Dean Radin's spoon

there are many claims of bending plastic cutlery.

Some Vajrayana saints are said to have placed hand prints in solid rock

there are many claims of bending plastic cutlery.

Some Vajrayana saints are said to have placed hand prints in solid rock

I assume that's a reference to Milarepa's Cave?


I'm more interested specifically in whether there's been efforts at macro-PK similar to spoon-bending in recent memory, in comparable settings to your TMI workshop.

I assume that's a reference to Milarepa's Cave?


I'm more interested specifically in whether there's been efforts at macro-PK similar to spoon-bending in recent memory, in comparable settings to your TMI workshop.

In addition to Milarepa there are quite a number of saints who left hand marks or footmarks.
I am not aware of contemporary accounts of stone PK.

In contemporary spoon bending some people use plastic cutlery, but I think it is not considered as noteworthy since the material is softer to begin with.  Similarly I have not heard of using wood given it can also be naturally pliable.

In addition to Milarepa there are quite a number of saints who left hand marks or footmarks.
I am not aware of contemporary accounts of stone PK.

In contemporary spoon bending some people use plastic cutlery, but I think it is not considered as noteworthy since the material is softer to begin with.  Similarly I have not heard of using wood given it can also be naturally pliable.

Well, I was thinking of hard plastics or multi-component devices, like a TV remote, or a solid wood table. I suppose I should have specified.


But I think that's a shame, because if stone, wood, plastics and other synthetic materials, etc. could all be manipulated to the same degree you described with your metal spoon, and with the same phenomenology - momentarily getting warm and putty-like, and easily manipulated - that would help support an argument for a PK effect, as opposed to, say, Shermer's pet explanation of adrenaline in social settings spurring people on to certain feats.

Well, I was thinking of hard plastics or multi-component devices, like a TV remote, or a solid wood table. I suppose I should have specified.


But I think that's a shame, because if stone, wood, plastics and other synthetic materials, etc. could all be manipulated to the same degree you described with your metal spoon, and with the same phenomenology - momentarily getting warm and putty-like, and easily manipulated - that would help support an argument for a PK effect, as opposed to, say, Shermer's pet explanation of adrenaline in social settings spurring people on to certain feats.

I think it's difficult to propose alternative materials as a realistic test unless we know what it is we are testing for. For example a tv remote, typically it would have a rectangular box-like construction, bending here would have to involve stretching and elongating on at least three of the sides, rather than simple bending. Wooden objects, this could be interesting, but the resulting internal structure would have to be compared with that of wood curved by traditional methods, such as when constructing the curved sides of a violin or guitar.

I'm less convinced by ideas of saints leaving handprints or footprints. We do have modern examples of say Hollywood stars leaving hand and footprints in suitable material, likewise with ancient dinosaur footprints. These are formed in a soft material which subsequently hardens, it doesn't imply any paranormal effect unless done under controlled conditions where the properties of the materials are known and established beforehand.

I’m ready to accept macro pk when materials engineers start factoring the effect into their equations.

I’m ready to accept macro pk when materials engineers start factoring the effect into their equations.

That's a pretty arbitrary goalpost. Wind forces were well known about but not included in bridge construction calculations until... y'know... that one time...

Way passed that point for pk of any sort.

So what? There's often a lag between knowing an effect happens and being able to apply it in a usable way. According to Malf, the effect could be well known about but because no one's figured out how to apply it yet it just "doesn't exist" in his mind. That and his argument boils down to "well if everyone else believes it then it MUST be true!"

::EDIT::

Oh and according to Malf, if engineers, right now, just started adding in extra strength or whatever into their calculations on whatever they're working on and said that it's to account for "Pink Unicorn Fart Reactions" then that means, according to Malf, that "Pink Unicorn Fart Reactions" are real and valid things because "Look! Engineers are adding it into their calculations!"

Totally how science works.

if engineers, right now, just started adding in extra strength or whatever into their calculations on whatever they're working on and said that it's to account for "Pink Unicorn Fart Reactions" then that means, according to Malf, that "Pink Unicorn Fart Reactions" are real and valid things because "Look! Engineers are adding it into their calculations!" Totally how science works.

By Jove, I think you’ve got it.