Fantastic, and, very scary!
@fvngvs
lol
I’m pleased to see that sailplane pilots use parachutes.
I was once briefed on the strategy of when to leave the aeroplane. This began with “If it gets drafty in the cabin, and you look around and see that the pilot isn’t there…”
“300,000.21 gigawatts”
Doc Emmett Brown sees what you did there, and approves.
I think I overheard in one class that storing the energy of a single bolt would mean a town-sized battery. Not that I consider such to be an obstacle.
Great article! I loved the bit about the onion, although now I’m terrified to fly ever again…
2nd!
Tasty brain food mmm!
Thanks guys!
Damn interesting – keep’em coming :-)
On a related note, the people of Goa (India) make a potent drink out of the apple of the Cashew called ‘Feni’.
Hi, long time reader first time poster here. The book sold because you did the work up front and developed a following. Using the Overjustification Effect as an excuse to get paid after such meager output since the book came out is lame. You want more of my money, show me yours first. Blah. That’s not an article that’s a sales pitch designed as an article. Damnlame.
Please exuse my previous double post learning curve met :)
Dear Mr. Bellows I have been a huge fan of damn interesting since i first hear of your sight ether through npr News radio or through some obsucre new story i read on the net or heard on the tv. I think i have read of of the storys you and your writers have written. The dangers of oxygen, the cancer fighting drugs of our own imune systems creating and every other Damn intersting thing you and your writers have to put on digital canvas or as you say ” Dead tree flesh” Alien hand syndrome for the win. Many of these storys , and treasures have lead me to hours of reading and sometimes book purchases. I would like to thank you and your writters your staff and all the people help you do this work of beaming bright lights of wisdom and explanation, history science, and every other bit of damninteresting information into my head and the heads of the friends i constantly tell about your Site. Damninteresting for ever. Thankyou
Mjolnir said: “While the effect exists, it really seemed that Allen was getting somewhat tired of this even before the book. There have been other sites like DI in the past, and they lasted only a few years too.”
sad face :( and where can I find these other sites?
Hmmm,…. So what you are saying, if we give you guys our money, you will print more DI stories for us? If I buy this iPad version of all DI what kind of story guarantee will we receive in return? One story every two months? Is there a money goal you are trying to reach? Do you accept other forms of rewards other than money? Knitted sweaters perhaps?
Huh. Well that explains a lot in my life.
Was reading that as meaning we’re going to have to pay for future articles. Thankfully I think I’m wrong in that assumption and anticipate many more free articles to come!
While the effect exists, it really seemed that Allen was getting somewhat tired of this even before the book. There have been other sites like DI in the past, and they lasted only a few years too.
People make this ‘problem’ hugely complicated, running simulations and introducing all manner of irrelevancies to try to ‘prove’ that the odds prevail.
They do, and always will, by simple logic, unless some metaphysical precognition is at work to confound them, but that is not the issue at hand here.
If the contestant applies the strategy of not switching, the odds are a simple 1 in 3 of picking the car, whatever the host does is irrelevant as it will have no bearing on the result.
If the contestant applies the strategy of switching, the odds are still a 1 in 3 of initially picking the car, and the contestant will lose, as the host will reveal the one goat, and the contestant will migrate to the other goat.
The odds of the contestant initially picking a goat are of course 2 in 3, and the contestant will win, as the host will reveal the other goat, and the contestant will migrate to the car.
It is only the initial selection by the contestant which has anything to do with randomness and probability, after that, it plays no part, and the outcome is determined.
The host has to know where the car is, and is presumably constrained to revealing a goat after the contestant’s choice for the ‘Monty Hall Problem’ to prevail
Is the author really trying to defend this guy in the last paragraph? “a tiny nucleus of noble intentions”…?
He assaulted and tried to murder three innocent people, maiming them all permanently. If he had been successful, who knows how many on the ground may have been killed in the crash.
Makes My Skin all tingly
Going back to a few early points:
Mandarin may be the most spoken 1st language, but only because there are over a billion Chinese people speaking it. English is the most spoken language on the planet because, and I hope you Americans are paying attention to this, not because America is a global superpower, it is because Britain was expanding its worldwide empire, and spreading our culture / language, while you were just shooting natives and pinching their land! English has been used around the globe ALOT longer than your country has even existed for. So to claim that it is on its way to becoming the universal because of you is quite ridiculous!
