Whitley Strieber, MKUltra Flypaper |480|

However, sometimes something catches my eye and despite lower imdb or metacritic numbers...

Same here. I have different IMDB cut-offs for different genres:

Romantic Comedy: 6.8

Period Drama: 6.2

Action / Adventure: 5.8

Sci Fi / Fantasy 5.6

Bigfoot: 4.2 , I'll watch almost any garbage with
Bigfeet because I have loved them since I was a little kid and my Dad took me to see The Legend of Boggy Creek in 1973. That movie scared the heck out of me. :)
 
Bigfoot: 4.2 , I'll watch almost any garbage with
Bigfeet because I have loved them since I was a little kid and my Dad took me to see The Legend of Boggy Creek in 1973. That movie scared the heck out of me. :)

Saw that in my late teens or so with a girlfriend. Yeah it was pretty scary for that time. Played with a movie about some crazy scientist who turns his daughters boyfriend/unwitting lab assistant into a snake. IIRC, this guy believed snakes were the next great step in mankinds evolution, lol.

Bigfoot though takes second place to lake and sea monsters for me, heh
 
An IMDB rating of 4.0 is pretty terrible. My "unwatchable" cut-off is 5.2

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1663655/


I enjoyed this movie The Discovery.

The premise is that an Afterlife is scientifically proven, and everyone starts committing suicide.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Discovery_(film)

Torrents here: https://1337x.to/search/the+discovery+2017/1/

Trailer

Just watched The Discovery... blew my mind even further than it already has been. Thank you... I can think of dozens of different decisions I would make yet they would start when I was still a child... 7 or so years old.

I never get over my regrets.
 
Glad you liked it!

Regarding "regrets", after you've learned the lesson from them, you shouldn't dwell on them. Just my opinion.

I "get that" and yet, I have experienced times when I thought I "got the lesson" only to find myself (always after the fact) having experienced, once again, that which could be considered the same "lesson opportunity" accompanied with my own "reaction/action" which seemed to have arisen from a deeper, more hidden (and dark) aspect of my being...

So, my question is, how many times must I experience the same "lesson opportunity"?

How many lifetimes filled with the same "lesson opportunity"?

Did I participate in the design of this dynamic? And if so, why would I design such a dynamic filled with such suffering?

If I did not participate in the design, then who/what designed it?

If I did not have anything to do with the design, did I have a choice with regards to entering the dynamic?

Would I have done so knowing what I know now about it?

Did I or do I have a choice?

None of these questions am I (or anyone else as far as I can tell) are anywhere near close to coming up with a comprehensive and cohesive series of answers to this basket of questions. Yeah, you sometimes get an answer from someone "seemingly filled with wisdom" and who appears to live in peace to one or two of them... but never have I come upon a single set of answers that addresses them all without raising a million more questions.

It is like these "miracles" where "a healing" occurs (The Chris Bledsoe story is filled with this type of experience as "part of the Bigger Story). And so why don't these beings just heal us all? Something smells to me.

My wife says, we are here to learn lessons.

What did we forget that we have to come here to "re-learn?" Or, if we didn't know in the first place (and then forgot... for god's sake "why?" I can't imagine)... who/what made "us" and then decided it would be "the way to go" by thrusting us into eons of cycles of suffering "so we learn?" Something seems really "effed up" about that.
 
I really loved this episode.

I remember reading Communion in the early 90's as a young man and it had a profound effect on me. Although I found it rather fear inducing and utterly perplexing, it was responsible to a large degree in helping to oil the hinges of my mind doors, and crack them open a little farther.

I remember wondering about whether the "visitors" were physical or something else. It also got me thinking about and re-evaluating my own strange dreamlike ( nightmarish ) experiences as a child. (I am sure many children have similar experiences).

I remember on many occasions waking in the night, being physically paralysed (sleep paralysis?) and seeing shadowy beings moving around my bed, touching me and doing who knows what. I was unable to call out for my mother or move.

I also remember being told mentally during one of these terrifying episodes, by a woman in my minds eye, that I should project a golden shell like force field from my heart that would enclose my body and keep these entities out.

I did this and it worked (and I still do when I get the heebee jeebies), though I was still terrified. I could literally see these creatures touching the golden shell I was projecting, and being unable to get through it. It looked like a kind of TV static shell to me, but to my childish imagination, it felt all very real.

It also however, felt very dream like, and I always thought and still do wonder if it wasn't just the over active imagination of the sensitive child I was, and the difficult early life I had.

