I equally like this newer version (2003) of the song...performed by Placebo.

@shinyblurry, I don't care about scripture. I don't believe in it. I don't believe it was written by God, directly or through man. I believe it was written by man, alone, and has been translated, manipulated, and copied for centuries so even if it had any truth, it would be long, long gone. The scripture you quote is all about trying to fool yourself anyway. God could prove his existence in a millionth of a second, why is he so insecure that he needs to play games with us?

I used to pray, but I have never ever heard of one single prayer actually having any supernatural effect. It always comes down to confirmation bias or the placebo effect. Not once has a single prayer done a damn thing, yet people fool themselves into not only believing that it works, but that it always works.

Again, I have considered this at great length. I was Christian, I was probably baptised, I believed in God and I tried to talk to him. But I grew out of having invisible friends.

Everything, every possible set of circumstances, is "consistent with the bible", because your interpretation morphs to fit whatever reality you can't manage to pretend doesn't exist. When childish nonsense like "God works in mysterious ways" is considered a valid argument, absolutely anything will confirm your belief that the Bible says God is true and that's reliable because God says the Bible is true and that's reliable because the Bible says God is true and that's reliable because God says ...

I'm happy you don't believe in religion, that means there's hope for you yet. It seems to me, from your posts in this thread, that you sadly have replaced it with the mumbo-jumbo that Graham Hancock and his ilk of snakeoil salesmen (Deepak Chopra comes to mind) preaches.

If there is some sort of altered state; or if consciousness is anything like what these people say, then they should look into them in a proper scientific way instead of going from a personal experience - "I saw it, so it's real!!" That doesn't prove anything.

Get the most skeptical person about this to try it and see if his reaction is actually anything near this.

If Hancock already had some ideas about Mother what's-her-face, then getting positive reinforcement while stoned is easy. Some people don't feel any effects from Hash (or just have really bad types of it), but if your mental state is in the right place, you can even get placebo drunk from water.

I'm not particularly scared of anything DMT has to show, if there's anything there, there are plenty of scientists looking for the next nobel prize in philosophy looking for it.

One thing to consider, why aren't more people looking into this, if it's so important?

"Gun control is placebo policy at best, and autocracy at worst."

How do you know that if you haven't done a study on it? We haven't tried a lot of things in the United States, yet everyone says it won't work.

I particularly love the sarcastic twats that say "We should ban crime and then we'd be safe." Really moron? Really? Because that makes any sort of sense. People are stupid and they need their guns taken away. If they prove they're responsible and smart they can have their guns back.

She wasn't arguing for that. She was saying that with private ownership (hopefully not advertised in keeping with these maps) there would be fewer home invasions in the UK.

Full autos are pretty heavily regulated. Lots and lots of red tape. I'm not sure I've heard of any crime being committed with fully automatic weapons. If there is any, it's minuscule compared to the homicides committed with handguns. Generally speaking though homicide isn't a major concern to me. I'm more concerned about general health, accidental deaths, etc. Gun control is placebo policy at best, and autocracy at worst.

Lol.

Wiki: "Power Balance is a brand of hologram bracelet claimed by its manufacturers and vendors to "use holographic technology" to "resonate with and respond to the natural energy field of the body", and increase sporting ability.[1] Numerous independent studies of the device found it to be no better than placebo at improving athletic performance, and the manufacturer was forced to retract its claims in 2010."

>> ^jimnms:

Caffeine is not a diuretic.

“In the 10 studies reviewed, consumption of a caffeinated beverage resulted in 0 to 84 percent retention of the initial volume ingested, whereas consumption of water resulted in 0 to 81 percent retention.”
Another study, in the same journal in 2005, involved scientists following 59 active adults over 11 days while controlling their caffeine intake. They were given caffeine in capsule form on some days and on other days were given a placebo. Researchers found no significant differences in levels of excreted electrolytes or urine volume. [source]

>> ^jimnms:

Caffeine is not a diuretic.

