The Phantasmagorical Think Tank

How have different movies depicted time travel? How do they differ? Which is more plausible? Find out in this episode of The Phantasmagorical Think Tank. Time Travel in Doctor Who: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RkmiefoRcfU&ab_channel=BBC Space and Time Flips in a Black Hole: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KePNhUJ2reI&ab_channel=PBSSpaceTime

The most terrifying thought experiment ever made! (Unless there's a flaw in the reasoning.) Slate: https://slate.com/technology/2014/07/rokos-basilisk-the-most-terrifying-thought-experiment-of-all-time.html Kyle Hill : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ut-zGHLAVLI&ab_channel=KyleHill Less Wrong Wiki: https://wiki.lesswrong.com/wiki/Roko's_basilisk Rational Wiki: https://rationalwiki.org/wiki/Roko%27s_basilisk Silicon Valley: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WUSt1d3M9NY&ab_channel=FunFuse

How did the legend of Bigfoot come to be? Is he real? Why do we love him so much? Bibliography: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1C8iiW--uX81YXsFcs0xmYl8bnZLU4GASgKbpWcDwkeA/edit?usp=sharing

How did the legend of Bigfoot come to be? Is he real? Why do we love him so much? Bibliography: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1C8iiW--uX81YXsFcs0xmYl8bnZLU4GASgKbpWcDwkeA/edit?usp=sharing

Is a perfect democracy mathematically possible? Bibliography TED-Ed on different voting systems: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PaxVCsnox_4&ab_channel=TED-Ed PBS on Arrow's Impossibility Theorem: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AhVR7gFMKNg&ab_channel=PBSInfiniteSeries PBS on the Condorcet paradox: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HoAnYQZrNrQ&ab_channel=PBSInfiniteSeries CGP Grey on problems with plurality voting: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s7tWHJfhiyo CGP Grey on single transferrable vote: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l8XOZJkozfI The Guardian on political dissatisfaction: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/oct/25/american-political-parties-democrats-republicans-representation-survey CNN on political dissatisfaction: https://www.cnn.com/2019/03/04/politics/two-party-system-poll/index.html Exploratorium on voting paradoxes: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tJag3vuG834&ab_channel=Exploratorium

Lucid dreaming, sleep paralysis, REM, biphasic sleep, and dream interpretation. How somniferous! Additional Resources Sleep Cycles: https://www.sleep.org/articles/what-happens-during-sleep/ Why Do We Need Sleep? https://www.sleepfoundation.org/articles/why-do-we-need-sleep Biphasic Sleep: https://academic.oup.com/ahr/article-abstract/106/2/343/64370?redirectedFrom=fulltext World's Most Relaxing Music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UXgqDlrqmzo Night School: Wake Up To The Power of Sleep: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1447248406/ref=as_li_tf_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1634&creative=6738&creativeASIN=1447248406&linkCode=as2&tag=httpricharcom-21 Why Do We Dream? https://www.healthline.com/health/why-do-we-dream#why-do-we-have-nightmares 9 Common Dreams And What They Supposedly Mean: https://www.verywellmind.com/understanding-your-dreams-2795935 Dream Dictionary: https://www.psychologistworld.com/dreams/dictionary/ The Science Behind Sleep Paralysis: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/07/120711131030.htm What Is Sleep Paralysis? https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/295039#what_is_sleep_paralysis Koalas Sleep 17 Hours Per Day: https://www.livescience.com/27401-koalas-facts.html

Are video games an art form? What makes the art of video games unique? Folding Ideas presents LND: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=04zaTjuV60A ChronoThoughts misunderstands LND (in our opinion): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zqQ-mD1LlAs Errant Signal criticizes LND: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xBN3R0m31bA Game Revo defends LND: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lluvrus0QY0 SolePorpoise specifies LND: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m8PAWO4Y_rY Games as Literature inverts LND: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n9fm7gtgW8U Clint Hocking with the article that started it all: https://clicknothing.typepad.com/click_nothing/2007/10/ludonarrative-d.html Folding Ideas discusses intended play: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZHmivGmkjJw Theme music is "Levitation" by Mabeha. Listen to the track here: https://open.spotify.com/track/0YS8xR9oPMtUvQj3C4wKHZ?si=jz4eZ9fWTE6F-Wrdl7rb9A

