cphoenix@csli.Stanford.EDU (Chris Phoenix) (05/19/91)
Some background: I used to have a small digital clock (LCD display) that switched between displaying the time and date every second or two. I noticed that every time I looked at it, at first glance it was displaying the date, and from then on switched normally. I even took it to school and demonstrated this to a few other people. It happened at least 20 times in a row, and the only time I remember it failing was when I looked at it twice in a few seconds. I recently remembered this, and became curious. --I'm aware that this could be pure chance, since probably thousands of the clocks were sold, and that chance it would happen to *someone* is pretty high. --However, before I know more about it, there's also a possibility that there was some sort of signal from the clock that I was picking up, though I was not aware of such a signal. --I am not looking for any new-age explanation. As far as I can see, there are three possibilities: 1) My time sense is good enough that I could subconsciously time when I looked at the thing, so it would always be on the date. My time sense could be "recalibrated" from other clocks, etc... but still it would have to be on the order of one second in several hours. 2) The clock was making some kind of noise that I was hearing. Given that the things run for years on a very small battery, I tend to doubt this. What is the quietest noise the ear is capable of picking up? What is the quietest noise the ear can pick up in an environment of normal background noise? (The brain can filter all sorts of noise out of conscious attention; I'm interested in physiological capability.) 3) The clock was emitting some kind of electromagnetic radiation that I was detecting. I haven't heard of any kind of EM detector in humans except for eyes, and I know they weren't getting the information. But it's the only other thing I can think of (aside from me somehow influencing the clock, which is *very* unlikely--it's much harder to change the state of your average digital circuit than the state of a neuron.) Actually, I've heard that people can hear a modulated microwave beam--it causes thermal expansion, and thus physical sound waves that the ear can pick up. But this would require more energy than sound. So: Can anyone comment on the possibility of any of these modes of communication working? Can anyone think of any others? If no one can think of any way this could happen aside from chance, I'll try to get another of the clocks and do a test on it. I may solicit suggestions for the test later, from these groups or from sci.skeptic. -- Chris Phoenix cphoenix@csli.stanford.edu #insert <funnyquote.h> #insert <graphic.h> #insert <stddisclaimer.h>
dmesatr@dutrun2.tudelft.nl (Arthur van der Harg) (05/19/91)
In article <19377@csli.Stanford.EDU> cphoenix@csli.Stanford.EDU (Chris Phoenix) writes: "Some background: I used to have a small digital clock (LCD display) "that switched between displaying the time and date every second or "two. I noticed that every time I looked at it, at first glance it was "displaying the date, and from then on switched normally. I even took "it to school and demonstrated this to a few other people. It happened "at least 20 times in a row, and the only time I remember it failing "was when I looked at it twice in a few seconds. I recently remembered "this, and became curious. [ Mechanisms for "look-now" signals deleted ] "So: Can anyone comment on the possibility of any of these modes of "communication working? Can anyone think of any others? If no one can "think of any way this could happen aside from chance, I'll try to get "another of the clocks and do a test on it. I may solicit suggestions for "the test later, from these groups or from sci.skeptic. "Chris Phoenix cphoenix@csli.stanford.edu It's very well possible that you happened to look at the clock when it showed the date a couple of times in a row. When you got aware of this, two things could have happened: a] If you looked at the clock and it showed the time you did not consciously see this, and only got aware when it showed the date. b] You saw the clock from the corner of your eye (subconsciously) and when it showed the date you would say "hey look, it shows the date again". My mother has about the same phenomenon with the clock on the VCR. She always manages to see the times "10:10" "11:11" "12:12" etc. . I think it is the recognition of the event that made you aware of it. Does this make any sense ? Arthur -- | arthur@dutfdsa.tudelft.nl (Arthur van der Harg) Yet another message from | | this remote end of the world * * ** * ** * ** * ** * ** * ** * ** * ** * ** * * *
finn@theory.TC.Cornell.EDU (Lee Samuel Finn) (05/20/91)
In article <19377@csli.Stanford.EDU> cphoenix@csli.Stanford.EDU (Chris Phoenix) writes: >Some background: I used to have a small digital clock (LCD display) >that switched between displaying the time and date every second or >two. I noticed that every time I looked at it, at first glance it was >displaying the date, and from then on switched normally. I even took >it to school and demonstrated this to a few other people. It happened >at least 20 times in a row, and the only time I remember it failing >was when I looked at it twice in a few seconds. I recently remembered >this, and became curious. > Assuming you have not subconciously timed your clock (a possibility you raise), and that there is a definite bias in the observations (and not that you are just preferentially noticing date on the first glance events), then a more likely suggestion is that the time spent in date display mode is greater than the time spent in time display mode. > . . . >-- >Chris Phoenix cphoenix@csli.stanford.edu >#insert <funnyquote.h> #insert <graphic.h> #insert <stddisclaimer.h>
jallen@eeserv1.ic.sunysb.edu (Joseph Allen) (05/25/91)
In article <19377@csli.Stanford.EDU> cphoenix@csli.Stanford.EDU (Chris Phoenix) writes: >Some background: I used to have a small digital clock (LCD display) >that switched between displaying the time and date every second or >two. I noticed that every time I looked at it, at first glance it was >displaying the date, and from then on switched normally. I even took >it to school and demonstrated this to a few other people. It happened >at least 20 times in a row, and the only time I remember it failing >was when I looked at it twice in a few seconds. I recently remembered >this, and became curious. >--I am not looking for any new-age explanation. Your clock has a *crystal* in it you know... -- /* jallen@ic.sunysb.edu */ /* Amazing */ /* Joe Allen 129.49.12.74 */ int a[1817];main(z,p,q,r){for(p=80;q+p-80;p-=2*a[p])for(z=9;z--;)q=3&(r=time(0) +r*57)/7,q=q?q-1?q-2?1-p%79?-1:0:p%79-77?1:0:p<1659?79:0:p>158?-79:0,q?!a[p+q*2 ]?a[p+=a[p+=q]=q]=q:0:0;for(;q++-1817;)printf(q%79?"%c":"%c\n"," #"[!a[q-1]]);}