Whitley's book forced me to reconsider these experiences (whether real or imagined), as they closely resembled his in some ways and so many other peoples experiences. I never saw any " greys" though. Back then, from memory, the beings I saw seemed monstrous and not physically very big, but very shadowy. I can't remember any exact or clear form, which adds to the dream like feeling it had.

Over the years, like Many of us, I have come to adopt the notion that mind or Consciousness is the foundation or ground upon which all else is built, and not the other way around as my mainstream teachers tried to inculcate in me.

My experiences helped me to shun that notion much more easily than if I had to do it by reason alone, although reason is ultimately the foundation I use to support my belief in a mental universe. Such an understanding of a fundamentally mental universe means necessarily that I place more value and meaning on things, even purely imaginal things, than a cold hard materialist would.

As a result, if the above childhood experience was purely emanating from my own childish mind, it still carries with it tremendous value and meaning, as much as if it were literal aliens in a tin can flying saucer actually visiting me. I will never know if my experience was 100% childhood imagination, or if it was an intrusion by some independently existing beings from an extended realm or dimension, but this almost doesn't matter. There is an archetypal experience here that I imagine millions of people experience, and my sense is that there is some valuable information to be gleaned from it, whether about ourselves, or about the world around and beyond us.

I didn't really understand your question Alex, about Whitley's fly paper analogy. I didn't get from the interview that he was insinuating that a thirst for knowledge about the extended realms was equal to black magic.

I can see that if such knowledge is used to serve the ego (ones selfish desire to satisfy ones insatiable and ever growing personal whims, wants and desires), rather than help one escape from the endless ego rat wheel, then this is by definition would be some form of perversion of truth, black magic, dark living, an askewed life path.

However, the paradox here is that some knowledge of these extended realms is also necessary when it comes to pursuing a shrinking or reducing, if not shedding of the ego mind. Otherwise, what would the motivation be for such on undertaking?

Why for example, would one choose love and selfless (egoless) service over the selfish pursuit of personal gratification if One didn't have a clear perspective on the lay of the land and the ultimate destination of the paths we choose to walk across the landscape?

Surely a good map is essential kit for any traveller. With a good Map, the destination will be one of choice rather than accidental wandering and happenstance. But good maps cannot be constructed without exploration and inquiry.

I did not get that whitley was equating a thirst for knowledge with black magic from this interview, but the way you posed your question made it seem that this was what you thought ?
I really enjoyed the Strieber interview b/c I had a girlfriend who, for all intents & purposes, was abducted by aliens. She had been telling about these very disturbing dreams of being taken from her bed by these creatures w/ owl eyes & sometimes wolf eyes. I then started asking her about some of the common experiences of abductees I had read & she had a number of those. She even had a small scar on one of her legs that indicated tissue sample taking. Her story really got bizarre b/c she said while she was still w/ her husband of her three kids, a woman showed up one day asking questions about her youngest son. The woman was a complete stranger & didn't identify herself or explain why she would be interested in how her youngest boy was doing, so she sent her away.
This was particularly spooky b/c her youngest was unusual in several ways. He couldn't sleep unless he had a totally dark bedroom which is completely opposite for so many children. He had these prominent, large brown eyes that were out of proportion w/ the rest of his face & acted in a mature manner beyond his years. Lastly, he had this terrific attachment to locomotive engines & other train parts. When she took him to a museum once that had a train engine on display, she almost couldn't get him to leave; he kept hanging onto it & touching it. What makes this a little confusing is that that train mania may have been something to do w/ a past life more than any alien influence.
That girlfriend also had some serious anxiety problems for which she took pills off & on. Her husband had divorced her & took the kids, but I never thought she'd had any remembered trauma that rated anxiety attacks, but then maybe that was enough for a sensitive person like herself. She also had prematurely grey hair that she dyed. No military service record or other extreme experience was told to me that would explain completely gray hair at her age.
 
