"Rupert Sheldrake, whose research is funded by the respected Trinity College, Cambridge, said on Tuesday he had conducted experiments that proved that such precognition existed for telephone calls and even e-mails."

I guess he’ll be entering James Randi Educational Foundation’s Million Dollar Paranormal Challenge any day now. Or not.

Just a cursory reading of the article tosses up several problems. One, the test subjects got to choose what relatives would participate, so they already knew who could be calling. If phone telepathy works, then why not have them choose from a hundred random callers? Why would this only work with relatives and friends? Seems to me, having the ability to know what telemarketer is calling would be much more useful.

Also, since only a few of the subjects were apparently monitored, all the "evidence" becomes anecdote.

Technorati Tags: bullshit, pseudo-science, telepathy, skepticism

"Alternate Input Devices for Computers" – Sort of information and reviews of some of the wacky alternative mice and keyboards for computers.

Reviews of various electronics I’ve picked up, including ones for the "Harmony 880 Remote", a universal remote that I really like; and a review of the "Konica Minolta Z5" I’ve had around for over a year or so now. It’s been so long that the Z6 has come out and Konica Minolta have left the digital camera business.

"Why Bigfoot Freaks Me Out" – which I may, one day, finish. The title pretty much says it all.

"People and the Web" – This one was going to be about those people who equate the Web with the Internet and assume that the beginning of one was the beginning of the other. It annoys me.

Technorati Tags: evolution

There are two movies on my “must-see” list this year (and I haven’t yet seen either of them):

• Shaun of the Dead
• Land of the Dead

This year, I’ll also be playing Zombies!!!: a nice little board game. Buy Zombies!!! at Amazon.com. There’s also the “Massively Multi-Player Web-Based Zombie Apocalypse” game, Urban Dead (and don’t forget the Zombie Infection Simulator).

If you feel like reading this Zombie Easter, you can pick up a few issues of Marvel Zombies, which I hear is pretty good, but isn’t my cup of tea. Or pick up the The Zombie Survival Guide: Complete Protection from the Living Dead

• Zombies on the Web
• I Love Zombies Page (warning, annoying background music)
• How Zombies Work
• My Pet Zombies

And let’s not forget the reason for the season:

• Jesus is a Zombie
• Zombie Jesus

Technorati Tags: easter, zombies, jesus, games

So yesterday, my wife commented on the good job I did uncovering the dirt pile. I said “I thought you did that.” Apparently, someone decided to steal some of my dirt. I don’t know why. Now I’m trying to think of a good trap to set if they come back. I guess I could plant some fake human bones in there.

Technorati Tags: topsoil, dirt, theft, stealing

I’ve always had a certain fondness for insane web developers with fixations on Star Trek, so it’s no wonder that I’ve always like the Heaven’s Gate story. So, in honor of their transportation to the stars, here’s a list of things to do this weekend to mark the anniversary.

• Wear some Nike shoes and keep a roll of quarters with you.
• Watch Dude, Where’s My Car.
• Find some Star Trek to watch.
• Redesign a web site or two, just as some of the cult members did.

Things you should probably avoid doing:

• Castrating yourself. That’s good advice for every day, too
• Slamming down shots of phenobarbital and vodka
• Talking to old men with crazy eyes who want you to do any of the above.

Technorati Tags: Heaven’s Gate, Star Trek, castration, cults, ufo, nike

It’s probably too late to buy a suit, though. Perhaps a better plan would be to watch some appropriate movies, like
Planet of the Apes, the 1976 version of King Kong, or Gorillas in the Mist.

Technorati Tags: gorilla

• Number of O’Reilly books in my office: 5 (random example: Perl Pocket Reference, 4th Edition)
• Number of action figures: 25 (random example: Total Justice Black Lightning)
• Number of cartoons attached to various surfaces: 7 (random example: Dilbert, February 18, 1996, the story of my corporate life, if you can find it)
• Number of comic books: 2 (random example: Fray #6)
• Number of beanie baby like stuffed animals: 3 (random example: a Mugato beanie baby)
• Number of Pez dispensers: 12 (random example: Princess Leia (and here is Matthew Battles’ Princess Leia Pez Dispenser site: very funny))
• Number of empty coke bottles, cans, etc: 4 (random example: Wild Cherry Pepsi (ANOTHER site that needs to define its background, dammit))
• Number of condiment packets from our cafeteria: 8 (3 barbecue, 5 ketchup)

Other odd items:

• A picture of Helen Slater as Supergirl
• The Hellstrom Chronicle video tape
• The packaging for the first Half-Life game
• An odd thing I fished out of the garbage one day
• A party hat
• A Sebulba Taco Bell straw thing
• A monster mask, handed down from worker to worker for many years
• A miniature Mars Pathfinder rover
• A Silicon Graphics WebForce Indy workstation (currently not plugged in)
• A ring to protect me from the evil eye
• A foam earbud I thought I had lost from my iPod earphones
• A box of Quisp cereal
• A pair of chopsticks
• Printer ink for an apparently missing HP printer (both a black and a tri-color cartridge)

Technorati Tags: office