Wednesday, August 4. 2010
Sleep Paralysis: Manifestation Of The Shadow People
A couple of nights ago I experienced what is commonly known as sleep paralysis. I've had a minor occurrence of it before, but on this occasion I found myself overcome with a feeling of intense terror. This coupled with what looked like a tall dark figure that appeared to be breaking into reality through one of the corners of my room next to the door. The figure was gaunt and somewhat Nospheratu-like in stature with what looked like a wide-brimmed had on it's head. I couldn't make out its features but my ears were filled with a pulsating sound and my body seemed to be vibrating as though I was somehow being phased out of reality, beamed up, or probed by some kind of scanner.
The terror that I felt wasn't so much due to the feeling of an evil presence in the room, but I got the impression that this thing was highly intelligent, had an agenda and that it regarded me as little more than an insect that stood in its way. All the while I couldn't move a single muscle.
"As flies to wanton boys are we to the gods" as Shakespeare put it, and eventually after several minutes my girlfriend shook me out of it because I was "howling like a terrified animal," she said.
It happened twice more that night but on the last two occasions I managed to get myself out of it by realising that this was merely sleep paralysis. After each occasion my waking perceptions were filled with mild hallucinations and the experience instantly made me think that these symptoms could be synonymous with the alien abduction experience.
Now, I don't for one minute think that this was anything other than an exceptional case of sleep paralysis as defined by modern psychology, however, the archetypes of the Shadow People and, in particular, "The Hat Man" intrigues me considerably.
Here's an interesting ten part interview with Professor David J. Hufford, author of the provocative study The Terror That Comes In The Night. (YouTube video stream).
Monday, July 19. 2010
Double Slit Anomaly Is No Mystery To Doctor PR
Jim Elvidge is, in my opinion, a goddamned genius. Here's his latest weblog entry. Whilst you're there go buy his wonderful book on programmed reality. I cannot recommend it highly enough.
'One of the keys to understanding our reality is found in a very unusual and anomalous experiment done over 200 years ago by Thomas Young. The philosophical debate that resulted from this experiment and its successors during the quantum era of the 20th century may hold the key to understanding everything - from bona fide scientific anomalies to cold fusion and bigfoot sightings.
'If you are unfamiliar with this experiment, please watch the Doctor Quantum cartoon on the Double Slit Experiment. It provides a good explanation of two paradoxes that have puzzled scientists for many years. In summary, here is the conundrum:
'1. If you fire electrons at a screen through a single slit in an otherwise impenetrable barrier, there will be a resulting pattern on the screen as you might expect - a single band of points.
'2. If you fire electrons at a screen through a barrier with two slits, the pattern that will build up on the screen is not one of two bands of points, but rather an entire interference pattern, as if the electrons were actually waves instead of particles.
'This is one paradox - that electrons (and all other particles) have dual personalities in that they can act like both waves and particles. Further, the personality that emerges matches the type of experiment that you are doing. If you are testing to see if the electron acts like a particle, it will. If you are testing to see if the electron acts like a wave, it will.
'3. Even if the electrons are fired one at a time, eliminating the possibility of electrons interfering with each other, over time, the same pattern emerges.
'4. If you put a measuring device at the slit, thereby observing which slit each electron passes through, the interference pattern disappears.
'This is the more mysterious paradox - that the mere act of observation changes the result of the experiment. The implications of this are huge because they imply that our conscious actions create or modify reality.' (The Universe Solved weblog & Doctor Quantum cartoon).
Tuesday, July 13. 2010
Misfits: From Asbos To Superheroes
This is undoubtedly the best TV drama series I've seen in a long time. Written by Howard Overman, Misfits follows five outsiders on community service who get struck by a flash storm and lumbered with special powers. In other words, it's like The Breakfast Club meets Being Human meets Grant Morrison's The Invisibles.
Here's the synopsis...
'Misfits follows five teenagers on community service who get struck by lightning and are given special powers. Kelly (Lauren Socha) becomes telepathic, Curtis (Nathan Stewart Jarrett) can rewind time, Alisha (Antonia Thomas) can send people into a sexual frenzy when they touch her skin, and Simon (Iwan Rheon) can make himself invisible. Seemingly left unaffected is smart alec Nathan (Robert Sheehan), although his power is revealed in the sixth episode.' (4OD video streams or Isohunt torrent download).
Monday, July 5. 2010
Crises Of Capitalism
Watch this and get a lot smarter in just 11 minutes!