I really enjoyed the Strieber interview b/c I had a girlfriend who, for all intents & purposes, was abducted by aliens. She had been telling about these very disturbing dreams of being taken from her bed by these creatures w/ owl eyes & sometimes wolf eyes. I then started asking her about some of the common experiences of abductees I had read & she had a number of those. She even had a small scar on one of her legs that indicated tissue sample taking. Her story really got bizarre b/c she said while she was still w/ her husband of her three kids, a woman showed up one day asking questions about her youngest son. The woman was a complete stranger & didn't identify herself or explain why she would be interested in how her youngest boy was doing, so she sent her away.
This was particularly spooky b/c her youngest was unusual in several ways. He couldn't sleep unless he had a totally dark bedroom which is completely opposite for so many children. He had these prominent, large brown eyes that were out of proportion w/ the rest of his face & acted in a mature manner beyond his years. Lastly, he had this terrific attachment to locomotive engines & other train parts. When she took him to a museum once that had a train engine on display, she almost couldn't get him to leave; he kept hanging onto it & touching it. What makes this a little confusing is that that train mania may have been something to do w/ a past life more than any alien influence.
That girlfriend also had some serious anxiety problems for which she took pills off & on. Her husband had divorced her & took the kids, but I never thought she'd had any remembered trauma that rated anxiety attacks, but then maybe that was enough for a sensitive person like herself. She also had prematurely grey hair that she dyed. No military service record or other extreme experience was told to me that would explain completely gray hair at her age.
very sad... I don't know how to process this... find myself doing "shut up and calculate"

Whitley... compassion... love :)
 
very sad... I don't know how to process this... find myself doing "shut up and calculate"

Whitley... compassion... love :)
Any thinking & feeling person would react the same way to Grace's story. Now that I've had more time to think about it, her prematurely grey hair resulted from her husband dumping her for a rich Dallas woman (he blew their considerable fortune on the stock market trying to get to get to the next level) & taking the kids. He even made her pay child support on a pre-school teacher's salary! I wish I could have kept up w/ her, if nothing else to see how her alien genetic experiment son turned out. Compassion & kindness is the WAY. Look at how things go for those who turn to revenge & hate!
 
Any thinking & feeling person would react the same way to Grace's story. Now that I've had more time to think about it, her prematurely grey hair resulted from her husband dumping her for a rich Dallas woman (he blew their considerable fortune on the stock market trying to get to get to the next level) & taking the kids. He even made her pay child support on a pre-school teacher's salary! I wish I could have kept up w/ her, if nothing else to see how her alien genetic experiment son turned out. Compassion & kindness is the WAY. Look at how things go for those who turn to revenge & hate!
Was that experience part of the reason you found Skeptiko?

Did you bust up completely - I mean you don't even have emails, texts, or Facebook links to find her?

I guess her son's attachment to locomotive parts doesn't seem to fit with him being part alien.

Did she seem normal in other ways - were you together for long? Could it be that giving birth to an odd looking child, set off her dreams?

David
 
Was that experience part of the reason you found Skeptiko?

Did you bust up completely - I mean you don't even have emails, texts, or Facebook links to find her?

I guess her son's attachment to locomotive parts doesn't seem to fit with him being part alien.

Did she seem normal in other ways - were you together for long? Could it be that giving birth to an odd looking child, set off her dreams?

David
I stumbled onto Skeptiko by accident while surfing the web. Grace & I were together many years ago. She knew I was getting pretty attached to her & she said she'd never marry me; I don't remember proposing, but anyway I appreciated her being kind enough to let me off the hook, so to speak. After that traumatic break-up w/ her ex-husband, I don't think she'd ever try that again. I suppose I could look for her, but I detest FB. She's a pretty private person, so I don't think she'd fool w/ FB.
I don't have any idea about connecting her third child's birth & the dreams; I think she'd had them for a long time, so that's why I asked about the other common experiences of abductees: lost time, unexplained scars, nightmares, & so on. I asked Grace to read Communion, but the whole subject just upset her, so she refused. That woman that showed up out of the blue asking about her son really gave me the creeps. I've also read some stuff from people who adamantly claim aliens live among us disguised as humans.
The train fixation he had reminds me that that kind of thing may not be that unusual. My brother's wife's son from a previous marriage was really enthralled w/ an old adding machine he was given. He'd even take it to bed w/ him like a stuffed toy.
 
I stumbled onto Skeptiko by accident while surfing the web. Grace & I were together many years ago. She knew I was getting pretty attached to her & she said she'd never marry me; I don't remember proposing, but anyway I appreciated her being kind enough to let me off the hook, so to speak.
We got together many years ago, and I sort of proposed once, and she didn't agree, so we continued without a wedding! There is nothing wrong with what used to be called 'living in sin'.
After that traumatic break-up w/ her ex-husband, I don't think she'd ever try that again. I suppose I could look for her, but I detest FB. She's a pretty private person, so I don't think she'd fool w/ FB.
Oh you won't find me on Facebook - basically for the same reason. Also it has moved from being a service into being a political platform.
I don't have any idea about connecting her third child's birth & the dreams; I think she'd had them for a long time, so that's why I asked about the other common experiences of abductees: lost time, unexplained scars, nightmares, & so on. I asked Grace to read Communion, but the whole subject just upset her, so she refused. That woman that showed up out of the blue asking about her son really gave me the creeps. I've also read some stuff from people who adamantly claim aliens live among us disguised as humans.
The train fixation he had reminds me that that kind of thing may not be that unusual. My brother's wife's son from a previous marriage was really enthralled w/ an old adding machine he was given. He'd even take it to bed w/ him like a stuffed toy.
LOL - my Dad taught me about radio, and I used to go to bed with an old radio valve under my pillow (pre-transistor stuff). I think my mother objected that the glass envelope might break, so that didn't last long. I also became very interested in Chemistry, which I eventually swapped for an interest in computers. Maybe I got some of that from a previous incarnation - who knows.

