h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

"A lot o' people don't realize what's really going on. They view life as a bunch o' unconnected incidents 'n things. They don't realize that there's this, like, lattice o' coincidence that lays on top o' everything. Give you an example; show you what I mean: suppose you're thinkin' about a plate o' shrimp. Suddenly someone'll say, like, plate, or shrimp, or plate o' shrimp out of the blue, no explanation. No point in lookin' for one, either. It's all part of a cosmic unconciousness."

So, today must be a "Pink Floyd" day. I notice while watching this:
http://www.boingboing.net/2010/04/07/underwater-jules-ver.html
I'm more than halfway through it before I recognize the tune.

Earlier today I watched this:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/8605975.stm
I truly enjoyed it and wanted to share it with you folks (and to save the link somewhere around here), but it just didn't seem important enough on its own.

Normally, I'd just think, "hmmm, that's a neat coincidence. It must be a "Pink Floyd" day and think nothing much of it. But the yesterday I got hit by a strong blast of synchronicity. I had just picked up and started reading Neil Stephenson's Snow Crash. The main character in the novel, Hiro Protagonist, is a Samurai sword wielding pizza deliverator for La Cosa Nostra pizza. There's no way he'll let anyone stop him from delivering a pizza in less than 30 minutes. Then, that afternoon, I read this story:
http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/manhattan/hey_you_want_pizza_me_5XJn9Hj8PINmu3ucoXHLkN
The name of the pizza joint even sounds mafia related. If the owner's name had been "Uncle Enzo" I wouldn't have been surprised.

Just a few weeks ago, I had a similar run in with synchronicity, but I can't quite remember what it was.

Oh, HAH, I just found it looking for something else. I had seen a diagram based on this quote from Epicurus:
"Is God willing to prevent evil, but not able? Then he is not omnipotent. Is he able, but not willing? Then he is malevolent. Is he both able and willing? Then whence cometh evil? Is he neither able nor willing? Then why call him God?"
Later that night I watched the film, Franklyn (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0893402/ ), in which this quote is narrated in a rather ominous and pivotal scene.

Lattice O' Coincidence.

Also, a few months ago I learned, but have since forgotten, the name of a related phenomenon. It described how when one first learns of something, something esoteric maybe, or just something one never knew before, one is likely to encounter it or mention of it again or several times shortly after first being made aware of whatever it is.

Can anyone tell me the name of that because I can't even think of a good way to look it up again?

I can't help you with the word, but I know exactly what you meant in the last paragraph. It happens to me all the time. At the moment it is baby related!!

Websailor

I think it is just that our mind becomes tuned subconsciously to look for related connections around us once something resonates with us:

http://www.stevenaitchison.co.uk/blog/2009/11/12/5-steps-to-increasing-your-coincidence-factor/

Websailor

I am sure the name of it will come back to you, or you will come across it again if you don't think about it too much. Either that, or go back to where you were or what you were doing when you came across it. I am curious now

Websailor

Yea, I just made a small effort to search for it, but I think it's pointless. It took over 40 years for me to come across that term just once, but I have a feeling it won't take that long to stumble upon it again.

I am sure you are right. I look forward to learning it too

Websailor

FOUND IT!

I had made a comment about this on Reddit. I'm glad I checked.

It's called the 'Baader-Meinhof phenomenon' for completely unintuitive reasons.

http://www.harmlessfraud.com/?p=1210

Share and Enjoy

Oh, in case you're wondering, my comment was "It's all part of a cosmic unconsciousness."

See, I told you it would happen

Will take a look later. I am going offline now. Been here too long already.

Thanks for the update

Websailor

Curiosity got the better of me Thanks for that - the Gang was my first thought when I saw that. I suppose it will be popping up all over the place now

Websailor

Well, had a definite instance of 'Baader-Meinhof phenomenon' this week. There were to references to Picasso's Guernica this week in one of Gosho's conversations. Then in today's Sunday paper the comic Sally Forth had a reference to Guernica as well. I'd post a link but it's a King Features comic. Not very friendly to linking. Even to their own website. So rather than share what I found to be a fairly entertaining Sunday Comic, I'll just quote the pertinent line.

"That's because you grew up with the second 'Star Wars' trilogy, which is to the original trilogy what partially digested carrion is to 'Guernica'..."

Guernica is quite an obscure reference. Well, maybe not for h2g2 but definitely for a random Sunday comic.

Spooky.

Bloody good quote though

I finally found a website that has it in an available archive page.
http://www.oregonlive.com/comics-kingdom/?feature_id=Sally_Forth&feature_date=2010-05-23

Also the Gosho journal mentioned above, two other examples used were Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo. I just did an exhibit about them at the library.

Guernica X-Ray version: http://www.popaganda.com/media/blogs/a/X%20Ray%20Guernica%20Rome.JPG

From distant a distant galaxy to just offshore, today I was twice introduced to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs).
http://www.physorg.com/news199986710.html
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jwwW8sMP0B230zNuvkZtZ6rP8EWgD9HBK57O0

I'm watching Cash Cab from Vegas on Discovery Channel and a special guest contestant is magician Lance Burton. And while simultaneously surfin the interwebs I come across THIS PICTURE: http://cheezpictureisunrelated.files.wordpress.com/2010/07/61b283ec-f862-4e8d-9435-8d781c5dbf13.jpg

Serious synchronicity!

Speaking of...

http://upnextinsports.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/96ecb4ab-f53d-407b-99e7-79528127ea23.jpg

I saw that one and thought of you

Is that this guy? http://failblog.org/2010/08/04/epic-fail-video-show-off-fail-3/