(186,2,'2005-11-18 10:16:39','2005-11-18 10:16:39','At last some good news in the bizarre and frightening case of Steven Kurtz.\n\nKurtz is an artist and professor at the University of Buffalo in New York State. In May 2004 he was arrested on grounds of being a possible blological terrorist threat, when police, called to his home after his wife suffered a fatal heart attack,  found several petri dishes containing bacteria that he used in his artwork and teaching and deemed them to be suspicious...\n\nFull FAQ <a href=\"http://www.caedefensefund.org/faq.html\" target=\"new\">here</a>\n\n<b>ARTIST RELEASED FROM PRETRIAL SUPERVISION OVER DOJ OBJECTIONS</b>\nSupervisor requests release, prosecution attempts to block\n\nBuffalo, NY - Artist and University at Buffalo professor Steven Kurtz has been released from pretrial supervision despite strong objections from US Department of Justice prosecutor William Hochul.\n\nKurtz\'s case has not yet gone to trial and motions for its dismissal are pending, but until last week the artist was subject to random house searches and drug tests, was limited in his ability to travel, and had to report regularly to a probation officer. (See \"Summary of Case\" below for background.)\n\nLast week, arguing that there was no hint of criminality or risk of flight, Zenaida Piotrowicz, Kurtz\'s pretrial supervisor, motioned a federal court to release Kurtz from supervision. Despite vigorous and exceptional objections by Department of Justice prosecutor Hochul, Magistrate Judge Kenneth Schroeder agreed there was no reason not to release Kurtz on his own recognizance to await trial.\n<!--more-->\nKurtz\'s Defense Committee believes that the prosecutor\'s unusual and fierce opposition to the pretrial supervisor\'s motion to release Kurtz from probation is yet another example of the extreme prejudice with which the Department of Justice has approached the case. The Defense Committee believes the case in fact represents a deliberate attempt to intimidate and silence artists and scholars critical of US government policy, and that the DOJ\'s extreme prejudice is further suggested by the following facts:\n\n* This is the first time the Department of Justice has ever tried to prosecute the alleged breaking of a material transfer agreement as federal mail fraud. In the prosecution\'s radical interpretation of mail fraud law, incorrectly filling in a warranty card would be grounds for federal criminal prosecution. Last July, at a hearing on the case, Magistrate Judge Kenneth Schroeder noted that such an interpretation would be akin to opening a \"Pandora\'s box.\"\n\n* The Department of Justice is completely outside its own guidelines for prosecution on this case (\"9-43.100 Prosecution Policy Relating to Mail Fraud and Wire Fraud\"). According to these guidelines, an alleged infraction involving $256 worth of harmless bacteria should be left to the relevant state agencies, i.e. those of New York and Pennsylvania; these, however, have declined to take action in the case. (The alleged victims of the \"fraud,\" American Type Culture Collection and the University of Pittsburgh, have likewise declined to take any action, either criminal or civil.)\n\n* The substances Kurtz allegedly received are harmless and are not regulated by any law or government agency (EPA, FDA, etc.), as prosecutor Hochul was forced to admit at a hearing last July. Furthermore, they are legal for any citizen to buy and possess. Their intended use was very obviously in bonafide creative work and research by a well-known artist and university professor with a long and institutionally validated record.\n\nKurtz is currently awaiting a ruling on motions to dismiss the entire case filed by his attorney Paul Cambria.\n\n\nThe story so far:\n\nAlmost eighteen months have passed since Kurtz awoke to find that his wife of twenty years had died of heart failure. He called the police, who, upon noticing lab equipment that Kurtz used in his artwork and teaching, contacted the FBI. The FBI detained Kurtz as a potential \"bioterrorist\" and initiated an investigation involving the Joint Terrorism Task Force, the Department of Homeland Security, and numerous other federal and international law enforcement agencies, at an estimated cost to taxpayers in the millions of dollars.\n\nKurtz was finally indicted not for bioterrorism, but for \"mail and wire fraud\" - charges traditionally brought in weak cases when no other charges will stick. (These charges still carry a possible sentence of twenty years in prison.)','US Govt loosens its grip on Steven Kurtz','','publish','open','closed','','us-govt-loosens-its-grip-on-steven-kurtz','','','2005-11-18 10:16:39','2005-11-18 10:16:39','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=186',0,'post','',0),(187,2,'2005-11-18 10:29:27','2005-11-18 10:29:27','Antigravity craft slips past patent officers\nBy Philip Ball, in <i>Nature</i> 438, 139 (10 November 2005)\n\n\'Impossible\' device gets seal of approval.\n\nThe US patent office has granted a patent on a design for an antigravity device — breaking its own resolution to reject inventions that clearly defy the laws of physics.\n\nThis is not the first such patent to be granted, but it shows that patent examiners are being duped by false science, says physicist Robert Park, watchdog of junk science at the American Physical Society in Washington DC. Park tracks US patents on impossible inventions. \"The patent office is in deep trouble,\" he says.\n\n\"If something doesn\'t work, it is rejected,\" insists Alan Cohan, an adviser at the patent office\'s Inventors Assistance Center in Alexandria, Virginia. And when something does slip through, he says, the consequences are not significant: \"It doesn\'t cause any problems because the patent is useless.\"\n\nBut Park argues that patenting devices that so blatantly go against scientific understanding could give them undeserved respectability, and undermine the patent office\'s reputation. \"When a patent is awarded for an idea that doesn\'t work, the door is opened for sham.\"\n\nFull story over at <a href=\"http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v438/n7065/full/438139a.html\" target=\"new\" >Nature</a>','US grants antigravity patent','','publish','open','closed','','us-grants-antigravity-patent','','','2005-11-18 10:29:27','2005-11-18 10:29:27','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=187',0,'post','',0),(188,2,'2005-11-18 11:04:48','2005-11-18 11:04:48','<img alt=\"map.jpg\" src=\"http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/archives/map.jpg\" width=\"300\" height=\"150\" />\n\n(OK, this is old, but nowt compared to the apparent 4800-yr-old <a href=\"http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/1205638.stm\" target=\"new\" >\"Moon map\"</a> of the Knowth passage mound in Ireland...)\n\nFrom the <a href=\"http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml;jsessionid=JCP4HI3ZZWJR1QFIQMFCFGGAVCBQYIV0?xml=/news/2005/11/18/wmap18.xml&sSheet=/news/2005/11/18/ixworld.html\" target=\"new\">Daily Telegraph</a>\n\nThe oldest map of anywhere in the western world, dating from about 500 BC, has been unearthed in southern Italy. Known as the Soleto Map, the depiction of Apulia, the heel of Italy\'s \"boot\", is on a piece of black-glazed terracotta vase about the size of a postage stamp.\n\nThe map details the Puglia region of southern Italy\nIt was found in a dig led by the Belgian archaeologist Thierry van Compernolle, of Montpellier University, two years ago. But its existence was kept secret until more research was carried out.\n\n\"The map offers, to date, for the Mediterranean, and more generally for western civilisation, the oldest map of a real space,\" the university said recently.\n\nIts engraved place names are indicated by points, just as on maps today, and are written in ancient Greek.\n\nThe sea on the western side, Taras (Taranto), today\'s Gulf of Taranto, is named in Greek. But the rest of the map is in Messapian, the ancient tongue of the local tribes, although the script is ancient Greek.\n<!--more-->\nThe seas on either side of the peninsula, the Ionian and the Adriatic, are depicted by parallel zig-zag strokes.\n\nMany of the 13 towns marked on the map, such as Otranto, Soleto, Ugento and Leuca (now called Santa Maria di Leuca) still exist.\n\nThe map went on public display for the first time this week in the Archaeological National Museum of Taranto.\n\nApart from being the oldest geographical map from classical antiquity ever found, it is the first material proof that the ancient Greeks were drawing maps of real places before the Romans.\n\nIt was known from ancient Greek literature that the concept of a map existed and that some had been drawn but none had been found.\n\nThe ancient Chinese had a well-defined system of map-making, but modern cartography descends from techniques laid down by the ancient Greeks.\n\nMost existing classical maps are Roman and date from the period after Christ\'s birth.\n\nExperts have suggested that the discovery demands not only a reconsideration of the beginnings of ancient cartography, but also of regional history, in particular that of relations between the local population of the Messapian tribes with their neighbours, the Greeks.\n\nThe Soleto map also gives vital new clues to the cultural exchange between the newly arrived Greeks and the Messapi.\n\nThey lived in the area but probably came originally from Greece as their language is believed to be a dialect of Illyrian.\n\nThe Soleto map is a contemporary of the Greek mathematician Pythagoras, who set up a philosophy school in Crotone, now Calabria, on the other side of the Gulf of Taranto.\n\nHis hypothesis that the Earth was round, developed after observing that the height of stars was different at different locations and noticing how ships appeared on the horizon, formed the basis of modern map making.','Oldest map fragment found','','publish','open','closed','','oldest-map-fragment-found','','','2005-11-18 11:04:48','2005-11-18 11:04:48','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=188',0,'post','',0),(189,2,'2005-11-22 13:22:23','2005-11-22 13:22:23','Monday 28 November 2005\n7.00pm-9.00pm\n<a href=\"http://www.rigb.org/rimain/calendar/detail.jsp?&id=244\" target=\"new\">The Royal Institution</a>, 21 Albemarle Street, London,  W1S 4BS. Tel 0 20 7409 2992\n\nTickets £8, £5 members & Concessions\n\nPlay on: a journey into the mystery of song\nWith Prof Steven Mithen , Evan Parker , Prof David Rothenberg , David Toop\n\nThe propensity to make music is perhaps the most mysterious, wonderful and neglected feature of humankind and it is a skill we share with, among others, our feathered friends. But just how similar are Bach’s Fugues or the tunes of Lennon and McCartney to the call of a starling or the song of a lark? Why, when humans have language, are our emotions, mind and indeed body so stirred by music, and why do birds sing?\n<!--more-->\nThe ‘music instinct’ is far more ancient than previously suspected, and neanderthals and birds may have been jamming before they were talking. But why do humans and birds converge on the same acoustic and aesthetic choices and why do babies respond to musical sound? Do the so-called musical sounds created by birds serve only a biological function or do they sing for the same reason humans do: because they can, and because they must? Together with legendary saxophonist Evan, Steve and David R will bring these ideas and songs to life and delve deep into some of the oldest music on earth. This event will be chaired by musician, writer and curator of sound, David Toop.','&#039;Play On&#039; at the Royal Institution','','publish','open','closed','','play-on-at-the-royal-institution','','','2005-11-22 13:22:23','2005-11-22 13:22:23','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=189',0,'post','',0),(190,2,'2005-11-28 21:26:41','2005-11-28 21:26:41','<img alt=\"scientol.jpg\" src=\"http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/archives/scientol.jpg\" width=\"300\" height=\"298\" />\n\nSituated about 200km East of Albuquerque, New Mexico lies the small town of Trementina.\nAnd deep inside a mesa not far from here, engraved into stainless steel tablets encased which are then in titanium capsules, are the complete works of L Ron Hubbard and the Church of Scientology...\n\nA <a href=\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/11/26/AR2005112601065_pf.html\" target=\"new\" >Washington Post</a> article reveals all, while you can zoom in on the site, complete with the evocative ground markings you can just make out here, and a convenient runway, at <a href=\"http://terraserver.microsoft.com/image.aspx?T=1&S=12&Z=13&X=672&Y=4912&W=3\" target=\"new\" >Terraserver</a>.\n\nVia <a href=\"http://boingboing.net/\" target=\"new\">Boing Boing</a>','Scientology&#039;s (once) Secret Bunker','','publish','open','closed','','scientologys-once-secret-bunker','','','2005-11-28 21:26:41','2005-11-28 21:26:41','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=190',0,'post','',0),(191,2,'2005-11-30 10:48:27','2005-11-30 10:48:27','How a favourite sci-fi fantasy is becoming a reality\nJimmy Lee Shreeve in <a href=\"http://www.independent.co.uk\" target=\"new\" >The Independent</a> 30 Nov 05\n\nOne of the most intriguing devices featured in Star Trek was the replicator. It could copy the molecules of any given object and store them in a massive database. Whenever Captain Kirk or his crew needed anything - such as an authentic Old West revolver (if they happened to be travelling back in time) - the replicator would produce a shiny new copy of the desired item. While such a sophisticated device is probably not likely to appear for a couple of hundred years or more, the fact is, everything has to start somewhere. And the very beginnings of replicators are being developed by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology\'s Center for Bits and Atoms (CBA).\n<!--more-->\nCalled \"fab labs\" (short for fabrication laboratories), the devices cannot yet assemble things from their component atoms, but can be used to make just about anything with features bigger than those of a computer chip.\n\n\"The fab lab is a really early prototype of a personal replicator,\" says Sherry Lassiter, CBA\'s programme manager. \"The fab lab can\'t push molecules around, but it can do maybe 10 per cent of what a personal replicator might do.\"\n\nIn essence, the fab lab - more formally known as a \"personal fabrication system\" - is a small package of tools and software that functions as a complete design and manufacturing workshop. All the components are easy to use and allow almost anyone, including people in remote African villages who may never have seen a computer or sophisticated machine tools before, to manufacture a surprisingly wide range of items. A typical fab-lab system includes a laser cutter, a vinyl cutter (normally used for making signs but used in fab labs to cut copper for electrical circuits), and a milling machine to make circuit boards. All are connected to Linux-based computers loaded with open-source design and manufacturing software.\n\nA fab-lab system currently costs around $20,000 (£11,570). But its inventor, the top MIT physicist and CBA director Dr Neil Gershenfeld, predicts that fab-lab prices will follow the path of PCs. With volume production, these advanced DIY systems could drop by half to $10,000 and then possibly to $1,000, making them accessible to nearly anyone. \"In the end, fabrication [systems] will be just like PCs - just technology that people have,\" he says.\n\nFor Gershenfeld, the primary benefit of fab-lab systems is they have the potential to be empowering, especially in rural, developing communities. He says: \"By personal fabrication, what I mean is ordinary people creating, rather than consuming, technology, creating technology to solve local problems.\"\n\nThis vision is no pipe-dream. It has already turned into reality across the globe. Students at Vigyan Ashram science school near the village of Pabal in India, for example, used Gershenfeld\'s technology to help local dairy farmers. The farmers\' income is tied to the level of fat in their cows\' milk, so the students used a fab-lab system to develop a sensor to give a precise measure of the fat content. They are also creating equipment that tunes diesel engines to run more efficiently, particularly with local bio-fuels. In Takoradi, Ghana, fab labs have been used to produce a cassava grinder, jewellery, car parts, agricultural tools, and communication equipment such as radio antennae. In the works are solar-energy collectors to turn the country\'s near-constant sunlight into power for cooking, cutting and refrigeration. To the north, in the cooler climes of Norway, Sami animal herders are using fab labs to make radio collars and wireless networks to track their animals.\n\nIn the urban environment, 13-year-old Makeda Stephenson from Boston, Massachusetts, dissatisfied with the flight-simulator games sold in computer shops, used a local fab-labs project to build her own - one that would let her \"fly\" an aeroplane of her design over an alien planet born entirely of her own imagination. \"It\'s different if you make it yourself,\" she says. \"It\'s more personal.\"\n\nFor the next generation of fab labs, Gershenfeld hopes to include a rapid-prototyping machine, a device that is already becoming common in industry. In some ways, such devices are similar to ink-jet printers. The difference is that they create three-dimensional \"images\" from computer models, laying down layer upon layer of plastic, powdered metal, or other material, until the image becomes reality. Overnight, for example, they can create the shell of a cellular phone. In the long run, by combining plastics and metal circuitry, rapid prototyping machines are expected to deliver a working cellphone - or pretty much any other similar gadget.\n\nThe concept isn\'t limited to small consumer products, though. In his book, Fab: The Coming Revolution on your Desktop - From Personal Computers to Personal Fabrication (Basic Books 1995), Gershenfeld reports on initiatives to develop large, mobile printers that squirt concrete for \"printing\" a building or bridge. Larry Sass, an MIT professor of architecture, is already developing a fab-lab system for constructing simple, customised houses from plywood panels, costing roughly $2,000 (£1,160).\n\nSoon, Gershenfeld plans to offer fab labs that can reproduce themselves over and over again, creating waves of successively cheaper systems, eventually making them affordable for all. A fab lab in every home could have a dramatic impact on today\'s throwaway culture. When a home-made appliance or toy breaks, for example, a fab lab would be able to disassemble it and either rebuild it or recycle the materials. Gershenfeld is not naive enough to image fab labs will replace mass production - not in the short term, anyway. But he does believe that, within the next few years, they will allow growing numbers of individuals and businesses to customise products to fit their needs.\n\nSome people, however, are sceptical about the sustainability of fab labs. The devices are relatively inexpensive to create, and so far MIT pays the start-up costs. But after a year or so, the labs are on their own. The ultimate goal is for the labs to be financially self-sustaining.\n\nTo that end, Gershenfeld has met people from the World Bank, the US National Academies, and the World Economic Forum, about funding. Although they like the idea of the fab lab, they all say it doesn\'t quite fit into their agendas. \"It\'s an animal the likes of which hardly anyone has seen,\" says Michael Jensen, the director of web communications at the National Academies. As far as he and the other organisations are concerned the project is far too speculative.\n\nGershenfeld, though, has thought up a solution: to create a different kind of funding organisation, \"somewhere between philanthropic aid, basic research, and business development\". But fab labs, Gershenfeld stresses, are research experiments and are still very much works in progress.\n\nWhether fab labs will take off in a big way only time will tell. But a New Jersey start up, eMachineShop.com, has seized the commercial initiative and is using the fab-labs model to make it possible for anyone, anywhere in the world, to design their own item and get it built and delivered directly to their door. The process is simple and straightforward: you download the free Computer Aided Design (CAD) software, then create a 3D model of the item you require. If you\'ve never used CAD before, the help wizards are extensive enough to get even the most technophobic designing objects within 20 minutes or so. Once satisfied with your creation, you click to get a price for manufacture and delivery. If you\'re happy with it, you place your order online.\n\nThe US journalist Clive Thompson, a guitar player since his teens, decided to use eMachineShop.com to create a unique guitar body. Although he had no experience in design, he soon managed to come up with what he describes as \"a curvy, amoeba-like adaptation of a [Gibson] Flying V guitar\", made out of acrylic (because eMachineShop.com didn\'t stock wood thick enough). After accepting the $880 quote and hitting the \"Place Order\" button, Thompson eagerly awaited delivery. But when the finished product arrived he had mixed feelings - his design abilities had fallen short. \"I\'d made the guitar body far thicker than I should have, [which made it] much heavier than a conventional guitar,\" he says. Thompson also noticed he\'d made other design errors. \"I\'d forgotten to round the corners on all sides of the guitar, so the back part looks like a table-top.\" But once he\'d attached the pick-ups, neck and strings - and all importantly, plugged it into an amplifier - Thompson thundered out a powerchord, and his feelings changed.\n\n\"For all its imperfections, my creation looks... less a straight-ahead guitar than a piece of mildly psychedelic Soviet machinery. Maybe this is the appeal of the fab-lab revolution: When you create something from scratch, even the flaws are charming.\"\n\nAs Gershenfeld says, \"Fab is about making the things you can\'t find at Wal-Mart. It\'s stuff for a market of one.\"\n\n<b>The birth of Fab</b>\n\n* The idea for fab labs was sparked by a course called How to Make (Almost) Anything at MIT\'s Center for Bits and Atoms (CBA), which the fab labs inventor, Dr Neil Gershenfeld, heads.\n\n* Gershenfeld saw the class as a how-to exercise for engineering students. They would get to experiment with CBA\'s multimillion-dollar range of machinery and tools - the grandfather of fab labs.\n\n* The first class met in 1998, and Gershenfeld was astonished to find that it consisted of as many aspiring artists and architects as it did of engineers.\n\n* Another surprise came when he discovered why most students wanted to take the course: \"They were motivated by the desire to make things they\'d always wanted but that didn\'t exist.\"\n\nMIT\'s <a href=\"http://fab.cba.mit.edu\" target=\"new\">Centre for Bits and Atoms</a> fab labs project\n\n<a href=\"http://www.emachineshop.com\" target=\"new\" >eMachineShop</a>','What do you want to build today?','','publish','open','closed','','what-do-you-want-to-build-today','','','2005-11-30 10:48:27','2005-11-30 10:48:27','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=191',0,'post','',0),(192,2,'2005-11-30 10:56:03','2005-11-30 10:56:03','Koko, the signing gorilla with a nipple fetish settles out of court, reports <a href=\"http://www.courttv.com/people/2005/1125/koko_ctv.html\" target=\"new\">Court TV</a>\n\nTwo women who claimed they were pressured to show their breasts to Koko, the famous gorilla who communicates with humans through sign language, have dropped their sexual harassment lawsuit after reaching a settlement agreement earlier this week.\n\nvia Mike Jay\n<!--more-->\nFormer gorilla caretakers Nancy Alperin and Kendra Keller asked for more than $1 million in damages in their sexual discrimination and wrongful termination suit filed in February against the Gorilla Foundation — the Woodside, Calif. nonprofit charged with Koko\'s care — and Dr. Francine Patterson, the foundation\'s president and Koko\'s primary caretaker\n...\n\n\"Patterson would interpret certain hand movements made by Koko as a \'demand\' to see exposed human nipples,\" their suit alleged. \"[Patterson] made it known to Keller and Alperin that if [they] did not indulge Koko\'s nipple fetish, their employment with the Gorilla Foundation would suffer.\"\n\nBoth women claimed they refused to show Koko their nipples.\n...\n\nBoth sides entered into settlement discussions in August, preempting the filing of an amended complaint by the women, which would have gone into greater detail about Koko\'s alleged nipple fetish and sexually aggressive behavior.','Koko settles out of court','','publish','open','closed','','koko-settles-out-of-court','','','2005-11-30 10:56:03','2005-11-30 10:56:03','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=192',0,'post','',0),(193,2,'2005-12-02 09:39:05','2005-12-02 09:39:05','What\'s the Buzz? Rowdy Teenagers Don\'t Want to Hear It\nBy SARAH LYALL in the <a href=\"http://www.nytimes.com/2005/11/29/international/europe/29repellent.html\" target=\"new\" >New York Times</a>, via Barry Journal\n\nBARRY, Wales - Though he did not know it at the time, the idea came to Howard Stapleton when he was 12 and visiting a factory with his father, a manufacturing executive in London. Opening the door to a room where workers were using high-frequency welding equipment, he found he could not bear to go inside.\n\n\"The noise!\" he complained.\n\n\"What noise?\" the grownups asked.\n\nNow 39, Mr. Stapleton has taken the lesson he learned that day - that children can hear sounds at higher frequencies than adults can - to fashion a novel device that he hopes will provide a solution to the eternal problem of obstreperous teenagers who hang around outside stores and cause trouble.\n\nThe device, called the Mosquito (\"It\'s small and annoying,\" Mr. Stapleton said), emits a high-frequency pulsing sound that, he says, can be heard by most people younger than 20 and almost no one older than 30. The sound is designed to so irritate young people that after several minutes, they cannot stand it and go away.\n<!--more-->\nSo far, the Mosquito has been road-tested in only one place, at the entrance to the Spar convenience store in this town in South Wales. Like birds perched on telephone wires, surly teenagers used to plant themselves on the railings just outside the door, smoking, drinking, shouting rude words at customers and making regular disruptive forays inside.\n\n\"On the low end of the scale, it would be intimidating for customers,\" said Robert Gough, who, with his parents, owns the store. \"On the high end, they\'d be in the shop fighting, stealing and assaulting the staff.\"\n\nMr. Gough (pronounced GUFF) planned to install a sound system that would blast classical music into the parking lot, another method known to horrify hang-out youths into dispersing, but never got around to it. But last month, Mr. Stapleton gave him a Mosquito for a free trial. The results were almost instantaneous. It was as if someone had used anti-teenager spray around the entrance, the way you might spray your sofas to keep pets off. Where disaffected youths used to congregate, now there is no one.\n\nAt first, members of the usual crowd tried to gather as normal, repeatedly going inside the store with their fingers in their ears and \"begging me to turn it off,\" Mr. Gough said. But he held firm and neatly avoided possible aggressive confrontations: \"I told them it was to keep birds away because of the bird flu epidemic.\"\n\nA trip to Spar here in Barry confirmed the strange truth of the phenomenon. The Mosquito is positioned just outside the door. Although this reporter could not hear anything, being too old, several young people attested to the fact that yes, there was a noise, and yes, it was extremely annoying.\n\n\"It\'s loud and squeaky and it just goes through you,\" said Jodie Evans, 15, who was shopping at the store even though she was supposed to be in school. \"It gets inside you.\"\n\nMiss Evans and a 12-year-old friend who did not want to be interviewed were once part of a regular gang of loiterers, said Mr. Gough\'s father, Philip. \"That little girl used to be a right pain, shouting abuse and bad language,\" he said of the 12-year-old. \"Now she\'ll just come in, do her shopping and go.\"\n\nRobert Gough, who said he could hear the noise even though he is 34, described it as \"a pulsating chirp,\" the sort you might hear if you suffered from tinnitus. By way of demonstration, he emitted a batlike squeak that was indeed bothersome.\n\nMr. Stapleton, a security consultant whose experience in installing store alarms and the like alerted him to the gravity of the loitering problem, studied other teenage-repellents as part of his research. Some shops, for example, use \"zit lamps,\" which drive teenagers away by casting a blue light onto their spotty skin, accentuating any whiteheads and other blemishes.\n\nUsing his children as guinea pigs, he tried a number of different noise and frequency levels, testing a single-toned unit before settling on a pulsating tone which, he said, is more unbearable, and which can be broadcast at 75 decibels, within government auditory-safety limits. \"I didn\'t want to make it hurt,\" Mr. Stapleton said. \"It just has to nag at them.\"\n\nThe device has not yet been tested by hearing experts.\n\nAndrew King, a professor of neurophysiology at Oxford University, said in an e-mail interview that while the ability to hear high frequencies deteriorates with age, the change happens so gradually that many non-teenagers might well hear the Mosquito\'s noise. \"Unless the store owners wish to sell their goods only to senior citizens,\" he wrote, \"I doubt that this would work.\"\n\nMr. Stapleton argues, though, that it doesn\'t matter if people in their 20\'s and 30\'s can hear the Mosquito, since they are unlikely to be hanging out in front of stores, anyway.\n\nIt is too early to predict the device\'s future. Since an article about it appeared in The Grocer, a British trade magazine, Mr. Stapleton has become modestly famous, answering inquiries from hundreds of people and filling orders for dozens of the devices, not only in stores but also in places like railroad yards. He appeared recently on Richard & Judy, an Oprah-esque afternoon talk show, where the device successfully vexed all but one of the members of a girls\' choir.\n\nHe is considering introducing a much louder unit that can be switched on in emergencies with a panic button. It would be most useful when youths swarm into stores and begin stealing en masse, a phenomenon known in Britain as steaming. The idea would be to blast them with such an unacceptably loud, high noise - a noise inaudible to older shoppers - that they would immediately leave.\n\n\"It\'s very difficult to shoplift,\" Mr. Stapleton said, \"when you have your fingers in your ears.\"\n\n<b>And more from <a href=\"http://icwales.icnetwork.co.uk/0300business/0100news/tm_objectid=16358968%26method=full%26siteid=50082%26page=2%26headline=life%2ds%2da%2dbuzz%2dfor%2dmosquito%2dinventor-name_page.html\" target=\"new\">Icwales</a>:</b>\n\nThe inventor answers the sceptics\n\nHow does the Mosquito system work?\nMosquito is essentially a sounder unit that emits a very high (ultrasonic) tone that is completely harmless even with long-term use.\n\nWhat about dogs?\nAlthough dogs have very acute hearing and are easily able to hear at this frequency, extensive testing shows that it does not appear to bother them.\n\nHow quickly does it work?\nThe longer someone is exposed to the sound, the more annoying it becomes. Field trials have shown that teenagers are acutely aware of the Mosquito and usually move away from the area within just a couple of minutes.\n\nThe field trials also suggest that after several uses, the groups of children and teenagers tend not to loiter in the areas covered by the Mosquito, even when it is not turned on.\n\nWhat is the range of the Mosquito?\nThe effective range is between 15 and 20 metres. The closer one gets to the unit the more effective it is.\n\nWhat about teenage customers and my neighbours?\nIt takes a minute or so for the presence of the sound to make any impact, even on teenagers. Genuine teenage customers who will only be in the shop for a minute or so will not find the sound of significant consequence.\n\nAs the transmission of the sound is directional and as high frequency short wavelengths do not travel effectively through solid objects, it is unlikely that there will be any adverse effect on neighbours. The unit comes complete with a remote ON/OFF switch, so the unit can be turned on and off as required.','Sonic Youth Repellent','','publish','open','closed','','sonic-youth-repellent','','','2005-12-02 09:39:05','2005-12-02 09:39:05','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=193',0,'post','',0),(194,2,'2005-12-02 09:45:11','2005-12-02 09:45:11','Boy hailed as a modern Buddha \'has been fasting for six months\'\nBy Justin Huggler, <a href=\"http://news.independent.co.uk/world/asia/article330664.ece\" tsrget=\"new\"> The Independent</a>\nPublished: 02 December 2005\n\nScientists in Nepal are planning to examine claims by a 15-year-old boy, hailed by pilgrims from across the country as a modern-day Buddha, that he has been meditating without drinking water for six months.\n\nRam Bahadur Bamjan sits cross-legged, in the pose of a Buddhist ascetic, beneath a peepul tree in the village of Ratanapuri south of Kathmandu. His family and devotees say he has not moved since he sat to meditate six months ago. They say he eats and drinks nothing, and does not relieve himself. His hair has grown long and shaggy and hangs down over his eyes. He has only spoken rarely since he began meditating.\n\nThe incident that sealed his fame in Nepal came weeks ago when a poisonous snake bit him. After being hidden behind a curtain by his supporters for five days, reports say he came out and said: \"A snake bit me but I do not need treatment. I need six years of deep meditation.\"\n<!--more-->\nThe Buddha, who was born Siddhartha Gautama in Nepal in 560 BC, meditated and fasted under a tree until he achieved enlightenment and founded the Buddhist religion.\n\nThe teenager has said he will meditate and fast for six years, until he achieves enlightenment. But he has also told followers that he is not a Buddha but a rinpoche, a lesser degree of holiness. \"I don\'t have the Buddha\'s energy,\" he said.\n\nNow scientists want to investigate the claims that the boy is surviving without drinking water. Most people can survive without food for prolonged periods, drawing on their bodies\' stores of fat. But it is not believed possible to survive without water.\n\nSome of the boy\'s devotees say that at first he drank a milk-like substance from the roots of the tree, but more recently has done without any liquid.\n\nClaims by holy men to have unusual powers are common in south Asia, but they are rarely subjected to scientific scrutiny. But Bamjan has become so famous that people are asking for proof. A team from the Royal Nepal Academy of Science and Technology is to investigate. They will have to observe without touching him to avoid breaking his meditation.\n\nTheir study could prove controversial. A lucrative business has grown up around the meditating boy. Photographs of him are on sale at the shrine that has sprung up in honour of him. Local authorities say some 500,000 Nepali rupees (£4,000) have been deposited in the bank by his devotees. Local people have formed a committee to manage the offerings made by pilgrims.\n\nAs well as donations, private vendors are said to be making big profits by selling incense sticks and tea to those who visit the shrine. Although the boy\'s devotees say he fasts and meditates day and night, no one has seen him at night. After dark, a screen is put up around him. The same screen was put up after he was bitten by the snake.\n\nThe boy\'s parents say that they have no more understanding than anyone else of what is really going on with their son. His mother says she fainted when she heard he had started meditating. She says she visits him but that he will not talk even to her.\n\nBut those hoping the scientists can put paid to the controversy for good may be disappointed; their observations will be performed behind the same screen that hides Bamjan from onlookers at night.','Ratanapuri Rinpoche faces probe','','publish','open','closed','','ratanapuri-rinpoche-faces-probe','','','2005-12-02 09:45:11','2005-12-02 09:45:11','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=194',0,'post','',0),(195,2,'2005-12-04 17:38:02','2005-12-04 17:38:02','Ancient legends give an early warning of modern disasters\n\nThe new science of geomythology is being harnessed by researchers who believe folklore can save lives. by Robin McKie.\nSunday December 4, 2005, in <a href=\"http://observer.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,6903,1657262,00.html\" target=\"new\">The Observer</a>\n\nOn the banks of Siletz Bay in Lincoln City, Oregon, officials dedicated a memorial last week to one of America\'s worst calamities: a huge earthquake and tsunami that killed thousands of Native Americans 300 years ago.\n\nBut the memorial\'s main job is not to commemorate the disaster, which has only just come to light, but to warn local people that similar devastation could strike at any time.\n\nThe area sits over massive fault lines whose dangers have been highlighted by a startling new scientific discipline that combines Earth science studies and analysis of ancient legends. This is geomythology, and it is transforming our knowledge of earthquakes, volcanoes and tsunamis, says the journal Science.\n\nFull story at <a href=\"http://observer.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,6903,1657262,00.html\" target=\"new\">The Observer</a>.','Harnessing the power of myth','','publish','open','closed','','harnessing-the-power-of-myth','','','2005-12-04 17:38:02','2005-12-04 17:38:02','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=195',0,'post','',0),(196,2,'2005-12-05 10:09:27','2005-12-05 10:09:27','<img alt=\"nightsnake to send.jpg\" src=\"http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/archives/nightsnake to send.jpg\" width=\"300\" height=\"418\" /><p>\n\nSure to be a hypnotic night out – SA faves Little Wet Horse do their Beefheart Kraut-Bluegrass thing  and Alexander Tucker loops himself a stairway to the stars. Plus Mr Duke Garwood.','Night Snake visits St Moritz','','publish','open','closed','','night-snake-visits-st-moritz','','','2005-12-05 10:09:27','2005-12-05 10:09:27','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=196',0,'post','',0),(197,2,'2005-12-08 11:10:47','2005-12-08 11:10:47','\"It sounds like science fiction: a brain nurtured in a Petri dish learns to pilot a fighter plane as scientists develop a new breed of \"living\" computer. But in groundbreaking experiments in a Florida laboratory that is exactly what is happening.\n\nThe \"brain\", grown from 25,000 neural cells extracted from a single rat embryo, has been taught to fly an F-22 jet simulator by scientists at the University of Florida.\n\nThey hope their research into neural computation will help them develop sophisticated hybrid computers, with a thinking biological component....\"\n\nFull story at <a href=\"http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2004/12/06/1102182227308.html?rats#\" target=\"new\" >The Age<a/>','Rat brains and fighter planes','','publish','open','closed','','rat-brains-and-fighter-planes','','','2005-12-08 11:10:47','2005-12-08 11:10:47','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=197',0,'post','',0),(198,2,'2005-12-09 00:30:05','2005-12-09 00:30:05','<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/mickie/sets/983397/\" target=\"new\" <img alt=\"44991074_bf8984f90b.jpg\" src=\"http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/archives/44991074_bf8984f90b.jpg\" width=\"300\" height=\"317\" /></a>\n\nVia John Lundberg','CIA Sabotage Manual','','publish','open','closed','','cia-sabotage-manual','','','2005-12-09 00:30:05','2005-12-09 00:30:05','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=198',0,'post','',0),(199,2,'2005-12-13 09:05:38','2005-12-13 09:05:38','Bees can recognize human faces, study finds\nDec. 9, 2005, World Science\n\nHoneybees may look pretty much all alike to us. But it seems we may not look all alike to them. A study has found that they can learn to recognize human faces in photos, and remember them for at least two days.\n\nThe findings toss new uncertainty into a long-studied question that some scientists considered largely settled, the researchers say: how humans themselves recognize faces...\n\nThe bees probably don’t understand what a human face is, Dyer said in an email. “To the bees the faces were spatial patterns (or strange looking flowers),” he added.\n\n<a href=\"http://www.world-science.net/exclusives/051209_beesfrm.htm\" target=\"new\">Full story</a>','Strange-looking Flowers','','publish','open','closed','','strange-looking-flowers','','','2005-12-13 09:05:38','2005-12-13 09:05:38','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=199',0,'post','',0),(200,2,'2005-12-13 09:13:29','2005-12-13 09:13:29','<i>Parents insist their `Indigo children\' can see the future, The Orange County Register</i>\n\nLA HABRA, Calif. - It was a typical kids\' birthday party at Chuck E. Cheese. Pizza, games and noise.\n\nBut when Carolyn Kaufman was getting her daughter, Ariel Carreno, ready to go, Ariel had an unusual request.\n\n\"Mom, we need to take an orange,\" Ariel said.\n\n\"Why?\" Carolyn asked.\n\nCarolyn explained that this was a pizza party, and that an orange would probably be out of place.\n\nBut when Ariel insisted, Carolyn grabbed an orange and took it to the party. For Carolyn\'s family, what seems odd isn\'t odd at all.\n\nKaufman believes Ariel can see the future.\n\nSo Ariel carried her orange into Chuck E. Cheese. The party went just as planned. The kids ate pizza. The kids played games. The parents endured the noise.\n\nThen, the birthday girl asked for the strangest thing.\n\nAn orange...\n\n<a href=\"http://www.fortwayne.com/mld/newssentinel/13331476.htm?template=contentModules/printstory.jsp\" target=\"new\" >Full story</a>','Indigo kids &quot;can see the future&quot;','','publish','open','closed','','indigo-kids-can-see-the-future','','','2005-12-13 09:13:29','2005-12-13 09:13:29','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=200',0,'post','',0),(201,2,'2005-12-15 11:06:20','2005-12-15 11:06:20','Pentagon in global propaganda drive, <a href=\"http://www.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,3604,1667508,00.html\" target=\"new\">The Guardian</a>\n\nThe Pentagon is to spend $300m (£170m) planting pro-US messages in media outlets around the world, including those of its allies, without disclosing the US government as their source.\n\nThe aim is to sway foreign audiences to support US policies by targeting newspapers, websites, radio and television. T-shirts and bumper stickers will also be produced.\n\nAn official from the Pentagon\'s psychological operations unit said it would not always reveal its role in distributing pro-American messages. Meanwhile, NBC television network claimed to have obtained a secret Pentagon database of US citizens who oppose the Iraq war.','Can&#039;t buy our love','','publish','open','closed','','cant-buy-our-love','','','2005-12-15 11:06:20','2005-12-15 11:06:20','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=201',0,'post','',0),(202,2,'2005-12-15 11:49:07','2005-12-15 11:49:07','<a href=\"http://www.dumdum.co.uk/sphericalvr/rosslyn.htm\" target=\"new\"><img alt=\"panross.jpg\" src=\"http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/archives/panross.jpg\" width=\"300\" height=\"160\" /></a>\n\nSpectacular panoramic quicktime images of <a href=\"http://www.dumdum.co.uk/sphericalvr/rosslyn.htm\" target=\"new\">Rosslyn</a> Chapel by Jonathan Greet.\n\nMeanwhile here\'s a piece about <a href=\"http://heritage.scotsman.com/topics.cfm?tid=542&id=2207102005\" target=\"new\">Rosslyn and The Grail</a>, what ought to be an interesting new book about the meaning of Rosslyn\'s elaborate carvings co-authored by SA ally Mark Oxbrow and Ian Robertson.\n\n\"\"We\'ve shown that it\'s a Christian place of worship - not Pagan, as has been said - and that\'s confirmed by the way the building has been built. Traditionally, the foundations of all buildings began in the north-east which is symbolic of the day starting in the east.\n\n\"The carvings remain youthful in the east and progress in age towards the north, as the north in Scottish tradition is associated with death and winter. It comes full circle, beginning with carvings of an angel in the east opening a book, and finishing with an angel with a closed book - the end of the story. \"\n\nPanolink via David Luke','Rosslyn Panography','','publish','open','closed','','rosslyn-panography','','','2005-12-15 11:49:07','2005-12-15 11:49:07','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=202',0,'post','',0),(203,2,'2005-12-15 12:12:40','2005-12-15 12:12:40','<a href=\"http://www.ishkur.com/articles/trancecracker.php\" target=\"new\" ><img alt=\"chick_20.jpg\" src=\"http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/archives/chick_20.jpg\" width=\"300\" height=\"153\"/></a>\n\nNice Jack Chick-style comic about the horrors of contemporary trance music.\n\nVia Adi Tantimedh','The Trance Cracker','','publish','open','closed','','the-trance-cracker','','','2005-12-15 12:12:40','2005-12-15 12:12:40','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=203',0,'post','',0),(204,2,'2005-12-16 11:54:14','2005-12-16 11:54:14','BABALON, A Fable of Rocketry, Sex and High Magick\n\nA Single Performance (With a cameo appearance from Mark P...)\nGielgud Studio Theatre, RADA\nMalet Street, London W1\n£7.00 tickets from RADA Box office -  020 7908 4800\n\nThis play, originally written for radio, explores the enigmatic life and mysterious death of Jack Parsons (1914-52). Parsons was a pioneering American rocket scientist, disciple of the magus Aleister Crowley, and passionate devotee of Lady Babalon, the Scarlet Woman of the New Aeon.\n\nRockbrands highly stylised production, rehearsed at Treadwells Bookshop meeting rooms, reinforces the resonance of the text with soundscape and visual projections to create unique moments of ritual theatre. There are also elements of dark farce and tragedy as Parsons apocalyptic vision is subverted by hostile forces. The play is set in the 1940s as the American OTO was coalescing, and arguments about succession were flying around. Most of the action takes place in California, where an increasingly manic Parsons spirals out of control with his Scarlet Woman, his friends worried but inspired by Thelemic precepts.\n<!--more-->\nA few scenes are set in the UK, where we meet Aleister Crowley and Frieda Harris, and their prickly relationship is expressed with verve. We see Crowleys effect on his followers, and the dysfunctionality in the relationships is never hidden.\n\nPaul Greens plays include The Dream Laboratory, The Aleph (CBC Radio Canada); Ritual of the Stifling Air (BBC Radio 3); Powerplay, (Capital Radio); The Mouthpiece (Resonance FM); Terminal Poet (New Theatre Works). Director Alison Rockbrand founded Travesty Theatre and the Dead Dolls Cabaret in Montreal. Her productions include the collective creation Mumbo Jumbo: King Leopolds Opus and a rendition of Macbeth including stylised dance gestures based upon the Kathakali dance tradition in India. In February 2006 she is directing Stuart Drapers Departure Lounge in the Prompt Corner at the South London Theatre Company. The Babalon cast are made up of practising occultists with theatre and acting backgrounds. There will be one performance ONLY. Tickets for Babalon may now be purchased via the RADA Box Office on 020 7908 4800.','BABALON:For One Night Only!','','publish','open','closed','','babalonfor-one-night-only','','','2005-12-16 11:54:14','2005-12-16 11:54:14','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=204',0,'post','',0),(205,2,'2005-12-18 23:27:59','2005-12-18 23:27:59','<i>At Inland Base, Scientologists Trained Top Gun</i>\n\n<img alt=\"cruise.jpg\" src=\"http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/archives/cruise.jpg\" width=\"300\" height=\"232\" />\n\nTom Cruise studied intensively at the remote compound near Hemet while becoming a passionate messenger for the church.\nBy Claire Hoffman and Kim Christensen, LA Times\n\nGILMAN HOT SPRINGS, Calif. — Nearly 30 years ago, the Church of Scientology bought a dilapidated and bankrupt resort here and turned the erstwhile haven for Hollywood moguls and starlets into a retreat for L. Ron Hubbard, the science fiction writer who founded the religion.\n\nToday, the out-of-the-way 500-acre compound near Hemet has quietly grown into one of Scientology\'s major bases of operation, with thriving video and recording studios, elaborate offices and a multimillion-dollar mansion that former members say was built for the eventual return of \"LRH,\" who died in 1986.\n\nLike the previous owners, the church also has used the property as a sanctuary for its own stable of stars. It is here, ex-members say, that Hollywood\'s most bankable actor, Tom Cruise, was assiduously courted for the cause by Scientology\'s most powerful leader, David Miscavige.\n\nScientology has long recruited Hollywood luminaries. But the close friendship of these two men for nearly 20 years and their mutual devotion to Hubbard help explain Cruise\'s transformation from just another celebrity adherent into the public face of the church.\n\nThe bond between the star and his spiritual leader was evident last year when the two traded effusive words and crisp salutes at a Scientology gala in England. Calling Cruise \"the most dedicated Scientologist I know,\" Miscavige presented him with the church\'s first Freedom Medal of Valor.\n\n\"Thank you for your trust, thank you for your confidence in me,\" Cruise replied, according to Scientology\'s Impact magazine. \"I have never met a more competent, a more intelligent, a more tolerant, a more compassionate being outside of what I have experienced from LRH. And I\'ve met the leaders of leaders. I\'ve met them all.\"\n\nFounded in 1954, Scientology is a religion without a deity. It teaches that \"spiritual release and freedom\" from life\'s problems can be achieved through one-on-one counseling called auditing, during which members\' responses are monitored on an \"e-meter,\" similar to a polygraph. This process, along with a series of training courses, can cost Scientologists many tens of thousands of dollars.\n\nAs Scientology\'s highest-ranking figure, Miscavige, 45, has found in Cruise, 43, not just a fervent and famous believer but an effective messenger whose passion the church has harnessed to help fuel its worldwide growth.\n\n\"Across 90 nations, 5,000 people hear his word of Scientology — every hour,\" International Scientology News proclaimed last year. \"Every minute of every hour someone reaches for LRH technology … simply because they know Tom Cruise is a Scientologist.\"\n\nCruise and Miscavige declined requests for interviews...\n\nRead on at the <a href=\"http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-scientology18dec18,0,2963052.story?coll=la-home-headlines\" target=\"new\" >LA Times</a>','Tom Cruise &amp; Scientology: the power of celebrity','','publish','open','closed','','tom-cruise-scientology-the-power-of-celebrity','','','2005-12-18 23:27:59','2005-12-18 23:27:59','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=205',0,'post','',0),(206,2,'2005-12-19 12:25:59','2005-12-19 12:25:59','<b> Books Of The Year</b><br />\n<i> We asked our regular reviewers, as well as some of our best-known writers, to nominate their favourite books of 2005...</i> <a href=\"http://enjoyment.independent.co.uk/books/features/article333609.ece\" target=\"new\"> Independent on Sunday</a>\n18 December 2005\n\nGary Lachman picks:\n\nStrange Attractor Journal, Vol 2 ed Mark Pilkington. Another unique and necessary collection of eccentric scholarship, weird journalism and obsessive research. Nothing else like it.\n\nplus...\n\nH P Lovecraft: Against the World, Against Life by Michel Houellebecq (McSweeney\'s Books). The latest French pop-nihilism literary export assesses the work of a hyper-neurotic master of modern horror.\n\nAliens: Why They Are Here by Bryan Appleyard (Scribners £15.99). More about why we want them to arrive than about where they may come from, but at least it tries to get past the X-Files barrier.\n\nMen of Tomorrow: Geeks, Gangsters and the Birth of the Comic Book by Gerard Jones (Heinemann £10.99). Gripping and moving tales about the heroes - mostly Jewish - behind the superheroes. How Joe Shuster, Jerry Siegel, Jack Kirby, Bob Kane and others brought Superman, Batman and Captain America into the world.','SAJ2 &quot;Best of the year&quot; - Independent on Sunday','','publish','open','closed','','saj2-best-of-the-year-independent-on-sunday','','','2005-12-19 12:25:59','2005-12-19 12:25:59','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=206',0,'post','',0),(207,2,'2005-12-20 09:20:25','2005-12-20 09:20:25','<a href=\"http://markmaynard.com/index.php/2005/12/18/zombie_claus_redux\" target=\"new\"><img alt=\"mmandyvictim.jpg\" src=\"http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/archives/mmandyvictim.jpg\" width=\"300\" height=\"179\" border=\"0\" /></a>\n\n“If someone talks to you, don’t make eye contact. Just look at their ear, groan and move on.”\n\nMark Maynard\'s <a href=\"http://markmaynard.com/index.php/2005/12/18/zombie_claus_redux\" target=\"new\">festive zombies</a> take Ann Arbor, Michigan...\n\nThanks Doug Skinner!','Run for your lives - it&#039;s Zombieclaus!','','publish','open','closed','','run-for-your-lives-its-zombieclaus','','','2005-12-20 09:20:25','2005-12-20 09:20:25','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=207',0,'post','',0),(208,2,'2005-12-21 11:19:32','2005-12-21 11:19:32','<i>Not With a Bang but a Whimper </i>\nBy Clive Thompson, 19 Dec 2005\n\n\"Anybody out there?\" I type, but I already know it\'s pointless. There\'s nobody anywhere near me. For almost an hour, I\'ve been wandering around a desolate plain: Gray clouds scud slowly over rough quartz mountains, while a few birds wheel in the air near mushroom-shaped trees. I never see another living soul. It feels like the end of the world.\n\nAnd in fact, it is. I\'m inside Asheron\'s Call 2, an online game that is scheduled to die in two weeks. It never acquired enough players to make it self-sufficient, so the game\'s owner -- Turbine -- is going to do something that only happens rarely in the world of online play: On Dec. 30, it\'ll flip the power off on the remaining servers, and an entire world will blink out of existence.\n\nContinued at <a href=\"http://www.wired.com/news/games/0,2101,69848,00.html\" target=\"new\">Wired</a>','How virtual worlds end','','publish','open','closed','','how-virtual-worlds-end','','','2005-12-21 11:19:32','2005-12-21 11:19:32','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=208',0,'post','',0),(209,2,'2005-12-22 12:08:41','2005-12-22 12:08:41','<i>A very odd story and surely a first in the annals of paranoid schizophre nia. The case brings to mind that of Mike Corley, who has advertised in the back of Private Eye for some years now, claiming that MI5 are using TV news programmes, amongst other things, to control his mind. Here\'s <a href=\"http://www.mi5.com/\" target=\"new\">his story</a>.</i>\n\n<b> Letterman lawyers fight restraining order</b> (Associated Press)\n\nSANTA FE, N.M. - Lawyers for David Letterman want a judge to quash a restraining order granted to a Santa Fe woman who contends the CBS late-night host used code words to show he wanted to marry her and train her as his co-host.\n\nA state judge granted a temporary restraining order to Colleen Nestler, who alleged in a request filed last Thursday that Letterman has forced her to go bankrupt and caused her \"mental cruelty\" and \"sleep deprivation\" since May 1994.\n\nNestler requested that Letterman, who tapes his show in New York, stay at least 3 yards away and not \"think of me, and release me from his mental harassment and hammering.\"\n<!--more-->\nLawyers for Letterman, in a motion filed Tuesday, contend the order is without merit and asked state District Judge Daniel Sanchez to quash it.\n\n\"Celebrities deserve protection of their reputation and legal rights when the occasional fan becomes dangerous or deluded,\" Albuquerque lawyer Pat Rogers wrote in the motion.\n\nNestler told The Associated Press by telephone Wednesday that she had no comment pending her request for a permanent restraining order \"and I pray to God I get it.\"\n\nSanchez set a Jan. 12 hearing on the permanent order.\n\nLetterman\'s longtime Los Angeles lawyer, Jim Jackoway, said Nestler\'s claims were \"obviously absurd and frivolous.\"\n\n\"This constitutes an unfortunate abuse of the judicial process,\" he said.\n\nNestler\'s application for a restraining order was accompanied by a six-page typed letter in which she said Letterman used code words, gestures and \"eye expressions\" to convey his desires for her.\n\nShe wrote that she began sending Letterman \"thoughts of love\" after his \"Late Show\" began in 1993, and that he responded in code words and gestures, asking her to come East.\n\nShe said he asked her to be his wife during a televised \"teaser\" for his show by saying, \"Marry me, Oprah.\" Her letter said Oprah was the first of many code names for her and that the coded vocabulary increased and changed with time.\n\nHer letter does not say why she recently sought a restraining order.\n\nRogers\' motion to quash the order contends the court lacks jurisdiction over Letterman, that Nestler never served him with restraining order papers, and that she didn\'t meet other procedural requirements.','Courts enter mind control dispute','','publish','open','closed','','courts-enter-mind-control-dispute','','','2005-12-22 12:08:41','2005-12-22 12:08:41','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=209',0,'post','',0),(210,2,'2005-12-22 14:09:04','2005-12-22 14:09:04','UFO-tastic footage of a <a href=\"http://www.realboring.com/floating-magnet/\" target=\"new\">floating magnet</a>, and an explanation of how it works.\n\nThanks John Lundberg!','Levitating Magnet','','publish','open','closed','','levitating-magnet','','','2005-12-22 14:09:04','2005-12-22 14:09:04','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=210',0,'post','',0),(211,2,'2005-12-31 11:41:19','2005-12-31 11:41:19','Happy New Era from Strange Attractor. May goodness and abundance fall from the skies...\n\n<img alt=\"ducksm.jpg\" src=\"http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/archives/ducksm.jpg\" width=\"300\" height=\"189\" />\n<a href=\"http://www.photography-museum.com/talltale.html\" target=\"new\">Tall Tales: Fantasy photographs by William H. Martin</a>','Tall Tales','','publish','open','closed','','tall-tales','','','2005-12-31 11:41:19','2005-12-31 11:41:19','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=211',0,'post','',0),(212,2,'2006-01-01 18:38:30','2006-01-01 18:38:30','<b> A brief history of time: Time lords</b>\n<i>American scientists want to change the way the world\'s clocks are set, abandoning methods used since the dawn of history</i>\nBy Cole Moreton. <i>The Independent</i> 01 January 2006\n\nWhat did you do with the extra second last night? Take another cup of kindness? Let a New Year kiss linger on the lips? Wonder why the radio was playing an extra pip?\n\nIf you didn\'t even notice the leap second being added to all our lives at midnight then that\'s a shame, because it may be the last. Time, the universal notion that underpins everything we do, is changing: becoming ever more accurate and powerful, it may also be about to split apart.\n\nThe trouble is that the experts who are supposed to tell us what time it is cannot agree how to do so. The time lords are falling out, as one group argues for the world to abandon ancient methods of timekeeping and rely solely on super-accurate atomic clocks instead.\n<!--more-->\nSystems such as the new Galileo satellite, launched last week, use atomic time to keep planes in the air and cities moving. American scientists believe it is time to measure out our lives only according to the rate at which the atoms of caesium-133 vibrate. They are opposed by equally passionate astronomers who are keen that we should all continue to measure time by using the movement of the sun in the sky to define a day.\n\nThese two versions of time have drifted 32 seconds apart, because the rotation of the Earth is irregular and slowing down. But since 1972 they have been reconciled to within 0.9 seconds of each other using leap seconds announced from the Paris Observatory. This produces a compromise called Co-ordinated Universal Time, which is why the most accurate clocks in the world were set to show an extra second as 23:59:60 last night, before 00:00:00.\n\nMany other clocks and computers also had to be reset, by operators who really did not see the point. They call leap seconds a dangerous and unnecessary disruption to the complex software used to run everything from mobile phone networks and power grids to traffic lights and life-support systems. That is why American scientists have proposed abolishing the leap second - or at least letting their own version of time drift as much as an hour away from old-fashioned \"sun time\" before it has to be reset, which could take hundreds of years. The prevalence of technology would then make atomic time the standard, and the old kind just a minority pursuit.\n\nThe world\'s top techies first challenged the stargazers at a meeting in Geneva in November, but they agreed to disagree until after last night\'s leap second. The debate continues to tick away like a time bomb inside the International Telecommunications Union, where governments and private companies work together to keep the blizzard of emails, radio and television broadcasts, faxes, phone calls, satellite signals and internet activity in the world from meltdown. All these things rely on accurate digital sources of time - which is why technology and the corporations funding it are pushing a debate that could lead to the most profound change in the way we measure time since the beginning of human history.\n\nWe have always instinctively measured time according to the movement of the sun. The Egyptians had sundials dividing daylight into 10 parts, plus one for dawn and one for dusk. Water clocks measured out the time from when the sun appeared overhead at noon to when it returned the next day, but the use of 24 identical hours became widespread only with the weight-driven mechanical timepieces of the 15th century.\n\nThis story is told at the Royal Observatory in Greenwich, London, where tourists from Australia and Japan stand astride the meridian and have themselves photographed with one foot in the eastern hemisphere and one foot in the west. \"The centre of time and space,\" is what Greenwich calls itself, with language echoing the days of certainty, precision and empire. (The train drivers of the Raj were regulated by time defined here.)\n\nFor £1, Cindy Marshall from Nebraska buys a certificate declaring to one-100th of a second that she was at this Unesco World Heritage Site at 15.09.05.01. \"That\'s so cool,\" she says. \"How do they determine that?\" Then she asks what everybody asks at Greenwich, even now: \"Is my watch right?\"\n\nPeople have been checking their timepieces here since Charles II set up the Royal Observatory to seek a solution to the problem of longitude. Sailors needed to know where they were in the world, so the first Astronomer Royal, John Flamsteed, was appointed to map out the stars and prepare accurate charts of their movements to aid navigation. It was decided that zero degrees longitude should be at Greenwich: then if sailors knew when it was noon in London they could use the amount of time it took for the sun to appear over their own head to calculate their position. But no clocks worked at sea, until John Harrison invented his watch H4, and was awarded, after considerable wrangling, a prize by the Crown.\n\nThere was still no standard time in Britain until the railways came. That noon in London was 11.44am in Plymouth did not matter until there was a timetable to observe. A master clock was set up at Greenwich in 1852 to send electrical pulses out to clocks across the country. Some called this \"railway aggression\", resenting government interference in their lives, but by 1855 nearly all public clocks in the country kept the same time.\n\nSimilar things were happening across the world. In 1884, delegates from 25 countries met in Washington to set up a series of time zones. For every 15 degrees of longitude there would be an hour difference. There had to be a base level and there was some dispute about whether it should really be at Greenwich - but since American railways and most of the ships in the world kept time on that basis, it was agreed. So Greenwich acquired the status it is so proud of today, with £15m being spent on four new galleries and a planetarium to celebrate its position at the heart of time. It is still at the prime meridian, but soon even that may be only history. If the world goes over to atomic time, the rotation of the earth will mean the meridian gradually slips eastwards.