I do, on the whole, like Americans, but your general egotistical naivety frustrates me!
I can speak relatively fluently in French, German, Spanish and Portuguese. Maybe because English is my native language, but I find it the easiest to communicate in. I go all over Europe on business, and it’s always conducted in English, but I’ve always tried to speak to people in their own tongue because they really appreciate it. Nothing gets business going smoother then getting drunk with a group of German while they’re trying to teach you to sing Das Lied der Deutschen.
Languages may come and go but people will always be protective of their language.
On the previously mentioned connection between language and brain patterns, I saw an experiment a few years ago based on colours. A couple of scientists were in Africa talking to a regional tribe, they showed them a screen with 12 coloured squares on and asked them to point out the odd one out. Seeing the screen it was obvious there were 11 green squares and 1 blue, but no one from this tribe could differentiate. They then showed the 12 squares again and asked the same question, this time I could tell no difference, they all looked green to me, but all the tribe pointed to the same square. This was basically because this tribe has many different names for different greens, and nothing for blue. Because they talk about colours in a different way, they see differently to English speakers. So language is more more than just words.
One scenario I imagined was a shrub sculptor, spotted in his yard by the neighborhood. He’s asked to sculpt around the block, and as he does it for fun, he agrees. Perhaps incentive later appears, in some form. If it later ceases, does he simply return to his own yard, disregarding the neighborhood?
Another was a street guitarist who never realized he could collect tips. Would a surprise fluke day/week of donation (say someone leaves behind a collection hat) followed by the usual “drought” disrupt his routine?
The effect might have something to do with a perceived “agreement” broken or maybe just spite. Not sure kids are big on the latter.
Yay, a little bit of activity! Hmm I’ll definitely have to consider buying some stuff, if and when I get a bit of dough.
Lots of tasty brain candy ‘on the go’ for me! Will be signing up to fill my Kindle with yummy real soon!
Thank you DI :)
This tendency, which has “”been”" since been supported by additional experimentation, is known as the Overjustification Effect.
Small typo there, nothing serious. Good work with the article, I enjoyed it :)
Oh, and by the way, I won’t buy the “Everything Now and Forever” option, overjustification effect, You know…
I will buy the ebook for sure! If I only could, when I was on a 55 hour trip!
DI and, well… Well played ;)
Does this mean more frequent articles to come? Woohoo!
6th Paragraph.
“Colonel mustered”
I wondered where he got off to….
It was Colonel Mustered, in the Storm Cloud, With the Ice Shard….
I WIN!
Excellent writing! Very interesting indeed.
I can think of nothing better than when you the writer, Alan, can write so clearly that the theater of the mind permits me to become the subject! Real life stories that outstrip Indiana Jones.
Well done Alan!
Call me weird, but I personally believe that number stations could be used as post-apocalyptic communication resources. Especially if, say, anarchy develops and you want to keep your communications coded.
You have been down trotted. You have been abandoned. Now its your time. To rise up out of thee oppressed. To emerge from the shadows. ignite the thunder of freedom. Now you fight for yourself. For riches. For honor. for the brotherhood! JOIN H.A.K NOW! protect canada from unseen threats!
You have been down trotted. You have been abandoned. Now its your time. To rise up out of thee oppressed. To emerge from the shadows. ignite the thunder of freedom. Now you fight for yourself. For riches. For honor. for the brotherhood! join H.A.K now! defend canada against unseen threats!
Marius: I wonder at what point does a company realize that their product is so universal that advertising is no longer needed?
I wish McDonalds would hurry the hell up and realise this!
