RealityCarnival


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RealityCarnival.Com

"News that shatters the ice of our unconscious!"
"The nature of reality is this:
It is hidden, and it is hidden, and it is hidden."
--Rumi, 13th-century Sufi mystic


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Death Carnival Unsolved Mysteries Parallel Universes Religion & Science Weird & Fun Sex Beauty & Brains Exotic Sushi Fantastic Memes
Today's Reality Parade
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Meet the Editor.

Recirculation :
Total Recirculation:
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Today's Strange Realities: Woman Explains Aliens, ForkYou.Com, Amazing Man Collects Sand, Buddhist Brains, How to Create a Golem, Men & Women.

Blogs bringing over 30 visitors: Fark, LinkFilter, Metafilter, Incunabula, Solipsistic, ArmHead, Mactonnies, Zfilter.

Headline: May 27, 2003

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Explore Eternity Through Molasses Music
(Source: RealityCarnival)
Explore new dimensions by slowing down music to a point where "brain-created" harmonies melt away. Here, Beethoven's 9th Symphony is slowed to span 24 hours. Turn out the lights, touch someone you love, and listen to portions of the Second Movement. What emotions are you experiencing? (You will need a Real Audio player to experience the infinite.) This is what music seems like to angels who may live in a time outside the realm of human time. (Read more...)

[Submitted by Reality Carnival Guest Editor Trevor Gureckis]


Quick Strange Realities:

05/23/03: 20% Chance We Live in a Matrix, Sushi Watches, Golden Feces Put Smiles on Japanese Faces, Small Beings, Shadow Creatures, The Matrix Christians, Scientists Send Grapefruit Probe to Earth's Center.

05/10/03: Lego Tarot Cards, Vibe Machine, Typing Monkeys & Shakespeare.

Recirculation: Hot Story from Past

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Beware the skinwalkers
(Source: Knapp, Los Vegas Mercury)
But run-of-the-mill UFO events don't begin to describe the rich array of unusual phenomena in this area. The Ute Indian tribe has been here far longer than white settlers. Tribal leaders are reluctant to speak to outsiders, but their oral history is replete with examples of strange creatures and sightings. Indian lore refers to some of these beings as Skinwalkers. (Read more...)

Headline: May 10 - May 17, 2003

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The Latest Gossip on Christian Glossolaliacs
(Source: Skepdic.com)
Christians sometimes "speak in mysterious tongues." So do schizophrenics. So do people in the Bible. (See artwork here.) Some people think we can make objects from voices, and that glossolalia is the "assembly language" that lies behind our normal language. What is the real meaning of the strange babbling that people produce in trance states? (Read more...)

Headline: May 3 - May 9, 2003

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Images That Lead Us to Parallel Realities
(Source: RealityCarnival.com)
I like images that lead us to parallel realities -- worlds that exist beyond our imagination at the borderlands of our existence. Do you have images you would like to add to the growing collection? (Read more...)

Headline: April 19-May 3, 2003

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Man Obsessed with Gum Wrappers Cannot Escape Gumlike Prison
(Source: Gumwrapper.com)
Gary Duschl of Virginia Beach, Virginia is the current record holder of the world's longest gum wrapper chain. About the chain: began on March 11, 1965; $50,000 Worth of Gum; weight 588 lbs. or 267 kgs; volume 50 Cubic Feet; WRIGLEY Wrappers only. (While I have your attention, also check out Bible Gum.) (Read more about gum wrapper prison...)

Headline: April 12-18, 2003

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Aliens Among Us
(Source: RealityCarnival.com)
Alien images stimulate our minds and make us wonder if life might exist on other worlds. I enjoy looking at fanciful images of aliens. Do you? First, visit the Grauzinis alien. Next, examine the Alien Server. Here are some more: Alien 1, Alien 2, Alien 3, and Liza. Finally, enjoy the images of Naoto Hattori: Alien 1, Alien 2, Alien 3, and Alien 4. Check out my own aliens: Alien 1, Alien 2, Alien 3, Alien 4, Alien 5, Alien 6, Alien 7, Alien 8, and Total Alien. Which did you like best?

Headline: April 5-11, 2003

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Man Plays Reality Game. Discovers God.
(Source: RealityCarnival.com)
Your view of reality will change as you embark on this shattering odyssey of self-discovery. (Read more...)

Headline: March 29 - April 4, 2003

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Avril's Museum of Unholy Micro-Sculpture
(Source: RealityCarnival.com)
A prisoner dies, and a woman discovers he had written the Lord's Prayer on the head of a pin. Japanese men carve insane miniature sculptures. What more could you ask for from Avril's Museum of Unholy Micro-Sculpture? (Read more...)

