Some quick observations on the effect of circumstances on observations

Thinking about the apparent effect that unexplained phenomena have on paranormal researchers, I was reminded of an event I experienced quite a few years ago. It wasn't anything related to the paranormal, or even anything extraordinary.

I was with a bunch of middle-level managers on a team-building retreat. Yeah, this was maybe twenty-two or -three years ago. Anyway, one of the exercises was to climb a rope ladder to a large limb of an oak tree. I think it was oak because the branch was a good 18" (.5m) diameter and horizontal. Yeah, a really big tree. The limb was about 25' up (7m). Not that high, and big enough to walk along. And there were guide ropes, too.

Thing is, some of the managers were afraid of heights, and the prospect of climbing that rope ladder up to the limb and walking out along it, even with a harness and ropes around them, really terrified them. And I mean they were really, really afraid.

The phenomenon I observed was how their fear translated to others. In particular, to me. I am not afraid of heights, or of climbing rope ladders or walking along limbs. But when it came time to climb, and armed with the expectation and dread of the others, I found my heart really pounding as I climbed that ladder. Once I was on the limb it was no problem. There was really no reason to be afraid of falling. I've climbed lots of trees, and this was nothing new. The atmosphere of fear and trepidation had been very heavy among those of us waiting to climb, even among us that had no particular reason to be afraid.

I think they call this mob mentality, and it's real. So next time you're with a bunch of excited and excitable paranormal researchers walking around in the dark of some old house or building in the middle of the night, and there's a sound or something moves and everyone jumps, just remember that a major part of your fear comes not from the unexpected, but from the others.

Skeptics vs paranormal investigators

Huh. I found this entry on a blog I watch. An amateur skeptic got in "trouble" for making fun of some paranormal investigators. Easy to understand, I think. I watch Ghost Hunters for the interpersonal drama and to debunk every claim they make. Ridiculously easy.

I don't know what's in the picture in question, but the "ghost" image seems rather distinct given the overall fuzziness of the photo. OK, the photo may be enlarged somewhat so it shows the film's grain (like pixilation would for a digital photo), yet the "ghost" image seems quite distinct. It also doesn't really look unambiguously human, either, IMHO. Could be anything. That's the real test--is the evidence unambiguous?

I don't know what's in the picture, but "ghost" is the last conclusion I would ever reach. When you see hoof-prints, think horses, not zebras. Whether or not a skeptic could duplicate the shadow in the photo (as claimed), there is definitely a mundane explanation for this. We just haven't found it, yet. I wonder if it's worth the effort, even.

Fortunately, the bar is set VERY high for any paranormal investigator. I say "fortunately," because just like in real science, tests have to be constructed very carefully to eliminate the many extraneous factors that might skew the results. Given the notorious unreliability of "ghosts," (apparently so, given the "evidence" presented to date) a controlled experiment seems problematic at the very least. But necessary, as it happens. Until then, no quantity of fuzzy photos or compelling personal anecdotes can possibly turn our heads. Sorry. "Unexplained" will never equal "supernatural," just "not explained yet."

I have always said the universe is much weirder and stranger than we can imagine. But at the same time I have also imagined we would either know what something is, or have unambiguous proof that it's something completely outside our ability to know. Tall order, I would think.

If I'm asking too much, let me know. I keep an open mind, but ya still gotta prove it.

I was right about Palin, and more

This is schadenfreude, pure and simple. Reports now are that Palin was not just a "maverick" but a loose cannon on the deck of the McCain campaign. Apparently she was very irresponsible, initially very ignorant, and left Arizona in a 12-vehicle motorcade accompanied by 18 family members. McCain drove himself home, Lindsay Grahan riding shotgun. To be fair, she was 2,500 miles from home, but we still need to ask about her expentidures for clothes. Well, we don't need to ask, but I sure am glad she's not the vice president.

Oh, and what about Ralph Nader's comment about "Obama needs to decide whether he'll be Uncle Sam or Uncle Tom"? Seems the President has more choices than that, but what an awful thing to say. What's worse, he tried to defend the statement. Talk about jumping the shark ... it's just sad.

Finally, I have to say that if McCain hadn't chosen Palin, and if we'd had a chance to see the real man during the campaign, then my choice would have been made much more difficult. I think Obama will do well as president, particularly since he will very obviously be a huge contrast to the last 8 years. A Democratic Congress isn't necessarily a good thing, and for the same reasons the Republican Congress wasn't good. I do want them to work together to do right, but I am also aware that the term "Congress doing right" is almost an oxymoron.

