While looking for the Neil Tyson clip I recently posted, I found this one with Dr. Lisa Bitel, Professor of History and Gender Studies at USC. She’s talking pareidolia, so I watched it with some amusement.
I’m glad people are talking about this, but I think Dr. Bitel may have missed the obvious fact that the Weekly World News probably maybe sorta Photoshopped that picture of the devil in clouds over DC.
Anyway, the full program is online, and is pretty interesting.
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The original BA site (with the Moon Hoax debunking, movie reviews, and all that) can be found here.
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 | Bad Astronomy was chosen as one of Time.com's Best Blogs of 2009. |
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January 14th, 2009 at 8:33 am
I’ve come to the conclusion that folks will see what they want to see in things that merely resemble something.
If you are into Jesus, he will be in every knot in every tree.
And so forth and so on.
That doesn’t mean that it’s true, but these days, folks seem to like to make up their own truths where it’s convenient.
January 14th, 2009 at 8:34 am
“Dr. Bitel may have missed the obvious fact that the Weekly World News probably maybe sorta Photoshopped that picture of the devil in clouds over DC”
Are you insinuating that the Weekly World News makes up stuff? That’s crazy talk!
January 14th, 2009 at 8:34 am
A “Casino” [perhaps in "Sin City"?] buying an image (on a grilled cheese sandwich) of the Virgin Mary!!!! Irony doesn’t get any better!
And paying $20,000 …. later, I’m off to the kitchen….
January 14th, 2009 at 8:42 am
For some strange reason, most of my pareidolia has the face of a fat, hairy old white guy,,,playing a guitar,,,Gee, maybe I shouldn’t have ingested the electric cool aid at those Dead shows,,,
GAry 7
January 14th, 2009 at 8:47 am
Is it only me or is pareidolia such a pretty word that it really should be the name of a beautiful flower or a particularly impressive cloud formation? It seems a shame to waste that particular sequence of letters by using it to describe an affliction of the easily led :p
January 14th, 2009 at 8:54 am
The full lecture is quite interesting. The second speaker, Dr. Michael Arbib, has apparently worked in the States since 1970 but the bloke certainly hasn’t lost his Australian accent. Goodonya Prof.
January 14th, 2009 at 9:04 am
The “Jesus in a pancake” looks to me like Don Quixote…..
ironic, no?
J/P=?
January 14th, 2009 at 9:17 am
Photoshopeidolia?
Makes my point that art doesn’t qualify for pareidolia, except perhaps if you see the Flying Spaghetti Monster (PBUH) in a Jackson Pollock painting.
January 14th, 2009 at 9:19 am
Vote with the stupid – how can so many people be wrong? A capitalist would market a series of clad frypans and griddles in which the lower thermal conductivity material had hidden bottom copper inserts. Do a taco or pancakes, get Jesus H. Christ, L. Ron Hubbard, or Bozo the Clown in every bite. One presumes Milton Friedman, Donald Rumsfeld, and Ben “BS” Bernanke will be disdained as false profits (no apologies!).
January 14th, 2009 at 9:28 am
Dr. Bitel may have missed the obvious fact that the Weekly World News probably maybe sorta Photoshopped that picture of the devil in clouds over DC.
Bat Boy will get you for that.
January 14th, 2009 at 9:44 am
We need an archive of Bat Boy pareidolia.
January 14th, 2009 at 10:12 am
Uncle Al:
The Original JesusPan
Making The Jesus Frying Pan
January 14th, 2009 at 10:39 am
@Phil:
I don’t know if you saw it, but the Pope just ordered bishops of the Church to thoroughly investigate visions of Mary and Jesus in an effort to root out fraud. Hopefully this will help stem the recent pareidolia tide (tsunami?). Click my name for the story.
January 14th, 2009 at 1:10 pm
Believing is seeing, as they say.
January 14th, 2009 at 2:02 pm
Additional links and discussion of the Pope-ordering-investigation story here.
March 10th, 2010 at 10:01 pm
What makes you all think that I missed the ‘Shopped possibilities? Please.