Spooky Action At A Distance: $245

December 6, 2008 5:14 PM

The newest Wholphin DVD contains the instructions for an experiment called "Select Your Intention," created by a company called Psyleron. Psyleron is the result of efforts by former research scientists at the Princeton Engineering Anomalies Research laboratory— (1979-2007) an interdisciplinary group of physicists, psychologists, engineers, and humanists, that explored the ability of the human mind to interact directly with the physical world. (VIDEO) "Now anyone with a home computer can explore the direct impact of consciousness with the portable, adaptable, and responsive Psyleron REG-1." And now, try new Pocket Reg!

Other products with which to enjoy your new found psychic prowess:
The Alerter!
The Mind-reading Robot!
and the astounding MIND LAMP!!!!!

Previously (two, three, four, five)

posted by Potomac Avenue (15 comments total)

Doh the wikipedia link is broked. Here is the wikipedia entry, which is pretty much just a press release. More contrary opinions about this type of research can be found in entries about Remote Viewing or the Standford Research Institute and in blog posts like this. (Protip: that blog might also save you some cash).

Final link dump: a letter from the company about their products found on the James Randi Educational Foundation forum.
posted by Potomac Avenue at 5:35 PM on December 6, 2008

"In these studies human operators attempt to bias the output of a variety of mechanical, electronic, optical, acoustical, and fluid devices to conform to pre-stated intentions, without recourse to any known physical influences. In unattended calibrations all of these sophisticated machines produce strictly random data, yet the experimental results display increases in information content that can only be attributed to the consciousness of their human operators." confirmation bias.
posted by parudox at 5:36 PM on December 6, 2008 [2 favorites]

Personally, I liked the University; they gave us money and facilities, we didn't have to produce anything. You've never been out of college. You don't know what it's like out there. I've worked in the private sector--they expect results.
posted by kaibutsu at 5:55 PM on December 6, 2008 [6 favorites]

That's kaibutsu, channeling Ray Stantz.
posted by JHarris at 6:24 PM on December 6, 2008

I was fascinated until I finally found something explaining what this was (namely the First Time Operators video). I think REG stands for TimeCube.
posted by cthuljew at 6:56 PM on December 6, 2008

Apparently their consciousness was not successful at intreacting with the funding bodies.
posted by Ironmouth at 7:18 PM on December 6, 2008

"Select Your Intention" is deeply flawed. Like most (if not all) other parapsychology tests which use the general public outside rigorous controlled experiments, it's going to skew the results heavily. If I were a participant, I would play until I get good positive results, then stop playing altogether and submit my results. This will give strong results when pooled together with all other participants doing this (with a insanely strong cumulative sigma that will make it a near-certainty).
posted by amuseDetachment at 7:36 PM on December 6, 2008 [2 favorites]

I really want this to be true. If it is, my apathy gives me the the power to transcend the very laws of physics.

BOW DOWN SON OF JOR-EL!
posted by Kid Charlemagne at 9:09 PM on December 6, 2008

what's incredibly weird is that i was explaining this research to a friend today, before this was even posted...ITS AS IF MY MIND INFLUENCED IT. very strange.
posted by Kifer85 at 9:31 PM on December 6, 2008

Personally, I liked the University; they gave us money and facilities, we didn't have to produce anything. You've never been out of college. You don't know what it's like out there. I've worked in the private sector--they expect results.

Uh huh. The scientific establishment just hands out recognition (and tenure) for nothing. Doesn't expect jack. Those financial wizards who run our economy, though, well they don't get paid unless they get results.

Oh wait, no, the opposite of that.
posted by Xezlec at 10:27 PM on December 6, 2008

Er, Xezlec, um...
posted by cthuljew at 10:50 PM on December 6, 2008

Oh wait, no, the opposite of that.

Can we just agree that there are a few cranks, quacks, or straight-up useless people in any large enough organization?

I think it's just a fact of human nature — a certain percentage of us will scramble like hell to get someplace comfortable, and then hunker down and waste everyone's time for the next few decades out of sheer perversity. Tenure and middle management are both excellent habitats for people like that, even if most professors and managers really do give at least half a shit.
posted by nebulawindphone at 11:05 PM on December 6, 2008 [1 favorite]

Also, a cooler crazy ass magickal mind-bending tinfoil-hat parapsychological research project is the results from the Global Consciousness Project (homepage, also located at Princeton), which is a group of what is pretty similar to the REG described above, except connected to the internet together. Its process looks a lot more rigorous and interesting.
posted by amuseDetachment at 11:52 PM on December 6, 2008 [1 favorite]

I'm totally into this, and am pretty sure that i make my life by intending it. Why shouldn't the universe just go ahead and agree with me already?

If it were cheaper i'd be buying one of these for everybody i know for Christmas, so we could collectively intend Santa Claus into being.

amuseDetachment - the GCP was linked in the previously list given by Potomac Avenue. Here's the mefi thread again.
posted by phylum sinter at 12:40 AM on December 7, 2008

The Global Consciousness Project is just seeing the results of The Matrix using a slightly flawed RNG.
posted by ymgve at 9:04 AM on December 7, 2008