A totally safe, drug-free way to hallucinate in the comfort of your own home! Spooky, but enjoyable! Additional Resources How to Hallucinate with Ping Pong Balls (BBC): https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20180124-how-to-hallucinate-with-ping-pong-balls Ganzfeld Reactions (Mulattolee Videography): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-loHQ0RfQqM More Ganzfeld Reactions (Spartan G695) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q9qtI6lTwgo Changing Your Brain State Through the Ganzfeld Effect (PsychReg): https://www.psychreg.org/ganzfeld-effect/ Theme music is "Levitation" by Mabeha. Listen to the track here: https://open.spotify.com/track/0YS8xR9oPMtUvQj3C4wKHZ?si=jz4eZ9fWTE6F-Wrdl7rb9A

A bizarre, complex, and beautiful world created by simple math. Additional Resources Play with it here: https://bitstorm.org/gameoflife/ Stephen Hawking discusses the Game of Life: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CgOcEZinQ2I The Chinese Room Argument: https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/chinese-room/ Planck Time: https://www.universetoday.com/79418/planck-time/ The Acorn: https://www.conwaylife.com/wiki/Acorn The R-Pentomino: https://www.conwaylife.com/wiki/R-pentomino Gosper Glider Gun: https://www.conwaylife.com/wiki/Gosper_glider_gun Theme music is "Levitation" by Mabeha. Listen to the track here: https://open.spotify.com/track/0YS8xR9oPMtUvQj3C4wKHZ?si=jz4eZ9fWTE6F-Wrdl7rb9A

New words to describe our complex emotions Additional Resources The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows: https://www.dictionaryofobscuresorrows.com/ Sonder: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AkoML0_FiV4 Theme music is "Levitation" by Mabeha. Listen to the track here: https://open.spotify.com/track/0YS8xR9oPMtUvQj3C4wKHZ?si=jz4eZ9fWTE6F-Wrdl7rb9A

You can sit there and let five innocent people die, or you can actively cause the death of one innocent person. What do you do? Additional Resources The Guardian on the Trolley Problem: https://www.theguardian.com/science/head-quarters/2016/dec/12/the-trolley-problem-would-you-kill-one-person-to-save-many-others Philippa Foot: https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/philippa-foot/ Consequentialism: https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/consequentialism/#ClaUti Deontology: https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/ethics-deontological/ Human cause more self-driving accidents than humans (proportionately): https://fortune.com/2018/08/29/self-driving-car-accidents/ Theme music is "Levitation" by Mabeha. Listen to the track here: https://open.spotify.com/track/0YS8xR9oPMtUvQj3C4wKHZ?si=jz4eZ9fWTE6F-Wrdl7rb9A

You could win infinite money from this game. Or could you? Additional Resources The Saint Petersburg Paradox: https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/paradox-stpetersburg/ Pascal's Wager: https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/pascal-wager/ Theme music is "Levitation" by Mabeha. Listen to the track here: https://open.spotify.com/track/0YS8xR9oPMtUvQj3C4wKHZ?si=jz4eZ9fWTE6F-Wrdl7rb9A

The science and art of flag-making! Good Flag, Bad Flag: https://nava.org/digital-library/design/GFBF_English.pdf Artifexian: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tXan6Sw_okc Theme music is "Levitation" by Mabeha. Listen to the track here: https://open.spotify.com/track/0YS8xR9oPMtUvQj3C4wKHZ?si=3PWC50_oTYaWcKd3O_-i0g

If you've got ninety-nine problems, how does your brain choose what to do first? CORRECTION! When Scott brings up Plato, he actually meant Epicurus. Bibliography Simply Psychology: https://www.simplypsychology.org/maslow.html Very Well Mind: https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-maslows-hierarchy-of-needs-4136760 PsycheTruth: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yM8SwZkvCIY&feature=youtu.be More about Çatalhöyük: https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1405/ Epicurus: https://daily-philosophy.com/daily-seeds/reading-epicurus-pleasure-and-pain/ Theme music is "Levitation" by Mabeha. Listen to the track here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n1WsP5M7rsE