Oh well, I must be a closet optimist, after all.

Laws against sin

I passed by this article on same-sex marriage. In the article they quoted one woman as stating "same sex marriage is a sin."

Here is my question, since the woman was obviously against permitting it. Should our law attempt to legislate morality? Should there be a law against sinful behavior? Specifically, this kind of behavior.

There are laws against committing murder, for example. Few, even the godless, would argue that murder should be permitted. I'd think the answer to this should be obvious: murder affects others in a profound way. It disrupts their lives, etc., and I agree murder shouldn't be permitted. We've had laws banning strong drink, but they were controversial at best. Adultery isn't illegal, and most states with sodomy laws have repealed them mostly because us straight folk wanted to engage in that behavior without fear of being arrested.

I've been trying to go down the list of "sins" in the Ten Commandments, but can't find too many that are against the law. Except murder. And perjury, which I believe is the false witness injunction.

Even if you believe same-sex marriage is a sin, is that reason enough to make it illegal? There are lots of "sins" out there, but our system of laws tends not to recognize them. Reason being, one man's sin is another man's hobby. I'm not saying same-sex marriage is a hobby, and I'll agree some would find it sinful, but is it a good candidate for legislating?

I've already put my two cents in on this subject. My posts said nothing at all about how I feel about the behavior of gays, but just for the record: I say live and let live. To each their own. I play Dungeons and Dragons, too. Some would find that sinful, but thankfully it's still not against the law.

Lastly, I saw this quote: "We've made bad selections as presidents but survived as a nation. But if we move down the path towards the dissolution of marriage we cannot divorce ourselves from the consequences of that." Correct me if I'm wrong, but allowing same-sex couples to marry doesn't dissolve marriage, it extends it. Of course, they aren't saying exactly what the consequences would be, and in what way they would be irrevocable. I suppose that's just as well.

We voted today, early

We waited in line at Veterans Memorial in downtown Columbus, Ohio over 4 hours this afternoon to vote. Lines wrapped all the way down the side of the building, and even longer inside the building itself. It's hard to judge, but I'd say there were minimally a few thousand people in line continuously from the time we arrived until about 5:30 when we finally finished voting. The line's end had just entered the building as we walked out.

The demographics of the voters was by far the most interesting aspect. I would not be exaggerating to say 80% were black, with the remainder comprising Somalians, college students, and just plain "white" folks. More women than men, too. If most of these people were voting for Obama (and I believe they were, since only Obama volunteers were on hand and everyone carried Obama pamphlets), my humble estimate is that McCain doesn't stand a chance. At least in Ohio. This time around, most Americans are voting, and this is a very good thing. Republicans probably aren't feeling so good about it, but they had their chance and they flat-out blew it.

My wife says this is history being made. Though I suppose the election could still be stolen, from what I saw I sincerely doubt it

But this means, more than ever, no matter who you support--get out and VOTE!

Christian charity refuses gift from gamers

I caught this and thought I should comment. Perhaps I should also mention that it's been noticed by some prominent non-Christian bloggers, too. Seems there is something possibly worse than being an atheist (from a Christian perspective).

The Christian Children's Fund was the late Gary Gygax's favorite charity (he was the father of the RPG), so the folks at GenCon Indianapolis wanted them to be the sponsored charity for a charity auction to be held at the event. Well, the CCF refused, citing the patent evil of Dungeons and Dragons, and gave up over $17,000 that the gamers raised. Fisher House Foundation became the charity, instead.

And we thought all this DnD "Satan worship" crap died off in the 1980's. Seems some folks continue to live in a fantasy world, but this time they aren't gamers. If you've heard of the "no true Scotsman" argument, it would seem to apply. All you Christian gamers are definitely going to hell! Real Christians have said so.

I don't really want to insult anyone who professes to be Christian and games. And of course not all Christians agree on everything. Avoiding the argument of who is right and who is wrong, for a moment, it still does occur to me that within the huge sphere of beliefs we find in this world, the chance that there's one and only one right "way" seems ... rather improbable. My god has a sense of humor, and is tolerant, kind, and runs a level 60 demigod in my fortnightly heroes game. He and Ra get along famously.