Credophilia

• In 1997 Dr Roger Nelson observed a significant deviation in a worldwide network of random number generators on the same day as the funeral of Diana, Princess of Wales.
• Since it was clear that the two events were related [because they had happened on the same day] the project was expanded to search for more evidence of correlation. They soon discovered that the random number generators — "eggs" — were detecting events as diverse as the sinking of the Kursk and the 2000 US election.
• On september 11, 2001, the eggs registered another statistically significant variation four hours before the World Trade Center was hit. Therefore [it was surmised] the eggs were not only detecting major events… they were predicting them!
• I think I’ll stop there. Go read the article if you want to know more…

Ok, so clearly I think this is all total bullshit, which should come as no surprise. After all, I am a skeptic, an atheist, a rationalist etc.

So why am I bothering to write about it now…?

Del.icio.us

Del.icio.us is an interesting tool for gauging people’s reaction to an article, allowing you to see how many people have added it and what descriptions they may have added. As of this writing there are 220 del.icio.us links to the article in question, and 55 of those have descriptions attached. I am guessing that the majority of the 165 people who didn’t bother to add descriptions to the tags might have considered the article "interesting" in a generally positive way.

The 55 descriptions appear as follows, in reverse chronological order [some of them are quotes from the article]:

1. Scientists might have tapped into a single shared unconcious.
2. Very often paranormal phenomena evaporate if you study them for long enough…
3. Again and again, entirely ordinary people proved that their minds could influence the machine and produce significant fluctuations on the graph, ‘forcing it’ to produce unequal numbers of ‘heads’ or ‘tails’.
4. It is possible - in theory - that time may not just move forwards but backwards, too. And if time ebbs and flows like the tides in the sea, it might just be possible to foretell major world events. We would, in effect, be ‘remembering’ things that had tak
5. It seems crazy now, but so did flight, and going to the moon
6. I don’t know as I believe this. But it sure as hell is interesting.
7. Here is the random box article
8. freaky deaky devices go tweaky when something big’s a comin’!
9. The machine apparently sensed the September 11 attacks on the World Trade Centre four hours before they happened
10. Random Event Generator - Its aim is to detect whether all of humanity shares a single subconscious mind that we can all tap into without realising.
11. DEEP in the basement of a dusty university library in Edinburgh lies a small black box, roughly the size of two cigarette packets side by side, that churns out random numbers in an endless stream.
12. …machines like the Edinburgh black box have thrown up a tantalising possibility: that scientists may have unwittingly discovered a way of predicting the future.
13. On attempts to detect changes in global consciousness.
14. Dr Nelson’s investigations, called the Global Consciousness Project, were originally hosted by Princeton University and are centred on one of the most extraordinary experiments of all time. Its aim is to detect whether all of humanity shares a single subc
15. No, it probably can’t. Bad journalism and sensationalist as hell, but entertains in spades.
16. DEEP in the basement of a dusty university library in Edinburgh lies a small black box, roughly the size of two cigarette packets side by side, that churns out random numbers in an endless stream.
17. relates to the global consciousness project
18. A number of scientists believe that this small computer chip that generates a stream of random numbers can see into the future.. They say that it maybe means that time runs forwards and backwards. Very interesting.
19. A link between randomness and human consciousness
20. Predition machinary
21. The ‘eye’ of a machine that appears capable of peering into the future and predicting major world events.
22. A small box has paranormal power see into the future
23. Why didn’t they make it a yellow box? Why does it have to be so ominous?
24. Describes how random number generators seem to deviate around world events
25. some scientists have random number generators that start to predict world events before those events happen.. the good part is in the last half, the first half is just babble about paranormal yada yada.
26. Article about a black box at the Edinburgh university library which has predicted several major events.
27. Dr Nelson’s investigations, called the Global Consciousness Project, were originally hosted by Princeton University and are centred on one of the most extraordinary experiments of all time. Its aim is to detect whether all of humanity shares a single subc
28. "But, according to a growing band of top scientists, this box has quite extraordinary powers. It is, they claim, the ‘eye’ of a machine that appears capable of peering into the future and predicting major world events."
29. Burbling random-number generators that suddenly register "huge deviations from the norm" during (or slightly before) significant world events. Doubtful.
30. paranormal science
31. black box feels thoughts
32. Eggs, machines that can sense world events
33. Global Consciousness Prject
34. Mind Blowing Stuff
35. Squeeze your eyes together and look at reality, you will blur and see a bit of the future too. Only that you have to look at reality by throwing dices. Anyone still doubting the I Ging and the Tarot ?
36. Article on a possible Global Consciousness, unexplained phenomena
37. "…according to a growing band of top scientists, this box has quite extraordinary powers. It is, they claim, the ‘eye’ of a machine that appears capable of peering into the future and predicting major world events."
38. maybe
39. Random number generators gone prophetic
40. The Global Consciousness Project tries to tap into our "share subconscious"
41. ‘We’re taught to be individualistic monsters,’ he says. ‘We’re driven by society to separate ourselves from each other. We may be connected together far more intimately than we realise.’
42. The machine apparently sensed the September 11 attacks on the World Trade Centre four hours before they happened
43. About the Global Conciousness Project
44. More about possibility that experimental confirmation of cerebral remote networking may exist
45. the ‘eye’ of a machine that appears capable of peering into the future and predicting major world events.
46. "this box has quite extraordinary powers. It is, they claim, the ‘eye’ of a machine that appears capable of peering into the future and predicting major world events" — really it seems to detect huge global events as they occur
47. I want to believe.
48. But, according to a growing band of top scientists, this box has quite extraordinary powers. It is, they claim, the ‘eye’ of a machine that appears capable of peering into the future and predicting major world events.
49. This looks like it’s straight out of minority report
50. Astounding! Inconceivable! Bullshit!
51. heard about this last week on CtC/Art Bell. [remind me to check if it correlates to geomagnetic phenoms]
52. "We may be connected together far more intimately than we realise."
53. This is some of the most interesting scientific stuff I’ve read, well, ever.
54. Global Conciousness Project
55. Creepy.

Where is the critical thinking? How can we consider ourselves media-savvy and still swallow bullshit like this? — Ok, so they’re not all positive, and there are a few "ambivalents" in there, but seriously!

This entry was posted on Friday, March 25th, 2005 at 2:02 pm and is filed under Misc. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.