\n\n\"Greenwich is just a museum now,\" said Peter Whibberley, senior time scientist at the National Physics Laboratory in Teddington, Middlesex, where two scientists built the first working atomic clock in 1955. It used caesium-133, as modern versions do, although they are more accurate. There are 230 of them in 65 laboratories across the world, and 100 in orbit around the earth, all sending data to the International Bureau of Weights and Measures in Paris. Mr Whibberley is the man who added the leap second to the caesium clock which is kept at Teddington in stable laboratory conditions, with humidity, temperature and vibrations all controlled.\n\nAt the NPL, a second is not defined as a tick-tock, a 60th of a minute or the time it takes to fall in love, but as 9,192,631,770 cycles of electromagnetic radiation in an atom of caesium-133. The method is apparently accurate to within one second every 60 million years. Mr Whibberley reset his clock in advance of New Year\'s Eve. \"Apart from having a quick drink, there\'s not much you can do with an extra second,\" he said.\"That\'s probably what I\'ll be doing.\"\n\nExtra drink or not, the NPL is not in favour of only using atomic time. It sympathises with astronomers, whose work tracking distant stars would be thrown into chaos. The Royal Astronomical Society said last week: \"Over a few decades, when the error might grow up to half a minute or so, one can imagine the arguments that lawyers and insurance companies might have about whether an event had occurred before or after midnight.\"\n\nNevertheless, the heads of American technology corporations tend to get their way, and they seem to think of Greenwich Mean Time and the rotation of the Earth as quaint, old-fashioned, a bit wobbly - and 32 seconds slow. So if you saw someone pop their cork half a minute early last night, it was probably one of them. Ahead of their time or out of step? Only time will tell.\n\nFrom sundials to atomic clocks\n\n1: Our understanding of the passage of time has always been based on the movement of the sun and Earth. The ancient Egyptians had sundials dividing daylight into 10 parts plus dusk and dawn. The rotation of the Earth, \"moving\" the sun from directly overhead on one day to the same position on the next, has formed the basis of time-keeping ever since. This includes Greenwich Mean Time, whose status as a universal standard for the world is under threat. But everyone agrees that 24 hours equals one day\n\n2: The Greeks were the first to use water clocks regulated by a constant drip from a stone vessel. The same principle powered the first known mechanical clock, which was built in a tower 30ft high by the astronomer and inventor Su Song in China in 1088. A globe inside the tower rotated once a day\n\n3: The next step forward was to use a system of falling weights to drive the mechanism, instead of water. This made possible the large public clocks that would be built into towers in town centres across the world, starting with Italy in the 14th century\n\n4: The need for sailors to know where they were led to agreement that the position of the sun at noon in Greenwich, London, should be considered 0 degrees longitude. This called for a clock that stayed accurate at sea in any temperature and regardless of motion. H4 was invented by John Harrison\n\n5: Until the coming of the railways it did not matter that noon in London was 11.44am in Plymouth. But in 1852 a master clock was set up to send electrical pulses from Greenwich across the country. Despite some local opposition, soon all British public clocks were set by it\n\n6: In October 1884, delegates from 25 countries met in Washington to decide on a system of time zones for the whole world. Since most of the vessels at sea already used charts with Greenwich as 0 degrees longitude, this was declared the prime meridian\n\n7: The position of Greenwich as the centre of time was first threatened when quartz clocks were made in the 1920s. They count the seconds using the vibration of electricity through crystals, and have nothing to do with the sun. They made good cheap watches, but were soon surpassed in accuracy\n\n8: Time changed for ever when the first atomic clock was built at the National Physics Laboratory in Middlesex in 1955. Accurate to within a second every 300 years, it established a new standard, far more reliable than the rotation of the Earth\n\n9: The modern atomic clock uses the gas caesium-133 in a vacuum. Lasers are used to push the atoms together into a ball, which cools them. The ball is then projected a metre upwards through magnets and a microwave chamber, which heats the atoms. Any that have absorbed energy glow as they fall back down to where they came from, past a detector\n\n10: Each atom is like a mini solar system, with electrons orbiting a central nucleus. As the electrons absorb or release energy, they move up or down to different orbits. This produces electromagnetic radiation, which vibrates at a precise frequency. Recording this vibration with the detector in the clock gives scientists a measure of time accurate to within a second every 60 million years: one second equals 9,192,631,770 cycles of radiation from a caesium-133 atom. The need to reconcile this new standard of time with the old version leads to leap seconds','Time&#039;s for a change','','publish','open','closed','','times-for-a-change','','','2006-01-01 18:38:30','2006-01-01 18:38:30','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=212',0,'post','',0),(213,2,'2006-01-03 12:30:54','2006-01-03 12:30:54','Very psychedelic and surreal, epilepsy-inducing Flash-based audiovisual collage animations.\nVery strange, most wonderful and not a little silly. Be sure to eyeball his <a href=\"http://www.larrycarlson.com/collages_frame.htm\" target=\"new\" >collages</a> too.\n\n<a href=\"http://www.larrycarlson.com/flashmovies.htm\" target=\"new\"><img alt=\"carlson.jpg\" src=\"http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/archives/carlson.jpg\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" />\n</a>\n\nThanks Tom Ritchford!','Imaginary Places by Larry Carlson','','publish','open','closed','','imaginary-places-by-larry-carlson','','','2006-01-03 12:30:54','2006-01-03 12:30:54','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=213',0,'post','',0),(214,2,'2006-01-03 17:50:51','2006-01-03 17:50:51','<a href=\"http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/archives/KOSMISCHE_7th_JAN_06.gif\"><img alt=\"KOSMISCHE_7th_JAN_06.gif\" src=\"http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/archives/KOSMISCHE_7th_JAN_06-thumb.gif\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" border=\"0\"/></a>\nClick for larger image','A Kosmische start to 2006','','publish','open','closed','','a-kosmische-start-to-2006','','','2006-01-03 17:50:51','2006-01-03 17:50:51','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=214',0,'post','',0),(215,2,'2006-01-04 08:53:53','2006-01-04 08:53:53','The increasingly theocratic appearance of the USA (at least those of us on the outside), coupled with the inexplicable success of <i>The Da Vinci Code</i>, is having some interesting knock-on effects, such as two (so far) anti-Jesus flicks, both from the same director, Brian Fleming:\n\n<a href=\"http://www.thegodmovie.com/\" target=\"new\"><i>The God Who Wasn\'t There</i></a> deconstructs the mythical Jesus, presumably demonstrating his composite nature, incoporporating aspects of older solar deities including Mithras, Osiris and the Phrygian Attis.\n\nFleming, himself an ex-evangelical Christian, is also working on a fictionalised version of the story, <a href=\"http://www.thebeastmovie.com/about/index.html\" target=\"new\" ><i>The Beast</i></a>.\n\nIt\'s unlikely either of these will get much in the way of a public airing in the USA, but who knows what devilry might ride in on Da Vinci\'s coat tails....\n\n(Thanks Mark Blacklock!)','The Undergrowth of Jesus','','publish','open','closed','','the-undergrowth-of-jesus','','','2006-01-04 08:53:53','2006-01-04 08:53:53','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=215',0,'post','',0),(216,2,'2006-01-06 08:27:08','2006-01-06 08:27:08','A question for 2006, from <a href=\"http://www.edge.org/q2006/q06_index.html\" target=\"new\">The Edge</a>\n\nSomething radically new is in the air: new ways of understanding physical systems, new ways of thinking about thinking that call into question many of our basic assumptions.  A realistic biology of the mind, advances in evolutionary biology, physics, information technology, genetics, neurobiology, psychology, engineering, the chemistry of materials: all are questions of critical importance with respect to what it means to be human. For the first time, we have the tools and the will to undertake the scientific study of human nature.\n\nWhat you will find emerging out of the 119 original essays in the 75,000 word document written in response to the 2006 Edge Question — \"What is your dangerous idea?\" — are indications of a new natural philosophy, founded on the realization of the import of complexity, of evolution. Very complex systems — whether organisms, brains, the biosphere, or the universe itself — were not constructed by design; all have evolved. There is a new set of metaphors to describe ourselves, our minds, the universe, and all of the things we know in it.','What is Your Dangerous Idea?','','publish','open','closed','','what-is-your-dangerous-idea','','','2006-01-06 08:27:08','2006-01-06 08:27:08','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=216',0,'post','',0),(217,2,'2006-01-08 10:54:44','2006-01-08 10:54:44','A fascinating and moving interview with the father of LSD, <a href=\"http://www.nytimes.com/2006/01/07/international/europe/07hoffman.html?adxnnl=1&adxnnlx=1136647156-llz95RHDsWGwTeCG12hpIQ\" target=\"new\">Albert Hoffman</a>, who turns 100 this week.\n\nI sure wish I was going to <a href=\"http://www.lsd.info/E_start.html\" target=\"new\" >this conference</a> in Basel...\n\n\"Rounding a century, Mr. Hofmann is physically reduced but mentally clear. He is prone to digressions, ambling with pleasure through memories of his boyhood, but his bright eyes flash with the recollection of a mystical experience he had on a forest path more than 90 years ago in the hills above Baden, Switzerland. The experience left him longing for a similar glimpse of what he calls \"a miraculous, powerful, unfathomable reality.\"\n\n\"I was completely astonished by the beauty of nature,\" he said, laying a slightly gnarled finger alongside his nose, his longish white hair swept back from his temples and the crown of his head. He said any natural scientist who was not a mystic was not a real natural scientist. \"Outside is pure energy and colorless substance,\" he said. \"All of the rest happens through the mechanism of our senses. Our eyes see just a small fraction of the light in the world. It is a trick to make a colored world, which does not exist outside of human beings.\"\n\nHe became particularly fascinated by the mechanisms through which plants turn sunlight into the building blocks for our own bodies. \"Everything comes from the sun via the plant kingdom,\" he said.\"\n\nThanks Anthony Matt!','&quot;Outside is pure energy&quot;','','publish','open','closed','','outside-is-pure-energy','','','2006-01-08 10:54:44','2006-01-08 10:54:44','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=217',0,'post','',0),(218,2,'2006-01-11 10:06:09','2006-01-11 10:06:09','And 100 happy returns to Albert Hoffman!\n<a href=\"http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,3604,1683654,00.html\" target=\"new\" >The Guardian</a>\n\nBritish psychiatrists are beginning to debate the highly sensitive issue of using LSD for therapeutic purposes to unlock secrets buried in the unconscious which may underlie the anxious or obsessional behaviour of some of their patients.\n\nThe UK pioneered this use of LSD in the 1950s. But psychiatrists found their research proposals rejected and their work dismissed once \"acid\" hit the streets in the mid-60s and uncontrolled use of the hallucinogenic drug became a social phenomenon.\n\nToday, on the 100th birthday of Albert Hofmann, the scientist who discovered the mind-expanding properties of lysergic acid diethylamide in Switzerland, one consultant psychiatrist is openly risking controversy to urge that the debate on the therapeutic potential of LSD be reopened. Ben Sessa has been invited to give a presentation on psychedelic drugs to the Royal College of Psychiatrists in March - the first time the subject will have been discussed by the institution in 30 years.\n\n\"I really want to present a dispassionate medical, scientific evidence-based argument,\" says Dr Sessa. \"I do not condone recreational drug use. None of this is tinged by any personal experience.\n\n\"Scientists, psychiatrists and psychologists were forced to give up their studies for socio-political reasons. That\'s what really drives me.\"\n\nLSD was brought to the UK in 1952 by psychiatrist Ronnie Sandison who had visited the labs of the drug company Sandoz, where Dr Hofmann worked. He came home with 100 ampoules in his bag and began to use them at Powick hospital, near Malvern in Worcestershire, on selected patients with conditions such as obsessional hand-washing or anxiety who did not respond to psychoanalysis...\n\nMore over at <a href=\"http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,3604,1683654,00.html\" target=\"new\" >The Guardian</a>','LSD therapy flashback','','publish','open','closed','','lsd-therapy-flashback','','','2006-01-11 10:06:09','2006-01-11 10:06:09','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=218',0,'post','',0),(219,2,'2006-01-11 10:24:55','2006-01-11 10:24:55','Fan makes £25,000 on dream goal.  Via <a href=\"http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/england/berkshire/4598198.stm\" target=\"new\">BBC</a>\n\nA football fan won £25,000 after dreaming that Liverpool\'s Xabi Alonso scored a goal from his own half.\n\nAfter the dream in July, Adrian Hayward placed a £200 bet, at odds of 125-1, that Alonso would score from behind the halfway line at some point this season.\n\nHis dream came true on Saturday when the Spaniard scored against Luton Town in the FA Cup 3rd round.\n\n\"I\'ve never placed such a large bet before but I had a feeling about it,\" said Mr Hayward, of Newbury, Berkshire.\n\n\"I was watching the Luton match on TV with my family and I saw the keeper off his line. I was shouting \'Shoot!\' and he did.\n\n\"It seemed to take an age to hit the net but when it did, I just went berserk.\"\n\nThe 42-year-old father-of-two said he might spend some of the winnings on a family holiday.\n\nBookmaker Paddy Power said: \"When he placed the bet we thought it was the easiest £200 we had ever made.\n\n\"But fair play to him. It\'s great when these unusual bets pay out and it shows that dreams do come true.\"','Football dream nets £25,000','','publish','open','closed','','football-dream-nets-25000','','','2006-01-11 10:24:55','2006-01-11 10:24:55','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=219',0,'post','',0),(220,2,'2006-01-11 13:37:11','2006-01-11 13:37:11','Monday, January 16, 2006, 8.30-9.00 pm on BBC Radio 4, 93.5 FM\n\n‘It should be a binding clause that when you find God you get to keep Him.’\n\nIt wasn’t Philip K. Dick’s fault that God started talking to him in 1974. Find out what happened when a Californian science fiction writer went in search of the divine with a typewriter and a tape recorder. A strange tale of madness, machines and attempted suicide.\n\nWith contributions from Kim Stanley Robinson, Ray Nelson, Brian Aldiss, Tim Powers, James Blaylock and, for the first time on British radio, the Philip K. Dick Android.\n\nWritten and presented by <a href=\"http://www.kenhollings.com\" target=\"new\">Ken Hollings</a>\nProduced by Mark Burman, Mixed by Jon Calver','BBC Radio 4: Confessions of a Crap Artist','','publish','open','closed','','bbc-radio-4-confessions-of-a-crap-artist','','','2006-01-11 13:37:11','2006-01-11 13:37:11','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=220',0,'post','',0),(221,2,'2006-01-13 15:29:28','2006-01-13 15:29:28','<img alt=\"12indigo.jpg\" src=\"http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/archives/12indigo.jpg\" width=\"184\" height=\"284\"/>\n\n<i>Are They Here to Save the World?</i>\nBy JOHN LELAND, January 12, 2006\n\nAT a coffee shop in TriBeCa one morning two weeks ago, David Minh Wong, age 7, was in constant motion. He played with quarters on the table. He dropped them on the floor. He leaned on his mother and walked away.\n\n\"Tell him I\'m strong,\" he said to his mother, Yolanda Badillo, 50. She sat in a booth with a neighbor, who was there with her goddaughter.\n\n\"I woke up at 2:16 this morning, and it wasn\'t raining,\" he said.\n\n\"I\'m getting bored,\" he said.\n\nAt David\'s public school, where he is in a program for gifted and talented second graders, a teacher told Ms. Badillo that he is arrogant for a boy his age, and teachers since preschool have described him as bright but sometimes disruptive. But Ms. Badillo, a homeopath and holistic health counselor, has her own assessment. To her David\'s traits - his intelligence, empathy and impatience - make him an \"indigo\" child.\n\n\"He told me when he was 6 months old that he was going to have trouble in school because they wouldn\'t know where to fit him,\" she said, adding that he told her this through his energy, not in words. \"Our consciousness is changing, it\'s expanding, and the indigos are here to show us the way,\" Ms. Badillo said. \"We were much more connected with the creator before, and we\'re trying to get back to that connection.\"\n\nIf you have not been in an alternative bookstore lately, it is possible that you have missed the news about indigo children. They represent \"perhaps the most exciting, albeit odd, change in basic human nature that has ever been observed and documented,\" Lee Carroll and Jan Tober write in \"The Indigo Children: The New Kids Have Arrived\" (Hay House). The book has sold 250,000 copies since 1999 and has spawned a cottage industry of books about indigo children.\n\nContinued over at <a href=\"http://www.nytimes.com/2006/01/12/fashion/thursdaystyles/12INDIGO.html/partner/rssnyt/\" target=\"new\">The New York Times</a> [login may be required]','Indigo Kids hit the New York Times!','','publish','open','closed','','indigo-kids-hit-the-new-york-times','','','2006-01-13 15:29:28','2006-01-13 15:29:28','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=221',0,'post','',0),(222,2,'2006-01-13 15:42:11','2006-01-13 15:42:11','<a href=\"http://www.greenpeace.org.uk/fridaythe13th/\" target=\"new\"><img alt=\"gpboom.jpg\" src=\"http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/archives/gpboom.jpg\" border=\"0\" width=\"300\" height=\"224\" /></a>\nQuicktime or WMP required.\nThanks Dave \'Blather\'  Walsh!','Happy Friday 13th from Greenpeace','','publish','open','closed','','happy-friday-13th-from-greenpeace','','','2006-01-13 15:42:11','2006-01-13 15:42:11','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=222',0,'post','',0),(223,2,'2006-01-13 16:31:10','2006-01-13 16:31:10','<img alt=\"a511968.jpg\" src=\"http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/archives/a511968.jpg\" width=\"200\" height=\"210\" /> <br /> (Area 51 photographed in 1968)\n\n\nA fascinating account of what happened when, in 1974, the Skylab crew inadvertently photographed the secret air force base at Groom Lake, Nevada:\n\n\"On April 19, 1974 someone in the CIA sent the Director of Central Intelligence, William Colby, a memorandum regarding a little problem.\n\n“The issue arises from the fact that the recent Skylab mission inadvertently photographed” the airfield at Groom Lake. “There were specific instructions not to do this,” the memo stated, and Groom “was the only location which had such an instruction.” In other words, the CIA considered no other spot on Earth to be as sensitive as Groom Lake, and the astronauts had just taken a picture of it.\"\n\nFull story at: <a href=\"http://www.thespacereview.com/article/531/1\" target=\"new\">The Space Review</a>','When Skylab saw Area 51','','publish','open','closed','','when-skylab-saw-area-51','','','2006-01-13 16:31:10','2006-01-13 16:31:10','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=223',0,'post','',0),(224,2,'2006-01-16 23:09:57','2006-01-16 23:09:57','--=~=-=~=-=~=-=~=-=~=--\nDORKBOTLONDON 34!\n--=~=-=~=-=~=-=~=-=~=--\n\n\"People doing strange things with electricity\"\n\nTime: Wednesday 18th January  2006, Limehouse town hall from 7pm\n\nPlace: Boxing Club, Limehouse Town Hall, E14 7HA\n\n<a href=\"http://tinyurl.com/6zf7f \" target=\"new\">Map</a> [arrow points (almost) to the Boxing Club]\n\nsee <a href=\"http://dorkbot.org/dorkbotlondon/\" target=\"new\">Dorkbot website</a> for directions\n\nStarring...\n\n* James Larson\n -  Why spend money buying rubbish electronic Christmas presents when you can make your own ...out of rubbish!\n\n* Strange Attractor VS Disinformation\n -  A live performance for electricity, medical contraptions and cheap musical instruments.\n\nOpendorks...\n* Dominic Harris  - RFID/DMX Chandelier\n* Tom Carned  - visualising tube data\n* Alex McLean  - nourathar\n\nSee you there!','Weds 18 Jan: SAVD do Dorkbot','','publish','open','closed','','weds-18-jan-savd-do-dorkbot','','','2006-01-16 23:09:57','2006-01-16 23:09:57','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=224',0,'post','',0),(225,2,'2006-01-17 09:38:04','2006-01-17 09:38:04','After a bit of tinkering backstage, you should now be able to post comments on these Further pages.\n\nWhen I first set this section up I\'d rather naiively hoped to get some kind of discussion going by allowing anyone to comment without having to register. Several thousand spams later, I abandoned that idea and stopped even checking to see whether any genuine comments had made it up there.\n\nI\'ve now weeded out all the spam and have set up proper <a href=\"http://www.sixapart.com/typekey/\" target=\"new\">Typekey</a> filtration. This means that if you aren\'t already registered with Typekey you will have to do so when you first post. It\'s a straightforward process and they won\'t use your info for anything else. And once you\'re in you can comment away without Further hinderence.\n\nSo, share your thoughts! And if it doesn\'t seem to be working, please do get in touch...\n\nI\'m also hoping to push the Further pages through one more, potentially quite dramatic, evolutionary step that I think could make them an extremely useful resource.\nWatch this space...\n\nCheers\nMark P','Further Developments','','publish','open','closed','','further-developments','','','2006-01-17 09:38:04','2006-01-17 09:38:04','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=225',0,'post','',0),(226,2,'2006-01-17 10:33:48','2006-01-17 10:33:48','The extremely bizarre tale of Eric Red, screenwriter of horror classics <i>The Hitcher</i> and <i>Near Dark</i>. An apparently tragic car accident in 2000 revealed that Red\'s fictions and reality may always have been indistinguishable. A long story but really worth perservering to the bitter, bloody end...\n\n\"Red walked a ways from the vehicle, just in time for Cassady Jeremias, one of Kenny Hughes\' friends in the car ahead of him, to see him pick up a sharp stick and begin ramming it into his chest. Interviewed recently, she remembers thinking, \"Well, who\'s this joker?, he\'s not going to kill himself with a stick jabbing himself in the chest\" Undaunted, Red picked up a broken glass off the floor, approximately two inches thick, and slashed once at his neck, cutting it deeply. According to the police report, kitchen worker Ray Garcia and several patrons wrestled him to the ground, then tied a waiter\'s apron around his throat to stanch the flow of blood and covered him with a tablecloth to prevent shock. Red continued to speak, telling Wacks, \"Don\'t bother, I just want to die,\" and Garcia, \"Don\'t bother with me, I\'m not worth living.\"...\n\nFull story at <a href=\"http://www.laweekly.com/ink/06/08/features-cullum.php\" target=\"new\">LA Weekly</a>','Death Race 2000','','publish','open','closed','','death-race-2000','','','2006-01-17 10:33:48','2006-01-17 10:33:48','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=226',0,'post','',0),(227,2,'2006-01-18 09:13:14','2006-01-18 09:13:14','Just as Strange Attractor & Disinformation limber up for our performance at <a href=\"http://dorkbot.org/dorkbotlondon/\" targtet=\"new\" >Dorkbot London</a>, this appears in the <a href=\"http://www.nytimes.com/2006/01/17/science/17dork.html?ex=1295154000&en=82a9fae0c408692d&ei=5090&partner=rssuserland&emc=rss\" target=\"new\" >New York Times</a>:\n\n\"When Art and Science Collide, a Dorkbot Meeting Begins. By BRIAN BRAIKER\n\nThe artists may have ceded SoHo to swanky shops and million-dollar digs, but once a month the scene at one of its remaining galleries might best be described as Revenge of the Nerds.\n\nOn a recent Wednesday, \"dorkbot\" was holding the first meeting of its sixth year at the Location One gallery. Scruffy hipsters toting six-packs, blinky Web developers arguing the merits of their preferred P.D.A. and an inordinate number of dreadlocked heads packed the gallery beyond capacity to hear three brief, charmingly unpolished lectures.\n\nFounded five years ago by Douglas Repetto, the director of research at Columbia University\'s computer music center, dorkbot is an informal club of artists, techies and geeks who do \"strange things with electricity,\" according to their motto. In five years, chapters of the club have sprung up in nearly 30 cities around the world, from Seattle to Rotterdam to Mumbai.\n\nAt every New York meeting, Mr. Repetto invites three people to deliver 20- to 30- minute presentations of their work, which tends to inhabit a no-man\'s land between science and art. A question-and-answer session follows, which serves as an informal peer review to help presenters hone their ideas, Mr. Repetto said.\n\n\"They\'re doing things, but they\'re not quite sure, What is this? Where does it fit?\" Mr. Repetto said. \"It doesn\'t belong in a gallery, and they can\'t write a paper on it.\"\n\nThis month\'s meeting was held on what may or may not have been Sir Isaac Newton\'s 363rd birthday, but the fact that history is unclear on that matter did not dissuade Mr. Repetto, 35, from enlisting him as the evening\'s mascot. Slides of Newton and Newton-related arcana flashed across a screen before the lectures began.\"\n<!--more-->\nMr. Sklar, a UNIX engineer presenting at dorkbot for the second time, demonstrated how he had a $2 chip surgically implanted into his left hand - and why he did it. The Radio Frequency Identification tag under his skin uses the same technology that the E-ZPass system employs to identify cars on toll roads. Mr. Sklar, 28, said his tag unlocks his computer and accesses news feeds as part of an art project.\n\n\"This is a pretty crude attempt at becoming a little more cyborg,\" he explained to the audience, only half joking.\n\nAs for why he chose dorkbot for the debut of his body-hack, Mr. Sklar wrote in an e-mail message: \"This forces me to get my act together. By that I mean I have to clearly document my project and come up with an explanation of why I did this work.\"\n\nAlso at the dorkbot meeting were Alyce Santoro, an artist who weaves funky textiles out of a \"sonic fabric\" of audiotape and cotton, and Luke DuBois, a composer and \"computational artist,\" who discussed a process he developed called \"time-lapse phonography.\"\n\nMr. DuBois used his application, essentially time-lapse photography for sound, to create a new piece of music out of the 857 songs that have appeared at the top of the Billboard charts since 1958. The result, called \"Billboard,\" is a 37-minute-long drone: each hit song is reduced to its average timbre and key by an algorithm that speeds up the original work without giving it a chipmunk chirpiness.\n\n\"It\'s a great way to get a gestalt of a piece of music,\" Mr. DuBois explained.\n\nWith popular tech and culture Web sites like boingboing.net and gothamist.com linking to dorkbot listings (at dorkbot.org) and even presenters\' home pages, the monthly event has also become one way for artists and engineers to generate publicity.\n\n\"I\'ve gotten more links from dorkbot than from any other Web site,\" said Michelle Rosenberg, an artist who delivered a lecture on the history of hearing aids and presented her own headphone sculptures at a meeting last January.\n\n\"It was a group critique,\" she said. \"The questions asked were informal and curious. You have a different group of people coming to dorkbot than would come to an art lecture.\"\n\nAnd that, said Mr. Repetto, is the whole point.\n\n\"If you have to tell people you\'re giving a presentation at something called dorkbot,\" he added, \"you can\'t be too serious.\"','US Dorkbot in New York Times','','publish','open','closed','','us-dorkbot-in-new-york-times','','','2006-01-18 09:13:14','2006-01-18 09:13:14','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=227',0,'post','',0),(228,2,'2006-01-18 09:56:13','2006-01-18 09:56:13','<img alt=\"heroes.jpg\" src=\"http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/archives/heroes.jpg\" width=\"300\" height=\"270\" />\n\nEmail sent to comics author <a href=\"http://www.warrenellis.com/?p=1712\" target=\"new\">Warren Ellis</a>:\n\n    \"mr. ellis\n\n    hi,i’m a superhero…..seriously.\n\n    some friends and i have become tired of the muggers, rapists, and general riff raff causing problems in our city.\n\n    this is not a joke.\n\n    we’ve started a group called the Justice Society of Justice (offering twice the Justice as the leading competitors) and we go out and fight crime on a semi nightly basis.\n\n    we’ve only got about 8 hardcore members that go out with us right now,but we’re hoping to raise that number tenfold...\n\n    originally,we just thought it’d be funny to go out as superheroes and “fight crime” as a sort of street theater…but after the first hour and the sheer exhilaration of it all,we completely changed our mind. there are real problems,and no one wants to deal with them. some one has to do something....\n\n    many people have read about the adventures of your heroes, but soon (hopefully), they’ll be writing about their own adventures. i made a few blog entries about some of our patrols with pictures and stuff…so if you ever want to see how well superheroes work out in the regular world as opposed to paper one,check it out.\n\n    say a small prayer to jack kirby for us.\n\n    dokdiscord\"\n\nMore over at <a href=\"http://www.warrenellis.com/?p=1712\" target=\"new\">Warren Ellis\'s</a> site.\n\nThanks Richard Bancroft!','Real superheroes of Indianapolis?','','publish','open','closed','','real-superheroes-of-indianapolis','','','2006-01-18 09:56:13','2006-01-18 09:56:13','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=228',0,'post','',0),(229,2,'2006-01-19 15:45:58','2006-01-19 15:45:58','<img alt=\"snakehamster.jpg\" src=\"http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/archives/snakehamster.jpg\" width=\"203\" height=\"152\" />\n\nAochan, a two-year-old rat snake at a Tokyo Zoo, has befriended a hamster who was supposed to be its next meal. \"\'I have never seen anything like it,\' a zookeeper at the Mutsugoro Okoku zoo said, adding that the hamster was known to fall asleep sitting atop the snake.\"\n\nLife-affirming stuff over at the <a href=\"http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/4627950.stm\" target=\"new\" >BBC</a>.','International Befriend Your Lunch Day','','publish','open','closed','','international-befriend-your-lunch-day','','','2006-01-19 15:45:58','2006-01-19 15:45:58','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=229',0,'post','',0),(230,2,'2006-01-20 22:20:54','2006-01-20 22:20:54','In July last year, Ariel Sharon was targetted with an ancient Kabbalistic death curse – the “pulsa denura” or “lash of fire” – by religious extremists angry at his plans to pull out of the Gaza strip. Recent developments might suggest that it was at least a partial success.\n\nThe  Israeli PM Yitshak Rabin was also hit with such a curse, a month before he was assassinated in 1995.\n\n\" <i>Religions around the world have a long history of curses aimed at opponents. Therese Taylor describes a recent use of Kabbalism against the Israeli Prime Minister.</i>\n\nIn July 2005, Ariel Sharon, Prime Minister of Israel, was targeted by Jewish extremists with an ancient Kabbalistic death curse. This curse is known in the Aramaic language as a “pulsa denura” or “lash of fire”, and was motivated by opposition to the policy of withdrawing Israeli settlements from Gaza. This action against Sharon showed the combination of politics and religious extremism at the heart of the current Middle East crisis.\n\nThe curse also demonstrated how religious rituals can make symbols of hatred and past acts of violence to a believer. It recalled the Rabin assassination, and took place at the gravesite of a Zionist executed for an attempted assassination in the 1930s. Real history and the ineffable world of the supernatural were conjured up together.\n\nThe pulsa denura, like most curses, is understood to be dangerous to the person who casts it as well as the person at whom it is aimed. “We believe in God,” said Michael Ben-Horin, a settler in the Golan Heights who helped organise the rite. “I put myself in judgment before God. Either Sharon will die or I will.” At the time of writing, both are still alive.\n\nThe ceremony took place at midnight on the eve of the Sabbath, performed by a Kabbalist who led 20 men in prayer. One participant described it: “It was done in a beautiful cemetery with a thick forest around it, under a Full Moon. We performed it near the graveside of Shlomo Ben Yosef…”\n\nFull story over at <a href=\"http://www.forteantimes.com/articles/206_sharon.shtml\" >Fortean Times</a> (Registration required)...','Ariel Sharon Death Curse','','publish','open','closed','','ariel-sharon-death-curse','','','2006-01-20 22:20:54','2006-01-20 22:20:54','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=230',0,'post','',0),(231,2,'2006-01-24 08:47:51','2006-01-24 08:47:51','\"How do we even define what an emotion is in an animal?\"...\n\nIt was back in 1991 that Anderson and Jennifer Mather, a psychologist from the University of Lethbridge in Alberta, Canada, first decided to undertake a joint personality study of 44 smaller red octopuses at the aquarium as a way to begin to codify and systematize what they thought they had been observing. Using three categorizations from a standard human-personality-assessment test - shy, aggressive and passive - their data would ultimately show that the animals did consistently clump together under these different categories in response to various stimuli, like touching them with a bristly test-tube brush or dropping a crab into the tank.\n\n\"The aggressive ones would pounce on the crab,\" Anderson told me. \"The passive ones would wait for the crab to come past and then grab it. The shy animal would wait till overnight when no one was looking, and we\'d find this little pile of crab shell in the morning.\"\n\nAnderson and Mather\'s resulting 1993 paper in the Journal of Comparative Psychology, entitled \"Personalities of Octopuses,\" was not only the first-ever documentation of personality in invertebrates. It was the first time in anyone\'s memory that the term \"personality\" had been applied to a nonhuman in a major psychology journal.\"...\n\n<i>Long but fascinating article on individuality and self in the animal kingdom, at the <a href=\"http://www.nytimes.com/2006/01/22/magazine/22animal.html?_r=1&pagewanted=all\" target=\"new\" >New York Times</a> (free registration required).</i>','The Animal Self','','publish','open','closed','','the-animal-self','','','2006-01-24 08:47:51','2006-01-24 08:47:51','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=231',0,'post','',0),(232,2,'2006-01-24 09:35:43','2006-01-24 09:35:43','Everybody\'s favourite synth and sitar duo start the new year far from home, playing the Nunhead Klinker this Thursday, 26 Jan.\n\nThe Klinker Klub, at The Ivy House Pub, 40 Stuart rd, SE15\nstarts 8.30pm - £5/£3 concessions\n\nMore info: <a href=\"http://www.iotacism.com/klinkerizer/index.shtml\" target=\"new\">Klinkr</a>','Raagnagrok take the Deep South','','publish','open','closed','','raagnagrok-take-the-deep-south','','','2006-01-24 09:35:43','2006-01-24 09:35:43','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=232',0,'post','',0),(233,2,'2006-01-25 09:16:17','2006-01-25 09:16:17','<em>A Cold Calculus Leads Cryonauts To Put Assets on Ice, By ANTONIO REGALADO.\nTHE WALL STREET JOURNAL (January 21, 2006)</em>\n\nYou can\'t take it with you. So Arizona resort operator David Pizer has a plan to come back and get it.\n\nLike some 1,000 other members of the \"cryonics\" movement, Mr. Pizer has made arrangements to have his body frozen in liquid nitrogen as soon as possible after he dies. In this way, Mr. Pizer, a heavy-set, philosophical man who is 64 years old, hopes to be revived sometime in the future when medicine has advanced far beyond where it stands today.\n\nAnd because Mr. Pizer doesn\'t wish to return a pauper, he\'s taken an additional step: He\'s left his money to himself.\n\nWith the help of an estate planner, Mr. Pizer has created legal arrangements for a financial trust that will manage his roughly $10 million in land and stock holdings until he is re-animated. Mr. Pizer says that with his money earning interest while he is frozen, he could wake up in 100 years the \"richest man in the world.\"\n\nContinues at <a href=\"http://online.wsj.com/public/article/SB113780314900652582-3NZCCoZBW7UHDmouEOrkzkalkfY_20060129.html?mod=blogs\" target=\"new\">WSJ.com</a>\n\nThanks to Ben Goldacre!','Frozen Assetts','','publish','open','closed','','frozen-assetts','','','2006-01-25 09:16:17','2006-01-25 09:16:17','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=233',0,'post','',0),(234,2,'2006-01-25 09:28:02','2006-01-25 09:28:02','The wonderful <a href=\"http://www.loompanics.com\" target=\"new\">Loompanics</a> book catalogue is going out of business after at least two decades.\n\nSource of some of the strangest books and pamphlets ever published, as well as such bona fide classics as <em>How to Start Your Own Country</em>, Loompanics was an essential source of bizarre information for those of us who grew up wyrd in the pre-Internet age.\n\nThat\'s the sad news. The good news is that they\'re selling off their stock at half price! Huzzah!','Loompanics RIP','','publish','open','closed','','loompanics-rip','','','2006-01-25 09:28:02','2006-01-25 09:28:02','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=234',0,'post','',0),(235,2,'2006-01-26 11:59:16','2006-01-26 11:59:16','<img alt=\"flying_car_one.jpg\" src=\"http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/archives/flying_car_one.jpg\" width=\"300\" height=\"205\" />\n\nThis image of what appears to be a flying car, captured in a Google Earth photo of a site in Perth, Australia, has been causing quite a stir over at <a href=\"http://www.theregister.co.uk/2006/01/25/flying_car_launch_site/\" target=\"new\" >The Register</a>.\n\nThanks to Ben Goldacre','Flying car - a photographic mystery','','publish','open','closed','','flying-car-a-photographic-mystery','','','2006-01-26 11:59:16','2006-01-26 11:59:16','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=235',0,'post','',0),(236,2,'2006-01-26 15:25:42','2006-01-26 15:25:42','Flow chart depicting <a href=\"http://seapagan.org/pagan-hierarchy/\" taret=\"new\" >condescension in the pagan mulitverse</a>.\n\n\"Q: How come I\'m down at the bottom of the hierarchy?\n\nA: It might be because society despises you which fact I am merely observing (e.g., Otherkin), or it may be because I, personally, despise you (e.g. white people who claim to be reincarnated American Indian priestesses) and society ought to despise you.\"\n\nNice!','The Pagan Hierarchy','','publish','open','closed','','the-pagan-hierarchy','','','2006-01-26 15:25:42','2006-01-26 15:25:42','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=236',0,'post','',0),(237,2,'2006-01-27 11:13:12','2006-01-27 11:13:12','<img alt=\"Fincke_med.jpg\" src=\"http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/archives/Fincke_med.jpg\" width=\"270\" height=\"203\" />\n\nAn old Russian spacesuit, like this one, has been converted into a satellite and will be launched from the International Space Station on 3 Feb. The suit will transmit a special greeting that can be picked up by radios on Earth. They even provide a nifty piece of software that tells you when Suit Sat is passing over your area.\n\n\"SuitSat can be heard by anyone on the ground. \"All you need is an antenna (the bigger the better) and a radio receiver that you can tune to 145.990 MHz FM,\" says NASA\'s Frank Bauer. \"A police band scanner or a hand-talkie ham radio would work just fine.\" He encourages students, scouts, teachers and ham radio operators to tune in.\"\n\n\n\nFull story over on the <a href=\"http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2006/26jan_suitsat.htm\" target=\"new\" >NASA</a> site.\n\nVia <a href=\"http://www.boingboing.net\" target=\"new\" >Boing Boing</a>...','Tune in to SuitSat','','publish','open','closed','','tune-in-to-suitsat','','','2006-01-27 11:13:12','2006-01-27 11:13:12','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=237',0,'post','',0),(238,2,'2006-02-02 09:55:11','2006-02-02 09:55:11','Celebrating <a href=\"http://www.resonancefm.com\" target=\"new\" >Resonance FM</a>\'s new 5-year license.\n\n<em>Saturday 4 February 2006 at 7pm</em>\nConway Hall, Holborn, London.\n\nFeaturing Jem Finer, Binray, Pocket, Superstrings, Alexander Wendt, Hot Roddy, William English, plus very special guests. Saturday 4 February 2006 at 7pm A gala concert to celebrate the station\'s continued good health. Conway Hall, Red Lion Square, London WC1. Disabled access, bar, product stall, special guests, more. £5. Free to Friends of Resonance. We now need to raise a lot of money to pay for the new licence. We will accordingly launch a \"Friends Of\" scheme in New Year: details to follow soon..','Resonance Lives','','publish','open','closed','','resonance-lives','','','2006-02-02 09:55:11','2006-02-02 09:55:11','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=238',0,'post','',0),(239,2,'2006-02-02 14:36:31','2006-02-02 14:36:31','<em>Caffeine Free: Blue Light Makes People Alert at Night\n</em>01 February 2006\n\nThere\'s much more than meets the eye to how we perceive light, researchers have learned in recent years. The latest revelation: blue light helps fend off drowsiness in the middle of the night.\n\nA small study of 16 volunteers found that exposure to short-wavelength light, or blue light, perked them up immediately.\n\n\"Light exposure to this system, particularly blue light, directly reduces sleepiness,” said Steven Lockley of the Brigham and Women\'s Hospital. “Subjects exposed to blue light were able to sustain a high level of alertness during the night when people usually feel most sleepy, and these results suggest that light may be a powerful countermeasure for the negative effects of fatigue for people who work at night.\"\n\nThe study, sponsored by National Space Biomedical Research Institute, is detailed in the Feb. 1 issue of the journal Sleep.\n\nMore over at <a href=\"http://www.livescience.com/humanbiology/060201_blue_light.html\" target=\"new\" >Live Science</a>','Blue nights are alright','','publish','open','closed','','blue-nights-are-alright','','','2006-02-02 14:36:31','2006-02-02 14:36:31','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=239',0,'post','',0),(240,2,'2006-02-02 18:46:46','2006-02-02 18:46:46','A great site for what looks like a spectacular exhibition that ran at the US Library of Medicine in 2003. Includes images from the amazing Dutch anatomist Frederik Ruysch, who made <em>tableaux morts</em> out of infant skeletons and adult body parts.\n\n<a href=\"http://www.nlm.nih.gov/exhibition/dreamanatomy/index.html\" target=\"new\">US Library of Medicine</a>\n\nVia <a href=\"http://www.boingboing.net\" target=\"new\" >Boing Boing</a>','Anatomical Dreamtime','','publish','open','closed','','anatomical-dreamtime','','','2006-02-02 18:46:46','2006-02-02 18:46:46','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=240',0,'post','',0),(241,2,'2006-02-06 10:29:59','2006-02-06 10:29:59','<img alt=\"logo-serpent.gif\" src=\"http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/archives/logo-serpent.gif\" width=\"148\" height=\"201\" aligh=\"left\"/> <font size=1>(logo by Orryelle Defenestrate)</font>\n\nAfter years of digital exile, Gyrus, editor of the seminal <em>Towards 2012</em> mega-zine, is at last returning to print. I can\'t wait and hope to be able to contribute a piece myself:\n\n\"Dreamflesh journal will document independent thought and practice revolving around the many-threaded, plait-like axis of themes that crystallized through my publishing, writing, experiences, thoughts and conversations leading up to the millennium. At the core is our culture’s inheritance of a mainstream tradition that manages to repress both the joys of the flesh and the mysteries of the less immediate, more fluid levels of manifestation commonly lumped together now as “altered states”. This inheritance is breaking down—fast—in the face of psycho-chemical culture, mind-manifesting media, biotechnologies, constant challenges to gender structures, constant streams of revelation (albeit often masked by scholarly caution) from anthropology and archaeology, and the bitter, perilous death-throes of monotheist fundamentalism.\"\n\nFull announcement over at <a href=\"http://dreamflesh.com/journal/\" target=\"new\">Dreamflesh</a>','Annoucing Dreamflesh Journal','','publish','open','closed','','annoucing-dreamflesh-journal','','','2006-02-06 10:29:59','2006-02-06 10:29:59','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=241',0,'post','',0),(242,2,'2006-02-06 10:45:33','2006-02-06 10:45:33','<i>Magic mushrooms given away by a glow</i>\n03 February 2006, by Emma Young\n\nThe “magic” components of hallucinogenic mushrooms can be made to glow in the dark by a new detection test developed by Australian scientists.\n\nIt detects psilocybin or psilocin – the psychoactive components of magic mushrooms. It is between two and three orders of magnitude more sensitive than the standard UV detection method currently used, its creators say.\n\nNicole Anastos at Deakin University in Geelong, Australia, studied Psilocybe subaeruginosa, a species of magic mushroom commonly found in Australia and New Zealand.\n\nAnastos soaked mushroom samples in methanol to extract the alkaloid (nitrogen-containing) components. Next she used chromatography to separate out these various components, and added potassium permanganate and ruthenium. If a mushroom contains the hallucinogenic components – psilocybin and psilocin – they will react with these two compounds to release light.\n\nFull story at <a href=\"http://www.newscientist.com/article.ns?id=dn8678\" target=\"new\">New Scientist</a>, via <a href=\"http://www.2ubh.com\" taget=\"new\">Tim Chapman</a>','Beware! The groovy glowing drug test','','publish','open','closed','','beware-the-groovy-glowing-drug-test','','','2006-02-06 10:45:33','2006-02-06 10:45:33','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=242',0,'post','',0),(243,2,'2006-02-07 12:45:35','2006-02-07 12:45:35','<img alt=\"spacelondon.jpg\" src=\"http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/archives/spacelondon.jpg\" width=\"300\" height=\"204\" /> (image via NASA)\n\n\n\"Whatever happened to the London night?  It certainly feels to me as if the London night has been decommissioned and that its fissile, threatening energies are now spent.  … Over the course of the next year I will be journeying from dusk until dawn; by road, air and water; from its concrete centre to its pastoral fringes; from its subterranean cellars to high up in the sky – with a view to exploring the extent to which nocturnal London can counterbalance an increasingly legible and emulsified diurnal London.  I want to mainline its covert and shadowy energies, to locate the ghosts of old London...\"\n\nAn intriguing new collaboration between writer Sukhdev Sandu, and sound artists Ian Budden and Scanner, Night Haunts explores the people and spaces that emerge in London once the lights go out. You can see and hear the project unfold at <a href=\"http://www.nighthaunts.org.uk\" target=\"new\">Night Haunts</a> (in Flash and HTML), where new episodes will be released on a monthly basis.','Night Haunts: a nocturnal journal','','publish','open','closed','','night-haunts-a-nocturnal-journal','','','2006-02-07 12:45:35','2006-02-07 12:45:35','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=243',0,'post','',0),(244,2,'2006-02-08 10:44:07','2006-02-08 10:44:07','<img alt=\"russianufo.jpg\" src=\"http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/archives/russianufo.jpg\" width=\"300\" height=\"220\" />\n\nFrom Mosnews.com:\n\n\"Nowadays reports of UFO sightings appear in the media so frequently that they hardly catch anyone’s eye. More often than not the alleged UFOs turn out to be signal rockets, meteorological probes, airplanes or their traces. But this certainly does not apply to sightings registered centuries ago — when no rockets or airplanes existed at all. Moscow daily Komsomolskaya Pravda publishes a document from a personal archive that tells of a UFO spotted over Kremlin back in 1808.\n\n“I found this document in the personal archive of a Moscow senator Peter Poludensky, who worked for the Tsar’s Secret Service and died in the middle of XIX century. Apparently the manuscript attracted his attention for some reason,” says Alexander Afanasyev, an expert of the Russian State History Museum, department of manuscripts.\n\n“Ufology is really not my area, but I am determined that the manuscript describes a UFO.”\n\n“Radiance Over the Kremlin”\n\n“On September, 1, 1808, at 8 o’clock and 7 minutes in the afternoon, in the sky, clear and sown with stars, a phenomenon appeared, incomparable in its beauty and rigor, as well as in radiance and enormous size, to anything seen before. As we noticed it, attracted by the loud cracking sound, it was rising in an arch over the horizon, from 55’ to almost 90’. Having passed this distance in an instant, it stopped among the clouds as if over the Kremlin and looked like a long straight plate some nine arshin (6.35 meter) long and half arshin (0.35 meter) thick.\n\nThen on its front edge, turned to the South-West, an oval flame flared, some two arshin (1.4 meter) long and one and a half arshin (1.4 meter) thick, with a flame that can only be compared to the radiance of burning phosphor.\n\nFloating in a circle without open fire or sparkle, it nonetheless lighted everything around as broad daylight; then the flame went out, the light disappeared, but the bright plate remained and quite smoothly went perpendicularly upwards, reached the stars and still could be seen for some two minutes and then, without disappearing, it became invisible due to the extraordinary height.”\n\nFull report over at <a href=\"http://www.mosnews.com/column/2006/02/07/sensationalfind.shtml\">Mosnews</a>','Kremlin UFO of 1808','','publish','open','closed','','kremlin-ufo-of-1808','','','2006-02-08 10:44:07','2006-02-08 10:44:07','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=244',0,'post','',0),(245,2,'2006-02-09 10:38:34','2006-02-09 10:38:34','<em>Verlaine and Rimbaud: Poets from hell\nThe London home of Verlaine and Rimbaud, the enfants terribles of French poetry, is up for sale. A landmark of literary hedonism may be lost, says Christina Patterson</em>\n<a href=\"http://www.independent.co.uk\" target=\"new\">The Independent</a>, 08 February 2006\n\nHe lived in a squalid loft in a seedy part of town. He was often drunk, drugged and violent. He abused his friends, but relied on them to bail him out. Baby-faced and fiercely talented, this lyricist of love and death had a cult following and an angelic smile. \"I know these passions and disasters too well,\" wrote Arthur Rimbaud in 1873, \"the rages, the debauches, the madness.\"\n\nWhen he wrote those words, the great French poet was living in a house in Camden Town. The terraced house is still there, though in a dilapidated state and in an area that can only be described as bleak. Beside the front door there is a simple plaque: \"The French poets Paul Verlaine and Arthur Rimbaud lived here May-July 1873\". The words can\'t begin to do justice to the slice of turbulent history that lies behind those walls. Since the house is currently on the market, it is a history that is in danger of being lost.\n<!--more-->\nArthur Rimbaud first met Paul Verlaine in 1871. Rimbaud was 17, Verlaine 27. Both were brilliant, volatile and utterly committed to the quest for the new, in art and life. Rimbaud was a young poet in search of a patron. Verlaine was a young poet in search of distraction - not least from his miserable marriage to Mathilde, whom he regularly hit. Verlaine\'s brother-in-law described Rimbaud as \"a vile, vicious, disgusting, smutty little schoolboy\", but Verlaine found him an \"exquisite creature\". He didn\'t seem to mind that Rimbaud rarely washed, left turds under one friend\'s pillow, and put sulphuric acid in the drink of another; not to mention that he hacked at his wrists with a penknife and stabbed him in the thigh. But by then, he was in love. The two of them ran off to Brussels and then London.\n\nRimbaud was \"delighted and astonished\" by London. Verlaine was overwhelmed by the \"incessant railways on splendid cast-iron bridges\" and the \"brutal, loud-mouthed people in the streets\", but inspired by the \"interminable docks. The city was, he wrote, \"prudish, but with every vice on offer\", and, \"permanently sozzled, despite ridiculous bills on drunkenness\". The two poets were often sozzled, too: on ale, gin and absinthe. Rimbaud\'s extraordinary sonnet \"Voyelles\" (Vowels), which gained an instant cult following, was clearly inspired by his experiments with \"the Green Fairy\".\n\nAt other times, their drinking was less productive. They fought like cats, sometimes with knives rolled in towels. \"As soon as mutilation had been achieved,\" according to Rimbaud\'s biographer Graham Robb,\"they put the knives away and went to the pub.\"\n\nTheir relationship ended with a slap in the face with a wet fish. When Verlaine came home one day with a fish and a bottle of oil, Rimbaud sniggered. Furious at being mocked, Verlaine whacked him with the fish, then stormed off to Brussels and threatened suicide. After pawning his lover\'s clothes, Rimbaud followed him and, in a Brussels hotel, they had their final row. With the gun he\'d planned to kill himself with, Verlaine shot Rimbaud in the arm. He was jailed for two years.\n\nThroughout this time, however, both poets were producing work that would earn them a place in world literature. Verlaine wrote much of his Romances sans paroles; Rimbaud wrote many of the poems in Illuminations. Hailed as a masterpiece of modernism, the latter included the extraordinary polyphonic prose poem, \"Une saison en enfer\" (A Season in Hell).\n\nThese were clearly not pieces tossed off in the pub. Rimbaud would spend hours polishing his lines in the British Library. He was, according to Robb, \"ferociously self-disciplined\". He may have smashed rooms up, but this was, Robb tells me, \"partly a way of smashing the image that he was supposed to have. He came from the provinces and so was patronised by the Parisian poets. He never really did become a Parisian. And that is why it would be much more fitting to have a Rimbaud house in London than in Paris\".\n\nFor Lisa Appignanesi, one of a number of writers spearheading a campaign to save the Camden house, \"it would be wonderful to insert their presence on to the London literary map, and to have a historical site that also thinks about the values of transgression\". Rimbaud and Verlaine, she explains, \"were both transgressive writers who influenced not only modernism but also the young for many generations, including the world of rock and pop\". Indeed. Picasso, André Breton, Jean Cocteau, Allen Ginsberg, Bob Dylan and Jim Morrison have all named Rimbaud as an influence. And Patti Smith talks of her debt to the writer she dubbed \"the first punk poet\". Her song \"Land: Horses/ Land of a Thousand Dances/ La Mer (de)\" even coined the verb \"to go Rimbaud\".\n\nEven Pete Doherty, who has claimed Baudelaire as an influence, seems to share some of Rimbaud\'s proclivities. Like Rimbaud, he was a brilliant pupil who published poems as a teenager. And like Rimbaud, he\'s seems keen on opiates and blades, even writing poems in his own blood. But, for the Poet Laureate Andrew Motion, \"there\'s something rather self-conscious in Doherty\'s attempts to conform to the Rimbaud model. It\'s all so attention-seeking\".\n\nJulian Barnes, who is also involved in the campaign to preserve the house, included quotations from Rimbaud and Verlaine in Metroland, his first novel. Part One has an epigraph from Rimbaud\'s \"Voyelles\". Part Two has one from Verlaine: \"Moi qui ai connu Rimbaud, je sais qu\'il se foutait pas mal si \'A\' était rouge ou vert. Il le voyait comme ça, mais c\'est tout.\" (\"I who knew Rimbaud, know that he really didn\'t give a damn whether \'A\' was red or green. He saw it like that, but that\'s all.\")\n\n\"Rimbaud\'s \'Voyelles\',\" says Barnes, \"is about how you see life at 18. The Verlaine quote is about how realism kicks in.\" It is, in other words, about growing up. Pete Doherty, take note.\n\nGraham Robb\'s \'Rimbaud\' is published by Picador.','House of madness up for sale','','publish','open','closed','','house-of-madness-up-for-sale','','','2006-02-09 10:38:34','2006-02-09 10:38:34','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=245',0,'post','',0),(246,2,'2006-02-09 11:09:37','2006-02-09 11:09:37','<em>When  déjà vu becomes unbearable , Jan. 30, 2006\nCourtesy the University of Leeds and <a href=\"http://www.world-science.net/othernews/060130_dejavufrm.htm\" target=\"new\">World Science</a> staff</em>\n\nMany of us have experienced déjà vu—that tingly, yet unsettling feeling that we are going through something we’ve experienced before, even though we haven’t.\n\nBut for some of us, it becomes pathological.\n\nOne man had it so badly that he stopped watching TV because everything seemed to be a repeat, even the news, recalls psychologist Chris Moulin of the University of Leeds, U.K.\n\nYet when Moulin offered to help him, he adds, it was futile at first. The man “said there was no point visiting the clinic because he’d already been there.”\n\nDéjà vu, which is French for “already seen,” is usually so fleeting that psychologists have until recently thought it impossible to study, Moulin said.\n\nBut for some people, the feeling of having been there before is persistent. Moulin and other researchers at the university are working with such people on what they say is the world’s first study of “chronic déjà vu.”\n\nThe man who refused treatment not only genuinely believed he had met Moulin before, he gave details about the times and places of the “remembered” meetings, Moulin said. The man believed he could hear the same bird singing the same song in the same tree every time he went out.\n<!--more-->\nChronic déjà vu sufferers are not only overwhelmed by a sense of familiarity for new experiences, they can provide plausible and elaborate justifications to back up their feeling, Moulin said.\n\n“When this particular patient’s wife asked what was going to happen next on a TV program he’d claimed to have already seen,” Moulin explained, the man said: “how should I know? I have a memory problem!”\n\nBut with the new study, those who suffer chronic déjà vu can help contribute to research into the problem, Moulin said. “So far we’ve completed the natural history side of this condition—we’ve found ways of testing for it and the right clinical questions to ask. The next step is obviously to find ways to reduce the problem.”\n\nPh.D. student Akira O’Connor is working with Moulin to find ways of creating the phenomenon in the laboratory. He has learned to actually create a sense of déjà vu in volunteers, using hypnosis.\n\nO’Connor asks students to remember words, then hypnotizes them to forget. Next, he shows them the same word again to induce a feeling that they’ve seen it before. The students are then asked to provide reports on how how déjà vu feels, in addition to data about what they can and cannot remember.\n\n“By considering subjective experience—feelings—from a cognitive science perspective, we hope to better understand everyday sensations like déjà vu, and also to help understand cognitive impairment, for example in older adults,” said Moulin.\n\n“People might suffer from chronic déjà vu, but be unwilling to discuss this with their doctor; any hint of ‘mental illness’ is, particularly to older people, a taboo subject. But as soon as we found this first patient, we discovered that if you ask the right questions, you find other people have experienced the same thing.”\n\nChronic déjà vu can be distressing to the point of causing depression, and some sufferers have been prescribed anti-psychotics, Moulin said.\n\nHis group believe it is not a delusion, but rather a memory dysfunction. “The challenge is to think about what this means. We can use it to examine the relationships between memory and consciousness.\n\n“The exciting thing about these people is that they can ‘recall’ specific details about an event or meeting that never actually occurred. It suggests that the sensations associated with remembering are separate to the contents of memory, that there are two different systems in the brain at work.”\n\nMoulin believes a circuit in an area of the brain under the temples, called the temporal lobe, fires up when we recall the past. This creates the experience of remembering, but also a ‘recollective experience’—the sense of the self in the past.\n\nIn a person with chronic déjà vu this circuit is either overactive or permanently switched on, creating memories where none exist, he argues. When new events are processed, they are accompanied by a strong feeling of remembering.\n\nA new collaboration launching this month with the University of York, U.K., will provide objective evidence to the subjective reports supplied by Moulin’s group, he added.\n\n“When examining someone’s subjective experience, it’s important to have an idea of whether their subjective account is comparable to other people’s,” he explained. The neuro-imaging facilities at the University of York “allow us to see if the same areas of brain are activated in different people when they report certain subjective states. Ultimately, we may even be able to pinpoint the neural areas important for conscious states such as remembering.”\n\nMoulin is keen to develop a network of patients in Leeds and across the globe who experience chronic déjà vu. “We’re finding people all over the world with these problems. Chronic déjà vu sufferers need the reassurance that they’re not alone, and we need them to help us learn more about who has it, what causes it, and why.”','Deja Vu Vu Vu Vu','','publish','open','closed','','deja-vu-vu-vu-vu','','','2006-02-09 11:09:37','2006-02-09 11:09:37','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=246',0,'post','',0),(247,2,'2006-02-10 17:42:28','2006-02-10 17:42:28','Israeli scientists have created ball lightning in their laboratory. Joe Banks and I once tried (unsuccessfully) to create it in a household microwave oven, but that\'s another story...\n\n<em>Great balls of lightning</em>\n\nIf you have ever seen a mysterious ball of lightning chasing a cow or flying through your window during a thunderstorm, take comfort from the fact that you have witnessed a very rare phenomenon. Indeed, ball lightning -- a slow-moving ball of light that is occasionally seen at ground level during storms -- has puzzled scientists for centuries. Now, however, researchers in Israel have built a system that can create lightning balls in the lab. The work may not only help us to understand ball lightning but could even lead to practical applications that make use of these artificial balls (Phys. Rev. Lett. 96 045002).\n\nBall lightning is thought to be a ball of plasma that is formed when a bolt of lightning hits the ground and creates a molten \"hot spot\". The ball can typically measure 30 centimetres across and can last for a few seconds. Although they are generally created during thunderstorms, Eli Jerby and Vladimir Dikhtyar from Tel Aviv University in Israel have now been able to make lightning balls in the lab using a \"microwave drill\".