Are there any skeptics left?

[Sloth]

Am I the only one who thinks hypnotists are phoney? And scoffs when I hear about the police using "psychics" to solve crimes?

Lately I feel like I'm the only one.

Oh, and sorry for the pointless thread.

[PoukieBear]

I'm with you, I don't believe in that sort stuff, altho it does facinate me. Same with people who see gosts.

[Scuba_Dave]

I'm skeptical that this thread will produce any meaningful results

[Muttling]

Hypnosis is real, but it's not what the public believes it to be and not everyone can be hypnotized. Hypnosis is a tool that can be and is used effectively by some psychologists, but it's not this tremendously powerl thing that many believe it to be. With respect to using hypnosis to help people remember details, you're still stuck with the problem of all eye witness testimony......the facts are often warped by perceptions and inaccurate memories.

I have mixed feelings about psychics. There's a bunch of stories of them being dead wrong and small handful of them hitting things. The few that have hit have been mighty impressive in their results, but he vast majority don't get anywhere close. The stage psychics are typically just performers who are really good a playing 101 questions.

[Nina51]

does this mean you don't believe in santa?

[Muttling]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6322544#post6322544 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Ninapearl
does this mean you don't believe in santa?

Santa: An Engineering Evaluation

1. No known species of reindeer can fly. BUT there are 300,000 species of living organisms yet to be classified, and while most of these are insects and germs, this does not COMPLETELY rule out flying reindeer, which only Santa has ever seen.

2. There are 2 billion children (persons under 18) in the world. BUT since Santa doesn't (appear) to handle the Muslim, Hindu, Jewish and Buddhist children, that reduces the workload to 15% of the total – 378 million according to Population Reference Bureau. At an average (census) rate of 3.5 children per household, that's 91.8 million homes. One presumes there's at least one good child in each.

3. Santa has 31 hours of Christmas to work with, thanks to the different time zones and the rotation of the earth, assuming he travels east to west (which seems logical). This works out to 822.6 visits per second. This is to say that for each Christian household with good children, Santa has 1/1000th of a second to park, hop out of the sleigh, jump down the chimney, fill the stockings, distribute the remaining presents under the tree, eat whatever snacks have been left, get back up the chimney, get back into the sleigh and move on to the next house. Assuming that each of these 91.8 million stops are evenly distributed around the earth (which, of course, we know to be false but for the purposes of our calculations we will accept), we are now talking about .78 miles per household, a total trip of 75-1/2 million miles, not counting stops to do what most of us must do at least once
every 31 hours, plus feeding and etc. This means that Santa's sleigh is moving at 650 miles per second, 3,000 times the speed of sound. For purposes of comparison, the fastest man-made vehicle on earth, the Ulysses space probe, moves at a poky 27.4 miles per second – a conventional reindeer can run, tops, 15 miles per hour.

4. The payload on the sleigh adds another interesting element. Assuming that each child gets nothing more than a medium-sized Lego set (2 pounds), the sleigh is carrying 321,300 tons, not counting Santa, who is invariably described as overweight. On land, conventional reindeer can pull no more than 300 pounds. Even granting that "flying reindeer" (see point #1) could pull TEN TIMES the normal amount, we cannot do the jobwith eight, or even nine. We need 214,200 reindeer. This increases the payload - not even counting the weight of the sleigh - to 353,430 tons. Again, for comparison - this is four times the weight of the Queen Elizabeth.

5. 353,000 tons travelling at 650 miles per second creates enormous air resistance - this will heat the reindeer up in the same fashion as spacecraft re-entering the earth's atmosphere. The lead pair of reindeer will absorb 14.3 QUINTILLION joules of energy. Per second. Each. In short, they will burst into flame almost instantaneously, exposing the reindeer behind them, and create deafening sonic booms in their wake. The entire reindeer team will be vaporized within 4.26 thousandths of a second. Santa, meanwhile, will be subjected to centrifugal forces 17,500.06 times greater than gravity. A 250- pound Santa (which seems ludicrously slim) would be pinned to the back of his sleigh by 4,315,015 pounds of force.

In conclusion - If Santa ever DID deliver presents on Christmas Eve, he's dead now.