Did you know that some human languages are entirely whistled? Bibliography UNESCO (El Silbo Gomero): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PgEmSb0cKBg Scientific American (Sfyria): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PTHzOag8msM Deutsche Welle (Kus Dili): https://www.dw.com/en/turkey-whistling-instead-of-speaking/av-51108780 BBC (Sfyria): http://www.bbc.com/travel/story/20170731-greeces-disappearing-whistled-language UCSD (Tonal vs. Non-Tonal languages): http://idiom.ucsd.edu/~rose/Whistled%20and%20drum%20languages.pdf Theme music is "Levitation" by Mabeha. Listen to the track here: https://open.spotify.com/track/0YS8xR9oPMtUvQj3C4wKHZ?si=9_Eoo7T6Q46Gq_S5DUwWaw

You might be wrong about more than you think. Common Historical Misconceptions: https://www.buzzfeed.com/briangalindo/12-common-historical-misconceptions Collective False Memories: https://www.discovermagazine.com/mind/collective-false-memories-whats-behind-the-mandela-effect Theme music is "Levitation" by Mabeha. Listen to the track here: https://open.spotify.com/track/0YS8xR9oPMtUvQj3C4wKHZ?si=HB88xeq1TSahz6M5pBwfEg

The Library of Babel by Jorge Louis Borges: https://maskofreason.files.wordpress.com/2011/02/the-library-of-babel-by-jorge-luis-borges.pdf The Library of Babel website: https://libraryofbabel.info/ Theme music is "Levitation" by Mabeha. Listen to the track here: https://open.spotify.com/track/0YS8xR9oPMtUvQj3C4wKHZ?si=TUp5hKerTEm-SpkYnyDtiQ

Can you tell the difference between a human and a computer algorithm? It might be harder than you think! The Imitation Game (2014): https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2084970/ Eliza: https://www.eclecticenergies.com/ego/eliza A short documentary about Eliza: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RMK9AphfLco Mitsuku: https://www.pandorabots.com/mitsuku/ About the Loebner Prize: https://www.aisb.org.uk/events/loebner-prize Theme music is "Levitation" by Mabeha. Listen to the track here: https://open.spotify.com/track/0YS8xR9oPMtUvQj3C4wKHZ?si=TUp5hKerTEm-SpkYnyDtiQ

A gameshow! A huge thank you to Krystal, Selena, and Pei for participating. Theme Music is "Dimensions" by DJ AG. https://open.spotify.com/track/0xgBWyuDA87TZcjTXIO6UE?si=hCBGUEy5Sg-Rr2wPE-gBVg

Where are all the aliens? Theme Music is "Levitation" by Mabeha. Listen to the track here: https://open.spotify.com/track/0YS8xR9oPMtUvQj3C4wKHZ?si=1JSHYEOoSvSZUH9nI9RTig Bibliography: https://www.popularmechanics.com/science/math/a24826/riddle-of-the-week-12/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sNhhvQGsMEc

It's the end of the world! Theme Music is "Levitation" by Mabeha. Listen to the track here: https://open.spotify.com/track/0YS8xR9oPMtUvQj3C4wKHZ Selected Bibliography: Heaven's Gate: https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/heavens-gate-cult-members-found-dead Hilarious apocalypse predictions: https://www.patheos.com/blogs/godlessmom/2018/06/14-hilarious-apocalypse-predictions/ Why we're obsessed with doomsday: https://www.newsweek.com/doomsday-postpone-again-heres-why-were-obsessed-end-world-according-psychology-670860 The Big Bang: https://www.forbes.com/sites/startswithabang/2017/09/21/the-big-bang-wasnt-the-beginning-after-all/#7767e91d55df The Heat Death and Big Rip: https://phys.org/news/2015-09-fate-universeheat-death-big-rip.html

Hello there! Scott and Matt share their compliments and criticisms of Star Wars IX. Theme music is "Levitation" by Mabeha. Listen to the track here: https://open.spotify.com/track/0YS8xR9oPMtUvQj3C4wKHZ

Matt's monologue, followed by a post-monologue discussion. Penn and Teller clear cups: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8osRaFTtgHo Penn and Teller Saturday Night Live: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mwkmgqbYXdE Theme music is "Levitation" by Mabeha. Listen to the track here: https://open.spotify.com/track/0YS8xR9oPMtUvQj3C4wKHZ

Scott monologues about the nature of morality, revisiting some of the ideas discussed in Episode 5. Check out this visualization: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1bTyvorrhUP8VpIroHV_WDtBEun59prrl/view?usp=sharing Theme music is Levitation by Mabeha. Listen to the track here: https://open.spotify.com/track/0YS8xR9oPMtUvQj3C4wKHZ