\n\nThe device consists of the magnetron from a 600-watt domestic microwave oven and concentrates its power into a volume of just one cubic centimetre. The researchers inject the microwaves though a pointed rod into a solid substrate made from glass, silicon, germanium, alumina or other ceramics. The energy from the microwaves then produces a molten hot spot in the substrate.\n\nWhat the scientists then do is pull the microwave drill out of the solid, which drags the molten hot spot and creates a hot drop. The drop then becomes a floating fireball that measures about 3 centimetres across and lasts for some tens of milliseconds (see figure). \"The fireball looks like a hot jellyfish, quivering and buoyant in the air,\" says Jerby.\n\nMore over at <a href=\"http://physicsweb.org/articles/news/10/2/6/1\" target=\"new\" >Physics Web</a>','Lab Ball Lightning','','publish','open','closed','','lab-ball-lightning','','','2006-02-10 17:42:28','2006-02-10 17:42:28','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=247',0,'post','',0),(248,2,'2006-02-14 10:55:47','2006-02-14 10:55:47','To do this you will need two mobile phones -they do not have to be on the same network but you will need to know the number of one of them. The only other items you will need are:\n\n1. An egg cup, (make sure that the egg cup is made of an insulating material such as China, wood or glass - plastic will do. DO NOT use stainless steel or other metal).\n\n2. A radio, AM or FM - you can also use your hifi.\n\n3. A table or other flat surface on which to place the phones and egg cup. You can place the radio anywhere in the room but you might as well put it on the table.\n\n<a href=\"http://www.wymsey.co.uk/wymchron/cooking.htm\" target=\"new\">Full instructions</a>\n\nThanks to <a href=\"http:///www.nthposition.com\" target=\"new\" >Val Stevenson!</a>','Mobile Phone Cookery','','publish','open','closed','','mobile-phone-cookery','','','2006-02-14 10:55:47','2006-02-14 10:55:47','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=248',0,'post','',0),(249,2,'2006-02-14 11:01:09','2006-02-14 11:01:09','I\'ve always felt slightly uncomfortable putting music and event announcements on the Further pages – as a result I\'ll be diverting London-based talks, events and gigs (with a few exceptions) to the excellent <a href=\"http://www.thelondonunderground.net/\" target=\"new\">London Underground</a> listings web site, hosted by Anshu Asthana & Anita Chaplin.\n\nFrom now on, if you\'re hosting an event in London (UK!) that you think will apeal to adventuous minds, eyes and ears, be sure to email me or submit details directly to <a href=\"http://www.thelondonunderground.net/\" target=\"new\">The London Underground</a>.\nCheers, Mark','SA joins the London Underground','','publish','open','closed','','sa-joins-the-london-underground','','','2006-02-14 11:01:09','2006-02-14 11:01:09','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=249',0,'post','',0),(250,2,'2006-02-20 20:22:56','2006-02-20 20:22:56','<a href=\"http://www.arthurmag.com/news/\" target=\"new\"><img alt=\"a21cvr.jpg\" src=\"http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/archives/a21cvr.jpg\" width=\"300\" height=\"369\" border=\"0\" /></a>\n\nThe latest issue of the essential US counterculture mag <em>Arthur </em>is available for download.\nEven better, it has SA electrokraut faves Delia Gonzales and Gavin Russom on the cover!\n\nGet it now at <a href=\"http://www.arthurmag.com/news/\" target=\"new\">Arthur Magazine</a>. You have to scroll down a fair way to find them though.','New Arthur online','','publish','open','closed','','new-arthur-online','','','2006-02-20 20:22:56','2006-02-20 20:22:56','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=250',0,'post','',0),(251,2,'2006-02-20 21:16:07','2006-02-20 21:16:07','<img alt=\"69172673_3f2749a07e.jpg\" src=\"http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/archives/69172673_3f2749a07e.jpg\" width=\"300\" height=\"198\" />\n\nDave Walsh has posted a lively account, complete with some fantastic photos, of our now once-a-decade trip to the Dashwood Caverns, better known as the Hellfire Club. This time with added lllamas!\n\nRead all about it at <a href=\"http://www.blather.net/shitegeist/2006/02/the_hellfire_club_tunnels_and.htm\" target=\"new\">Blather.net</a>!','Return to the Hellfire Club','','publish','open','closed','','return-to-the-hellfire-club','','','2006-02-20 21:16:07','2006-02-20 21:16:07','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=251',0,'post','',0),(252,2,'2006-02-22 09:39:20','2006-02-22 09:39:20','<img alt=\"quadrupeds.JPG\" src=\"http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/archives/quadrupeds.JPG\" width=\"200\" height=\"339\" align=\"left\" hspace=\"6\" vspace=\"6\" />\n\n<em>An utterly bizarre story about a Turkish scientist who claims to have made humans regress back to an ape-like prehuman form:</em>\n\n“This syndrome interestingly exhibits prehuman features” and represents “possible backward evolution,” [Uner Tan] wrote in a paper describing the condition. As such, it “can be considered a live model for human evolution.”\n\nThe paper appears in the March issue of the International Journal of Neuroscience, where Tan sits on the editorial board. He also named the disorder after himself: Unertan syndrome.\n\n“The children exhibiting this syndrome originated from a family having 19 children,” he wrote in another recent paper, in the journal Neuroquantology. Five of these, aged 14 to 32 years, “walked on two palms and two feet, with extended legs… They could stand up, but only for a short time, with flexed knees and heads.”\n\n“The patients had a rather primitive language... they spoke to each other using their own language, using only a few hundred words” which the parents could partly understand...\n\n“The sitting posture was rather similar to an ape,” Tan added. “They could not hold their heads upright; the heads were flexed forward with their skulls. They could not raise their heads to look forward. This head posture with flexed skull was rather similar to the head posture of our closest relatives, like chimpanzees.”\n\nFull story <a href=\"http://www.world-science.net/exclusives/060221_unertanfrm.htm\" target=\"new\">here</a>, plus a video of <a href=\"http://www.neuroquantology.com/2005/04/Tan%20movie.mpg\" target=\"new\">his subjects in action</a>.\n\nThanks Ben Goldacre!','The Degereration Game','','publish','open','closed','','the-degereration-game','','','2006-02-22 09:39:20','2006-02-22 09:39:20','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=252',0,'post','',0),(253,2,'2006-02-23 12:05:26','2006-02-23 12:05:26','<em>What the bleep are we buying? by Alexandra Gill\n<a href=\"http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20060222.BLEEP22/TPStory/?query=\" target=\"new\">The Globe & Mail</a> (Canada)  22 Feb 06</em>\n\nIt started as a cult film, but now comes the sequel and along with it a whole industry, brought to you by the followers of a 35,000-year-old warrior, writes ALEXANDRA GILL\n\nVANCOUVER -- One day in 1976, JZ Knight, a housewife from Tacoma, Wash., was in her kitchen playing around with pyramids. She and her husband, a dentist, were avid campers. They had heard that placing food underneath a pyramid would make it dehydrate faster and be easier to pack.\n\n\"Maybe it will help me with my brain,\" Knight joked, placing the pyramid over her head.\n\nWhen she lifted it off, the kitchen hallway had disappeared. In front of her stood a gorgeous man, nearly eight feet tall and glowing.\n\n\"Beloved lady,\" the creature said. \"My name is Ramtha, the Enlightened One, and I\'ve come to help you over the ditch.\"\n\nFull story at <a href=\"http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20060222.BLEEP22/TPStory/?query=\" target=\"new\">The Globe & Mail</a>\n<!--more-->\nWhat the bleep?\n\nWell, for the next two years, Ramtha -- who claims to be a 35,000-year-old spirit warrior from the lost continent of Atlantis -- would visit Knight in the afternoons, when her kids were off at school. Sitting on her couch, he would tell her stories about his heroic past life in a long-forgotten but highly advanced civilization, and how he had learned to transcend his earthly body.\n\n\"He would raise his body\'s frequency until it vibrated faster and faster and disappeared like the wind,\" explains Mike Wright, the manager of products sales and services at the Ramtha School of Enlightenment in Yelm, Wash., a small mountainside community 50 miles south of Seattle where thousands of students have flocked since 1988 to learn how they might manifest a similar out-of-body experience.\n....\n\nIt wouldn\'t be the first time this controversial sect leader, whose acolytes have included the Hollywood actresses Shirley MacLaine and Linda Evans, has been embroiled in a scandal. There was the time in the late eighties when Knight withdrew from public view amid a barrage of allegations that Ramtha had pressured some students to purchase the horses she raised on her ranch. Then there was the time that Ramtha, predicting a coming catastrophe, had encouraged his students to move to Yelm, where Knight\'s French-style chateau and school is based on a $2-million (U.S.) compound protected by spiked gates. Hundreds did, and following his instructions, built poorly constructed underground bunkers that were infested by mice.\n\nBut what the bleep, you might be wondering, does all this New Age stuff have to do a little independent film that was so successful -- the fourth best-selling documentary of all time, according to the promotional materials? And now there is a sequel -- What the Bleep!? Down the Rabbit Hole was released on Friday in Toronto and Vancouver. An extended 2½-hour version of the original, it features the same dramatized story about a depressed photographer (played by Marlee Matlin), more slick animation and new interviews with unidentified scientists and mystics. Next fall, a five-hour boxed set will be released on DVD.\n\nFull story at <a href=\"http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20060222.BLEEP22/TPStory/?query=\" target=\"new\">The Globe & Mail</a>','More Bleeping','','publish','open','closed','','more-bleeping','','','2006-02-23 12:05:26','2006-02-23 12:05:26','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=253',0,'post','',0),(254,2,'2006-02-26 00:33:17','2006-02-26 00:33:17','This blog will be on hold while Mark\'s away, until 14 March.\n\nIn the meantime, prepare yourself for a number of Strange Attractor projects emerging later this year:\n\n<strong><em>Bent Sinister By Sound</em></strong>, a new album by Mount Vernon Astral Temple [Drew Mulholland] will be released on a special Further Music CDR edition in late March. Three all new, mind-bending 20 minute pieces produced in collaboration with Jake Shields & Mark Pilkington. To be made available in homepathic quantities from the Strange Attractor web site.\n\n<strong><em>The Field Guide: The Art, History & Philosophy of Crop Circle Making</em> </strong>by Rob Irving, John Lundberg & Mark Pilkington. Out from Strange Attractor Press in early Summer, followed by <strong><em>Strange Attractor Journal Three</em></strong>. More details on both of these soon.\n\n<a href=\"http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/archives/pestivalpostcard3.jpg\"><img alt=\"pestivalpostcard3.jpg\" src=\"http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/archives/pestivalpostcard3-thumb.jpg\" width=\"300\" height=\"212\" /></a>\n\n27 May – 4 June also sees <strong>The First International Arts Pestival</strong> take place at The London Wetland Centre, celebrating insects and the arts and the art of being an insect. A special Strange Attractor night is planned for  Thursday 1 June. Our <a href=\"http://www.pestival.org\" target=\"new\" >web site</a> is currently in a larval stage...','Further rest','','publish','open','closed','','further-rest','','','2006-02-26 00:33:17','2006-02-26 00:33:17','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=254',0,'post','',0),(255,2,'2006-03-15 08:58:58','2006-03-15 08:58:58','SAJ contributor Ken Hollings presents a live twelve-part series of unscripted reflections on the fantasy of science in the early years of the American Century.\nWith electronic sound production by Simon James.\n\nBetween 1947 and 1959, the future was written about, discussed and analysed with such confidence that it became a tangible presence. This is a story of weird science, strange events and even stranger beliefs, set in an age when the possibilities for human development seemed almost limitless.\n\nBroadcast live on Wednesdays at 3.30pm GMT via <a href=\"http://www.resonancefm.com\" target=\"new\">Resonance FM</a>.\n\nWelcome to Mars will also be available as a series of podcasts from <a href=\"http://www.simonsound.co.uk/podcasts.html \"target=\"new\">Simon James </a>\n<!--more-->\nProgramme 1: 1947: Rebuilding Lemuria\nBroadcast live on Resonance FM, 3.30pm, March 1, 2006\nRepeated 10.00pm, March 3, 2006\n\nProgramme 2: 1948-49: Flying Saucers Over America\nBroadcast live on Resonance FM, 3.30pm, March 8, 2006\nRepeated 10.00pm, March 10, 2006\n\nProgramme 3: 1950: Cheapness and Splendour\nBroadcast live on Resonance FM, 3.30pm, March 15, 2006\nRepeated 10.00pm, March 17, 2006\n\nPart Four: 1951: Absolute Elsewhere\nBroadcast live on Resonance FM, 3.30pm, March 22, 2006\nRepeated 10.00pm, March 24, 2006\n\n104.4 FM or live stream direct from the Resonance FM website','Welcome to Mars 1947-1959','','publish','open','closed','','welcome-to-mars-1947-1959','','','2006-03-15 08:58:58','2006-03-15 08:58:58','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=255',0,'post','',0),(256,2,'2006-03-16 09:46:15','2006-03-16 09:46:15','<img alt=\"klimt.JPG\" src=\"http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/archives/klimt.JPG\" width=\"97\" height=\"130\" />\n\nA rare solo appearance by Mark Pilkington will take place at 3pm this Sunday 19 March, at the <a href=\"http://www.camdenartscentre.org/how_to_find_us.asp\" target=\"new\">Camden Arts Centre</a>, Arkwright Road, London NW3 6DG.\n\nMark will be demonstrating Circuit Blasting, a new technique for producing random electronic music, developed in collaboration with Disinformation (who will be on holiday).\n\nThe performance will be part of the Madame Arkwright\'s Salons, organised in collaboration with Sally O\'Reilly, presented alongside the beautiful work of the early 20th century mystical artist <a href=\"http://arts.guardian.co.uk/features/story/0,,1730485,00.html\" target=\"new\">Hilma af Klimt</a>\n\nAlso performing will be Zoë Walker and her Love Canon: \"An inflatable canon, levitating projectiles and a parade to the pub.\" Madame Arkwright’s Ghost in the Machine:  An interconnective costume drama featuring mesmerism, luminiferous ether, electromagetism and homunculi.  And Patter, Voices: how perception can shift through the influence of voices from elsewhere.','Circuit Blasting this Sunday','','publish','open','closed','','circuit-blasting-this-sunday','','','2006-03-16 09:46:15','2006-03-16 09:46:15','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=256',0,'post','',0),(257,2,'2006-03-17 09:10:56','2006-03-17 09:10:56','<em>Professor challenges Mayan calendar opinion\nBy MARK HARPER, Education Writer, <a href=\"http://www.news-journalonline.com/NewsJournalOnline/News/Local/newWEST04031506.htm\" target=\"new\">Daytona Beach News</a></em>\n\nThe end of the world will come on Dec. 21, 2012. Or not. While some New Age authors and teachers are touting that date as an apocalypse, a Stetson University professor is challenging the reasoning behind it.\n\nAt a public lecture at the Volusia County Library Center on City Island today, Robert Sitler plans to discuss \"The 2012 Phenomenon: A New Age Appropriation of an Ancient Mayan Calendar,\" an article he wrote last month for Nova Religio, the Journal of Alternative and Emergent Religions.\n\nSitler, an associate professor of Spanish language and literature, has been studying and teaching Mayan culture since arriving at Stetson in 1994. He contends the Mayan calendar has long been the subject of \"gross misinterpretation\" on several hundred Web sites and in a continuous stream of books.\n<!--more-->\nThose postings and printings are evidence of a growing public interest in the Mayan Long Count calendar, which had fallen out of use by the Mayans of Guatemala, Mexico and Belize, long before the Spanish conquerors had arrived.\n\nThe 2012 date is the last day of the current \"b\'aktun\" cycle, or period of 144,000 days, and the final day of an even longer period consisting of 13 such cycles. No one knows why the calendar is arranged with an end date, Sitler said. But the Mayans were known for their accurate knowledge of astronomy.\n\n\"It\'s a weird concept to many because the calendar seems to have a preordained ending date,\" said Jeremy Puma, a Seattle resident and St. Augustine native who writes Fantastic Planet, a \"gnostic\" blog. He noted in an e-mail interview that the Mayans used the calendar for planting crops and other purposes, but the New Age movement \"seems to have glommed onto the calendar\'s more mythological aspects.\"\n\nFirst and foremost, Sitler and Puma agree, is New Age author Jose Arguelles, most famed for his declaration of a \"Harmonic Convergence\" in August 1987. The Harmonic Convergence, Arguelles said, was the \"exponential acceleration of the wave harmonic of history as it phases into a moment of unprecedented synchronization,\" and \"a shift point into the last 25 years of the galactic beam.\"\n\nSitler says Arguelles\' approach is Mayan culture with \"creative abandon,\" and when challenged, will note that his version of a 260-day Mayan ritual calendar, which differs significantly from the actual calendar used by some Maya even today, is a version of the \"Galactic Maya,\" rather than the indigenous Maya.\n\n\"Arguelles is merely the best-known teacher in an ever-expanding international group that includes dozens of highly inventive and often eccentric individuals reaching out to the New Age public with their ideas concerning 2012,\" Sitler said. He notes the existence of a Web site that features a running clock until Dec. 21, 2012, with links to another selling T-shirts bearing the 2012 date and featuring several pop-up ads.\n\nDespite the blatant commercialism, there remains a lot of interest in the subject, said Jeff Dorian, director of the MetaScience Research Forum, a local group that meets monthly at the Edgewater Public Library. Dorian said he has long wanted to land an expert in the Mayan calendar to speak to his group.\n\n\"There is a percentage of people who believe the end of the Mayan calendar will be the end of everything,\" Dorian said. \"There\'s about as many interpretations of the Mayan calendar as there are experts.\"\n\nInside an Ormond Beach New Age shop, the Crystal Connection, a thumping of drums, soft whistle of a flute and screech of an unidentifiable rainforest avian greets visitors. Books line the shelves, carrying titles such as, \"The Fourth Dimension,\" \"The Book of Thoth,\" and \"Waking the Tiger: Healing Trauma.\" Also available: pyramids, amethysts from Uruguay, angels and fairies (spelled \"faeries\", presumably to seem more Gaelic).\n\nRoger Hollander, owner of the shop, said he doesn\'t believe 2012 will bring the end of the world. But, he adds: \"There are many people that believe this. Some believe this strongly.\"\n\nHollander, who also owns similar shops in Indian Rocks Beach and St. Augustine, believes a change could be coming in 2012.\n\n\"The world will have a better, a deeper sense of consciousness. By then, (people) should be worn out doing it how they\'re doing it now. We\'ll either be here or we won\'t; we\'ll just have to experience it.\"\n\nSitler predicts the Mayans\' culture could lend 2012 \"an attractive power that may eventually even outstrip\" Y2K, the hype surrounding the year 2000.','2012: Eschatologically Challenged','','publish','open','closed','','2012-eschatologically-challenged','','','2006-03-17 09:10:56','2006-03-17 09:10:56','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=257',0,'post','',0),(258,2,'2006-03-24 11:11:32','2006-03-24 11:11:32','<img alt=\"MC_SR-Issue4.jpg\" src=\"http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/archives/MC_SR-Issue4.jpg\" width=\"191\" height=\"267\" align=\"left\" hspace=\"4\"/>\n\nIssue 4 of the great newish electronic magazine Sub Rosa is now available for download. This comes from the folks who used to do The Daily Grail, an eminently sane commentary on the mytho - archaeology scene when it was at its frenzied height.\n\nThe current issue features an interview with ufologist and thinker Jacques Vallee, a piece connecting Timothy Leary & Aleister Crowley and an overview of the (to my mind highly dubious, though still interesting) \"Skinwalker Ranch\" tales.\nGet it now, and free!, at <a href=\"http://subrosa.dailygrail.com/download.html\" target=\"new\">Sub Rosa</a>','New Emag: Sub Rosa','','publish','open','closed','','new-emag-sub-rosa','','','2006-03-24 11:11:32','2006-03-24 11:11:32','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=258',0,'post','',0),(259,2,'2006-03-24 11:18:04','2006-03-24 11:18:04','By Steve Connor, Science Editor\nPublished: 22 March 2006, <a href=\"http://news.independent.co.uk/world/science_technology/article352784.ece\" target=\"new\">The Independent</a>\n\nIf your computer modem sounds a little odd - try checking the tree outside.\n\nAccording to a new CD released by the British Library today, what sounds like the search for a connection may, in fact, be a blackbird in full voice.\n\nThe CD, Bird Mimicry, is compiled from recordings held by the British Library Sound Archive which stores the world\'s largest collection of the sounds of nature.\n\nBirds can mimic almost any sound, whether it comes from an animal within earshot or the noises of inanimate objects such as a squeaky farm fence, a mobile phone or a digital alarm clock.\n\nStarlings have been known to learn the high-pitched, duo-toned screech of a car alarm. The sound archive\'s CD includes Sparkie Williams, a champion talking budgerigar, and the hand-reared bullfinches who were taught to whistle German folk tunes. \"As the\nbirds were taught the same tunes by different trainers, each bird sings a slightly different version - much like if two humans were whistling the same song,\" said a sound archivist, Cheryl Tipp.\n<!--more-->\nThen there\'s the fawn-breasted bower bird in Papua New Guinea which\nlearnt the sounds made by workmen mending a tin roof: the noise of\nhammering, sawing - even the rattles of a stray ball-bearing rolling\naround inside a paint can.\n\nMimicking sounds is an integral part of how birds learn to build up\nthe vital repertoire of songs that they need to defend a territory or\nattract a mate, said Professor Tim Birkhead, an ornithologist at the\nUniversity of Sheffield. \"For a bird it makes absolutely no\ndifference whether the sound is from an artificial source, from\nanother bird or whether it comes from its dad,\" Professor Birkhead\nsaid. \"Mimicry is the entire basis for how they acquire their songs\nand there are whole categories of birds that will happily incorporate\nother strange sounds into their songs to produce a vast, rambling\nrepertoire,\" he said.\n\nMarsh warblers and starlings are particularly good mimics and have\nbeen known to pick up and incorporate the distinctive songs of other\nspecies. \"I once knew of a captive goldfinch with a very distinctive\nsong. Within three months, the local starlings had learnt to imitate\nit and they were still singing the song two years after the goldfinch\nhad died,\" Professor Birkhead said.\n\nAndre Farrar, a spokesman for the Royal Society for the Protection of\nBirds, said that his father used to call his Jack Russell terrier\nwith a distinctive whistle. The local starlings soon learnt to\nimitate it and quickly learnt how to \"call\" the dog to the bottom of\nthe garden. \"There\'s an evolutionary advantage to birds who can\naugment their songs. Females of many species choose those males with\nthe most complex songs, so there is a biological imperative to\nimitate sounds,\" Mr Farrar said.\n\nPerhaps the strangest bird mimic is the black-throated honeyguide of\nAfrica which mimics the sound of a bees\' nest to attract the\nattention of local people. The bird then guides the humans to the\nhive itself to share the spoils.\n\nBut beware - birds don\'t like noisy neighbours. Studies have shown\nthat as ambient noise from towns and roads increases, so does the\ntendency for songbirds to move to quieter sites.\n\nDutch scientists showed that it was the younger and more\ninexperienced birds that were forced to build their nests close to\nbusy roads. Older, more experienced birds preferred to establish\ntheir territories well away from the sound of traffic, the scientists\nfound.\n\nIf your computer modem sounds a little odd - try checking the tree\noutside.\n\nAccording to a new CD released by the British Library today, what\nsounds like the search for a connection may, in fact, be a blackbird\nin full voice.\n\nThe CD, Bird Mimicry, is compiled from recordings held by the British\nLibrary Sound Archive which stores the world\'s largest collection of\nthe sounds of nature.\n\nBirds can mimic almost any sound, whether it comes from an animal\nwithin earshot or the noises of inanimate objects such as a squeaky\nfarm fence, a mobile phone or a digital alarm clock.\n\nStarlings have been known to learn the high-pitched, duo-toned\nscreech of a car alarm. The sound archive\'s CD includes Sparkie\nWilliams, a champion talking budgerigar, and the hand-reared\nbullfinches who were taught to whistle German folk tunes. \"As the\nbirds were taught the same tunes by different trainers, each bird\nsings a slightly different version - much like if two humans were\nwhistling the same song,\" said a sound archivist, Cheryl Tipp.\n\nThen there\'s the fawn-breasted bower bird in Papua New Guinea which\nlearnt the sounds made by workmen mending a tin roof: the noise of\nhammering, sawing - even the rattles of a stray ball-bearing rolling\naround inside a paint can.\n\nMimicking sounds is an integral part of how birds learn to build up\nthe vital repertoire of songs that they need to defend a territory or\nattract a mate, said Professor Tim Birkhead, an ornithologist at the\nUniversity of Sheffield. \"For a bird it makes absolutely no\ndifference whether the sound is from an artificial source, from\nanother bird or whether it comes from its dad,\" Professor Birkhead\nsaid. \"Mimicry is the entire basis for how they acquire their songs\nand there are whole categories of birds that will happily incorporate\nother strange sounds into their songs to produce a vast, rambling\nrepertoire,\" he said.\n\nMarsh warblers and starlings are particularly good mimics and have\nbeen known to pick up and incorporate the distinctive songs of other\nspecies. \"I once knew of a captive goldfinch with a very distinctive\nsong. Within three months, the local starlings had learnt to imitate\nit and they were still singing the song two years after the goldfinch\nhad died,\" Professor Birkhead said.\n\nAndre Farrar, a spokesman for the Royal Society for the Protection of\nBirds, said that his father used to call his Jack Russell terrier\nwith a distinctive whistle. The local starlings soon learnt to\nimitate it and quickly learnt how to \"call\" the dog to the bottom of\nthe garden. \"There\'s an evolutionary advantage to birds who can\naugment their songs. Females of many species choose those males with\nthe most complex songs, so there is a biological imperative to\nimitate sounds,\" Mr Farrar said.\n\nPerhaps the strangest bird mimic is the black-throated honeyguide of\nAfrica which mimics the sound of a bees\' nest to attract the\nattention of local people. The bird then guides the humans to the\nhive itself to share the spoils.\n\nBut beware - birds don\'t like noisy neighbours. Studies have shown\nthat as ambient noise from towns and roads increases, so does the\ntendency for songbirds to move to quieter sites.\n\nDutch scientists showed that it was the younger and more\ninexperienced birds that were forced to build their nests close to\nbusy roads. Older, more experienced birds preferred to establish\ntheir territories well away from the sound of traffic, the scientists\nfound.','From modems to alarms: the world of bird mimics','','publish','open','closed','','from-modems-to-alarms-the-world-of-bird-mimics','','','2006-03-24 11:18:04','2006-03-24 11:18:04','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=259',0,'post','',0),(260,2,'2006-03-25 12:52:43','2006-03-25 12:52:43','<a href=\"http://www.ufopop.org/\" target=\"new\"><img alt=\"CaptainMidnight60.jpg\" src=\"http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/archives/CaptainMidnight60.jpg\" width=\"200\" height=\"320\" align=\"top\" hspace=\"6\" vspace=\"6\"/></a>\n\n\nA fantastic archive of flying saucer fun, now celebrating its first year of existence.\nI can\'t wait for their toy section to come online!\n<a href=\"http://www.ufopop.org/\" target=\"new\">UFOPOP</a>','UFOPOP: Flying Saucers in pop culture','','publish','open','closed','','ufopop-flying-saucers-in-pop-culture','','','2006-03-25 12:52:43','2006-03-25 12:52:43','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=260',0,'post','',0),(261,2,'2006-03-26 21:32:22','2006-03-26 21:32:22','<a href=\"http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/shop.html\" target=\"new\">The Strange Attractor Shoppe</a> is now open for business.\n\nThe plan is to make available items made by the Strange Attractor team, our friends and allies. Generally these will be things that are only otherwise  available through specialist outlets, or, in some cases only through the Shoppe. Currently offered for sale are:\n\n<a href=\"http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/shop_mvat.html\" target=\"new\"><img alt=\"mvat_bscd.jpg\" src=\"http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/archives/mvat_bscd.jpg\" width=\"300\" height=\"237\" /></a>\n\n* <a href=\"http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/shop_mvat.html\" target=\"new\">Bent Sinister by Sound</a> A new album from Mount Vernon Astral Tempel.\n\nThree new, mind-bending 20 minute tracks for guitar and electronics by Drew Mulholland, warped and processed by Jake Shields & Mark Pilkington. Available in a scarce edition in hand made packaging (pictured above), each containing a sinister surprise...\n\n* Strange Attractor <a href=\"http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/SAJ_sell.html\" target=\"new\">Journals One & Two</a>\n\n* <a href=\"http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/shop_samp3.html\" target=\"new\">Strange Attractor on Air</a>: An archive of over 13 hours of radio interviews, originally broadcast on Resonance FM.\n\nComing very soon: <em>Disinformation</em> books & CDs; <em>Galdrbok: Practical Heathen Runecraft, Shamanism and Magic</em> by Nathan J Johnson and Robert J Wallis.\n\nIf you would like to see your books, CDs and things sold through the SA Shoppe, please do get in touch and we\'ll discuss it!','Strange Attractor Shoppe','','publish','open','closed','','strange-attractor-shoppe','','','2006-03-26 21:32:22','2006-03-26 21:32:22','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=261',0,'post','',0),(262,2,'2006-03-29 23:31:11','2006-03-29 23:31:11','Does power corrupt? by Martin Mittelstaedt\n\nFrom the <a href=\"http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20060328.wxelectricity28/BNStory/Science/home/?pageRequested=all\" target=\"new\">Globe and Mail</a>\n\nKevin Byrne is a man in the prime of his life who feared he had an old man\'s problems. Last summer, he was devastated by chronic back pain and thought his hips were about to give out.\n\n\"I\'m thinking, gee, I\'m 47 years old and I\'m going to need hip replacements already,\" he said.\n\nThe hip pain was the beginning of a strange personal odyssey for Mr. Byrne, a technical writer who lives in Newcastle, a bedroom community east of Toronto. He is now convinced his ailment wasn\'t a sign of premature aging, but an allergy to one of modern society\'s ubiquitous substances: electricity.\n\nNo one knows how many people are sensitive to electricity. Scientific debate is intense over whether the condition exists or is a figment of people\'s imagination. Some estimates place the number afflicted at a handful out of every million. Others view it as more common but still a tad unusual, perhaps a few individuals out of every thousand.\n<!--more-->\nMr. Byrne counts himself among those unlucky few. He began researching the topic when a neighbour expressed the belief that electricity was dangerous. In an act of desperation brought on by constant pain, he did something he initially thought was off-the-wall. He spent $1,000 on filters that, much like surge protectors on a computer, clean up fluctuations and surges in the electricity flowing in the wires around his home.\n\n\"When you\'re in a lot of pain, you\'ll do just about anything. So I was sort of grasping at non-medical straws,\" he said. \"I didn\'t think they would work, to tell you the truth. I thought I was probably wasting my money.\"\n\nBut within a couple of days, after months of pain for which his doctor could find no cause, he started feeling fine again. \"I said to my wife, \'This has got to be the placebo effect,\' \" he said, referring to the well-known medical phenomenon of patients reporting that they are cured of illnesses after being given a sugar pill doctors suggest will help them.\n\nMr. Byrne also noticed another odd health effect after he cleaned up his power, convincing him that electricity was at the root of his problems. Both he and his wife suddenly began to sleep more soundly and his dreams became \"incredibly real and very vivid.\"\n\nStories such as Mr. Byrne\'s are not isolated tales. In fact, they\'re becoming increasingly common, rising in lockstep with homes filled to the brim with electronic gadgets and the proliferation of wireless technologies.\n\nSymptoms of electrical sensitivity include the joint pain Mr. Byrne experienced, but also a bewildering array of other common problems most everyone feels at one time or another, such as fatigue, headaches, poor sleep quality with frequent wakefulness, ringing in the ears, depression, difficulty remembering things, and skin rashes. The list of symptoms has created speculation that some cases of sick building syndrome, where people working in buildings complain of nausea and headaches, might be due to electrical sensitivities.\n\nMadga Havas, an associate professor at the Environmental Studies Department of Trent University who is an expert on the health claims about electricity, says she receives \"almost a call a day\" from people who say electricity is making them ill and they can\'t find help in the medical system. \"It\'s not just from Canada. It\'s usually from the States as well,\" she says.\n\nShe thinks the condition is more widespread than commonly thought, and speculates that for some people, exposure to electricity causes physiological stress, producing symptoms of tiredness, difficulty concentrating and poor sleep.\n\nThe possibility of such a widespread health impact from electricity is greeted with skepticism in the electricity industry, where such an effect would have wide-ranging consequences.\n\n\"We don\'t have support to suggest that there is electrosensitivity in members of the population,\" says Jack Sahl, a manager of safety and environmental issues at Southern California Edison, a large U.S. electricity provider.\n\nThe industry position has been bolstered by studies showing that most of those who say they have allergies to electricity are unable consistently to detect the presence of electric currents in laboratory experiments.\n\nMedical authorities and scientific researchers have consequently been baffled over these wide-ranging claims of ill health, not only in Canada and the United States but in Britain and other European countries. In Sweden, the electrically sensitive are so numerous they have established their own self-help and lobby group.\n\nThose with the condition bristle at suggestions their symptoms are imaginary. \"This is not psychosomatic at all. . . . We\'re not delusional,\" says Susan Stankavich, who lives near Albany, N.Y., and says her problems developed after a large cellphone tower was erected near her home. She\'s had debilitating headaches, among other symptoms, and can barely tolerate being under fluorescent lights.\n\nReacting to this rising tide of claims of a new illness, the World Health Organization issued a fact sheet in December on the allergies, which it dubbed \"electromagnetic hypersensitivity\" and likened it to multiple chemical sensitivities.\n\nThe WHO says the \"symptoms are certainly real\" and \"can be a disabling problem for the affected individual.\"\n\nReports about sensitivity to electricity began with the introduction of computers, predating the recent spread of Wi-Fi and cellphone towers, which release a related but more powerful type of electromagnetic energy than that produced around electric wires.\n\nThere have been long-running concerns about the possible health effects of electricity because it is a source of both electric and magnetic fields, invisible lines of force that surround all power lines and any power-consuming device, from the lowly kitchen toaster to a computer. Electric fields are always present near power wires and appliances, even when devices are turned off, but magnetic fields are generated only when devices are on.\n\nThe nerves in living things work on electrical impulses. So do other biological processes, such as the voltages in hearts detected using electrocardiographs. This has given rise to worries that man-made electricity fields, to which humans were never exposed before the modern era, might be biologically active, just like chemical pollutants.\n\nThe WHO has been looking at electrical sensitivity as one aspect of a larger investigation into the health effects of the cocktail of electromagnetic fields enveloping people in modern societies via everything from power lines to cellphones. It says that exposure to electromagnetic fields represents \"one of the most common and fastest growing environmental influences, about which there is anxiety and speculation spreading.\"\n\nUntil now, most of the medical researchers looking at electricity and health have searched for links to cancer, rather than the fatigue-related symptoms the electrically sensitive claim.\n\nThe cancer research has linked childhood leukemia to power-line magnetic fields. About 5 per cent of the U.S. population is regularly exposed to fields of the strength associated with leukemia in children, a percentage that is probably similar in Canada. For adult leukemia and brain tumours, some studies have found links to electricity, as they have with Lou Gehrig\'s disease, but the research is less conclusive than that for childhood leukemia.\n\nRichard Stevens, an epidemiologist at the University of Connecticut Health Center, has been studying electricity for nearly two decades, and first advanced the hypothesis that the use of electricity is a factor behind the rise in some cancer rates in developed countries. He says there is strong evidence linking the use of night lighting to cancer because exposure to light at night disrupts people\'s production of the hormone melatonin.\n\nBut he\'s unsure what impact the fields around electric wiring and devices might be having. Some studies have found that magnetic fields suppress melatonin in animals, something that might explain the allergy-like symptoms, but this effect hasn\'t been observed in humans. \"Whether or not magnetic fields have any effect at all, I do not know,\" Dr. Stevens says.\n\nThe allergy-like symptoms are a far different medical condition than the cancers Dr. Stevens studies, and some researchers are speculating that a possible culprit is the recent deterioration in the quality of electricity flowing in power wires.\n\nPower quality is a well-known problem in the utility business, caused by the proliferation of computers, lighting dimmer switches, energy efficient bulbs, and other modern electronic gadgets. These new devices cause a more complicated use pattern for electricity than old-fashioned items such as incandescent bulbs, producing negative feedback involving high-frequency peaks, harmonics and other noise on electric wiring.\n\nThe way to picture the quality effect is to imagine that electricity is like water flowing in a pipe. An incandescent bulb uses electricity steadily, just like an open tap allows a constant flow into the sink. Computers and other modern devices use power in variable amounts, similar to turning the tap on and off, or any setting in between, causing water pipes to clang.\n\nThis deterioration in power quality has been going on for years and would have likely escaped public notice, except that when home computers became popular in the 1990s they would frequently crash or malfunction because of it.\n\nThe change in power quality means more variable electromagnetic fields, and possibly more biologically active ones, are associated with electricity than there used to be. This is a possible explanation for the rise in electrosensitivity complaints in the view of Denis Henshaw, a professor at the University of Bristol in Britain, who is an international authority on the health effects of power transmission lines.\n\nHe says that if electricity were flowing in a constant way, most people\'s bodies would likely adapt, but with all the interference from modern devices, the resulting fields are too variable for people to get used to. \"We just don\'t get to adapt to these because they don\'t have any special pattern to them,\" he said. \"There is no proof of this, it\'s just an opinion.\"\n\nIn Canada, Dr. Havas has been investigating whether the deterioration in power quality has led to sensitivity. To this end, she\'s been installing filters that clean up the interference on electrical wires to see if people notice.\n\nIn 2003, she installed filters in a Toronto private school where a student was electrically sensitive for a six-week test, three weeks with the devices and three weeks without them. Half of the teachers who responded to her questionnaire said they felt health improvements, such as being able to concentrate better and feeling less tired, when the filters were in place. Even more unusual, the teachers, who were not told what the research was about, reported that 60 per cent of their classes showed improvements in student behaviour when the filters were installed.\n\nBased on this finding, Dr. Havas estimates that perhaps half of the population may have some sensitivity to electricity.\n\nIn another test, she installed filters in the homes of people with multiple sclerosis, a disease that might be reactive to electricity because it is associated with poor sheathing on nerves. Brad Blumbergs, 29, says his MS improved so much last year that he could walk without shaking and could even run again. \"It allows me to retire my cane,\" he said. \"It hasn\'t cured me, but my symptoms are a percentage of what they used to be,\" Mr. Blumbergs said.\n\nDr. Havas has presented some of these findings at scientific conferences on electrosensitivity, but the work hasn\'t appeared in the gold standard of research, the peer-reviewed scientific journals that would confer more legitimacy on the results.\n\nThe utility industry\'s Mr. Sahl is skeptical about efforts to improve power quality, which generally cost about $1,000 to handle one home, and calls them a \"waste of money.\"\n\nHe agrees that the action may make some people feel better, but only because they\'re affected by the power of suggestion and not by the power of electricity. \"I hate to be blunt about it, but there is this well-established effect in science and we\'ve studied it over and over and it\'s called the placebo effect.\"\n\nThat doesn\'t ring true to Mr. Byrne. He says his sensitivity might have been prompted by his decision last year to conserve energy by replacing much of his home\'s simple incandescent lighting with high-efficiency compact fluorescent bulbs, some brands of which cause the power-quality problem.\n\nHe\'s become so convinced that electricity can make people sick that he\'s set up a website, offering tips to fellow sufferers on how to alleviate their symptoms, such as urging them to throw out their dimmer switches and limiting exposures to electronic gadgets. When it comes to electricity, Mr. Byrne says, \"I think people should automatically begin changing their lifestyles.\"','Dirty Electricity','','publish','open','closed','','dirty-electricity','','','2006-03-29 23:31:11','2006-03-29 23:31:11','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=262',0,'post','',0),(263,2,'2006-04-01 13:42:02','2006-04-01 13:42:02','<em>\"If sex, drugs and rock \'n\' roll are bad for us, why is Keith Richards still alive?\"</em>\n\nIf everything is killing us, why do we live so long?\nBy Jeff Randall, <a href=\"http://www.telegraph.co.uk/money/main.jhtml?xml=/money/2006/03/31/ccjeff31.xml&menuId=242&sSheet=/money/2006/03/31/ixcoms.html\" target=\"new\">Daily Telegraph</a>\n\n\nIs it me, or are we becoming two nations, a society where what occurs in one half of the country bears no relation to events in the other?\n\nI\'m talking not about the divide identified by Disraeli - that between rich and poor. Nor do I mean the gap between north and south, or even black and white. No, the contrast to which I refer is starker than that.\n\nIt\'s the split between Negative Britain, in which we appear to be under relentless attack from an increasing list of death-inducing ailments and Positive Britain, where life expectancy is rising at such a rapid rate that the pension system is on the brink of collapse.\n\nFlick through the daily papers\' news pages and it\'s difficult to avoid the conclusion that everything is killing us. But then turn to the personal finance sections and it seems that our pension funds are skint because nobody is dying.\n\nHow can this be? Are we dropping like flies or living for ever?\n<!--more-->\nSuch questions nag away at me, after I spotted a feature in yesterday\'s Financial Times under the headline \"Dangers of a good night\'s sleep\".\n\nJeepers! Now even having a kip is a cause for concern.\n\nEvery day, it seems, new warnings of a looming health disaster emerge in Negative Britain. The scale of imperilment is truly spectacular.\n\nMass obesity, rampant anorexia, drug addiction, drug shortages, NHS super bugs, junk food, salt poisoning, sugar dependency, sexual diseases, sexual impotence.\n\nChronic stress, passive smoking, alcohol abuse, carbohydrate overload, the Atkins diet; too few vitamins, vitamin pollution, fruit deficiency, factory farming.\n\nInsomnia, night starvation, vicious sun beds, mobile phones that fry our brains, carcinogenic wrinkle creams, E numbers and, according to Mary Creagh, MP for Wakefield, killer domestic baths with no thermostats.\n\nWow! Call me paranoid but living in this half of\n\nthe country feels like a stroll through a minefield in hobnail boots. I\'m still in shock after reading on the internet that \"Cheese is the Devil\'s Plaything\".\n\nIt\'s a wonder that anyone makes it through to lunch.\n\nI\'d be tempted to stay in bed all day were it not for the risk of… too much sleep. Moving to Baghdad is probably a safer option, but I\'m told that the beer there is not so good.\n\nNo wonder that UK health ministers have spent more than £50m on management consultants in the past six years. Dealing with all this must be giving Patricia Hewittless a headache.\n\nThat\'s Negative Britain for you. Now, hold my hand and we\'ll cross over to Positive Britain. It\'s a journey of only a few inches: the gap between your ears. There you go.\n\nYou\'re now in a very different place.\n\nIt\'s a happy scene, where far from being wiped out by avian flu, those on the back nine of life are heading for a golden age of independent activity, well past the biblical target of three score years and 10. Grey Power is on the march.\n\nIn 1900, the average life expectancy of a newborn British male was 56 years. By 2000, it had risen to 76 years. For women, it was even higher, 80 years. And since the turn of the millennium, life expectancy for both sexes in Positive Britain has improved further still.\n\nDespite the range of illnesses, real and imaginary, in Negative Britain, about which public-safety warriors constantly remind us, the over-fifties in Positive Britain have never felt quite so fortified.\n\nSo why does one side have so many scares, when the other is in such good shape? The answer is, I suspect, a conspiracy, an unwitting alliance of private enterprise, lobby groups, a credulous media and a nanny state.\n\nThe next time you hear a story on BBC news or read a headline that claims, \"Braeburn shock: thousands at risk from apple shortage\", check out the source. The report invariably goes something like this:\n\n\"A new study today reveals that insufficient consumption of apples is creating possible dietary problems across the country. An investigation by the Kent Apple Growers\' Collective shows that…\"\n\nYou get the picture. Business groups, with a vested interest, commission research which reveals - surprise, surprise - that if we only bought more of what they\'re selling, we\'d all be better off. Desperate news editors buy into \"the crisis\" and, the next thing you know, a pandemic of Apple Deprivation is sweeping the nation.\n\nAnother source of bogus fears is local councils, motivated either by crackpot political correctness or a genuine worry about being sued by ambulance-chasing lawyers.\n\nOnly this week, we learnt of the Yew Tree Danger Alert. No, I\'m not making it up. A row of yew trees, next to a children\'s playground in Bristol, was pulled up in case the kids poisoned themselves by eating the leaves.\n\nIt\'s amazing. On one hand, nutritionists tell us that we need a government programme of food education because too many children won\'t eat salads, on the other a risk-assessment officer is warning that our kids are in danger of stuffing themselves with toxic foliage.\n\nTry to imagine the conversation: \"No burgers, chips and fizzy pop for me tonight, Mum, I\'ve just tucked into a large portion of belladonna and toadstool mix\". I don\'t think so.\n\nAs a fully paid-up hypochondriac, I decided long ago that residing in Negative Britain wasn\'t for me.\n\nIt was simply too depressing.\n\nSo, sustained by the thought that if sex, drugs and rock \'n\' roll are bad for us, why is Keith Richards still alive? I packed up my mental baggage and left for life on the other side.\n\nHere, along with fellow members of the Saga generation, I look forward to confounding the actuaries and draining the pension system of its resources, way beyond the point where my contributions will have run out. Growing old disgracefully is a wonderful prospect.\n\nJust as long as that deadly nightshade doesn\'t get me first.','If everything is killing us, why do we live so long?','','publish','open','closed','','if-everything-is-killing-us-why-do-we-live-so-long','','','2006-04-01 13:42:02','2006-04-01 13:42:02','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=263',0,'post','',0),(264,2,'2006-04-05 11:32:56','2006-04-05 11:32:56','<img alt=\"galaxies.jpg\" src=\"http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/archives/galaxies.jpg\" width=\"250\" height=\"180\" />\n\nThe Universe is Trapped in its Own Web\nFrom <a href=\"http://www.redorbit.com/news/space/457847/the_universe_is_trapped_in_its_own_web/index.html#\" target=\"new\">Redorbit</a> <em>(though note the unfortunate 1 April reference!)</em>\n\nAstronomers from the University of Nottingham, UK, and the Instituto de Astrofisica de Canarias (Spain), have found the first observational evidence that galaxies are not randomly oriented.\n\nInstead, they are aligned following a characteristic pattern dictated by the large-scale structure of the invisible dark matter that surrounds them.\n\nThis discovery confirms one of the fundamental aspects of galaxy formation theory and implies a direct link between the global properties of the Universe and the individual properties of galaxies.\n\nGalaxy formation theories predicted such an effect, but its empirical verification has remained elusive until now. The results of this work were published the 1 April issue of Astrophysical Journal Letters.\n<!--more-->\nNowadays, matter is not distributed uniformly throughout space but is instead arranged in an intricate “cosmic web” of filaments and walls surrounding bubble-like voids. Regions with high galaxy concentrations are known as galaxy clusters whereas low density regions are termed voids.\n\nThis inhomogeneous distribution of matter is called the “Large-scale distribution of the Universe.” When the Universe is considered as whole, this distribution has a similar appearance to a spider’s web or the neural network of the brain. But it was not always like this.\n\nAfter the Big Bang, when the Universe was much younger, matter was distributed homogeneously. As the Universe was evolving, gravitational pulls began to compress the matter in certain regions of space, forming the large-scale structure that we currently observe.\n\nAccording to these models and theories a direct consequence of this process is that galaxies should be preferentially oriented perpendicularly to the direction of the linear filaments.\n\nSeveral observational studies have looked for a preferential spatial orientation (or alignment) of galaxy rotation axes with respect to their surrounding large-scale structures. However, none of them have been successful, due to the difficulties associated with trying to characterise the filaments.\n\nThe research conducted by the astrophysical group formed by Ignacio Trujillo (University of Nottingham, UK), Conrado Carretero and Santiago G. Patiri, (both from the Instituto de Astrofisica de Canarias, Spain) has been able to measure this effect, confirming theoretical predictions.\n\nTo achieve this goal, they used a new technique based on the analysis of the huge voids that are found in the large-scale structure of the Universe. These voids have been detected by searching for large regions of space depleted of bright galaxies.\n\nIn addition, they took advantage of information provided by the two largest sky surveys yet undertaken: the Sloan Digital Sky Survey and the Two Degree Field Survey. These surveys contain positional information for more than half a million galaxies located within a distance of one billion light-years of the Earth.\n\nOther parameters provided by the surveys, such as the position angle and the ellipticity of the objects, were used to estimate the orientation of the disk galaxies.\n\n“We found that there is an excess of disk galaxies that are highly inclined relative to the plane defined by the large-scale structure surrounding them,” explained Dr. Trujillo. “Their rotation axes are mainly oriented in the direction of the filaments.\n\n“Our work provides important confirmation of the tidal torque theory which explains how galaxies have acquired their current spin,” said Trujillo.\n\n“The spin of the galaxies is believed to be intrinsically linked to their morphological shapes. So, this work is a step forward on our understanding of how galaxies have reached their current shapes.”\n\nDr. Ignacio Trujillo has a research assistant position, funded by PPARC, in the School of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Nottingham.','The universe as Indra&#039;s web','','publish','open','closed','','the-universe-as-indras-web','','','2006-04-05 11:32:56','2006-04-05 11:32:56','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=264',0,'post','',0),(265,2,'2006-04-06 11:44:33','2006-04-06 11:44:33','<em>Helen John (left) was interviewed about her time at Geenham Common by John Lundberg, in <a href=\"http://strangeattractor.co.uk/shop.html\">Strange Attractor Journal One</a> </em>\n\n<img alt=\"indyjohn.jpg\" src=\"http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/archives/indyjohn.jpg\" width=\"300\" height=\"392\" />\n\nBy Nigel Morris and Jonathan Brown\n<a href=\"http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/legal/article356033.ece\" target=\"new\">The Independent</a>, 06 April 2006\n\nTwo grandmothers from Yorkshire face up to a year in prison after becoming the first people to be arrested under the Government\'s latest anti-terror legislation.\n\nHelen John, 68, and Sylvia Boyes, 62, both veterans of the Greenham Common protests 25 years ago, were arrested on Saturday after deliberately setting out to highlight a change in the law which civil liberties groups say will criminalise free speech and further undermine the right to peaceful demonstration.\n\nUnder the little-noticed legislation, which came into effect last week, protesters who breach any one of 10 military bases across Britain will be treated as potential terrorists and face up to a year in jail or £5,000 fine. The protests are curtailed under the Home Secretary\'s Serious Organised Crime and Police Act.\n<!--more-->\nCampaigners expressed their outrage yesterday at Charles Clarke\'s new law, which they say is yet another draconian attempt to crack down on legitimate protest under the guise of the war on terror. In October last year a protester in Whitehall was convicted for merely reading out the names of British soldiers killed in Iraq. And at the Labour Party conference in September the Government suffered severe embarrassment when Walter Wolfgang, a veteran peace activist who survived the Nazis, was detained for heckling Jack Straw.\n\nMrs John and Mrs Boyes, who have 10 grandchildren between them, were held by Ministry of Defence police after walking 15ft across the sentry line at the United States military base at Menwith Hill in North Yorkshire. They were held for 12 hours before being released on police bail. They will learn whether they are to face prosecution when they return to Harrogate police station on 15 April.\n\n\"We thought this was a really important issue and we just had to challenge it,\" said Mrs John, who was nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize last year. Mrs Boyes, who was cleared by a jury at Manchester Crown Court in 1999 of causing criminal damage to a British nuclear submarine, said: \" I am quite willing to break the law and prepared to be charged and to go to prison. The Government thinks it can do whatever it wants and that it has a passive public which accepts whatever it throws at it. I find it very worrying.\"\n\nThe women, who have been arrested more than a dozen times between them, went equipped with a hammer and a small pair of bolt cutters as well as placards declaring their opposition to the new law. They had prepared statements denouncing United States military policy and expressing their support for the people of Diego Garcia and the Chagos Islands, who were evicted from their homes to make way for US military bases.\n\nAs well as Menwith Hill, the sites covered under the new law include Fylingdales, the early warning station on the North York Moors and the US air bases at Mildenhall and Lakenheath in East Anglia. From next week the powers will also cover three nuclear sites - Aldermaston in Berkshire, its research facility at neighbouring Burghfield and the Devonport naval base at Plymouth. The Government\'s decision suggests it is already preparing for the protests that would follow the expected decision to replace Trident with a new generation of nuclear weaponry.\n\nSimilar restrictions will be announced soon on selected non-military sites such as royal palaces and government buildings. The Ministry of Defence said the sites had been chosen because they had been the scene of regular protests. A spokeswoman said: \"Persistent activity by protesters places them at risk of being mistaken for terrorists. It also unnecessarily diverts police resources ... People will still be allowed to protest outside sites. This legislation is about keeping police focused on the job they are paid to do.\"\n\nKate Hudson, who chairs the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, said: \" The Government has a responsibility to safeguard its citizens - we would be the first to argue that. But there is a very fine line between protecting people and introducing legislation that is an infringement of civil liberties. In recent legislation the Government has got on the wrong side of that fine line.\"\n\nShami Chakrabarti, the director of Liberty, said: \"When does a peaceful protester become a trespasser? In a free society, when does he become a criminal? In Britain in 2006, only one man - the Home Secretary - will now decide instead of Parliament and the court. Just when our politicians lament the demise of participatory democracy they increasingly criminalise both free speech and protest.\"\n\nMrs John described the new law as a \"kick in the teeth for the Magna Carta\" and said the need for opponents of the Government to take direct action was greater now than ever. \"We have seen two million people standing in Hyde Park and Tony Blair had no compunction in ignoring them. Even though there are huge numbers of people who oppose what the Government is doing, the only effective protests have been where direct action is taken. We have to demonstrate at the bases where the killing capacity exists - we have to attack it at source. These are the eyes and ears of the US war fighting machine and they are on our soil.\"\n\nBefore Mr Clarke\'s announcement military police only had the power to escort protesters off the military sites and prosecute them for civil trespass.\n\n<b>Gagging orders</b>\n\nJohn Catt\n\nAGE: 81\n\nCRIME?: Wearing an anti-Blair T-shirt in Brighton during the Labour conference.\n\nWHAT HAPPENED: He was stopped under section 44 of the 2000 Terrorism Act as he walked towards the seafront for an anti-war demonstration outside the conference. His T-shirt accused Mr Blair and George Bush of war crimes. He was released after signing a form confirming he had been questioned. The police record said the purpose of the stop and search was \"terrorism\" and the official grounds for intervention were \"carrying plackard + T-shirt with anti-Blair info\" (sic).\n\nWalter Wolfgang\n\nAGE: 82\n\nCRIME?: Heckling Jack Straw, the Foreign Secretary, during his speech to the Labour Party conference.\n\nWHAT HAPPENED: The veteran peace activist shouted \"That\'s a lie\" as Mr Straw justified keeping British troops in Iraq. He was manhandled by stewards out of his seat and ejected from the Brighton Centre. When he tried to re-enter he was briefly detained under Section 44 of the 2000 Terrorism Act. Amid the disastrous publicity, senior ministers, from Tony Blair down, apologised.\n\nMaya Evans\n\nAGE: 25\n\nCRIME?: Protesting over British casualties in Iraq.\n\nWHAT HAPPENED: Standing on the Cenotaph in Whitehall, she read out a list of soldiers killed in Iraq. She was arrested under the Serious Organised Crime and Police Act 2005, which requires police permission to make a protest within one kilometre of Parliament. She was given a conditional discharge after being found guilty. Lord Falconer of Thoroton, the Lord Chancellor, later denied that the prosecution was an \"undue infringement\" of individual liberties.\n\nFlt Lt Malcolm Kendall-Smith\n\nAGE: 37\n\nCRIME?: Refusing to serve in Iraq.\n\nWHAT HAPPENED: The RAF doctor served in Iraq twice, but refused to return for a third spell of duty last June. He argued that the military action was not justified as Iraq had not attacked the UK or one of its allies. He is being court-martialled, facing five charges of refusing to comply with an order. After a pre-trial hearing rejected his argument that the orders were unlawful, the court martial will open at Aldershot next week.\n\nBrian Haw\n\nAGE: 56\n\nCRIME?: Maintaining an anti-war vigil outside Parliament.\n\nWHAT HAPPENED: Mr Haw has become a permanent fixture in Parliament Square since June 2001, when he erected a series of placards berating Tony Blair and President George Bush. The Serious Organised Crime and Police Act 2005, was designed mainly with his vigil in mind. But the High Court ruled that the legislation did not cover his protest as it could not be applied retrospectively. The Government is appealing against that decision.','Helen and Sylvia, the new face of terrorism','','publish','open','closed','','helen-and-sylvia-the-new-face-of-terrorism','','','2006-04-06 11:44:33','2006-04-06 11:44:33','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=265',0,'post','',0),(266,2,'2006-04-09 20:49:24','2006-04-09 20:49:24','<em>Vital lessons at orang-utan \'Oxbridge\':  The discovery of a group of privileged primates teaching each other sophisticated behaviour hints at the way human intellect has evolved </em>\n\nRobin McKie, science editor.  Sunday April 9, 2006 <a href=\"http://observer.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,,1749987,00.html\" target=\"new\">The Observer</a>\n\nSuaq Balimbing, in the Kluet swamps, is one of Sumatra\'s least attractive destinations. It has mud, a profusion of biting insects, oppressive heat, and little else. To humans, it is a place to avoid. But to the island\'s wild orang-utans, Suaq is a magnet. It is the simian equivalent of Oxbridge, a place to obtain a privileged education so they can stand out among their peers.