Comments on: Spirit Fingers http://www.robmacdougall.org/blog/2005/12/spirit-fingers/ Rob MacDougall Dot Org Tue, 24 Jan 2012 16:00:38 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: joe http://www.robmacdougall.org/blog/2005/12/spirit-fingers/#comment-3943 joe Thu, 28 Oct 2010 18:37:31 +0000 http://www.robmacdougall.org/new/?p=48#comment-3943 Hi Rob, sadly the second part is no longer on the web, it seems, and I wonder whether you'll get this, five years later. I found "part 1" interesting, and let me tell you that there is perhaps a possible link between aviation and spiritualism in the writings of English aviator and esoteric John W. Dunne who published items such as "An Experiment with Time", "The Serial Universe" and "The New Immortality" in the 1920-40s. Apparently he was read by Irish novelist Flann O'Brien whose "The Third Policeman" (written in 1940, but published only in 1967) is a combination of pseudo-scientific pomp dressing a religious and mythological satire. An interesting read anyway, and hilarious, but if you come across its description of the "Atomic Theory" you will be stunned to see how closely it resembles the rather anthropomorphic phrases in your quote from Edison in your article. I'll certainly retrieve it, and I wouldn't be astonished to find more correspondences. It is my firm conviction that Flann O'Brien, defiant not only of such spiritualist bogus but also of the (then) most recent physics (quantum theory and all that), made fun of these ideas in his novel... So much for now - have fun with O'Brien! Hi Rob,
sadly the second part is no longer on the web, it seems, and I wonder whether you’ll get this, five years later. I found “part 1″ interesting, and let me tell you that there is perhaps a possible link between aviation and spiritualism in the writings of English aviator and esoteric John W. Dunne who published items such as “An Experiment with Time”, “The Serial Universe” and “The New Immortality” in the 1920-40s. Apparently he was read by Irish novelist Flann O’Brien whose “The Third Policeman” (written in 1940, but published only in 1967) is a combination of pseudo-scientific pomp dressing a religious and mythological satire.
An interesting read anyway, and hilarious, but if you come across its description of the “Atomic Theory” you will be stunned to see how closely it resembles the rather anthropomorphic phrases in your quote from Edison in your article. I’ll certainly retrieve it, and I wouldn’t be astonished to find more correspondences. It is my firm conviction that Flann O’Brien, defiant not only of such spiritualist bogus but also of the (then) most recent physics (quantum theory and all that), made fun of these ideas in his novel…
So much for now – have fun with O’Brien!

]]> By: Hawke http://www.robmacdougall.org/blog/2005/12/spirit-fingers/#comment-293 Hawke Thu, 12 Jan 2006 23:41:52 +0000 http://www.robmacdougall.org/new/?p=48#comment-293 Very nice blog, Rob. I love the first picture you posted, I almost think the older photos look spookier with that effect than newer special affects to achieve the same thing. Too bad I'm not in the area or this sort of exhibit would be where I'd be headed... I hope to hear more about spiritualists sometime... Very nice blog, Rob. I love the first picture you posted, I almost think the older photos look spookier with that effect than newer special affects to achieve the same thing. Too bad I’m not in the area or this sort of exhibit would be where I’d be headed…

I hope to hear more about spiritualists sometime…

]]> By: Rob http://www.robmacdougall.org/blog/2005/12/spirit-fingers/#comment-292 Rob Tue, 20 Dec 2005 20:02:36 +0000 http://www.robmacdougall.org/new/?p=48#comment-292 Hi Brett: Thanks for visiting my blog, and thanks for your kind comment. I for one would love to hear what you've learned about spiritualism and aviation. I've just added you to my blogroll and link sidebar (though it's a little buggy at the moment so it might not show up right away). I really enjoyed looking over your site and particularly the Phantom Airship section. I was aware of some of the American phantom airship sightings in the 1890s and after but never knew about the British spate of them. Neat stuff. I love to see thoughtful historical work on seemingly oddball topics like these. (Oh, and yes, I do know the Peters book, even though I neglected to consult it while writing these two posts. Thanks for the reminder.) Rob Hi Brett:

Thanks for visiting my blog, and thanks for your kind comment. I for one would love to hear what you’ve learned about spiritualism and aviation. I’ve just added you to my blogroll and link sidebar (though it’s a little buggy at the moment so it might not show up right away). I really enjoyed looking over your site and particularly the Phantom Airship section. I was aware of some of the American phantom airship sightings in the 1890s and after but never knew about the British
spate of them. Neat stuff. I love to see thoughtful historical work on seemingly oddball topics like these.

(Oh, and yes, I do know the Peters book, even though I neglected to consult it while writing these two posts. Thanks for the reminder.)

Rob

]]> By: Brett http://www.robmacdougall.org/blog/2005/12/spirit-fingers/#comment-291 Brett Mon, 19 Dec 2005 06:19:49 +0000 http://www.robmacdougall.org/new/?p=48#comment-291 Excellent post - it may just inspire me to finish writing a post on a surprising connection between spiritualism and aviation that I came across a while back ... Regarding books on technology and spiritualism, have you read John Durham Peters' <em>Speaking into the Air: A History of the Idea of Communication</em> (University of Chicago Press, 1999)? Excellent post – it may just inspire me to
finish writing a post on a surprising
connection between spiritualism and aviation
that I came across a while back …

Regarding books on technology and spiritualism,
have you read John Durham Peters’ Speaking
into the Air: A History of the Idea of
Communication (University of Chicago Press,
1999)?

]]>