The young Sidis had extraordinary talents.A boy who was pushed over his limits.He thought he was GOD,Alien_out of this universe.Although his intellectual abilities were exceptional,James knew nothing about the universe.Hiss brain was overflowing with information,which could have been used for advancing Earth.James was amazing fellow.He died a cruel death,because of those who were close to him_the press,his proud parents,his unworthy friends.This proves the fact that pride comes before a fall,and goes after a fall;those who are truly our friends will always motivate us.
hello, it works, but still needs powerful engines too…
I was in Scranton 3-4 years ago with a day off,get a rental car and visited the place I had read about and seen info online for year ,it was a nice drive up thru Ashland ,got there and it was a ghost town,I was the ony person driving around,did not see another vehicle.Looks like the only thing occupied looked like the fire station. Walked around the cemataries and churches and shot alot of photos and video.Kinda sad driving out thru Manahoy city,must be alot of job loss and dispair,seems some of the older row home are literally falling over from age and or disrepair.The vacant old coal yard and hooppers also made for nice photo and video.
I LOVE THIS SITE! I found it a bit late but the back log is huge full of incredibly interesting stories, mysteries, and sciences. The range of subjects is so diverse I’m not sure how one could get bored with it… I’m go’n through some transitions in life, but once everything settles down, I wouldn’t mind attempting to try and write some stories if I was deemed worthy, since if I’m debating the mysteries with my friends why not here?! Some really interesting ideas I had were Somerton Man, The Russian mountain accident with a whole expedition dead, and some other accounts where either the supernatural or legit science can explain what happened but since we don’t know, one explanation is not closer to the truth than the other. Admittedly, while Occam’s Razor is more convenient it is NOT more right, which is the joy of speculation. What a site! Can’t wait to see updates.
I dig the shorts. Keep’em comin’. Have you ever done any research into the tubeworms that live on the geothermal vents on the abyssal plane? They likewise exist in an environment that is baffling, not only due to the high temperatures but also due to the fact their habitat is flooded with hydrogen sulfide, which makes them completely alien compared to organisms that rely on oxygen to survive.
I do agree, there is a big chance, that the girl was raped. However, there could be other option. You know, young kids do play doctors, exploring each others body. Because the girl was more mature, maybe she just was exploring things with some other a bit older boy and it just happened. Why no one thinks it could be other kid (8 – 12years)?
I recently went to the Air Museum at Travis AFB, and saw up-close a rocket that looks an awful lot like the picture in this article. Fortunately, it wasn’t warm to the touch, and I didn’t see stars when I closed my eyes. FYI, the museum has 2 items of interest to children under the age of 10. On the plus side, it’s free.
I don’t think they’re obsolete. I agree with Drakvil; I just got my first “creaking old dinosaur” last year, and I use it regularly.
I’m interested to hear about 3-D fax machines, the ones that scan objects, then send the dimensions, so the receiving machine can carve a piece of plastic into the same shape. No practical applications yet, as I understand, but maybe someday.
the article was gross . However each and every culture on earth has its share of bad practises . Generation after generation , we are continually moving away from such heineous acts which were once the religious or cultural dogma . We should indeed be grateful for the times we live in .
But not everything is done .
However slow and tedious the process, any soceity will change once the individuals change .
Instead of focusing on a singular example of outdated practise still followed we should take ownership of the way of life of us as individuals and of those small number of people in whose lives we can exercise a positive infulence .
This is the single most important thing that history teaches us .
We are not the first species to have caused extinction and we won’t be the last.
Wether its “right” or “wrong” is irrelevant as they are figments of our own imagination, we created the notions of “right” and “wrong” and outside our minds they are meaningless.
To the people trying to claim that evolution has no part in this your are unfortunatley incorrect… The only reason we exsist today and impact the planet the way we do is due to the way we have evolved to survive. The survival of any species, including our own, depends on the ability to adapt to changes in envoirnment. Wether that change be from climate, disease, predation or even genocidal maniacs with shotguns is besides the point.
Fail to adapt, fail to survive its as simple as that, and as part of nature we are part and parcel of evolution, thinking we are above or beyond it is arrogant and naive, the second the world / universe wants rid of us we are gone. We are nowhere near as significant as we like to think.
To quote some Douglas Adams:
“To summarize: it is a well known fact that those people who most want to rule people are, ipso facto, those least suited to do it. To summarize the summary: anyone who is capable of getting themselves made President should on no account be allowed to do the job. To summarize the summary of the summary: people are a problem.”
Says it all really!
