 143 (4.9%). By far the highest proportion (85.2%) was in parapsychology.

A Dog That Seems to Know When His Owner Is Coming Home by R. Sheldrake / P. Smart
Abstract: Many dog owners claim that their animals know when a member of the household is about to come home, showing their anticipation by waiting at a door or window. We have investigated such a dog, called Jaytee, in more than 100 videotaped experiments. His owner, Pam Smart (P.S.) traveled at least 7 km away from home while the place where the dog usually waited for her was filmed continuously.

Testing a Language-Using Parrot for Telepathy by R. Sheldrake / A. Morgana
Abstract: Aimée Morgana noticed that her language-using African Grey parrot, N’kisi, often seemed to respond to her thoughts and intentions in a seemingly telepathic manner. We set up a series of trials to test whether this apparent telepathic ability would be expressed in formal tests in which Aimée and the parrot were in different rooms, on different floors, under conditions in which the parrot could receive no sensory information from Aimée or from anyone else. During these trials, Aimée and the parrot were both videotaped continuously.

An Automated Online Telepathy Test by R. Sheldrake / M. Lambert
Abstract: This paper describes an automated online telepathy test in which each receiver had four senders. In a series of 10 trials the computer picked one of the senders at random and asked her to write a short message to the receiver. At the end of the one-minute trial period, the receiver was asked to guess which sender had written a message, and she received the message only after this guess had been recorded by the computer.

A Dog That Seems To Know When His Owner Is Coming Home by D. Radin
Abstract: Initial observations by Sheldrake and Smart from 1994 through 1997 suggested that a male terrier dog named Jaytee was able to anticipate when Smart was returning home. In a later series of 45 formal videotaped experiments, Jaytee’s anticipatory behavior proved to be significantly accurate. Although Jaytee’s performance was remarkably accurate on average, sometimes he failed to anticipate his owner’s return. Analysis of environmental variables on the days of the tests suggests that Jaytee’s behavior was significantly affected by changes in a complex assortment of geomagnetic and other environmental factors.