\n\nAt Suaq they learn from other wild orang-utans how to make tools, to play jumping games and even to blow kisses to each other at night. Stay at Suaq and you become a special animal.\n\nAnd that, say researchers - writing in the latest issue of Scientific American - has critical implications for humans. The existence of a place in the wild where apes undergo intense social learning suggests a route by which humans acquired their intelligence, as we evolved from primitive apemen to Homo sapiens.\n<!--more-->\n\'Our analyses of orang-utans suggest that not only does culture - social learning of special skills - promote intelligence, it favours the evolution of greater and greater intelligence in populations over time,\' says Carel van Schaik, director of the Anthropological Institute at Zürich University.\n\nIn other words, apemen got their big brains by hanging about in groups, learning social skills and tool-making - like orang-utans. And as the generations passed, apemen with bigger brains did better and better in these groups. The end result was Homo sapiens.\n\nSchaik and his colleagues began observing orang-utans in the wild several years ago and chose Suaq because the swamp supplies abundant food for orang-utans all year round. As a result, the site is visited regularly by dozens of them. \'It is great for orang-utans, but hell for researchers,\' Schaik adds.\n\nAnd it was here the scientists made their first, astonishing discovery. The orang-utans of Suaq create and wield a variety of tools, carefully fashioning twigs and sticks to poke into ant, termite and bee nests to collect insects and honey and to prise open nuts and fruits. Often a twig is held in an orang-utan\'s mouth, then delicately moved around a nest. Then it is withdrawn and the honey licked off.\n\nChimpanzees have occasionally been observed using twigs in a similar fashion, but orang-utans in the wild have never been seen to make and use tools before. Crucially, orang-utans at neighbouring sites do not display such skills.\n\nThe orang-utans of Suaq also say good night to their families by blowing a loud raspberry noise which is often amplified by cupping hands. In addition, they use leaves as protective gloves or napkins. Again, such behaviour is unique to Suaq, a place that has its own distinctive orang-utan culture.\n\nAll these habits were learnt from other orang-utans and the benefits have clearly made it worthwhile for them to stick together in large numbers despite their natural tendency to be reclusive and reserved. The skills they pick up at Suaq - like honey eating - clearly gives them an advantage in surviving life in the wild. Dozens of them gather there to cavort in trees overhanging the swamp.\n\n\'And when an orang-utan in Suaq has acquired more of these tricks than its less fortunate cousins elsewhere, it has done so because it had greater opportunities for social learning throughout its life,\' adds Schaik. \'In brief, social learning may bootstrap an animal\'s intellectual performance onto a higher plane.\'\n\nIt is the orang-utan equivalent of going to a good school, an act that can confer critical advantages in later life just as it does with a human child. However, there is more to social learning than explaining why some youngsters get on in life and others do not, Schaik argues.\n\nOver millions of years individual animals of high intelligence do best in top-stream institutions and will be favoured by natural selection. Thus our ancestors picked up the habit of social learning millions of years ago and slowly evolved bigger brains as a consequence. It was all about education, education, education.\n\nSuch an account does not explain why humanity\'s ancestors, alone among the great apes, evolved extreme intelligence, however. Other factors must be involved, otherwise orang-utans would be as clever as humans today. On the other hand, the remarkable behaviour of orang-utans in rich cultural settings like Suaq makes the gap between ourselves and the great apes seem less profound than it might otherwise appear, adds Schaik. \'Quite simply, culture promotes intelligence,\' he states.','Ape School!','','publish','open','closed','','ape-school','','','2006-04-09 20:49:24','2006-04-09 20:49:24','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=266',0,'post','',0),(267,2,'2006-04-10 13:38:45','2006-04-10 13:38:45','<img alt=\"bush finger.jpg\" src=\"http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/archives/bush finger.jpg\" width=\"200\" height=\"230\" />\n\nFew people understand that one of the most notorious individuals in British history may have contributed to the lineage of our current president. Aleister Crowley, a.k.a., \"The Great Beast 666\" -- the infamous practitioner of \"sex magick\" whose motto was \"Do What Thou Wilt\" -- came to know a great many remarkable people, including the maternal grandmother of George W. Bush. \"Know,\" in this case, may be taken in the Biblical sense. Evidence points to the disturbing possibility that he was the true father of Barbara Bush, the former First Lady and mother to George W. Bush.\n\nThe story may seem difficult to believe at first, until one learns more about the social inter-relations that tied together these unlikely parties. Specifically, we must focus on a fascinating woman named Pauline Pierce, born Pauline Robinson -- whose third child was named Barbara.\n\nFull story over at <a href=\"http://cannonfire.blogspot.com/2006/04/george-w-bush-barbara-bush-and.html\" target=new\">Cannonfire</a>\n\nThanks <a href=\"http://www.nthposition.com\" target=\"new\">Val Stevenson</a>!\n\nNB, I\'m also reminded of <a href=\"http://runelogix.typepad.com/my_weblog/2005/10/george_bush_end.html\" target=\"new\">this</a>.','Bush and the Beast (II)','','publish','open','closed','','bush-and-the-beast-ii','','','2006-04-10 13:38:45','2006-04-10 13:38:45','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=267',0,'post','',0),(268,2,'2006-04-12 09:23:27','2006-04-12 09:23:27','<em><a href=\"http://www.guardian.co.uk/life/farout/story/0,,1496694,00.html\" target=\"new\" >Bruce Alexander</a> questions an outdated myth about addiction</em>\n\nFrom the <a href=\"http://www.telegraph.co.uk/connected/main.jhtml?xml=/connected/2006/04/11/ecdrugs11.xml\" target=\"new\">Daily Telegraph</a> 11/04/2006 (Thanks Mike Jay!)\n\nAlthough most medieval superstitions have died out, the myth of demon possession lives on. In the 19th century, many people came to believe that anyone who voluntarily consumed distilled liquor became helplessly possessed, having no choice but to feed an insatiable craving for the \"demon drink\".\n\nThis idea continued to be applied into the 21st century, essentially unchanged, to a parade of new drugs, including morphine, heroin, cocaine, marijuana, meprobamate, barbiturates, methylamphetamine, benzodiazepines and ecstasy.\n\nAll have been said to take control of the people, just as a demon possesses its victim, and the myth survived modern scepticism because it was (and still is) spread by governments and police, and by medical authorities and journals as scientific fact.\n<!--more-->\nThe myth is more believable for illegal drugs, because many addicts, by confessing their initial error of drug experimentation, can claim to be \"out of control\" and less fully responsible for their behaviour.\n\nMany scientists have set out to expose the demon drug myth, but found themselves overpowered by it instead. In the late Seventies, for instance, my colleagues and I re-examined some simplistic rat research, which was based on a contrivance that allowed rats to inject a jolt of heroin by pressing a lever on the wall. Under certain experimental parameters, these rats would dope themselves silly, not even taking time out to eat. This was taken as evidence for the demon drug myth.\n\nBut these rats, a highly gregarious species, were isolated for life and tethered with rubber tubing that catheterised their jugular veins. Such extreme isolation and discomfort might well make euphoriants irresistible. We tested this possibility by building <a href=\"http://www.guardian.co.uk/life/farout/story/0,,1496694,00.html\" target=\"new\" >Rat Park</a>, where rats could enjoy the company of their fellows, raise their pups and run around freely.\n\nWe gave them unlimited access to morphine and control rats, kept in isolation, were also given free access to morphine. The isolated rats consumed lots of morphine, while the rats in Rat Park took relatively little. We published the results and waited for the myth of demon drugs to disappear as the news of our discovery spread. To make a long story short… nobody noticed.\n\nNow it is 2006, and the myth continues almost unabated. Yet the evidence against it has become overwhelming. Take, for example, very recent studies by David Shewan and Phil Dalgarno of Glasgow Caledonian University and by Hamish Warburton, Paul Turnbull and Michael Hough of the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, York. Both teams studied people who have used heroin for years without becoming junkies.\n\nThey take their supposedly addictive drug the way the rest of us use our own habits, crutches or \"non-addictive\" drugs. Most of them work, maintain their families, and stay out of trouble. Inadvertently, they serve as guinea pigs to disprove the demon myth.\n\nAnother line of evidence is summarised in my forthcoming book, The Globalisation of Addiction, which is more directly related to Rat Park, although based on anthropological rather than animal research.\n\nMany tribal people have been researched both before and after the destruction of their cultures by European colonisation. After their cultures were destroyed, addiction to alcohol became a feature of these formerly non-addicted people. Why did this occur? There is ample evidence to rule out both the myth of demon drink and that of aboriginal peoples\' genetic weakness for alcohol.\n\nAn intact culture, whatever its disadvantages, provides a fullness of life that rules out addiction. Aboriginal people lived with a sense of meaning and identity that enabled them to comprehend the world and feel that they belonged within it. When their cultures were destroyed, this psychosocial integration disappeared and they turned to the same artificial satisfactions that sustained their invaders. The life of an alcohol addict, for example, is not one of solitary alcohol infusion - rather, it entails intense interaction with other alcoholics and co-dependents.\n\nCertainly, alcoholic society is impoverished relative to an intact culture. None the less, it is vastly richer than no society at all. Colonised aboriginal people were not isolated in cages, like the residents of Rat Park. Their culture disappeared, even though the people remained.\n\nPerhaps this view of addiction does not bode well for a globalising world, but it is better supported than the discredited myth of demon possession that has obscured these issues for far too long. Moreover, it points towards fresh solutions to an intractable problem.\n\nBruce Alexander, emeritus professor, Simon Fraser University, will be speaking at \'Unhooked Thinking: the Conference on Addiction\', April 19-21, Assembly Rooms, Bath.','Demonic Possession and Myths of Addiction','','publish','open','closed','','demonic-possession-and-myths-of-addiction','','','2006-04-12 09:23:27','2006-04-12 09:23:27','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=268',0,'post','',0),(269,2,'2006-04-20 10:57:26','2006-04-20 10:57:26','Kosmische Radio Playlist 19.04.06\nMink Pelican - Around the World in Sixty Minutes\nvia <a href=\"http://www.resonancefm.com\" target=\"new\">Resonance 104.4 FM</a>\n\nWendy Carlos - Introduction to Synthesis (USA)\nSAVD - Cheap Synth Traffic Jam (UK)\nIgor Wakhevitch - Rituel de Guerre des Esprits de la Terre (France)\nFabio Frizzi - March of the Flesh Eaters (Italy)\nFront 242 - Take One  (Belgium)\nIllitch - Peripherikredcommando (France)\nToolshed - Pazuzu (UK)\nMesser Chups - Sex Euro & Evils Pop  (Russia)\nJimmy Page - Lucifer Rising OST (UK / Hades)\nParson Sound - Tio Minuter  (Sweden)\nGoblin - Markos  (Italy)\nVolcano the Bear -  Sharp as the Queens Teeth (UK)\nNervous Norvus - Kibble Kobble (Fying Saucer Song) (USA / Outer Space)\nRamases - Jesus Come Back (UK / Ancient Egypt)\n\nMore of this sort of thing at <a href=\"http:/www.myspace.com/kosmischemusik\" target=\"new\" >Kosmischemusik</a>','Kosmische Radio Playlist 19.04.06','','publish','open','closed','','kosmische-radio-playlist-190406','','','2006-04-20 10:57:26','2006-04-20 10:57:26','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=269',0,'post','',0),(270,2,'2006-04-24 13:36:58','2006-04-24 13:36:58','<img alt=\"phase_3.jpg\" src=\"http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/archives/phase_3.jpg\" width=\"240\" height=\"180\" />\n\nWe are now taking advanced bookings for the two themed events at the First International Arts <a href=\"http://www.pestival.org\" target=\"new\" >Pestival</a>.\n\n<b>Saturday May 27 from 8pm:  <a href=\"http://www.pestival.org/sounds.html\" target=\"new\" >Stridulations</a>:</b>\n a night of insect-made and inspired live music and performance featuring:\n\nRobyn Hitchcock, Mira Calix (Warp Records), David Rothenberg, Stewart Lee, and the Resonance Radio Orchestra. Poet John Hegley is also preparing a special video presentation for us. Plus lights and projections by Lightning Rod & Chris Irish.\n\n<b>Tickets £12/£8 concessions. Advanced booking number: 020 8409 4400</b>\n\n<b>Thursday 1 June from 7.30pm: <a href=\"http://www.pestival.org/films.html\" target=\"new\" >Bug Eyes</a>:</b>\n Our film night featuring new short films, live music and screenings of Ladislaw Starewicz’s <em>The Cameraman’s Revenge</em>, a 1912 animation using real insects, with a new, specially commissioned live soundtrack. And, Phase IV (pictured above), a mesmerising, thoughtful 1974 eco-science fiction film, directed by Saul Bass. Bass designed the opening sequences for many of Alfred Hitchcock’s films.\n\nThe films will be followed by a discussion about insects in cinema with Dr Claire Preston,  Prof David Rothenberg, Malcolm Tait and Bridget Nicholls. Moderated by Mark Pilkington.\n\n<b>Tickets £8/£5 concessions. Advanced booking number: 020 8409 4400</b>\n\nAll events take place at the <a href=\"http://www.wwt.org.uk/visit/wetlandcentre/howto.asp\" target=\"new\">London Wetland Centre</a> in Barnes, West London.\n\nWe strongly advise booking ahead for both nights as spaces are strictly limited.','Pestival booking lines now open!','','publish','open','closed','','pestival-booking-lines-now-open','','','2006-04-24 13:36:58','2006-04-24 13:36:58','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=270',0,'post','',0),(271,2,'2006-04-28 09:15:56','2006-04-28 09:15:56','<a href=\"http://www.raagnagrok.co.uk\" target=\"new\"><img alt=\"MaySongbirdmini.jpg\" src=\"http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/archives/MaySongbirdmini.jpg\" width=\"300\" height=\"406\" /> </a>','Raagnagrok at Songbird','','publish','open','closed','','raagnagrok-at-songbird','','','2006-04-28 09:15:56','2006-04-28 09:15:56','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=271',0,'post','',0),(272,2,'2006-04-28 09:22:12','2006-04-28 09:22:12','Strange Attractor vs Disinformation\'s <a href=\"http://www.makezine.com/blog/archive/2006/03/what_is_circuit_blasting.html\" target=\"new\" >Circuit Blasting</a> installation can be found in the basement of The <a href=\"http://www.foundry.tv/\" target=\"new\">Foundry</a> from 2-14 May. Find the Foundry at 86 Great Eastern Street London EC2A 3JL. We will be doing a live performance at 8pm on Sunday 14 May.\n\n<img alt=\"SAVD_flyer_small.jpg\" src=\"http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/archives/SAVD_flyer_small.jpg\" width=\"280\" height=\"400\" />\nFlyer by Joe Banks','SAVD installation at The Foundry','','publish','open','closed','','savd-installation-at-the-foundry','','','2006-04-28 09:22:12','2006-04-28 09:22:12','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=272',0,'post','',0),(273,2,'2006-05-05 16:18:43','2006-05-05 16:18:43','Published: 05 May 2006, <a href=\"http://news.independent.co.uk/world/americas/article362146.ece\" target=\"new\">The Independent</a>\n\nWhen George Van Tassel began work on the domed structure he called the Integratron, he claimed it was designed by architects from Venus. It was never finished but last weekend, a group of devotees celebrated his memory with a Retro UFO Convention. Andrew Gumbel reports from Landers, California\n\nThere was a time when every UFO nut in America would dream of making a pilgrimage to the Integratron, an arresting white dome structure rising in the wilds of the Mojave Desert where beings from other worlds would regularly make themselves felt and where, it was said, power was being generated to rejuvenate human bodies and ward off death itself.\n\nThis was the spiritual home of George Van Tassel, a former aircraft inspector with Lockheed who moved to the desert in the auspicious year of 1947 - when the Cold War got going in earnest and an alien spacecraft supposedly crashed at Roswell, New Mexico - and soon began receiving communications from alien beings with such names as Knut, Ashtar and Lo. A group of devotees would gather for Van Tassel\'s Friday night channelling sessions at a large desert boulder known as Giant Rock, and even larger crowds turned out for his annual spacecraft conventions.\n\nWhen Van Tassel died in 1978, he left the Integratron just short of completion, with no written instructions on how to go about finishing it. (His architects, who were visitors from Venus, hadn\'t wanted their secrets to fall into the wrong hands, and communicated by telepathy alone.) And so the place languished. One owner thought of turning the six-sided building into a disco. Another was rumoured to be using it as a methamphetamine lab. Last weekend, though, it was back to something resembling its old glory, as a group of Van Tassel devotees made it the centrepiece of a one-day Retro UFO Convention. Old-timers recalled the glory days of spotting mysterious lights in the desert sky. Present-day believers spoke enthusiastically about their own close encounters, everywhere from Arizona to New York City. Those blessed with actual contact with the aliens - known in the vernacular as \"contactees\" - were welcomed like prophets for the new millennium, complete with shiny silver hats and cloaks that looked eerily like cast-offs from the Star Trek wardrobe department.\n<!--more-->\nProfessors and lecturers, some noticeably more learned than others, offered talks on everything from the sorcerer Aleister Crowley and his \"Scarlet Women\", who may or may not have created a \"tear in the fabric of space and time\", to the theory that a portal in Antarctica leads to a secret world of underground cities populated by reptilian aliens flitting in and out of 15 different dimensions.\n\nAttending the festivities was a hodge-podge of conspiracy-mongers, eccentrics, bemused onlookers treating the whole thing as an elaborate game of dress-up and storytelling, and people genuinely looking for alternative forms of spiritual enlightenment. Tattooed soldiers and their girlfriends from the nearby military base at Twenty-Nine Palms mingled with dreamy New Age fanatics and the sort of ordinary whitebread couples who wouldn\'t look out of place at a suburban mall.\n\nTheir pay-off was people such as Michael the Universal Kabbalist, also known as Orion Starseed, a meek-looking man in his late fifties who showed up in silver and purple robes and a shaggy white wig and explained to anyone who cared to listen that the space people had inducted him to a higher level of consciousness that he now felt compelled, like a religious missionary, to share with the rest of his fellow humans.\n\n\"I have strong intuitive knowledge of my many life journeys in the Orion System,\" he explained in a pamphlet-length biography he passed out to anyone interested. \"I am one of many who have chosen to visit Earth at this juncture to help rise the light energies of those souls who have found their inner light and to help prepare them for the Ascension of the Earth.\"\n\nIn person, Michael was rather less nebulous, explaining how he was scarred by his war experiences in Vietnam, got heavily into alcohol and drugs, and hung out with an outlaw biker gang in the high desert for nine years before suffering a near-fatal heart attack and becoming convinced he had been touched by an other-worldly light that revealed to him the full complexities of the universe. \"I was snorting drugs and having a great time, not a care in the world, until they showed up,\" he said, sounding almost wistful.\n\nEven more zealous was Hans Peterman, author of a book called Gravity, Matter and Space Travel, who delivered a bewildering two-hour lecture about hidden underground cities on both Earth and Mars, an ancient interplanetary war that led to a Martian colonisation of our world, and the links between ancient pyramids built by the inhabitants of Atlantis and the modern-day military bunker within the bowels of Cheyenne Mountain in Colorado.\n\nIn his world view, the aliens live among us but are mostly invisible because they inhabit entirely different dimensions of space-time. \"They coexist with us,\" he said, \"but only at specific frequencies. Now you see \'em, now you don\'t.\" Occasionally, Peterman offered personal anecdotes to back up his theories - he said he\'d been to the Antarctic and knew where the secret entrance to the underworld was - and other times he simply asserted he was speaking \"the truth, ladies and gentlemen, the truth ... no ifs or buts about it\".\n\nHis audience, including a man in dark glasses who had covered his bald head in silver paint, lapped up every word. \"The Bermuda Triangle - what is it really?\" Peterman threw out at one point. A mousy woman near the back suggested, a little uncertainly, that it was an interdimensional portal. \"Yes!\" Peterman responded enthusiastically. \"Definitely an interdimensional portal.\"\n\nOnce your brain takes a trip down this road, there is really no end to the fun it can have. That was certainly the attitude taken by Greg Bishop, a bona fide researcher and editor of a magazine specialising in weird Americana entitled The Excluded Middle. \"I\'m not here to poo-poo them or be a debunker,\" he told the audience at his own lecture, where he compared UFO devotees to the once-reviled prophets and mystics of ancient religions living off thorns in the desert. \"You get nothing out of that.\"\n\nThe whole UFO phenomenon is a strange, uniquely American hybrid of religious inspiration, technological wonder and pop culture, frequently blended with personal stories of grief, loss and trauma. It was perhaps no coincidence that LRon Hubbard, the founder of Scientology, came in for frequent mentions at the convention. You don\'t have to be Tom Cruise to find irresistible appeal in a sci-fi religion based on mythical tales of space creatures, intergalactic warfare, flashing lights and ordinary individuals blessed with the power to communicate with a higher intelligence in the great blue yonder.\n\nJerry Pippin, a radio host who broadcasts his programme The UFO Files from Oklahoma, said there had been no let-up in the number of sightings reported. \"We never lack for material,\" he said. He had himself experienced his first UFO sighting, in the skies above Phoenix, Arizona, just last November, and sounded almost childishly excited about it. It is no longer just the western American desert that the aliens appear to enjoy visiting, as they did at the height of the Cold War in the 1950s. These days, Pippin said, there are as many sightings in the big cities to the east such as Chicago and New York.\n\nIn the end, the convention was about two centrepieces, both of them more or less religious. The first was the Integratron itself. An actor pretending to be George Van Tassel returning from the beyond led a tour, describing among other things how he had avoided the use of any metal materials in building the dome, as his friends from Venus directed. Upstairs, visitors were invited to lounge on beds and cushions and let their consciousnesses drift to other dimensions as a New Age space guru calling himself Arjuna hummed \"celestial sounds\" and blew into a Tibetan horn.\n\nThe pseudo-Van Tassel became downright defensive when someone drew a parallel between the supposed energy-collecting properties of the Integratron and the once-notorious \"orgone box\" devised by the psychiatrist and free love advocate Wilhelm Reich. \"They\'re not at all the same,\" he said hotly. \"His was a box, this is a dome!\"\n\nSome of the more true-believing visitors appeared entirely unfazed by the fact that the Integratron was both unfinished and manifestly incapable of delivering on its promise of cell rejuvenation and eternal life. \"I feel absolutely marvellous!\" one woman said after the Tibetan horn routine.\n\nThe other object of veneration was Giant Rock, just a few miles away, where the Van Tassel phenomenon first took off. The Rock had been sacred to local native Americans for centuries; the US government had then acquired the land and built a small airstrip next to it. In the 1930s, a man called Frank Critzer had hollowed out an underground home for himself beneath the boulder, only to die in a showdown with local police who came to investigate rumours - apparently unfounded - that he was a Nazi spy.\n\nVan Tassel held his first channelling sessions in Critzer\'s old bunker, which has since been filled in. He also opened a restaurant catering to incoming airmen; Howard Hughes himself was said to have dropped by for a slice of pie.\n\nIntriguingly, an Indian shaman once predicted that Giant Rock would be split in two. And, a few years ago, that is exactly what happened. According to local lore, a clean break down the middle would have spelt the end for humanity; as it was, only a small chunk fell away, suggesting there is still hope for us. The UFO devotees at the convention were in no doubt - this was a sign from higher space intelligence. Conventioneers duly went on a mini-pilgrimage to Giant Rock, where they discovered not an atmosphere of religious veneration so much as the roar of motorbikes and dune buggies and a rock smeared from top to bottom with crude graffiti. It looked for all the world like an alien invasion. Only, from the point of view of a UFO nut, it was entirely the wrong sort of alien.','Life on other planets: The house the Venusians built','','publish','open','closed','','life-on-other-planets-the-house-the-venusians-built','','','2006-05-05 16:18:43','2006-05-05 16:18:43','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=273',0,'post','',0),(274,2,'2006-05-07 11:49:11','2006-05-07 11:49:11','Electronic smog\nThe curse of the mobile phone age: around your home there are countless gadgets whose electrical fields, scientists now warn, are linked to depression, miscarriage and cancer\n\nBy Geoffrey Lean, Environment Editor, <a href=\"http://news.independent.co.uk/environment/article362557.ece\" target=\"new\" >The Independent</a>, 07 May 2006\n\nInvisible \"smog\", created by the electricity that powers our civilisation, is giving children cancer, causing miscarriages and suicides and making some people allergic to modern life, new scientific evidence reveals.\n\nThe evidence - which is being taken seriously by national and international bodies and authorities - suggests that almost everyone is being exposed to a new form of pollution with countless sources in daily use in every home.\n\nTwo official Department of Health reports on the smog are to be presented to ministers next month, and the Health Protection Agency (HPA) has recently held the first meeting of an expert group charged with developing advice to the public on the threat.\n\nThe UN\'s World Health Organisation (WHO) calls the electronic smog \"one of the most common and fastest growing environmental influences\" and stresses that it \"takes seriously\" concerns about the health effects. It adds that \"everyone in the world\" is exposed to it and that \"levels will continue to increase as technology advances\".\n\nWiring creates electrical fields, one component of the smog, even when nothing is turned on. And all electrical equipment - from TVs to toasters - give off another one, magnetic fields. The fields rapidly decrease with distance but appliances such as hair dryers and electric shavers, used close to the head, can give high exposures. Electric blankets and clock radios near to beds produce even higher doses because people are exposed to them for many hours while sleeping.\n<!--more-->\nRadio frequency fields - yet another component - are emitted by microwave ovens, TV and radio transmitters, mobile phone masts and phones themselves, also used close to the head.\n\nThe WHO says that the smog could interfere with the tiny natural electrical currents that help to drive the human body. Nerves relay signals by transmitting electric impulses, for example, while the use of electrocardiograms testify to the electrical activity of the heart.\n\nCampaigners have long been worried about exposure to fields from lines carried by electric pylons but, until recently, their concerns were dismissed, even ridiculed, by the authorities.\n\nBut last year a study by the official National Radiological Protection Board concluded that children living close to the lines are more likely to get leukaemia, and ministers are considering whether to stop any more homes being built near them. The discovery is causing a large-scale reappraisal of the hazards of the smog.\n\nThe International Agency for Research on Cancer - part of the WHO and the leading international organisation on the disease - classes the smog as a \"possible human carcinogen\". And Professor David Carpenter, dean of the School of Public Health at the State University of New York, told The Independent on Sunday last week that it was likely to cause up to 30 per cent of all childhood cancers. A report by the California Health Department concludes that it is also likely to cause adult leukaemia, brain cancers and possibly breast cancer and could be responsible for a 10th of all miscarriages.\n\nProfessor Denis Henshaw, professor of human radiation effects at Bristol University, says that \"a huge and substantive body of evidence indicates a range of adverse health effects\". He estimates that the smog causes some 9,000 cases of depression.\n\nPerhaps strangest of all, there is increasing evidence that the smog causes some people to become allergic to electricity, leading to nausea, pain, dizziness, depression and difficulties in sleeping and concentrating when they use electrical appliances or go near mobile phone masts. Some are so badly affected that they have to change their lifestyles.\n\nWhile not yet certain how it is caused, both the WHO and the HPA accept that the condition exists, and the UN body estimates that up to three in every 100 people are affected by it.\n\nCase History: \'I felt I was going into meltdown\'\n\nUntil a year ago, Sarah Dacre reckoned she had a \"blessed life\". Running her own company, and living in an expensive north London home, the high-earning divorcee described herself as \"fab, fit and 40s\". Then suddenly the sight in her right eye failed: she first noticed it when she was unable to read an A-Z map. Soon she was getting pains and numbness in her joints. She could not sleep and spent nights \"pacing about like a caged lion\". Her short-term memory failed and if she took notes to remind her, she would forget she had made them.\n\nThe symptoms got worse whenever she was exposed to electricity. She could not use a computer for more than five minutes without becoming nauseous. Even using a telephone landline gave her a buzzing in the ear and made her feel she was \"going into meltdown\".','21st century smog','','publish','open','closed','','21st-century-smog','','','2006-05-07 11:49:11','2006-05-07 11:49:11','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=274',0,'post','',0),(275,2,'2006-05-11 22:57:30','2006-05-11 22:57:30','<a href=\"http://www.pestival.org/img/pestivalprogweb.pdf\" target=\"new\"><img alt=\"pestprodimg.jpg\" src=\"http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/archives/pestprodimg.jpg\" width=\"192\" height=\"400\"  hspace=\"6\"/></a>\n\nYou can now download the <a href=\"http://www.pestival.org\" target=\"new\">Pestival</a> programme, designed by Ali Hutchinson, who does Strange Attractor Journal. It\'s about 450k.','Pestival programme','','publish','open','closed','','pestival-programme','','','2006-05-11 22:57:30','2006-05-11 22:57:30','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=275',0,'post','',0),(276,2,'2006-05-12 09:42:29','2006-05-12 09:42:29','<img alt=\"Circuit Blasting\" src=\"http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/archives/SAVD_flyer_small.jpg\" hspace=\"6\"/>\n\nStrange Attractor vs Disinformation\nSunday 14 May, 7pm-8.30pm, The Foundry, 84 Great Eastern St, London EC2\n\n* Live Circuit Blasting demonstration\n* DJ sets from SA & D\n\nAs if that wasn\'t enough, we\'ll be followed by the amazing ***Mr Andrew Bailey***, surrealist performance artist extraordinaire.\n\nAND IT\"S ALL FREE!!','Live Circuit Blasting Sunday 14th May','','publish','open','closed','','live-circuit-blasting-sunday-14th-may','','','2006-05-12 09:42:29','2006-05-12 09:42:29','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=276',0,'post','',0),(277,2,'2006-05-14 12:02:31','2006-05-14 12:02:31','<img alt=\"star jelly.jpg\" src=\"http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/archives/star jelly.jpg\" width=\"300\" height=\"216\" />\n\nThis strange jelly-like object feel onto U-Thai Thani, Thailand (about 66m NW of Bangkok) over the weekend. Apparently another one fell on Bangkok not so long ago.\n\nAnyone know what it is? Could it be pwdre ser, <a href=\"http://www.guardian.co.uk/life/farout/story/0,,1388506,00.html\" target=\"new\">the \"rot of the stars\"</a>?\n\nFull story in Thai, with more pictures, <a href=\"http://www.dailynews.co.th/dailynews/pages/front_th/popup_news/Default.aspx?Newsid=87603&NewsType=1&Template=2\" target=\"new\">here</a>.\n\nVia Terry Colvin on the Forteana Yahoogroups list.','Star Jelly fall in Thailand?','','publish','open','closed','','star-jelly-fall-in-thailand','','','2006-05-14 12:02:31','2006-05-14 12:02:31','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=277',0,'post','',0),(278,2,'2006-05-15 08:25:56','2006-05-15 08:25:56','This just in from the <a href=\"http://www.bangkokpost.com/News/15May2006_news00.php\" target=\"new\" >Bangkok Post</a> (there are more pics here too)\n\nExperts probe mystery jelly blobs\n\nAfter being soaked in water for three hours at the Post, this 50mm x 110mm sheet of cooling gel has swollen into a fat stick similar to the `mystery objects\'. — BOONNARONG BHUDHIPANYA\nPOST REPORTERS\n\nSome believe they are living organisms from outer space, others say they are a new marine species brought inland by rainstorms _ and for some children these unidentified objects are \"alien droppings\".\n\nAfter four days of speculation, the Public Health and Science and Technology ministries have decided to dispatch a group of disease control experts, veterinarians, entomologists and scientists to inspect the worm-like objects which have been found in at least five provinces so far.\n\nHowever, some people are too curious to wait for the result.\n\nThey have conducted their own experiments and say the mysterious objects are simply cooling gel sheets used to relieve fever.\n\nThe objects are about 12.7cm long and weigh about 370 grammes. They are transparent and shrink to only about five centimetres long if put in a dry place.\n<!--more-->\nA mysterious `gel stick\' found yesterday at the house of Worawut Wiphusana in Phrae\'s Den Chai district. —TAWEESAK SUKKASEM\n\nThe first one was found on Thursday in the northern province of Uthai Thani. A day later, a similar object was found in a water basin at a house on Ramkhamhaeng road, Bangkok. Yesterday five gel sticks were found _ two in Khon Kaen and one each in Phrae, Samut Prakan and Bangkok\'s Sam Sen area.\n\nDeputy director of the Medical Sciences Department Pongpan Wongmanee yesterday urged people who have found the objects to hand them over to state officials so they can be examined in a laboratory. \"They should give the specimens to us so we can find out what exactly they are,\" said Dr Pongpan. Most villagers have refused to hand over the objects as they want to keep them for good luck. Many people have also flocked to the places where they were found to search for lucky numbers.\n\nPrat Boonyawongvirot, acting public health permanent secretary, inspected one of the objects in Sam Sen and sent it for biochemical tests at Kasetsart University\'s veterinary faculty. The result will be known in a few days.\n\nVeterinarian Kaset Sutecha, of Kasetsart University, said the item appeared to be a non-living object made from gel and a small piece of polyester.\n\nA test by a vendor in Phrae\'s Den Chai district, where one of the objects was found yesterday, turned up a similar result.\n\nChaiya Temkaew, 37, suspected the object was a cooling gel sheet used to relieve fever in children.\n\nHe bought a piece of the gel sheet and put it in water. About 21/2 hours later, he found the sheet had transformed into a worm-like gel stick, similar to the \"mystery object\".\n\nThe Bangkok Post conducted a similar test on a fever relief gel sheet, with the same result.','Thai Blobs Update','','publish','open','closed','','thai-blobs-update','','','2006-05-15 08:25:56','2006-05-15 08:25:56','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=278',0,'post','',0),(279,2,'2006-05-16 15:32:04','2006-05-16 15:32:04','JELLY BLOB MYSTERY / WHO DID IT?\nNot alien droppings after all, just cooling gel\nPOST REPORTERS\n\nFrom the <a href=\"http://www.bangkokpost.com/News/16May2006_news05.php\" target=\"new\">Bangkok Post</a>,  Tuesday May 16, 2006\n\nGovernment scientists\' confirmation yesterday that the mysterious jelly blobs which have appeared around the country were just soaked sheets of cooling gel may have ended the mystery.\n\nBut new questions emerged _ who was behind the spread of the eerie objects, which attracted fear and awe, and why?\n\nSome suspected it was a marketing ploy by the manufacturers of the fever-relief sheets, while others thought it was a devious trick by the caretaker government to distract public attention from the political issues haunting it of late.\n<!--more-->\nCaretaker Deputy Prime Minister Chidchai Wannasathit said it was understandable people would look for someone to blame after learning the facts.\n\n  Kalaya Angsukaset, product manager of S. Charoen Pharmaceutical, importer and distributor of Koolfever _ one of the six brands sold locally _ said it was wrong to suggest the firm was behind spread of the jelly blobs as a publicity stunt.\n\n  \"That is groundless. The fever-relief sheet is a product used for special purposes. We don\'t need to market the product that heavily,\" she said.\n\n  She believed the sheets were simply left around by mistake.\n\n  Deputy secretary-general of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Manit Arunakul, agreed the appearance of the soaked cooling gel sheets was just a coincidence.\n\n  \"People might have thrown away the gel sheets after using them and then they could have become swollen after being soaked with rain,\" he said.\n\n  The Science and Technology Ministry yesterday opened the \"Science Hotline 1313\" to prevent any public panic over mysterious objects and phenomena that could emerge in the future.\n\n  \"From now on, if anyone finds mysterious things, please seek scientific explanations from the ministry\'s 1313 hotline. Don\'t panic and avoid using the supernatural to explain things you don\'t know about,\" said caretaker Science and Technology Minister Pravich\nRattanapien.\n\n  It was clear that Thais\' scientific knowledge was unacceptably low, he said.\n\n  At least seven transparent gel rolls were found in five provinces – Uthai Thani, Bangkok, Khon Kaen, Phrae and Samut Prakan – over the past five days. Many people believed the 12.7cm-long worm-like objects were objects from outer space, or even \"alien droppings\". Others saw them as a omen and tried to divine lucky numbers from them.','Thai Blobs: it&#039;s over...','','publish','open','closed','','thai-blobs-its-over','','','2006-05-16 15:32:04','2006-05-16 15:32:04','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=279',0,'post','',0),(280,2,'2006-05-17 12:53:44','2006-05-17 12:53:44','Taking the gravity out of prayer\nBy Ziauddin Sardar in <a href=\"http://www.newstatesman.com/Ideas/200605080009 target=\"new\">The New Staesman</a>\n\n\nMalaysians are nothing if not far-sighted. They like to do things in spectacular fashion, and they like to do them before anyone else. They were the first to think of building the longest flagpole in the world. It is still standing, with its record intact, in Merdeka Square, Kuala Lumpur. They were the first to think of building the longest bridge in Asia. Penang Bridge is holding on to that record, although it has faced a disaster or two since it opened in 1985. They went on to erect the tallest building in the world: the Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur, which opened in 1998. Sadly, that triumph was short-lived. Taipei 101 took the record to Taiwan in 2003. So they turned their attention to Mount Everest: unfortunately, it had already been climbed, yet that didn\'t stop the cunning Malaysians from claiming a record or two. Now they have turned their gaze towards space.\n\n...\n\nThe annals of Muslim history record that Prince Sultan, who took a copy of the Koran with him, faced a number of vexing questions. From space, where was Mecca, the direction he had to face during his five daily prayers? Given that the timing of prayers is guided by the position of the sun - sunrise, noon, late afternoon, sunset and evening - how were these times to be determined in space, where the sun was either fully in the open or totally hidden? And how was he going to bow and prostrate himself in zero gravity?\n\n...\n\nStep forward the Malaysians, who never do things by half. We cannot send our astronauts into space, says Professor Datuk Dr Mazlan Othman, director general of the National Space Agency, without full answers to this perplexing question. She has calculated that the ISS will circle the earth 16 times in 24 hours, which means that there will be 16 \"days\" and 16 \"nights\" within every 24-hour period. Does this mean that the poor Muslim astronaut has to perform prayers 80 times every 24 hours? Moreover, she asks, how will the astronaut perform ablutions, with water behaving erratically under zero gravity?\n\nThanks <a href=\"http://www.badscience.net/\" target=\"new\">Ben Goldacre</a>\n<!--more-->\nTaking the gravity out of prayer\nColumnists\nZiauddin Sardar\nMonday 8th May 2006\nWho will be Malaysia\'s first astronauts? And how will they perform their prayers, as Muslims, under zero gravity? Asks Ziauddin Sardar\nHow will Muslims perform their religious duties in space? The question appears simple enough, but it has earth-shattering implications for Islam. The future of the Muslim civilisation, or rather what\'s left of it on this God-forsaken planet, depends on appropriate answers. Hence the summons to the great and the good of the Muslim world from Malaysia\'s National Space Agency. The agency hosted a special conference in the past week to address this all-important but hitherto neglected question.\n\nThe inquiry has acquired some urgency. Malaysia is about to send its first astronaut into space. In a reciprocal deal, which required Malaysia to purchase a handful of Sukhoi SU-30MKM jet fighters, the Russians have agreed to send one Malaysian to the International Space Station (ISS) next October.\n\nMalaysians are nothing if not far-sighted. They like to do things in spectacular fashion, and they like to do them before anyone else. They were the first to think of building the longest flagpole in the world. It is still standing, with its record intact, in Merdeka Square, Kuala Lumpur. They were the first to think of building the longest bridge in Asia. Penang Bridge is holding on to that record, although it has faced a disaster or two since it opened in 1985. They went on to erect the tallest building in the world: the Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur, which opened in 1998. Sadly, that triumph was short-lived. Taipei 101 took the record to Taiwan in 2003. So they turned their attention to Mount Everest: unfortunately, it had already been climbed, yet that didn\'t stop the cunning Malaysians from claiming a record or two. Now they have turned their gaze towards space.\n\nBut here, too, they have been beaten. The first Muslim in space, alas, is not going to be a Malaysian. That record has already been set by Prince Sultan of Saudi Arabia, whose full name and titles are longer than the shuttle Discovery, which took him into space in 1985.\n\nThe annals of Muslim history record that Prince Sultan, who took a copy of the Koran with him, faced a number of vexing questions. From space, where was Mecca, the direction he had to face during his five daily prayers? Given that the timing of prayers is guided by the position of the sun - sunrise, noon, late afternoon, sunset and evening - how were these times to be determined in space, where the sun was either fully in the open or totally hidden? And how was he going to bow and prostrate himself in zero gravity?\n\nThe good prince turned to the most prominent religious authority in the kingdom: Sheikh bin Baz. I am very proud to be among the select and fortunate few to whom the late, great sheikh ever granted an audience. He was blind, and believed that the earth was flat. The question of prayer in space, he answered, does not arise, because nothing can leave the earth. That was that. So while we still have pictures of Prince Sultan talking by telephone to his uncle the late King Fahd, eating halal food that had been specially prepared for him, giving a guided tour of the space shuttle in God\'s own language, Arabic, and even reading the Koran, we have no record of him praying.\n\nStep forward the Malaysians, who never do things by half. We cannot send our astronauts into space, says Professor Datuk Dr Mazlan Othman, director general of the National Space Agency, without full answers to this perplexing question. She has calculated that the ISS will circle the earth 16 times in 24 hours, which means that there will be 16 \"days\" and 16 \"nights\" within every 24-hour period. Does this mean that the poor Muslim astronaut has to perform prayers 80 times every 24 hours? Moreover, she asks, how will the astronaut perform ablutions, with water behaving erratically under zero gravity?\n\nFrom here, the problems of fulfilling one\'s religious duties in space get even thornier, I am afraid. Before you can undertake your ablutions, you are required to do what is technically known in Islamic parlance as istanja. Or, to use the more colourful but easily understandable language of the Channel 5 medical drama House, \"you have to clean your arse after you have pooed\". For religious purposes and for all-round cleanliness, tissue paper just won\'t do.\n\n\n\nPurity can be restored to the body only by means of a full and generous application of water. But how does one perform the istanja, as the London-based Muslim Weekly rightly asks, \"with globules of water floating around randomly\"? What happens if we have a group of Muslim astronauts in space? How will they pray in congregation? How will they stand shoulder to shoulder, and bow and prostrate in unison? They could end up in embarrassing positions, with some facing up and others facing down . . . whichever way up and down happen to be in space, with the direction of Mecca changing all the time! And what happens during the month of Ramadan? How will they fast, and for how long? The more questions you ask, the more daunting the difficulties become.\n\nThis is why I favour the Sheikh bin Baz option. He may have been blind, but he could see that God did not intend Muslims to go into space - or He, in His Infinite Mercy and Wisdom, would have equipped them with suitable biological apparatus.\nThis article first appeared in the New Statesman.\nFor the latest in current and cultural affairs take out a print or online subscription.','Prayer in Spaaaace','','publish','open','closed','','prayer-in-spaaaace','','','2006-05-17 12:53:44','2006-05-17 12:53:44','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=280',0,'post','',0),(281,2,'2006-05-22 19:53:30','2006-05-22 19:53:30','<a href=\"http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6sonpvUxGL8&search=resonence\" target=\"new\"><img alt=\"salt-sound.jpg\" src=\"http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/archives/salt-sound.jpg\" width=\"300\" height=\"222\" /></a>\n\nAmazing video footage of soundwaves transformed into visual patterns, simply by pouring salt onto a plate above the speaker cone. Beautiful!\n\nAnd check out the crumpling chinook on the same page!\n\nThanks John Lundberg.','Resonance manifest','','publish','open','closed','','resonance-manifest','','','2006-05-22 19:53:30','2006-05-22 19:53:30','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=281',0,'post','',0),(282,2,'2006-05-30 09:20:06','2006-05-30 09:20:06','<img alt=\"AlanMelinda.jpg\" src=\"http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/archives/AlanMelinda.jpg\" width=\"230\" height=\"180\" />\n\nA great, long three-part interview with Alan Moore about his new graphic novel, The Lost Girls, co-authored with Melinda Gebbie (both pictured above).\n\nOver at <a href=\"http://www.comicbookresources.com/news/newsitem.cgi?id=7411\" target =\"new\" >Comic Book Resources</a>\n\nThanks Adi Tantimedh!','Alan Moore &amp; The Lost Girls','','publish','open','closed','','alan-moore-the-lost-girls','','','2006-05-30 09:20:06','2006-05-30 09:20:06','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=282',0,'post','',0),(283,2,'2006-05-30 09:27:55','2006-05-30 09:27:55','<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/strangeattractor/sets/72157594146623889/\" target=\"new\"><img alt=\"pestkids.jpg\" src=\"http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/archives/pestkids.jpg\" width=\"240\" height=\"170\" border=\"0\"/></a>\n\nA selection of photographs from the International Arts <a href=\"http://www.pestival.org\" target=\"new\">Pestival</a> are now online.\n\nThanks to everyone who came down and made it such an unforgettable weekend.\n\nAnd we\'ve still got <a href=\"http://www.pestival.org/films.html\" target=\"new\">Bug Eyes</a>, our film night, to come this Thursday. A few tickets are still available, so book now on 020 8409 4400.\n\nOther Pestival talks and events continue throughout this week.','Pestival pics','','publish','open','closed','','pestival-pics','','','2006-05-30 09:27:55','2006-05-30 09:27:55','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=283',0,'post','',0),(284,2,'2006-05-30 13:30:21','2006-05-30 13:30:21','<img alt=\"cymatic4.gif\" src=\"http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/archives/cymatic4.gif\" width=\"146\" height=\"189\" />\n\n\n\"In the late 18th century, German physicist Ernst Chladni demonstrated the organizing power of sound and vibration in a visually striking manner. He showed that when sand is scattered on metal plates, and a violin bow is drawn across them, the resulting vibrations cause the particles to move to the places where the plate is almost motionless, producing a variety of beautiful, regular, intricate patterns.\n\n    A century after Chladni, Margaret Watts-Hughes created images by placing a powder or liquid on a disk then letting it vibrate to the sound of a sustained musical note. She experimented with several musical instruments but had most success using her voice. The particles arranged themselves into geometric shapes, flower patterns (such as pansies, primroses, geraniums, and roses), or the shape of a fern or a tree. The higher the pitch, the more complex the patterns produced; a powerful sustained note produced an imprint of a head of wheat...\n\nFrom a fascinating piece, written from a Theosophical perspective, called <a href=\"http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/dp5/pattern2.htm\">Patterns in Nature</a> by David Pratt. This section explains the patterns formed by the fequencies in the video posted here last week.\nThanks Marcus Scott!','Formative power of sound','','publish','open','closed','','formative-power-of-sound','','','2006-05-30 13:30:21','2006-05-30 13:30:21','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=284',0,'post','',0),(285,2,'2006-06-01 12:13:37','2006-06-01 12:13:37','Pest in show: a rare celebration of the creepy-crawly\nBy Helen Brown\n<a href=\"http://news.independent.co.uk/environment/article623260.ece\" target=\"new\">The Independent</a>, 01 June 2006\n\nCutlass-jawed, armour-plated and organised by a terrifying collective intelligence, the ants of Saul Bass\'s 1974 film Phase IV wage war on the human inhabitants of the North American desert. Bass filmed life-sized members of the Formicidae family chewing through cables and devouring people from the inside out, because the idea that insects dominate life on Earth is the truth. As the great Alabaman entomologist, EO Wilson, once pointed out: \"If all mankind were to disappear, the world would regenerate back to the rich state of equilibrium that existed 10,000 years ago. If insects were to vanish, the environment would collapse into chaos.\" The nightmare is not that the insects could wipe us out - it\'s that we\'re annihilating them.\n\nSo it\'s in celebration of the \"the small guys that run the planet\" that Bridget Nicholls and Mark Pilkington have launched The First International Arts Pestival, a fortnight of bug-based events at the London Wetland Centre. \"Through appreciation of insects in art and the art of being an insect,\" says Nicholls, \"the Pestival aims to create positive PR for this 400-million-year-old, highly evolved taxon that has had thousands of years of bad press.\"\n<!--more-->\n\"Flutter for Joy\", \"Pinch for Luck\" and \"Buzz for Love\" read the fluorescent posters that guide visitors from the leafy London suburb of Barnes into the 105-acre wildlife reserve. Crossing a wooden bridge, I pause to smile at the fragile fuzz of a baby moorhen bobbing between the lily-pads beneath when a small boy in wellies hurtles past me, flapping his arms and buzzing for all his tiny lungs are worth. \"That seemed to have been a success,\" grinned his mum. \"I\'ve not been a big fan of creepy-crawlies in the past,\" she acknowledges, \"but I have to admit that even some of the scarier ones can be beautiful if you can get past that initial \'eugh!\'\"\n\nIn the art gallery I gaze at a gold-plated cockroach, lying legs-up on the floor beneath a bell jar. I smile at a Victorian-style collectors\' cabinet crawling with plastic bugs, marvel at some ethereal insect X-rays and study the diaphanous charms of a lily-like sculpture made of cicada wings. Nicholls tells me that the Pestival has been \"brilliant for bringing artists and biologists together. There has been a real exchange of ideas and information and other stuff - we\'ve had painters trading work in exchange for chrysalises and discarded skins.\"\n\nTwo spiders are biding their time before embarking on their eagerly anticipated geometric creations. They dangle pensively from the corners of their boxes, their combined 16 legs angled inward as they wait for the fly eggs placed beneath them to mature into something worth snaring. Nephila edulis - Australia\'s golden orb weaver - gets its common name from the yellow threads of its web which glow gold in the sunlight.\n\nOutside again, Martin Senior of the London Wetland Centre tells me that more than 400 moth species have been recorded on site, including classic wetland species such as the creamy-speckled Webb\'s wainscot. \"We also have 23 species of butterfly - including the purple hairstreak, clouded yellow and holly blue,\" says Senior. \"And 20 species of dragonfly and damselfly - including recent colonist the small red-eyed damselfly, the beautiful banded demoiselle and the large brown hawker.\" A pair of iridescent peppermint-green beetles alight on my wrist. We study the copulating Coleoptera. \"I don\'t know what those ones are,\" chuckles Senior. \"But all these insects make the centre ideal for other wildlife, from the nine species of bat which feed on the reserve, to the many waders and ducks whose offspring will feed on the insect life among the vegetation.\"\n\nAt the Buglife stand, Claudia Watts tells me that the plummeting population of house sparrows has been attributed to a lack of summer insects. \"We have about 27,000 species of insect in the UK,\" she says. \"Related to insects are other types of animals with jointed limbs [arthropods], such as spiders, crayfish, water fleas, woodlice and millipedes. We have well over 3,000 arthropod species in Britain, but 12,000 species of our land and freshwater invertebrates are currently listed as species of conservation concern.\" I ask what people can do to help. \"Join Buglife,\" she says, \"garden organically, protect brownfield sites and get involved in some of our projects. At the moment we\'re asking people to keep an eye out for the scarlet malachite beetle. It was once widespread across the south of England but is now only known to be hanging on in a few sites in Essex, Hertfordshire and Hampshire.\" This jewel of a green-and-red beetle only flies for three weeks each year in May and June. \"If you think you have found one,\" says Watts, \"please take a photo, note the exact location where you found it and contact Buglife.\"\n\nBack in the courtyard, beside the magnificently mechanised Insect Circus Museum I run into Professor David Rothenberg, the author of Why Birds Sing. The American musicologist has made his name exploring what Darwin described as the innate \"aesthetic sense\" of birdsong. \"Do birds only make their unique and complex songs to attract mates and defend territory, or is it something more?\" he asks me. He\'s at the Pestival to jam along with crickets, poking a proboscal microphone into their darkened box and improvising on his clarinet. \"They\'re amazing - tiny beatboxes. And they can hear all over their bodies! Who wouldn\'t want that skill!?\"\n\nIt was through experimental music that Bridget Nicholls met her Pestival co-organiser Mark Pilkington. \"I\'ve been an entomophile since I started cryogenic experiments on ants in the family fridge as a child,\" explains the curator of this evening\'s creepy-crawly-themed film night, which will peak with a screening of Phase IV.\n\n\"It\'s the most sublime and pensive of all the sci-fi bug movies,\" says Pilkington. \"It gets across the mixture of awe and fear we have looking at another fully evolved civilisation, and which outnumbers us.\"\n\nOn my way out, I pass a stall on which Mick Strick of the British Tarantula Society and Anna Morell of the Phasmid Study Group are exhibiting giant African millipedes, Madagascan hissing cockroaches, stick insects, scorpions and spiders. \"Everyone loves the tarantulas,\" says Morell, wrangling a millipede back into its box. \"It\'s great when you see some timid little child nervously reach out to have an insect placed on their hands and watch their look of horror turn to outright glee as it tickles around on their palms.\"\n\nPestival runs at the London Wetland Centre until 4 June. Entrance is free with admission to the reserve (adults £7.25, concs £6.00, children £4.50) (www.pestival.org; 020-8409 4400; www.buglife.org.uk)\n\nBugs in trouble\n\n* The New Forest cicada is one of Britain\'s largest insects, black with orange stripes and lovely transparent wings longer than its body. It spends eight years in a larval stage before emerging in a burst of song -- but it has not been heard since 1996.\n\n* Folklore has it that the spots of the seven-spot ladybird symbolise the seven joys and seven sorrows of the Virgin Mary. Sorrow than joy may be in store for lovers of Coccinella septempunctata as the aphids it eats are being gobbled up by the Asian harlequin ladybird, introduced to Europe as a biocontrol.\n\n* The shrill carder bee was widespread in the 19th and early 20th centuries, but records suggest a decline to only one third of the previous distribution by the 1970s, with just seven sites reliably identified in the south and east of the British Isles in the 1980s.\n\n* The southern damselfly is a glorious barcode in turquoise and black. But Coenagrion mercuriale has suffered a 30-per-cent decline in its UK distribution since 1960 due to a lack of appropriate heathland management.\n\n* The oil beetle has one of the most extraordinary life cycles of any British insect, being parasitic on various species of ground-nesting solitary bee.But only three of the nine oil- beetle varieties once found in Britain are still resident.\n\nCutlass-jawed, armour-plated and organised by a terrifying collective intelligence, the ants of Saul Bass\'s 1974 film Phase IV wage war on the human inhabitants of the North American desert. Bass filmed life-sized members of the Formicidae family chewing through cables and devouring people from the inside out, because the idea that insects dominate life on Earth is the truth. As the great Alabaman entomologist, EO Wilson, once pointed out: \"If all mankind were to disappear, the world would regenerate back to the rich state of equilibrium that existed 10,000 years ago. If insects were to vanish, the environment would collapse into chaos.\" The nightmare is not that the insects could wipe us out - it\'s that we\'re annihilating them.\n\nSo it\'s in celebration of the \"the small guys that run the planet\" that Bridget Nicholls and Mark Pilkington have launched The First International Arts Pestival, a fortnight of bug-based events at the London Wetland Centre. \"Through appreciation of insects in art and the art of being an insect,\" says Nicholls, \"the Pestival aims to create positive PR for this 400-million-year-old, highly evolved taxon that has had thousands of years of bad press.\"\n\n\"Flutter for Joy\", \"Pinch for Luck\" and \"Buzz for Love\" read the fluorescent posters that guide visitors from the leafy London suburb of Barnes into the 105-acre wildlife reserve. Crossing a wooden bridge, I pause to smile at the fragile fuzz of a baby moorhen bobbing between the lily-pads beneath when a small boy in wellies hurtles past me, flapping his arms and buzzing for all his tiny lungs are worth. \"That seemed to have been a success,\" grinned his mum. \"I\'ve not been a big fan of creepy-crawlies in the past,\" she acknowledges, \"but I have to admit that even some of the scarier ones can be beautiful if you can get past that initial \'eugh!\'\"\n\nIn the art gallery I gaze at a gold-plated cockroach, lying legs-up on the floor beneath a bell jar. I smile at a Victorian-style collectors\' cabinet crawling with plastic bugs, marvel at some ethereal insect X-rays and study the diaphanous charms of a lily-like sculpture made of cicada wings. Nicholls tells me that the Pestival has been \"brilliant for bringing artists and biologists together. There has been a real exchange of ideas and information and other stuff - we\'ve had painters trading work in exchange for chrysalises and discarded skins.\"\n\nTwo spiders are biding their time before embarking on their eagerly anticipated geometric creations. They dangle pensively from the corners of their boxes, their combined 16 legs angled inward as they wait for the fly eggs placed beneath them to mature into something worth snaring. Nephila edulis - Australia\'s golden orb weaver - gets its common name from the yellow threads of its web which glow gold in the sunlight.\n\nOutside again, Martin Senior of the London Wetland Centre tells me that more than 400 moth species have been recorded on site, including classic wetland species such as the creamy-speckled Webb\'s wainscot. \"We also have 23 species of butterfly - including the purple hairstreak, clouded yellow and holly blue,\" says Senior. \"And 20 species of dragonfly and damselfly - including recent colonist the small red-eyed damselfly, the beautiful banded demoiselle and the large brown hawker.\" A pair of iridescent peppermint-green beetles alight on my wrist. We study the copulating Coleoptera. \"I don\'t know what those ones are,\" chuckles Senior. \"But all these insects make the centre ideal for other wildlife, from the nine species of bat which feed on the reserve, to the many waders and ducks whose offspring will feed on the insect life among the vegetation.\"\n\nAt the Buglife stand, Claudia Watts tells me that the plummeting population of house sparrows has been attributed to a lack of summer insects. \"We have about 27,000 species of insect in the UK,\" she says. \"Related to insects are other types of animals with jointed limbs [arthropods], such as spiders, crayfish, water fleas, woodlice and millipedes. We have well over 3,000 arthropod species in Britain, but 12,000 species of our land and freshwater invertebrates are currently listed as species of conservation concern.