Radical sociologist David Harvey asks if it is time to look beyond capitalism towards a new social order that would allow us to live within a system that really could be responsible, just, and humane?"
From a speech given at the prestigious Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce. (RSA video animation).
Note: you can also watch his full lecture here.
Sunday, June 13. 2010
Riz Khan: BP And The Gulf Of Mexico Oil Spill
'It has been more than 50 days since the Deepwater Horizon oil rig exploded in the Gulf of Mexico killing 11 workers. The rig burned and sank but BP is still struggling to plug the leak that is pumping millions of litres of oil into the ocean.
'Birds, sea turtles, dolphins and other animals are washing up on shore and the leak is not expected to be stopped for months. Residents of the Gulf coast depend on those waters and the marsh for their livelihood. From shrimping, fishing and oyster beds to tourism, the people who live there have built their lives around this habitat for centuries.
'The scale of the damage is unknown but many fear that this man-made disaster will destroy that way of life.' (Aljazeera video stream).
Tuesday, June 8. 2010
Setting History Free: Interview With Graham Hancock
'Bringing together two inspirational investigators of our hidden past and uncertain future, this unique dialogue between David Wilcock and Graham Hancock takes us on a roller-coaster ride through the wonders of ancient civilisations and into the mysterious nature of reality itself. What is the Ark of the Covenant? Why is its loss the greatest riddle of the Bible? Has its final resting place been found? What do the Great Pyramids and the Great Sphinx of Giza teach us? What was the function of the Osireion and other awesome megalithic sites of unknown origin found throughout Egypt? Were the high knowledge and magic of ancient Egypt brought to the Nile Valley by the survivors of an earlier civilisation around 12,500 years ago at the end of the last Ice Age, an epoch referred to in the Book Of The Dead as Zep Tepi, "The First Time"? The possibility of a great lost civilisation Atlantis by any other name was the focus of Hancock's book Fingerprints Of The Gods and the dialogue considers the evidence for this exciting idea - including out-of-place artifacts and technologies, ancient maps of the world as it last looked more than 12,500 years ago, and the mysteries of the Mayan calendar. Is it a computer for calculating the end of the world? Or do its prophecies of a great change to come speak to us of a joyous rebirth of human consciousness after 21 December 2012? Join Hancock and Wilcock as they discuss Angkor in Cambodia, Baalbeck in the Lebanon, underwater ruins submerged by rising sea levels all around the world at the end of the last Ice Age, and the alleged monuments and a gigantic sculpture of a human face on the planet Mars. The dialogue concludes with a paradigm-busting investigation of parallel realms and universes, spirit beings, shamanism, visionary plants, and the role of altered states of consciousness in exploring and understanding the full mysterious spectrum of reality.' (YouTube video stream playlist).
The Story Of Your Enslavement
Sunday, May 23. 2010
Capitalism: A Love Story
'Capitalism: A Love Story is a 2009 American documentary film directed, written by and starring Michael Moore. The film centers on the financial crisis of 2007–2010 and the recovery stimulus, while putting forward an indictment of the current economic order in the United States and capitalism in general.
'Topics covered include Wall Street's "casino mentality", for-profit prisons, Goldman Sachs' influence in Washington, DC, the poverty-level wages of many workers, the large wave of home foreclosures, and the consequences of "runaway greed."' (Isohunt torrent download).
Tuesday, May 18. 2010
RIP RJD
Ronnie James Dio is dead. This is very sad news indeed. I remember first seeing Dio at the Edinburgh Playhouse almost 23 years ago with support band Warlock. I was 17 years old at the time, and I'll never forget the sheer raw energy of that cold December night. My eardrums rang for three days after that gig. It was mindblowing, and I've never been quite the same since. \m/
'Ronnie James Dio’s powerful, multioctave voice was perfectly suited to the ear-splitting, histrionic style of heavy metal and he sang with two of the genre’s most important bands in Rainbow and Black Sabbath.
'After replacing Ozzy Osbourne in the latter, his striking singing on the album Heaven & Hell helped to revitalise Black Sabbath’s fortunes in the early 1980s when the band were at a low ebb. He did so by bringing his own personality to the band, rather than merely imitating Osbourne, and was renowned as one of heavy metal’s most distinctive stylists.