Back to basics. In this episode, Scott and Matt discuss free will and urban legends. Follow along the urban legends segment with this optional slideshow: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1ExeRiEaWH0M1odkvQLe48fD4Kao6oiy08dC-9_B2JIU/edit?usp=sharing Use of copyrighted music falls under the Fair Use policy, as per Section 107 of the United States Copyright Act. Music Credit: Stairway to Heaven by Led Zeppelin, Revolution 9 by The Beatles, and Strawberry Fields Forever by The Beatles Theme music is Levitation by Mabeha. Listen to the track here: https://open.spotify.com/track/0YS8xR9oPMtUvQj3C4wKHZ

Matt and Scott have constructed interactive, bifurcating stories for each other, which the other gets to experience. Which path will kill you? Which path will win? Theme music is "Levitation" by Mabeha. Listen to the track here:https://open.spotify.com/track/0YS8xR9oPMtUvQj3C4wKHZ?si=VtkCb7VjR_-Q2D_6g-d7QQ

Five friends conduct a quirky exercise in creative writing. Bibliography and Additional Resources Our Exquisite Corpse Project in paper form: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1W1_i78P6el40Kd7FqtyiB3ZITE6gNA-J/view?usp=sharing Full movie of Olde English's Exquisite Corpse Project: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z3fXT63Zs8M Trailer for Olde English's Exquisite Corpse Project: https://vimeo.com/41669721 Theme music is ‘Levitation' by Mabeha. Listen to the track here: https://open.spotify.com/track/0YS8xR9oPMtUvQj3C4wKHZ?si=VtkCb7VjR_-Q2D_6g-d7QQ

The stone colossi of Rapa Nui. The Fermi Paradox. An Idiolect Test. Boy, is it good to be back! Bibliography and Additional Resources Rapa Nui (1:07) https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/el-gigante-and-the-stone-moai-of-easter-island https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/ap-art-history/the-pacific/a/easter-island-moai https://www.easterisland.travel/easter-island-facts-and-info/moai-statues/ https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/ap-art-history/the-pacific/v/voyage-moai NOTE: The story Scott told about ecological disaster on Rapa Nui might actually not true. Check it out: https://www.livescience.com/616-view-easter-island-disaster-wrong-researchers.html Fermi Paradox (18:09) https://www.popularmechanics.com/science/math/a24826/riddle-of-the-week-12/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sNhhvQGsMEc Idiolect Test (40:29) https://www.britannica.com/topic/idiolect Music Credit 'Levitation' by Mabeha. Listen to the track here: https://open.spotify.com/track/0YS8xR9oPMtUvQj3C4wKHZ?si=VtkCb7VjR_-Q2D_6g-d7QQ 'Seasons' by DJ AG: https://open.spotify.com/track/7Ag8UznbBqMBS5Hl4GwNrD

Is morality objective, subjective, or somewhere in between? What makes a story fantastic? Just how unreliable is the human mind? Matt and Scott welcome you back to The Phantasmagoria Think Tank. A huge thank-you to Yasmin, Tray, and Selena for guest-starring in this episode. Additional Resources Sam Harris' Moral Landscape: https://samharris.org/books/the-moral-landscape/ Kantian Philosophy (Crash Course): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8bIys6JoEDw Contractarianism (Crash Course): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Co6pNvd9mc&list=PL8dPuuaLjXtNgK6MZucdYldNkMybYIHKR&index=38 Pixar's 22 Rules of Phenomenal Storytelling: https://www.slideshare.net/powerfulpoint/pixar-22rulestophenomenalstorytellingpowerfulpointslideshare/1 Rewrite of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TSQJ9W4SxiQ Sir Frederic Bartlett and The War of the Ghosts: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/p00f8n47 The Plight of Roger Newman: https://www.tes.com/lessons/QIuxYy2U9ZCWpw/introduction-to-early-american-history Theme music is "Seasons" by DJ AG: https://open.spotify.com/album/6KF0kxLurhP9eRF94fB2cP