May 11

100 More Unskippable Songs

  • (I Could Only) Whisper Your Name by Harry Connick, Jr. on She
  • (Reach Up for the) Sunrise by Duran Duran on Astronaut
  • …Vista by Guadalcanal Diary on Flip-Flop
  • A Love So Beautiful by Roy Orbison on The Essential Roy Orbison
  • A Million Miles Away by The Plimsouls on Everywhere At Once
  • Ain’t Got No Home by Clarence “Frogman” Henry on The Best of Clarence “Frogman” Henry
  • Always Something There to Remind Me by Naked Eyes on Promises, Promises: The Very Best of Naked Eyes
  • Angel by Shaggy on Hot Shot
  • Are You Gonna Be My Girl by Jet on Are You Gonna Be My Girl – Single
  • Ave Maria by Jesper Kyds on Hitman Soundtrack
  • Beat’s So Lonely by Charlie Sexton on Just Can’t Get Enough: New Wave Hits of the ’80s
  • Black Horse and The Cherry Tree by KT Tunstall on Eye To The Telescope
  • Blitzkrieg Bop by Rob Zombie on Past, Present & Future
  • Bloodletting (The Vampire Song) by Concrete Blonde on Bloodletting
  • Blue by Eiffel 65 on Europop
  • Blue Eyes by Elton John on Greatest Hits 1970-2002
  • Bo Diddley by Bo Diddley on Greatest Hits Of The Millennium 50′s
  • Break Your Heart by Natalie Merchant on Ophelia
  • Brown Eyed Girl by Van Morrison on The Best of Van Morrison
  • Can’t Help Falling In Love by UB40 on The Very Best Of UB40 1980 – 2000
  • Carolyn’s Fingers by Cocteau Twins on Blue Bell Knoll
  • Cheap and Cheerful by The Kills on Midnight Boom (Bonus Track Version)
  • City of New Orleans by Willie Nelson on The Essential Willie Nelson
  • Closer by Nine Inch Nails on The Downward Spiral
  • Cracklin’ Rosie (Live Version) by Neil Diamond on The Greatest Hits 1966 – 1992
  • Crazy Bitch by Buckcherry on 15
  • Criminal by Fiona Apple on Tidal
  • Daydream by The Lovin’ Spoonful on Daydream
  • Dead Sound by The Raveonettes on Lust Lust Lust
  • Don’t Forget to Dance by The Kinks on The Ultimate Collection
  • Don’t Kiss Me Goodbye by Ultra Orange & Emmanuelle on The Diving Bell And The Butterfly
  • Don’t Look Any Further by Dennis Edwards on 20th Century Masters – The Millennium Collection: The Best of Motown ’80s
  • Dr. Who on Holiday by Dean Gray on American Edit
  • Everybody Wants You by Kelly Reverb on Back 2 The Future: 80′s Hits Reinvented
  • Feelin’ Alright by Joe Cocker on Gold
  • Feeling Good by Nina Simone on The Very Best of Nina Simone
  • Fever by Peggy Lee on Absolute Golden Oldies
  • Flashback by Ministry on The Land of Rape and Honey
  • Frozen by Madonna on Ray of Light
  • Get Busy by Sean Paul on Dutty Rock
  • Girl You Know It’s True (N.Y.C. Subway remix) by Milli Vanilli on Greatest Hits
  • Good Times by Edie Brickell on Picture Perfect Morning
  • Heard It in a Love Song by The Marshall Tucker Band on Millenium Collection
  • Heroes by The Wallflowers on Godzilla
  • Hit by The Sugarcubes on Stick Around for Joy
  • Hold On! I’m Comin’ by Sam & Dave on The Essentials: Sam & Dave
  • Hot N Cold by Katy Perry on One of the Boys
  • Hungry Heart by Bruce Springsteen on The Essential Bruce Springsteen
  • I Can’t Go for That (No Can Do) by Hall & Oates on The Very Best of Daryl Hall & John Oates
  • I Did It by Dave Matthews Band on Everyday
  • I Try by Macy Gray on The Very Best Of Macy Gray
  • I’m Amazed by My Morning Jacket on Evil Urges
  • I’m Not in Love by The Pretenders on Indecent Proposal
  • In the End by Linkin Park on Hybrid Theory
  • I’ve Got Dreams To Remember by Otis Redding on The Definitive Soul Collection
  • I’ve Got You Under My Skin (feat. Bono) by Frank Sinatra on Duets
  • Joyride by Roxette on A Collection of Roxette Hits! Their 20 Greatest Songs!
  • Just My Imagination by The Temptations on All The Million-Sellers
  • Killing Me Softly by Fugees on The Score
  • Laid by James on Laid
  • Land Of 1000 Dances by Wilson Pickett on The Definitive Collection
  • Lights by Journey on Greatest Hits
  • Long Tall Sally by Little Richard on The Very Best Of
  • Lost At Birth by Public Enemy on Pineapple Express
  • Love Me Tomorrow by Chicago on Greatest Hits: 1982-1989
  • Machine Gun by The Commodores on The Best Of The Commodores, The Millennium Collection
  • Maggie’s Farm by Bob Dylan on The Essential Bob Dylan
  • Major Tom (Coming Home) (Special Extended Club Version) by Peter Schilling on 80′s 12” (the Extended Collection)
  • Mannish Boy by Muddy Waters on Hard Again
  • Mellow Yellow by Donovan on The Very Best Of Donovan
  • Million Faces by Paolo Nutini on These Streets
  • Naughty Naughty by John Parr on John Parr
  • Need You Tonight (Static Revenger Mix Edit) by INXS on Future Retro
  • Never Gonna Give You Up by Rick Astley on The Greatest Hits
  • No Sleep Tonight by The Faders on No Sleep Tonight – Single
  • Numb (new mix) by U2 on The Best of 1990-2000
  • O… Saya by A. R. Rahman & M.I.A. on Slumdog Millionaire
  • Only Happy When It Rains by Garbage on Garbage
  • Photograph by Def Leppard on Vault: Greatest Hits 1980-1995
  • Puttin’ On the Ritz  by Taco on After Eight
  • Rainy Night in Georgia by Ray Charles on The Genius Hits The Road
  • Rhythm Of My Heart by Rod Stewart on The Story So Far
  • Shake That (Feat. Nate Dogg) by Eminem on Curtain Call: The Hits
  • Should I Stay or Should I Go by The Clash on The Clash – The Singles
  • Slave to Love by Bryan Ferry on Slave to Love: The Best of the Ballads
  • Spanish Games by Adam Ant on Strip
  • Stigmata by Ministry on The Land of Rape and Honey
  • Superheroes by You Love Her Coz Shes Dead on Inner City Angst – EP
  • Superstition by Stevie Wonder on The Definitive Collection
  • Suspicious Minds by Fine Young Cannibals on Fine Young Cannibals
  • Tainted Love by Soft Cell on The Singles
  • Take A Picture by Filter on Take a Picture
  • Take the Long Way Home by Supertramp on The Very Best of Supertramp
  • That’s What Love Will Make You Do by Janiva Magness on What Love Will Do
  • The Boxer by Simon & Garfunkel on The Best of Simon & Garfunkel
  • The Living by Natalie Merchant on Ophelia
  • The Mighty Quinn (Quinn the Eskimo) by Manfred Mann on Chapter Two: The Best of the Fontana Years
  • The Sky Is Broken by Moby on Play
  • Turn the Beat Around by Gloria Estefan on The Essential Gloria Estefan
  • Unchained Melody (Orchestral) by Maurice Jarre on Ghost
  • Unfinished Sympathy by Massive Attack on Blue Lines
  • Wait for You by Bonham on The Disregard of Timekeeping
  • Walk Like an Egyptian by The Bangles on Super Hits
  • We’re Going to Be Friends by The White Stripes on White Blood Cells
  • What a Wonderful World by Joey Ramone on Don’t Worry About Me
  • What Can I Do (Tin Tin Out remix) by The Corrs on The Best of the Corrs
  • What’s Happening Brother by Marvin Gaye on What’s Going On
  • When a Man Loves a Woman by Percy Sledge on Absolute Golden Oldies
  • When I Fall In Love by Nat “King” Cole on The World of Nat King Cole
  • Who Made Who by AC/DC on Who Made Who
  • Whole Lotta Shakin’ Going On by Jerry Lee Lewis on Greatest Hits
  • Who’s Your Daddy by Benny Benassi on Best of Benny Benassi
  • You Dropped a Bomb on Me by The Gap Band on 20th Century Masters – The Millennium Collection: The Best of the Gap Band
  • You Gotta Be by Des’Ree on Platinum 90′s Hits