I love the shorties but I’m not as fond of the Oxford comma.
To All,
It is hilarious to read the comments of so many of you who do not understand sound or its propagation through the ocean. What you hear in your every day lives and the understanding you have of sound propagation based on life experiences and over exposure to your personal music player has nothing to do with sound propagation in the ocean.
First off, sound does NOT travel in a straight line in the ocean. Sound itself is lazy and will travel in a path of least resistance. Because increases in water density do to increased pressure, increased salinity, or decreased temperatures would cause sound to go faster, it bends away from this increase density. In other words sound will bend towards the path of least resistance.
Secondly, the speed of sound in water as around 4850 feet per second. It travels very fast and because of the density of water, very far. Low frequencies, which is what this phenomena was, travel even farther. While on submarines, I used our long (over 1000 feet long) towed sonar array to track low frequency contacts over a thousand miles away. It is quite easy with the correct equipment.
Third…..the spacing of the SOSUS array. Yes the array is spaced by a couple thousand miles, however, each array consist of more than one hydrophone. They are located and spaced to take advantage of acoustic conditions and are placed in strategic locations to listen for underwater activity in places that would be considered “areas of interest.” Regardless of their composition and placements, they are extremely sensitive and accurate when it comes to the detection and analysis of sound.
Finally…lets not forget the “Boing Fish” This was a mysterious acoustic phenomena that was first recorded in the 1950′s. It is regularly heard in or near the arctic regions year round. Scientist for years could not figure out the origins of the sound until the 1990′s when it was discovered that the noise was made by the Minke whale. Prior to figuring out the source of the noise it was officially called the “boing fish” in military documents and manuals on acoustic sources and sounds. Here again is an example of an unexplained noise whose source is unknown for years before being discovered.
I love the shorts but not the Oxford comma.
BostonBakedBean said: “Fukashima…the new winner in Nuclear Disasters.”
Yeah….
Prince said: “I dare say that a country ignorant enough to elect Bush has no chance of a successful take over of Canada.Im not taking the Canadians side but Bush thinks Canada is an overseas country for christ’s sake! and I quote “My job takes me to lots of overseas countries, like Canada””
I can only LOL. We have ignorance everywhere. Ignorance means not knowing. Anyone in politics most certainly should KNOW what they are talking about before spouting off to the public. This is not an example of the country’s intelligence, but the intelligence of Bush. Again, I can only LOL.
Maybe I live in another world. It never ever occurred to me that Canada and the United States would ever go to war. It’s unthinkable to me. I am a Canadian. My girlfriend is a Canadian. We married American men and have children by them. I’m sure we are not the only ones. It doesn’t make sense at all for a war. We are all so close. I have always thought of the U.S. as part of us.
“We encourage our readers to buy this book because our readers have outstanding taste.”
Wrong! You are making a very risky generalization there. I am an avid reader of this site and my taste is awful, as my choice of nick reveals.
I´ll buy the book anyway. Fremdschämen, schadenfreude, if you add a little bit of galgenhumor (and I hope it won´t be lacking) you´ll get a perfect mix. Sounds (damn)interesting.
i think any crack smoking but faces around the world should shut there mouth about canada and candians beffore the meet lefty and righty oh i almost forgot any man or woman who dis canada would run away if a war ever broke out they would run so fast they wouldnt even now they shat there underwear
Ohh spooky. Read this article before work this morning, first time I’d heard the term. Appeared as an answer on University Challenge (a panel quiz pitting 4 students of University A against 4 from University B, UK) this evening – I finally got a question right.
PresMatt said: “The BRITISH burned the white house in 1814… If you’re going to claim the same victories as the British then you shall also claim the same defeats. America saved Canada from Hitler in WWII!ugh…”
You sound like an idiot , as you think Canada played no role in ww2.
the 3rd Canadian Division landed on Juno Beach in the Battle of Normandy
(. By the end of D-Day, the Canadians had penetrated deeper into France than either the British or the American troops at their landing sites, overcoming stronger resistance than any of the other beachheads except Omaha Beach. )
One of the most important Canadian contributions was the Battle of the Scheldt,
Devil’s Brigade (a joint World War II American-Canadian commando unit organized in 1942 )
World War II Canadian Ship Listing http://www.hazegray.org/navhist/canada/ww2/
http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/articles/second-world-war-wwii
Errata in the previous comment: inteRstellar, articLe :-)
I recommend to enter the specified site from Google Chrome.