'He also left his mark during his time with Black Sabbath when he popularised the “devil’s horns” gesture. Sometimes refered to as “metal horns” and made with the second and fifth fingers of the hand, it became a popular symbol as a kind of heavy metal equivalent of the Masonic handshake, tapping into the genre’s long fascination with necromancy and the struggle between good and evil. Dio attributed the sign to the influence of his Italian grandmother, who he said had used it to ward off the evil eye.
'After leaving Black Sabbath he formed his own successful metal band Dio, and had recently been reunited with former Black Sabbath colleagues.' (Times Online article & Live At The Spectrum video stream).
Saturday, May 15. 2010
Religulous
'Religulous is a 2008 American comedy/political film written by and starring political comedian Bill Maher and directed by Larry Charles. According to Maher, the title of the film is a portmanteau derived from the words "religion" and "ridiculous"; the documentary examines and mocks organized religion and religious belief.
'A range of views on the various world religions are explored as Bill Maher travels to numerous religious destinations, such as Jerusalem, the Vatican, and Salt Lake City, interviewing believers from a variety of backgrounds and groups, including a former member of Jews for Jesus, Christians, Muslims, former Mormons, and Hasidic Jews. He travels to Speakers' Corner in Hyde Park, London and satirically preaches Scientology beliefs.' (Google video stream).
Thursday, May 13. 2010
911: The Musical
Wednesday, April 7. 2010
The Man Who Cycled The Americas - Episode 03
'Mark Beaumont, who broke the record for pedalling around the world, is back on the road and this time taking on an even more ambitious dream. He's attempting to cycle from Alaska, USA, to Ushuaia in southern Argentina; traversing the length of the Rockies and Andes, 13,000 miles through 12 countries.
'Mark is also attempting to climb the highest mountains in North and South America. Mark is filming the exhilarating and agonising adventure himself.
'Beginning with a lift on a container boat through the Panama Canal, it's not long before Mark faces Ecuador's poor roads and relentless up hill slogs. Already behind his target to reach Mount Aconcagua in time for the seasonal weather window, a bout of severe food poisoning is the last thing he needs.
'Before taking on Aconcagua Mark must take on the 600-mile long Atacama Desert, the driest place on earth. Nothing lives in this stunning Mars-like wasteland, yet Mark has to survive here for two weeks.
'The prolonged solitude tests Mark's mental strength to the limit, he even spends Christmas alone. However, after seven months on the road he reaches Mount Aconcagua. The question is, having been bent over the handle bars for so long, will he be physically capable of climbing the highest summit outside of Asia?
'The final nail-biting and emotional chapter of the film sees one man's struggle and eventual triumph to realise an epic dream. A dream to be the first man to cycle the length of the Americas, climbing the highest mountains of North and South America all inside a single climbing season.' (BBC iPlayer video stream).
Wednesday, March 31. 2010
The Man Who Cycled The Americas - Episode 02
'Mark Beaumont, who broke the record for pedalling around the world is back on the road. This time the adventure promises to be more exhilarating and agonising - Mark's journey will take him from Alaska, USA to Ushuaia, in southern Argentina; cycling the length of the Rockies and Andes, 13,000 miles through 12 countries.
'He'll also attempt to reach the summits of the highest mountains in North and South America. For nine months, Mark will self-film his intimate adventure at bike speed.
'Mark crosses into northern Mexico, a region notorious for drugs-related killings and kidnappings. He is joined by a local photojournalist who gives him a tour of his home city, Juarez, possibly the most dangerous city on earth.
'After 98 days alone on the road, Mark arrives at the 16th century town of Zacatecas on Mexico's Central Plateau. He's just in time for the Mexican Independence Day celebrations, which means tequila.
'After conquering the Sierra Madre Occidental Mountains, Mark arrives at the Pacific, but this beautiful backdrop has a dark side. He stumbles across a makeshift shrine flanked by murals of the Grim Reaper. It is a place where the locals worship La Santa Muerte - the holy death, a saint-like figure which has been condemned by the Catholic Church but adopted by drugs gangs.
'Pushing on through Guatemala and El Salvador, Mark hits the wet season and the road ahead is soon plagued by thunderstorms and what seems like a dead end in El Salvador. Neighbouring Honduras is under military lockdown and the ferry to Panama has sunk, but after a few phone calls to the authorities he makes a dash through Honduras with the bike in the back of a truck.
'In Panama in torrential rain, his bike develops a serious problem and his only hope lies in the hands of a street side bike shop where they take to his bike with a hammer and a carving knife.' (BBC iPlayer video stream).