Headline: March 22-28, 2003

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Genius Creates Robot Orangutan With Mind of Baby
(Source: Cyberlife-research.com)
Steve Grand -- Britain�s smartest man -- is developing Lucy, an intelligent living machine that he hopes will grow like a human baby. His ambition -- to create a robot child that develops a real mind of its own -- could do just that. See pictures of the creature here or here. (Read the latest incredible details...)

Headline: March 15-21, 2003

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Man Puts Dear Departed Aunt Sally in Concrete. Turns Her into Ocean Reef
(Source: Eternalreefs.com
For a modest fee, Eternal Reefs will dump your loved one's remains into concrete and turn the result into an ocean reef that lasts over 500 years. A special surface texture encourages growth of various species of marine life. See the amazing and beautiful photo gallery. (Read more...)

Headline: March 8-14, 2003

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Baby Born With Alien Features. Deformity or Something More?
(Source: Realitycarnival.com)
In 1735, a delightful 28-year-old German woman named Johanna Sophia Schmied gave birth to a monster unlike any creature we have seen before or since. Today, some people believe the baby was on the threshold of being an actual alien. Obviously this is a far-fetched idea. What do you think? (Read more...)

Headline: March 1-7 2003

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Debbie's Ghost
(Source: Coasttocoastam.com)
Deborah Rice had a very strange sighting on her wedding day in 1998. The best man snapped a photo. Debbie says that there were no pictures of anything on the walls and no way for this image to appear through normal means. What do you think? Hoax? Camera mistake? Or something else? Magnify the image. Use image processing. What do you see? (Read more...)

Headline: February 26-28, 2003

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Women, Vitreous Enamel Insects, Psychedelic Creatures
(Source: Beetlesculpture.com and Tiles.ice.org)
Connecticut artists Diane Buettner and Sharron Kree use vitreous enamel to make insect sculptures that come alive with brilliant colors. Very cool. Here are some favorites: Hercules & long-horned beetle and Stinkbugs. Oh, God, and look at the Stag Beetle. Want something more psychedlic? Look for the insect in this amazing, evolving art. (Be sure to check out the full-size version.) (Read more...)

Headline: February 23-25, 2003

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Intelligent Cats, CNN Speed of Light
(Source: Broenink-art.nl)
Two unusual items. My friends enjoy experimenting with this intelligent virtual cat. How many behaviors can you elicit from the creature? Some users say they have actually gotten the creature to purr. (This page requires that your browser has flash capability.) On a completely different topic, CNN recently said that the space shuttle traveled at 18 times speed the light. Wow. See it yourself, here. (Read more...)

Headlines: February 21-22, 2003

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The Mystery of Goa Trance, Goa Trash, & Burning Man
(Source: RealityCarnival.Com)
Goa Trance, Goa Trash, and Burning Man delight the eye and mind. They change "one's sense of time, revealing the mythic underpinnings, the whispers of eternity underneath the most ordinary moment..." If you're not familiar with these events, visit this psychedelic site, which tears away the veils. I look for your participation. Please add to our growing collection of links and images. What favorite web pages or images have you uncovered? (Read more...)

Headlines: February 18-20, 2003

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Lisa Says Universe Has Higher Spatial Dimensions
(Source: Edge.org)
Dr. Lisa Randall, professor of physics at Harvard University, says, "Additional spatial dimensions may seem like a wild and crazy idea at first, but there are powerful reasons to believe that there really are extra dimensions of space." She likens particles in our universe, as well as our own lives, to droplets moving along a shower curtain -- but something mysterious lies beyond our meager curtain of reality. Difficult reading. Worth the trip. (Read more...)

Headlines: February 16-17, 2003

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Official Jennifer Lopez Philtrum Page
(Source: RealityCarnival.com)
Congratulations. You have found the Official Jennifer Lopez Philtrum Page. This page is an excellent one to show friends because it ellicts a wide range of opinions and comments. Try it. Simple. Elegant. Insane. Any suggestions for improvement? (Read more...)

Headlines: February 14-15, 2003

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People with Charles Bonnet Syndrome See Beings from Parallel Universes
(Source: RealityCarnival.com)
People afflicted with Charles Bonnet Syndrome see beings from another world. Many scientists would call these beings hallucinations. Others call this syndrome a portal to a parallel reality. The reports of people entering these realms are remarkably similar. (Read more...)

