Episode 109

Part nine, the final episode of another mind-map ramble with Miriam. We wind up our discussion of the so-called "Freeman" movement and then reassess the original list of six topics we randomly selected at the beginning of the conversation. We consider the breadth of application of the word "magick" (in ritual and religion, the origins of science, technology, language and law,...) and then the "re-enchantment" of the world, the fate of the "little people" and their possible return via technological interfaces. Miriam suddenly remembers the word "Fortean" (which she'd been trying to all evening) and we talk about Fortean phenomena, and one of Charles Fort's favourite stories, the "mad fishmonger", who was used to explain otherwise inexplicable layers of shellfish found deposited on roofs and streets one morning in Worcester. Finally, we consider the "Mandela effect" and a possible (rather dubious!) explanation involving branching parallel universes.

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• Freeman movement
• common law
• magick
• Arthur C. Clarke
• Second Life
• bot-driven avatars in Second Life
• John Michell
• J. Michell and C. Rhone, Twelve-Tribe Nations and the Science of Enchanting the Landscape (1991)
• Cartesian materialism
• faerie faith
• Charles Fort
• Fortean phenomena
• Fortean Times
• Fort's "Mad (Worcester) Fishmonger"
• raining fish and frogs
• the Kentucky meat shower
• the "Mandela Effect"    many supposed examples thereof
• parallel universes
• giant clam (Tridacna gigas)