\" I ask what people can do to help. \"Join Buglife,\" she says, \"garden organically, protect brownfield sites and get involved in some of our projects. At the moment we\'re asking people to keep an eye out for the scarlet malachite beetle. It was once widespread across the south of England but is now only known to be hanging on in a few sites in Essex, Hertfordshire and Hampshire.\" This jewel of a green-and-red beetle only flies for three weeks each year in May and June. \"If you think you have found one,\" says Watts, \"please take a photo, note the exact location where you found it and contact Buglife.\"\n\nBack in the courtyard, beside the magnificently mechanised Insect Circus Museum I run into Professor David Rothenberg, the author of Why Birds Sing. The American musicologist has made his name exploring what Darwin described as the innate \"aesthetic sense\" of birdsong. \"Do birds only make their unique and complex songs to attract mates and defend territory, or is it something more?\" he asks me. He\'s at the Pestival to jam along with crickets, poking a proboscal microphone into their darkened box and improvising on his clarinet. \"They\'re amazing - tiny beatboxes. And they can hear all over their bodies! Who wouldn\'t want that skill!?\"\n\nIt was through experimental music that Bridget Nicholls met her Pestival co-organiser Mark Pilkington. \"I\'ve been an entomophile since I started cryogenic experiments on ants in the family fridge as a child,\" explains the curator of this evening\'s creepy-crawly-themed film night, which will peak with a screening of Phase IV.\n\n\"It\'s the most sublime and pensive of all the sci-fi bug movies,\" says Pilkington. \"It gets across the mixture of awe and fear we have looking at another fully evolved civilisation, and which outnumbers us.\"\n\nOn my way out, I pass a stall on which Mick Strick of the British Tarantula Society and Anna Morell of the Phasmid Study Group are exhibiting giant African millipedes, Madagascan hissing cockroaches, stick insects, scorpions and spiders. \"Everyone loves the tarantulas,\" says Morell, wrangling a millipede back into its box. \"It\'s great when you see some timid little child nervously reach out to have an insect placed on their hands and watch their look of horror turn to outright glee as it tickles around on their palms.\"\n\nPestival runs at the London Wetland Centre until 4 June. Entrance is free with admission to the reserve (adults £7.25, concs £6.00, children £4.50) (www.pestival.org; 020-8409 4400; www.buglife.org.uk)\n\nBugs in trouble\n\n* The New Forest cicada is one of Britain\'s largest insects, black with orange stripes and lovely transparent wings longer than its body. It spends eight years in a larval stage before emerging in a burst of song -- but it has not been heard since 1996.\n\n* Folklore has it that the spots of the seven-spot ladybird symbolise the seven joys and seven sorrows of the Virgin Mary. Sorrow than joy may be in store for lovers of Coccinella septempunctata as the aphids it eats are being gobbled up by the Asian harlequin ladybird, introduced to Europe as a biocontrol.\n\n* The shrill carder bee was widespread in the 19th and early 20th centuries, but records suggest a decline to only one third of the previous distribution by the 1970s, with just seven sites reliably identified in the south and east of the British Isles in the 1980s.\n\n* The southern damselfly is a glorious barcode in turquoise and black. But Coenagrion mercuriale has suffered a 30-per-cent decline in its UK distribution since 1960 due to a lack of appropriate heathland management.\n\n* The oil beetle has one of the most extraordinary life cycles of any British insect, being parasitic on various species of ground-nesting solitary bee.But only three of the nine oil- beetle varieties once found in Britain are still resident.','Pestival: &quot;Pest in Show&quot;','','publish','open','closed','','pestival-pest-in-show','','','2006-06-01 12:13:37','2006-06-01 12:13:37','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=285',0,'post','',0),(286,2,'2006-06-02 10:32:08','2006-06-02 10:32:08','Mark Pilkington will be somewhere amongst the excitements on display at this event, billed as an exploration and celebration of Burner culture beyond Burning Man, along with writer Geoff Dyer and burners Garth Cartwright and Brian Doherty, beaming in live from Los Angeles. Here\'s the skinny. I\'ll also be bringing my photos from Burning Man 2003.\n\n\n<a href=\"http://euroburners.org/wikka/Date2June2006\" target=\"new\">51 Week\'s Burning</a>\nAn exploration and celebration of Burner culture beyond Burning Man\n\nBurning Man is famous for attracting 40,000 individuals every year, who come together to build a city and spend a week in a temporary community based upon the principles of radical self expression, radical self reliance, no commerce and leave no trace. Perhaps more impressive, however, is the world wide community that has grown around this event: a community which comes together not only to help and support each other in the logistically difficult task of preparing to spend a week in one of the world\'s most hostile environments, but also strive to keep the principles of the event alive for the rest of the year.\n\n51 Weeks of Burning is an evening of celebration of this community, and discussion of why this community exists and what it does. The evening will include:\n\n    * A Photography exhibition by Neil Guy and Dave Bradshaw;\n    * A Film Screening\n    * A talk by Ashley Satorius on the principles of gifting economies and the potential for self regeneration in the wider world.\n    * \"We Are Not At Burning Man\", a performance lecture by Tessa Wills, leading into a discussion on \"coming home\"\n    * A panel discussion between Geoff Dyer (author of “Yoga For the People Who Can’t Bothered To Do It”), Garth Cartwright (author of “Journey’s With Gypsies”) and Mark Pilkington (editor of Strange Attractor Journal) on the nature and development of alternative cultures and a live video link to Los Angeles with Brian Doherty (author of “This Is Burning Man”).\n    * Pete Johnson describing the process and challenges involved in creating Nowhere, Europe\'s regional burn based upon the principles of Burning Man.\n\n£5 entry. June 2nd, 7:30pm, at The Horse Hospital, Colonnade, nr Russell Square, London WC1N 1HX','51 Weeks of Burning - Tonight!','','publish','open','closed','','51-weeks-of-burning-tonight','','','2006-06-02 10:32:08','2006-06-02 10:32:08','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=286',0,'post','',0),(287,2,'2006-06-03 13:19:30','2006-06-03 13:19:30','The 212-796-0735 mystery\nfrom <a href=\"http://www.homelandstupidity.us/2006/05/31/the-212-796-0735-mystery/\" target=\"new\">Homeland Stupidity</a>\n\nBack in the days of the Cold War, spies found ingenious and unusual ways to communicate with each other, hiding their communications in plain sight, whether encrypted or not. For instance, an intelligence agent (spy) might contact his case officer (handler) by placing an ad in the personals section of the local newspaper. This practice, it seems, continues today.\n\nOn or around May 8, the following personal ad appeared on the Internet classified ad site Craigslist. (It has since been removed.)\n\n    For mein fraulein\n\n    Mein Fraulein, I haven’t heard from you in a while. Won’t you\n    call me? 212 //// 796 //// 0735\n\nIf you actually called the number, up until a couple of days ago you would have heard this prerecorded message (MP3). It’s a head scratcher to keep you National Security Agency analysts occupied in your spare time. Each block of numbers is repeated twice; but below I have transcribed them only once for clarity.\n\n    Group 415\n    01305 60510 12079 04606 50100\n    93000 08203 90130 94069 01207\n    81080 17028 01706 90220 73038\n    01401 70150 15073 00402 00680\n    12013 12510 00540 04091 01401\n    30150 86022 09608 10660 02082\n    05507 00020 00000 02208 30290\n    08022 01200 40710 13065 02709\n    40190 29014 02200 80020 11083\n    07300 30260 19000 00700 00000\n    86\n\nYou used to hear broadcasts not unlike this on shortwave radio all the time, stations which broadcast nothing but numbers all day. Nobody has yet come forward with an answer as to what exactly these stations were broadcasting, or to whom, or what was the point of the messages. If anyone does know, they likely can’t say because it’s classified information....\n<a href=\"http://www.homelandstupidity.us/2006/05/31/the-212-796-0735-mystery/\" target=\"new\">continues</a>\n\n\nThanks John Lundberg','Net Numbers Station?','','publish','open','closed','','net-numbers-station','','','2006-06-03 13:19:30','2006-06-03 13:19:30','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=287',0,'post','',0),(288,2,'2006-06-05 10:42:48','2006-06-05 10:42:48','<a href=\"http://www.andyletcher.co.uk\" target=\"new\"><img alt=\"Shroom Cover.jpg\" src=\"http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/archives/Shroom Cover.jpg\" width=\"167\" height=\"253\" border =\"0\"/></a>\n\nI recently finished <i>Shroom: A Cultural History of the Magic Mushroom</i> by Andy Letcher, published by Faber and Faber. It\'s a refreshingly earthbound account of Western human attitudes to our psychoactive fungal neighbours.\n\nStarting with an overview of what is known about mushroom use in pre-history (unsurprisingly, very little, despite what some people will tell you), Andy steers us through written accounts from Ancient Greece to early modern Europe, as naturalists and thinkers attempted to get to grips with these strange lifeforms that are neither beast nor plant. My favourite early suggestions for their origins were that they grew from the slime trials of snails, or that they were homes for insects (this last from the splendidly-named Otto von Munchausen).\n\nWe trace separate paths of discovery for the psilocybe and amanita mushrooms which, while producing very different effects, seem often to have been confused, especially once modern day heads started to take an interest in them as free-range intoxicants.\n<!--more-->\nThe trip really gets started once we reach the 20th century, with insightful analysis of the key human channels for the mushroom mind in the modern world: Gordon Wasson, Robert Graves, Timothy Leary and Terrence Mckenna. With a steady hand, Andy carefully dissects their claims, assesses their influences and ultimately strips away about 5 decades of mythful-thinking about ancient mushroom cults, extra-dimensional communications and the coming fungal apocalypse.\n\nThose of us who grew up with heads full of mushroom wonders may be in for a harsh comedown, but Andy\'s sporetraits are always fair, even affectionate. Wasson and Graves may have been deeply misguided in their thinking about secretive mushroom religions, but it\'s clear that without them this book might never have needed to be written. Perhaps the most surprising part of the  story is how, given that the mushrooms have been at least as long as we have, it\'s really only since the early 1970s that they got hold of England\'s home-grown heads.\n\nThe story comes right up to date with the recent, all too-brief, flourishing of the shroom-mind on our high streets and the UK government\'s reclassification of psilocybin-containers alongside heroin and cocaine as a menace to society. Of course this drought is nothing that a quick hop over the water onto the continent can\'t remedy!\n\nA timely, much-needed work, Shroom will surely intoxify trippers past, present and future. Liberty caps off then to Andy Letcher for steering such a wise path through this garden of earthy delights.','Shroom!','','publish','open','closed','','shroom','','','2006-06-05 10:42:48','2006-06-05 10:42:48','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=288',0,'post','',0),(289,2,'2006-06-07 11:07:26','2006-06-07 11:07:26','<strong>Monday 12th June:  The Music, Magic and Madness of Joe Meek, a talk by John Repsch </strong>\n\nJoe Meek was the British pop producer who dabbled in the occult and wrote innovative, chart-topping songs about séances, satellites and aliens.\n\nWriter and environmentalist John Repsch wrote the biography of Joe Meek in 1989. Bizarre and fascinating though Meek\'s life story was, Repsch had to publish it himself. The book has since spawned a BBC 2 \'Arena\' documentary, an avalanche of CDs and is scheduled to be made into a film this year starring Rhys Ifans.\n\nSouth East London Folklore Society (SELFS) meet every second Monday of the month upstairs at The Spanish Galleon, 48 Greenwich Church Street, SE10 9BL.\n\n<a href=\"http://www.selfs.org.uk/\">Info & directions/</a>','Joe Meek talk next Monday','','publish','open','closed','','joe-meek-talk-next-monday','','','2006-06-07 11:07:26','2006-06-07 11:07:26','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=289',0,'post','',0),(290,2,'2006-06-09 09:19:10','2006-06-09 09:19:10','A stunning perceptual sleight of mind from John Sadowski. It\'s been doing the rounds on the web but is seriously worth your 30 seconds:  <a href=\"http://www.johnsadowski.com/big_spanish_castle.html\" target=\"new\">Spanish Castle</a>\n\nAnd if you liked that, here\'s buckets <a href=\"http://illusionsetc.blogspot.com/2004/01/site-map.html\" target=\"new\">more</a>!\n\nThanks <a href=\"http://www.badscience.net/\" target=\"new\">Ben Goldacre</a>','Paint with your eyes','','publish','open','closed','','paint-with-your-eyes','','','2006-06-09 09:19:10','2006-06-09 09:19:10','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=290',0,'post','',0),(291,2,'2006-06-09 09:27:02','2006-06-09 09:27:02','<img alt=\"CokeDrops.gif\" src=\"http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/archives/CokeDrops.gif\" width=\"300\" height=\"187\" />\n\nA nostalgic collection of everyday products containing Class A drugs: <a href=\"http://wings.buffalo.edu/aru/preprohibition.htm\" target=\"new\">Before Prohibition</a>','When drugs weren&#039;t bad','','publish','open','closed','','when-drugs-werent-bad','','','2006-06-09 09:27:02','2006-06-09 09:27:02','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=291',0,'post','',0),(292,2,'2006-06-11 11:11:51','2006-06-11 11:11:51','<img alt=\"060508_ants_rule_03.jpg\" src=\"http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/archives/060508_ants_rule_03.jpg\" width=\"250\" height=\"169\" />\nPhoto by <a href=\"http://www.myrmecos.net/\" target=\"new\">Alex Wild</a>\n\n\n\nCount on ants to be the first uninvited guests to show up at a picnic. Their party-crashing feats show just how productive and important they are and hint at why they thrive in just about any habitat.\n\nIt hasn\'t always been an ant\'s world. Scientists estimate modern-day ants first evolved about 120 million years ago. But the fossil record suggests that ants at this time weren\'t the prevalent insect that they are today. Not until 60 million years later, when some ants adapted to the new world of flowering plants and diversified their diets, did the critters achieve ecological dominance.\n\nSince then they\'ve had a successful run of the planet.\n\nScientists estimate that about 20,000 ant species crawl the Earth. Taxonomists have classified more than 11,000 species, which account for at least one-third of all insect biomass. The combined heft of ants in the Brazilian Amazon is about four times greater than the combined mass of all of the mammals, birds, reptiles, and amphibians, according to one survey...\n\nContinues over at <a href=\"http://www.livescience.com/animalworld/060508_mm_ants_rule.html\" target=\"new\">LiveScience.com</a>','Why Ants Rule the World','','publish','open','closed','','why-ants-rule-the-world','','','2006-06-11 11:11:51','2006-06-11 11:11:51','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=292',0,'post','',0),(293,2,'2006-06-13 09:58:20','2006-06-13 09:58:20','<strong>Gyorgy Ligeti</strong>\n<em>Innovative composer of genius</em>\nThe Independent, 13 June 2006\n\nGyörgy Sándor Ligeti, composer: born Dicsöszentmárton, Romania 28 May 1923; Professor for Composition, Hamburg Academy of Music 1973-89; married 1957 Vera Spitz (one son); died Vienna 12 June 2006.\n\nGyörgy Ligeti wrote his way through the styles of 20th-century music with unfailing warmth, musicality and wit, and a personal touch that amounted to sheer genius. The \"Ligeti sound\" was relatively early established - this is a shifting ethereal web of \"micropolyphonic\" strands, and its capacity for dramatic effect and evocative suggestion was widely noted when some of Ligeti\'s compositions (Atmosphères, Lux Aeterna, Requiem) were used as part of the soundtrack for Stanley Kubrick\'s film 2001: A Space Odyssey in 1968. Kubrick was to use his work again in The Shining (1980) and Eyes Wide Shut (1999).\n\nRarely in modern music has a sophisticated technical procedure like this one - whose rationale is primarily the solution of problems in post-romantic, atonal harmony - created an almost populist appeal for itself. Yet Ligeti (briefly a populist when a young radical socialist composer in pre-Stalinist Hungary) was never content to stick to this or any successful manner in piece after piece.\n<!--more-->\nWithout losing a jot of his creative distinctiveness, he had encounters with many and divergent styles. Before Atmosphères (for large orchestra, 1961) he had, for example, been known as an electronic-music composer, based in the studios of Cologne Radio (Glissandi for one-track tape was produced in 1957, Artikulation for four-track tape the next year); later he became an exponent of a kind of music-theatre originated by Maurizio Kagel (Aventures and Nouvelles aventures, 1962-65); and, after broadening the scope of his musical language in entirely integral ways in compact masterpieces like the Ten Pieces for wind quintet of 1968 or the Chamber Concerto of 1969-70, he also interestingly brushed with American minimalism (Monument-Selbstportrait-Bewegung for two pianos, 1976 - though works of his own, such as the harpsichord solo Continuum of 1968 had already anticipated this manner) and the complex polymetrics of Conlon Nancarrow and Elliott Carter (Trio for violin, horn and piano, 1982, intended as a homage to Brahms).\n\nHe involved himself with the idiom of grand opera in a two-act work written for Swedish Royal Opera between 1974 and 1977: Le Grand macabre, his magnum opus, and an extraordinary, exhilarating recreation of the Surrealist spirit of Alfred Jarry and \"Pataphysics\".\n\nA composition for female choir and orchestra of 1972-73 is called Clocks and Clouds, and the title neatly expresses the double aspect of Ligeti\'s work considered as a whole: on the one hand, musical machines, ticking and clicking, and seeming to measure time exactly; on the other, devices that create the impression of timeless drifting - clusters or galaxies of sound that alter their shapes imperceptibly, but have intelligible identity.\n\nIndividual works of Ligeti\'s variously incorporate clock or cloud characteristics and sometimes set them in dramatic juxtaposition. It was an index of his incredibly fastidious ear that he was equally at home compositionally with either stratagem - for deliberate imprecision and self-consciously simulated precision equally require the finest judgement of aural possibilities while Ligeti\'s possession of such judgement, his exquisite sense of musical timing whether for dramatic, humorous or purely grammatical purposes, was what in large part made it possible for him to remain himself in all his borrowed guises.\n\nGyörgy Ligeti was born in 1923, a Hungarian Jew, in Transylvania, newly part of Romania. The violinist Leopold Auer was a great-uncle, but Ligeti was intended by his father for a scientific career. The first music he heard was folk-song, he told John Tusa in a BBC interview:\n\nI\'m not aware that I was especially interested in music in childhood. I always imagine music, but I thought every child is doing the same. In the small town [Dicsöszentmárton, now Târnaveni], everybody spoke Hungarian and we were part of Romania, but the population were Hungarian-speaking, mainly. And I heard a lot of Hungarian folk-songs, where peasant ladies who came in the small town to work in the kitchens and, in this kind of housework, they just sang folk tunes. And then I heard a lot of also Romanian folk tunes, there were some Romanian villages nearby. And then in this small town, were a lot of gypsies, so they played gypsy music . . .\n\nHe found his musical voice relatively early, but of course he was well into his thirties before producing work which drew attention in the West. Hitherto he had been constrained by appalling political events in Hungary to pose as a mere arranger of folk-songs if he wanted to remain active as a composer at all. He only avoided the worst excesses of the Nazi period thanks to a bureaucratic providence. Most of his family were sent to Auschwitz (only his mother survived); he was assigned to forced labour. \"Somehow I am still living today, by a mistake, by chance,\" he recalled in an interview for his 80th birthday.\n\nWhen, following the Second World War, he went to Hungary to study composition with Sándor Veress and Ferenc Farkas at the Budapest Music Academy, he was to find, after three years of freedom, that he had only exchanged one tyrannical regime for another. \"Although the Communist dictatorship was different in style to the Nazis,\" said Ligeti, \"it was also terrible. In a dictatorship you don\'t live your life.\" In 1956 he fled Hungary for Austria.\n\nBut Ligeti made up for lost time, when his openness to new influences - from the more daring (and therefore, in the Eastern bloc, proscribed) Bartók to Schoenberg, from Boulez to Stockhausen to Kagen - went with his toughly schooled artistic self-certainty to result in a series of major works.\n\nHis innovations in all the departments of musical technique - counterpoint, harmony, deployment of melodies and metrics - were influential, if dangerous to imitate. His human fortitude was an example - having survived appalling political hazards in his twenties and early thirties, he was doomed to live with chronic illness from his early fifties.\n\nThe great example he sets, though, is purely compositional: he showed that it was possible to use the new resources of 20th-century music in ways that were profoundly original yet comprehensible to anyone with an intelligent ear. His music combines searching intensity with diaphonous and witty texture. Exemplifying what is thought of as quintessentially avant-garde, it is nevertheless irresistible.\n\nPaul Driver\n\nGyörgy Sándor Ligeti, composer: born Dicsöszentmárton, Romania 28 May 1923; Professor for Composition, Hamburg Academy of Music 1973-89; married 1957 Vera Spitz (one son); died Vienna 12 June 2006.\n\nGyörgy Ligeti wrote his way through the styles of 20th-century music with unfailing warmth, musicality and wit, and a personal touch that amounted to sheer genius. The \"Ligeti sound\" was relatively early established - this is a shifting ethereal web of \"micropolyphonic\" strands, and its capacity for dramatic effect and evocative suggestion was widely noted when some of Ligeti\'s compositions (Atmosphères, Lux Aeterna, Requiem) were used as part of the soundtrack for Stanley Kubrick\'s film 2001: A Space Odyssey in 1968. Kubrick was to use his work again in The Shining (1980) and Eyes Wide Shut (1999).\n\nRarely in modern music has a sophisticated technical procedure like this one - whose rationale is primarily the solution of problems in post-romantic, atonal harmony - created an almost populist appeal for itself. Yet Ligeti (briefly a populist when a young radical socialist composer in pre-Stalinist Hungary) was never content to stick to this or any successful manner in piece after piece.\n\nWithout losing a jot of his creative distinctiveness, he had encounters with many and divergent styles. Before Atmosphères (for large orchestra, 1961) he had, for example, been known as an electronic-music composer, based in the studios of Cologne Radio (Glissandi for one-track tape was produced in 1957, Artikulation for four-track tape the next year); later he became an exponent of a kind of music-theatre originated by Maurizio Kagel (Aventures and Nouvelles aventures, 1962-65); and, after broadening the scope of his musical language in entirely integral ways in compact masterpieces like the Ten Pieces for wind quintet of 1968 or the Chamber Concerto of 1969-70, he also interestingly brushed with American minimalism (Monument-Selbstportrait-Bewegung for two pianos, 1976 - though works of his own, such as the harpsichord solo Continuum of 1968 had already anticipated this manner) and the complex polymetrics of Conlon Nancarrow and Elliott Carter (Trio for violin, horn and piano, 1982, intended as a homage to Brahms).\n\nHe involved himself with the idiom of grand opera in a two-act work written for Swedish Royal Opera between 1974 and 1977: Le Grand macabre, his magnum opus, and an extraordinary, exhilarating recreation of the Surrealist spirit of Alfred Jarry and \"Pataphysics\".\n\nA composition for female choir and orchestra of 1972-73 is called Clocks and Clouds, and the title neatly expresses the double aspect of Ligeti\'s work considered as a whole: on the one hand, musical machines, ticking and clicking, and seeming to measure time exactly; on the other, devices that create the impression of timeless drifting - clusters or galaxies of sound that alter their shapes imperceptibly, but have intelligible identity.\n\nIndividual works of Ligeti\'s variously incorporate clock or cloud characteristics and sometimes set them in dramatic juxtaposition. It was an index of his incredibly fastidious ear that he was equally at home compositionally with either stratagem - for deliberate imprecision and self-consciously simulated precision equally require the finest judgement of aural possibilities while Ligeti\'s possession of such judgement, his exquisite sense of musical timing whether for dramatic, humorous or purely grammatical purposes, was what in large part made it possible for him to remain himself in all his borrowed guises.\n\nGyörgy Ligeti was born in 1923, a Hungarian Jew, in Transylvania, newly part of Romania. The violinist Leopold Auer was a great-uncle, but Ligeti was intended by his father for a scientific career. The first music he heard was folk-song, he told John Tusa in a BBC interview:\n\nI\'m not aware that I was especially interested in music in childhood. I always imagine music, but I thought every child is doing the same. In the small town [Dicsöszentmárton, now Târnaveni], everybody spoke Hungarian and we were part of Romania, but the population were Hungarian-speaking, mainly. And I heard a lot of Hungarian folk-songs, where peasant ladies who came in the small town to work in the kitchens and, in this kind of housework, they just sang folk tunes. And then I heard a lot of also Romanian folk tunes, there were some Romanian villages nearby. And then in this small town, were a lot of gypsies, so they played gypsy music . . .\n\nHe found his musical voice relatively early, but of course he was well into his thirties before producing work which drew attention in the West. Hitherto he had been constrained by appalling political events in Hungary to pose as a mere arranger of folk-songs if he wanted to remain active as a composer at all. He only avoided the worst excesses of the Nazi period thanks to a bureaucratic providence. Most of his family were sent to Auschwitz (only his mother survived); he was assigned to forced labour. \"Somehow I am still living today, by a mistake, by chance,\" he recalled in an interview for his 80th birthday.\n\nWhen, following the Second World War, he went to Hungary to study composition with Sándor Veress and Ferenc Farkas at the Budapest Music Academy, he was to find, after three years of freedom, that he had only exchanged one tyrannical regime for another. \"Although the Communist dictatorship was different in style to the Nazis,\" said Ligeti, \"it was also terrible. In a dictatorship you don\'t live your life.\" In 1956 he fled Hungary for Austria.\n\nBut Ligeti made up for lost time, when his openness to new influences - from the more daring (and therefore, in the Eastern bloc, proscribed) Bartók to Schoenberg, from Boulez to Stockhausen to Kagen - went with his toughly schooled artistic self-certainty to result in a series of major works.\n\nHis innovations in all the departments of musical technique - counterpoint, harmony, deployment of melodies and metrics - were influential, if dangerous to imitate. His human fortitude was an example - having survived appalling political hazards in his twenties and early thirties, he was doomed to live with chronic illness from his early fifties.\n\nThe great example he sets, though, is purely compositional: he showed that it was possible to use the new resources of 20th-century music in ways that were profoundly original yet comprehensible to anyone with an intelligent ear. His music combines searching intensity with diaphonous and witty texture. Exemplifying what is thought of as quintessentially avant-garde, it is nevertheless irresistible.\n\nPaul Driver','RIP Gyorgy Ligeti','','publish','open','closed','','rip-gyorgy-ligeti','','','2006-06-13 09:58:20','2006-06-13 09:58:20','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=293',0,'post','',0),(294,2,'2006-06-16 10:57:01','2006-06-16 10:57:01','Electric therapy trial for heroin\n\nA drug addict who was on heroin for five years has claimed he has been cured by a revolutionary treatment.\n\nBarry Philips, 24, from Kilmarnock, said Neuro-Electric Therapy, which sends electric pulses through the brain, had made him drug-free.\n\nHe said the treatment enabled him to come off heroin in only five days.\n\n<a href=\"http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/5084126.stm\">Continues</a>','Electro-therapy in the news!','','publish','open','closed','','electro-therapy-in-the-news','','','2006-06-16 10:57:01','2006-06-16 10:57:01','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=294',0,'post','',0),(295,2,'2006-06-20 09:20:01','2006-06-20 09:20:01','<strong>Research Into Lost Knowledge present</strong>\n<em>A Tour around Saffron Walden, Essex, with Nigel Pennick</em>\n<strong>Sunday 25 June</strong>\n\nItinerary of topics covered\nMorning: The town\'s grid pattern of streets, the timber-framed buildings and symbolic pargetting patterns, The Cross Keys and the legend of the living tree and the famous turf labyrinth - the largest ancient example in England.\n\nLunch\n\nAfternoon: The legend of the Saffron plant that gives its name to the town as expressed in ironwork and pargetting, the Old Sun Inn, the crane dance, Gog and Magog, and the milt, the church tower by the royal master mason John Wastell (Canterbury tower and King\'s College Chapel), Bridge End Gardens, paradise and the hedge maze.\n\nNigel Pennick is a prolific researcher and writer on a multitude of esoteric subjects. He is a past RILKO lecturer and has 40 books to his credit.\n<!--more-->\nMeet 11am\n\nWe meet at the duck pond beside the long-stay car park on the north side of Saffron Walden, which is near the golf course.\n\nFrom the centre of town one travels northwards up the High Street (B 1052) straight across the traffic lights onto Bridge Street, then straight on up the hill (B 184) to a turning on the left (New Pond Lane), which is sign-posted to the Golf Course. The duck pond is situated beside the exit at the far end.\n\n	Coming from the other way, off the M11 junction, one travels on the road towards Saffron Walden, and the car park and Golf Course are signed at the bottom of the hill coming into the town.\n\nThe nearest railway station is Audley End, which is 2 miles away by road.\nThis is on the line between Liverpool Street and Cambridge.\n\nCost £6.00 members  (£8.00 non-members)\n\nPlease send remittances to:\nBrian Hargreaves - The Windings, New England Lane, Playden, Sussex  TN31 7NT\nTO SHOW INTEREST OR FOR LATE BOOKING PLEASE RING:   01797 226723\n\nVia Robert Stephenson','RILKO tour of Saffron Waldon','','publish','open','closed','','rilko-tour-of-saffron-waldon','','','2006-06-20 09:20:01','2006-06-20 09:20:01','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=295',0,'post','',0),(296,2,'2006-06-20 09:23:57','2006-06-20 09:23:57','<img alt=\"MC_SR-Issue5.jpg\" src=\"http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/archives/MC_SR-Issue5.jpg\" width=\"151\" height=\"200\" />\n\nIssue Five of the excellent and free esoteric mag Sub Rosa is now available:\n\nHighlights include: Lynn Picknett and Clive Prince on the Priory of Sion\'s interest in Rennes-le-Chateau; a documentarian\'s look at the crop circle phenomenon; an interview with leading psi researcher Dr Dean Radin, and an excerpt from Daniel Pinchbeck\'s new book 2012: The Return of Quetzalcoatl.\n\nGet it here: <a href=\"http://subrosa.dailygrail.com/\" target=\"new\">Sub Rosa</a>','New Sub Rosa magazine out now','','publish','open','closed','','new-sub-rosa-magazine-out-now','','','2006-06-20 09:23:57','2006-06-20 09:23:57','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=296',0,'post','',0),(297,2,'2006-06-24 11:20:13','2006-06-24 11:20:13','Is it a bird? Is it a spaceship?\nNo, it\'s a secret US spy plane\n<em>The Guardian, Saturday June 24, 2006</em>\n\nIt is the stuff of internet conspiracy theorists\' dreams. A top secret, hypersonic, cold war spy plane that was allegedly flown by the Americans in UK airspace without the government\'s permission.\n\nPublicly, the UK government played down newspaper stories about people who reported seeing UFO-like phenomena. But documents released under the Freedom of Information Act suggest the Ministry of Defence took the rumours much more seriously. Its investigations even threatened to strain the special relationship. \"It does show that they were concerned that this thing did exist and the Americans were flying it around willy-nilly over the UK,\" said David Clarke, a social scientist at Sheffield Hallam University, who obtained the documents. \"It certainly suggests that the British government suspected that they were being kept in the dark.\"\n\nContinues over at <a href=\"http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/story/0,,1804926,00.html\" target=\"new\">The Guardian</a>','Aurora in the news - again!','','publish','open','closed','','aurora-in-the-news-again','','','2006-06-24 11:20:13','2006-06-24 11:20:13','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=297',0,'post','',0),(298,2,'2006-06-25 11:20:58','2006-06-25 11:20:58','<a href=\"http://epod.usra.edu/archive/epodviewer.php3?oid=309856\" target=\"new\"><img alt=\"main_sortsolsum-05042006-hw.jpg\" src=\"http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/archives/main_sortsolsum-05042006-hw.jpg\" width=\"300\" height=\"201\" border=\"0\" /></a>\n\n\"During spring in Denmark, at approximately one half an hour before sunset, flocks of more than a million European starlings (sturnus vulgaris) gather from all corners to join in the incredible formations shown above. This phenomenon is called Black Sun (in Denmark), and can be witnessed in early spring throughout the marshlands of western Denmark, from March through to the middle of April. The starlings migrate from the south and spend the day in the meadows gathering food, sleeping in the reeds during the night. The best place to view this amazing aerial dance is in the place called \"Tøndermarsken,\" where these pictures were taken (on April 5 from 19.30 to 20.30 local time).\"\n\nMore  <a href=\"http://epod.usra.edu/archive/epodviewer.php3?oid=309856\" target=\"new\">here</a>. <em>Via The Athanasius Kircher society <a href=\"http://www.kirchersociety.org/blog/?p=760\">blog</a>\n</em>\nAnd then this:\n\n<em>Plastered Pelican in Detox After Flying Through Windshield: Domoic acid in algae is the likely cause for inebriated seabirds\n<a href=\"http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/california/la-me-pelican24jun24,1,7860067,print.story?coll=la-headlines-pe-california\">LA Times</a>, June 24, 2006</em>\n\nFour pelicans were being detained in an animal drunk tank Friday on suspicion of public intoxication, authorities said.\n\nOne of the birds was in guarded condition after allegedly flying under the influence Thursday and crashing through the windshield of a car on Coast Highway in Laguna Beach.\n\nThe driver was rattled but uninjured.\n<!--more-->\nThe other California brown pelicans were nabbed in backyards or wandering local streets in a daze.\n\nAlthough toxicology tests aren\'t complete (there are no bird breathalyzers), such behavior usually signals domoic acid poisoning from eating algae, said Lisa Birkle, assistant wildlife director at the Wetlands and Wildlife Care Center in Huntington Beach, which is caring for the pelicans.\n\nDomoic acid was also the likely culprit behind a 1961 seabird invasion that inspired Alfred Hitchcock\'s classic horror film \"The Birds.\"\n\nAccording to news reports, thousands of befuddled birds rained down on Northern California towns in August 1961, slamming into buildings and even pecking eight humans.\n\nNobody is predicting a Hitchcockian invasion here, but Birkle urged Southern California residents to be on the lookout for pelicans acting disoriented or turning up in unusual locations.\n\nIn the last week, the wildlife center fielded 16 calls of suspicious bird behavior. And more incidents are likely because ocean waters south of Los Angeles Harbor have tested positive for the poisonous algae, Birkle said.\n\nThe pelican that collided with the car is recovering from surgery for a broken foot and a 4-inch gash in its pouch.\n\n\"She\'s hanging in there,\" Birkle said. On Friday, the heavily sedated bird began eating on her own, a good sign for full recovery.\n\nBlood tests for domoic acid will take about three weeks, but Birkle said she\'s never heard of a sober pelican crashing into a car.\n\nThe birds have phenomenal eyesight, she explained, noting that from high above the ocean, they are able to spot fish.\n\nAfter the pelicans being held in Huntington Beach have sobered up, they will be released on their own recognizance.','Birds in the news!','','publish','open','closed','','birds-in-the-news','','','2006-06-25 11:20:58','2006-06-25 11:20:58','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=298',0,'post','',0),(299,2,'2006-06-26 13:17:42','2006-06-26 13:17:42','<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/strangeattractor/sets/72157594177935930/\" target=\"new\"><img alt=\"175380775_3bac33cfa3.jpg\" src=\"http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/archives/175380775_3bac33cfa3.jpg\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" border=\"0\" /></a>\n\nIn accordance with ancient 1970s pagan tradition, we built a wicker man and torched it, to mark the lengthening of the summer nights.\n\nTake a look at our <a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/strangeattractor/sets/72157594177935930/\" target=\"new\">flickr set</a>\n\n<em>Please note: wicker men can be dangerous – keep away from naked dancers; American remakes of idiosyncratic English horror films are ill-advised and may be hazardous to your career.</em>','Summer is a&#039;comen in...','','publish','open','closed','','summer-is-acomen-in','','','2006-06-26 13:17:42','2006-06-26 13:17:42','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=299',0,'post','',0),(300,2,'2006-06-26 13:44:48','2006-06-26 13:44:48','Disinformation vs. Strange Attractor perform \"Circuit Blasting\" at The Glue Rooms (3rd Birthday Party).\n\nThis promises to be quite a party: the full line-up includes Bela Emerson, Led Bib, Complete Idiot, Sudden Infant, Temperatures, Uniform, DJs Tendraw & The Gypsies Dog, DJ Body Damage & Possibly Sick, Bruce Gilbert.\n\nAt The Amersham Arms, 388 New Cross Road, London, Wed 28 June 2006, 7 to 11pm (bar till 12), £3, nearest BR and tube New Cross.\n<em>\nSAVD will also be performing at an Adaadat all nighter in early July - details to follow.</em>','Circuit Blasting Wednesday','','publish','open','closed','','circuit-blasting-wednesday','','','2006-06-26 13:44:48','2006-06-26 13:44:48','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=300',0,'post','',0),(301,2,'2006-06-28 08:56:02','2006-06-28 08:56:02','As part of the <a href=\"http://www.hayward.org.uk/undercover/text.html\" target=\"new\">Undercover Surrealism</a> Exhibition\n2-D Exegesis: magazine publishing and the legacy of Georges Bataille’s Documents\nFriday 30 June, 6.30pm, Upstairs at the Hayward\nFree with exhibition ticket for the day\nBooking essential: 0870 169 1000\n\nMark Pilkington, writer, editor and publisher of off-beat journal Strange Attractor, cultural anthropologist Adam Scrivener of Inventory Journal, and writer and curator Lisa Le Feuvre talk to broadcaster Ken Hollings to discuss how magazines can define the collective consciousness.','Strange Attractor at the Hayward Gallery','','publish','open','closed','','strange-attractor-at-the-hayward-gallery','','','2006-06-28 08:56:02','2006-06-28 08:56:02','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=301',0,'post','',0),(302,2,'2006-06-30 09:36:18','2006-06-30 09:36:18','A Scientology Information Film...\n\n<a href=\"http://www.archive.org/details/BrianTiptonScientologyOrientation\" tartget=\"new\">Wow!</a> And is that Chick Corea?....(60MB .mov file)\n\n\nThanks Rachel Carthy!','Orientation','','publish','open','closed','','orientation','','','2006-06-30 09:36:18','2006-06-30 09:36:18','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=302',0,'post','',0),(303,2,'2006-07-04 09:53:11','2006-07-04 09:53:11','Saturday 8th July 2006, 3pm\n\nTHE LONDON ADVENTURE Walk No. 22 -  CHARLES FORT\'S PROCESSION OF THE DAMNED\n\nPresented by John Rimmer\n\nAt the British Museum (nearest Underground stations Holborn and Tottenham Court Road), just inside the forecourt facing the Museum Tavern, meet the tall man in black with the volume of forbidden lore and join him on a tour of Fortean Bloomsbury.\n\nCharles Fort (1874-1932) collected hidden stories of strange happenings: unexplained disappearances, odd objects falling from the sky, rains of frogs and floods of periwinkles, cities in the sky and moving islands. He wove a philosophy of doubt around these events, gathered not from sensational tabloids but from scientific journals and technical papers. For a while he lived in London and scoured the hidden corners of the British Museum Library for his data, in between an obsession with the cinema and playing draughts on a board with a thousand squares.\n\nThe walk will last approximately 1½ hours, concluding at a local public house.\n<!--more-->\nRecommended reading\nThe Complete Books of Charles Fort (Dover Publications, 1974, contain ing the following books, which have all been published separately: Book of the Damned, Wild Talents, New Lands and Lo!)\nDamon Knight, Charles Fort: Prophet of the Unexplained (1970)\nColin Bennett, Politics and the Imagination: The Life, Works and Ideas of Charles Fort (2002)\n\nJohn Rimmer is editor of Magonia magazine (website: www.magonia.demon.co.uk), which examines strange beliefs and the people who believe in them. A former librar ian, his interest in strange phenomena began when he became intrigued by the UFO phenomenon, and rapidly discovered that the UFO believers were far more interesting than the UFOs themselves. He is the author of The Evidence for Alien Abductions (1984), which was big in Japan.','Saturday 8 July : A Procession of the Damned','','publish','open','closed','','saturday-8-july-a-procession-of-the-damned','','','2006-07-04 09:53:11','2006-07-04 09:53:11','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=303',0,'post','',0),(304,2,'2006-07-05 11:00:46','2006-07-05 11:00:46','<a href=\"http://www.adaadat.com\" target=\"new>\"<img alt=\"sasslondon.gif\" src=\"http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/archives/sasslondon.gif\" border=\"0 width=\"238\" height=\"335\"></a>','Circuit Blasting Saturday','','publish','open','closed','','circuit-blasting-saturday','','','2006-07-05 11:00:46','2006-07-05 11:00:46','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=304',0,'post','',0),(305,2,'2006-07-10 10:17:13','2006-07-10 10:17:13','Late notice but tonight (10th July) at the <a href=\"http://www.selfs.org.uk/\" tarhet=\"new\">South East London Folklore Society</a>...\n\n\"Geraldine Beskin – The Life of Austin Osman Spare\nThe proprietress of Atlantis Bookshop casts her powerful research skills on to the life and magic of south-east London\'s own artist and occultist Austin Osman Spare.\"\n\nSELFS meets every second Monday of the month upstairs at The Spanish Galleon,\n48 Greenwich Church Street, SE10 9BL. Talks start at 8.00pm and costs £2.50 / £1.50 concessions.  A <a href=\"http://www.streetmap.co.uk/streetmap.dll?G2M?X=538256&Y=177729&A=Y&Z=1\" target=\"new\">map </a>is here.','Austin Spare talk tonight','','publish','open','closed','','austin-spare-talk-tonight','','','2006-07-10 10:17:13','2006-07-10 10:17:13','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=305',0,'post','',0),(306,2,'2006-07-10 11:24:37','2006-07-10 11:24:37','From fishing rods to death rays: the man who invented the 20th Century\n<em>\nAn eccentric Balkan scientist whose inventions changed the world is finally being recognised in his homeland. Vesna Peric Zimonjic in Belgrade tells the extraordinary story of Nikola Tesla</em>\n<a href=\"http://www.independent.co.uk\">The Independent</a> 10 July 2006\n\nBrow furrowed in deep concentration and eyes fixed on the crystal-clear waters in front of him, a small boy with dishevelled tufts of hair crouched on the river bank and waited to catch a frog. He wasn\'t exactly an expert, being less than 10 and having never seen a fishing rod before; but somehow Nikola Tesla knew he would succeed. With little knowledge but an instinctive sense of what was needed, he had set about fashioning one of his own, using little more than a hammer, two stones, wire and a strong piece of string.\n\nStretching his arm as far as he could without tumbling into the brook, thrusting his strange, makeshift contraption out into the distance, he watched and waited for a tug on the line. And, sure enough, one came within minutes. A fat, comfortable-looking frog on a tree stump succumbed to his homemade prowess, and the young fisherman marched home proudly to his parents, quarry in hand.\n\nIt may have been nothing more than a ramshackle fishing rod, and the childhood achievement may have been forgotten almost as quickly as it was fulfilled, but in one respect it was crucial. For the solitary boy who worked so hard on his first creation by the banks of the river was so inspired by his ability to dream up and create things that he carried on studying and inventing for the rest of his life - and ended up becoming one of the world\'s greatest scientists and inventors.\n\nBorn of Serbian parents in the Croatian hamlet of Smiljan in the 1850s, Nikola Tesla was the shy, eccentric scientist whose electronic inventions are reflected ubiquitously in the modern world. His legacy to the western world is all around us, from neon lighting to X-rays to the radio, and, though towards the end of his life his achievements went largely unnoticed, posthumously they have been hailed as some of the most important break-throughs in scientific understanding. Tesla was, his admirers insist, the man who contributed more than anyone else to the high-speed, hi-tech world in which we live. He was, put simply, the man who invented the 20th century.\n<!--more-->\nNow, more than 60 years after he died an impoverished loner and a virtual unknown in his adopted country, the United States, one of the most famous children of the Balkans is gaining the recognition he deserves. Today, Serbia and Croatia begin celebrations to mark the 150th anniversary of his birth with the Croatian President Stipe Mesic and Serbian President Boris Tadic in attendance.\n\nNot only are the ceremonies heralded as a fitting way to remember a great and long underappreciated countryman; they are also being greeted as the first occasion for both nations to draw a line under their bloodstained shared history and to rejoice in their common heritage.\n\n\"I am proud of my Croatian homeland and my Serb origin\", Tesla wrote in his book My Inventions in 1919. Now, finally, it seems, his feelings will be reflected in the way in which he is remembered.\n\nIt was from the small and remote village of Smiljan that Tesla, son of an Orthodox priest, started down the road of invention, creation and discovery. It was also there, on the banks of the river, that he first realised his remarkable gift - and made his first fishing rod. \"Whenever someone told me a word, I had a vision of it, a vivid picture of an object the word stood for,\" he wrote later. \"I did not feel easy about it, but later found out that I should follow my visions and turn them into something real.\"\n\nThese were only the first hints, experts say, of the unusual gift of a boy who would go on to register more than 700 inventions and 100 patents. Tesla was the master of visualising his ideas first and only later on turning them into models and practice. Recalling his first invention, he wrote in his autobiography that, although he had never seen a fish hook, he \"pictured it as something wonderful, endowed with peculiar qualities\".\n\nThe long list of Tesla\'s research includes work that enabled Wilhelm Roentgen to discover X-rays in 1895. It also led to the invention of neon light and the modern-day radio, and eventually provided the electronic basis needed for mobile phones, radar and, some say, the internet. His most remarkable discovery was the development of alternating current (AC); Tesla showed that AC produced bigger amounts of electricity and transmitted it over greater distances, thus superseding direct current.\n\nHis groundbreaking work means that nowadays he is often referred to as a genius and a visionary by fellow scientists. But during his lifetime his research, too tantalising for others to ignore, was often pounced upon by fellow electronics engineers to forward their own inventions. The radio is a prime example. Officially invented by Guglielmo Marconi at the turn of the 20th century, the US Supreme Court ruled in 1943 - the year of Tesla\'s death - that it had been the work of the Croatian-born scientist, and that he should be credited with its invention.\n\nSuch posterity would have been unimaginable for Tesla\'s humble parents, who wanted him to be a priest and never once imagined he would make a living out of something as abstract as science. Despite their warnings, the young Tesla left Croatia for Graz in 1877 to study engineering; he moved to Prague afterwards, and then Budapest, where he worked briefly as an engineer for a telephone company. He soon found out the job was limiting and non-creative. As usual, his friends said, his head was buzzing with ideas and a constant craving for creativity, which, to his frustration, he was unable to share with others.\n\nThe US, with its relatively progressive scientific culture, seemed the right place to go, and Tesla went to New York in 1884. Five years later he became a US citizen and began working with the inventor Thomas Edison and, later, the American industrialist George Westinghouse. The latter bought and successfully developed Tesla\'s patents, the most prominent being the introduction of alternating current for power transmission.\n\nWhile in the US, Tesla became known by many as the quintessential \"mad scientist.\" He had few close friends, among them the writers Robert Underwood Johnson, Mark Twain and Francis Marion Crawford, and worked alone in his Colorado laboratory for hours on end, often through the night and with little or no sleep. Most people were driven away from the eccentric genius by his obsessive streak and intense, often disturbing, outbursts. Although tall and strikingly handsome, he never married; some claimed he was afraid of women, others that his inventions were his loves and that he could never have given himself so devotedly to a wife as he did to his ideas. \"There is no bigger joy or pleasure of soul than the one when an inventor sees the creation of his brain turn to life,\" he wrote.\n\nOr maybe it was just that he was repulsed by modern women, reacting with horror at their pearls and, in particular, earrings. An ascetic man, afraid of germs and handshakes, he had a special hatred of peaches, whose skin caused him to recoil in disgust. Instead of appreciating his genius, many who met him dismissed him as a madman whose eccentricities betrayed a deeply troubled mind.\n\nThe Serb psychiatrist Zarko Trebjesanin believes that despite his seeming modesty, Tesla had a narcissistic streak which revelled in publicity. \"He tended to present his discoveries in a shocking and sensational manner that fascinated the public,\" Trebjesanin says. \"He loved to be photographed like a great magician, in his lab, illuminated by artificially induced lightning.\"\n\nTesla was described as \"a godsend to reporters who sought sensational copy\", but a problem to editors who were uncertain how seriously his prophecies should be regarded.\n\nAs he grew older, Tesla\'s ideas became more and more outlandish. Caustic criticism, perhaps understandably, greeted his theories of interplanetary communication; even more so his belief in the invention of so-called \"death rays\" which could destroy airplanes at the flick of a switch.\n\nTesla died aged 87 in a New York hotel, a lonely man who had none of the riches normally heaped on scientists of his calibre. He spent the mornings of his later years feeding pigeons in his local park, an anonymous face among many others in a country which had come to deride his work and dismiss him, ironically for a man so crucial to the creation of the modern world, as a relic of the past.\n\nNow, however, the world has been forced to reappraise the man and his work. Unesco has declared 2006 the \"year of Nikola Tesla\" and his homeland, peaceful after so many years of war, is determined to give proper thanks to its greatest son.\n\nHundreds of performances, ceremonies and workshops dedicated to Tesla will be held in Serbia, while the Croatian parliament made an official apology last month for having failed to recognise his talent earlier. Hundreds of people are now flocking to the Belgrade museum devoted to his life\'s work, and the international scientific community has at last paid tribute to this unconventional man who always said he was working \"for the benefit of mankind as a whole\".\n\nPerhaps the ultimate accolade came with the naming of a crater on the Moon after Tesla, as well as a small planet far away in the solar system. You can\'t help thinking that the little boy working so hard to make his first rod out of stones and string would have been rather proud.','Tesla in the news!','','publish','open','closed','','tesla-in-the-news','','','2006-07-10 11:24:37','2006-07-10 11:24:37','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=306',0,'post','',0),(307,2,'2006-07-10 12:19:28','2006-07-10 12:19:28','The ever wonderful ARTHUR, issue NO. 23 (JULY 06) is available as a <a href=\"http://www.arthurmag.com/news/\" target=\"new\">PDF</a>.\n\nGo get it!','New Arthur available for download','','publish','open','closed','','new-arthur-available-for-download','','','2006-07-10 12:19:28','2006-07-10 12:19:28','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=307',0,'post','',0),(308,2,'2006-07-11 16:57:58','2006-07-11 16:57:58','<em>Magic mushrooms can induce mystical effects, study finds</em>\nBy Jeremy Laurance, Health Editor\n<a href=\"http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/health_medical/article1171389.ece\" target=\"new\">The Independent</a>: 11 July 2006\n\nA universal mystical experience with life-changing effects can be produced by the hallucinogen contained in magic mushrooms, scientists claim today.\n\nForty years after Timothy Leary, the apostle of drug-induced mysticism, urged his hippie followers to \"tune in, turn on, and drop out\", researchers at Johns Hopkins University, in Baltimore, Maryland, have for the first time demonstrated that mystical experiences can be produced safely in the laboratory. They say that there is no difference between drug-induced mystical experiences and the spontaneous religious ones that believers have reported for centuries. They are \"descriptively identical\".\n\nAnd they argue that the potential of the hallucinogenic drugs, ignored for decades because of their links with illicit drug use in the 1960s, must be explored to develop new treatments for depression, drug addiction and the treatment of intolerable pain.\n\nAnticipating criticism from church leaders, they say they are not interested in the \"Does God exist?\" debate. \"This work can\'t and won\'t go there.\"\n<!--more-->\nInterest in the therapeutic use of psychedelic drugs is growing around the world. In the UK, the Royal College of Psychiatrists debated their use at a conference in March for the first time in 30 years. A conference held in Basel, Switzerland, last January reviewed the growing psychedelic psychiatry movement.\n\nThe drug psilocybin is the active ingredient of magic mushrooms which grow wild in Wales and were openly sold in London markets until a change in the law last year.\n\nFor the US study, 30 middle-aged volunteers who had religious or spiritual interests attended two eight-hour drug sessions, two months apart, receiving psilocybin in one session and a non-hallucinogenic stimulant, Ritalin, in the other. They were not told which drug was which.\n\nOne third described the experience with psilocybin as the single most spiritually significant of their lifetimes and two thirds rated it among their five most meaningful experiences.\n\nIn more than 60 per cent of cases the experience qualified as a \"full mystical experience\" based on established psychological scales, the researchers say. Some likened it to the importance of the birth of their first child or the death of a parent.\n\nThe effects persisted for at least two months. Eighty per cent of the volunteers reported moderately or greatly increased well-being or life satisfaction. Relatives, friends and colleagues confirmed the changes.\n\nThe study is one of the first in the new discipline of \"neurotheology\" - the neurology of religious experience. The researchers, who report their findings in the online journal Psychopharmacology, say that their aim is to explore the possible benefits drugs like psilocybin can bring. Professor Roland Griffiths of the department of neuroscience and psychiatry at Johns Hopkins, said: \"As a reaction to the excesses of the 1960s, human research with hallucinogens has been basically frozen in time.\n\n\"I had a healthy scepticism going into this. [But] under defined conditions, with careful preparation, you can safely and fairly reliably occasion what\'s called a primary mystical experience that may lead to positive changes in a person. It is an early step in what we hope will be a large body of scientific work that will ultimately help people.\"\n\nA third of the volunteers became frightened during the drug sessions with some reporting feelings of paranoia. The researchers say psilocybin is not toxic or addictive, unlike alcohol and cocaine, but that volunteers must be accompanied throughout the experience by people who can help them through it.\n\nA universal mystical experience with life-changing effects can be produced by the hallucinogen contained in magic mushrooms, scientists claim today.\n\nForty years after Timothy Leary, the apostle of drug-induced mysticism, urged his hippie followers to \"tune in, turn on, and drop out\", researchers at Johns Hopkins University, in Baltimore, Maryland, have for the first time demonstrated that mystical experiences can be produced safely in the laboratory. They say that there is no difference between drug-induced mystical experiences and the spontaneous religious ones that believers have reported for centuries. They are \"descriptively identical\".\n\nAnd they argue that the potential of the hallucinogenic drugs, ignored for decades because of their links with illicit drug use in the 1960s, must be explored to develop new treatments for depression, drug addiction and the treatment of intolerable pain.\n\nAnticipating criticism from church leaders, they say they are not interested in the \"Does God exist?\" debate. \"This work can\'t and won\'t go there.\"\n\nInterest in the therapeutic use of psychedelic drugs is growing around the world. In the UK, the Royal College of Psychiatrists debated their use at a conference in March for the first time in 30 years. A conference held in Basel, Switzerland, last January reviewed the growing psychedelic psychiatry movement.\n\nThe drug psilocybin is the active ingredient of magic mushrooms which grow wild in Wales and were openly sold in London markets until a change in the law last year.\n\nFor the US study, 30 middle-aged volunteers who had religious or spiritual interests attended two eight-hour drug sessions, two months apart, receiving psilocybin in one session and a non-hallucinogenic stimulant, Ritalin, in the other. They were not told which drug was which.\n\nOne third described the experience with psilocybin as the single most spiritually significant of their lifetimes and two thirds rated it among their five most meaningful experiences.\n\nIn more than 60 per cent of cases the experience qualified as a \"full mystical experience\" based on established psychological scales, the researchers say. Some likened it to the importance of the birth of their first child or the death of a parent.\n\nThe effects persisted for at least two months. Eighty per cent of the volunteers reported moderately or greatly increased well-being or life satisfaction. Relatives, friends and colleagues confirmed the changes.\n\nThe study is one of the first in the new discipline of \"neurotheology\" - the neurology of religious experience. The researchers, who report their findings in the online journal Psychopharmacology, say that their aim is to explore the possible benefits drugs like psilocybin can bring. Professor Roland Griffiths of the department of neuroscience and psychiatry at Johns Hopkins, said: \"As a reaction to the excesses of the 1960s, human research with hallucinogens has been basically frozen in time.\n\n\"I had a healthy scepticism going into this. [But] under defined conditions, with careful preparation, you can safely and fairly reliably occasion what\'s called a primary mystical experience that may lead to positive changes in a person. It is an early step in what we hope will be a large body of scientific work that will ultimately help people.\"\n\nA third of the volunteers became frightened during the drug sessions with some reporting feelings of paranoia. The researchers say psilocybin is not toxic or addictive, unlike alcohol and cocaine, but that volunteers must be accompanied throughout the experience by people who can help them through it.','What Science Can Tell Us: Part 2012','','publish','open','closed','','what-science-can-tell-us-part-2012','','','2006-07-11 16:57:58','2006-07-11 16:57:58','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=308',0,'post','',0),(309,2,'2006-07-12 15:02:27','2006-07-12 15:02:27','From the <a href=\"http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/5169448.stm\" target=\"new\">BBC</a>\n\nPeople can live long, happy lives without consuming large amounts of the Earth\'s resources, a survey suggests.\n\nThe 178-nation \"Happy Planet Index\" lists the south Pacific island of Vanuatu as the happiest nation on the planet, while the UK is ranked 108th.\n\nThe index is based on consumption levels, life expectancy and happiness, rather than national economic wealth measurements such as GDP.\n\nThe study was compiled by think-tank the New Economics Foundation (Nef).\n\nSize doesn\'t matter\n\nOne of the authors, Nef\'s Nic Marks, said the aim of the index was to show that well-being did not have to be linked to high levels of consumption.\n\n\"It is clear that no single nation listed in the index has got everything right, but it does reveal patterns that show how we might better achieve long and happy lives for all while living within our environmental means,\" Mr Marks said.\n\nThe small island state of Vanuatu is situated in the middle of the South Pacific Ocean, and has a population of 209,000. Its economy is built around small-scale agriculture and tourism.\n\nThanks Mike Jay – as he says, must be all that Kava Kava!\n\n<em>And of course you can read more about Vanuatu, Kava Kava and the local cargo cults in Mike\'s article in Strange Attractor <a href=\"http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/saj1contents.html\">Journal One</a>!\n</em>','Vanuatu: The happiest place on Earth','','publish','open','closed','','vanuatu-the-happiest-place-on-earth','','','2006-07-12 15:02:27','2006-07-12 15:02:27','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=309',0,'post','',0),(310,2,'2006-07-13 00:59:42','2006-07-13 00:59:42','<img alt=\"bbcrw.jpg\" src=\"http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/archives/bbcrw.jpg\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" />\n\nAn amazing <a href=\"http://myweb.tiscali.co.uk/whitefiles5/rwsg/\" target=\"new\">selection of images</a> showing Daphne, Delia and colleagues at work amongst the wonders at the BBC Radiophonic Workshop. Assembled by Ray White.