Headlines: February 12-13, 2003

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DMT, Moses, and the Quest for Transcendence
(Source: RealityCarnival.com)
"DMT in the pineal glands of Biblical prophets gave God to humanity and let ordinary humans perceive parallel universes." Topics in this article include: luna moths, "zygotic personhood", aliens, embyros, elves, cavemen, Egyptians, Whitley Strieber, Moses, Jesus, the Catholic Church, Isaiah, President Bush, and more. (Read more...)

Headlines: February 11, 2003

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Woman Says Dolphins are Gateways to Higher Realities
(Source: Joanocean.com)
Joan Ocean, M.S. -- scientist, psychologist, and shaman -- communicates with cetaceans. Joan believes that dolphins have been visiting the many futures of planet Earth. She also believes that dolphins and whales are aware of higher dimensional beings and civilizations existing outside of human spacetime. (Read more...)

Headlines: February 10, 2003

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Chtulhu People Unite in Higher Universes
(Source: Museumofcomputerart.com)
Gulnur Guvenc is an architect and graphic design artist in Ankara, Turkey. Guvec has brought to light an unknown race of mythical sea people with exoskeletons resembling seashells and decidedly humanoid features. (See more...)

Headlines: February 9, 2003

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Who Are You?
(Source: RealityCarnival.com)
Hello. This is your Reality Carnival editor speaking. I have little idea how many unique humans are reading the Reality Carnival. I know nothing about you or your interests. Thus, I'd like to delay publication of the next entry until at least 40 people check in here. Tell me if you like the Reality Carnival and tell us a little bit about yourself. Fun, unusual, and mind-expanding stories will resume once 40 people respond. (Read more...)

Headlines: February 8, 2003

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The Incredible Rubberband Machine Gun
(Source: Backyardartillery.com)
See the only fully automatic machine gun that's legal in all 50 states. This beauty has 12 rotating barrels. 144 rubber bands shoot as fast as you can turn the handle. "Keep one loaded in the office at all times to defend against hostile takeover attempts." Also be sure to see the amazing Catapult Watch (Read more...)

Headlines: February 7, 2003

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On the Metaphysics of Dust Devils
(Source: Bree and Nat Torkington)
Someting is odd about this photo. We see a "dust devil," a whirlpool-like formation that can spontaneously form. We also see naked people communing with the dust devil. We see a bike, a hat discarded on the ground, some people with umbrellas. Darkness descends on the land. If you like mysterious naked people and dust devils, you may also enjoy this page. (Read more...)

Headlines: February 6, 2003

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Artist Obsessed With 13 Does "Exorcism"
(Source: Gatesofheck.com)
"The Exorcism of Page Thirteen" reflects Caryl Burtner's obsession with the number thirteen. Caryl cuts the page number, with its surrounding text, from page thirteen in every book in her library. When she pastes these squares into grids, she creates fortuitous poems and fateful coincidences. Her book is created in a limited edition of 2,000 copies, signed, numbered and "exorcised" by the artist. (Read more...)

Headlines: February 5, 2003

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Artist Eats Mushrooms. Goes Insane With Technical Drawing Pen.
(Source: Bentolman.com)
Ben Toleman is interested in psilocybin mushrooms and the structure of ultimate reality. To create his drawings, he uses a Rapidograph technical drawing pen (with a size 3x0 or 4x0 tip). Many of these drawings were started in an altered state of consciousness, but only "Fistranthumum" was completely finished in that state -- a nonstop ten hours of work. (Read more...)

Headlines: February 4, 2003

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Man Cooks CD. Sees Lights.
(Source: Electricstuff.co.uk)
Take one CD, microwave at full power for 5 seconds, and place it on top of a tesla coil. Mike Harrison has a delightful obsession for this activity and presents the results in a large gallery. Watch the zany, sparkling electric light show. Look at the nifty fractal pattern etched into the aluminum. (Read more...)

Headlines: February 3, 2003

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Man Eats Tarragon. Sees Aliens.
(Source: Pickover.com)
A man known as "Abductee 43" sees several aliens that communicate through his TV. Abductee 43 exhibits photos of the aliens as well as alien vocalizations. The aliens impart wisdom. (Read more...)

Headlines: February 2, 2003

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Transdimensional Deer Materialize on Power Lines
(Source: Coasttocoastam.com)
Deer frequently materialize in strange places such as on top of power lines, 22 feet above the ground. Researchers note that the bottom portion of the deer's legs have been removed, as if the transition from a higher dimension has not been completed properly. Sometimes, deer materialize in trees. (Read more...)