May 3

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Religious Misunderstandings

Religions are predicated on some profound or miraculous event that requires blind faith to believe in. From an objective point of view, these events are usually quite incredible and sometimes sound plain silly. Did you know that…

  • Christians believe that Jesus was born to a virgin mother and that the universe was created in 6 days
  • Mormons believe that God lives on a planet near the star Kolob and that the Garden of Eden is in Missouri
  • The Kaaba – that Muslims walk around – contains a black stone that they believe is a special divine meteorite that fell at the foot of Adam and Eve
  • Hindus believe that every 40 billion years all things dissolve and nothing exists for an equivalent time – then it all begins again
  • Hindus also once believed that the Earth rested on four elephants and those elephants stood on a giant tortoise floating on the universal ocean
  • Buddhists believe that all life is suffering and that the only way to escape suffering is to eliminate all desire and attachments by becoming a monk and meditate
  • Xenu, according to Scientology, is the dictator of the Galactic Confederacy who, 75 million years ago, brought billions of his people to Earth in a DC-8-like spacecraft
  • Wiccans believe in magic that can be manipulated through the form of witchcraft or sorcery

A religion is more than just a belief in the incredible though. I haven’t found a single case where there isn’t a strong sense of community. Most people are just looking for a place to belong and a way to give their life some meaning. Most of our lives have very little meaning so it’s no wonder we are attracted to the fantastic with promises of another life, after death, that will be much better than this one. Though each religion may be based on a myth that requires a stretch of the imagination, what you get in return is not so bad, is it?

Mormons believe that God was once like humans and that humans can become like God. How empowering is that? Christians believe that we all have the power to be saved and go to Heaven after we die. Muslims believe in a rich afterlife and are required to give a portion of their income to the poor. Scientology has rallied against the power of pharmaceutical companies and also setup some of the best drug rehabilitation centers in the world. Hindus have developed a religion and cosmology that is remarkably close to modern science and cosmology.

Of course, depending on where you were born and what language you speak, someone else’s religion always seems a little silly. But remember that your religion also seems a little silly to them, too. Instead of condemning one another for not believing as we do, it seems better to embrace these differences in the marketplace of ideas. In the end, they are all trying to accomplish the same thing – to give your life and your eventual death meaning in a universe that often feels completely meaningless.