General / Off-Topic Paranormal Activity...!

[verminstar]

There are a wealth of psychological reasons people do these kinds of things for no money. It may make them feel good, or powerful, or kind for example. Sometimes these people do background on the people they're 'reading'. Sometimes as I've explained, information can be extracted during the reading itself without your knowledge. I'm not prepared to accept your suggestion that it was something paranormal without some kind of evidence, especially when there are perfectly reasonable alternative explanations for these kinds of things. Sometimes those explanations challenge our beliefs - for example they we could be being deceived, but I think it's more reasonable to entertain that possibility under the circumstances.

I'm not saying that nothing paranormal ever happens. I'm saying how can you possibly believe in it without a shred of proof?

I already don't believe it...that's the problem. I know what I saw and what I heard, but I can't fer the life of me understand it...it simply doesn't make sense. Up until the day before, she wouldn't have known me...we lived over a hundred miles apart and at her age? I'm not sure how old she was...it's hard to tell but certainly as old as I've ever seen in my 44 years on this world. Add to that, that we out in the sticks here where mobile signals fail entirely and most homes have backup generators and "imaginative" plumbing solutions...the stereotypical con artist this woman most certainly doesn't appear to be.

Basically, I still don't believe it...but I can't explain it either. I've gone through every scenario in which I could have been conned and none of them hold water. There's no proof and nothing to prove because it was a personal experience...certain details came up that it simply wasn't possible to be explained by guesswork or doing an intensive search of someone's history, if indeed ye go down the road of how a con artist using mentalism would work. None of it makes any sense.

 

[glynie]

What are your thoughts on this?

[video=youtube;gZVxAUAkHiM]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gZVxAUAkHiM[/video]

 

[verminstar]

Have paused at the one minute point just to point out that Judy is uncomfortable with the paranormal aspect...she can be seen fingering her cross on the necklace shes wearing...to a conman, that's what is called an "in"

Sorry will watch it all now ^^

 

[verminstar]

Fer want of a better word, I would say inception...he's planting the thoughts he wants them to have, either by the way in which he talks and what he says, but in emphasizing his own body language to divert attention onto something. It's a very subtle way of planting the thoughts inside someone's head to make them believe that they had the original thought, when the reality is that they are guided to it by someone who is damned good with the wax lyrical.

A con...a very good con by a very talented artist, but still a con nonetheless. Watch how he studies their body language and the small reactions that are so subtle, they are missed by all but the most skilled readers...even the pupil dilating can be a "poker tell" if ye know how to read them properly.

It's a damned good act in respect to the man who has undoubtedly spent years learning how to...however, there is absolutely nothing unusual about that from a paranormal "psychic" perspective. To explain exactly how he does it, yer gonna end up watching that clip several times with a notebook, and ye still won't get it unless the guy walks ye through it step by step. The boot at the end...make Judy react in a way she may shift her position to make her boots very prominent at the same time Richards attention is diverted down to notice them at the point where he's suggesting Richard envisages an image.

Technically, it's easier to con two people at the same time if they both have a close working relationship together...they already have a natural rapport with each other which can easily be manipulated by someone who is normally used to creating a false familiarity between strangers.

Of course, it's much more subtle than that...I'm just being economical with words in explaining my own thoughts as I tend to ramble if uncontrolled ^^

 

[glynie]

...but that couldn't have been similar to your experience with the old lady?

 

[verminstar]

Absolutely not and I've already reasoned out everything I can remember...right down to my daughter explaining her mum wearing that old favorite sweatshirt. Prior to that, I was the only person on the planet that knew that not counting her brother who was on his second tour of Afganistan at the time. Those details are memories from another time long ago, they aren't recorded anywhere so could not have been stumbled upon. I have absolutely no explanation for that because she described the exact girl brigade motif that her mum was seriously into when she was younger, and that was a decade before I even met her. She was 7 years old...she told me she dreamed it and I have to accept that...but I can't explain it. If the details had been vague in any way, one would smell a con, but the details were way too accurate to be somehow planted into the mind of a 7 year old who had to then face a virtual interrogation from your's truly.

All that lady said to my daughter was that she would see her mum again soon, and touched her hand. That's it...because she doesn't read children...apparently she isn't allowed. For her to have such a vivid dream that night, and to be able to explain certain details with such clarity? No...I have absolutely no explanation for that. A coincidence? I simply don't see how and I'm usually fairly good at spotting when someone is trying to pull a fly one. I'm a single dad and I know my daughter better than anyone...if she had lied, I would have known.

That aside, I still believe that about 99.9% of it is a load of bollox...before that happened, I would have been certain when saying it was 100% bollox...now, I just can't say that because there is that one thing I absolutely cannot explain...and until it is explained then I'll continue to believe that it's just 99.9%. Ask me to explain it? I can't...that half the problem.