Headlines: February 1, 2003

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Psychic Children Network Unites Kids in Higher Dimensions
(Source: psykids.net)
The Psychic Kids Network is by and for psychic children who are "clairvoyant, clairsentient, profoundly aware, and multidimensional, such as Children of the Blue Ray, Indigo Children, Star Children and Crystalline Children, and all who are recovering their natural birthright." The site focuses on Lla�l, a 17-year-old girl who communicates with Celentien, a 7� tall angel who studies the 12th dimension. Lla�l's mom welcomes you to the site. (Read more...)

Headlines: January 31, 2003

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Mystery Green Children Live in Perpetual Twilight
(Source: ReatityCarnival.com)
Using Google, type in a color followed by the word "children," both words surrounded by quotes. For instance, "Green Children" yields about 4000 results, a 1000 more than a year ago. Green children leads to such wonders as green-skinned children found abandoned near villages in Europe. They spoke an unknown language. What color followed by "children" yields the fewest results? What yields the most interesting results? What web page do you find most interesting (or strange) as a result of this experiment? (Read more...)

Headlines: January 30, 2003

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Gray Goo Will Envelope Us All. God Save Us.
(Source: Foresight.org)
Scientist Robert Freitas wrote a paper titled, "Some Limits to Global Ecophagy by Biovorous Nanoreplicators, with Public Policy Recommendations." Don't you love the title? He worries about the dangers posed by future technologies. For example, one danger of molecular nanotechnology is the risk of self-replicating nanorobots capable of functioning autonomously in the natural environment, quickly converting the surface of Earth into growing "gray goo" -- a process known as "global ecophagy." (Read more...)

Headlines: January 29, 2003

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Man Engulfed by Mysterious Cheese. Could not Resist.
(Source: Pickover.com)
When you browse to this site, you will be surrounded by cheese. Point to one of the holes with your mouse. Don't click yet. If you tried to click, nothing would happen. Nevertheless, 90% of you will now try and click anyway, just to make sure... (Read more...)

Headlines: January 28, 2003

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Opistobranchs I Have Loved
(Source: Slugsite.us via MeFi)
Four hundred, far-out fantasy slugs. Invertebrate eye candy. Which do you like best? Here are some favorites: Janolus barbarensis, Dendronotis iris, and Chromodoris tritos (Read more...)

Headlines: January 27, 2003

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Man Discovers Intelligent Beings After Consuming DMT
(Source: Serendipity.magnet.ch)
In his report titled "Apparent Communication with Discarnate Entities Induced by Dimethyltryptamine (DMT)," Peter Meyer wonders if the frequent occurrence of similar creatures, seen by people using the psychedelic substance DMT, indicates that the entities might actually be real. Why are these entities seen repeatedly, and why do they seem as real as you and me? (Read more...)

Headlines: January 26, 2003

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Carotid-Kundalini Functions Are Psychedelic Math
(Source: Pickover.com)
The humble sine waves that lie at the very foundation of trigonometry have a special beauty all their own. It takes just a little coddling to bring the beauty out. But who would guess that psychedelic fractal patterns lurk within the cosine operation applied to real numbers? Grow your own. Turn down the lights. Magnify. Repeat. (Read more...)

Headlines: January 25, 2003

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Contact Dead Spirits with Afterlife Telegrams. Only $5/word.
(Source: Afterlifetelegrams.com)
For a fee of $5.00 per word (5 word minimum), customers send telegrams to people who have passed away. How? Terminally ill volunteers memorize the telegrams before passing away and then deliver the telegrams after they have died. This is an "afterlife telegram." (Read more...)

Headlines: January 24, 2003

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Martina: the Artist of Mind Expansion
(Source: Martinahoffmann.com)
Artist Martina Hoffmann spent her childhood in Germany as well as Cameroon, Africa, where she was raised bilingually in French and German, and surrounded by African, French and German culture. Some of her art relates to psychedelic drugs like DMT. Click on her images, and shatter your mind. (Read more...)

Headlines: January 23, 2003

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Church Rejects Origami Sex
(Source: Underground.zork.net)
This headline would not be so strange if it were not for the proliferating interest in X-rated origami. Consider the most famous example showing all sorts of carnal acts. What would the Church think of this or nudism in general? While you are in the mood, might I suggest: origami insanity, featuring origami bugs, fractals, and caffeine molecules -- or origami made from money. Something less ornate are the popular origami boulders and Toilegami (made from toilet paper). How about this origami cobra? And here are some real beauties. (Read more...)