Otherwise the article may be not displayed correctly.
I am sorry because of my poor english (I am russian).
The main idea of Orion project, i.e., direct utilizing of the energy of nuclear explosions, was right and extremely productive. But this concept needs to be developed further an intestellar probe based on it could be realized.
Such a development is proposed in my artice https://sites.google.com/site/extremalmechanics/next_orion
@Franpa: Have a look at our about page to learn why our articles don’t appear at the brisk pace you prefer.
Hugs,
Dan
I never thought I’d say it but I’m starting to miss the banana…
The practical is better, but you want to take a control methods to reduce the pain & fear of the animal that you used for that practicle
TARNA said: “I worked for the American Red Cross for several years. I have never seen a more disorganized “charity” in my life. In my opinion, this non-profit organization operates on 3 wheels. It terrifies me to think of what would happen if my friends or my loved ones were in a disaster and needed their support. They also waste….. they honestly need to get better prepared and especially considering the fact that we are having more natural disasters in this country. I hope they get their act together…. for all of our sakes.”
Better to get the community around to organise themselves for preparedness to react to emergencies. Not only is it a great way to get to know folks, develop the resources locally, be self-reliant and in control but it will mean that if help is needed it will be there faster and more appropriate than anything from outside such as from ARC.
Alan has stated a couple of times that he has started a new job and has had a few personal trials to overcome these past few years.
This site does NOT have ads on it and AFAIK it never has.
I have noticed a few changes over the past few days. All the Articles are now numbered and I am sure other behind the scenes things that I have yet to notice.
This site is ALAN’s playground that he chooses to share with us. He can make updates to it as often as he likes. It’s not like keeping it as part of an RSS feed and enjoying it when it updates is some terrible form of torture. Whenever I need to scratch my Damn itch, I go to explore and hit the “Random” button a few times. I can also go for a constitutional on my porcelain throne and read a few articles out of his book. I sincerely doubt that you can recall the subject of nearly 400 articles and some re-reading and thought wouldn’t benefit you.
I have, however, noticed that all of the articles published since the site came back to life have been authored by Alan. Are any of the older Damn-Contributors coming back? Have there been attempts to recruit new ones?
I share mine with you – I was watching the baader meinhof complex – a film about the terrorist group. I’d never heard of the group before the film.
after it finished i was reading a list of cognitive biases on wikipedia that my friend had sent me . this phenomena was in the list ….. tis what brought me here. no doubt itl come up on radio 4 soon.
I like it . how about it is exciting , means my brain is remembering some knowledge for a change, it will help me remember the name of the group rather than being tongue tied in discussion , you know rather than being scary and meaning something bad may happen. It happens all the time but this been my favorite!.
So, what was the Damn Interesting staff doing all that time that Dan Bellows was fighting to get the site/domain back? Surely they weren’t just twiddling there thumbs the whole time? What’s with the excruciatingly slow release of articles? You guys used to release articles fairly often way back.
I know I sound like a prick but really, what would you expect? Admittedly I didn’t contribute at all to this website and heck I even block any advertisements you have on your website so you’re well within your rights to 100% ignore me or even delete my comment but damn, the excitement of this site coming back to life was incredible until it became obvious that it is still a shadow of its former self :/
Is there personal issues preventing FTP access to the site again? General personal issues? Financial issues? Are you just trying to space your articles out more to ensure you don’t run out of material in the near future? What is with the hold up?
Also, before when you were fighting to reclaim the website, you could have hosted a different site temporarily and spammed the comments of that Banana article with links to it instead of posting articles within the comments of that Banana article. Heck have the articles that were posted in those comments been properly added to the site yet? Or are they still just comments hidden amongst 500 or so comments?