Tuesday, March 30. 2010
Watch Out...No-one's About!
This is exactly what the late Jeremy Beadle would've been doing if he had been a Fundamentalist Christian. Personally, I find it highly amusing for all the wrong reasons.
Apparently "Prank 3:16 was created to provide wholesome programming while teaching Christian principles."
Basically, it's brain-washed people playing pranks on other brain-washed people. (YouTube video stream).
Note: This reminds me of a fucked-up movie idea that myself and another drunk dreamt up in the pub last night. Basically the premise is that a couple of Al Qaeda suicide bombers hijack a plane full of Fundamentalist Christians with the purpose of flying it into some huge religious structure, except their plan is foiled when an untimely rapture occurs. Everyone - including the pilot and co-pilot - are beamed up to wherever these morons believe they're going to go, leaving only the two confused suicide bombers on an empty aircraft with no idea how to properly fly it...and no evil agenda. Slapsticktastic!
Saturday, March 27. 2010
The Man Who Cycled The Americas - Episode 01
'Mark Beaumont, who broke the record for pedalling around the world is back on the road. This time the adventure promises to be more exhilarating and agonising - Mark's journey will take him from Alaska, USA to Ushuaia, in southern Argentina; cycling the length of the Rockies and Andes, 13,000 miles through 12 countries.
'He'll also attempt to reach the summits of the highest mountains in North and South America. For nine months, Mark will self-film his intimate adventure at bike speed.
'At the beginning of his journey, Mark sets off near Anchorage, Alaska and is treated to an impromptu prayer session with the locals, in a remote burger bar where he is topping up the 6,000 calories he needs each day to keep going.
'Further along the road in Alaska he joins a team of mountaineers to scale Mount McKinley, at 20,320 ft, the highest peak in North America, and the first of two daunting climbs he will undertake on the adventure. One of the coldest mountains on earth, McKinley has a fearsome reputation, having claimed 100 lives.
'Mark also faces a variety of different dangers, from Black Bears at the roadside, huge RVs - recreational vehicles - driven by ageing American holidaymakers to a forest fire which stops him in his tracks.' (BBC iPlayer video stream).
Sunday, March 14. 2010
The Beast File: Google
Saturday, February 27. 2010
Doug Stanhope: Voice Of America
Thursday, February 25. 2010
Dangerous Minds - Episode 19 -James Hansen
This week on Dangerous Minds, Richard Metzger interviews Dr. James E. Hansen.
Hansen heads the NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies in New York City, a part of the Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, Earth Sciences Division. He has held this position since 1981. He is also an adjunct professor in the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences at Columbia University.
After graduate school, Hansen continued his work with radiative transfer models and attempting to understand the Venusian atmosphere. This naturally led to the same computer codes being used to understand the Earth's atmosphere. He used these codes to study the effects that aerosols and trace gases have on the climate. Hansen has also contributed to the further understanding of the Earth's climate through the development and use of global climate models.
Hansen is best known for his research in the field of climatology, his testimony on climate change to congressional committees in 1988 that helped raise broad awareness of global warming, and his advocacy of action to limit the impacts of climate change. (Dangerous Minds video stream).
Note: I've created an avi file that can be acquired using BitTorrent, however, you'll need an account with our tracker to download it. If you haven't got one then you can sign up for free here. (Torrent Underground download).
Saturday, February 20. 2010
Wim Hof: The Iceman
Wednesday, February 17. 2010
Frontline: Digital Nation
Tuesday, February 16. 2010
Dangerous Minds - Episode 18 - Rachel Rosenthal
This week on Dangerous Minds, Richard Metzger interviews artist, teacher, and animal rights activist Rachel Rosenthal.
Rosenthal is an interdisciplinary performer who developed a revolutionary performance technique that integrates text, movement, voice, choreography, improvisation, inventive costuming, dramatic lighting and wildly imaginative sets into an unforgettable “total theater” experience. In the last twenty-five years of her performing career she presented over 40 full-scale pieces nationally & internationally. Critics have called her "a monument and a marvel" and Richard Schechner, editor of The Drama Review (TDR), has critically ranked Rosenthal with Robert Wilson, Ping Chong, Richard Foreman, Meredith Monk and Laurie Anderson. (Dangerous Minds video stream).
Note: I've created an avi file that can be acquired using BitTorrent, however, you'll need an account with our tracker to download it. If you haven't got one then you can sign up for free here. (Torrent Underground download).