Headlines: January 22, 2003

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Creatures Near Death Create Haunting Art
(Source: Survivorsartfoundation.org)
The Survivors Art Foundation features beautiful, scary, haunting, and transcendent art from people with near-death experiences, people who have been beaten, tortured, raped, burned, suffered mental illness, and so forth. Examine some of my favorites: the works of Rebecca, Joanna, and Leanna. (Read more...)

Headlines: January 21, 2003

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People Collect Living Jewels. You Decide.
(Source: Living-jewels.com)
Poul Beckmann presents stunning close-up studio photographs of one of the most varied and beautiful families of creatures on the planet, the beetles. Which do you like best? Vote here. See our previous entries on insect art on December 26. (Read more...)

Headlines: January 20, 2003

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Penises Have Higher Bandwidth Than Cable Modems
(Source: Everything2.com)
The human genome is about 3,120,000,000 base pairs long. This scholarly article starts with this number and determines that the average amount of information per ejaculation is 6.24*1017 bits, or about 78,000 terabytes of data. (All the texts at the Library of Congress represent only 20 terabytes.) Further analyses show that the information transmission rate at male climax is greater than that for a cable modem. Enjoy. (Read more...)

Headlines: January 19, 2003

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Man Starts Lego Religion
(Source: Thereverend.com)
Reverend Brendan Powell Smith presents "The Brick Testament" -- the entire Bible rendered in Lego -- from the Garden of Eden to The Last Supper of Jesus. (Read more...)

Headlines: January 18, 2003

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Artist with Odd Brain Draws New Realities
(Source: Fusionanomaly.net)
Paul Laffoley spoke his first word, "Constantinople," at six months, then remained silent until the age of four (having been diagnosed as autistic), when he began to paint. While at Brown University, he was given eight electric-shock treatments. In 1968 he moved into a tiny utility room to found a one-man "think tank" called the Boston Visionary Cell. He also worked at the Boston Museum of Science. In 1992, he discovered a metallic object in his brain. He believes the implant triggers his ideas. Some links here, here, and here. (Read more...)

Headlines: January 17, 2003

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Man Creates Modern Art Through Democratic Voting
(Source: Andrej Bauer)
In this gallery, pictures are generated randomly by a computer. But hold on! The results are not boring at all. In fact, the best pieces rival the works of modern artists that you would be happy to display on your walls. You can express your opinion about the pictures by selecting the "good" and "bad" buttons. Unpopular pictures are discarded and replaced by new ones. (This reminds me of the process of evolution.) The most popular pictures are stored in the "Archive of Best Random Art." Make sure you visit the archive. (Read more...)

Headlines: January 16, 2003

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60-Foot-Tall Lava Lamp Invades Town
(Source: Giantlavalamp.com)
In order to attract more visitors to Soap Lake, Washington, civic leaders are seriously considering trying to revive the tourist trade by placing an awesome 60-foot-high lava lamp in the center of downtown, complete with viewing platform. The proposed installation is shown in this artist's rendition. (Read more...)

Headlines: January 15, 2003

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Mavericks of the Mind
(Source: Levity.com)
Blow your mind with information from the outer perimeters of consciousness: Timothy Leary, Terence McKenna, Robert Anton Wilson, John Lilly, Rupert Sheldrake, Nick Herbert, Ralph Abraham, Laura Huxley, Allen Ginsberg, Nina Graboi, Colin Wilson, Carolyn M. Kleefeld, Stephen LaBerge, Oscar Janiger, Riane Eisler, Ram Dass, Alexander Shulgin, Jean Houston, Jerry Garcia, Jaron Lanier, Marija Gimbutas, Matthew Fox, John Robbins, Elizabeth Gips, William I. Thompson, Fakir Musafar, Annie Sprinkle, Francis Jeffery, John Allen, and Robert Trivers. How many people on this list have you heard of? If more than 10, you are a Reality Carnival superstar. (Read more...)

Headlines: January 14, 2003

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Secret lives of numbers
(Source: Turbulence.org)
Imagine all the numbers floating around the Internet and through our lives: phone numbers, street numbers, stock values... Golan Levin has determined the relative popularity of every integer between 0 and one million. The resulting information exhibits an extraordinary variety of patterns that reflect our culture and our minds. For example, certain numbers, such as 212, 486, 911, 1040, 1492, 1776, 68040, or 90210, occur more frequently than their neighbors. Can you guess why? Regular periodicities in the data, located at multiples and powers of ten, mirror our preference for round numbers in our biologically-driven base-10 numbering system. A very ambitious project. Strange. Mind-blowing. (Read more...)

