"Telephone Telepathy"

[Gwyn ap Nudd]

Link: Reuters News Story (via Yahoo! News)

Many people have experienced the phenomenon of receiving a telephone call from someone shortly after thinking about them -- now a scientist says he has proof of what he calls telephone telepathy.

I especially like the quiet little disclaimer near the end. It would probably have been in fine print if the writer thought he could get away with it.

However, his sample was small on both trials -- just 63 people for the controlled telephone experiment and 50 for the email -- and only four subjects were actually filmed in the phone study and five in the email, prompting some skepticism.

 

[gtc]

Sheldrake -- who believes in the interconnectedness of all minds within a social grouping

They're in my brain, aagghhh

 

[andyandy]

if it's true it would be incredible......

my money's on this not being replicated elsewhere......

 

[ttch]

One good thing Sheldrake has called for is for experiments in the natural sciences to be blinded or double-blinded as much as practicable. Today, physics experiments are almost never blinded.

The first principle is that you must not fool yourself -- and you are the easiest person to fool.
-- Richard P. Feynman (from "Cargo Cult Science")
​

Sadly, Sheldrake seems to have trouble following his own advice.

 

[ttch]

Sheldrake's earlier work in this vein was covered in the JREF forum in 2003; see showthread.php?t=7938

 

[Brainache]

But if telepathy worked we wouldn't need telephones.
So it must be being suppressed by the evil phone companies.

 

[Gord_in_Toronto]

Woof. Woof!

 

[Meffy]

TELEPATHEPHONY
With apologies to
Laura Elizabeth Richards (1850-1943)

Once there was a telepath,
Who tried to use the phonopath-

No! No! I mean a telephone
Who tried to use the pathophone-

(Oh, dear! It seems my poem's a wreck.
Next time I'll run a spelling check.)

The test (paid for by Teleflora^(R)):
Distinguish callers with her aura.

O shame! She stoppeth one of three;
An albatross, her E.S.P.

(I fear that here we'll leave this verse
Of telebad and teleworse!)

[original "Eletelephony" here]

 

[roger]

I knew Meffy was going to the post above me before I opened this thread.

 

[Meffy]

Let me guess -- a little elephant told you? On the phone, I'll bet.