Can a computer convince Matt and Scott that it's a human? What should a fantasy author know before writing his or her tale? Can you be 100% certain about something and still be wrong? Matt and Scott investigate these cognitively salubrious quandaries in the fourth installment of their quirkily euphonious podcast. Bibliography & Additional Resources The Turing Test The Imitation Game (2014): https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2084970/ Eliza: https://www.eclecticenergies.com/ego/eliza A short documentary about Eliza: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RMK9AphfLco Mitsuku: https://www.pandorabots.com/mitsuku/ About the Loebner Prize: https://www.aisb.org.uk/events/loebner-prize Sanderson's Laws Sanderson himself explains his laws: https://brandonsanderson.com/sandersons-first-law/ Hello Future Me explains his take on hard magic: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iMJQb5bGu_g Unexpected Hanging The Rest of Us explains the Paradox of the Unexpected Hanging: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vxlCiV_axQ0 Music Urban Jungle 2061: https://soundimage.org/sci-fi/ Epic Boss Battle: https://freepd.com/epic.php La Citadelle: https://freepd.com/romantic.php Vinylpunk: https://www.freemusicpublicdomain.com/royalty-free-dance-trance-techno-music/ Seasons: https://open.spotify.com/search/results/seasons%20DJ%20AG

What can Dungeons and Dragons tell us about the way humans tell stories? A game you can always win—if you play it right. An obscure monetary system that poses deep questions about the nature of money. Matt and Scott entertain all of these and more in this episode of T.P.T.T. Bibliography and Additional Resources Dungeons and Dragons Episode 1 of The Adventure Zone, an actual-play podcast: www.maximumfun.org/adventure-zone/ep-1-here-there-be-gerblins-chapter-one Basic Rules for Dungeons and Dragons: http://dnd.wizards.com/articles/features/basicrules Nim and Prisoner's Dilemma Standupmaths explains the game of Nim: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9KABcmczPdg Yapese Currency Atlas Obscura, which contains an entry on Rai Stones: https://www.amazon.com/Atlas-Obscura-Explorers-Worlds-Wonders/dp/0761169083 NPR shines light onto the Rai Stones: https://www.npr.org/sections/money/2011/02/15/131934618/the-island-of-stone-money Music The Ranch by Rafael Krux: fhttps://freepd.com/epic.php Drum Roll: https://www.youtube.com/audiolibrary/soundeffects Seasons by DJ AG: https://open.spotify.com/search/results/seasons%20dj%20ag

Buckle up and plunge once more into the analytical wonderland of Phantasmagoria. In this episode, Matt and Scott discuss the spine-tingling science behind the supposedly supernatural Ouija board, reconcile the mind-bending Paradox of the Ravens (so that it will frustrate us… nevermore), and seek to properly categorize the multifaceted political opinions of the world. Bibliography & Additional Resources Ouija Boards Clip from National Geographic's Brain Games: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mNk8-A1gRMo Steven Woodford (aka Rationality Rules) debunks the Ouija Board (quick trigger warning: his tone and word choice in this particular video is somewhat condescending, but there's still some great science in there): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y4W5bF7H-1A Penn & Teller: B.S.! Season 1, Episode 12: Ouija Boards & Near Death Experiences (IMPORTANT NOTE: This episode is not appropriate for children): https://www.sho.com/penn-and-teller-bullshit/season/1/episode/12/ouija-boards-near-death-experiences The Paradox of the Ravens Wireless Philosophy explains the paradox of the ravens: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_SKmqh5Eu4Y&vl=en Meta-politics The Political Compass: https://www.politicalcompass.org/ 8Values: https://8values.github.io/ Political Typology: http://www.people-press.org/quiz/political-typology/ Theme Music: Seasons by DJ AG https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=46qQWSbSJSo The President's March: http://freemusicarchive.org/music/The_United_States_Army_Old_Guard_Fife_and_Drum_Corps/Celebrating_50_Years/

Scott and Matt put on their thinking caps and discuss the philosophical quandary known as The Ship of Theseus, the blockbuster movie Star Wars: The Last Jedi, and the obscure yet elegant whistled languages found around the globe. Bibliography The Ship of Theseus http://rintintin.colorado.edu/~vancecd/phil1020/Hobbes3.pdf https://www.utne.com/mind-and-body/ship-of-theseus-identity-ze0z1311zjhar https://www.philosophy-foundation.org/enquiries/view/the-ship-of-theseus https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nQHBAdShgYI http://rintintin.colorado.edu/~vancecd/phil1020/Hobbes3.pdf Whistled Languages https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PTHzOag8msM http://idiom.ucsd.edu/~rose/Whistled%20and%20drum%20languages.pdf http://www.bbc.com/travel/story/20170731-greeces-disappearing-whistled-language https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bQf38Ybo1IY Theme Music https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=46qQWSbSJSo