[Nina51]

you are SO wrong! *I* have seen reindeer fly. trust me, i have. :)

[Sloth]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6322560#post6322560 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Muttling
In conclusion - If Santa ever DID deliver presents on Christmas Eve, he's dead now.
Who said this thread wouldn't produce meaningful results?:p

[ReeferMac]

LOL! OK, I'll stir the pot this morning.
Anyone believe in premonitions? Anyone ever have one? I've had them several times, one was extremely vivid, and I still remember the details to this day.
Not a big believer in Hypnosis, and psycic's I still think are kooks, but... I gotta say there's _something_ to the supernatural.

- Mac

[crzy4reefs]

i'm a believer in hypnosis, my i call her my aunt her husband does this, and i've been under hupnosis lots of times.

also i have the abilty to see spirts or ghost if you want to call them that.


and no i'm not a nutter

[dc]

I believe in both! My brother went on stage years ago and got hypnotized, trust me he would never do the things he did on stage ever! I think there are far more fake psycics than real ones tho. I'd go to one if I had the chance. As far as premonitions, I believe in those too. My niece has them often, and they are pretty intense.

[pongo]

well, there is a story in the Bible about a "fortune teller". she made her owner a lot of money until she was healed of her demon. satan can grant some "powers" but its all deception in the long run. i don think we understand much of our own minds and abilities....

[Gawain1974]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6322593#post6322593 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Ninapearl
you are SO wrong! *I* have seen reindeer fly. trust me, i have. :)

And what were you drinking before you saw these reindeer, Nina? :lol:

[Q-ball]

I believe that we haven't even begun to tap the potential of the human mind. That being said...I was once "hypnotized", it was a scam. It was still fun though :lol:

[dc]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6323018#post6323018 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Q-ball
I believe that we haven't even begun to tap the potential of the human mind. That being said...I was once "hypnotized", it was a scam. It was still fun though :lol:

You didn't cluck like a duck?
:D

[Mr Neutron]

I had a premonition yesterday that I'd have Deja Vu today...

Needless to say it blew my mind.

[Q-ball]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6323108#post6323108 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by dc
You didn't cluck like a duck?
:D


Uhm...no :)

[Nina51]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6323012#post6323012 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Gawain1974
And what were you drinking before you saw these reindeer, Nina? :lol:

if i tell ya, i'll hafta kill ya. ;)

[dc]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6323623#post6323623 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Ninapearl
if i tell ya, i'll hafta kill ya. ;)

So that was a yes huh?:D

[clsanchez77]

As an engineer, I was always skeptical of Santa Claus, but then the other day on the radio, it was explained by Cheech and Chong about how he used to live in the Bonx and how he uses magical fairy dust...then it all made sense. Cheech also confimed that Mrs. Clause makes the best brownies.

[beerguy]

What am I thinking?

















/* nuff said */

[crzy4reefs]

sheeeshhh that's an easy one,

it's beer of couse :D :D :D :D

[clsanchez77]

btw, hypnosis is real, just not to howit is portaid on tv and as far as I am concerned, there is only one real psychic

http://www.garmentdistrict.com/store/popculture/southpark/psychic_sm.jpg

[beerguy]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6323707#post6323707 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by crzy4reefs
sheeeshhh that's an easy one,

it's beer of couse :D :D :D :D


Nah too early in the day and football isn't on.

:)

[crzy4reefs]

dang it, i was wrong, and since this is a family forum :D i can't say anything else to what you might be thinking :D nuff said

[iCam]

I believe that we all have a bit of a "psychic" sense. I think gut instinct and premonition fit into that.

I also believe in hypnosis, but not stage hypnosis, such as making people do dumb things on command.

[masson]

If anyone could see the future they would see the lottery numbers and then win . Its all fake , they are just conning people to get their money..... doesn't anyone watch south park anymore???? ;)

[skippy2]

Where I used to live, I had a neighbor who believes in psychics. I have always been quite skeptical. Coming out of our houses at the same time she introduced me to her psychic and asked him to give me a reading. He put his thumb on my forehead and asked for the first initial of my last name. I gave him the initial for my maiden name. Why, I don't know. He immeadiately got tears in his eyes and asked me if I knew about my brother. The neighbor didn't know me well enough to know I even had a brother so she couldn't have forewarned him. Anyway, he told me my brother was very sick. I already knew this but there is no way he could have known. My brother died 1 yr. later.

