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Handcuffed Statue Has the Experts Talking

Irrawaddy.org-- A handcuffed statue of a revered woman who exists only in Burma’s spirit world is at the center of debate and speculation among even the country’s intellectual elite.

“It is very interesting and mysterious story,” said Khin Maung Kyi, a writer on cultural affairs.

He and an increasing number of others interested in occult practices in Burma are following the story of a statue in Rangoon’s Bo Ta Htaung Pagoda which is handcuffed every night between 9 p.m. and 6 a.m.

“It is a sign of superstition,” said Khin Maung Kyi. “So we need to watch and observe it.”

Tahoe Tessy and a piece of Norway

Unexplained Mysteries-- Nancy Bradley: The frantic call came into the office. AGAIN! It’s about Lake Tahoe in Northern California, clean and beautiful. And yet, people continue to insist they have seen a dragon-like creature, not unlike the Loch Ness Monster, within the depths of the lake. This latest caller had pretty much the same story as the others that come into our office, addressing the issue by phone, in person, through snail mail and on email. Its’ always the same, “There is a strange creature we saw when boating or on the shore of the lake. Can you come and see what it is?” Over the years we have felt that there clearly could be something in the lake as no one to this date has been able to figure the exact depth of the water. Who knows? There very well could be an ancient like creature that lives there. Of course for there to be one creature, there would have to be several swimming around in order to keep the species alive. There have been so many sightings over the years that the creature has been given a name, TAHOE TESSY. But those that inquire have come to the right place. ROBERT REPPERT, owner and founder of GOLD RUSH GHOSTS INTERNATIONAL PARANORMAL INVESTIGATIONS has a leg up on other paranormal groups for this type of investigation. He is a seasoned scuba diver and internationally known underwater photographer. We took a day or two to clear our schedules and packed up once again for Lake Tahoe. We are on the case!

Intel Wants Brain Implants in Its Customers' Heads by 2020

PopSci.com-- If the idea of turning consumers into true cyborgs sounds creepy, don't tell Intel researchers. Intel's Pittsburgh lab aims to develop brain implants that can control all sorts of gadgets directly via brain waves by 2020.

The scientists anticipate that consumers will adapt quickly to the idea, and indeed crave the freedom of not requiring a keyboard, mouse, or remote control for surfing the Web or changing channels. They also predict that people will tire of multi-touch devices such as our precious iPhones, Android smart phones and even Microsoft's wacky Surface Table.

Turning brain waves into real-world tech action still requires some heavy decoding of brain activity. The Intel team has already made use of fMRI brain scans to match brain patterns with similar thoughts across many test subjects.

Plenty of other researchers have also tinkered in this area. Toyota recently demoed a wheelchair controlled with brainwaves, and University of Utah researchers have created a wireless brain transmitter that allows monkeys to control robotic arms.

There are still more implications to creating a seamless brain interface, besides having more cyborgs running around. If scientists can translate brain waves into specific actions, there's no reason they could not create a virtual world with a full spectrum of activity tied to those brain waves. That's right -- we're seeing Matrix creep.

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