Dead, Dead, Dead

This is just a short rant about life and death. There is a lot we don't know about life. There is less we know about death. Shakespeare referred to death as "the undiscovered country from whose bourn no traveler returns."

Having recently seen the DVD of Bill Maher's "Religulous," I am more certain than ever that we can't be certain of anything. Actually, we can be certain of one thing. If a slick looking dude in a $1,500 suit tells you that he's certain about what happens after you die, and that you can have the same amount of certainty if you just send him a fat check, you can be certain he's full of crap.

Here's something else I'm fairly certain of: the book "90 Minutes in Heaven" is a malodorous load.

Which brings me to a more specific point. You know how people who claim to have had so-called near death experiences talk about how they floated up out of their bodies and looked down at their recently vacated corpses? And then they talk about seeing a bright white light which they feel strangely drawn to as Enya sings in the background?

Well, as it turns out, there is -- surprise, surprise! -- a perfectly reasonable scientific explanation for this phenomenon. These are the illusions brought on by an oxegyn deprived brain.

Check this out. This is an except from Radio Lab -- www.radiolab.org.

Out of Body, Roger

I was there. But I, like, wasn't there. I was floating. I was looking at myself from outside of myself.

If it hasn't happened to you, it's likely happened to somebody you know. And whether or not you believe it, about one in ten people report having had one. "Out of body" experience, it's a dirty word in many circles. Which is perhaps why pilots call it "G-LOC" (gravity-induced loss of consciousness, pronounced "G-lock" not "glok"). Turns out this kind of experience (call it what you want) occurs quite frequently among fighter pilots. Producers Ann Heppermann and Kara Oehler bring us the story. We'll hear from pilots Tim Sestak, and Col. Dan Fulgham on what it's like to lose yourself, unfortunately for us skiddish passenger-types, while flying a plane. Finally we'll hear from Dr. James Whinnery, who simulates G-LOC by placing pilots in giant centrifuges. His research monitors their brain activity as they accelerate to speeds inducing this loss of consciousness. But Doc Whinnery isn't just a scientist, he's a subject. And his research has taken him to some surprising places.

This is a very interesting podcast.

And with that, pleasant dreams...