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Old 03-23-2018, 11:27 AM   #1801
Icelander
 
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Default Re: Real-Life Weirdness

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Originally Posted by Flyndaran View Post
Read already implies active attention. It's if you heard everyone's thoughts that would cause the most hassle.
I've heard that before, but it doesn't match my experience. If there is text appearing within my eyesight, in English or Icelandic, at least, I understand the meaning without making any conscious decision to read it.

As far as I understand, having to decide to read text is, in GURPS terms, a function of having a language at less than Native reading comprehension.
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Old 03-23-2018, 12:08 PM   #1802
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Default Re: Real-Life Weirdness

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Originally Posted by Flyndaran View Post
Read already implies active attention. It's if you heard everyone's thoughts that would cause the most hassle.
I can't not parse text that appears in focus in my fov. It's just there, and I just read it.

I also can't not understand speech in my hearing unless it's being drowned out - an ability I dearly wish I have when my co-workers are having an inane conversation about negative calories and how the paleo diet lets them have fried fish and chips guilt free. This is why I listen to heavy metal music at work, it helps me concentrate :P

Even if it's a sense that only works when consciously used, there's many people who can't avoid peeping at something that's obstructed (twitching back the curtain, peeping between their fingers at a movie, etc). And it may be pretty difficult to not use - it's pretty hard to keep your eyes closed when you're not sleepy, because NOT using a sense is counter-survival.
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Old 03-23-2018, 02:16 PM   #1803
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Default Re: Real-Life Weirdness

You don't have to read entire pages of text if you don't want to though. Sure, you may catch a word or two if it suddenly gets in your face.
But it really depends on how we're defining the specifics of mind-reading.

For literal reading, you can simply not look, because it's not likely you're completely surrounded by clear text. Even then, you can simply close your "eyes", right?

Covering your "ears" is only partly effective at blocking sound.

Though I now wonder how a character that smells thoughts would work.
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Old 03-29-2018, 12:02 AM   #1804
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Default Re: Real-Life Weirdness

WW2 Ghost Pilot
Eerie footage captures paranormal activity inside WWII plane 'haunted by ghost of female co-pilot'
Throughout his childhood Tony had a number of ghostly encounters with the spirits of a man and young girl in his grandad’s house.

After his paranormal experiences only became more frequent as an adult, Tony became convinced that something about his ‘energy’ attracts spooks.


Tony clearly has the Spirit Empathy advantage.

People are convinced they saw a 'ghost bomber' flying across the skies
She said: "The whole thing was really weird, we were driving towards Bamcroft when the radio suddenly lost all signal and the sky just went really dark.

"All of a sudden this huge old aeroplane flew straight over our heads, completely silent and was heading for the ground.

"My partner and daughter both saw the same thing. We thought it was going to crash, but then it just disappeared.

"Seconds later we saw what looked like the same aircraft, this time to our left, and it banked over on its side and looked as though it was going to crash before disappearing.

"There is no way a real plane could have had the speed or the height to pull out of it, but we heard no crash at all.

"The plane looked really old with propellers and was green. The whole thing lasted a couple of seconds and before we knew it, it was all over and it had got brighter again."


Interesting detail with the sky darkening.

.... or they were just RAF Hercules. Who knows?
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Old 04-02-2018, 05:56 PM   #1805
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Default Re: Real-Life Weirdness

This is weird, and might have gameable applications in a horror or horror-related game:

Lung cancer cells develop structural traits of digestive tract

Apparently, the theory is that since lungs and digestive organs develop from the same primary cells in the developing baby, the absence of a regulatory gene that specifies 'lung' enables some cancer cells to produce miniaturized versions of some digestive-tract organs, including producing digestive enzymes.

Add a little mad science to this....
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Old 04-02-2018, 07:31 PM   #1806
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Default Re: Real-Life Weirdness

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I'll take healing. All the healing. I have far too many friends who are suffering from lingering injuries or metabolic disorders.
That's actually an idea. Though if I am going to be genre savvy I have to admit I'll probably pay for it down the line. All stories somehow end up that way.
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Old 04-02-2018, 08:26 PM   #1807
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Default Re: Real-Life Weirdness

Generally as our instinctive need for equal trades even when that's now how normal abilities and lives really work.
Also we tend to assume that what was easily given is easily taken.
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Old 04-04-2018, 08:44 AM   #1808
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Default Re: Real-Life Weirdness

Sark is a small island, part of the Channel Islands, which aren't exactly part of the UK, although it looks after them.

In 1990, an unemployed French nuclear physicist attempted to take over the island, by himself, with a handgun. It appears that the single unarmed volunteer constable of the island complimented him on the quality of his weapon, asked for a closer look, and arrested him.

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Old 04-04-2018, 12:08 PM   #1809
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Default Re: Real-Life Weirdness

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complimented him on the quality of his weapon, asked for a closer look, and arrested him.
See, you can learn Fast-Talk in the police force. It's not just for the con men.
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Old 04-04-2018, 12:32 PM   #1810
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See, you can learn Fast-Talk in the police force. It's not just for the con men.
While the nuclear physicist apparently took the Talents approach to getting his science skills, rather than the high IQ approach.
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