Seeing blindfolded

[Laird]

Psiclops has posted another video to the thread on Skeptiko:

InfoVision - TV Show in Romania with Mark Komissarov




In this programme on Romanian television, the host interviews (in English) Mark Komissarov and his student Professor Mihaela Istrati, about a method of seeing whilst blindfolded as-yet undiscussed in this thread, and which Mark developed and teaches, called "InfoVision". Professor Istrati demonstrates, using a Mindfold mask which has three photon detectors on each side of the mask, that she can identify the colour of coloured pieces of paper held at a distance from her, identify the colour of coloured cups and pick up with her hands the coloured cups as instructed, as well as, ultimately, to read words written on pieces of paper held a distance from her. During all of this time, the photon detectors in the mask read zero - indicating that no light whatsoever was getting into the mask she was wearing: her eyes were in total darkness.

perhaps we can look forward to independent testing of the claims.

In this respect, Chris, you might find the video interesting. It covers the independent scientific research conducted on this phenomenon by two scientists, Dr Enrico Pierangeli, who was interviewed on the programme itself via a video link, and, Dr Elio Conte, a video clip of whose research was played, though, unfortunately, in another language (Italian, I guess) without English subtitles.

Apparently, a paper was soon to be forthcoming (the video was posted on 2 April 2016) by one of them (Dr Conte, I seem to remember). I have not yet tried to track down that paper though.

Why did god design eyes then?

[Laird]

Why did god design eyes then?

Such a great question. The skinny: I don't know. If you're looking for something definitive or simply pretending to be definitive, you can stop reading now. That which follows is simply a set of observations which don't lead to any ultimate conclusion.

Given veridical perceptions during OBEs, especially during NDEs when the patient is technically dead, and given the reality that certain hydrocephalic patients are conscious and of ordinary intelligence whilst essentially lacking a brain, it seems that we could ask the same of any physical organ, especially: "Why did God design a brain if we can be conscious and perceive the world around us without one?" In other words, this sort of question is not unique to this phenomenon, but is implied by other phenomena that we discuss on Psience Quest.

My tentative understanding, in line with my general understanding that reality is dualistic or at least pluralistic in some sense, is that we are layered beings, with "denser" layers duplicating the layers above, but more "grossly". So, not only do we have a physical body and brain, but also at a less dense level above, we have an etheric body and etheric consciousness, which our physical body and brain "mirror" to an extent, etc, to who-knows-how-many layers above.

Why are we layered beings? And, even granting that we are, what is the point of the lower, denser, more "physical" layers? I don't know. Really, it's a mystery to me. I could offer some speculations, e.g., that immoral actions lead us deeper into the material; awakened actions lead us out of our physical morass, but they only defer the question: again, it could be asked, why should (do) those immoral/awakened actions have those effects? In any case, all I can say in the end is simply that the evidence (in my view) seems to suggest that this is the reality.

If anybody has any deeper insights into this, I would appreciate them - as, I am sure, would malf!

Why did god design eyes then?

Why didn't wolves and other predators evolve hunting rifles as part of their anatomy?

Why didn't wolves and other predators evolve hunting rifles as part of their anatomy?

Wolves lack the thumbs required to fire them, that's asking for a lot tbh.

Psiclops has posted another video to the thread on Skeptiko:

InfoVision - TV Show in Romania with Mark Komissarov




In this programme on Romanian television, the host interviews (in English) Mark Komissarov and his student Professor Mihaela Istrati, about a method of seeing whilst blindfolded as-yet undiscussed in this thread, and which Mark developed and teaches, called "InfoVision". Professor Istrati demonstrates, using a Mindfold mask which has three photon detectors on each side of the mask, that she can identify the colour of coloured pieces of paper held at a distance from her, identify the colour of coloured cups and pick up with her hands the coloured cups as instructed, as well as, ultimately, to read words written on pieces of paper held a distance from her. During all of this time, the photon detectors in the mask read zero - indicating that no light whatsoever was getting into the mask she was wearing: her eyes were in total darkness.


In this respect, Chris, you might find the video interesting. It covers the independent scientific research conducted on this phenomenon by two scientists, Dr Enrico Pierangeli, who was interviewed on the programme itself via a video link, and, Dr Elio Conte, a video clip of whose research was played, though, unfortunately, in another language (Italian, I guess) without English subtitles.

Apparently, a paper was soon to be forthcoming (the video was posted on 2 April 2016) by one of them (Dr Conte, I seem to remember). I have not yet tried to track down that paper though.

Thanks. I haven't watched the whole video, but watched the parts showing Elio Conte and Enrico Pierangeli and the studio demonstrations. I did have a look for a paper, but could find only mention of a presentation at a meeting in Pescara in April 2015.

I did find an account of one of Mark Komissarov's students being tested by Randi in 2002, and succeeding twice but failing when duct tape was applied to the edges of the blindfold:
http://content.time.com/time/health/arti...73,00.html

I was struck by the fact that both the woman in the studio and the woman in the laboratory held their heads at an angle to the target when demonstrating the effect. The TV host remarked on this, but for some reason didn't ask the woman to try it while looking straight towards the target. I would be more convinced if it could be done with a hood covering the whole head. I don't really think the photon detectors prove anything without careful testing of their sensitivity.

[Laird]

I did find an account of one of Mark Komissarov's students being tested by Randi in 2002, and succeeding twice but failing when duct tape was applied to the edges of the blindfold:
http://content.time.com/time/health/arti...73,00.html

I am already aware of that incident, and of Mark Komissarov's (impassioned) response to it:

DEBUNKING THE DEBUNKER.

I am just rereading it now; it's been a year or two since I first read it.

[Laird]

DEBUNKING THE DEBUNKER.

I am just rereading it now; it's been a year or two since I first read it.

I think it's worth quoting the end of his response, in which he quotes from his reply to one of James Randi's messages in the course of seeking a second "test" (emphasis in the original):

[“]We will not claim the prize of one million dollars and we are offering you to test Ms. Lulova WITHOUT paying her the proposed prize in the event of Ms. Lulova's success.

You do the testing on the terms that have been previously agreed upon, in New York, in the presence of independent observers, with free access to the mass media representatives.”

Take a lucky guess at what happened next?...

James Randi refused to test Natalya Lulova.

But it is worth reading the whole article, in which he describes how a strategy of aggression on the part of the JREF led Natalya to lose her powers, taking ten months to regain them.

I still think the pertinent question is whether this claimed ability has ever been independently tested under adequate conditions.

Elio Conte has an email address, and I'll be happy to contact him to ask whether his research was ever published, whether there is an abstract of the meeting presentaton, and whether he's aware of any other independent testing of Mark Komissarov's students.

I just thought I'd check here first to see if anyone else was planning to contact him, to avoid more than one person doing it.

Wolves lack the thumbs required to fire them, that's asking for a lot tbh.

Do you at least understand why I asked that specific question though?