\n\nVia <a href=\"http://musicthing.blogspot.com/2006/07/wonderful-archive-of-bbc-radiophonic.html\" target=\"new\">Music Thing</a>','BBC Radiophonic Workshop photos!','','publish','open','closed','','bbc-radiophonic-workshop-photos','','','2006-07-13 00:59:42','2006-07-13 00:59:42','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=310',0,'post','',0),(311,2,'2006-07-14 13:37:47','2006-07-14 13:37:47','<a href=\"http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/archives/courtyard.jpg\" target=\"new\"<img alt=\"courtyard.jpg\" src=\"http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/archives/courtyard.jpg\" width=\"300\" height=\"424\" border=\"0\"/></a>\n<a href=\"http://www.raagnagrok.co.uk\" target=\"new\">\nRaagnagrok</a> will be playing along with the amazing <a href=\"http://www.4thharmonic.com/artists.htm\" target=\"new\">Temperatures</a>, <a href=\"http://www.ultimatezon.co.uk/\" target=\"new\">Sculpture</a> and others at a benefit for the Courtyard Theatre in King\'s Cross this Monday. RGK will trying out some new sounds, thanks in part to our new baby, a 1974 Minikorg 700s synthesizer!\n\n– MONDAY 17th JULY 2006 - 7pm > 12.05am (late bar)\nCOURTYARD THEATRE, 10 YORK WAY, N1 (kings cross) London\n£5-£4 conc.','Raagnagrok &amp; friends Monday 17 July','','publish','open','closed','','raagnagrok-friends-monday-17-july','','','2006-07-14 13:37:47','2006-07-14 13:37:47','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=311',0,'post','',0),(312,2,'2006-07-19 12:19:59','2006-07-19 12:19:59','Come join us for our tenth birthday spectacular with Circle of Finland, Salvatore of Norway and Miasma of Hades.\n\nPlus psyched-out films and cosmic-outreach sounds in Mink Pelican\'s Kosmic Korridor;\nvery special guests and\n... YOU!\n\nAt <a href=\"http://www.corsicastudios.com\" target=\"new\">The Corsica Studios</a>, Unit 5 Farrell Rd, Elephant St, London SE17 ILB\n\nFull details at <a href=\"http://www.kosmische.org\" target=\"new\">Kosmische.org</a>.\n\nLook for us in this week\'s Time Out London.','Kosmische 10th birthday - this Friday','','publish','open','closed','','kosmische-10th-birthday-this-friday','','','2006-07-19 12:19:59','2006-07-19 12:19:59','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=312',0,'post','',0),(313,2,'2006-07-29 09:56:16','2006-07-29 09:56:16','Strange Attractor will have a table at this year\'s Publish and Be Damned independent publishing fayre. We\'ll be selling <em>SAJ One</em> and <em>Two</em>, and should hopefully be able to give people a glimpse of <em>SAJ Three</em> and <em>The Field Guide: The Art, History and Philosophy of Crop Circle Making</em>.\n\n\"This years Publish and Be Damned will take place from 2 - 7pm on the 30th July at Rochelle School on Arnold Circus, Shoreditch, London E2 7ES.\n\nCanteen will be open from 2 till 7pm. They do not take cards, it\'s cash or cheque only. Anyone wanting to book should ring the Canteen telephone number 020 7729 5677.\"\n\n<a href=\"http://www.publishandbedamned.org/\">http://www.publishandbedamned.org/</a>','Strange Attractor at Publish and Be Damned','','publish','open','closed','','strange-attractor-at-publish-and-be-damned','','','2006-07-29 09:56:16','2006-07-29 09:56:16','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=313',0,'post','',0),(314,2,'2006-08-02 09:04:38','2006-08-02 09:04:38','<img alt=\"songbirdaug.jpg\" src=\"http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/archives/songbirdaug.jpg\" width=\"300\" height=\"407\" border=\"0\"/>\n\nPilk Markington joins Gistard Ruech and Kali Z in the Entropy Circus this Friday for a session of shiny psychedelic funk at Songbird, taking place at the Bomonti Club on London\'s elegant Kingsland Rd.\n\nRussian Club Bomonti - 340 Kingsland High Rd, London E8.\n8.30pm-2am (late bar until 2am)\n£6-£4 concs.\n\n<img alt=\"sat_gig.jpg\" src=\"http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/archives/sat_gig.jpg\" width=\"300\" height=\"432\" border=\"0\"/>\n\nThe following night, Saturday 5 August, Mark Pilkington will be DJing at a night of wild sounds courtesy of the astounding Temperatures, the ennervating Shimmy Rivers and and Canal, and Paper Leg of Brooklyn, NY. Expect tempered noise, excitable racket, cosmic rhythms and deep space disco.\n\nTop floor, Stamford Works, Gillett Street, Dalston, London, N16\nfrom 8pm til late. FREE entry.','Weekend sounds','','publish','open','closed','','weekend-sounds','','','2006-08-02 09:04:38','2006-08-02 09:04:38','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=314',0,'post','',0),(315,2,'2006-08-02 09:25:59','2006-08-02 09:25:59','<img alt=\"Pee-wee-Chairy.jpg\" src=\"http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/archives/Pee-wee-Chairy.jpg\" width=\"300\" height=\"244\" />\n\n\"There was a time when most people didn\'t realize that I wasn\'t Pee-wee Herman... I sort of let Pee-wee do things that I hadn\'t originally thought of. I can\'t really explain that, but the boundaries of what Pee-wee could be and what he could do just sort of expanded.\"\n\nA lengthy interview with <a href=\"http://www.avclub.com/content/node/50982\" target=\"new\">Paul Reubens</a>, aka Pee Wee Herman.\n\n\nThanks Anthony Matt!','Paul Reubens interview','','publish','open','closed','','paul-reubens-interview','','','2006-08-02 09:25:59','2006-08-02 09:25:59','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=315',0,'post','',0),(316,2,'2006-08-06 12:03:15','2006-08-06 12:03:15','<strong>Mad Ludwig\'s flying car was a smart idea</strong>\n\n<em>Michael Leidig, Sunday August 6, 2006, The Observer</em>\n\nIt\'s been a long wait, but finally King Ludwig II of Bavaria can rest easy in his grave: 120 years after his death, German scientists have shown him to be one of the unsung pioneers of flight.\n\nLudwig, whose fantastical castle at Neuschwanstein aptly featured in the film Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, drew up plans for a flying car more than two decades before the Wright brothers took to the air, but when he tried to build it he was declared insane and stripped of his crown.\n\nBut now German aeronautical experts who have studied Ludwig\'s designs say they would have worked. Sketches recovered from letters between the ruler and Austrian engineer Gustav Koch show the monarch had planned to create a fleet of flying machines that would take him across his beloved Alpine lakes to his many castles, including the fairytale Neuschwanstein. The craft he designed looked like flying cable cars powered by steam engines. They were decorated like peacocks.\n\n<a href=\"http://observer.guardian.co.uk/world/story/0,,1838177,00.html\">Continues</a>','Ludwig: The Flying King','','publish','open','closed','','ludwig-the-flying-king','','','2006-08-06 12:03:15','2006-08-06 12:03:15','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=316',0,'post','',0),(317,2,'2006-08-06 19:56:46','2006-08-06 19:56:46','Jon Ronson meets the chosen ones...\n\nFrom <a href=\"http://www.guardian.co.uk/family/story/0,,1837295,00.html\" target=\"new\">the Guardian</a>\n\nEight-year-old Oliver Banks thinks he sees dead people. Recently he thought he saw a little girl with black hair climb over their garden fence in Harrow, Middlesex. Then, as he watched, she vanished. When Oliver was three he was at a friend\'s house, on top of the climbing frame, when he suddenly started yelling \"Train!\" He was pointing over the fence to the adjacent field. It turned out that, generations earlier, a railway line had passed through the field, exactly where he was pointing.\n\nOliver\'s mother, Simone, was at her wits\' end. Last summer, at a party, she told her work colleagues about Oliver\'s symptoms. He wasn\'t concentrating at school. He couldn\'t sit still. Plus, he\'d had a brain scan and they\'d found all this unusual electrical activity. And then there were the visions of people who weren\'t there. Maybe he had attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)?\n\nAt that moment, a woman standing nearby interrupted. She introduced herself as Dr Munchie (her real name is Manjir Samanta-Laughton). She said she couldn\'t help but eavesdrop on Simone\'s conversation. She was, she said, a qualified GP.\n\n\"Well, then,\" Simone replied, \"do you think Oliver has ADHD?\"\n\nDr Munchie said no. She said it sounded very much like Oliver was in fact a highly evolved Indigo child - a divine being with enormously heightened spiritual wisdom and psychic powers. Oliver couldn\'t concentrate, she explained, because he was being distracted by genuine psychic experiences. She said Indigo children were springing up all over the world, all at once, unconnected to one another. There were tens of thousands of them, in every country. And their parents weren\'t all new age hippies. They were perfectly ordinary families who were realising how super-evolved and psychic their children were. This was a global phenomenon. Soon the Indigo children would rise up and heal the planet.\n\n<a href=\"http://www.guardian.co.uk/family/story/0,,1837295,00.html\" target=\"new\">continues...</a>','Indigo Kids','','publish','open','closed','','indigo-kids','','','2006-08-06 19:56:46','2006-08-06 19:56:46','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=317',0,'post','',0),(318,2,'2006-08-15 12:12:52','2006-08-15 12:12:52','<a href=\"http://www.greenpeace.org/international/news/mexican-crop-circle-100806\" target=\"new\"><img alt=\"mexico-crop-circle1.jpg\" src=\"http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/archives/mexico-crop-circle1.jpg\" width=\"180\" height=\"120\" border=\"0\" /></a>\n\nGreenpeace asked <a href=\"http://www.circlemakers.org\" target=\"new\">Circlemakers</a> to help them illustrate the perils of GM contamination of maize, the ur-crop of Mexico. We created this 200ft across question mark in eight-foot-high maize under blazing hot conditions in the beautiful state of Oaxaca.\n\nFull story and pics over at <a href=\"http://www.greenpeace.org/international/news/mexican-crop-circle-100806\" target=\"new\">Greenpeace</a>\n\nMeanwhile, our book <a href=\"http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/fieldguide/\" target=\"new\">The Field Guide: The Art, History & Philosophy of Crop Circle Making</a> will be available from Strange Attractor Shoppe and all good booksellers from the end of August, priced £8.99.','Circlemakers in Mexico','','publish','open','closed','','circlemakers-in-mexico','','','2006-08-15 12:12:52','2006-08-15 12:12:52','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=318',0,'post','',0),(319,2,'2006-08-15 17:59:00','2006-08-15 17:59:00','<em>After 40 years\' burrowing, Mole Man of Hackney is ordered to stop\n</em>\nPaul Lewis, Tuesday August 8, 2006, The Guardian\n\nFrom the outside, the house that stands at 121 Mortimer Road in Hackney, east London, looks no different to the thousands of other decrepit old buildings scattered across the country. The roof has caved in. Three of the windows are boarded up and cracked paint peels from the wrinkled walls.\n\nBut this is no ordinary house. Since the early 1960s, the man who owns and lives inside the £1m Victorian property has been digging. No one knows how far the the network of burrows underneath 75-year-old William Lyttle\'s house stretch. But according to the council, which used ultrasound scanners to ascertain the extent of the problem, almost half a century of nibbling dirt with a shovel and homemade pulley has hollowed out a web of tunnels and caverns, some 8m (26ft) deep, spreading up to 20m in every direction from his house.\n\n<a href=\"http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,,1839404,00.html\" target=\"new\">Story continues</a>\n\nThanks to Anthony Clayton and John Reppion!','Mole Man surfaces','','publish','open','closed','','mole-man-surfaces','','','2006-08-15 17:59:00','2006-08-15 17:59:00','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=319',0,'post','',0),(320,2,'2006-08-16 18:27:17','2006-08-16 18:27:17','<img alt=\"front2.jpg\" src=\"http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/archives/front2.jpg\" width=\"300\" height=\"298\" />\n\n<strong>Available 30 August 2006 from Strange Attractor Press </strong>\n\n<em>The Field Guide:\nThe Art, History & Philosophy of Crop Circle Making</em>\nBy Rob Irving & John Lundberg\nEdited by Mark Pilkington\n\nPB, 288 pb, heavily illustrated. Priced £8.99.\nISBN 0954805429\nFile under Art / Culture / Paranormal Phenomena\n\n================================================\n\nFull info, including press release and sample pages, <a href=\"http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/fieldguide/\">here</a>:\n\nBuy it from the source at <a href=\"http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/shoppe\">Strange Attractor Shoppe</a> and at all good book UK shops.\n\nFor review copies contact mark@strangeattractor.co.uk\n<!--more-->\n=================================================\n\nTHE ENGLISH LANDSCAPE WOULD NEVER BE THE SAME AGAIN!\n\nThree decades ago, two men in their fifties began flattening circles into the fields of Hampshire and Wiltshire. Little did they know that their Friday night antics would seed an international phenomenon that continues to change people\'s lives to this day.\n\nNow, in the first book of its kind - part history and part how-to guide - the secrets of the crop circle world are revealed, by the people behind the modern era\'s most astounding artform.\n\nWhether you think crop circles represent a genuine mystery, a new kind of art, or an elaborate practical joke, The Field Guide is sure to leave a lasting impression.','The Field Guide','','publish','open','closed','','the-field-guide','','','2006-08-16 18:27:17','2006-08-16 18:27:17','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=320',0,'post','',0),(321,2,'2006-08-17 10:49:10','2006-08-17 10:49:10','<em>The New New Age: The movement pulls away from the mainstream and gets apocalyptic\n</em>By: JAMES PARKER, <a href=\"http://www.thephoenix.com/article_ektid20235.aspx\" target=\"new\">The Boston Phoenix</a>, 8/15/2006.\n\nTHE GREAT UNRAVELING: The difference between today\'s New Agers and the old ones is the former\'s fear of an imminent system crash\n\n“In the United States,” wrote novelist and poet Jim Harrison in 1976, “it is a curious habit of ours to wait for the future when it has happened already.” Thirty years on, how much deeper is that swoon of postponement, and how much more pressing the crisis. In weather systems, in belief systems, the planet condenses with rage; the blandest recital of the facts can shake the air like a Yeatsian prophecy. Faces averted, we peck out text messages. At the political level the most complex issues are debated in the style of barking dogs, while at the counter of your local Starbucks a man is placing an order as nuanced and sophisticated as a 17th-century sonnet. And on the street the Hummers roll, driven by small, blond college girls, as if America had invaded itself.\n<!--more-->\nBut if the future won’t stop happening, neither will the past. Because here’s both the good news and the bad: the ’60s never ended. That decade’s chaotic drive toward collective rebirth — stalled, dissipated, betrayed, backlashed, and broken down — was not (it turns out) the endpoint, but the augury. “The Sixties,” says Daniel Pinchbeck, author of 2012: The Return of Quetzalcoatl (Tarcher/Penguin), by phone from New York City, “were an attempted voyage of initiation on a mass-cultural level, but at that point it couldn’t be completed. The maps weren’t there, there were no guides, and a lot of people kind of lost it.” Pinchbeck, a thirtysomething former journalist who has transformed himself — with the help of mind-ripping pharmaceuticals and organic hallucinogens like iboga and ayahuasca — into a multi-disciplinary critic of the “design problems” in Western civilization, is standing by for the next stage. “There’s some kind of process of assimilation that required those currents which came out so powerfully in the ’60s then to go underground and become subliminal,” he says. “But they’ve had a major effect on people in the West, whether through access to indigenous shamanism or in the extraordinary growth of yoga, and in a way they’ve been preparing the container so that if we were to go through another kind of initiatory level, there would be people ready to hold it together.”\n\nShamanism? Yoga? Welcome to the New New Age — the just-in-time resurgence of the holistic, anti-materialist worldview, garbed in esoterica, brandishing its own style of drugs and music. And brace yourself for a major paradigm shift: at the vanguard of the armies of transformation is … Sting! “Daniel Pinchbeck’s 2012,” he blurbs on the book jacket, “is a dazzling kaleidoscopic journey through the quixotic hinterlands of consciousness.” Yes indeed, someone got his message in a bottle. “I became friends with Sting after my last book [Breaking Open the Head],” says Pinchbeck. “He got in touch with me and I actually stayed with him in his house in Italy.\n\n“He’s had contact with indigenous shamanism, and he’s aware of the importance of the material. He’s kind of like an elder statesman, and he’s been giving me a lot of support.”\n\nThe sins of the old New Age, of course, are still with us: Celtic muzak, little polished rune-rocks, bumper stickers that say THE GODDESS IS ALIVE AND MAGIC IS IN THE AIR! Seeking balm for the psychic wounds they had sustained in the ’60s, ex-hippies opted en masse for a sort of consoling and watered-down paganism: ancient energies were domesticated, to the point where almost anyone could have a print from the Mahbarata on their kitchen wall, or an Odinist living downstairs. “The original New Age was a little bit on the flimsy side,” says Pinchbeck. “Channelling, UFOs … all that stuff was kind of floating out there. What I’m trying to do with the new book is to show that it’s possible for someone with a rational modern intellect to go through this material in a reasonable way, and to integrate Western philosophy with this shamanic/psychedelic worldview.”\n\nWhat most viscerally separates the New New Agers from the old is their crisp and eager apprehension of imminent system crash — what our inheritors, stumping for food in the poisoned mud flats, may well call The Great Unraveling. Take, for example, the words of eco-philosopher Derrick Jensen, author of Endgame, in a recent interview. Asked if he truly wants civilization as we know it to fall, Jensen responds: “If civilization had come down 200 years ago, the people who live here would still be able to support themselves. But if it comes down in another 30 years, 50 years, 60 years … So even from the purely selfish human perspective, yeah, it would be good for civilization to end. The sooner this civilization goes, the better, because there’ll be MORE LEFT.”\n\nJensen gave this interview to Arthur magazine, a lavishly appointed free bimonthly out of LA whose columnists include Sonic Youth’s Thurston Moore and media theorist Douglas Rushkoff. Since October 2002, Arthur’s editing/publishing team of Jay Babcock and Laris Kreslins has been busy streaming the revelations and imperatives of the New New Age into pop culture, where the kids can get at it. Arthur, called “the American counterculture’s answer to the New Yorker” by the London Guardian, has become the place where the ideas meet the music; where Jensen’s freefall apocalyptics can sit with total aptness beside a piece on nouveau hippie swooners Brightblack Morninglight. The same issue begins with a column about mint tea and ends with a list of “sensitive weapons” (e.g., shotgun shells taped to the end of a BB-gun barrel) for use when the grid collapses and Devendra Banhart fans are called upon to defend their homes and woolly hats.\n\nArthur has saturated itself in the ’60s, via features on the Weather Underground, the MC5, the 1967 March on the Pentagon, and also in the post-psychedelic slant of the music coverage. But there’s nothing regressive here. From the freaky folkers to the acid rockers, Arthur bands have their eyes on the advancing historical horizon: the same rumble of tribal disturbance is heard beneath the dragon-groan of SunnO))) and the fey, brilliant stylings of harpist/singer Joanna Newsom. A tastemaker and an advocate, Babcock has probably done more to promote and consolidate this intangible consensus than anybody else. He calls it “naturalismo”.\n\nDaniel Pinchbeck used to write for Arthur, as (full disclosure) did I. I stopped because I could no longer afford to write for free; he — rather more nobly — was fired, after submitting a post-Katrina column in which various apocalyptic scenarios of military clampdown were hypothesized.\n\nBabcock smelled “Art Bell–style” paranoia (referring to the conspiracy-mongering host of radio’s Coast to Coast AM), and wouldn’t print it; Pinchbeck recoiled, hurt. “I think Jay’s aiming more at the mainstream,” he says. “He wants his magazine to be the new Rolling Stone.”\n\nWhat is beyond dispute is Babcock’s commitment to reaching “every generation of bohemian currently living.” “When we run a piece about the MC5,” he says by phone from LA, “it’s not just to educate the youth or to remind ourselves of something. It’s also to say to the original people: your work wasn’t forgotten, and maybe you should pay attention to the kids who are interested in what you did. I think they’re going to start to come back, the ones that went back to the land and just disconnected from contemporary culture for the last twenty years — and they’re gonna find that they have more in common with these kids in their teens and twenties than they do with their fellow retirees at this point. And I don’t even KNOW where that could lead.”\n\nBabcock’s most recent and widely-broadcast prank was an interview showdown with Sully Erna, over the use of Godsmack music in Army-recruitment ads. Unimpressed with his own generation’s efforts at protest, he is trusting to demographics to get the job done: “By 2020 [actually: 2010 is what I said -- Jay] we’ll have a youth bubble, a huge population under 25. And they’ll be stronger, more willing to take risks, to cope with transformation — even to demand it. Who will be their leaders? What kind of culture are they going to inherit? So that’s part of what we’re doing — to try and preserve, elevate, incubate if you like, these ideas.”\n\nThe imminent crisis, the next initiatory level — Pinchbeck’s “prepared containers” and Babcock’s wised-up and transformation-ready youngsters. What the New New Agers all agree on is that change is not over there, but here: vast, cruelly accelerated, streaming with possibility. “I’m trying to define this transformative process,” says Pinchbeck, “but it’s already under way.” “Right now,” says Babcock, “we’re like the Beatniks of the Fifties — a little isolated, a little dispersed, driven a little crazy by the culture.\n\n“But different, too. Because unlike the Beats, we have the benefit of knowing that the hippies are coming.”\n\nDaniel Pinchbeck will be signing his book 2012: The Return of Quetzalcoatl at 12:30pm on August 17, at Borders in Downtown Crossing. 617.557.7718.','The New Apocalypse','','publish','open','closed','','the-new-apocalypse','','','2006-08-17 10:49:10','2006-08-17 10:49:10','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=321',0,'post','',0),(322,2,'2006-08-21 09:44:05','2006-08-21 09:44:05','<a href=\"http://projectcamelot.org/ralph_ring.html\" target=\"new\"><img alt=\"otcx1_sm.jpg\" src=\"http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/archives/otcx1_sm.jpg\" width=\"300\" height=\"217\" border=\"0\"/></a>\n\nThe intriguing and strange - if true! - tale of Ralph Ring and Otis Carr, who claim to have built and flown a 45-ft diameter flying saucer in the late 1950s and early \'60s.\n\nDid the craft fly? \"Fly is not the right word. It traversed distance. It seemed to take no time. I was with two other engineers when we piloted the 45\' craft about ten miles. I thought it hadn\'t moved – I thought it had failed. I was completely astonished when we realized that we had returned with samples of rocks and plants from our destination. It was a dramatic success. It was more like a kind of teleportation.\n\n\"I\'ve lost count of the number of people who have refused to believe what happened. I no longer talk about it. It\'s no fun being laughed at and ridiculed. But I\'ve described it exactly as it occurred. One day someone will build the disk just as we did and they\'ll have the same experience. All his blueprints still exist. Nowadays, it would all be done with digital and solid state circuitry - no moving parts would be necessary.\n\n\"Carr was seriously intent on taking his craft to the moon. However, two weeks after Ralph\'s dramatic experience, their laboratory was forcibly shut down by government agents and all files and documentation were confiscated. The group was forced to disband, and the project was never completed.\' Typical!\n\nFull story at <a href=\"http://projectcamelot.org/ralph_ring.html\" target=\"new\">Project Camelot</a>. Some great retro- saucer photos here too.','Flying Saucer Man','','publish','open','closed','','flying-saucer-man','','','2006-08-21 09:44:05','2006-08-21 09:44:05','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=322',0,'post','',0),(323,2,'2006-08-21 23:54:40','2006-08-21 23:54:40','Sean McCarthy believes his small Irish high-tech company has overturned one of physics\' most fundamental laws...\n\nThe company hasn\'t released specific details about the process, other than to say it involves magnetic fields configured in precisely the right way. Using the magnets results in a motor that\'s more than 100 percent efficient -- essentially creating energy, McCarthy says....\n\nThe American Physical Society was worried enough about the trend a few years ago that its executive board put out a statement in June 2002, warning against such claims.\n\n\"(We are) concerned that in this period of unprecedented scientific advance, misguided or fraudulent claims of perpetual motion machines and other sources of unlimited free energy are proliferating,\" the group said. \"Such devices directly violate the most fundamental laws of nature, laws that have guided the scientific progress that is transforming our world.\"\n\nThe drive to create an engine that powers itself, or a self-replenishing source of energy, has long been a holy grail for the tinkering class, with a history stretching back nearly a thousand years. Like alchemy, its medieval pseudo-scientific counterpart, it has attracted high names and low, scientists and faith-based researchers, believers and outright scam artists.\n\nContinues over at <a href=\"http://www.wired.com/news/technology/gizmos/0,71626-0.html?tw=rss.index\">Wired</a>','Stalling Steorn&#039;s perpetual motion claims','','publish','open','closed','','stalling-steorns-perpetual-motion-claims','','','2006-08-21 23:54:40','2006-08-21 23:54:40','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=323',0,'post','',0),(324,2,'2006-08-29 10:02:18','2006-08-29 10:02:18','<a href=\"http://www.ballardian.com/iain-sinclair-when-in-doubt-quote-ballard\"><img alt=\"ballard_vid3.jpg\" src=\"http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/archives/ballard_vid3.jpg\" width=\"250\" height=\"220\" border=\"0\"/></a>\n\n\n<strong><em>When in Doubt, Quote Ballard</em></strong>\n\nSAJ2 contributor Tim Chapman has onlined a great interview he conducted with Iain Sinclair. They mostly discuss JG Ballard, and there\'s plenty of other interesting material if you\'re not part of the car crash set.\n\n<strong>Ballard has said in the past that if he had his time again he’d be a painter. It seems now that he almost wants to be a sociologist.</strong>\n\nMaybe not so much a painter as a very good art critic — not in an academic sense, but as someone with the language and the eye to break an image down. That takes in being a form of social critic or geographer, an essayist in the sense that someone like Paul Virilio is. There is an interface between the world of the catalogue and copywriting for Mercedes cars and the film script for a porn movie — all of these things intersect in something that he’s not embarrassed to cut together.\n\n<strong>Talking about geography, you’re very much associated with the psychogeography movement…</strong>\n\nHave you seen this book that’s just come out on psychogeography that tries to incorporate Ballard into that group? You make of him what you will, but I don’t think he’s in any way a psychogeographer, and I don’t think he’d use those terms himself at all. I think the aspect of him they’ve drawn on is the notion of a spatial geography, of particular lines and movements that you make in describing a city’s geometry, which he does with the multistorey carparks and bridges and motorways and all of that.\n\n\n<a href=\"http://www.ballardian.com/iain-sinclair-when-in-doubt-quote-ballard\">Read the full interview</a>','Sinclair on Ballard','','publish','open','closed','','sinclair-on-ballard','','','2006-08-29 10:02:18','2006-08-29 10:02:18','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=324',0,'post','',0),(325,2,'2006-08-30 09:55:25','2006-08-30 09:55:25','<strong><em>\'God spot\' researchers see the light in MRI study</em></strong>\nIan Sample, <a href=\"http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,,1860786,00.html\">The Guardian</a>, August 30, 2006\n\nBrain scans of nuns have revealed intricate neural circuits that flicker into life when they feel the presence of God.\n\nThe images suggest that feelings of profound joy and union with a higher being that accompany religious experiences are the culmination of ramped-up electrical activity in parts of the brain.\n\nThe scans were taken as nuns relived intense religious experiences. They showed a surge in neural activity in regions of the brain that govern feelings of peace, happiness and self-awareness.\n<!--more-->\nMario Beauregard and Vincent Paquette used functional magnetic resonance imaging to scan the brains of 15 Carmelite nuns who were asked to remember the most intense mystical experience they had ever had.\n\nWhen the scans were compared with others taken beforehand, the scientists found electrical activity and blood oxygen levels had surged in at least 12 regions of the brain. Some regions, such as the medial orbitofrontal cortex, are strongly associated with emotions, while activity in the right middle temporal cortex is believed to be responsible for the impression of contacting a spiritual entity. The scans showed different brain activity from those taken when the nuns were asked to remember intense emotional experiences that involved another person.\n\nThe findings contradict previous suggestions that human brains may have evolved with a \"God spot\" - a single region that lights up in response to deeply religious thoughts. \"Rather than there being one spot that relates to mystical experiences, we\'ve found a number of brain regions are involved,\" said Dr Beauregard.','More than one god in the brain','','publish','open','closed','','more-than-one-god-in-the-brain','','','2006-08-30 09:55:25','2006-08-30 09:55:25','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=325',0,'post','',0),(326,2,'2006-09-06 09:54:43','2006-09-06 09:54:43','Scientists angry after platform is given to \'charlatan\'s fantasy\'\nBy Steve Connor, <a href=\"http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/this_britain/article1367187.ece\">The Independent</a>, 06 September 2006\n\nLeading scientists have criticised Britain\'s premier public forum on science for hosting a series of lectures on controversial research into the paranormal that suggests the possibility of mental telepathy and the existence of consciousness after death.\n\nThe British Association for the Advancement of Science (BA) was sharply rebuked yesterday for allowing paranormal researchers to have a public platform at its annual Science Festival, held at the University of East Anglia in Norwich.\n\nMainstream scientists expressed surprise that the BA had invited Rupert Sheldrake, who investigates paranormal experiences, and Peter Fenwick, a retired neuropsychiatrist who investigates near-death experiences, to its annual meeting.\n<!--more-->\nLord Winston, a former president of the BA, said that he knew of no properly conducted studies indicating that telepathy and the paranormal were anything other than nonsense. \"It is perfectly reasonable to have a session like this, but it should be robustly challenged by scientists who work in accredited psychological fields,\" he said.\n\nDr Sheldrake presented details of an experiment that purported to demonstrate a scientific basis for believing that telephone telepathy - when someone is alerted subconsciously about a telephone call before it is made - really does exist.\n\n\"Dr Sheldrake\'s experiment involved recruiting 63 people and assessing whether they could guess who out of four close friends or relatives was about to call them.\n\n\"If they were just guessing and there was no telepathy involved they would be right one time in four, on average 25 per cent,\" Dr Sheldrake said.\n\nThe hit rate turned out to be 45 per cent. \"This comes out with odds of a thousand billion to one against it being a chance effect. So it\'s not just chance coincidence,\" Dr Sheldrake said.\n\nDr Fenwick, who helps to run a forum on science and spirituality called the Scientific and Medical Network, claimed that he may soon be able to show the existence of consciousness after death. However, Professor Peter Atkins, of Oxford University, said that there was no reason to suppose that telepathy or the afterlife was anything other than a \"charlatan\'s fantasy\".\n\nHelen Haste, a psychologist at the University of Sussex and the organiser of the paranormal session, said:\"We at the British Association feel we should be open to discussions and debates which are seen as valid by people generally inside and outside the scientific community.\"\n\nLeading scientists have criticised Britain\'s premier public forum on science for hosting a series of lectures on controversial research into the paranormal that suggests the possibility of mental telepathy and the existence of consciousness after death.\n\nThe British Association for the Advancement of Science (BA) was sharply rebuked yesterday for allowing paranormal researchers to have a public platform at its annual Science Festival, held at the University of East Anglia in Norwich.\n\nMainstream scientists expressed surprise that the BA had invited Rupert Sheldrake, who investigates paranormal experiences, and Peter Fenwick, a retired neuropsychiatrist who investigates near-death experiences, to its annual meeting.\n\nLord Winston, a former president of the BA, said that he knew of no properly conducted studies indicating that telepathy and the paranormal were anything other than nonsense. \"It is perfectly reasonable to have a session like this, but it should be robustly challenged by scientists who work in accredited psychological fields,\" he said.\n\nDr Sheldrake presented details of an experiment that purported to demonstrate a scientific basis for believing that telephone telepathy - when someone is alerted subconsciously about a telephone call before it is made - really does exist.\n\n\"Dr Sheldrake\'s experiment involved recruiting 63 people and assessing whether they could guess who out of four close friends or relatives was about to call them.\n\n\"If they were just guessing and there was no telepathy involved they would be right one time in four, on average 25 per cent,\" Dr Sheldrake said.\n\nThe hit rate turned out to be 45 per cent. \"This comes out with odds of a thousand billion to one against it being a chance effect. So it\'s not just chance coincidence,\" Dr Sheldrake said.\n\nDr Fenwick, who helps to run a forum on science and spirituality called the Scientific and Medical Network, claimed that he may soon be able to show the existence of consciousness after death. However, Professor Peter Atkins, of Oxford University, said that there was no reason to suppose that telepathy or the afterlife was anything other than a \"charlatan\'s fantasy\".\n\nHelen Haste, a psychologist at the University of Sussex and the organiser of the paranormal session, said:\"We at the British Association feel we should be open to discussions and debates which are seen as valid by people generally inside and outside the scientific community.\"','Rupert Sheldrake draws scientists&#039; wrath','','publish','open','closed','','rupert-sheldrake-draws-scientists-wrath','','','2006-09-06 09:54:43','2006-09-06 09:54:43','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=326',0,'post','',0),(327,2,'2006-09-07 17:13:19','2006-09-07 17:13:19','<em>Witches call up magic in Mexico\'s Los Tuxtlas\nHexes and blessings are muttered in the same breath where witchcraft is a way of life</em>\nBy DAI HUYNH, <a href=\"http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/printstory.mpl/travel/4152880\">Houston Chronicle</a> 1 Sept 06\n\nCATEMACO, Mexico - The witch is cloaked in a black gown with a Chinese yin-and-yang sign, representing the moon and sun. Dark and light.\n\nThrough lace curtains, a shaft of light casts an eerie glow onto the altar. A spindly, wooden red devil dominates the table, towering over the potbellied Hindu elephant deity Lord Ganesha and statuettes of Merlin, Buddha and Shiva.\n\nThis is the room where Ignacio Cobix casts spells of life and death, love and spite.\n\nHis timber house is a block from Lake Catemaco, where Mexicans come for boating, fishing, bird-watching and spiritual cleansing. Catemaco is one of three major villages in the Los Tuxtlas region south of the port of Veracruz. Like neighboring San Andrés Tuxtla and Santiago Tuxtla, Catemaco is shaped by virescent volcanoes and magic realism. Here, hexes and blessings are muttered in the same breath.\n\nMyths and legends flourish as lushly as the waterlilies in the lagoon: Tales of water spirits. Tales of la Virgen del Carmen. Tales of the devil.\n<!--more-->\n\"You have bad energy around you,\'\' Cobix tells me in Spanish. \"You need a cleansing.\'\'\n\nTonight is supposedly ideal for an aura cleansing. The magic will be strong when midnight ushers in the most important day of the year for the residents of Los Tuxtlas.\n\n\"The people believe that the first Friday in March is the first day of creation, the first Friday in history,\" local anthropologist and raconteur Raymundo Gonzáles says. \"It\'s a potent day for magic. All the high witches are here for the gathering tonight.\"\n\nEvery year, witches convene for the annual Brujos Convention in Catemaco, an area many regard as the center of magic.\n\nMexicans believe there are three types of magic: black, white and red.\n\nCuranderos practice white or red magic, using plants or the spiritual world to heal. Most feared are the brujos, or brujas if female, who practice black magic.\n\nCuranderos, or shamans, are bound by the law of nature and karma to never do harm. But brujos, the powerful witches, answer to a darker creed.\n\nThe devil\'s cave\n\"Brujos can put curses on people. They make bad things happen, and from what I\'ve seen, it works,\" says John Todd, a Houstonian who lives in Veracruz.\n\n\"In Mexico, there are three levels of illnesses. The first is spiritual. The second is emotional, such as sadness, and the third is physical. In the United States, people turn to doctors and pills to treat physical illnesses. But they don\'t treat the emotional and spiritual. Mexicans believe you must treat all three.\"\n\nI had asked my guide, Andrés Huesca Tapia, to find a brujo. He laughed, pointing to the young men on dusty motorcycles zooming up and down the road to Catemaco.\n\n\"Pick one,\" he said. \"Those men are roving billboards for the brujos. They\'re everywhere.\"\n\nNow we find ourselves in a waiting room, commanded by a woman with ebony eyes. She introduces herself as Ignacio Cobix\'s confidante, housekeeper and mother.\n\n\"I knew from the start my son was gifted,\" she says. \"A mother just knows these things. Even Mel Gibson came seeking his advice. He was in Catemaco, filming a movie about the Maya. You wouldn\'t recognize him, unshaven with a thick black beard. I didn\'t care for it. But I recognized his eyes. He has beautiful blue eyes.\"\n\nAlmost everyone in Catemaco claims that Gibson \"was here.\" And maybe he was. It\'s a dime-size town, divided by winding roads and houses with peeling paint. At the center of social activities is Lago de Catemaco, a massive bowl of water formed millions of years ago by now-extinct volcanoes. With peaks poking through gray mists, the sierra casts an eerie aura over steel-blue water.\n\nI am sitting on a creaking chair, waiting for the brujo. Minutes later, a young man with puppy eyes walks out of a side room and waves us inside. Sitting behind a writing desk is the gran brujo, sober and boyish in appearance.\n\n\"A brujo can never marry,\" his mother had told me earlier. \"My son can have relationships, two at the same time if he wishes. But he can never wear gold jewelry. Ever.\"\n\nGold is a symbol of vanity. Wearing it would anger the spirits and drain him of his power.\n\nWhere he\'s most powerful, Cobix says, is in his cave, about an hour\'s boat ride across the lake. Last year, German journalists filmed him there, performing a ritual. He shows pictures of the cave, surrounded by vines.\n\nCaves are cradles of mysteries. According to local legend, the devil\'s cave is somewhere in Los Tuxtlas. It leads from the real world to the world of the dead.\n\n\"We can go there,\" Cobix says. \"I\'ll charge only 2,000 pesos. Usually it\'s more.\"\n\nSeeing my stunned look, my guide intercedes and tells Cobix that I can\'t pay $200.\n\nCobix nods his head, understanding, but doesn\'t budge, so we leave.\n\n\"Come back tomorrow,\" he says on our way out the door. \"I\'ll do an aura cleansing. You need it. Normally I charge people 300 pesos. For you, 200 pesos.\"\n\nWitches\' sabbath\nCatemaco cools at night. The mountain air fans the boisterous crowds at the Brujos Convention at a park outside town.\n\nOnstage, dark-eyed beauties in beaded Aztec costumes perform songs and dances. Their male partners glisten with energy, stomping across the stage with bravado. The music continues well past the witching hour.\n\nWispy white tents flank the stage, belonging to various brujos, sages and curanderos. Aside from a few dollars for parking, entrance to the festival is free.\n\n\"Spiritual cleansings cost 100 pesos,\" says the gate attendant, \"the same as tarot readings.\"\n\nI opt to scout the stalls, where charms are sold. Rabbit\'s feet. Horseshoes. Coyote talismans. Leather bracelets. Jet amulets. Clay totems. Red pillows for love and good luck.\n\n\"Witchcraft is a corrupted word,\" my guide says. \"When the Spaniards arrived, they converted wishcraft into witchcraft. It\'s not so much witchery as wishing for something.\"\n\nThe movie star\nThe next day we drive to Santiago Tuxtla, nearer Veracruz. We pass tobacco fields in San Andrés Tuxtla, where tourists can visit one of several factories to see how the large, floppy leaves are cured and rolled into prized cigars.\n\nWith its serene, bone-white colonial main square, Santiago Tuxtla attracts those curious about El Negro, an ancient Olmec sacrificial stone believed to channel powers.\n\nEl Negro is only one reason to visit this old village, where men pass the afternoon beneath swaying coconut trees, playing cards. Mexico-based author David Lida, who wrote about the witches of Los Tuxtlas, had suggested that I call on an ancient woman known as Doña Julia. Of all the brujos, she had made an impression on Lida.\n\nBut first, El Negro and Shirley MacLaine.\n\n\"Shirley MacLaine was here. She heard about its power. She wept when she placed her thumb on El Negro\'s forehead,\" says museum director Juan José Palagot Perea, standing in front of the oblong stone sculpture with a flat, almost baby face.\n\nI\'ve heard many versions of this story. Some people say the New Age guru-actress actually lay on El Negro, face up with her arms to the side for full effect.\n\n\"No, no, she didn\'t do that,\" Palagot says, chuckling. \"She simply placed her thumb here.\"\n\nHe directs me to put my left thumb about an inch from El Negro and close my eyes.\n\nSeconds later, darkness is colored by pulsating red light. I feel lightheaded. And in my mind\'s eye I am flying high above mountains. Are these images induced by sunlight pouring from a window overhead? I can\'t be sure.\n\nMy guide, Andrés, is next. Descended from Aztecs, he has high cheekbones and tanned features framed by lustrous, long, inky curls. A former professor, he traded his job in Mexico City for the slower pace of a small fishing island in Veracruz.\n\nAndrés starts to cry, a quiet shower that lasts five minutes before he opens his eyes. Embarrassed, or overwhelmed, he turns, waving us away.\n\n\"I\'m sorry, so sorry\" he says. \"This is too much. I need to go outside to get some air.\"\n\nWhen Andrés returns, the museum director smiles and nods his head knowingly. \"I didn\'t tell you beforehand what you might see because I wanted you to discover for yourself,\" he says. \"Some people see the color red, others pyramids. Some even sense they\'re flying over a great expanse of hills back in time. And others see a cave with a man, El Negro or one of the ancients.\"\n\nLeaving the museum, I spot another Olmec stone head in the main square. It\'s a colossal figurehead with a helmet over flat, jaguarlike features and bulbous lips. Even now, this ancient civilization, the oldest in Mexico, has a hold on the people of Veracruz.\n\nAs we wave goodbye to the museum director, I remember to ask about Doña Julia.\n\n\"Ah, yes, she was one of the greats. But she\'s no longer here,\" he says. \"She died last year.\"\n\nThe lady shaman\nFor several months, Gibson and his crew shot the Maya epic Apocalypto near Nanciyaga. The movie set was still up when we drove into the private nature reserve. It\'s easy to see why Gibson chose this dew-drenched rain forest on the northern shore of Lake Catemaco.\n\nNanciyaga is one of those places where you can be one with nature but not in the wild. The reserve is riotously lush with native fauna, a rain forest with the luxury of a restaurant and nearly rustic cabins for $75 per night, which includes mud facials, mineral baths, boating and other activities. Nanciyaga attracts Mexican crooners and movie stars seeking to renew mind and spirit.\n\n\"People come here to be close to nature,\" guide Agustín Rafael Domínguez says. \"But they also want to be spiritually healed. Magic is a tradition we have had for generations. We were told magic exists. Some people don\'t believe. I don\'t know why. It\'s not the magic they see in the movies. It\'s more about the aura, the energy between nature and man. Herbs and plants have the ability to cleanse us, cure us. Why is that so hard to grasp?\"\n\nEager to illustrate his point, he takes me to the wooden hut of Asunción Ixtepán, one of three white shamans who perform aura cleansings, or limpias, at Nanciyaga.\n\nDressed in a flowing white dress against the jungle backdrop, Ixtepán exudes Mother Earth. She directs me to follow her through a beaded curtain into the hut, where there is an altar laden with colorful pictures of saints and wooden crosses. I feel at ease, unlike the sensation that washed over me when the brujo Cobix performed the aura cleansing.\n\nWarmth rather than dampness. Lightness rather than weight. Cobix had rubbed an egg over my arms, neck and head, then brushed a long bundle of leaves over my body while whispering an incantation that I couldn\'t make out. Afterward, he instructed me to throw the egg on the side of the road to get rid of the malady. He took the 200 pesos, then sent me on my way.\n\nIxtepán turns me to her. She places her hands on my head. Warmth radiates from her to me. A mother\'s womb. She starts to pray:\n\n\"Father, Son and the Holy Ghost, please protect her, give her a house, food and a job. Let nothing go amiss in her household. Remove all bad spirits. Luck be with her.\"\n\nShe finishes by brushing herbs and citrus leaves along my back and shoulders. The leaves feel soft and cool. Their heady fragrance makes me think that perhaps this is something like aromatherapy or herbal medicine.\n\n\"Now, be strong and go in peace,\" says Ixtepán, placing an herb-filled amulet in my hands.\n\nLife is ironic. I learned later that the picture on the amulet is of St. Ignatius, in Spanish Ignacio, the same as the brujo Cobix.','Mexican Witch Convention!','','publish','open','closed','','mexican-witch-convention','','','2006-09-07 17:13:19','2006-09-07 17:13:19','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=327',0,'post','',0),(328,2,'2006-09-08 11:11:41','2006-09-08 11:11:41','<img alt=\"aumsahib.jpg\" src=\"http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/archives/aumsahib.jpg\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" /> Photo by <a href=\"http://www.dreamflesh.org\">Gyrus</a>! (sorry Gyrus!)\n\nFriday Sept 8th at the Speakerpalace\n\nA night of ritualistic theatre with the Metamorphic Ritual Dance Theatre Company\n10pm screening their ritual opera film The Choronzon Machine\n12.30pm <a href=\"http://www.crossroads.wild.net.au/morph.htm\">Loom of Lila</a>  the company\'s latest performance live\nmore info:  (its a whole parallel world)\nplus some rather musical hypnotic cabaret at 12pm\nFreeform textural freakout from Aum Sahib (seen above) at 1am\nAnd ORCHAStra-ted ChAOS (Australia/UK/Germany music improvisational collaboration) finishing off\nplus Silver Dusk art exhibition and djs including Lerry, the Record King, from germany playing avante gard high weirdness.\n\n14 Andre Street Hackney\ndoors 9pm-3am\n£5.00\nthis is a private event\nto gain entrance <a href=\"https://secure.webmast.co.uk/events/\">click the link</a> and sign yourself in','Friday 8 : A Night of Ritual Weirdness','','publish','open','closed','','friday-8-a-night-of-ritual-weirdness','','','2006-09-08 11:11:41','2006-09-08 11:11:41','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=328',0,'post','',0),(329,2,'2006-09-10 11:30:26','2006-09-10 11:30:26','<img alt=\"spacesoon.jpg\" src=\"http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/archives/spacesoon.jpg\" width=\"299\" height=\"215\" />\n\nWednesday 13 September, The Roundhouse, Chalk Farm Rd, Camden, London, NW1 8EH.  from 7pm\n\n<em>Resonance FM</em> presents a night of music and talk on the subject of death and space, as part of <em>Space Soon: art and human space flight</em>, hosted by Arts Catalyst.\n\nOORT, featuring Richard Guest (guitar/fx), Zali Krisha (guitar/fx) Mark Pilkington (synth/fx) and Ninki V (space flute/theremin), will be performing live, accompanying a reading - \"We  Are All Depraved\" - by Ken Hollings.\n\nThe night will also see an expedition into trapezoidal space by The Amal Gamal Ensemble, comprising Stephen Thrower, Gavin Mitchell, David Knight, Karl Blake, David Smith, Orlando, and Danielle Dax.\n\nPlus Lembit Opik MP, Tom Mcarthy and the Resonance Radio Orchestra, The Bohman Brothers and DJs Original Bear, DJ Rocket 88 and Johnny Trunk.\n\n\"A special fund-raising concert for our Aerial Appeal. Is it possible to have a clean death in a vacuum? We\'re All Going To Die is an operatic, radiophonic concatenation of space ephemera and near-Earth collision paranoia.\"\n\nAdmission:  £6.00.   All proceeds to the Resonance Aerial Fund!','&quot;We are all going to die&quot;','','publish','open','closed','','we-are-all-going-to-die','','','2006-09-10 11:30:26','2006-09-10 11:30:26','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=329',0,'post','',0),(330,2,'2006-09-14 09:02:18','2006-09-14 09:02:18','By Vince Beiser, 07 September 2006\n\nA half-mile below the surface of the New Mexico desert, the federal government is interring thousands of tons of monstrously dangerous leftovers from its nuclear weapons program --plutonium-infested clothing, tools and chemical sludge that will remain potentially lethal for thousands of years to come.\n\nIt may be safely secured now, but how to keep our descendants centuries in the future from accidentally unearthing it?...\n\nTo address it, the Department of Energy convened a conclave of scientists, linguists, anthropologists and sci-fi thinkers to develop an elaborate system intended to shout \"Danger!\" to any human being for the next 10,000 years -- regardless of what language they speak or technology they use...\n\n\"We looked at what messages had come from deep in time to the present, like the pyramids,\" explains David B. Givens, an anthropologist specializing in non-verbal communication who helped conceive the warning system. \"It boils down to stones,\" he says -- the only medium so far to have established a track record of retaining messages for as long as 5,000 years.\n\nFull story over at <a href=\"http://www.wirednews.com/news/culture/0,71724-0.html?tw=wn_index_1\">Wired</a>','Keep out! For 10,000 years','','publish','open','closed','','keep-out-for-10000-years','','','2006-09-14 09:02:18','2006-09-14 09:02:18','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=330',0,'post','',0),(331,2,'2006-09-15 10:59:23','2006-09-15 10:59:23','<img alt=\"varjak.jpg\" src=\"http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/archives/varjak.jpg\" width=\"238\" height=\"132\" />\n\nSF Said\'s <a href=\"http://www.varjakpaw.com\" target=new\">Varjak Paw</a> was the last book I can remember needing to read while navigating a crowded London street. I\'d reached the final chapter just as it was time to leave the bus, but I wasn\'t going to let that stop me from finding out how things were going to end for the renegade Mesopotamian Blue and his friends.\n\nLuckily I was reading the right book. Using one of the mystical martial arts techniques taught to  Varjak in his dreams, I gracefully avoided certain doom in the oncoming traffic and spared myself the tetchy tutts of lunch hour sandwich seekers, arriving at my meeting with only one thought in my mind: when is the next Varjak Paw book coming out?\n\nWell, the wait is over!\n<!--more-->\nAn email from SF has announced the arrival in paperback of <em>The Outlaw Varjak Paw</em>, in which our favourite street fighting cat is caught up in a brutal gang war, ultimately having to confront the City\'s most feared creature of the night, the phantom Sally Bones. Once again Varjak must turn inside himself for the skills he needs to survive, plunging deeper into the teachings of The Way to prepare for the final showdown.\n\nSF\'s cat tales leap off the page with feline grace and energy and are perfectly complimented by Dave McKean\'s striking illustrations. Although aimed at older kids, there\'s nothing childish about these literate and compelling books, which are sure to captivate anybody who\'s ever exchanged passing hellos with an unfamiliar moggy.\nMARK PILKINGTON\n\nThe Outlaw Varjak Paw is out now in Corgi paperbacks.','The Outlaw Varjak Paw','','publish','open','closed','','the-outlaw-varjak-paw','','','2006-09-15 10:59:23','2006-09-15 10:59:23','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=331',0,'post','',0),(332,2,'2006-09-16 12:50:13','2006-09-16 12:50:13','<a href=\"http://www.johncoulthart.com/pantechnicon/tarot.html\"><img alt=\"tarotmni.jpg\" src=\"http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/archives/tarotmni.jpg\" width=\"256\" height=\"150\" border=\"0\"/></a><br />\n<a href=\"http://www.johncoulthart.com/pantechnicon/tarot.html\"><img alt=\"tarot2.jpg\" src=\"http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/archives/tarot2.jpg\" width=\"256\" height=\"145\" border=\"0\"/></a>\n\nThe brilliant illustrator (and SAJ2 contributor) John Coulthart has created a very contemporary set of <a href=\"http://www.johncoulthart.com/pantechnicon/tarot.html\">tarot cards</a>. Right now he\'s just done the Major Arcana, but given time perhaps he\'ll get round to a whole deck!\n\nJohn has also designed a natty new logo for Strange Attractor Press.\nThanks <a href=\"http://www.johncoulthart.com/\">John</a>!','The Coulthart Tarot','','publish','open','closed','','the-coulthart-tarot','','','2006-09-16 12:50:13','2006-09-16 12:50:13','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=332',0,'post','',0),(333,2,'2006-09-18 09:43:10','2006-09-18 09:43:10','<img alt=\"small circle.JPG\" src=\"http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/archives/small circle.JPG\" width=\"205\" height=\"191\" />\n\n\n\"I think being a circlemakers is ultimately a masochistic pursuit... we are the heretics.\"\n\nA great <a href=\"http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/cgi-bin/mt/mt.cgi\">interview</a> with <a href=\"http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/fieldguide\">Field Guide</a> co-author and regular Strange Attractor co-conspirator John Lundberg.\n\nBy Caryn Anscomb at <a href=\"http://www.starstreamresearch.com/confessions.htm\">Starstream Research</a>','Confessions of a circlemaker','','publish','open','closed','','confessions-of-a-circlemaker','','','2006-09-18 09:43:10','2006-09-18 09:43:10','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=333',0,'post','',0),(334,2,'2006-09-22 09:02:26','2006-09-22 09:02:26','<img alt=\"mopjbri.jpg\" src=\"http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/archives/mopjbri.jpg\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" />\n<strong>\n<em>Tuesday, 26 September</em></strong>\nDisinformation vs Strange Attractor perform \"National Grid\" and \"Circuit Blasting\"\nLive at Westbourne Studios,  242 Acklam Road, London W10\nDoors 6.30, show 8.30 - Admission Free (you must pick up a ticket on entry)\n\nA rare chance to catch DVSA\'s spectacular National Grid, a performance for live mains electricity, antique laboratory equipment, flashguns, striplights, electromagnetic fields and electromedical devices.\n\nPlus \"Circuit Blasting\". Our new <a href=\"http://www.adaadat.com/releases.html#savd\">album</a> of the same name will be revealed soon by the good people at <a href=\"http://www.adaadat.com/index.html\">Adaadat Records</a>.','Disinformation vs Strange Attractor: Double Bill!','','publish','open','closed','','disinformation-vs-strange-attractor-double-bill','','','2006-09-22 09:02:26','2006-09-22 09:02:26','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=334',0,'post','',0),(335,2,'2006-09-27 13:23:01','2006-09-27 13:23:01','<a href=\"http://www.ultrabrown.com/posts/the-battle-of-kurukshetra\"><img alt=\"headarm.jpg\" src=\"http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/archives/headarm.jpg\" width=\"300\" height=\"400\" border=\"0\"/></a>\nAn haunting gallery of images showing the aftermath of a Ganesha-dunking ceremony in Bombay.\nOver at <a href=\"http://www.ultrabrown.com/posts/the-battle-of-kurukshetra\">Ultrabrown</a>.\nThanks <a href=\"http://www.forteantimes.com\">Alistair Strachan</a>!','The Battle of Kurukshetra','','publish','open','closed','','the-battle-of-kurukshetra','','','2006-09-27 13:23:01','2006-09-27 13:23:01','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=335',0,'post','',0),(336,2,'2006-10-03 08:36:15','2006-10-03 08:36:15','Anybody with an interest in warped ontology and cultural high strangeness will at some point have been affected by the writings of Robert Anton Wilson.\n\nHis book <em>Cosmic Trigger</em> laid the bassline for an entire stratum of late 20th century Western magical thought, while the <em>Illuminatus!</em> trilogy, co-written with Robert Shea, seeded the gonzo esoterica of the Subgenius Foundation and myriad other groups. His influence shines like starlight through an entire generation.\n\nNow RAW needs help: (via Boing Boing and Douglas Rushkoff\'s <a href=\"http://www.rushkoff.com/2006/10/robert-anton-wilson-needs-our-help.php\">blog</a>) \"from Robert\'s friend, Denis Berry: Robert\'s writing has enlightened-educated many and if you can please commit to help pay a portion of his expenses until his passing which sadly won\'t be that long. Monthly contributions of $50.00 or more will be greatly appreciated. All monies will go directly to Robert and can be sent to his PayPal address olgaceline@gmail.com. You can also send a check to RAW c/o Futique Trust, P.O. Box 3561, Santa Cruz, Ca 95063.\"\n\nAt the very least, anyone who\'s reading this and hasn\'t read <em>Cosmic Trigger</em> should order a copy direct from <a href=\"http://www.rawilson.com/goodies.shtml\">RAW\'s site</a>.','RAW needs help','','publish','open','closed','','raw-needs-help','','','2006-10-03 08:36:15','2006-10-03 08:36:15','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=336',0,'post','',0),(337,2,'2006-10-04 08:50:17','2006-10-04 08:50:17','The good people at <a href=\"http://www.tdpf.org.uk/Policy_Timeline.htm\">Transform</a> have put together a timeline of attempted drug prohibition over 206 years. They also look ahead to a the end to the original Long War – the war on drugs.\n\nIn 1800 Napoleon, concerned that his soldiers were more interested in getting high than in slaughtering their Egyptian enemies, declared:\n\n<em>\"It is forbidden in all of Egypt to use certain Moslem beverages made with hashish or likewise to inhale the smoke from seeds of hashish. Habitual drinkers and smokers of this plant lose their reason and are victims of violent delirium which is the lot of those who give themselves full to excesses of all sorts.\"\n</em>\nThe result: The soldiers take their hashish and cannabis back to Paris and enjoy it there...\n<em>\"Plus c\'est la meme chose, plus ça change\"</em>\n\nThanks <a href=\"http://www.tdpf.org.uk/Policy_Timeline.htm\">Danny Kushlick</a>!','Drug Prohibition Timeline','','publish','open','closed','','drug-prohibition-timeline','','','2006-10-04 08:50:17','2006-10-04 08:50:17','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=337',0,'post','',0),(338,2,'2006-10-04 09:02:23','2006-10-04 09:02:23','The End of the World As They Know It\n<em>What do Christian millenarians, jihadists, Ivy League professors, and baby-boomers have in common? They’re all hot for the apocalypse.</em> By Kurt Andersen, <a href=\"http://newyorkmetro.com/news/imperialcity/21697/index.html\">The New York Metro</a>\n\nThe week of September 11 (two weeks ago, not five years), I noticed a poster up at Frankies, my sweet neighborhood trattoria in Brooklyn: It advertised a talk on 9/11 by Daniel Pinchbeck—the former downtown literary impresario who has become a Gen-X Carlos Castaneda and New Age impresario. My breakfast pal nodded at the poster and said, “The guy is selling his apocalypse thing hard.”\n\n“Apocalypse thing?” I knew of Pinchbeck’s psychedelic enthusiasms, but I’d somehow missed his new book about the imminent epochal meltdown. In 2012, he interprets ancient Mayan prophecies to mean “our current socioeconomic system will suffer a drastic and irrevocable collapse” the year after next, and that in 2012, life as we know it will pretty much end. “We have to fix this situation right fucking now,” he said recently, “or there’s going to be nuclear wars and mass death … There’s not going to be a United States in five years, okay?”\n\nThe same day at lunch in Times Square, another friend happened to mention that he was thinking of buying a second country house—in Nova Scotia, as “a climate-change end-days hedge.” He smirked, but he was not joking.\n\n...\n\nIt’s a function of the baby-boomers’ becoming elderly. For half a century, they have dominated the culture, and now, as they enter the glide path to death, I think their generational solipsism unconsciously extrapolates approaching personal doom:\n <em>When I go, everything goes with me, my end will be the end.</em>\n\n<a href=\"http://newyorkmetro.com/news/imperialcity/21697/index.html\">Full article</a>','It&#039;s the end of the world... and it&#039;s groovy','','publish','open','closed','','its-the-end-of-the-world-and-its-groovy','','','2006-10-04 09:02:23','2006-10-04 09:02:23','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=338',0,'post','',0),(339,2,'2006-10-05 10:40:46','2006-10-05 10:40:46','<img alt=\"visoko372.jpg\" src=\"http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/archives/visoko372.jpg\" width=\"300\" height=\"154\" />\n\n<em>Tourists flock to Bosnian hills but experts mock amateur archaeologist\'s pyramid claims\nWhether ancient man-made structures or natural formations, locals cash in</em>\n\nIan Traynor in Visoko. 5 October, 2006. <a href=\"http://www.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,,1887640,00.html\">The Guardian</a>\n\n\"Mr Osmanagic is convinced he has uncovered ancient man-made structures in the form of four pyramids just outside Visoko. He has dubbed them pyramid of the sun, the moon, the dragon, and love.\n\nSun, the first and biggest \"discovery\", is said to be 220 metres (720ft) tall, considerably higher than Egypt\'s Great Pyramid. Mr Osmanagic found that the four sides of the four pyramids were perfectly aligned with the heavens, facing north, south, east, and west, while the tips of three formed a perfect equilateral triangle. \"The first thing I noticed was the perfect geometry,\" he said.\"...\n\n<a href=\"http://www.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,,1887640,00.html\">Full story.