Headlines: January 13, 2003

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300 words that will get the CIA, FBI, and NSA to look at your web page
(Source: Attrition.org)
William Knowles started collecting "spook words" after reading about a rumor that the major intelligence agencies were scanning all messages and webpages on the Internet, looking for such phrases as: 15kg, Pretoria, M-14, Bletchley Park, nkvd, argus, afsatcom, CQB, NVD, COCOT, MP5K-SD, Capricorn, Gorizont, Kilderkin, 50BMG, Minox, and Wackenhutt. At the site are 300 words said to get the CIA, FBI, and NSA to look at your web page. True? (Read more...)

Headlines: January 12, 2003

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Scientists say semen is an antidepressant. Women agree.
(Source: Salon.com)
Gordon Gallup, a professor at the State University of New York in Albany, says male ejaculate acts as an antidepressant in women. Gallup also has shown that semen is a drug, and that it's addictive: Women go through a kind of withdrawal when they stop getting it. Some biochemical analyses support this position. What have been your own scientific findings? (Read more...)


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Psychedelics, Abortion, and the Chrysanthemum
(Source: Brainmachines.com)
U.S. government researchers have discovered that the DMT molecule -- a psychedelic substance -- is released in the pineal gland in your brain every night around 4 a.m. Some suggest that this is the source of reports of alien abduction. DMT is also released in the brain by the developing fetus at 48 days -- triggering the first measurable thought processes. Mystics wonder if this is the time of ensoulment, and, thus, abortion before 48 days would be less controversial. People who have used DMT say that they enter a hyper-real world and see a slowly rotating red and orange object, which, over the years, they've nicknamed The Chrysanthemum. While in the DMT space, they also see entities called self-transforming machine elves. (Read more...)

Headlines: January 11, 2003

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Women spell "peace" with naked bodies for President Bush
(Source: Ptreyeslight.com)
Women protesters used their naked bodies to spell out PEACE on Drake�s Beach. Very artistic. Nice photo. Men also demonstrated, forming a peace symbol. Demonstrations are a precursor to the mass naked demonstrations in San Francisco and Washington, DC. All naked protesters oppose the Bush Administration�s plans for war with Iraq. (Read more...)


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Jehovah's Witnesses and Blood Martyrs
(Source: Trinityumc.net)
A group of Jehovah's Witnesses rage against the religion's traditional prohibition against transfusions with whole blood and certain blood components: red cells, white cells, platelets and plasma. Interestingly, Jehovah's Witnesses allow the biochemical components inside these cells to be used. The official position also permits special solutions made from cow's blood. Nonetheless, the faithful may not pre-deposit their own blood or use platelets that are frequently required during chemotherapy. Some people in the faith say, "The Watchtower Society's blood policy has swiftly mutated into a deadly shell game." What do you think? (Read more...)

Headlines: January 10, 2003

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How to See God. Literally.
(Source: Trinityumc.net)
Concentrate on the four dots in the middle of the image on this page for 30 seconds. Then close your eyes and tilt your head back. Don't despair. Relax. Keep your eyes closed. Give it some time. You will slowly see a wondrous circle of light. And inside, the face of God. More detailed than you'd expect. (Read more...)


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Sophianic mysteries of the body
(Source: Gonzalez, Sublimatrix.com)
Andrew Gonzalez writes, "My childhood drawings where mostly of surreal creatures and otherworldly space travels.... At 13 years of age, I discovered the masters of the surreal, fantastic and visionary art through a gift subscription of OMNI magazine.... Later, I also discovered art's relationship with mysticism and the esoteric tradition, a subject which I've always had an interest due to my natural susceptibility for profound, lucid and precognitive dreams, OBE's, and sensitivity for synchronicity." Click the center picture, "The Summoning of the Muse." (Read more...)

Headlines: January 9, 2003

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Does Islam support crucifixion?
(Source: Main.faithfreedom.org)
According to Ali Sina, the Sunan Abu-Dawud Book 38 (a book revered by Moslems) quotes Mohammed, who says that a Muslim man may be crucified if he fights with Allah or Mohammed. (Click here.) In the same book, we find that Mohammed forgives a man who stabs his pregnant wife in the belly, killing her and the baby, because she insulted Allah. (Click here.) Today, would Islamic fundamentalists support similar actions? Returning to the headline of December 27, did the Koran suggest that Israel is the promised land for the Jews? The Koran says of Israel�s original invasion of Palestine in 1300 B.C., "Oh my people! Enter the holy land which God hath assigned unto you." (S�rah 5:21). Also, "We settled the Children of Israel in a beautiful dwelling place, and provided for them sustenance of the best"(10:93). And, "Dwell securely in the land of promise�" (17:104). (Trans. A.Y.Ali). Does this mean that Israel�s possession of Palestine was ordained in the Koran? (Read more...)


