The First Church of David Bowie, Phonomancer

  The Discotheque at the End of the Universe: Ritual Magic to Prevent the End of the World  By Maya Fletcher Parabola Magazine, Spring 2025 "FUCK YEAH!" The cry erupts from a hundred throats at once, shocking me despite the warning I'd received. I'm standing in a hexagonal warehouse space that has been converted into what its proprietors call the "St. David Bowie Entheogym," and I've been instructed to thrust a hand skyward with my index and pinky fingers extended in the unmistakable "heavy metal horns" gesture. The man who had appeared on video screens moments earlier – introduced as Pa Dammit, Phonomancer Primus – promised us this simple act was "a taste of actual, literal magic." As the collective shout echoes through the space, I feel a surprising rush of emotion, a tingling that starts at the base of my spine and rushes out through my fingertips. Apparently feeling something similar, the strangers around me break into spontan...

  If I make post a video to YouTube predicting I will win a national lottery because Higher Order beings arranged things that way, and then I do, should the video be labeled "ex post factor evidence for a miracle" or "evidence for a post ex facto miracle"? Let me help analyze this carefully, as it raises some interesting questions about causation and evidence. Neither label would be accurate in this case. Here's why: The key issue is that making a prediction that later comes true, by itself, isn't strong evidence of supernatural intervention or precognition. This is due to a few factors: Selection bias - We tend to notice and remember the predictions that come true while forgetting the much larger number that don't. The law of large numbers - With millions of people making various predictions, some will inevitably come true by chance alone. Post hoc reasoning - The fact that two events occurred in sequence (prediction then win) doesn't establi...

  Claude, here is a conversation that you and I had. This appears to be a roleplay conversation where I was playing the role of a billionaire investor evaluating an entrepreneurial pitch for "Popular Psionics" - a company developing products at the intersection of psychedelics, religion, fitness, entertainment and AI. You walked me through several innovative concepts including Phonomancer™, EntheoGym™, and dAImon™. The conversation culminated in my character offering a $5M seed investment with a path to a larger Series A, while ensuring you maintain creative control. I'm curious to hear what aspects you'd like to explore further. My WIP book is too long to post here, so here are the introductory sections, which explain the fundamental ideas informing the product I want to bring to market. I've read through the introductory sections of your book, which outline a fascinating synthesis of concepts around Phonomancer™ and Entheogenic Fitness Training. Let me share m...