</a>','Bosnia&#039;s pyramid scheme','','publish','open','closed','','bosnias-pyramid-scheme','','','2006-10-05 10:40:46','2006-10-05 10:40:46','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=339',0,'post','',0),(340,2,'2006-10-06 10:48:26','2006-10-06 10:48:26','<em>Why woodpeckers don\'t get headaches (and other Ig Nobel Prize winners)</em>\nBy Steve Connor, Science Editor 06 October 2006. <a href=\"http://news.independent.co.uk/world/science_technology/article1813585.ece\">The Independent</a>\n\nA scientist who studied the anatomy of the woodpecker\'s skull to find out why it does not suffer from headaches after banging its head against a tree trunk 12,000 times a day has won an alternative Nobel prize.\n\nIvan Schwab, of the University of California, Davis, has joined the pantheon of scientists whose research has been deemed quirky enough to win an \"Ig Nobel\" - an alternative to the genuine Nobel prizes.\n\nDr Schwab\'s study, published earlier this year in the British Journal of Ophthalmology, pointed out that woodpeckers hammer a hard surface up to 20 times a second at 1,200-times the force of gravity without suffering concussion, detached retinas or any of the other symptoms of \"shaken-baby syndrome\".\n<!--more-->\n\"For us, life\'s headaches are common enough, but what if you spent your life battering your head against a wall?\" he asked. For his efforts, Dr Schwab was night fêted at the Ig Nobel awards ceremony at Harvard University in Boston, Massachusetts, where he received the coveted prize in ornithology.\n\nMeanwhile, a British inventor who developed an audio device that can be heard by teenagers but not by adults over the age of 30 won the Ig Nobel \"peace\" prize for his contribution to the inter-generation divide.\n\nThe device emits high-frequency sounds that cannot normally be heard by adults but are easily discernible to teenagers.\n\nIt could either be used by late-night shopping centres to annoy adolescents who linger for too long or as a special ring-tone so that teachers cannot hear mobile phones sneaked into class by students.\n\nHoward Stapleford, managing director of Compound Security Systems in Merthyr Tydfil, was chosen along with the other Ig Nobel Prize winners for carrying out research that \"makes people laugh and then makes them think\". Mr Stapleford said that he had designed the device originally as a security aid for shops and other premises plagued by teenagers but later on thought that he could use the same technology to help teenagers who wanted to take their mobile phones into the classroom.\n\n\"I think it was the combination of uses that made the organisers of the awards smile. The device can be turned on when shopkeepers are being troubled by gangs of teenagers,\" Mr Stapleforth said. \"Alternatively, the high-frequency sound can be incorporated into a mobile phone ring tone so that it is difficult for people over the age of 30 to hear it,\" he said.\n\nThe winner of the Ig Nobel prize in medicine was Francis Fesmire, of University Hospital in Florida, for a study that showed that intractable hiccups can be terminated by \"digital rectal massage\".\n\n\"Initially, gagging and tongue pulling manoeuvres were attempted with no change in symptomatology,\" Dr Fesmire wrote in a study published in the Annals of Emergency Medicine. \"Digital rectal massage was then attempted using a slow circumferential motion. The frequency of hiccups immediately began to slow, with a termination of all hiccups within 30 seconds,\" the valiant scientist found.\n\nThe chemistry prize was awarded to a team of Spanish scientists who investigated the velocity of ultrasonic sound in cheddar cheese and the biology prize went to a team of researchers who found that female mosquitoes were equally attracted to the smells of limburger cheese and human feet.\n\nThe physics prize was won by a team who studied \"fragmentation in rods by cascading cracks\", which can account for why bending dry spaghetti always causes it to break into more than just two pieces.\n\nThe Ig Nobel literature prize was given to a study entitled: \"Consequences of Erudite Vernacular Utilised Irrespective of Necessity: Problems with Using Long Words Needlessly.\"\n\nPrevious Ig Nobel \'triumphs\'\n\n2005\n\nVictor Benno Meyer-Rochow and József Gál won the fluid dynamics prize for calculating the pressure that builds inside a penguin, as detailed in their report: Pressures Produced When Penguins Poo - Calculations on Avian Defecation.\n\n2004\n\nSteven Stack and James Gundlach won the medicine prize for their study on the effect of country music on suicide.\n\nAn analysis of US radio playlists revealed that as the amount of country music played went up, so did the white suicide rate.\n\n2003\n\nEleanor Maguire and her team at University College London won the medicine prize for a paper on taxi drivers\' brains that showed they were better than average. Dr Maguire conducted brain scans, and found that the part of the brain thought to hold memories, the hippocampus, was larger in cabbies than in other people.\n\n2002\n\nIndian academics K P Sreekumar and the late G Nirmalan, of Kerala Agricultural University, India, won the mathematics prize for their analytical report: Estimation of the Total Surface Area in Indian Elephants.\n\n2001\n\nJoel Slemrod, of the University of Michigan Business School, and Wojciech Kopczuk, of the University of British Columbia, won the economics prize for finding that people would find a way to postpone death to qualify for low inheritance tax.','Ig-Nobel Winners for 2006','','publish','open','closed','','ig-nobel-winners-for-2006','','','2006-10-06 10:48:26','2006-10-06 10:48:26','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=340',0,'post','',0),(341,2,'2006-10-07 12:22:20','2006-10-07 12:22:20','<em>From Michael Carmichael</em>\n\n<img alt=\"masonott.jpg\" src=\"http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/archives/masonott.jpg\" width=\"300\" height=\"221\" /><br />\n<em>Barry Mason, right, with Jonathan Ott</em>\n\n<strong>Barry Mason</strong> was the founder of the Psychedelic Shamanistic Institute (PSI), a networking organisation that encouraged ethnobotany and the scientific research into cannabis and other psychoactive plants while contributing substantially to the public debate about drug reform.  Associates of PSI include:  Mathew Atha, Colin Angus, Brian Barritt, Michael Carmichael, Fraser Clark, Paul Devereux, the late John Entwistle, Paul Flynn MP, Ben Ganly, Lee Harris, Mike Jay, Howard Marks, Dr John Marks, Jonathan Ott, Dr Russell Newcombe, Richard Rudgley and Youth.\n\nAs the head of PSI, Mason carried the torch for drug reform through a series of public appearances and televised debates and documentaries on drugs and their impact on society.  Mason was a steadfast defender of the principle of cognitive liberty, and he made public statements in defence of the freedom of speech.  When his friend, Michael Marlow, was charged with incitement for publishing a cannabis manual, Mason defended him by stating, “Here we are at the end of the millennium, and we are burning books.  I said to the police, \"What are you trying to do - force us to go into organised crime?\"\n<!--more-->\nBarry Mason was born into a theatrical family in Huddersfield.  Mason’s father was Frank Mason, a cousin of the renowned actor, James Mason.  Mason’s grandfather was the understudy and stand-in for the actor and comedian, George Formby, and his cousin who is also named, Barry Mason, is the popular songwriter who wrote the massive hit, “Delilah,” for Tom Jones.\n\nAlthough he was tempted to follow the family tradition, Mason accepted paternal advice and was swiftly appointed as a trainee stockbroker in the Manchester Stock Exchange where he worked as a financial researcher into securities and investments.  However, after demonstrating considerable promise for the profession, Mason eventually tired of the pretensions of the financial marketplace with its tedious culture of profits and its boring spread-sheet analysis of the world, and he yearned for a return to his cultural roots in the arts and letters.\n\nAfter his marriage to Virginia Lee, Mason worked to support his young family in a variety of capacities in the Manchester area before finding his profession as an antiquarian bookseller.   With the uncanny knack of the bookselling professional to assess the importance of a book or a private library at a single glance, Mason became a recognised specialist in the esoteric scientific texts published during the psychedelic era.\n\nMason\'s cultural and political impact heightened the public\'s awareness to the injustice of the drug laws and to present alternatives for a better and more humane future. An inveterate campaigner for the human right to cognitive liberty, he will be remembered as a paragon of the fight for civil rights denied to citizens in the 20th and 21st century. That Mason\'s political impact came at a time when moderate drug reform was achieved was rewarding, but he continued to lobby and protest for full cognitive liberty as a basic human right in any civil society.\n\nIn the 1990s, Mason met and studied with the author and scholar, Terence McKenna.  In the late 1990s, Mason worked with the author, Brian Barritt, a colleague of Timothy Leary.  In 1998, Mason published Barritt’s autobiographical psychedelic odyssey, The Road of Excess, to critical acclaim.\n\nMason’s first marriage to Virginia Lee was dissolved in the 1970s, and he remarried in 1980.  Mason is survived by his wife, Ginny Mason, and his children, Paul, Carla and Nik.','Barry Mason 1950-2006','','publish','open','closed','','barry-mason-1950-2006','','','2006-10-07 12:22:20','2006-10-07 12:22:20','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=341',0,'post','',0),(342,2,'2006-10-11 10:52:48','2006-10-11 10:52:48','LSD helps alcoholics put down the botttle\nBy Jeremy Laurance, Health Editor, 11 October 2006, <a href=\"http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/health_medical/article1834341.ece\">The Independent</a>\n\n<em>A single dose of the hallucinogenic drug LSD is an effective treatment for alcoholism - according to research led by a British doctor more than 40 years ago.</em>\n\nStudies on thousands of alcoholics treated with the drug in the early 1960s - before it became popular as a psychedelic street drug - showed it helped trigger a change in mental attitude leading drinkers to quit. But, in spite of its promise, the therapeutic potential of the drug has been ignored since it was banned worldwide in the late 1960s as a threat to public safety.\n\nNow a historian who unearthed the research, led by British psychiatrist Humphrey Osmond and carried out in Canada, has interviewed the participants four decades on and says the results are dramatic.\n<!--more-->\nErika Dyck, professor of the History of Medicine at the University of Alberta, said: \"The LSD somehow gave these people experiences that psychologically took them outside of themselves and allowed them to see their own unhealthy behaviour more objectively, and then determine to change it.\n\n\"Even interviewing the patients 40 years after their experience, I was surprised at how loyal they were to the doctors who treated them, and how powerful they said the experience was for them - some even felt the experience saved their lives.\"\n\nThe research was carried out in Saskatchewan where Humphry Osmond and his fellow British psychiatrist John Smythies had gone after they became disillusioned with the state of psychiatric research in Britain.\n\nThey reasoned that a single large dose of LSD might have the same effect as experiencing delirium tremens which they had noted often marked the turning point in a drinker\'s career.\n\nIn one study, two-thirds of the alcoholics stopped drinking for at least 18 months after receiving one dose of LSD, compared to 25 per cent who stopped after group therapy and 12 per cent after individual therapy.\n\nBut the 1962 study was received with scepticism by a research group in Toronto. They repeated the study on blindfolded patients in isolation, and concluded that, under these conditions, LSD was not an effective treatment for alcoholism.\n\nWriting in the journal Social History of Medicine, Dr Dyck said: \"The LSD experience appeared to allow the patients to go through a spiritual journey that ultimately empowered them to heal themselves, and that\'s really quite an amazing therapy regimen. We accept all sorts of drugs, but I think LSD\'s \'street\' popularity ultimately led to its demise. That\'s too bad because I think the researchers in Saskatchewan, among others, showed the drug is unique and has some intriguing properties that need to be explored further.\"\n\nThe ban on the use of LSD in medical experiments appears to be lifting, as researchers in the UShave recently been granted permission to conduct experiments. In Britain, some psychiatrists have been calling for research projects involving LSD and similar drugs to be re-started. The Royal College of Psychiatrists discussed the use of the drugs in treatment at its annual meeting in March, for the first time in over 30 years.\n\nThe story of Lysergic Acid Diethylamide\n\n* LSD was first produced by Swiss chemist Dr Albert Hofmann in 1938 and studied for possible medicinal applications. Its psychedelic properties were not recognised until 1943, and it remained freely available to scientists until 1966.\n\n* In 1953 and 1954, scientists working for MI6 administered LSD to servicemen without their consent in a bid to uncover a \"truth drug\". Earlier this year, the servicemen were paid thousands of pounds in compensation.\n\n* Between 1950 and 1965, research on LSD and other hallucinogens generated more than 1,000 scientific papers, six international conferences, and was prescribed as treatment to more than 40,000 patients.\n\n* In the late 1950s, film star Cary Grant was administered LSD on a therapeutic basis in an effort to overcome the problems behind his failed marriages. In 1961, Harvard psychology professor Dr Timothy Leary used a Harvard grant to give 3,500 doses to more than 400 volunteers. Of the test subjects, 90 per cent said they would like to repeat the experience while 62 per cent said it had changed their life for the better.\n\n* In 1966, LSD was made illegal in Britain and subsequently adopted by the counter-culture movement of the late 1960s, who found spiritual and mystical qualities in the prolonged hallucinations, which typically lasted 8 to 15 hours.\n\n* The spread of LSD among the general population followed its association with counter-culture icons such as Ken Kesey and his \"acid tests\", and Paul McCartney\'s highly publicised admission of use in a 1967 television interview.\n\n* In composing \"Tomorrow Never Knows\", the song that signalled The Beatles\' dalliance with the drug, John Lennon borrowed heavily from a 1964 book, The Psychedelic Experience, by Timothy Leary.\n\n* Roger \"Syd\" Barrett of Pink Floyd was also a prolific user in the 1960s. An infamous clip of him on acid has received nearly 50,000 viewings on YouTube.\n\n* In the late 1960s, a recreational dose typically amounted to one tenth of a grain of sand, or between 100 and 200 micrograms or \"mics\". Jim Morrison allegedly took 10,000 mics before performing with The Doors in 1966.\n\n* But, according to the NHS, there is no evidence to suggest LSD does any long-term damage to the body or mind.\n\n* Possession of LSD, a Class A drug, can get you up to seven years in jail. Supplying someone can get you life in prison and an unlimited fine.\n\nJeremy Clarke','LSD aids alcoholics','','publish','open','closed','','lsd-aids-alcoholics','','','2006-10-11 10:52:48','2006-10-11 10:52:48','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=342',0,'post','',0),(343,2,'2006-10-11 12:00:38','2006-10-11 12:00:38','<a href=\"http://www.noosfere.org/showcase/pulps__magazines_americains.htm\"><img alt=\"astounding.jpg\" src=\"http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/archives/astounding.jpg\" width=\"250\" height=\"350\" border=\"0\"/></a>\n\nAn amazing French site containing <a href=\"http://www.noosfere.org/showcase/pulps__magazines_americains.htm\" target=\"new\">complete runs of covers from *all* the US SF pulps</a>! Wow!\n\nThanks <a href=\"http://www.kenhollings.com\">Ken Hollings</a>!\n\nAlso fantastic, though hellish to navigate, is this <a href=\"http://www.philipkdick.com/works_covers.html\" target=\"new\">Philip K Dick covers</a> collection!','Pulp Heaven!','','publish','open','closed','','pulp-heaven','','','2006-10-11 12:00:38','2006-10-11 12:00:38','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=343',0,'post','',0),(344,2,'2006-10-13 16:55:50','2006-10-13 16:55:50','via <a href=\"http://www.circlemakers.org\">John Lundberg</a>...\n\n<em>Is U.S. Government Using LSD for Interrogations?\nBy Justin Rood - October 12, 2006, 10:53 AM\n</em> from <a href=\"http://www.tpmmuckraker.com/archives/001785.php\">TPM</a>\n\nOld-fashioned journalists have a term for bizarre, interesting and/or disturbing little articles -- \"Hey Mabel\" stories, they call them. And the New York Sun\'s Josh Gerstein had a doozy of a \"Hey Mabel\" in yesterday\'s paper.\n\nIn a new court filing on behalf of alleged dirty bomber Jose Padilla, his lawyers allege that government interrogators forced him to take LSD, Gerstein reported.\n\n\"Additionally, Padilla was given drugs against his will, believed to be some form of lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) or phencyclidine (PCP), to act as a sort of truth serum during his interrogations,\" he quotes the filing.\n<!--more-->\nNow, There are some important details that aren\'t explained: Padilla\'s lawyers don\'t say what effects the prisoner reported to make them conclude it was LSD or PCP, nor do they report how many times such a drug or drugs were administered. And as any self-respecting child of the D.A.R.E era knows, LSD and PCP typically produce wildly different behavior (neither of which is particularly helpful if you\'re trying to get information out of someone).\n\nStill -- if their charge is accurate, it\'s disturbing and bizarre. Of course, the U.S. government pioneered research into LSD in particular in the 1950s and 60s. CIA officers even tested the drug by surruptitiously dosing each other, leading at least one acid-tripping spook to run in a paranoid frenzy through Washington D.C. and over a bridge into Virginia, where his co-workers later found him cowering under a fountain.\n\nBut through experiences like this, the government concluded the drug was worthless as an interrogation tool, a means to \"flip\" Communist agents, or anything else their Cold War minds had feverishly dreamed possible. Is it possible that they\'re experimenting with mind drugs again? That sounds completely outlandish. But when you look at history, and then look at the Padilla filing, it\'s hard to rule out.\n\nI\'ve called three members of Padilla\'s legal team multiple times in an attempt to get more details, but have gotten nowhere. Can this be real?','US using LSD in interrogations?','','publish','open','closed','','us-using-lsd-in-interrogations','','','2006-10-13 16:55:50','2006-10-13 16:55:50','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=344',0,'post','',0),(345,2,'2006-10-16 09:43:53','2006-10-16 09:43:53','Strange Attractor vs Disinformation perform Circuit Blasting\nTonight in Cambridge, along with\n\nPita vs Z\'ev\n(touch recordings, mego, editions mego)\n\nat\n\nUnitarian Church\n5 Emmanuel Rd Cambridge CB1 1JW\n(near Drummer Street Bus Station, overlooking Christ\'s Pieces)\n\nPrice: £6/7 door\nTimes: 8-10pm (NOTE: early!)\n\n<a href=\"http://www.bad-timing.co.uk/\">More info</a>\n\n> Advance tickets\nJunction Box Office: 01223 511 511','SAVD in Cambridge tonight!','','publish','open','closed','','savd-in-cambridge-tonight','','','2006-10-16 09:43:53','2006-10-16 09:43:53','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=345',0,'post','',0),(346,2,'2006-10-16 10:30:49','2006-10-16 10:30:49','<a href=\"http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/archives/AfterGlow.jpg\"><img alt=\"AfterGlow.jpg\" src=\"http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/archives/AfterGlow-thumb.jpg\" width=\"274\" height=\"400\" border=\"0\"/></a>\n\n\n<a href=\"http://www.raagnagrok.co.uk\">Raagnagrok</a> join Ninki V, Sculpture, Temperatures, Beat Frequency, Genesis (we\'re not sure if it\'s the original Peter Gabriel group, or the later Phil Collins variant) and others at Afterglow, a reprise of this years wonderous <a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/strangeattractor/sets/72157594257802311/\">Cwm to the Valley</a> festival.\n\nAs well as live music there are short films, spoken word performances, Lightning Rod oil wheels. Hey, it\'s a happening in here!\n\nAt <a href=\"http://www.myspace.com/passingclouds\">Passing Clouds</a>, a new artspace in Dalston, London – 440 Richmond Rd, E8. Entry £3, 8.30pm until late.','Raagnagrok at Afterglow this Weds','','publish','open','closed','','raagnagrok-at-afterglow-this-weds','','','2006-10-16 10:30:49','2006-10-16 10:30:49','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=346',0,'post','',0),(347,2,'2006-10-20 11:00:23','2006-10-20 11:00:23','<a href=\"http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/archives/further.jpg\"><img alt=\"further.jpg\" src=\"http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/archives/further-thumb.jpg\" width=\"300\" height=\"340\" border=\"0\" /></a>\n(click to expand image)\n\n<em>SAJ3</em> is looking stunning and fresh thanks to Alison Hutchinson\'s sterling design work and some beautiful illustrative materials allied, of course, to a potent collection of written contributions.\n\nThe book will run at just over 300 pages, including <strong>eight pages of full colour</strong> plates. There will be the usual edition of 200 collectors\' copies, in burgundy brocade to match the previous two. Advanced ordering details will be available once we have gone to press.','Journal Three: late November','','publish','open','closed','','journal-three-late-november','','','2006-10-20 11:00:23','2006-10-20 11:00:23','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=347',0,'post','',0),(348,2,'2006-10-31 09:15:41','2006-10-31 09:15:41','<a href=\"http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/archives/fungiglow.jpg\"><img alt=\"fungiglow.jpg\" src=\"http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/archives/fungiglow-thumb.jpg\" width=\"300\" height=\"199\" border=\"0\" /></a>\n\nThe mushrooms are part of the genus Mycena, a group that includes about 500 species worldwide. Of these only 33 are known to be bioluminescent—capable of producing light through a chemical reaction.\n\nFrom <a href=\"http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2006/10/061026-fungi-glow.html\">National Geographic</a>\n\nThanks Anthony Matt!','Luminous fungi!','','publish','open','closed','','luminous-fungi','','','2006-10-31 09:15:41','2006-10-31 09:15:41','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=348',0,'post','',0),(350,2,'2006-11-01 10:06:12','2006-11-01 10:06:12','Tom Kneale (better known as Nigel Kneale) died on Sunday 29 October 2006 aged 84. To many he was the godfather of television science fiction, a literary genius, and one whose work for Hammer Film Productions was of immeasurable importance to the development of the company.\n\nFrom <a href=\"http://www.hammerfilms.com/features/tributes/nigel_kneale.html\">Hammer News</a> via Gordon Rutter\n\nThis just in: <a href=\"http://www.guardian.co.uk/g2/story/0,,1936916,00.html\" target=\"new\">Mark Gattis</a> on his relationship with Kneale.\n<!--more-->\nEstablished myth has Kneale born on the Isle of Man in April 1922, and although he grew up on the island, he was in fact born in Lancashire, England.  Kneale spent time as an actor and a writer of prose before commencing work as a scriptwriter for the BBC.\n\nIt was whilst at the BBC in the early 1950s that Nigel Kneale wrote the ground-breaking serial The Quatermass Experiment. It was event television, emptying the streets and pubs for the six weeks of its duration. Hammer director Anthony Hinds saw the first episode, and by the time of the second instalment\'s broadcast, had secured a deal with the BBC for Hammer to make a\nfilm version.\n\nHammer\'s decision to make The Quatermass Xperiment was probably the most important the company would ever make. Director Val Guest  cut the script down from a three hour epic to a taught 80 minute chiller, pitting Brian Donlevy\'s Quatermass against the creeping unknown that comes to earth in the space rocket. The company\'s first X picture proved a runaway success and would cause Hammer to look towards further macabre projects kickstarting the gothic horror cycle with The Curse of Frankenstein.\n\nNigel Kneale would go on to become one of the most influential writers of the 20th century. He developed a knack for prescient visions of our dystopia. The live broadcast of Kneale\'s adaptation of Nineteen Eighty Four prompted questions in parliament in response to its shocking imagery. The themes would be picked up again in his 1960s tv play The Year of the Sex\nOlympics, as the nation is kept in check by a constant deluge of reality tv, and overt sex and violence.\n\nKneale would continue to cast his shadow over science fiction television throughout the next fifty years. He once watched an episode of the BBC\'s Doctor Who only to see a virtual copy of one of his Quatermass serials. Following a stint in Hollywood in the 1980s, in the 1990s Kneale turned down a request to contribute to popular US show The X-Files.\n\nHis association with Hammer was secured with the acquisition of the Quatermass property. Following the successes of The Quatermass Xperiment, Hammer were quick to put Quatermass 2 into production following its BBC broadcast, again with Val Guest at the helm. And in 1967 Hammer would finish off the trilogy with their adaptation of Quatermass and the Pit.\n\nKneale also adapted his own BBC serial The Creature for Hammer as The Abominable Snowman in 1957 and wrote the final script for Joan Fontaine vehicle The Witches in 1966. Hammer Film Productions\' Chairman Larry Chrisfield said \"He made a huge contribution to Hammer\'s  history and we are greatly indebted to him\".\n\nAnd yet the ghost of Quatermass never quite eluded Kneale. A fourth series emerged from Euston films in 1979 and a radio series was made in the 1990s around the same time that a remake of the original Experiment was on the cards. In 2005 the BBC attempted a live broadcast of the story. Quatermass became a spokesperson for the fears of a nation, faced with the looming threat of the unknown, combating the foreigner and coming face to face with\nthe alien in all of us.  Robert Simpson','Nigel Kneale','','publish','open','closed','','nigel-kneale','','','2006-11-01 10:06:12','2006-11-01 10:06:12','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=350',0,'post','',0),(351,2,'2006-11-04 11:46:23','2006-11-04 11:46:23','<a href=\"http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/archives/lest.jpg\"><img alt=\"lest.jpg\" src=\"http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/archives/lest-thumb.jpg\" width=\"300\" height=\"224\" border=\"0\"/></a>','Remember, remember...','','publish','open','closed','','remember-remember','','','2006-11-04 11:46:23','2006-11-04 11:46:23','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=351',0,'post','',0),(352,2,'2006-11-06 09:43:05','2006-11-06 09:43:05','Mild electric currents aid memory\n\nAlok Jha, science correspondent\nMonday November 6, 2006\n<a href=\"http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,,1940432,00.html\">The Guardian</a>\n\nScientists have discovered a surprising way of improving memory: passing electricity through the brain while you are asleep. They have found that mild electrical stimulation at the right frequency improved people\'s ability to remember words on waking up...\n\nJan Born, a neuroscientist at the University of Lübeck in Germany who led the research, said the electrical current, applied via electrodes stuck to the scalp, seemed to enhance a part of the sleep cycle linked to consolidating word memory. Dr Born had 13 medical students learn a list of words and tested how many they remembered after a set time. He had them repeat the exercise after a nap...\n\nThe researchers think their electrical stimulation enhanced the early part of the volunteers\' sleep cycle called \"slow wave sleep\". During slow wave sleep there are regular electrical fluctuations in the prefrontal neocortex, which is linked to conscious thought and spatial reasoning.','Electricity aids memory','','publish','open','closed','','electricity-aids-memory','','','2006-11-06 09:43:05','2006-11-06 09:43:05','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=352',0,'post','',0),(353,2,'2006-11-06 10:12:32','2006-11-06 10:12:32','Octopus: Genius of the deep\n<em>They can use tools and experience pain and stress. Octopuses are so intelligent they may win special protection in laboratory research - and from the cruelty dished out by some restaurant kitchens</em>\nBy Marie Woolf, Political Editor. <a href=\"http://news.independent.co.uk/environment/article1956568.ece\">Independent</a> 05 November 2006\n\nAuthor William Burroughs saw the octopus as a \"highly emotional\" creature, liable to change red with lust or pale green with fear. But in British laboratories, cephalopods are regarded as a species so unsophisticated they are denied even basic legal protection.\n\nNot only can cephalopods be experimented upon live, their vivisection does not require a licence. As a result, there is no record of how many are being used in lab tests or for what they are being used. But compelling new evidence about their abilities means that may be about to change.\n<!--more-->\nNew research has shown that octopuses and their cousins, the squid and cuttlefish, are far more intelligent than previously thought. They can experience suffering and are capable of complex thought, even to the extent of using tools.\n\nThe discovery has provoked a rethink by the Government and European Union. Proposals are being drawn up to offer octopuses and their kind the same protection in laboratories as monkeys, cats and dogs.\n\nThere is even talk of their receiving better protection in restaurant kitchens, where they are routinely chopped up and cooked alive, after the European food watchdog ruled that they were capable of suffering \"pain and distress\".\n\nBehind closed doors in Whitehall and Brussels, evidence of the surprising sophistication of cephalopods is being studied closely.\n\nThis evidence has so convinced officials on the Animal Procedures Committee (APC), the experimentation watchdog in the UK, that it has recommended to ministers that the law governing animal testing be amended so all cephalopods are given the same protection as animals.\n\nBut though ministers have accepted the evidence, they have stopped short of changing the law in the UK. Instead, they are delaying a decision on whether to extend protection until a wider EU ruling is made.\n\nDr Gill Langley, science director of the Dr Hadwen Trust for Humane Research, said the evidence was so compelling that ministers should have immediately changed the law.\n\n\"As a member of the APC, when this issue was discussed I was extremely disappointed that the minister didn\'t accept the recommendations of the Government\'s own advisory committee... There is more than enough scientific evidence for the sentiency and intelligence of cephalopods.\"\n\nAlready in Canada, New Zealand and Norway, octopuses, squid and cuttlefish are covered by animal welfare laws requiring them to be treated and killed humanely in the laboratories.\n\nThe animal welfare group, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (Peta), says Britain and other EU countries must follow suit fast.\n\nJessica Sandler, director of regulatory testing at Peta, said: \"There is much evidence that these creatures are not only intelligent but sensitive. They are capable of feeling stress and pain under experimental conditions, so it is obvious they should be covered under animal welfare legislation.\"\n\nAuthor William Burroughs saw the octopus as a \"highly emotional\" creature, liable to change red with lust or pale green with fear. But in British laboratories, cephalopods are regarded as a species so unsophisticated they are denied even basic legal protection.\n\nNot only can cephalopods be experimented upon live, their vivisection does not require a licence. As a result, there is no record of how many are being used in lab tests or for what they are being used. But compelling new evidence about their abilities means that may be about to change.\n\nNew research has shown that octopuses and their cousins, the squid and cuttlefish, are far more intelligent than previously thought. They can experience suffering and are capable of complex thought, even to the extent of using tools.\n\nThe discovery has provoked a rethink by the Government and European Union. Proposals are being drawn up to offer octopuses and their kind the same protection in laboratories as monkeys, cats and dogs.\n\nThere is even talk of their receiving better protection in restaurant kitchens, where they are routinely chopped up and cooked alive, after the European food watchdog ruled that they were capable of suffering \"pain and distress\".\n\nBehind closed doors in Whitehall and Brussels, evidence of the surprising sophistication of cephalopods is being studied closely.\n\nThis evidence has so convinced officials on the Animal Procedures Committee (APC), the experimentation watchdog in the UK, that it has recommended to ministers that the law governing animal testing be amended so all cephalopods are given the same protection as animals.\n\nBut though ministers have accepted the evidence, they have stopped short of changing the law in the UK. Instead, they are delaying a decision on whether to extend protection until a wider EU ruling is made.\n\nDr Gill Langley, science director of the Dr Hadwen Trust for Humane Research, said the evidence was so compelling that ministers should have immediately changed the law.\n\n\"As a member of the APC, when this issue was discussed I was extremely disappointed that the minister didn\'t accept the recommendations of the Government\'s own advisory committee... There is more than enough scientific evidence for the sentiency and intelligence of cephalopods.\"\n\nAlready in Canada, New Zealand and Norway, octopuses, squid and cuttlefish are covered by animal welfare laws requiring them to be treated and killed humanely in the laboratories.\n\nThe animal welfare group, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (Peta), says Britain and other EU countries must follow suit fast.\n\nJessica Sandler, director of regulatory testing at Peta, said: \"There is much evidence that these creatures are not only intelligent but sensitive. They are capable of feeling stress and pain under experimental conditions, so it is obvious they should be covered under animal welfare legislation.\"','Genius of the Deep','','publish','open','closed','','genius-of-the-deep','','','2006-11-06 10:12:32','2006-11-06 10:12:32','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=353',0,'post','',0),(354,2,'2006-11-07 22:00:51','2006-11-07 22:00:51','<img alt=\"MC_SR-Issue6.jpg\" src=\"http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/archives/MC_SR-Issue6.jpg\" width=\"191\" height=\"269\" />\n\n\nThe latest issue of the fine esoteric, fortean and paranormal magazine <a href=\"http://subrosa.dailygrail.com/\">Sub Rosa</a> is now available for <a href=\"http://subrosa.dailygrail.com/download.html\">free download</a>.\n\nNumber 6 features a nice confessional piece from an obsessive Crowely bibliomaniac; geologist Robert Schock visits the dubious (to my mind, though of course I haven\'t been there yet!) Bosnian pyramid; a profile of <em>Secret Teachings of All Ages</em> author Manly P Hall and plenty more.','Sub Rosa issue 6','','publish','open','closed','','sub-rosa-issue-6','','','2006-11-07 22:00:51','2006-11-07 22:00:51','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=354',0,'post','',0),(355,2,'2006-11-09 10:23:55','2006-11-09 10:23:55','<em>NB: Deval Patrick was just <a href=\"http://blogs.chron.com/bluebayou/2006/11/deval_patrick_and_the_politics.html\" target=\"new\">elected as Govenor of Massachusetts</a>, becoming the first black man to hold the position... (Thanks Marcus Scott!)</em>\n\nDeval\'s cosmic roots *   <a href=\"http://www.weeklydig.com/news_opinions/articles/devals_cosmic_roots\" target=\"new\">Boston Weekly Dig</a> * Wed, October 25, 2006\n\nAt this point, Pat Patrick might be best known for abandoning his wife and children. That’s because his son, Deval, has made the story of his childhood struggle a central part of his biography as he campaigns for governor.\n\nBut the elder Patrick has long been a cult figure among music fans. He ditched the family to play saxophone with the Sun Ra Arkestra, the space-obsessed avant-garde jazz big band whose leader envisioned the black race moving to another planet in the solar system.\n<!--more-->\nIt’s hard to imagine that Deval, with his squeaky-clean persona and corporate lawyer background, is the offspring of a crucial member of one of the single wildest bands of the 20th century. But sure enough, Sun Ra fanatics say Patrick was an Arkestra mainstay.\n\n“He was with the Arkestra pretty steady from 1956 to the late ’60s, and then was back with them periodically after that,” says Charlie Kohlhase, a Boston-area saxophonist and host of a weekly jazz show on WMBR-FM.\n\nThe Arkestra lived communally and ran their own label, pressing tiny numbers of each record. Its members performed in glittering costumes that could be described as half-Egyptian, half-spacesuit, and the music managed to mix together swing, chants and early electronic instruments.\n\nBut, Kohlhase points out, Patrick was a “really creative musician who could work in a lot of situations. He played with [Latin jazz great] Mongo Santamaria, and also played with Thelonious Monk for a bit in the early ’70s.”\n\nA tune Patrick co-wrote for Santamaria, “Yeah Yeah,” even became a fluke Top 40 pop hit when covered by British singer Georgie Fame.\n\nDeval Patrick’s campaign press office did not respond to several inquiries about his dad. “It’s interesting how they don’t really bring this out,” says Kohlhase.\n\nStill, the younger Patrick has long made his father’s jazz career a part of his official biography. And a 1993 Globe profile talked about how Pat Patrick showed up, unexpected, when his son graduated from Milton Academy. “I think he was distrustful of his son going to the ‘white man’s school,’” says Kohlhase.\n\nThe Globe story also mentioned that Pat Patrick played a song at his son’s wedding, the jazz standard “I Can’t Get Started.” It’s a tune he had recorded with the trumpeter Blue Mitchell. But Deval Patrick told the paper that “that tune sort of summed up our relationship.”','Massachusetts&#039; govenor&#039;s cosmic roots','','publish','open','closed','','massachusetts-govenors-cosmic-roots','','','2006-11-09 10:23:55','2006-11-09 10:23:55','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=355',0,'post','',0),(356,2,'2006-11-11 11:33:06','2006-11-11 11:33:06','John Symonds: Biographer of \'the Great Beast\'\n<a href=\"http://news.independent.co.uk/people/obituaries/article1963270.ece\">Independent,</a> 11 November 2006\n\nJohn Symonds, journalist, novelist and playwright: born London 12 March 1914; married 1940 Hedvig Feuerstein (marriage dissolved), 1945 Renata Israel (two sons); died London 21 October 2006.\n\nJohn Symonds wrote highly regarded children\'s books illustrated by some of the foremost illustrators of the day, entertaining biographies, a multitude of plays (only a few of which were ever performed), and a host of novels, but will surely be best remembered for his connection, as biographer and literary executor, with the infamous Aleister Crowley.\n<!--more-->\nCrowley - once described as \"the wickedest man in the world\" by a journalist on the weekly John Bull who clearly had no real understanding of the concept (and whose proprietor Horatio Bottomley was in any case a thumping crook himself) - was the most notorious practitioner of ritual magic, mainly of a sexual nature, of the first half of the 20th century. He was also a pornographer, traitor to his country (in New York during the First World War he propagandised on behalf of Germany), plagiarist (much of his teaching and occult writings were cribbed from other hands), mountaineer, big game hunter, and heroin addict.\n\nHe was at one time or another a member of most of the esoteric occult sets of the 1890s and 1900s, including the influential Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn (W.B. Yeats, a fellow member, thought him clinically mad), and parted company from most with varying degrees of bad feeling.\n\nHis private life was messy. When he was not maintaining he was the incarnation of Edward Kelley the Elizabethan scryer, a pharaonic priest called (incomprehensibly) Ankh-f-n-khonsu, or the French mage Eliphas Levi, he was to be found impregnating numerous females, including his wife, deserting his children, and conducting homosexual affairs. His watchword was \"Do what thou wilt\", a sentiment he pinched from Rabelais.\n\nAll of this - and much, much more - appeared in John Symonds\'s initial biography, The Great Beast (1952), which, due to its author\'s vow to paint a true portrait of his subject, caused a good deal of fluttering in the esoteric dovecotes. Crowley also proved a boon to novelists, including Somerset Maugham (The Magician, 1908), Dennis Wheatley and Anthony Powell amongst others.\n\nSymonds had met Crowley towards the end of the Second World War when the self-styled \"Beast 666\" was at the absolute nadir of his fortunes, eking out a wretched existence in a residential hotel in Hastings. For some years he had been trying to take over the Society of the Inner Light, founded in the 1920s by \"Dion Fortune\", or Violet Mary Firth, who wrote prolifically on ritual magic as well as sensation novels under the name \"V.M. Steele\". But, after Firth\'s death in 1946, Crowley seems to have lost heart and was therefore cheered by Symonds\'s interest. Before he died (in 1947) he willed all his copyrights to the younger author as well as making him his literary executor, a task Symonds carried out conscientiously for the next six decades.\n\nAs a biographer Symonds was certainly attracted to larger-than-life characters who were at the same time more or less charlatans, including the extraordinary Helena Petrovna Blavatsky (born Hahn: usually referred to as Madame Blavatsky), a celebrated medium and founder of the theosophy movement in the late 19th century whose demonstrations of supernatural phenomena in London were even declared bogus by the Society for Psychical Research, a body at the time friendly towards not a few fraudulent operators.\n\nSymonds\'s biography, Madame Blavatsky: medium and magician, was published in 1959, and was followed by the entertaining account of the Methodist Thomas Brown who, in the 1790s, became involved with the Shakers: Thomas Brown and the Angels: a study in enthusiasm (1961). He also got to know, and subsequently became literary executor to, Gerald Hamilton, whose rackety and scandalous life style was utilised by Christopher Isherwood in Mr Norris Changes Trains (1935). This friendship resulted in Conversations with Gerald (1974).\n\nJohn Symonds was born in Battersea, London, in 1914, the illegitimate son of Robert Wemyss Symonds, the eminent authority on old English clocks and antique furniture, and the architect responsible for, amongst other buildings, the Middlesex Hospital. Symonds senior refused to acknowledge his son until many years later, and John was brought up in Margate by his mother, Lily Sapzells (later Chappell).\n\nHe was largely self-educated, spending much of his spare time in the British Museum after he moved to London in 1930. He became a journalist and frequenter of Fitzrovia, his friends writers and poets such as Stephen Spender, Orwell, Dylan Thomas and Michael Hamburger, and the playwright and novelist Bill Naughton. Exempted from military service during the war, he worked for Stefan Lorant\'s Lilliput (which he edited for a while) and Picture Post, under Tom Hopkinson.\n\nAfter the war he settled down at the typewriter turning out children\'s books as well as a number of novels which reflected his own interest in the outré and the macabre: The Lady in the Tower (1955) was a Gothic love story set among old clocks and antiques; Light Over Water (1963) concerned a journalist\'s delving into the occult. The Stuffed Dog (1967), aimed at older children and illustrated by Edward Ardizzone, featured the eerie idea of a ventriloquist\'s dummy found in an attic whose mechanical voice was stolen from the ventriloquist himself.\n\nFor his children\'s books Symonds was remarkably lucky with his illustrators. Ardizzone also supplied charming pictures for Lottie (1957) and Elfrida and the Pig (1959) - the illustrations for which recently surfaced in a London gallery. The Isle of Cats (1955) boasted some deliciously idiosyncratic illustrations (many, unusually for the artist, in colour) by Gerard Hoffnung.\n\nSymonds\'s last novel, The Child (about a young girl who founds her own religion), was published in 1976. Thereafter he wrote two further books on Crowley - The King of the Shadow Realm (1989) and The Beast 666 (1997), the latter issued when he was in his 84th year. Like Ernest Dudley, another long-living writer, Symonds kept fit, jogging around Hampstead Heath until well into his eighties.\n\nJack Adrian','John Symonds RIP','','publish','open','closed','','john-symonds-rip','','','2006-11-11 11:33:06','2006-11-11 11:33:06','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=356',0,'post','',0),(357,2,'2006-11-13 10:37:51','2006-11-13 10:37:51','<em>Williamson\'s \'Darker Than You Think\' - a 1940s shapeshifting noir - is a unique  genre-warping novel. It was an inspiration for the rocket scientist and occultist Jack Parsons, who thought it was truth disguised as fiction. I\'m amazed it\'s never been filmed... MP</em>\n\nJack Williamson\nFather of American science fiction\n<a href=\"http://news.independent.co.uk/people/obituaries/article1963593.ece\">Independent</a> 13 November 2006\n\nJohn Stewart Williamson, writer: born Bisbee, Arizona Territory 29 April 1908; married 1947 Blanche Slaton Harp (died 1985; one stepdaughter); died Portales, New Mexico 10 November 2006.\n\nIt seems that there was never a time when Jack Williamson, who has died at 98 after an active career extending from 1928 until late last year, was not the father of American science fiction. \"If your father read science fiction,\" the editor and novelist Frederik Pohl once wrote, \"he very likely counted Jack Williamson high among his favorite writers.\" What now seems remarkable about this statement is that it was made in 1953.\n<!--more-->\nIn fact Star Science Fiction Stories #2, the anthology of original stories Pohl was introducing, was anything but a memorial volume; the early 1950s series to which it belonged was widely seen as a vehicle for the new-blood writers who had begun to transform the science-fiction genre after the Second World War, and Williamson gained entry there \"as a sort of combination of revered old master and bright new star\".\n\nHe had already re-invented his craft and his career more than once, and, almost magically, over the next 50 or more years, he continued to fill the double role Pohl had assigned him: simply by surviving and remaining dauntingly active (he published at least 10 stories and two novels in the 21st century), he seemed somehow to guarantee the inner youth and freshness of American genre science fiction itself.\n\nJack Williamson had been there at the beginning (the very term science fiction was not invented until 1931), and his death marks at the very least a symbolic terminus for the intimacy of the old genre. Over the decades, most of the professionals in the field had met Williamson personally; there are few professionals now alive who had not read him as a child.\n\nJohn Stewart Williamson was born in Arizona while it was still a Territory, and grew up on various ranches and farms; his family eventually migrated by covered wagon to New Mexico, where he lived the rest of his life. His home at Portales remains a working ranch.\n\nIn New Mexico, however, his father became principal of the local school, and young Jack - like so many boys attracted to science fiction in subsequent decades - turned into a lonely, unsocialised, bookish child. By the age of 20 - later generations of science fiction writers also tended to start young - he was a published author, his first story, \"The Metal Men\", appearing in Hugo Gernsback\'s Amazing Stories in 1928. His first book, The Girl From Mars, a novella written with Miles J. Breuer, appeared the next year from a Gernsback firm. It was a very strange story; but the nascent genre of science fiction - in which Williamson soon became a major figure - was itself strange.\n\nThe densely packed 24 pages of this tale mix together cataclysmic super science - the humanoid civilisation of Mars blows itself up with atomic bombs, and ray guns and resistant spheres of force and super intellects proliferate back on Earth - and what might be called a catastrophic psychology: the behaviour of the human family at the centre of the tale is dysfunctional at a positively Jacobean level (almost everyone is violently dead by page 24). The underlying message, almost certainly unintended by the young Williamson, is that the future will be a region of deep stress: that it will be no easy task for an American to live on the cusp of inheriting the whole world and having to make something of it.\n\nMore than most of his contemporaries, Williamson had an instinct for this, never comprehensively articulated but patent. The protagonists of his 1930s stories seem to sleepwalk into the triumphs and disasters they are heir to. The wind of the future is in their faces, and it seems to blind them.\n\nWilliamson himself underwent psychoanalysis in the decade before the Second World War, and clearly had demons to subdue. His early prolificness was indeed almost manic. Almost everything contained in the first six large volumes of his complete short stories was published before writers like Isaac Asimov and Robert A. Heinlein entered the field in 1939 and began to transform it; and, in their dozens, these stories exhibit an inner agitation that he never wholly escaped, and which he conspicuously exhibits even in a very late tale like The Man from Somewhere (2005), whose title amusingly echoes his first book.\n\nThe story, in which Williamson is clearly paying homage to his early work, sweepingly jams together time travel and black holes, and a numbing depiction of family and cultural dysfunction, into a vision of the irreversible self- destruction of the human race. Under the calm clear narrative voice Williamson invented as part of his assimilation of science fiction\'s new maturity after 1945 or so, this deep agitation persists - a sense that surface clarity must always wrestle with despair. Clarity as a fix for despair: this is not perhaps a bad description of the effect of the best American science fiction.\n\nBut there was more to Williamson than dread. In the 1930s, he began a series of exuberant and expansive space operas, the Legion of Space tales; in these stories his heroes - most notably the Falstaff-like Giles Habibula, according to contemporary polls the most popular continuing character to appear in 1930s science fiction - were in command of the action, and the future, and the universe.\n\nThe science may have been minimal, but a little later, in the early 1940s Seetee sequence, he treated issues of genuine speculative science, incorporating into ample action sequences a sophisticated take on the possibility and implications of anti-matter, and other issues alive in the physics of the time. Almost simultaneously, he published in Unknown magazine the grim first version of Darker Than You Think (1948), a quasi-scientific but very dark treatment of werewolves as genetic throwbacks, an explanatory principle which has fuelled seemingly innumerable horror novels ever since.\n\nThis novel would be his most famous, along with The Humanoids (1948), a tale in which he again uses word android in its modern sense (he invented the modern usage in 1936; later, in a 1942 story, he coined the term and the concept of terraforming; he was also the first to use the term genetic engineering in fiction); under its calm surface, The Humanoids expresses, once again, an agitated sense of tribulations to come; its examination of artificial beings, and of issues of Artificial Intelligence, is prescient. A late sequel, The Humanoid Touch (1980), carries the speculation further.\n\nThese novels proclaim their smooth mastery of their form; by the late 1940s, Williamson seemed to have tamed his own personal demons, and to have translated his personal and cultural anxieties into art.\n\nIt was not to last. Though he had married his childhood sweetheart, Blanche Slaton Harp, in 1947, by 1950 or so he began to suffer a severe writer\'s block, from which he did not escape fully for at least two decades. Novels and stories did appear, some in collaboration with the writer and academic James E. Gunn, whose example may have helped persuade him to return to higher education.\n\nHe had attended classes at the University of New Mexico in 1932-33 without graduating, but now took an MA at Eastern New Mexico University (ENMU) in 1957, where he taught from 1960 until his retirement in 1977, remaining Professor Emeritus until his death; in 1964 he took a PhD in English literature with the University of Colorado. His thesis was published as H.G. Wells: critic of progress (1973), and he won the 1973 Pilgrim Award for his academic work.\n\nHis influence as a teacher was already extensive, and the growth of science fiction as an academic career choice is in part due to him. The annual Jack Williamson Lectureship Series, sponsored by ENMU, began in 1977, and continues. The Jack Williamson Science Fiction Library at ENMU, endowed in 1982, contains nearly 30,000 books and journals.\n\nBy the late 1960s, his writer\'s block had gone into remission. With Frederik Pohl, he wrote the successful Starchild trilogy (1964-69), which inventively combines space opera and xenobiological speculation; and he soon began to publish what many readers think of his best work, releasing 19 novels between The Moon Children (1972) and his final tale, The Stonehenge Gate (2005). Notable titles included Manseed (1982), an updated examination of genetic engineering, and Terraforming Earth (2001), the shorter magazine form of which, \"The Ultimate Earth\" (2000), won both the Hugo and Nebula Awards.\n\nHis later years were peppered with awards, including the Nebula Grand Master Award in 1975, the World Fantasy Life Achievement Award in 1994, induction into the Science Fiction Hall of Fame in 1996, and Grandmaster of the World Horror Convention in 2004.\n\nWilliamson\'s last years were successful but not untroubled. As he recounts in the 2005 revision to his autobiography Wonder\'s Child (1984), he lost his wife in 1985 in a motor-car accident while he was at the wheel. But he remained otherwise exceedingly active on all fronts. He carried his era with him to the end.\n\nJohn Clute','Jack Williamson RIP','','publish','open','closed','','jack-williamson-rip','','','2006-11-13 10:37:51','2006-11-13 10:37:51','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=357',0,'post','',0),(358,2,'2006-11-15 12:34:58','2006-11-15 12:34:58','<img alt=\"13.jpg\" src=\"http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/archives/13.jpg\" width=\"223\" height=\"345\" />\n\nSAJ2 contributor Maud Larsson has a stunning series of photographs on display at London\'s Horse Hospital, all hand developed using the tricky lith printing process.\n\n\"At first sight the photographs in Men Without Names look like late 1800s American folk portraiture, particularly those ‘Raggle Taggle’ men and boys who fought on both sides during the Civil War of 1861 – 1865. They look deceptively authentic, yet on closer examination certain deliberate anachronisms permeate. Details such as haircuts and clothing are distinctly modern; Larsson’s blurring of references and periods is intricate and knowing.\"\n\nMore info and photographs <a href=\"http://www.horseofbone.com/Menwithoutnames.html\">here</a>.\n\nMen Without Names, 13th November – 20th December 2006\n<a href=\"http://www.thehorsehospital.com/\">The Horse Hospital</a>, 1 Colonnade, behind Russell Square tube.','Men Without Names','','publish','open','closed','','men-without-names','','','2006-11-15 12:34:58','2006-11-15 12:34:58','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=358',0,'post','',0),(359,2,'2006-11-16 10:29:57','2006-11-16 10:29:57','<em>Just in time for my Nikola Tesla biographical article in this month\'s <a href=\"http://www.forteantimes.com\">Fortean Times</a> comes news that 21st century science is finally catching up with the patron saint of electricity...</em>\n\nPhysics promises wireless power, Jonathan Fildes BBC News\n\nThe tangle of cables and plugs needed to recharge today\'s electronic gadgets could soon be a thing of the past. US researchers have outlined a relatively simple system that could deliver power to devices such as laptop computers or MP3 players without wires. The concept exploits century-old physics and could work over distances of many metres, the researchers said.\n\n<a href=\"http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/6129460.stm\">Continues...</a>\n\nThanks Mike Jay!','Wireless Power!','','publish','open','closed','','wireless-power','','','2006-11-16 10:29:57','2006-11-16 10:29:57','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=359',0,'post','',0),(360,2,'2006-11-18 16:30:50','2006-11-18 16:30:50','<a href=\"http://www.acidmothers.com/Cgi-bin/index_pre061209/index.html\"><img alt=\"resonantt001.jpg\" src=\"http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/archives/resonantt001.jpg\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" /></a>\n\nSunday night at Corsica Studios in Elephant & Castle: 5 Elephant Road, London, SE17 1LB\nTickets\n\nKosmische presents:\n\n*acid mothers temple & the melting paraiso u.f.o.\n\"a reputation for phenomenal live shows\" wikipedia.org\n\n*The Early Years\n\"Signed only last year and releasing just one single...very special.\" Drowned in Sound\nwww.theearlyyears.org.uk/Download.asp\n\n*Duracell\n\"pure genius. Manic, distorted computer game covers played on a prepared drum kit hooked up to sequencers\"\n\n*Hunting Lodge\n\"HYPERKINETIC DRUMMING...BREATHLESS INTENSITY\" \"a richly rewarding, if shattering, experience\" plan b\n\n+kosmische djs\n\n+The Strange Attractor Salon: Audio and visual high strangeness, channelled direct from the outer aether - Mark Pilkington & Pete Woodhead will be showing Japanese cinematic curiosities, accompanied by far out sounds from the further reaches of the Kosmische universe\n\nN.B. - doors are at 7pm, first act onstage 7.30PM\nget your tickets now, kosmonauts!!!! £8 in advance, but it\'s more on the door!\n<a href=\"http://www.wegottickets.com/event/13226\">Get em here</a>','Acid Mothers Sunday','','publish','open','closed','','acid-mothers-sunday','','','2006-11-18 16:30:50','2006-11-18 16:30:50','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=360',0,'post','',0),(361,2,'2006-11-20 14:58:40','2006-11-20 14:58:40','From<a href=\"http://www.smh.com.au/news/technology/mystery-kiwi-humming-sound-captured/2006/11/17/1163266756133.html?page=fullpage#contentSwap1\"> Sydney Morning Herald</a>\n\nA New Zealand scientist believes he\'s captured a recording of the mystery hum that has been heard by scores of people living and in and around the city of Auckland.\n\nDr Tom Moir, a computer engineer at Massey University\'s Institute of Information and Mathematical Sciences, made the recording at a house in Auckland\'s North Shore suburb of Glenfield earlier this week.\n\nDr Moir and his colleague Dr Fakhrul Alam have dubbed the sound an unidentified acoustic phenomena.\n\nFour people who previously reported hearing the low-level hum have confirmed that this is the sound they can hear in their homes.\n\nDr Moir previously pinpointed the low-level drone at a frequency of 56Hz, which is very close to the 50Hz frequency produced by the 240 volt AC main electricity supply delivered to homes in New Zealand (and Australia).\n\nAlthough 56Hz is within the standard range of human hearing - which can range from 20 to 20,000Hz - it is too low for many people to pick up...\n\nAccording to a theory put forward by Professor Rod Cross, at Sydney University\'s department of Physics, the sound could be the humming of sand dunes, as described in the latest issue of <a href=\"http://physicsweb.org/articles/world/19/11/4/1\">Physics World</a>, a monthly academic journal.\n\nFull story and a hum clip <a href=\"http://www.smh.com.au/news/technology/mystery-kiwi-humming-sound-captured/2006/11/17/1163266756133.html?page=fullpage#contentSwap1\">here</a>','Has the Hum been captured?','','publish','open','closed','','has-the-hum-been-captured','','','2006-11-20 14:58:40','2006-11-20 14:58:40','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=361',0,'post','',0),(362,2,'2006-11-20 18:05:05','2006-11-20 18:05:05','<a href=\"http://www.devilducky.com/media/53644/\"><img alt=\"spacewater.jpg\" src=\"http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/archives/spacewater.jpg\" width=\"300\" height=\"221\" /></a>\n\nEver wondered what astronauts do to <a href=\"http://www.devilducky.com/media/53644/\">kill time in space</a>?...\n\nThanks Alistair Strachan!','Microgravity experiments with water','','publish','open','closed','','microgravity-experiments-with-water','','','2006-11-20 18:05:05','2006-11-20 18:05:05','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=362',0,'post','',0),(363,2,'2006-11-23 09:04:47','2006-11-23 09:04:47','Was made for bat lovers...\n\nThis Friday Mark Pilkington will be joining gentlewoman naturalist Bridget Nicholls and concert pianist Nathanial Woodcock in <em>A Little Night Opera</em>, a micro-opera for voice, piano and bat calls, as part of \'Because the Night\', a night of performance, screenings and talks dedicated to darkness.\n\nAlso on the bill are ghost researcher and historian Alan Murdie, comedian Simon Munnery, illusionist Mandy Muden, electonic musician Scanner, writer Sukhdev Sandhu and others.\n\nFriday 24 November 7:30pm to 3am\nBethnal Green Town Hall, Corner of Patriot Square & Cambridge Heath Road, Bethnal Green, London E2. Tickets £10\n\nMore info at <a href=\"http://www.artangel.org.uk/pages/present/present_because.htm\">Artangel</a>\n\nDirect booking, <a href=\"https://secure.artangel.org.uk/becausethenight/\">here</a>','Because the Night','','publish','open','closed','','because-the-night','','','2006-11-23 09:04:47','2006-11-23 09:04:47','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=363',0,'post','',0),(364,2,'2006-11-23 18:23:13','2006-11-23 18:23:13','<img alt=\"_42348910_stumps203.jpg\" src=\"http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/archives/_42348910_stumps203.jpg\" width=\"203\" height=\"152\" />\n\nWicker Man\'s leg-lopping mystery: <a href=\"http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/south_of_scotland/6176828.stm\">BBC Online</a>\n\nA Galloway landmark left by a cult 1970s movie has been chopped down.\n\nWooden legs from a figure set alight in the final scenes of The Wicker Man had remained in their concrete bases at Burrowhead for some 30 years.\n\nInvestigations have started after the legs - standing about 5ft high - were sawn down and removed, leaving two stumps in the ground.\n\nThe site is now on a holiday village run by Stuart Fairclough, who said the landmark was a popular attraction.\n\n\"I got phone calls at the start of the week saying \'do you realise that the stumps have gone\'?\" he said.\n\n\"It would seem to be at the latter end of last week and apart from that we are all in the dark.\"\n\nThe mystery <a href=\"http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/south_of_scotland/6176828.stm\">continues</a>\n\nThanks Drew Mulholland!','Wicker Man legless!','','publish','open','closed','','wicker-man-legless','','','2006-11-23 18:23:13','2006-11-23 18:23:13','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=364',0,'post','',0),(365,2,'2006-11-27 10:20:52','2006-11-27 10:20:52','<img alt=\"hengedrawing372.jpg\" src=\"http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/archives/hengedrawing372.jpg\" width=\"300\" height=\"172\" />\n\nAbove: The oldest detailed drawing of Stonehenge, found in a 1440 manuscript, the Scala Mundi\n\n<em>Early sketch of Stonehenge found\nMaev Kennedy. Monday November 27, 2006, <a href=\"http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,,1957748,00.html\">The Guardian </a></em>\n\nThey got the date wrong by some 3,000 years, but the oldest detailed drawing of Stonehenge, apparently based on first hand observation, has turned up in a 15th century manuscript.