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Gallery of Psychedelic Sketches
(Source: Hans Taeger)
Hans Taeger writes, "This is a small selection of my psychedelic sketches and diary pages from the early seventies, done under the influence of LSD-25. They have a very special meaning for me in clearing and freeing my mind, fighting through my various inner masks and barriers, and opening doors towards magical tantric dimensions of the higher self as best described in Tibetan Buddhism." See also quotations from researchers and spirtual teachers. (Read more...)


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The Journal of Interesting EKGs
(Source: Ekgreading.com)
The Journal of Interesting EKGs is a weekly journal of educational and bizarre electrocardiograms sent by email. They offer free subscriptions to charter members. This Journal includes unusual EKGs in each issue. Reality Carnival nominates this journal title as the oddest today. Can you do better? (Read more...)

Headlines: January 8, 2003

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No... that's not the mandolin, it's his brain!
(Source: Pickover, RealityCarnival.Com)
As you saw on December 25, occasionally, the editors at RealityCarnival.Com come across software and other high-tech gadgetry that stretch the mind. First, relax and see and hear Dr. Miller's brain on EEG. The high range you hear is the beta frequency range, assigned to "Tinklebells." The midrange is the alpha band, assigned to the Kalimba. Delta waves were assigned to the vibraphone. Want your own floatation tank? Enter the spacious floating area of the PathFinder through a sliding door. While floating weightlessly inside, you have touch-control over the in-tank light, the underwater stereo sound system, the video system, the AromaFloat vaporiser, and the tank intercom. Another idea? Take a look at the Cybershaman, said by its makers to be a "complete software system to unleash the awesome power of the human mind." Finally, look at the Mojoworld generator for creating gorgeous universes. Write to us with your own examples of mind-stretching technology.


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Janna's "How the Universe Got Its Spots"
(Source: Jannalevin.com)
Janna Levin is a very cool person, interested in science and art. She's an Advanced Fellow at the University of Cambridge in the Department of Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics. She received a BA in physics and astronomy with a concentration in philosophy from Barnard College of Columbia University, and a PhD from MIT in the Center for Theoretical Physics. She has worked on theories of the early universe, chaos, and black holes. She likes higher dimensions. She likes art. She wrote a book. Visit her site. Now. (Read more...)

Headlines: January 7, 2003

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Inkblot psychology greeting cards
(Psychologygreetingcards.com via Speckledpaint.org)
Dr. Larry Vandervert writes: "Because people see many different things in inkblots, in the 1800s they were used to test the imagination. In 1921, Hermann Rorschach developed his famous Rorschach Inkblot Test to measure psychological processes." Dr. Vandervert now offers inkblot psychology greeting cards. "Because of their versatility of meaning, inkblots can be used to kick-off discussions of almost any topic. On large wall spaces, inkblots are colorful and intriguing, yet completely free of any particular message bias." After visiting the inkblot greeting card site, be sure to take the Sexual Orientation Inkblot Test. (Read more...)

Headlines: January 6, 2003

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Did early Christians eat hallucinogenic snails?
(Source: Maiocchi, Fabbro)
Historical studies suggest that early Christian groups made use of the mushroom Amanita muscaria as a hallucinogenic substance during religious rites. These mushrooms cause vomiting. These complications were avoided by first feeding the mushrooms to snails for several days, and then eating the snails. By eating the snails, the active hallucinogenic substances contained in Amanita muscaria could be ingested without having painful gastroenteric side effects. A similar practice is also known among Siberian shamans, who have hallucination experiences after eating the meat of reindeer feeding on Amanita muscaria. (Read more...)


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Premier exhibit of great asphalt artists
(Scott Gordon via Speckledpaint.org)
Lynn Edwards writes, "I interpreted them from a mythological perspective, manipulating the black and white to pull creatures out of the asphalt, which was enlarged gigantically. You should be able to find some dragons, a flying eagle, lightning on a house, a wild goose flying, elves, a bizarre dog, and flying scallops. At first I didn't even know they were there, it's mysterious and wondrous.... I think asphalt is kind of a cosmic anvil that picks up millions of people, soaks them in." (Read more...)

Headlines: January 5, 2003

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Scientists create face of Jesus
(Source: CNN.com)
The Jesus pictured on the cover of this month's Popular Mechanics has a broad peasant's face, dark olive skin, short curly hair and a prominent nose. He would have stood 5-foot-1-inch tall and weighed 110 pounds, if the magazine is to be believed. This representation is quite different from the typical lithe, long-haired, light-skinned and delicate-featured depiction of the man Christians consider the son of God. (Read more...)


