Friday, June 23, 2006





I saw an "anomalous video phenomenon" at work today (yes, I have a "day job"). We have a black-and-white monitor linked to two cameras, both trained on separate stretches of concrete; the view on the monitor automatically switches back and forth between cameras. In one view I noticed what looked like an odd rectangular shadow, which I assumed might be a defect in the screen (similar to the "phosphor burn" that afflicts aging stand-alone video-games) if not for appearing in only one field of coverage.

I pointed it out to a co-worker, who suggested something was on the lens. A squashed bug, maybe. Within seconds the "shadow" disappeared; someone else joked that we'd scared it off.

I'm reasonably sure the "apparition" was a defect of some sort. Not knowing much about the insides of TVs, I can't offer a technical explanation (although I'm positive there is one). Mundane explanations aside, I found the phenomenon interesting. Is consciousness as temperamental and error-prone as our omnipresent technological devices? Could a nonhuman intelligence exploit perceptual weaknesses to go about its business unnoticed?

Conversely, could ubiquitous TV surveillance inadvertantly help reveal the goings-on of mysterious beings?

Update:

Our grip on reality is slim

The study found that the areas activated while remembering whether an event really happened or was imagined in healthy subjects are the very same areas that are dysfunctional in people who experience hallucinations.

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