I worked for the American Red Cross for several years. I have never seen a more disorganized “charity” in my life. In my opinion, this non-profit organization operates on 3 wheels. It terrifies me to think of what would happen if my friends or my loved ones were in a disaster and needed their support. They also waste….. they honestly need to get better prepared and especially considering the fact that we are having more natural disasters in this country. I hope they get their act together…. for all of our sakes.
Mmm… bacon…
My father was one of the developers of VX, working as a contracted chemist. He was fully aware the gas had caused the sheeps death. He was so disgusted by the army’s cover up that he quit working with them. It’s so typical for the army and government to cover up everthing. Just glad my father had the integrity to walk rather than put up with the government games.
The Red Cross/Crescent Movement has conditions for admission but have no power to control or disown National Red Cross/ Crescent Socities who fail to meet minimum standards of transparency, accountability or operational standards. This is why such National Societies as Kyrgystan and Ireland should have been thrown out long ago due to unacceptable governance and management which is a disgrace to those who comply.
The SG of IFRC is only interested in public relations but time is running out for many development charities for whom accountability is an endangered species.
Oxfam is not better, it engineers its accounting to make its admin and operational costs appear minimal while little reaches the poor or those in immediate need of support.
The aid industry is in need of overhaul and this needs to be an international concern otherwise as with the multinationals, they will simply move from a tough administration to one where anything goes.
I wonder when Americans will realise no one really likes them.
(We just pretend to) Best not to ever underestimate the Commonwealth or her navy. As an australian I would proudly fight for Canada.
I believe and know that Female Genitale Mutilation is totally wrong and horrible!! And I am completely against it!! There is a lot of proof that it leads to countless physical and psychological problems and that it can even lead to death!! However, male circumcision if done properly and at the right time is not a danger at all!! If you are interested to see why you can read the following discoveries that scientist have made on the subject!! And as an added extra!! It seems it can actually be quite a very beneficial and life saving practice to carry out!! Check it out!! :D
What is the name of the woman in the photo? May seem like an odd question, but I must ask. Danielle?
Well…. I have to say that Mr Bull is and always will be someone I look up to. He was at the top of his field. He was an Engineer…. not a business man. He was screwed by the USA. I that never wold have happened I think the world wold be in a much different place right now. The people that stuck with him were loyal to him and shared in his dreams. From all the research I have done as well as reading the book “Bulls Eye” and watching the movie “The Doomsday Gun” and working with ex “Space Research Corporation” employees I can only say this.
Gerald Bull Was a great man. I strongly believe that if he had never been screwed over this one man could have made a difference and we would all be better off today.
Think I found a use for that Barnes and Noble gift card I got for Christmas.
My husband is almost 60 years old, the youngest of a very large family in rural Taiwan. His father’s mother came from a well-to-do family and had bound feet, He recalls going with his siblings and cousins into the kitchen, where she always seemed to be, and asking to see her feet. She would unwrap them for the children, and they would all recoil in delicious horror. He can still hear her harsh, boisterous laughter following them as they ran outside, screaming.
Also, still today, Chinese children are stolen from the country-side. They are kept for years, with there limbs tied up is awkward positions. They are kept there for so long, that they can then no longer move the limb back to it’s normal position.
Once the ‘process’ is finished, they are then placed in the streets by their masters to beg. At the end of the day, the master will come and collect them and take all the money that has been given to them.
I learned about this when I went to China and our hosts who lived there told us. I saw a crippled man who had been placed in the middle of a road.
It was very sad and gave me nightmares.
(if you see a situation like this, you should give them food instead of money)
said: “acceptance said: “Enter your comment hereI am what yuo would consider a non violent sosiopath but i dont see this as a bad thing but more as a way of thinking yes naturaly i manipulate people around me but is it always for bad no…now you would answer this as yes yit is your manipulateing the people who trust you to get what you want but take into consideration that maybe manipulations dont always have to end in a bad way for the quoted victim as im only in my last year of highschool i am constantly finding myself bored and need stimulation but even in things such as sports i can find little stimulation so i often tend to manipulate people into challenging me in such things as debates but is it bad to make people try and think on a deeper lvl to compete with my thought i wouldnt say so.