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Sushi cartoons, sushi fortune telling, virtual sushi
(Source: Sigmaxent.com)
Like sushi? Then try sushi fortune telling. (Give the page 60 seconds to load.) Better yet, invite your friends to a virtual sushi party. How about sushi cartoons? As one of the most unique, cutting-edge animated series to come out of Japan in years, the "Sushi Seal Family" is poised to take U.S. television audiences by storm. Targeted for adult viewers, the "Sushi Seal Family" pushes the envelope with edgy humor and animation. Enjoy!

Headlines: January 4, 2003

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Chickens, forced to wear red contact lenses, see blood
(Source: United Poultry Concerns )
Did you know that chicken farmers place red contact lenses on the eyes of chickens to "calm" the hens by making everything appear the color of blood? The practices is not without controversy. The Animal Behavior Control (ABL-1) red plastic contact lens for chickens, manufactured by Animalens, Inc. of Wellesley, MA, is designed to boost egg industry profits by reducing aggressive behavior in overcrowded hens. The contact lenses are promoted as an alternative to the common practice of debeaking ("beak trimming"). (Read more...)


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Alien Tiles
(Source: RealityCarnival.Com)
Alien Tiles is a fun, beautiful, and fiendishly difficult puzzle. Some have called it "Rubik's cube for the new millennium." The rules are simple, but the patterns soon become very complex. The authors look forward to hearing from artists, puzzle fans, and mathematicians regarding any interesting solutions, observations, and patterns. Play the game, then see the scientific papers from the UK and from Rutgers University on the subject. Enjoy. When tired of Alien Tiles, give Chaos Tiles a try. Recommended for IQs that soar into the stratosphere.

Headlines: January 3, 2003

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Where on Earth is Tatiana's Brain?
(Source: S-t.com)
Tatiana Cooley has the best memory of anyone on Earth. Type her name into Google, and you'll find hundreds of sites. But have you heard of this genius? She's won several memory contests. Give Tatiana Cooley 15 minutes to memorize 100 faces and names and she'll remember them in a snap. Give the only USA National Memory Champion strings of 4,000 numbers, "70093518 555899 ..." or 500 words: "liquid, dairy, digit, district, garden, hair ..." and she'll repeat them better than most. Same with a 54-line poem or a deck of cards. What makes her mind tick? (Read more...)

Headlines: January 2, 2003

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The fleeting reality of DMT machine elves
(Source: E.B. Britton, Brainmachines.com)
The molecule n,n-dimethyltryptamine (DMT) exists in minute quantities in your brain. Smoking DMT (or ingesting ayahuasca) is said to open your mind to a valid reality and bring you in direct face-to-face contact with real entities, spirits, and intelligences. Do you think that these kinds of drugs open the filter of your mind to reveal more about reality, or do these drugs simply distort reality? One recurring example of a "being" encountered my many people using DMT is the so-called "machine elf." Why is this? Does the creature have any reality, or is it simply the illusion of a dysfunctional brain? You can always use Google to search for DMT machine elf to see how pervasive the image is through history. (Read more...)

Headlines: January 1, 2003

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"Hit me baby one more time!"
(Source: Google)
40,134 "Brittany Spears"! The data at this site shows some of the misspellings detected by Google's spelling correction system for the query "britney spears", and the count of how many different users spelled her name that way. Here are the Top 14 variations -- this is fascinating bedtime reading: 488941 britney spears, 40134 brittany spears, 36315 brittney spears, 24342 britany spears, 7331 britny spears, 6633 briteny spears, 2696 britteny spears, 1807 briney spears, 1635 brittny spears, 1479 brintey spears, 1479 britanny spears, 1338 britiny spears, 1211 britnet spears, 1096 britiney spears,.... Can you guess any others on the big list? Will unscrupulous webpage creators use the full list to get more hits on their pages? (Read more...)

Recirculation Reality Packs
Come Explore A New World
(Source: RealityCarnival.Com)
Continue your exploration with an incredible array of stories, including such topics as: live sushi, trilobite cookies, "Man Eats Psychoative Worm Intestines," "Does God sanction genocide?" sex ads, why Jews are geniuses, penis cannibals, world's smartest porn star, antigravity machine, hallucinogenic toad thief, mathematics, near-death experiences, Asimov, and so much more.
(Enter Reality Pack!)


 "Reality is merely an illusion, albeit a very persistent one." --Albert Einstein 

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