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Continuing our series exploring the vampire, the ever-popular figure and symbol against which we can define our own humanity. Looking today at the myriad of religious, social and political associations around blood and the body in the Age of Enlightenment. As our views of our interior world changed, own body and how it functioned, they interacted with our view of our exterior world of society and faith. All of which fed into the enduring symbols of the body and blood at the centre of the Vampire canon. In coming weeks we will take a detailed look at the vampire in literature, before moving on to talk about more modern vampire 'panics' and vampires on film.

Continuing out series exploring the vampire, the ever-popular figure and symbol against which we can define our own humanity. Looking today at some of the most famous and influential historic 'vampire' cases and panics, as well as the discourse and reporting surrounding them. These cases would form the foundation of the evolving vampire myth, and continue to this day to serve as the most cohesive origin for the figure. In coming weeks we will talk in more detail around the body and blood in metaphor and how it reflects our changing view of ourselves and our world. After this we will take a detailed look at the vampire in literature, before moving on to talk about more modern vampire 'panics' and vampires on film.

Back with a new series exploring the vampire, the ever-popular figure and symbol against which we can define our own humanity. We will be beginning by attempting to find the origin of the word 'vampire' as well as exploring some of the folklore that melded with and was absorbed into the figure of the modern vampire. In the coming weeks we will take a deeper look at some historical 'real' vampire cases and panics, as well as exploring blood and the body and how our changing attitudes to and knowledge of them influence how we view ourselves and the world. Much much more to come beyond that.

Starting a new series on AI or Artificial Intelligence by beginning to question how we measure for 'human level' or general Artificial Intelligence. Does simply 'talking' or responding like a human imply understanding and therefore machine intelligence? Exploring some of the 'classical' AI theories which seek to answer how we would practically measure this. Is understanding even necessary for intelligence? We will be continuing to explore other 'tests' for human-level AI, before looking at other theories around machine intelligence and the different ways it can be achieved. What may change in the future around how we measure or define intelligence?

Concluding our series discussing the phenomenon of Reality Shifting, a practice part spirituality, part supernatural, and rising to prominence in the perfect storm of covid-19 restrictions and lockdowns and the rise of TikTok. We have discussed whether we can see it as a response or an answer to a world in the midst of a global pandemic, a form of expression for (predominantly) school age adolescents dealing with a world eerily depopulated, socially and physically isolating, and in need of a comforting, safe, and nostalgic mental escape. But we have also discussed the potentially damaging effects the trend can have on those practicing it. Which leads to the question many people ask, is this a form of spirituality or faith and to be treated as such? Would this count as New Religious Movement? Or are we dealing with the extreme end of this spectrum, could Reality Shifting potentially be a cult? Returning (hopefully) next week with a new topic. Thank you for your patience when it comes to my near glacial uploads.

Continuing our discussion (still) on the phenomenon of Reality Shifting with a question of where it falls on the spectrum between 'normal' imaginative escape, and something more damaging. Exploring a related (and seemingly overlapping) phenomenon that surged in severity during covid, maladaptive daydreaming, and questioning once again the long term effects of the global pandemic. Exploring a few more recent case studies investigating the conflagration between acquired tics and tremors and a voracious consumption of 'shifting' and backrooms content. Continued next week with the penultimate episode.

Continuing our discussion on the phenomenon of Reality Shifting by exploring some of the potential psychological underpinnings of an emergent practice. Can we view Reality Shifting as an evolved form of Tulpamancy and explore it from the same psychological standpoint? Are there certain traits that make one more susceptible to a belief in 'shifting', such as hypnotizability or one's level of immersion. Did the covid-19 pandemic create a specific psychological situation that lead many to a belief in 'shifting' as a form of escape, or as a way of recapturing a lost sense of normality?

Continuing our discussion on the phenomenon of Reality Shifting by looking at some of the ‘symptoms’ that may indicate being close to, or achieving a shift, as well as a deeper look at ‘scripting’ for shifting. What are the kinds of thing people desire to ‘script’ for in their Desired Reality, ie: what kind of control do people wish to have over their new reality in order to hopefully shield themselves from trauma?

Continuing our discussion on the phenomenon of Reality Shifting by looking at some shifting techniques, certain behaviours and habits thought to enhance the brains innate ability to shift, and some of the overlap between shifting practices and existing spiritual and pop culture beliefs.

We are beginning a new series today on the topic of ‘reality shifting’, RS or simply ‘shifting’. It is a method of transferring one’s consciousness to a desired reality in the multiverse. This is a method used by mostly teens to try to transport themselves to fictional universes to spend time there and have a form of escape. Today we are going to look as some of the scientific proofs offered by the community to support the claims on the methods efficacy and why they know it to work…

Rounding out (for now) our exploration of the history of witchcraft with a look at New Religious movement and esoteric order Wicca as well as the unfortunate truth that witchcraft accusations persist into the current day…

Continuing our discussion on the witch and witch hunt throughout time by exploring the witch in colonial New England. What was crucial to Salem, Massachusetts that resulted in one of the most ferocious witch hunts in modern history? We will be looking at the use of spectral evidence in law and the belief in the convicted witches’ accusations to implicate others… We will round out the series with one more episode next week, looking at the modern witch.