But as much as i have confidence and natural charm yatta yatta i cant help but find myself but envious of the normal person ii quite like the lack of empathy to be honest but lack of true feeling is something that you cannot think through or solve with your brain alone as this is why i find many people much like myself try to acheive these unatanable feeling a ultimate challenge for the emotionless to feel emotion hence the reason i am very manipulative in relationships but not to take my partners money or crush them emotionally and ii will find myself makeing my partner feel as though she is evrything something special wich of course for me is just simple words but for her are empowering and endeering but i will not deny i just leave when i still cannot achive emotion as a sosiopath i realize that this is a very strange goal to have
i just thought this would be an intrestig little snipit to read about for those who are interested in understanding or learning more about this subject this is only what was on my mind at the moment so if anyone has any further questions i would feel free to answer them you can email me and or post and i will try to get back to you…..if your wondering why i would be wanting to descuss this subject i find it very interesting to converse with people unlike me i very much enjoy figuring out how people think and thought this site would be a good way to converse without people worring about me harming them in any way as there is no way for me to”Well let me start off with this. I am the MOM of a sociopath/psycopath. When I was first told his diagnosis a while back I was devistated. A feeling you will never know. I thought I will never be able to have a relationship with my son. He will never see his siblings again, pretty much every emotion a mother can think of. But see that’s the difference there. He has no concept of emotion, just like you. There is no magic pill or cure for anti social personality disorder! He did try to get institutionalized to see if he could get some help, none! You know what they said? The only kind of help for someone like him/you is to go to jail and be alone and bored and deal with the consequences of your actions. And he did go to jail, but for something stupid and to satisfy a warrant. He/we found a therapist that he couldn’t manipulate, well he probly can but it defeats the purpose. I don’t know if you are or can be violent but he can and has! In the process of this we have had some serious discussions about the way he thinks and how I think. You sound alot like him. Which is why I responded to this. Above I was told to stay completely away from him and have nothing to do with him. I tried, I’m his mother and it’s just not happening. The nice thing about being his mother is I am much harder to manipulate. I’m not saying it hasn’t happened, but I have an easier time seeing thru the lies and the bullshit. He has pretty much said that the lies are just so much more interesting than the truth. And I have seen him at work and how easily he can manipulate people. He’s good looking and very charming. I have no clue where he will be 5, 10, 15 years from now, but for the time being, I do know he’s safe because I see him almost every single day now. I don’t know if you have someone or something that is a comfort zone for you but I am his. I have seen weaknesses in his disorder and flaws but I also know that there are no emotions behind that smile. And yes I wondered if he ever loved me. Do you love your mother? Father? Someone? or do you have a “form” of love? I do understand this because my definition of happiness is not what others would say it is. Disfunction is actually the norm, just look around, watch the news, hell just walk down the street! I’m up for discussion only you can decide how honest you want to be. For me that’s not a problem, my one true atribute to myself, I don’t lie!”
Hi I’m a sociopath, non violent infact I don’t enjoy violence, physicall pain is something I understand and don’t wish on people. I do love but in a very selfish way I’m compasionate but have no empathy, That my need some explaining when I see someone in a negative situation I’d like to see them get out of it and will even help but It doesn’t make me feel bad for them if they can’t the only person I feel bad for is me for not being able to help. I’m on a path to enlightenment based on a belief that the physicall world can be “manipulated” through a strong mind
ok so apparantly I’m a sociopath, and the only reason I would care about your empathy, which I probably could get real easy, is so I could use it to my advantage so don’t feel bad for us feel bad for yourselves. sheep. you should know I’m non violent and adhere to a moral code but only because I believe in Karma and not because I feel bad about lieing or cheating or stealing. I know because of studies in quantum physics that you get back what you put out as a consequence I have a very happy disposition. I do feel compashion for people in pain or who are hungry just not empathy or sympathy for their emotion “I got through it, why can’t you” “your grandma was 84 and in pain you should be glad she died” If someone offered me a cure I would laugh at them and ask why? I DON’T LIKE TO HURT PEOPLE but if it happens whatever.
I’ve long been fascinated with Pulgasari; can’t wait to read this!
Best of luck with the book, Ben. Sounds like fun. I like shiny things.
Alan, since when do we have outstanding taste? Except for pies…mmm…Pie!