Thursday, February 11. 2010
Doug Stanhope: Voice Of America
Wednesday, February 10. 2010
Dangerous Minds - Episode 17 - Don Lattin
This week on Dangerous Minds, Richard Metzger talks to Don Lattin about his new book, The Harvard Psychedelic Club: How Timothy Leary, Ram Dass, Huston Smith, And Andrew Weil Killed The Fifties And Ushered In A New Age For America.
Don Lattin is an award-winning journalist and one of the nation’s leading reporters covering a wide range of religious figures and movements in America. He has written several books. Lattin’s work has appeared in many U.S. magazines and newspapers. He has also worked as a consultant and commentator for several television programs. (Dangerous Minds video stream).
Note: I've created an avi file that can be acquired using BitTorrent, however, you'll need an account with our tracker to download it. If you haven't got one then you can sign up for free here. (Torrent Underground download).
Wednesday, February 3. 2010
Doug Stanhope: Voice Of America
Monday, February 1. 2010
Doug Stanhope: Voice Of America
My crazy drunk comedian friend Doug Stanhope appears to have a regular slot on the new series of Charlie Brooker's Newswipe.
Newswipe goes out on BBC4 every Tuesday at 10:30 pm but you can check it out on the BBC's iPlayer if you're like me and hate scheduled viewing.
Alternatively you can just check out Stanhope's three minute Voice Of America segments that are being uploaded to YouTube by some kind person with too much time on their hands. (Voice Of America video stream part 1 & part 2).
Sunday, January 31. 2010
Dangerous Minds - Episode 16: Jon Reiss
On this episode of Dangerous Minds, Richard Metzger talks to film-maker Jon Reiss.
'Jon Reiss has been a pioneer of DIY film-making since the punk era and he shares what he’s learned in his new book, Think Outside The Box Office: The Ultimate Guide To Film Distribution & Marketing For The Digital Era.' (Dangerous Minds video stream).
Note: I've created an avi file that can be acquired using BitTorrent, however, you'll need an account with our tracker to download it. If you haven't got one then you can sign up for free here. (Torrent Underground download).
Monday, January 11. 2010
Dmitry Orlov: Social Collapse Best Practices
Tuesday, January 5. 2010
Dangerous Minds - Episode 15 - Genesis P-Orridge
In this episode of Dangerous Minds, Richard Metzger has an in-depth conversation with cultural engineer Genesis Breyer P-Orridge.
They discuss the recent publication of Thee Psychick Bible: A New Testameant - a compendium of Gen’s writing on magick, the occult and sexuality - as well the current state of humanity and what is required to ensure its survival and evolution. (Dangerous Minds video stream part 1 & part 2).
Note: I've created an avi file that can be acquired using BitTorrent, however, you'll need an account with our tracker to download it. If you haven't got one then you can sign up for free here. (Torrent Underground download).
Saturday, December 26. 2009
History Of Acid Croft
'Acid Croft is a term Shooglenifty popularised to describe the energetic blend of modern and traditional music that a new generation of musicians keep the new generation of village hall goers hot and sweaty with.
'This, by no means comprehensive guide covers my favourites, and on this page I've even listed them in the order I currently consider to offer the best night out!
'Shooglenifty are usually top of the list for a good sweaty night out, particularly if you can make the effort to go to Glenuig to see them play - although as they're popular all over the world there's a good chance they'll be playing near you.' (Lazy Pict website).
Friday, December 25. 2009
Darth Benedict XVI Wrestled To The Ground
Darth Benedict XVI was wrestled to the ground by a female member of the rebellion yesterday, who breached the security barriers at the start of this year's Xmas Eve Black Mass.
The 325-year-old ex-Nazi pontiff was caught on camera being dragged to the floor as he proceeded down the main aisle in St. Peter’s Basilica.
The assailant, dressed in a red hooded tunic, was arrested by Storm Troopers and later described by Death Star spokesman Federico Lombardi as “apparently unbalanced”.
He said she had tried - and failed - to carry out the same stunt 12 months earlier but escaped execution by getting an Aladdin Blue Flame droid to hack the controls of a blast door.
Mr. Lombardi played down the incident and said the Emperor showed “great self-control of the whole situation”.
He went on: “It was an assault, but it wasn't dangerous because she wasn't armed and at any moment the Emperor could've electrocuted her with his fingertips.” (Telegraph article & video stream).