It’s no secret that major world events send ripples of collective emotion through communities—witness the outpourings of grief and charity after 9-11, the Southeast Asian tsunami and Hurricane Katrina—but what if those ripples could be felt without the aid of TV broadcasts and Web news reports? What if such events made a psychic impression independent of any sort of human communication? Sounds like a bunch of New-Age hooey, but researchers at Princeton University, and one graduate of NYU’s Interactive Telecommunications program, are exploring the possibility with the help of random number generators.
Without going into too much detail about the Princeton project (you can read more about it at the link below), researchers found, over the course of a 30-year project, that during significant global events, random number generators present statistical anomalies that could conceivably be chalked up to changes in the collective human consciousness.
Even if you’re skeptical about this hypothesis, NYU grad Rob Seward’s thesis project, the “Consciousness Field Resonator,” is worthy of attention. Seward built a random-number generator (housed in a handsome copper box) that hangs on the wall and alerts users of statistical anomalies with a series of bright lights. When the lights flash, you’re left to wonder what’s causing the alert. Is it the bombing in Lebanon or Iraq? A World Cup victory? Shiloh Jolie-Pitt’s birthday? Whole new systems of superstition could be built around this thing. Sure, it’s art first and foremost, but it’s also a really interesting use of technology and a kick-ass DIY project. Download instructions for making your own here. —Megan Miller
hm, all the links appear to lead back here...
Posted by: Brandon Daniel | July 25, 2006 at 02:00 AM
come on its too unrelyable. Hell maybe it will tell me when gas prices will go down.
Posted by: zach | July 25, 2006 at 07:44 PM
Ok, so the design is interesting, the concept is fascinating, but I'm a math major with a computer science minor and a couple of semesters of Electrical Engineering. The posted plans are only for the original design for his computer connected white noise generator. I want plans for a complete model I can build with parts from the local Radioshack. I don't want to have to find a chip programmer, or leave this thing connected to my computer. Can somebody help me out here?
Posted by: Chris | July 26, 2006 at 03:33 PM
Nice DIY!
Posted by: Male Enhancement | August 06, 2006 at 10:01 PM
I can't believe how much of this I just wasn't aware of. Thank you for bringing more information to this topic for me. I'm truly grateful and really impressed.
Posted by: Health News | March 12, 2011 at 08:45 AM
Quite possible man...quite possible.
Posted by: cns949 | April 21, 2011 at 03:46 AM