Will look out for it!
The best line:
“As for Calloway, his injuries were less severe, but his original fear was realized: FedEx elected to terminate his employment.”
Made me literally LOL.
And that proves it – FedEx must be racist. It is a wonder he didn’t sue them over the whole affair. Given the right venue in this crazy country – he might actually win.
The Russians are about to to into this lake. See http://news.yahoo.com/russian-scientists-poised-reach-ice-buried-antarctic-lake-223204623.html
We need a LIKE button on here!
Nice work! Sounds interesting :)
Robert Klark Graham’s Repository for Germinal Choice reminded me of the story ‘My Uncle Oswald’ which was published by Roald Dahl in 1979. Dahl explores the subject in a comedic light and is more focused on the business of setting up and managing such a scheme rather than the exploration of its effects. Not a bad book though… Defiantly an interesting topic and a very enjoyable article.
first, congratulations, Ben! sounds like a good read!
Damn interesting article for a damned long time coming resurrection to a really damn fine site. Thanks!
I remember this actually on tv as I was like 7 at the time and loved those goofy little red whammies and adults having cows over losing the big money on the board. I just recall it vaguely but it was cool seeing this weird dude never miss at going around while the host looked like he was going to blow from the shock of it all.
Wow it lives! I de-listed the bookmark maybe 4-6mo ago after going so long as it just bothered me. Happy to see this place seems to be moving along again finally. I’ve enjoyed the book, and the site even more over the years as I discovered when I first started working where I still am now and it appears I can read it once again.
Oh, after seeing these pic`s : http://www.don-simmonds.co.uk/ladybgood.htm
i see that it would be hard to restore it to where you could fly it. :’(
If the dip-shits left it where it was it could be restored…
Wow, Is the B-24 in the same spot where it crashed? Is it worth trying to restore? is it owned by anyone? or could anyone go get it and restore it?
This reminds me almost spot on of a vampire/demon like creature described in the book “Passing Strange” By J.A. Citro. It’s a book of New England oddeties and happenings of the gothic sort. In one he tells about a creature who’s behavior and appearance are almost identical to Spring Heeled Jack, other than the fact that he had a silver face, or wore a silver mask with pointed ears. I believe it was in nearly the same era as well, but I would have to dig out the book to be sure.
It’s true, size doesn’t matter. Just happy you’re back.
I had never considered the annoyance of listening to your own voice for extended periods.
As a musician, I had to listen to and analyze recordings of my trombone playing, often at half speed (This preserves the intonation by dropping the sound precisely 1 octave). That, at best, was tedious. Thankfully, I never had to edit the recording to produce a final product. They were either practice exercises or analysis of performances I had already completed. I imagine that the barrier you are facing is similar.
I first heard this on a halloween FX track. So hilarious xD
igmothemagus said: “My ears are aching for some of that sweet sweet candy…. Who is going to be reading the story? Is it Alan or a guest? I’ll try to start a rumor here…Didn’t you mention that it was going to be James Earl Jones doing the reading before???
I have two factors from which I can squeeze some sweet excuse-juice:
A) I’m still settling into my new job, so discretionary time isn’t as readily available as it would be otherwise; and
B) I underestimated the psychological friction of listening to one’s own voice repeatedly for hours of editing. I may need to find someone else to read or edit for me.
The podcast remains imminent.
My ears are aching for some of that sweet sweet candy…. Who is going to be reading the story? Is it Alan or a guest? I’ll try to start a rumor here…Didn’t you mention that it was going to be James Earl Jones doing the reading before???
Just kidding, take your time Alan. I am sure you are working to make it perfect.
If there were 1 Billion doors to choose from, and I picked one randomly that I thought may contain the prize, I would have a 1 in 1 Billion chance of picking the right door first time (very little chance of success). If the host then opened 999,999,998 doors that HE knew did not contain the prize (leaving my original picked door and only one other door), that would mean that either my door was right (on first choice) – or the only remaining door he has left unopened is right and the odds would suggest I should swap to his door. Much better odds than the three doors but the principle is the same, unless someone sees a flaw in my reasoning?
Sprites, Jets and ELVES would be a great name for a band in 1986.