I'm somewhat accustomed to receiving presents on my birthday, but it was something of a surprise when a friend sent me a present on his birthday. I felt pretty bad, because I didn't get him anything. His gift was a link to the website for the Campaign for Philosophical Freedom, specifically directing me to a page featuring a program divided into eight parts called The Science of Eternity. It's the best present I've ever received to commemorate someone else's birthday. It turned out to be quite educational. I learned something about Sir William Crookes, the brilliant British scientist. Crookes was a chemist who discovered the chemical element thallium, essential for medical equipment such as MRI machines. He was also a physicist who invented the vacuum tube, essential discoeries making the computer monitor and television screens possible. The program also exposed me to the work of Sir Oliver Lodge, another British physicist who invented wireless telegraphy, which also contributed to the invention of television by Scottish engineer John Logie Baird. All three men were also founding members of the Society for Psychical Research, and the video claimed these men allegedly carried out experiments that "proved" life continued after physical death of the human body. The substantiation for those claims turned out to be a bit difficult to find; the interviewee and presenter alluded to the existence of proof of the afterlife, but didn't describe or elaborate on it. The definition of scientific proof offered was "repeatable experiments backed up with a theory that has a … [Read more...]
Archives for March 2012
Akiane Kramarik
Akiane Kramarik is an extraordinarily gifted young artist. Her work has been featured on ABC, Fox, CNN, and international television. She has been interviewed by Oprah Winfrey, Diane Sawyer, Lou Dobbs, Craig Ferguson, and Peter Jennings. Her story is an interesting one. She allegedly grew up in an atheist household with absolutely no exposure to Christian dogma, yet her work became famous for the realistic religious imagery she has translated into art. Nevertheless, I'd never heard of her until I was reading the book Heaven is for Real by Todd Burpo. A friend lent me his copy, being well aware of my keen interest in learning about the near death experience. In this instance, the book recounts an NDE experienced by four-year-old Colton Burpo, who almost died after the doctors at the hospital misdiagnosed his burst appendix and failed to treat it for several days. His story affirmed my belief that NDEs are not merely pleasant hallucinations produced by ketamine reaction in a dying, strictly materialist brain. Todd Burpo hammered home that Colton had accurately conveyed new memories obtained while his physical brain was literally separated from his obviously still-functioning mind. He apparently gained new knowledge of information to which he could not possibly have had access while undergoing a life-saving medical procedure. Colton accurately recounted where his mother and father were during his surgery and what they were doing while he could not possibly have known by observation. His physical body was in surgery in a different part of the hospital at that time. He … [Read more...]
A new voice from Each Voice Publishing
Tammy Rainey's trilogy of short stories, Painted Ponies, is nothing short of extraordinary. Take After describes the relationship between father and son in the wake of a close call with death. The Last Best Hour spends the last moments of a condemned prisoner in conversation with an important literary figure conjured from the recesses of his memories. The title story shares the relationship of widowed mother and son as they carry on tradition begun by his late father. Poignant, touching, and jarring at times, these stories will tug on your heart strings. Available in a variety of ebook formats, including the Kindle at Amazon, the Nook at Barnes and Noble, and the IPad plus a variety of other ebook reader formats through Smashwords. Brought to you by the innovative and creative voices from within Each Voice Publishing. … [Read more...]
Kickstarting the Fonehook
I'm in the late stages of producing the completed first draft of my next novel to be published by Each Voice Publishing, which I'm calling Secondhand Sight, but occasionally I take a break and come up for air....Okay, so the truth is that I occasionally stop screwing around and get some real work done, but that's another story. The point of this article is to talk about the crowd funding phenomenon, and a new invention called the Fonehook. The idea to write it originated when I checked my email and found a very polite query from a gentleman named Anthony, who read something I'd published. He asked me to review his new product he's trying to market, a simple platform designed to safely hold your IPod, IPhone, Android, or other smart device. The product is clever, inexpensive, and designed well enough to do the job. Prepare the double-sided tape, put two screws into the wall, attach the Fonehook and tighten the screws, and that baby isn't going anywhere. The only drawbacks to the deal are that you have to buy in a minimum quantity of five Fonehooks for $20, and the screws apparently aren't included. You'd probably want more than one of these wall hangers for phones anyway, but may not have a use for all five. The ones you don't use, you can give away to family and friends. A small package of wood screws can be obtained from a hardware store for a dollar or two. Problem solved. This product reminded that my son's smart phone has a cracked screen precisely for the reason he didn't have a safe place for it when it wasn't in his pocket. After spending several hundred … [Read more...]
St. Patrick’s Day in Savannah
A friend called me recently and suggested I should come to Savannah for St. Patrick's Day. Frankly, I'd rather have my teeth pulled without Novocaine. I grew up in Savannah, so I know all too well what St. Patrick's Day in Savannah can be like, especially when it falls on Saturday. Don't get me wrong. It will be great fun. In fact, it's too much fun for me. It is not a place for someone who doesn't like "standing room only" anymore. The only way to stand out in a crowd on St. Patrick's Day is to wear any color except green. A city of 250,000 people doubles in size. Many of them get drunk, but the police do keep things from getting out of hand. Don't even think about drinking and driving. The police will be out in force. Still, the traffic is horrific on St. Patrick's Day Saturdays, and the parking non-existent. A city known for it's hospitality gets overrun by more rowdy revelers than it can handle. Once upon a time, I lived for that sort of thing. If you've never been to Savannah for St. Patrick's Day, the city does roll out the green-dyed red carpet for visitors. There are events, parades, bands, and green beer, the whole nine yards. For me, that's the whole problem. I'm too old and cantankerous for that sort of stuff. Besides, at the moment, I'm focused on completing the task of editing my new novel. On the other hand, it would be nice to see the old friend allegedly flying into town for the big celebration, as long as I can avoid the most boisterous of the festivities myself. We'll have to see how work goes. Honestly, the green I'd most like to see in … [Read more...]