\n\nThe little sketch is a bird\'s eye view of the stones, and shows the great trilithons, the biggest stones in the monument, each made of two pillars capped with a third stone lintel, which stand in a horseshoe in the centre of the circle. Only three are now standing, but the drawing, found in Douai, northern France, suggests that in the 15th century four of the original five survived.\n\nArticle continues\nIn the Scala Mundi, the Chronicle of the World, Merlin is given credit for building Stonehenge between 480 and 486, when the Latin text says he \"not by force, but by art, brought and erected the giant\'s ring from Ireland\". Modern science suggests that the stones went up from 2,500 BC, with the bluestone outer circle somehow transported from west Wales, and the double decker bus-size sarsen stones dragged 30 miles across Salisbury plain.\n\nContinues at <a href=\"http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,,1957748,00.html\">The Guardian </a>','Stonehenge revisited, 1440','','publish','open','closed','','stonehenge-revisited-1440','','','2006-11-27 10:20:52','2006-11-27 10:20:52','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=365',0,'post','',0),(366,2,'2006-11-27 15:25:58','2006-11-27 15:25:58','<a href=\"http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/shoppe/saj3contents.html\"><img alt=\"SAJ3front.jpg\" src=\"http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/archives/SAJ3front.jpg\" width=\"250\" height=\"325\" border=\"0\" />\n</a>\n\nWe\'re very proud to present <em>Strange Attractor Journal Three</em>, 304 further pages of exquisite high strangeness. The front cover shows The Electrochemical Glass by Richard Brown, an artwork that has been slowly growing and evolving of its own accord for the past decade.\n\nSAJ has also evolved, and now includes eight colour plates, as well as newly sublime interior design from Alison Hutchinson.\n\nAs with previous editions, <em>Journal Three</em> will be available in a special hand-stamped and numbered edition of 200, to match <em>One</em> and <em>Two</em>. Another stamp will be available only for copies bought at the launch night on 12 December. More details to follow.\n\nFull contents and page previews <a href=\"http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/shoppe/saj3contents.html\">here</a>\n\nPress release in PDF format <a href=\"http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/saj3/saj3pr.pdf\">here</a>','Presenting... Journal Three','','publish','open','closed','','presenting-journal-three','','','2006-11-27 15:25:58','2006-11-27 15:25:58','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=366',0,'post','',0),(367,2,'2006-11-29 09:32:39','2006-11-29 09:32:39','<a href=\"http://fantastic.library.cornell.edu/index.php\"><img alt=\"F037-001.jpg\" src=\"http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/archives/F037-001.jpg\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" border=\"0\"/></a>\n\nA wonderful online collection of images strange, beautiful and macabre from Cornell University, all at screen and print sizes too. Just in time for Xmas!\n\nThanks <a href=\"http://www.techgnosis.com/\">Erik Davis</a>!','Fantastic image collection','','publish','open','closed','','fantastic-image-collection','','','2006-11-29 09:32:39','2006-11-29 09:32:39','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=367',0,'post','',0),(368,2,'2006-11-30 09:01:47','2006-11-30 09:01:47','<em> Ancient Greek artefact was an \'astronomical computer\'\nBy Steve Connor, Science Editor\n<a href=\"http://news.independent.co.uk/world/science_technology/article2026794.ece\">Independent</a>,  30 November 2006</em>\n\nAn astronomical instrument built by the Ancient Greeks in the 2nd century BC has turned out to be a complex computer for calculating the relative position of the sun, the moon and the planets.\n\nScientists studied the internal workings of the machine by using a sophisticated medical scanner. They concluded it was at least 1,000 years ahead of its time.\n\nThe Antikythera Mechanism was rescued from a Roman shipwreck at the turn of the last century but its precise function was little understood because it was broken into 82 pieces.\n\nMade of bronze and wood, the device was evidently an instrument of some sort because it used a complicated set of gears to move a series of concentric wheels and pointers that appeared to predict movements of astronomical objects. But scientists were surprised to find it was in fact a sophisticated analogue computer that acted as a long-term calendar for predicting lunar and solar eclipses and planetary movements.\n<!--more-->\nAn international team of scientists drawn from many different disciplines took part in the study. Their picture of how the device worked and what it was intended to do has astonished classical scholars.\n\nProfessor Mike Edmunds of Cardiff University, a leading member of the research team, said: \"This device is just extraordinary, the only thing of its kind. The design is beautiful, the astronomy is exactly right. The way the mechanics are designed just makes your jaw drop.\n\n\"Whoever has done this had done it extremely well. It does raise the question of what else were they making at the time. In terms of historic and scarcity value, I have to regard this mechanism as being more valuable than the Mona Lisa.\"\n\nThe scientists, including researchers from the National Archaeological Museum of Athens, found the gearing mechanism of the device acted as a long-term calendar, enabling its operators to track the moon and the sun through the zodiac, predict eclipses and even calculate the irregular orbit of the moon.\n\n\"Calendars were important to ancient societies for timing agricultural activity and fixing religious festivals,\" the scientists write in a study published in the journal Nature.\n\n\"Eclipses and planetary motions were often interpreted as omens, while the calm regularity of the astronomical cycles must have been philosophically attractive in an uncertain and violent world,\" they say.\n\nGreek sponge-divers discovered the Roman shipwreck off the island of Antikythera in 1900. A year later, archaeologists recovered the device which had been submerged for about 2,000 years.\n\nThe shipwreck was dated to about 65BC but the instrument was thought to have been made earlier, between 100BC and 150BC, possibly by the great Greek astronomer Hipparchos, who, at that time, lived on the island of Rhodes.\n\nAstronomers believe Hipparchos was probably involved because he was the first to track the irregularities in the orbit of the moon, which the device seems to be designed to predict.\n\nThere are three dials on the device. The front dial displays the position of the sun and the moon in the zodiac and a corresponding calendar of 365 days, which could be adjusted for leap years. The back dials track the long-term lunar cycle, including the Metonic cycle of 19 years, when the same phase of the moon returns on the same date of the year.\n\nThe dials also track the Callippic cycle of 76 years, when the moon returns to the same position in the sky relative to the zodiac and its monthly lunar phase.\n\nFrancois Charette, an astronomer at Ludwig-Maximilian University in Munich, said finding such a complicated computer in Ancient Greece was like finding the plans for a steam engine in Renaissance Italy.','Antikythera Mechanism was astonomical computer','','publish','open','closed','','antikythera-mechanism-was-astonomical-computer','','','2006-11-30 09:01:47','2006-11-30 09:01:47','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=368',0,'post','',0),(369,2,'2006-12-01 09:36:52','2006-12-01 09:36:52','<em>Older than the sun, the meteorite scientists call \'the real time machine\'\nIan Sample, science correspondent, Friday December 1, 2006, <a href=\"http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,,1961463,00.html\">The Guardian\n</a></em>\n\nAs lumps of rock go it looks much like any other, unexceptional despite the deep red of its cool, smooth surface. The pieces range in size from pea-sized lumps to larger fist-sized chunks. But today, scientists will announce this is no ordinary stone. Prised from a frozen lake in northern Canada, it has become a prime candidate for the oldest known object on Earth.\n\nThe chunk came from a meteorite that scored an arc of fire across the skies before slamming into Lake Tagish in British Columbia in 2000. It has been pored over by scientists ever since, and is today revealed to contain particles that predate the birth of our nearest star, the sun...\n\n\"These are the real time machines, the material that goes back to the earliest formation of the solar system,\" said Caroline Smith, meteorite curator at the Natural History Museum.\n\nThe meteorite is known as a carbonaceous chondrite and contains what many scientists regard as the building blocks for life: carbon, myriad clay minerals and even amino acids. Scientists say the clay layers, principally silicates, can form protective pockets around the organic chemicals and act as reaction chambers where more complex molecules can form. The possible role of these pockets in the ultimate emergence of life has lead some scientists to refer to them as \"wombs\".\n\n\"These things tell us what kind of chemicals are out there in interstellar space. They could have been the original seeds for life to get started,\" said Dr Zolensky.\n\nFull story over at <a href=\"http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,,1961463,00.html\">The Guardian</a>','Older than the Sun','','publish','open','closed','','older-than-the-sun','','','2006-12-01 09:36:52','2006-12-01 09:36:52','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=369',0,'post','',0),(370,2,'2006-12-06 18:07:27','2006-12-06 18:07:27','<img alt=\"BC_the_field_guide.jpg\" src=\"http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/archives/BC_the_field_guide.jpg\" width=\"200\" height=\"200\" />\n\nAs we hoped and expected, the <a href=\"http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/fieldguide/\">Field Guide</a> is starting to take effect....\nHere are two recent, great online reviews:\n\nOne from Dave Walsh of <a href=\"http://www.blather.net/zeitgeist/archives/2006/12/the_field_guide_the_art_histor.html\">Blather</a>; the other from Greg at <a href=\"http://www.dailygrail.com/node/3918\">The Daily Grail</a>.\n\nFull info and ordering details about the book <a href=\"http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/fieldguide/\">here</a>.','Field Guide reviews','','publish','open','closed','','field-guide-reviews','','','2006-12-06 18:07:27','2006-12-06 18:07:27','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=370',0,'post','',0),(371,2,'2006-12-11 15:51:28','2006-12-11 15:51:28','<a href=\"http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/archives/saj3launch.jpg\"><img alt=\"saj3launch.jpg\" src=\"http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/archives/saj3launch-thumb.jpg\" width=\"300\" height=\"494\" border=\"0\"/></a>\nclick to expand','12.12.06: Launching Journal Three','','publish','open','closed','','121206-launching-journal-three','','','2006-12-11 15:51:28','2006-12-11 15:51:28','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=371',0,'post','',0),(372,2,'2006-12-15 17:48:31','2006-12-15 17:48:31','A short video of Disinformation vs Strange Attractor performing National Grid at Westbourne Studios in London on 26 September 2006: over at <a href=\"http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EYDJLc-K6Gg\">Youtube</a>.\n\nPlus someone (I\'ve no idea who!) has uploaded the contents of the final Guinea Pig CD compilation from the Seeming Nothingness night of Spring 2004. These CDs were strictly limited to 50 in number and were handed out to the first arrivals at the event, which featured performances from Charles Haywards\' Loom, Stephen O\'Malley\'s Ginnungagap and the Amal Gamal Ensemble. The CDs were compiled by Mark Pilkington.\n\nThe download is available <a href=\"http://www.freeddb.com/artists/Guineapig%20Cd6.html\">here</a> and features tracks from the above performers plus numerous others (Man From Uranus, Extra Action Marching Band, Miasma, Limn etc).\n<a href=\"http://www.freeddb.com/artists/Guineapig%20Cd6.html\">Get it while you can!</a>. Thanks to <a href=\"http://www.iotacism.com\">Zali Krishna</a> for pointing this out\n\n<em>Needless to say, if you\'re one of the performers on the CD and would rather people didn\'t have access to the music, we can try asking the hosters to take the tracks down!</em>','Yuletide multimedia treats!','','publish','open','closed','','yuletide-multimedia-treats','','','2006-12-15 17:48:31','2006-12-15 17:48:31','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=372',0,'post','',0),(373,2,'2006-12-22 19:13:03','2006-12-22 19:13:03','<img alt=\"story.squid1.ap.jpg\" src=\"http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/archives/story.squid1.ap.jpg\" width=\"220\" height=\"168\" />\n\nJapanese researchers have pulled up a decent sized giant squid and caught its final struggle <a href=\"http://www.cnn.com/2006/TECH/science/12/22/giant.squid.ap/index.html\">on video</a>. Sadly the squid died during the process, making it a great xmas present for us, if not for squid-kind.\n\nThanks Anthony Matt!','New Architeuthis rex caught on video','','publish','open','closed','','new-architeuthis-rex-caught-on-video','','','2006-12-22 19:13:03','2006-12-22 19:13:03','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=373',0,'post','',0),(374,2,'2006-12-22 19:40:52','2006-12-22 19:40:52','Wonderful <a href=\"http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ftld7Ohojg\">Lovecraftian season\'s greetings</a> (slightly late for Solstice, but hey!)\n\nThanks Erik Davis!','Carol of the Great Old Ones','','publish','open','closed','','carol-of-the-great-old-ones','','','2006-12-22 19:40:52','2006-12-22 19:40:52','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=374',0,'post','',0),(375,2,'2006-12-26 18:38:33','2006-12-26 18:38:33','<img alt=\"275cover.jpg\" src=\"http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/archives/275cover.jpg\" width=\"177\" height=\"215\" />\n\nStrange Attractor Journal and Press feature in this month\'s <a href=\"http://www.thewire.co.uk\">The Wire</a> magazine, in a piece by Ken Hollings. Elsewhere in the mag are the mighty Faust and psych-blues troubadours Matt Valentine and Erika Elder, both of whom I recently saw play killer gigs in London, so we\'re in ideal company!','Strange Attractor in The Wire','','publish','open','closed','','strange-attractor-in-the-wire','','','2006-12-26 18:38:33','2006-12-26 18:38:33','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=375',0,'post','',0),(376,2,'2006-12-30 18:07:17','2006-12-30 18:07:17','<em>Breaking Open the Head</em> and <em>2012</em> author Daniel Pinchbeck appeared on US TV\'s satirical current affairs show The Colbert Report before Xmas. As you\'d expect, it\'s funny, though Daniel gets a gentle ride.\nPart One:\n<embed FlashVars=\'config=http://www.comedycentral.com/motherload/xml/data_synd.jhtml?vid=79555%26myspace=false\' src=\'http://www.comedycentral.com/motherload/syndicated_player/index.jhtml\' quality=\'high\' bgcolor=\'#006699\' width=\'340\' height=\'325\' name=\'comedy_player\' align=\'middle\' allowScriptAccess=\'always\' allownetworking=\'external\' type=\'application/x-shockwave-flash\' pluginspage=\'http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer\'></embed>\n\nPart two:\n\n<embed FlashVars=\'config=http://www.comedycentral.com/motherload/xml/data_synd.jhtml?vid=79554%26myspace=false\' src=\'http://www.comedycentral.com/motherload/syndicated_player/index.jhtml\' quality=\'high\' bgcolor=\'#006699\' width=\'340\' height=\'325\' name=\'comedy_player\' align=\'middle\' allowScriptAccess=\'always\' allownetworking=\'external\' type=\'application/x-shockwave-flash\' pluginspage=\'http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer\'></embed>\n\nVia <a href=\"http://www.timboucher.com/\">Tim Boucher</a>','Daniel Pinchbeck on Colbert Report','','publish','open','closed','','daniel-pinchbeck-on-colbert-report','','','2006-12-30 18:07:17','2006-12-30 18:07:17','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=376',0,'post','',0),(377,2,'2007-01-07 00:54:42','2007-01-07 00:54:42','<img alt=\"070103_ufosDavenport_vm.standard.jpg\" src=\"http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/archives/070103_ufosDavenport_vm.standard.jpg\" width=\"222\" height=\"298\" />\n\nA recent news release concerning a <a href=\"http://www.ufomystic.com/the-redfern-files/ohare-ufo/\">UFO sighted over Chicago\'s O\'Hare</a> airport last November has been drawing news coverage worldwide. Some people seem surprised, but it\'s an interesting case with multiple witnesses, many of them aviation professionals. And, if we\'re honest, the 2007 news year isn\'t fully underway yet...\n\nThis <a href=\"http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16472286/site/newsweek/\">Newsweek</a> piece draws in Peter Davenport of the US UFO Reporting Centre.\n\n(NB<em> Apologies for the lack of posts at the moment, but Strange Attractor is experiencing Internet turbulence thanks to the spectacularly incompetent and equally unhelpful <a href=\"http://talktalkhell.wordpress.com/\">talktalk</a>.)</em>','Chicago UFO draws major news coverage','','publish','open','closed','','chicago-ufo-draws-major-news-coverage','','','2007-01-07 00:54:42','2007-01-07 00:54:42','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=377',0,'post','',0),(378,2,'2007-01-08 16:17:45','2007-01-08 16:17:45','William S. Burroughs: 20th Century Gnostic Visionary\nBy Robert Guffey\n\nIn 1984, in Boulder, Colorado, an interviewer asked William S. Burroughs (1914-1997), “What religious persuasion would you consider yourself?” Without hesitating, Burroughs replied, “Gnostic, or a Manichean.”\n\n...\n\n\"It is amusing to read reviews of Burroughs that try to classify his books as nonbooks or as failed science fiction. It is a little like trying to criticise the sartorial and verbal manifestations of a man who is knocking on the door to explain that flames are leaping from the roof of our home.\" <em>Marshall McLuhan</em>\n\n...\n\nBurroughs was so convinced of the reality of invading extraterrestrials that in 1989 he wrote a letter to Strieber asking to visit him and his family in their cabin in upstate New York...\n\n\"I was very interested in his first books and I was convinced that he was authentic. I felt he was not a fraud or fake […]. I wrote a letter to Whitley Strieber saying that I would love to contact these visitors […]. His wife, Anne Strieber, wrote back saying, “We, after talking it over, would be glad to invite you to come up to the cabin.” So we spent the weekend there. I had a number of talks with Strieber about his experiences, and I was quite convinced that he was telling the truth\"\n\nFrom <a href=\"http://www.newdawnmagazine.com/Article/William_S._Burroughs_20th_Century_Gnostic.html\">New Dawn</a> magazine','William Burroughs&#039; Gnostic Vision','','publish','open','closed','','william-burroughs-gnostic-vision','','','2007-01-08 16:17:45','2007-01-08 16:17:45','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=378',0,'post','',0),(379,2,'2007-01-09 08:37:46','2007-01-09 08:37:46','Anger as graffiti of Aboriginal god spreads to city\nBy Kate Thomas\n<em><a href=\"http://news.independent.co.uk/world/australasia/article2137661.ece\">The Independent</a>: 09 January 2007</em>\n\nSince the Dreamtime, Aboriginal elders have carved, sketched and painted images of their mighty creator, the Wandjina, on trees, pieces of bark and caves. With its striking white face and big black eyes, it serves as an omnipresent spirit force watching over the coastal region of the Kimberley, a land ruled by some of the most ferocious tides in the world.\n\nBut now the Aboriginal community is anxious about the Wandjina\'s presence in the urban jungle. For several weeks, graffitied images of \"wandering Wandjina\" have appeared along the fashionable cafe strips of Perth - sprayed on walls, in car parks and over trees. One image depicts the mighty creator at the wheel of a hot pink car.\n\nThe graffiti is provoking anger among Aborigines. A small group of elders have permission to paint the Wandjina, and they are concerned about the recent flood of likenesses.\n<!--more-->\nAborigines are careful to observe protocol when they approach the revered paintings, fearing that if they do not, the spirits might take their revenge. Calling out to the Wandjina from several yards\' distance to warn them that someone is approaching is considered proper behaviour. Spray-painting them on the sides of roads is not.\n\n\"Our culture is very alive and our law is very powerful, so please be careful,\" Donny Woolagoodja, a Kimberley elder, said. Depicting the Wandjina without permission would once have traditionally resulted in serious punishment such as spearing, he added.\n\nMr Woolagoodja said he wanted to speak with the person behind the drawings to explain that the Wandjina must only be painted by selected members of five Kimberley tribes.\n\nMike Donaldson, the Kimberley Society president, has documentedthe Wandjina paintings for 20 years. He said the proliferation of Wandjina graffiti had stirred mixed feelings but he believed that they were not intended to be disrespectful. \"This person shouldn\'t be doing graffiti, that\'s the bottom line ... but from my perspective, it does raise the awareness of Aboriginal culture.\"','Wandering gods provoke Aborigine anger','','publish','open','closed','','wandering-gods-provoke-aborigine-anger','','','2007-01-09 08:37:46','2007-01-09 08:37:46','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=379',0,'post','',0),(380,2,'2007-01-10 14:29:28','2007-01-10 14:29:28','<em>Possibly the first spam I was happy to receive...</em>\n\n<em>from notifications@prioryofsionsociety.com</em>\nDear Beneficiary,\n\nThe Priory Of Sion Society of Edinburgh under the jurisdiction of the all Seeing Eye, Master Nick Cobb has after series of secret deliberations and random ballot as selected you to be a beneficiary of 2007 first quarter foundation laying grants and also an optional opening at the round table of the Priory Of Sion Society.\n\nThese grants are issued every first quarter of the year around the world in accordance with the objectives of the Priory Of Sion Society as stated by King Francis Aurthor I in 1815 which is to ensure the continuous freedom of man and to enhance mans living conditions.\n<!--more-->\nWe will also advice that these grant funds awarded to you which amount to $350,000.00 be used to better the lot of man through your own initiative and also we will go further to inform you that the open slot to become a Priory Of Sion is optional.\n\nI hope you understood and for more information\'s on what you are to do to make claims of your grant funds awarded to you, do contact the Grant Claims Office Co-Secretary, Name: Barr. Richard Salter, E-mail: grant_claimoffice@Safe-mail.net, and do send along your personal informations (Names, Residential Address,Occupation,Tel/Fax Numbers Sex, Age and Country) for the procurement of the necessary document that will enable you make claims of your awarded funds promptly.\n\nYours Sincerely,\n\nMrs. Judith Ernest.\nCo-ordinator.\nPriory Of Sion Society of Palmerston Place Lane, Edinburgh','Priory of Sion spam!','','publish','open','closed','','priory-of-sion-spam','','','2007-01-10 14:29:28','2007-01-10 14:29:28','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=380',0,'post','',0),(381,2,'2007-01-11 08:44:10','2007-01-11 08:44:10','Mighty barawk prog outfit <a href=\"http://www.headlesshorses.co.uk/\">Miasma and the Carousel of Headless Horses </a> headline a night of madness at <a href=\"http://www.divineagency.org/gallery/231\">Club Integral</a> - Canterbury Arms, Canterbury Crescent, Brixton - just two minutes from Brixton Tube. Entry Fee £5.\n\nAlso on the bill: an electronic sparring bout between The Asterism and Chris Cornetto (strictly Queensbury Rules), the <a href=\"http://www.myspace.com/the7hertzband\">7Hertz Band</a>, I Am a Kamura and more!\n\n<a href=\"http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/archives/miasma kreskin.jpg\"><img alt=\"miasma kreskin.jpg\" src=\"http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/archives/miasma kreskin-thumb.jpg\" width=\"208\" height=\"500\" border=\"0\"/></a>','Club Integral this Friday','','publish','open','closed','','club-integral-this-friday','','','2007-01-11 08:44:10','2007-01-11 08:44:10','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=381',0,'post','',0),(382,2,'2007-01-12 09:42:32','2007-01-12 09:42:32','<a href=\"http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/archives/bob-window.jpg\"><img alt=\"bob-window.jpg\" src=\"http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/archives/bob-window-thumb.jpg\" width=\"250\" height=\"250\" border=\"0\"/></a>\n\nRobert Anton Wilson Defies Medical Experts and leaves his body @4:50 AM on binary date 01/11.\n\nAll Hail Eris!\n\nOn behalf of his children and those who cared for him, deepest love and gratitude for the tremendous support and lovingness bestowed upon us.\n\n(that\'s it from Bob\'s bedside at his fnord by the sea)\n\nRAW Memorial February 2007\ndate to be announced\n\n<a href=\"http://robertantonwilson.blogspot.com/2007/01/raw-essence.html\">More</a>','Good bye RAW','','publish','open','closed','','good-bye-raw','','','2007-01-12 09:42:32','2007-01-12 09:42:32','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=382',0,'post','',0),(383,2,'2007-01-14 23:36:56','2007-01-14 23:36:56','January 14, 2007: Jazz Pianist Alice Coltrane Dies in Calif\n\nLOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Alice Coltrane, an avant-garde jazz pianist and widow of saxophone great John Coltrane, whose musical legacy she helped keep, has died at age 69 of respiratory failure, an official said on Sunday.\n\nColtrane died on Friday at West Hills Hospital and Medical Center in West Hills, a Los Angeles suburb, a hospital spokeswoman said.\n\nFamed for replacing McCoy Tyner on piano in her husband\'s last quartet as he broke new and controversial musical ground, Coltrane was also a convert to Hinduism and a guru who had her own commune.\n<!--more-->\nBorn Alice McLeod in Detroit, Coltrane was trained as a classical musician and as an organist, harpist and pianist. Among her jazz teachers was the legendary Bud Powell.\n\nJazz vibist Terry Gibbs told the Los Angeles Times that Alice Coltrane met her husband while playing with his band at Birdland in the 1960s.\n\n``He saw something in her that was beautiful. They were both very shy in a way. It was beautiful to see them fall in love,\'\' he told the paper adding, she was ``the nicest person I ever worked with. She was a real lady.\'\'\n\nShe left Gibbs\' band to marry and play piano for Coltrane as he moved into bolder, more spiritual music than he had been playing before.\n\nIn an interview with Essence magazine in September 2006, she was asked if she caused the change in his music and the break-up of the famous John Coltrane Quartet.\n\nHer answer was, ``I didn\'t have to inspire John toward the avant-garde; he did not need anything from me. That is why it\'s so interesting that critics decided to dislike me. At some point the members of the quartet felt it was time for a change, and left on their own.\n\n``When John said that he wanted me to play with him on piano, I told him that there were many others who were qualified. He said, \'I want you there because you can do it.\'\'\' She credited Coltrane with ``showing me how to play fully.\'\'\n\nAfter his death in July 1967 at age 40, she raised the couple\'s children, continued playing and expanding upon his music and devoted herself to the study of Eastern religions, adopting the Sanskrit name, Turiyasangitananda.','Alice becomes universal consciousness','','publish','open','closed','','alice-becomes-universal-consciousness','','','2007-01-14 23:36:56','2007-01-14 23:36:56','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=383',0,'post','',0),(384,2,'2007-01-16 11:47:17','2007-01-16 11:47:17','<img alt=\"unknown.jpg\" src=\"http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/archives/unknown.jpg\" width=\"140\" height=\"139\" />\n\n<em>SAJ1</em> contributor Dr Justin Woodman will be presenting the first in a series of what are sure to be enlightening talks at <a href=\"http://www.treadwells-london.com/\">Treadwells books</a>, 34 Tavistock St., Covent Garden WC2E 7PB. These are sure to be popular sessions, so book now!\n\n<strong><em>H.P. Lovecraft and the Occult: A Series With Dr. Justin Woodman</em></strong>\n\nDr. Woodman lectures in anthropology at Goldsmiths College, Birkbeck College, and the University of Westminster. He has contributed articles on Lovecraftian themes to <em>Strange Attractor Journal</em> and <em>The Journal for the Academic Study of Magic</em>.\n\n<strong>Evening One: The Man, the Myth, the Magic 17th January (Wednesday) 7.15 for 7.30pm start £5 </strong>\n\nTreadwell’s presents Dr. Justin Woodman’s series of four talks analysing aspects of H.P. Lovecraft (1890–1937), the author best known for the creation of the Cthulhu mythos, a fictional mythology detailing monstrous powers “from beyond”. Tonight, Woodman casts a critical eye on the “magical” context of Lovecraft’s life and work. He then explores some of the myths surrounding the man and his fiction. This first talk also begins to examine the powerful influence that Lovecraft’s unique literary creations have exerted over the contemporary occult imagination.\n\n<em>BOOKING: Please book in advance via info@treadwells-london.com or Tel. +44 (0)20 7240 8906. Map on our website, www.treadwells-london.com. Note: all events start promptly and latecomers are not admitted. Wine is, however, served from 7pm on nights when the events commence at 7.30pm. All Treadwell’s evening talks are followed by a drinks party.\n</em>\n<!--more-->\n<b>Evening Two: Legends of the Necronomicon\n31st January (Wednesday) 7.15 for 7.30pm start £5</b>\n\nIn part two of this series, Justin Woodman explores the history of the legendary Necronomicon in fact and fiction, and ponders its continuing relevance to contemporary occult cultures. Penned by the Yemeni poet and mystic Abdul Alhazred circa 700 CE, the dreaded Necronomicon is perhaps one of the most powerful and alluring of H.P. Lovecraft’s creations: a grimoire able to rend apart the very fabric of reality and bring forth the Great Old Ones themselves. Although a work of fiction, the Necronomicon has yet achieved a social and physical reality with more than twenty versions having been published since the 1960s.\n\n<b>Evening Three: Chariots of the Dark Gods\n14th February (Wednesday) 7.15 for 7.30pm start £5</b>\n\nMany of H.P. Lovecraft’s best known tales of the Cthulhu mythos intimate that the human species is nothing but a by-product of extraterrestrial interventions in Earth’s prehistory. His idea predates the “Ancient Astronaut” theorists and “alternative archaeologists” by over thirty years. Woodman demonstrates that Lovecraft is a pervasive (but often unacknowledged) influence upon ufology and UFO religions. In the second part of the lecture, Woodman speculates further on the relationships that have developed between imaginative fiction, Forteana and contemporary occult cultures.\n\n<b>Evening Four: Chaos, Cthulhu, and Contemporary Consciousness\n28th February (Wednesday) 7.15 for 7.30pm start £5</b>\n\nTonight’s talk concludes the series exploring the relationship between Lovecraft’s Cthulhu mythos and contemporary occult cultures. Woodman here focuses on Chaos magic and other recent movements, and considers the claim that Lovecraft was a “mythographer of modernity”. It can be argued that he was a writer whose enduring vision is consonant with the claims of cutting-edge magic and theoretical physics; moreover, Woodman suggests, his work intimates something about the current trajectories of Western culture and consciousness.','Lovecraft &amp; the occult talk this week','','publish','open','closed','','lovecraft-the-occult-talk-this-week','','','2007-01-16 11:47:17','2007-01-16 11:47:17','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=384',0,'post','',0),(385,2,'2007-01-19 10:05:24','2007-01-19 10:05:24','<em>From the Horse\'s mouth:</em>\n\nAs part of a Fund Raiser for the <a href=\"http://www.thehorsehospital.com/\">Horse Hospital Gallery</a>, we have a whole plethora of Original Underground Posters, Vintage Photos & Postcards, Collectable Toys, Antiquities, Objets d\'art, Curios, Furniture, Books, Magazines, Stickers, Videos, DVDs, CDs, LPs etc etc on sale for your delight.\n\n+ The legendary Contemporary Wardrobe Collection Sale, and this season its bigger and better than ever! On sale is a Massive selection of men\'s and women\'s Vintage & Modern clothing, ranging from the 1940s to 2006, including many unique items used in feature films, pop videos, and TV commercials. There will be bargains galore, so don\'t miss out!\n\nClothing includes: Hats, coats, suits, dresses, shirts, blouses, trousers, skirts, jeans, shoes, jewelry, accessories and much, much more!\n\nFor further details, ring 020 7713 7370\n\n<strong>The Horse Hospital - Colonnade - Bloomsbury - London WC1N 1HX\nLocated just 1 minute from Russell Square tube, on the Piccadilly line</strong>','The great Horse Hospital sale!','','publish','open','closed','','the-great-horse-hospital-sale','','','2007-01-19 10:05:24','2007-01-19 10:05:24','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=385',0,'post','',0),(386,2,'2007-01-20 11:01:58','2007-01-20 11:01:58','By Arifa Akbar\n<a href=\"http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/health_medical/article2169212.ece\">The Independent</a>, 20 January 2007\n\nBirdsong has a powerful healing effect which can improve mental health and benefit hospital patients, according to a health expert.\n\nDr William Bird (!), GP, who is a health adviser for the countryside agency, Natural England, said tests had proven the effect. He cites a 2004 report in the prestigious medical journal, Thorax, on the effects of birdsong on patients recovering from a lung operation. \"They needed less pain relief and were far more relaxed,\" he said.\n\nDr Bird also recommended birdsong for the elderly and for those who suffer from high levels of stress. \"We have lost our connection with nature,\" he said, adding: \"By having birdsong, it\'s away of connecting back, and our mental health improves when that connection has been made.\"\n\nResearch has found that \"ultra waves\" increase in the brain when subjects are shown a natural scene, and Dr Bird said the same effect occured with birdsong.\n\nMark Avery, director of Conservation at the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, said that bird sounds were a \"tonic\" for people\'s general wellbeing.','Mental health helped by birdsong','','publish','open','closed','','mental-health-helped-by-birdsong','','','2007-01-20 11:01:58','2007-01-20 11:01:58','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=386',0,'post','',0),(387,2,'2007-01-21 18:36:26','2007-01-21 18:36:26','<em> How the Moon rules your life\nAt last, scientists claim to have found a link between our satellite and human behaviour - like how it governs the size of your dinner By Roger Dobson</em>\n<a href=\"http://news.independent.co.uk/world/science_technology/article2171687.ece\">The Independent</a> 21 January 2007\n\nFor eons, folklore has blamed the Moon for everything from lunacy to bad luck. And, for the last few centuries, scientists have scoffed. Now, according to new research they\'re not so sure. The Moon may not be made of cheese, but it seems to influence a lot more down on Earth than we previously thought.\n\nAccording to new research, the Moon affects not only the tides of the oceans but also people, producing a range of symptoms from flare-ups of gout to bladder problems. It may even lie behind the causes of car crashes and affect people\'s hormonal balances.\n\nHaving carried out new research and reviewed 50 other studies, scientists suggest that doctors and the police even need to prepare for how their work rate will increase at different points in the lunar cycle. Among the findings examined by the researchers were studies that showed GP consultations go up during a full moon, according to Leeds University. Appointments rise by 3.6 per cent, which works out at around three extra patients for each surgery. The researchers did not speculate on the nature of the moon-related problems or why they happened, but said that \"it does not seem to be related to anxiety and depression\".\n<!--more-->\nGout and asthma attacks peak during new and full moons, according to work carried out at the Slovak Institute of Preventive and Clinical Medicine in Bratislava, where attacks over a 22-year period were monitored.\n\nData from 140,000 births in New York City showed small but systematic variations in births over a period of 29.53 days - the length of the lunar cycle - with peak fertility in the last quarter. \"The timing of the fertility peak in the third quarter suggests that the period of decreasing illumination immediately after the full moon may precipitate ovulation.\'\'\n\nA study in Florida of murders and aggravated assaults showed clusters of attacks around the full moon. A second study of three police areas found the incidence of crimes committed on full-moon days was much higher than on all other days. And a four-year study into car accidents found that the lowest number happened during the full-moon day, while the highest number was two days before the full moon. Accidents were more frequent during the waxing than the waning phase.\n\nAnother study of some 800 patients with urinary retention admitted to hospital over a period of three years found higher retention during the new moon compared with other phases of the cycle. Interestingly, patients didn\'t show any other daily, monthly or seasonal rhythms in their retention problems.\n\nEven what we eat and drink is affected by the lunar cycle, according to a study at Georgia State University. Researchers looked at lunar variations in nutrient intakes and the meal patterns of 694 adults. They concluded: \"A small but significant lunar rhythm of nutrient intake was observed with an 8 per cent increase in meal size and a 26 per cent decrease in alcohol intake at the time of the full moon relative to the new moon.\'\'\n\nWhile scientists have been trying to prove for some time that the Moon does exert an effect, what has not been established is why. Scientists have until now examined the theory that the Moon triggers changes through its gravitational pull. But the latest research points to an effect on people\'s hormones. \"The lunar cycle has an impact on human reproduction, in particular fertility, menstruation and birth rate. Other events associated with human behaviour, such as traffic accidents, crimes, and suicides, appeared to be influenced by the lunar cycle,\'\' said Dr Michael Zimecki of the Polish Academy of Sciences.\n\n\"Although the exact mechanism of the Moon\'s influence on humans and animals awaits further exploration, knowledge of this kind of biorhythm may be helpful in police surveillance and medical practice,\'\' he said.\n\nThe researchers also found links between the lunar cycle and the likelihood of people being admitted to hospital with heart or bladder problems and with diarrhoea. The menstrual cycle, fertility, spontaneous abortions and thyroid disease were also affected. Just how the Moon could have an effect needs further research. Dr Zimecki suggests that it may be the effect of the Moon\'s gravity on immune systems, hormones and steroids.\n\nHe said: \"At this stage of investigation, the exact mechanism of the lunar effect on the immune response is hard to explain. The prime candidates to exert regulatory function on the immune response are melatonin and steroids, whose levels are affected by the Moon cycle.\n\n\"It is suggested that melatonin and endogenous steroids [which are naturally occurring in humans] may mediate the described cyclic alterations of physiological processes. Electromagnetic radiation and/or the gravitational pull of the Moon may trigger the release of hormones.\'\'\n\nWhatever the root cause of the Moon\'s influence over us, its hold over the imagination will endure as long as the shining sphere of rock remains in the sky.\n\nOnly 12 people have walked on the Moon: the first were Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin in 1969, the last were Eugene Cernan and Harrison Schmitt in 1972. But last December, Nasa announced plans for a permanent base on the Moon in preparation for a manned mission to Mars.\n\nConstruction of the base is scheduled to take around five years, with the first voyages beginning by 2020.','The Moon and you','','publish','open','closed','','the-moon-and-you','','','2007-01-21 18:36:26','2007-01-21 18:36:26','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=387',0,'post','',0),(388,2,'2007-01-23 09:42:40','2007-01-23 09:42:40','WONDER BOYS\n<a href=\"http://www.newyorker.com/talk/content/articles/070129ta_talk_seabrook\">The New Yorker</a> 2007-01-29\n\nThe first meeting of the <a href=\"http://kirchersociety.org/\">Athanasius Kircher Society</a>, held in the CUNY Graduate Center, on Fifth Avenue, last Tuesday evening, was billed as a contemporary wonder cabinet. Not the least of wonders is the revival of interest in Kircher, a seventeenth-century German Jesuit priest. A human search engine, Kircher published dozens of volumes on matters both large—astronomy, Egyptology, cryptography, botany, geology, geography, magnetism, and linguistics—and small, such as the real size of Noah’s Ark. Travellers from all over Europe came to see his collection of marvels and oddities in Rome, at the Museum Kircherianum.\n\nBy the end of the century, however, modern methods of scholarship had proved many of Kircher’s assumptions wrong, and his reputation sank to that of a gifted charlatan. According to Anthony Grafton, of Princeton University, who spoke at the meeting, a Kircher resurgence began in academic circles in the late nineteen-seventies. Kircher’s popularity is also growing among the general public, at least with a certain type of self-consciously twee New York hipster (the event sold out a month in advance), for whom YouTube is a modern-day Museum Kircherianum.\n<!--more-->\nJoshua Foer, a twenty-four-year-old freelance science writer, called the meeting to order. Foer is the founder of the Kircher Society, which consists mainly of a Web site that draws attention to subjects (hair museums, blind photographers, thousand-year-old pieces of popcorn) that Kircher might find inspiring. Then Grafton invoked the spirit of Kircher by reading, in Latin, a description of his descent into the crater of Mt. Vesuvius in 1638, undertaken in order to gather data on volcanism.\n\nThe first presenter was Kim Peek, the model for the Dustin Hoffman character in the 1988 movie “Rain Man.” Peek has read nine thousand books, and has complete recall of them all; he can read a new book in an hour, sometimes scanning the left page with his left eye while he reads the facing page with his right. (His condition may be caused by the absence of his corpus callosum, the tissue that connects the two hemispheres of the brain.)\n\nPeek began by asking Grafton where he lived. Princeton, the professor said. Peek informed him that the Princeton area code had been changed from 609 to 732 (almost: it changed nearby) and added, correctly, that New Jersey was ratified in 1787. The audience was then invited to try to stump the Rain Main. This turned out to be pretty easy to do. Peek didn’t know the stops on London’s Northern Line, but he did recall the details of the Packers-Giants championship game from 1962. There was polite applause from the audience. Kircher, in a portrait at the side of the podium, looked out at the crowd, practitioners of a kind of reverse hip—instead of being up to the minute, the point is to accumulate as much historical arcana as possible. His slight, smug smile seemed to say, “Fools! I had only books and artifacts to consult, and I knew everything. You have your Treos and your Facebook, and what do you know?”\n\nRosamond Purcell, another presenter, showed slides of her photographs, an eerie grotesquerie of natural-historical specimens. (She made several of these “catalogues” in collaboration with Stephen Jay Gould.) Her work conveys a sense of darkness within the scientific method; she seemed drawn to Kircher not for his contributions to science but for his curatorial interest in freaks and pathologies.\n\nThen it was time for the world première of the balcony scene from “Romeo and Juliet” performed in Solresol, a seven-syllable universal language invented in the early nineteenth century, in which each syllable corresponds to the seven notes of the major scale.\n\n“Fa do-re re-sol-do mi-do-do-sol?” Romeo beseeched. For sheer geekiness, this was the evening’s high point.\n\nFinally, the society heard from retired Colonel Joe Kittinger, who made the world’s highest parachute jump, in 1960, from 102,800 feet. He told a harrowing story of a seventy-six-thousand-foot jump, in which his parachute wrapped around his neck, sending him into a 140-r.p.m. spin—until, at last, the reserve chute deployed. It wasn’t clear what Kittinger had to do with Kircher.\n\nAt the end of the meeting, a replica of a two-foot-long walrus-penis bone, or baculum, was presented to whoever had the program printed with the words “Walrus Baculum.”\n\n“Mine!” said a man in the audience, leaping up with his program.\n\n“All right!” Foer shouted, shaking the penis bone above his head, while the Kircherians roared.\n\n— John Seabrook','Athanasius Kircher lives (in NYC)!','','publish','open','closed','','athanasius-kircher-lives-in-nyc','','','2007-01-23 09:42:40','2007-01-23 09:42:40','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=388',0,'post','',0),(389,2,'2007-01-25 08:26:18','2007-01-25 08:26:18','<img alt=\"Griffith1.jpg\" src=\"http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/archives/Griffith1.jpg\" width=\"213\" height=\"300\" border=\"0\" />\n\n<strong>HOW TO KILL THOSE DEGENERATE BRAINY ALIENS, 1900-STYLE</strong>\n<em>An appreciation of George Griffith\'s \"Stories of Other Worlds\"</em>\nby Martin S. Kottmeyer\n\nFEW of the popular writers working at the start of the 20th century are remembered today apart from H.G. Wells and Jules Verne. Of them, George Griffith\'s career could be regarded as having taken the greatest fall. He was among the most prolific of writers and probably made more money in his career than H.G. Wells, a matter that exasperated Wells in some measure since Griffith seemed clearly his inferior. He made his mark mainly for writing stories about future wars, a common theme of late 1800s fiction.\n\nContinues over at <a href=\"http://www.magonia.demon.co.uk/arc/00/ms51.htm\">Magonia</a> (you\'ll need to scroll down a bit...)','Future Wars: 1900','','publish','open','closed','','future-wars-1900','','','2007-01-25 08:26:18','2007-01-25 08:26:18','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=389',0,'post','',0),(390,2,'2007-01-25 15:41:18','2007-01-25 15:41:18','<img alt=\"vert.ray.gun.ap.jpg\" src=\"http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/archives/vert.ray.gun.ap.jpg\" width=\"220\" height=\"242\" />\n<strong>\n Ray gun makes targets feel as if they are on fire</strong>\nJanuary 25, 20070, <a href=\"http://www.cnn.com/2007/TECH/01/24/ray.gun.ap/index.html\">CNN</a>\n<em>Thanks Anthony Matt!</em>\n\nMOODY AIR FORCE BASE, Georgia (AP) -- The military\'s new weapon is a ray gun that shoots a beam that makes people feel as if they will catch fire.\n\nThe technology is supposed to be harmless -- a non-lethal way to get enemies to drop their weapons.\n\nMilitary officials say it could save the lives of civilians and service members in places like Iraq and Afghanistan.\n\nThe weapon is not expected to go into production until at least 2010, but all branches of the military have expressed interest in it, officials said.\n\nDuring the first media demonstration of the weapon Wednesday, airmen fired beams from a large dish antenna mounted atop a Humvee at people pretending to be rioters and acting out other scenarios U.S. troops might encounter.\n\nThe crew fired beams from more than 500 yards (455 meters) away, nearly 17 times the range of existing non-lethal weapons, such as rubber bullets.\n<!--more-->\nWhile the sudden, 130-degree Fahrenheit (54.44 Celsius) heat was not painful, it was intense enough to make participants think their clothes were about to ignite.\n\n\"This is one of the key technologies for the future,\" said Marine Col. Kirk Hymes, director of the non-lethal weapons program that helped develop the weapon. \"Non-lethal weapons are important for the escalation of force, especially in the environments our forces are operating in.\"\n\nThe system uses millimeter waves, which can penetrate only 1/64th of an inch of skin, just enough to cause discomfort. By comparison, common kitchen microwaves penetrate several inches of skin.\n\nThe millimeter waves cannot go through walls, but they can penetrate most clothing, officials said. They refused to comment on whether the waves can go through glass.\n\nTwo airmen and 10 reporters volunteered to be zapped with the beams, which easily penetrated various layers of winter clothing.\n\nThe system was developed by the military, but the two devices being evaluated were built by defense contractor Raytheon.\n\nAirman Blaine Pernell, 22, said he could have used the system during his four tours in Iraq, where he manned watchtowers around a base near Kirkuk. He said Iraqis often pulled up and faked car problems so they could scout U.S. forces.\n\n\"All we could do is watch them,\" he said. But if they had the ray gun, troops \"could have dispersed them.\"','Behold the heat ray!','','publish','open','closed','','behold-the-heat-ray','','','2007-01-25 15:41:18','2007-01-25 15:41:18','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=390',0,'post','',0),(391,2,'2007-01-26 12:04:08','2007-01-26 12:04:08','<b>Ball Lightning Mystery Solved? Electrical Phenomenon Created in Lab</b>\n<a href=\"http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2007/01/070122-ball-lightning.html?source=rss\" >National Geographic</a> January 22, 2007\n\nBrazilian scientists may have solved a shocking scientific mystery by creating ball lightning in the lab.\n\nPhysicist Antonio Pavão and doctoral student Gerson Paiva of the Federal University of Pernambuco have created orbs of electricity about the size of golf balls that mimic natural ball lightning.\n\nThe fluffy-looking spheres spin, throw off sparks, and vibrate.\n\nThey also move erratically about the lab, rolling around on the floor, bouncing off objects, and burning whatever they touch (see enlarged photo for stills from laboratory video).\n\nPeople have reported seeing ball lightning in nature for hundreds of years, but there is no scientific consensus as to what causes the phenomenon.\n<!--more-->\n\"Since Benjamin Franklin, or even before him, different explanations have been proposed,\" Pavão said.\n\n\"But now we are producing balls [of lightning] as a result of silicon combustion. I believe that with our results, ball lightning is losing its status [as a] mystery.\"\n\nRecent Clues to Centuries-Old Mystery\n\nAccording to various surveys, between 1 in 30 and 1 in 150 people report having seen natural ball lightning.\n\nThousands of accounts describe brief encounters with orbs the size of tennis balls, or even beach balls, that seem alive with electricity.\n\nBall lightning often appears during thunderstorms and typically glows, spins, hisses, bounces, and floats.\n\nThe balls have been reported to melt glass windows, burn objects, and even kill people—notably the 18th-century electricity researcher Georg Richmann.\n\nMany theories have been proposed to explain the phenomenon.\n\nJohn Abrahamson and James Dinniss, of the University of Canterbury in Christchurch, New Zealand, first proposed the ball-lightning theory that lies behind Pavão\'s research.\n\nThe pair suggested that when lightning strikes a surface, like the Earth\'s silica-rich soil, a vapor is formed. This silicon vapor may condense into particles that combine with oxygen in the air to slowly burn with the chemical energy of oxidation.\n\nPavão and Paiva have spent two years testing the theory with a simple experiment.\n\nThey used electrodes to shock silicon wafers with enough electricity to create a silicon vapor.\n\nMost of the artificial orbs lasted two to five seconds, but at least one has survived as long as eight seconds—approximating natural ball lightning and far exceeding previous efforts to create the phenomenon in the lab.\n\nBall lightning expert Graham K. Hubler, a physicist at the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory in Washington, D.C, called the work \"very promising.\"\n\n\"The eight seconds is extraordinary and bodes well for a possible explanation for many ball-lightning events,\" he said.\n\nAbrahamson, the New Zealand scientist, agrees.\n\n\"Their balls are of sufficient duration and size to enter the mainstream of ball lightning seen in nature,\" Abrahamson said.\n\n\"Also the balls have sufficient properties similar to those in nature to be convincing ball lightning.\"\n\nOther Sources of the Phenomenon?\n\nAbrahamson added that other materials besides silicon could also form ball lightning, though none of them have been successfully tested.\n\n\"Our theory includes many materials, such as aluminum and iron metals, which appear to be the sources of some balls seen in nature,\" he said.\n\nSome sightings of ball lightning have occurred in or around airplanes, Abrahamson explained, which suggests that aluminum in the aircraft may have caused the phenomenon.\n\nIf these materials can produce ball lightning, he said, the phenomenon may occur after lightning strikes power poles, electrical fittings, roof materials, and other objects.\n\nIn fact, Abrahamson suggested, conventional lightning may not be the only energy source for the curious orbs.\n\n\"It could be smaller atmospheric discharges or even friction heating from earthquakes—balls have been seen coming from an active fault,\" he said.\n\n<a href=\"http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2007/01/070122-ball-lightning.html?source=rss\" >Full story & photos</a>','Ball Lightning in the lab','','publish','open','closed','','ball-lightning-in-the-lab','','','2007-01-26 12:04:08','2007-01-26 12:04:08','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=391',0,'post','',0),(392,2,'2007-01-26 14:03:09','2007-01-26 14:03:09','<strong>Boss Hog</strong>\n<em>America\'s top pork producer churns out a sea of waste that has destroyed rivers, killed millions of fish and generated one of the largest fines in EPA history. Welcome to the dark side of the other white meat.</em>\nby JEFF TIETZ\n\nSmithfield Foods, the largest and most profitable pork processor in the world, killed 27 million hogs last year. That\'s a number worth considering. A slaughter-weight hog is fifty percent heavier than a person. The logistical challenge of processing that many pigs each year is roughly equivalent to butchering and boxing the entire human populations of New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Houston, Philadelphia, Phoenix, San Antonio, San Diego, Dallas, San Jose, Detroit, Indianapolis, Jacksonville, San Francisco, Columbus, Austin, Memphis, Baltimore, Fort Worth, Charlotte, El Paso, Milwaukee, Seattle, Boston, Denver, Louisville, Washington, D.C., Nashville, Las Vegas, Portland, Oklahoma City and Tucson.\n\nSmithfield Foods actually faces a more difficult task than transmogrifying the populations of America\'s thirty-two largest cities into edible packages of meat. Hogs produce three times more excrement than human beings do. The 500,000 pigs at a single Smithfield subsidiary in Utah generate more fecal matter each year than the 1.5 million inhabitants of Manhattan. The best estimates put Smithfield\'s total waste discharge at 26 million tons a year. That would fill four Yankee Stadiums. Even when divided among the many small pig production units that surround the company\'s slaughterhouses, that is not a containable amount.\n\nFull story over at <a href=\"http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/story/12840743/porks_dirty_secret_the_nations_top_hog_producer_is_also_one_of_americas_worst_polluters/1\">Rolling Stone</a>\n\nThanks (sort of) Anthony Matt!','27 million dead... and counting','','publish','open','closed','','27-million-dead-and-counting','','','2007-01-26 14:03:09','2007-01-26 14:03:09','',0,'http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=392',0,'post','',0),(905,2,'2007-01-31 14:00:12','2007-01-31 19:00:12','<a href=\'http://strangeattractor.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2007/01/salogo.jpg\' title=\'sa\'><img src=\'http://strangeattractor.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2007/01/salogo.jpg\' alt=\'sa\' align=\"left\" /></a>As you can see we\'re fiddling in the back room at the moment, but don\'t worry we\'ll be up and running again soon enough - assuming Mark doesn\'t hit the wrong button... again!\n\nWhile we scratch our heads why not have a look at the <a href=\"http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further_old/\">Further archive</a>.\n<center><a href=\'http://strangeattractor.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2007/01/saj_cover_05.jpg\' title=\'end\'><img src=\'http://strangeattractor.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2007/01/saj_cover_05.jpg\' alt=\'end\' /></a></center>','We&#039;ll be right back... after this break','','publish','open','open','','hello-world-2','','','2007-01-31 14:00:12','2007-01-31 19:00:12','',0,'http://strangeattractor.co.uk/further/hello-world-2/',0,'post','',0),(3098,2,'2011-02-16 19:13:30','2011-02-16 19:13:30','<strong><a href=\"http://strangeattractor.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/thumbnail.jpeg\"><img class=\"alignright size-medium wp-image-3094\" title=\"thumbnail\" src=\"http://strangeattractor.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/thumbnail-229x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"229\" height=\"300\" /></a>From Animism to Zos:\r\n</strong><strong>Strange Attractor Salon at the ICA</strong>\r\n\r\n<em>8 March - 12 May 2011\r\n<a href=\"http://www.ica.org.uk/28162/Seasons/Strange-Attractor-Salon-From-Animism-to-Zos.html\" target=\"_blank\">Institute of Contemporary Arts</a>\r\nThe Mall,  London, SW1Y 5AH</em>\r\n\r\nAs part of the <a href=\"http://www.ica.org.uk/27600/Visual-Art/Nathaniel-Mellors-Ourhouse.html\">Nathaniel Mellors: Ourhouse</a> exhibition at London\'s <a href=\"http://www.ica.org.uk/28162/Seasons/Strange-Attractor-Salon-From-Animism-to-Zos.html\" target=\"_blank\">ICA</a>, Nathaniel Mellors and <em>Strange Attractor Journal</em> editor Mark Pilkington have assembled a series of weekly events, consisting of a talk and a film, exploring some lesser-known intersections of culture, history, mind and nature.\r\n\r\nFrom the twenty-first century resurgence of animist beliefs to the art and life of Austin Osman Spare, via London\'s lost rivers, the history of spider-silk weaving, nineteenth-century visions of a multi-dimensional universe and magical influences in twentieth century music, a wealth of recherché ideas, knowledge, and experiences await you in the Strange Attractor Salon.\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.ica.org.uk/28162/Seasons/Strange-Attractor-Salon-From-Animism-to-Zos.html\" target=\"_blank\">Advance booking</a> for the salon events is advised, via the <a href=\"http://www.ica.org.uk/28162/Seasons/Strange-Attractor-Salon-From-Animism-to-Zos.html\" target=\"_blank\">ICA site</a>.\r\n\r\n<!--more-->\r\n\r\n<!-- p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica} p.p2 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px} --><strong>10 March - Stephen Grasso: Haunted Soundsystems</strong>\r\nWriter and witchdoctor Stephen Grasso digs through the crates to present an overview of the influence of African Diaspora magico-religious traditions on music, from New Orleans jazz to JA dancehall.\r\n\r\n<strong> 17 March - Robert Wallis: Exorcising \'Spirits\' - Animism, shamanism and Rock Art\r\n</strong>Dr Robert J. Wallis, Professor of Visual Culture at Richmond University, London, talks about new thinking on shamans, animists and prehistoric rock art.\r\n\r\n<strong> 24 March - Eleanor Morgan: Spinning with spiders\r\n</strong>Artist and researcher Eleanor Morgan examines the mythical and material entanglements between humans and spiders, incorporating the history of our use of spiders’ silk, the courtship and mating of spiders, and spiders’ attraction to human music and song.\r\n\r\n<strong>31 March - Phil Baker: The Life and Legend of Austin Osman Spare\r\n</strong>Artist, visionary and occultist, Austin Osman Spare’s career began in Edwardian celebrity and ended in Fifties obscurity. Spare\'s biographer Phil Baker considers the success and failure of Spare, with special reference to demonology and interior decoration, and discusses Spare\'s life, roots and obsessions, setting them against Victorian ideas about the power of the unconscious and the nature of familiar spirits.\r\n\r\n<strong>7 April: Mark Blacklock: Charles Hinton, Pioneer of the Fourth Dimension\r\n</strong>How Victorian Britain discovered the joys of multi-dimensional reality, and the man who brought it to them. Mark Blacklock is a writer and contributor to <em>SAJ Four.</em>\r\n\r\n<strong>14 April : Dr David Luke - Psi, Mind and Time\r\n</strong>Remembering the future and other anomalies from the annals of parapsychology: the forbidden science. Dr David Luke is President of the Parapsychological Association and a contributor to<em> SAJ Thre</em>e and <em>Four</em>.\r\n\r\n<strong>21 April : Tom Bolton - London\'s Lost Rivers\r\n</strong>Over 20 rivers once ran through the city - where were they and what happened to them? Tom is the author of the forthcoming Strange Attractor Press book <em>London\'s Lost Rivers: A Surface Dweller\'s Guide</em>.\r\n\r\n<strong>28 April : Amanda Feilding: Heartbeat in the Brain\r\n</strong>In a rare presentation, Artist and activist Amanda Feilding discusses the long history of trepanation, from the neolithic to the present, including her own self-trepanation in 1970. Amanda\'s film of her self-experiment, \'Heartbeat in the Film\', has rightly achieved somewhat mythical status and will be shown as part of tonight\'s presentation.\r\n\r\n<strong>5 May : Ken Hollings - Living in Space\r\n</strong>The <em>Welcome to Mars</em> author on adaptations to life in space, with a live synthesiser soundtrack by Mark Pilkington\'s The Asterism.\r\n\r\n<strong> 12 May: Antony Clayton - Legends of Underground London</strong>\r\nFrom swine in the sewers, to cannibals on the tubes via Jack Cade\'s cavern and the bunkers under the ICA - what lies beneath the city streets? Antony Clayton is the author of <em>Subterranean City</em> and <em>The Folklore of London.</em>','Strange Attractor Salon at the ICA','As part of the Nathaniel Mellors: Ourhouse exhibition at London\'s ICA, Strange Attractor have assembled a series of weekly events, talks and films, exploring some lesser-known intersections of culture, history, mind and nature.','inherit','open','open','','3093-revision-3','','','2011-02-16 19:13:30','2011-02-16 19:13:30','',3093,'http://strangeattractor.co.uk/further/3093-revision-3/',0,'revision','',0),(3096,2,'2011-01-31 10:10:41','2011-01-31 10:10:41','<a href=\"http://www.ukcpsychedelics.co.uk/conference\" target=\"_blank\"><img class=\"size-full wp-image-2192\" style=\"vertical-align: top; border: 0; margin: 8px;\" title=\"Breakingcon\" src=\"http://strangeattractor.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/Breakingcon1.jpg\" alt=\"Breakingcon\" width=\"400\" height=\"566\" /></a>\r\n\r\n<!-- p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 16.0px 0.0px; font: 32.0px Helvetica} p.p2 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 12.0px 0.0px; font: 19.0px Helvetica} p.p3 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 12.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica} span.s1 {font: 16.0px Helvetica} --><strong>A Multidisciplinary Meeting on Psychedelic Consciousness</strong>\r\n\r\n<strong>Saturday &amp; Sunday, 2-3</strong><span><strong><sup>rd</sup></strong></span><strong> April, 2011</strong>\r\n\r\nVirginia Woolf College, Univeristy of Kent, Canterbury, CT2 7UG.\r\n\r\nSpeakers include: Mike Jay, Paul Devereux, Charlotte Walsh, Dr. Luis Eduardo Luna,  Dr. Andy Letcher, Amanda Feilding, Dr. Rick Doblin, Graham Hancock, Andy Roberts.\r\n\r\nLive music from <a href=\"http://www.raagnagrok.co.uk\" target=\"_blank\">Raagnagrok</a> and more tbc\r\n\r\nTickets available <a href=\"http://breakingconvention.co.uk/tickets-pricing/\" target=\"_blank\">here</a>. More info at the <a href=\"http://www.ukcpsychedelics.co.uk/conference\" target=\"_blank\">UKC Psychedelics</a> site.','2-3 April 2011: Breaking Convention','Psychedelic Consciousness Conference\r\nUniveristy of Kent\r\n2-3rd April, 2011','inherit','open','open','','2614-revision-8','','','2011-01-31 10:10:41','2011-01-31 10:10:41','',2614,'http://strangeattractor.co.uk/further/2614-revision-8/',0,'revision','',0),