test123456

Patternicity is Shermer’s name for apophenia, the tendency to find meaning in noise. This is how we see constellations in the stars, faces on Mars, and Kaziklu Bey’s visage grinning evilly from a slice of cinnamon toast. In its negative form, patternicity is behind many forms of self-deception, from superstition to conspiracy theory. This video goes into it in depth, with examples.

Breeze was trying to tell about my back in 140 characters or less. I want to clarify. <Whine ON> 1967, grade school – Probably unrelated – Fell on my tailbone in the playground and nobody noticed I was lying on the pavement in pain. When it subsided I got up and went into class. Didn’t tell teacher or parents for reasons that are still unclear to me. 1969, grade school – Stepped on base playing kickball. Intense pain and left leg wouldn’t move. School nurse said “You’re too young to be throwing your back out.” Ok… Osteopath crunched it back and in a few days I went right back to playing kickball and softball. 1969, summer – Some idiot hit me in the forehead with the point of a big-assed curved blade. We played rough back then. LOL!! Concussion. 1970, grade school – Playing volleyball, “threw back out.” Maybe twice that year. Took in “developmental gym” for weakness in leg and tight hamstring...