Farming Humans

Two graduate students at MIT have determined that the human energy generated by simply sitting on a stool will power 4 LED lights. They have extrapolated that out to harnessing the energy of concert crowds, commuters and general hustle and bustle of urban life into real life sustainable energy. Calling them “crowd farms,” they see it more as an example of potential than as a genuinely dependable source of power. The process involves pressure sensitive surfaces that use crystals or ceramics to translate that pressure into energy. That energy would be transformed into usable electricity by rotating coils and electromagnets. So the pressure of the stirring masses shuffling over the globe would ultimately be turned into the electricity they needed to power the places they were shuffling off to. The logistics of making something like this work beyond a controlled environment appear to be a long ways off however.

If you were to construct a “crowd farm” that was populated enough to generate a substantial amount of energy, it would seem to me a prison would not only be ideal, it would also be minimally objected to and easier to fly under the radar all together than a stadium, airport or shopping mall might be. It is a densely populated, controlled environment that the general public has little access to, and whose inhabitants lives have already been largely disregarded. There is no question the current prison system is overcrowded and new prisons are needed. The public doesn’t however want that to cost any more than it takes to keep their house from getting robbed or their kids from being shot. An eco friendly, energy efficient prison would be lauded as a grand achievement.

Electromagnetic fields are often pointed to by paranormal researchers as possible explanations for ghost sightings and other unexplained visions or hallucinations. The Association for the Scientific Study of Anomalous Phenomenon (ASSAP) is researching this very thing. They refer to the magnetic disturbances as Experience Inducing Fields (EIF) and have in early research found them to be quite common in the average house at low levels and have several witnesses reporting the same hallucinations at the site of an allegedly haunted bed at Muncaster Castle in Cumbria that has quantifiably strong EIF activity. What would turning the ground beneath our feet into an active circuit do to the electromagnetic fields around us? Would that lead to mass hallucinations that could be used as a means of control or incapacitation? Self contained environments away from public view turned into warped realities for anyone deemed worthy of incarceration? It is all speculation at this point, even the science, but curious to ponder none the less.

- Prof. Gruntsplatter

2012 Escape Plan

A Barcelona based company is working on a space hotel project called "Galactic Suite." That it expects to be ready in 2012. The cost for the trip and a 3 day stay would be 4 million dollars +. The project will cost approximately 3 Billion dollars to complete. The company has been elusive about who the backer is that is fronting that 3 billion dollars. But they have determined that there are 40,000 people in the world that could afford to make that trip and stay at the space hotel.

This story is mildly curious from an technology standpoint, but really we hear reports similar to this all the time and they go largely unnoticed or never materialize. The thing that stood out here was the target date. There are many that hold the belief that December, 21 2012 marks the date of some sort of catastrophic change, based on the Mayan Long Count Calendar. The Mayans determined that on this day the sun at Winter Solstice would be reaching the actual equator of the Milky Way Galaxy. It is theorized that when the sun crosses the galactic equator that its magnetic fields will reverse causing catastrophic weather and natural disasters on earth, and potentially the end of the world as we know it. There has been sunspot activity, that indicates a new solar cycle is on the horizon. In July/August 2006 a sunspot appeared that was magnetically backwards.

This theory obviously has it's detractors as well, and some feel it is more of a metaphoric or spiritual end of the world and a new dawn rather than a literal one. However, I found the timing interesting and the limited and exclusive nature of the project ripe for a little conspiratorial thinking.

Below are a couple links to sites that go into the stories and varying perspectives about 2012 and a program that The History Channel ran on it as well for a slightly more mainstream perspective.

http://www.december212012.com/
http://www.2012predictions.net/

History Channel Documentary
part one


Part two
Part three
Part four
Part five

Spookatorium 015

Welcome to the newly renovated Spookatorium. With episode 15 I have expanded the focus beyond music and pulled open the beaten old trunk of the strange and unusual. Each episode will feature a handful of curious tales and the website will be updated frequently with additional content as I find stories of interest. If you are still reaching the site through blogspot, update your bookmarks to www.spookatorium.org.

This trip out features tracks from
PROCER VENEFICUS
COLD NORTHERN VENGEANCE
COIL
DOLORIAN
SPECTRAL LIGHT & MOONSHINE FIREFLY SNAKEOIL JAMBOREE
THE TIGER LILLIES
CHRISTIAN DEATH
TSOL
MYRKR
TRIAL
RWAKE

With background accompaniment from
ANGEL OF DECAY
ANIMA MUNDI

In addition you will hear the moving tale of the death of a vampire peacock struck down in one of the shadowy corners of New York City, and the citizen who would not let its passing go unnoticed. I have a haunted lighthouse to tell you about, and ladies and gentleman, you can buy it for a dollar! I also take a look at the alleged tales of haunting in a remote Michigan town. A small town in Mississippi sees a strange creature on the loose, and doesn’t jump to cryptoid conclusions! An amphibious giant from beneath the sea with a hostile message is made an example of by the Dutch.

Prof. Gruntsplatter's Spookatorium 015

Cheers,
Prof. Gruntsplatter

Something Wicked This Way Comes

There are some positive changes going on at the Spookatorium. It's been awhile since the last show, and I've been debating how I can make things more interesting for myself, and hopefully the people who listen and bring the show closer to the idea that I originally intended. In addition to the diverse music the show has played over the first 14 episodes, on episode 15 (coming soon) I am going to start including news and commentary from the realms of the strange and unusual. Hopefully you will find it interesting, and I will use the blog to include additional content that isn't on the podcast. The types of things you can expect to hear about will include anything from the paranormal, to roadside attractions, strange history, medical quackery, cryptozoology and anything else that strikes my fancy. It will be handled with seriousness as well as satire depending on how I feel about a given story.

So with all this in mind I will soon be launching www.spookatorium.org. I'm not sure yet when I will have something ready to go, but hopefully it won't be too long. It will allow me to get the full archive back online as well. If the interest is there I could definitely see having listener provided content, art, stories, what have you. If there is visible interest than a message board isn't out of the question either. It's an experiment that I an not sure anyone will even notice. If you have feedback, if you have just found the site, have a story to share, or are a previous listener feel free to get in touch. The music will always be a part of the show, but hopefully you'll appreciate the new additions.

- Prof. Gruntsplatter