“In the 10 studies reviewed, consumption of a caffeinated beverage resulted in 0 to 84 percent retention of the initial volume ingested, whereas consumption of water resulted in 0 to 81 percent retention.”
Another study, in the same journal in 2005, involved scientists following 59 active adults over 11 days while controlling their caffeine intake. They were given caffeine in capsule form on some days and on other days were given a placebo. Researchers found no significant differences in levels of excreted electrolytes or urine volume. [source]

Caffeine is not a diuretic.

“In the 10 studies reviewed, consumption of a caffeinated beverage resulted in 0 to 84 percent retention of the initial volume ingested, whereas consumption of water resulted in 0 to 81 percent retention.”

Another study, in the same journal in 2005, involved scientists following 59 active adults over 11 days while controlling their caffeine intake. They were given caffeine in capsule form on some days and on other days were given a placebo. Researchers found no significant differences in levels of excreted electrolytes or urine volume. [source]

This place is turning into VideoSniff and could use a booster now and then. I bet I know who got the placebos.

I'm too cool to swim or dance.
In reply to this comment by siftbot:
Promoting this video back to the front page; last published Wednesday, March 15th, 2006 6:59am PST - promote requested by jonny.

"The claim that homeopathic arnica is efficacious beyond a placebo effect is not supported by rigorous clinical trials." http://archsurg.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=211818

sometimes the control, in studies like these, have active ingredients, so instead of sugar pill, participants receive dexadrine or something similar which, even in mild doses, enables the placebo effect to do most of the 'heavy lifting' on one's perception of having received the drug.

I don't know these specific studies in particular so can't speak to whether that was the case here or not.>> ^deathcow:

Funny... "each patient got LSD... or a control treatment."... geeze... I wonder if the patients were aware who got the LSD?

>> ^ChaosEngine:

>> ^shuac:
To ChaosEngine: I'm unimpressed by ad populum arguments (that because it's popular, it must therefore be true, or good, or whatever). It's a logical fallacy and I don't dig fallacies so much. Also, regarding the case for the value of terse storytelling: well done sir! If only Ebert and I were arguing against terse storytelling, you'd really have us against the ropes. You dropped some straw, man.
I was pointing out that the film has received plenty of critical acclaim. Ebert is welcome to his (increasingly irrelevant) opinion, but my opinion is that he's wrong and I stand by it. I'm not alone either.
My point about Hemingways story wasn't about terseness, it was about inference. There are aspects to The Raids storyline that aren't written down in the script. And even then it wasn't a direct rebuttal to anything Ebert (or you) said, merely a point about how I felt the movie was made. But go ahead and assume everything is related to you.
You don't have to like the Raid, and you're welcome to go watch some tedious pseudo-intellectual bullshit for a few hours if it strokes your ego, but comparing it to "Ass" in Idiocracy is, as @Sarzy pointed out (and somewhat ironically) idiocy.
Sorry for sounding like a condescending prick, but you work to your audience. At least I can actually form my own opinion rather than regurgitate someone else's.


Not directed at me? So you'd have posted what you did even if I never made that first post, is that right? Very good then. So long as we're free to infer what we like to any film bereft of story, I'd like to infer a compelling yarn into the multiple award-winning (and fictional) film called Ass.

In Ass, our protagonist is a subject in a medical trial testing an anti-flagellant. It's a closed study so all the test subjects are sequestered. Despite this, our hero smuggles in some chilli for supper the night before. The twist? He's in the placebo group.

Now wasn't Ass a great film? I see your point now. Well-done again!

Most impressive about this post is that I did it on an iPhone.

Enjoy your day!

I took part in a pain med experiment and whatever they tested on me was dreamy; no pain and coming to was delightful with a dentist from Jamaica whose accent made everything especially irey.

My brother, on the other hand, must have got the placebo because he was 100% awake when the dentist put his knee to my brother's chest to really yank those suckers out. Poor guy...