I have been accused of being an alien, but I don't think it was meant seriously.

David
 
Those glowing hot tubes would actually catch things on fire sometimes. :)
Early electronice was nice in a way - I remember salvaging some tubes from thrown away equipment and using a magnifying glass to figure out which pin went to which electrode. I got quite a few discarded valves working again like that even if the type number had got rubbed off. Those that had leaked air (and were thus useless) were also obvious because the air would oxidise the magnesium 'getter' which would turn white. The analogy with a human getting old and white on top amused me.

David
 
I remember salvaging some tubes from thrown away equipment...

David, you may find it amusing that tube amplifiers have made a huge come-back in the Guitar World.

Turns out, the reason tubes amps are better is that they can create harmonics that transistors cannot.

Physics explains why rock musicians prefer valve amps...

https://phys.org/news/2017-02-physics-musicians-valve-amps.html

I learned from Randall Carlson lectures on https://sacredgeometryinternational.com that Harmonics Rule the Universe. Everything is based upon it; plant growth, fractals, your toenails, positioning of planets in our solar system, thunderstorms, ...everything.

This is why the Quadrivium part of the 7 Liberal Arts are:

* Arithmetic, number

* Geometry, number in space

* Music, number in time

* Astronomy, number in space and time
 
David, you may find it amusing that tube amplifiers have made a huge come-back in the Guitar World.

Turns out, the reason tubes amps are better is that they can create harmonics that transistors cannot.

Physics explains why rock musicians prefer valve amps...

https://phys.org/news/2017-02-physics-musicians-valve-amps.html

I learned from Randall Carlson lectures on https://sacredgeometryinternational.com that Harmonics Rule the Universe. Everything is based upon it; plant growth, fractals, your toenails, positioning of planets in our solar system, thunderstorms, ...everything.

This is why the Quadrivium part of the 7 Liberal Arts are:

* Arithmetic, number

* Geometry, number in space

* Music, number in time

* Astronomy, number in space and time
I know that some people like valve amplifiers, but what I don't understand is that in the digital world I would have thought any desired harmonic distortion could be generated using digital signal processing.

Shall we move this discussion somewhere else - I seem to have completely hi-jacked the thread!

David
 
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...in the digital world I would have thought any desired harmonic distortion could be generated using digital signal processing.

I thought the same thing until I visited my Nephew who is a guitar nut and works for Yamaha Corporation in Los Angeles building professional sound studios.

He owns the best guitar amp modeling equipment you can buy, like $11,000 worth of it. You can hear the difference. Digital is simply not capable of completely replicating tubes.

It's true the differences are now so slight only nerd purists can detect them, but they are there. I've heard it. He showed me.

All the pros like ZZ Top, Aerosmith, Brian May, Jimmy Page, et al. use tubes.

See: https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=rig+rundown
 
I thought the same thing until I visited my Nephew who is a guitar nut and works for Yamaha Corporation in Los Angeles building professional sound studios.

He owns the best guitar amp modeling equipment you can buy, like $11,000 worth of it. You can hear the difference. Digital is simply not capable of completely replicating tubes.

It's true the differences are now so slight only nerd purists can detect them, but they are there. I've heard it. He showed me.

All the pros like ZZ Top, Aerosmith, Brian May, Jimmy Page, et al. use tubes.

See: https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=rig+rundown
Yes but ultimately this may be just that tubes are what sells right now.

For example, for a while there were skiis on sale with traces of graphene added, but by now graphene isn't the in-thing any more, so the use something else.

I mean digital stuff can play all sorts of tricks - for example it is possible to slow speech down without changing its pitch. The equipment (I presume) uses a DFT on the input, shifts the frequency in the frequency domain, then transforms it back and re-samples it to slow it down - cancelling the frequency change and leaving it just slower.

David
 
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