[masson]

Cold reading.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cold_reading

[JohnHenry]

People remember events which seem paranormal only if they turn out to be true. But when these events happen and don't turn out to be true they are soon forgotten. We have selective memories, and all 'psychics' are using this to their advantage.

There was a great Penn and Teller BS episode about this.

[JohnHenry]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6326646#post6326646 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by skippy2
Where I used to live, I had a neighbor who believes in psychics. I have always been quite skeptical. Coming out of our houses at the same time she introduced me to her psychic and asked him to give me a reading. He put his thumb on my forehead and asked for the first initial of my last name. I gave him the initial for my maiden name. Why, I don't know. He immeadiately got tears in his eyes and asked me if I knew about my brother. The neighbor didn't know me well enough to know I even had a brother so she couldn't have forewarned him. Anyway, he told me my brother was very sick. I already knew this but there is no way he could have known.

For example, if this person had said that your hair would turn purple, and it didn't, would you have taken him/her seriously? Would you have remembered it? or would you have posted the experience here?

I'm very sorry about your brother.

[Freed]

I'm sure the audience members that go on stage to be "hypnotized" are paid well for their 5 minutes of stardom.

[EmergencyDpt]

Call my psychic, I see a UFO!

[masson]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6328507#post6328507 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by JohnHenry


There was a great Penn and Teller BS episode about this.


That was a great show , to bad I dont get showtime anymore :(

[mike4271]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6328741#post6328741 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by EmergencyDpt
Call my psychic, I see a UFO!


Then turn those roof lights off then:lol: :lol:

[zenguitar]

I don't believe in skeptics.

[Biggie]

With magic dust thats how reindeer fly. I floated once too. I think it was just the correct qty of quality Mexican Tequilla and pain killers. I stepped off the top step of a 5 step porch and never felt myself hit the ground til I was allready there..... Never could reproduce that.........Never really wanted too.......

[Ritten]

I went to a hypnotist to quit smoking one time. Boy that cigarette I had on the way home sure tasted good after being in getting hypnotized for two hours! :D

[oz]

hey, I was able to hypnotize myself once or twice.

[skippy2]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6332718#post6332718 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by kellierick
I went to a hypnotist to quit smoking one time. Boy that cigarette I had on the way home sure tasted good after being in getting hypnotized for two hours! :D


My brother-in-law was hypnotised to quit smoking about 25 yrs. ago. It worked for him. Of course, he was ready to quit.
My son-in-law was hypnotised so he would stop biting his nails. That lasted for 6 mos.

[pnosko]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6322560#post6322560 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Muttling
Santa: An Engineering Evaluation

One presumes there's at least one good child in each.If that was true in the c household, d wasn't it.

[Shoestring Reefer]

I don't believe in on line forums.

My mother-in-law was told she had the spirit of the white buffalo woman. The old loon buys into all that stuff.

My sister was telling me about her psychic dr!eams. Like in grade school she drempt someone was drowning, and 15 years later her 1-year-old is sitting on his butt in teh tub and falls over into 1 1/2" of water and is totally fine but she freaks out. "I foretold the future!" I just sit there and smile, and feel my respect for her slipping away.

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6328650#post6328650 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Freed
I'm sure the audience members that go on stage to be "hypnotized" are paid well for their 5 minutes of stardom. They know who to pick, that's all.

[dr.darkness]

I see dead people!

[Freed]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6335195#post6335195 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Shoestring Reefer

They know who to pick, that's all.

I am sure they know them personally as well as pre stage.

[dc]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6334292#post6334292 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by pnosko
If that was true in the c household, d wasn't it.

Hey now!!!!!!:p

[oz]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6332718#post6332718 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by kellierick
I went to a hypnotist to quit smoking one time. Boy that cigarette I had on the way home sure tasted good after being in getting hypnotized for two hours! :D

I saw an hypnotist too for cigarettes but I did actually quit.



















for a few days. :D

No seriously, it almost worked. I just didn't listen to the tapes like I was supposed to.