 

[glynie]

Your "absolutely not" bothers me. You shouldn't be so sure of it - and why not? Why couldn't this lady have been one step ahead of you? These arguments drive me nuts. As I said, it's not just you, it's my family, occasionally the odd friend or colleague...but the bottom line is this: No evidence at all in hundreds of years across thousands of people...who were all sure they were right. Go figure.

PS. No offence.

 

[Jason S]

Please don't tell me you're claiming the double slit experiment is evidence for the supernatural. Like: Double slit experiment is weird, therefore, psychics really have magic powers?

The double slit eperiment shows that at the very small level things can be effected by just observing it. This cannot be explained with the traditional way of thinking about physics and does lead to looking at some quite radical other theories which if true do seem to open possibilities, that is what i say.

 

[verminstar]

Your "absolutely not" bothers me. You shouldn't be so sure of it - and why not? Why couldn't this lady have been one step ahead of you? These arguments drive me nuts. As I said, it's not just you, it's my family, occasionally the odd friend or colleague...but the bottom line is this: No evidence at all in hundreds of years across thousands of people...who were all sure they were right. Go figure.

PS. No offence.

There's none taken, seriously no worries on that score...I welcome those who do speak candidly as opposed to feeling they have to avoid it. I agree with ye I really do and that's why I'm of the opinion that while I can't prove it, I can't disprove it either no matter how I try. I would love to disprove it so I could go back to making fun of it...that was way more fun than always having that tiny little worm of doubt right at the back of my mind ^^

 

[CMDR Cosmic Spacehead]

Does anyone watch, or used to watch Ghost Hunters?
It's (what's now) a crappy ghost hunting US TV show.
I can't watch it anymore because it's quite clearly become an over the top, faked to high heaven, money grab.

But, the first and second season were actually really good for explaining what wasn't a ghost, or paranormal in people's homes or businesses.
They used to debunk nearly everything, and offer really good sound explanations for paranormal activity.
The best bit was, they were clearly terrible actors(because they weren't actors!), so it was always blatantly obvious when something was faked.
But that said, they did catch some interesting footage of "things" which could have easily been fake.
But there reactions were either very real, or they suddenly learned acting. Lol

My favourite bit of all there seasons was simply "Dude, Run!".
When 2 investigators spooked themselves and ran away.
Nothing paranormal at all.

That became a T-Shirt and hat they sold.
I still want one, but no one would understand the reference. Lol

 

[glynie]

The double slit eperiment shows that at the very small level things can be effected by just observing it. This cannot be explained with the traditional way of thinking about physics and does lead to looking at some quite radical other theories which if true do seem to open possibilities, that is what i say.

It's not what you think it is dude. The configuration of the experiment changes the results, that's it. It doesn't change when a person is looking at it or whatever.

 

[Jason S]

Please don't tell me you're claiming the double slit experiment is evidence for the supernatural. Like: Double slit experiment is weird, therefore, psychics really have magic powers?

It's not what you think it is dude. The configuration of the experiment changes the results, that's it. It doesn't change when a person is looking at it or whatever.

It still is very odd that measuring the wave like property causes it to collapse.

Also the quantum entanglement Spooky action at a distance - look at that as well.

Its all very odd
If you look at a lot of qauntum physics it is easy to get the notion that reality at its fundamental sense is more 'magical' than what most of us think it is.
Science has still not got a grip on it really.
Some respected scientists are starting to believe that consciousness may be fundamental.

Other odd things:
Time
Gravity
Static
String theory with many dimensions
Every 'solid' is really nearly all 'empty space'
Relativity
Magnets
The big bang
Dark matter theory
Self awareness
Why are laws of physics exactly right to allow life

Yep so science is still no where really in properly explaining it all and logically a lot of things seem supernatural when you really look into it. The whole of reality is rather supernatural.

And then there is Elon Musk who created Tesla cars theory that the chance we live in base reality is one in billions.

So what really is, is what it is of course.
But really knowing what that is really is. That is not an easy thing.

 

[glynie]

so science is still no where really in properly explaining it all

Riiiiiiiiiight. Mega.

Well I better get myself to a psychic.

 

[Jason S]

I do not know if I agree with Elon but it is an interesting read
http://motherboard.vice.com/read/elon-musk-simulated-universe-hypothesis

 

[Minonian]

I have a rhetorical question.

Let's assume there is a man whom capable to tell sometimes years ahead what will going to happen.
Now let's assume something seemingly random happens around him.

And now here comes the question. What do you think? Such man can be capable to tell if that thing is not a part of natural the flow of events, or if you prefer god's plan?