Derren Brown: Mentalist or Magician?

Derren Brown is a famous illusionist from Britain who has become famous with his claim to be able to read minds. He has a number of TV shows and has proved himself to be quite an entertaining performer. He reveals very little about the tricks he plays on people, and says that it's a combination of "magic, suggestion, psychology, misdirection and showmanship". He's been creating television shows since the late 1990's and is still doing live performances today. The real question so many people have wondered is how he does it. He claims to have no stooges on his show, only real, honest people he has never met before. This also adds confusion to his ability to read minds and predict thoughts.

Cosmic Habituation

The idea of cosmic habituation is a very new and obscure idea. However, our story does not start here. It starts with a study done by a man by the name of Schooler. His study showed that when participants were shown a video of someone robbing a bank. They got a clear shot of his face and then afterward they were asked to give a description of the man. Then seperate participants were shown the same video and then asked to pick the person out in a police line-up. What Schooler discovered was that people were, on average, 30%-40% less accurate when they were forced to pick the person out in the line up. Now this is where things get weird. When Scooler went to repeat the study months later, the findings went down. There was still a difference in accuracy but it was not near as significant as the first time. So he repeated again and again the experiment came back less and less significant. Schooler had some ideas. One of the ideas was that regression to the mean. Regression to the mean basicaly means that over time your results will get closer and closer to the actual average. In essence it meant that Schooler had simply gotten lucky, and that his new test results were going back to the actual average. However this didn't explain why it continued to get smaller and never stopped. Also other studies that were being repeated at the time were having this same problem. Not that there studies were regressing to the mean or even getting smaller, but that what they had found the first time was changing overtime and the studies, as they were repeated, were starting to prove against their findings. It was at this point that Schooler hypothesized that maybe as we study the universe around us it changes as if it were changing because of our studies. This affect was coined as cosmic habituation. There are undoubtedly problems with the theory. For example, if this affect does exist then if we study the affect we should discover that it to would change, maybe making our second and third recreations of a study, perhaps more powerful or with more proof. Also, it too would probably change making it impossible to track or study. So there really is no way to study this or even see if its real, it's always going to be a hypothetical assumption and there will most likely never be any proof. I believe it's a very creative idea but it advocates that there is no point studying the universe around us because it will be always changing.

Scam, Fraud, and Pink Bananas

⇐ Yes, that is a pink banana. Welcome to the world of the unrelated. On a completely different note, let's talk about how not to get ripped off!

In today’s world of social networking, internet marketing, and borderline-addictive cell phone use, there is an extremely large issue plaguing us. This is, of course, the issue of rampant frauds and scams on the internet. Today, I'm hoping to give you a quick guide to see past all the rhetoric (and sometimes outright lying) that you see while casually surfing the interwebs. To begin, there are some prime examples of internet scams. For the latest an greatest of these rather amusing ploys, see here. A few personal favourites are: one starving, cancer-ailed Valentin Mikhailin, the guy stuck in the middle of nowhere that desperately needs a cab (but can still somehow email thousands of people), and the guys at Microsoft that decided they wanted to hack your computer.

Now the first piece of advice anyone can give, but yet seems to be the most ignored, is to use your common sense! Come on people, how many Nigerian Princes do you know that really want to throw millions of dollars at you for no particular reason? Or in that case, anyone who would do that! The golden rule is to remember: nothing in life is free. Make sure to analyze those emails carefully, and think if anyone would ever actually give you what they are claiming to. As well, think about it from a business perspective; how is this company benefiting or making money of this? If you notice a major discrepancy in this, such as being offered a large gift, and the only catch being you have to send a sum of money to them (they make a profit off this money, and you might not even get your ‘gift’), then be wary of scammers. Finally, remember that if it sounds to good to be true, it probably is.

All of this covers those legal companies who deceive you into letting them make a large profit, but what about those who don't play by the rules (however vaguely)? This, Ladies and Gentlemen, is what you have to watch out for! There are some not-so-nice people out there who disregard the law and will do anything to earn a quick buck. The interesting thing about these people is that they tend to be people who have fallen for get-rich-quick schemes, are experienced, and now target people who are desperate for money. This is scary, as it means these perpetrators of fraud are really good at what they're doing! There are three main things you have to watch out for while going about your everyday lives to help with this.

The first is constant vigilance when making purchases online. Check that the site you are at is really the site it claims to be, and not some 'phishing' site that is trying to steal your credentials. As well, make sure you get to know your seller. Meet them in person (if possible) in a public location, such as a bank. If this is not possible, then do your research! Look at their history, ask for references, and make sure you get your deal in writing.If all else fails, it might be wise to look for an alternate, more credible buyer.


The second thing is to make sure you know the contact information of your local fraud authorities, for example the RCMP Fraud Department, or RECOL. If you feel like someone is scamming you, committing fraud, or otherwise breaking the law online, it is your responsibility to report it.  Contrary to popular belief, the RCMP/Government/CIA is not some omniscient online being that can monitor anything and everything that happens. If you don't report it, nothing can be done, and you may be further endangering other people!

The third is to exercise your options! Almost all online commerce sites, such as eBay, offer buyer protection programs. Make sure you familiarize yourself with the company's policies, and how to file a complaint. Be sure to obtain all of this information before-hand, and consider using a middle-man service to ensure both parties get their fair share. And remember, if it seems too good to be true, it probably is, and there are always lots of other options.

Laws and Consent

Should the laws pertaining to consent be changed?

The laws currently state that where there can be consent, there must be consent. Meaning that a person always has the right to decide. On top of this consent must also be informed when possible - people have the right to know (and understand) what they are consenting to. There are exceptions to this: the doctrine of emergency and the doctrine of therapeutic privilege. These are for when a person cannot give informed consent, or if they were to be informed it would cause them harm. One may think that there are appropriate laws in place now on the subject of consent and informed consent, however some people abuse these laws. For example (this is a fictional story, with fictional characters, though it could potentially happen):

A man has been drinking alcohol since noon, by 3 pm he is severely intoxicated, though tries to drive home. On the way he runs through several red lights and ends up passing out at the wheel and crossing onto the other side of the road. He then drives into the ditch, hitting a light post. Luckily no civilians are hurt. Within 20 minutes the paramedics are there, and extract the man from his car. When he gets to the hospital, he has regained consciousness but is still groggy. Right away a sample of his blood is taken, as it is suspected that he has been drinking. The doctor's examination of him reveals that he has had a sever concussion and many scrapes and bruises. The results come back, his blood alcohol level was 3 times higher than the legal limit to drive. The driver is then taken into custody and held for 24 hours until he is bailed out. He is charged with driving under the influence which could result in him losing his license, a large fine, and not being able to travel to certain countries (i.e. the US). He has a good lawyer however, who argues that the blood sample was not taken under informed consent. Due to this the prosecution makes a deal with the drunk driver, he still must lose his license for a month and pay a small fine, though his record will be ex-sponged so he will not have to worry about a criminal record.

Is it right that a driver who posed a huge threat to anyone on the road that day, was let off scot free?

The laws around consent should be altered a slight amount to prevent events such as this one from occurring.