owen652 Posted April 11, 2012 Share Posted April 11, 2012 Ok, that Perry Stone video on another thread got me investigating the phenomenon of the 'rice experiment', and from what i can see, it seems to be very difficult to debunk. Has anyone heard of it, or have any ideas about what exactly is going on? I know it is based on Masaru Emoto's experiments with water molecules, which have been largely discredited (he is peddling 'miracle water' on his website). But a whole bunch of people have done this particular experiment independently and consistently come up with exactly the same results. Here's one example from youtube: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Positivist Posted April 11, 2012 Share Posted April 11, 2012 You need controls if you're going to run an experiment. Both jars must be sterilized, for starters. Conditions between the jars must be identical. Why don't you run the experiment and let us know? It's an easy one to replicate! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Overcame Faith Posted April 11, 2012 Share Posted April 11, 2012 I don't know how these people conducted the experiment, but Positivist is correct, it must be conducted with controls. One method might be to take maybe nine jars which are exactly alike and number each jar, 1 through 9. Prior to washing them, examine each jar carefully to make sure there are no cracks or other defects. Most especially, inspect the lid to ensure there are no defects that would allow air into the jars. Then, wash and clean the bottles exctly the same without knowing which of the bottles will be used for what purpose. After they have been cleaned, keep them as sterile as possible. Then put on a pair of surgical gloves and cover your face with a surgical mask. Examine the first jar again, looking for any defects possibly caused by the washing. Remove the surgical gloves, put on a new pair and examine the second jar in the same manner. Repeat this by putting on a new pair of gloves prior to touching each jar until you are satisfied that there are no defects. Cook enough rice to be placed in all nine jars at one time, using the same pot, rice cooker, or whatever. The cooking should probably be done so the rice is ready immediately after you have completed the post-washing inspections of the nine jars. Then place the exact same amount of rice in each jar (again wearing a different pair of gloves for each jar and wearing the surgical mask). I mean the EXACT same amount of rice by weight in each jar. Then seal the jars. Prepare three labels which say "Thank-you," three labels that say "You fool," and leave three labels blank. Put the labels in a bag or something and randomly draw a label. Place that label on Jar 1. Then repeat the drawing until all jars have a label placed on them. Store all nine bottles in the exact same location with the exact same conditions. Do not open any of the jars during the sitting period. Compare the results over time. This method will come close to eliminating bias in washing the jars and placing rice in them because you will not know which bottle will be marked how by which labels and will minimize contamination. The three jars that have a blank label will be the control. The question will be whether the rice in the three jars with the "Thank-you" label and the three jars with the "You Fool" label turn out differently than the control jars. The task is not to compare the rice in the "Thank-you" label with the rice in the jar with the "You Fool" label, but to compare them with the control. Once the time is completed and you have your results, then you must again inspect the jars and the seals to ensure there were no defects. If there are differences in the condition of the rice after the experiment is completed, then you must try to explain why there were differences. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FeelHappy Posted April 11, 2012 Share Posted April 11, 2012 Yeah I thought about running this myself but I'm too lazy. Like I said if this was true then it would revolutionize science. Heck I might do it just, to convince my family its fake, although they'll probably just accuse me of not saying I love you enough to the good jar of rice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FeelHappy Posted April 11, 2012 Share Posted April 11, 2012 Good point Overcame Faith, also probably stir the rice after its done being made just in case there is something that goes on with the top vs the bottom of the pot of rice, my assumption is the top is more dry and therefore it lasts longer than the wetter bottom of the pan (at least this happens when I cook rice before I stir it), if I was doing this I might have a tenancy to fill the Love you jar first and the hate you jar second therefore creating the more ideal mold conditions in the second jar. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
owen652 Posted April 12, 2012 Author Share Posted April 12, 2012 yeah, I wanna do this experiment but i'm moving house at the moment so I would just end up having to move the jars and ruin the experiment, so I'll have to wait. A lot of the experiments i've seen have been done with a control jar as well, although not multiple jars like you say. After an exhaustive search I could only find one experiment which didn't result in molded 'hate' rice and that happened to be the one with strict controls in place and everything sterilized thoroughly. BUT, supporters would say that of course it didn't work, because this guy was very obviously setting out to debunk it, so his intentions towards the rice would be corrupted and therefore invalidate the whole thing. After all, the whole idea is that thoughts or intentions can affect the physical world. I just find it amazing that every single person who has done it (bar one) seems to have the same result, which naturally makes me think observer bias, but how that would work I've no idea. I mean, yes, if you put the top layer of cooked rice (cooler) into one jar and the lower layers (warmer) into the other jar it could conceivably affect it, but that assumes that everyone doing the experiment would put the cool rice into the same labelled jar, which is extremely unlikely, unless perhaps the power of suggestion is at work there and the first jar used is usually the one labelled 'you fool'. Still unlikely. Then I thought, okay, maybe there are a shitload of people on the internet who have claimed to have done the experiment and it worked and they are not lying about it; I will give them the benefit of the doubt. BUT, perhaps there are an equal number of people who have done the experiment and been unsuccessful, but not posted the results online, therefore the only results we see in the public domain are the successful ones. This may make sense, because the ones doing it seem to be usually believers in the phenomenon in the first place and therefore less likely to publish damning results. They would simply forget about it and move on. On the other hand, some people claim to have done it multiple times, always with the same result. Including a primary school teacher who does it at the start of every school year with his students, and it ALWAYS works. I'm pretty keen to try it after I move house though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
London Posted April 12, 2012 Share Posted April 12, 2012 From everything I watched, they all used boiled white rice. One guy on a blog did use boiled brown rice, same results. I'm wondering if you use a rice cooker, does it make a difference? And what if you steam the rice. Will that change the dynamics? http://www.taylor-madeak.org/index.php/2008/02/29/how-to-make-sake-at-home-a-taylor-made-g?page=6 This guy is all about water, so the water content I think is key to the answer. Also remember that fermentation and molds are a highly controlled substance in Japanese cooking (miso, soy sauce, natto, sushi). Looks like this experiment is also growing food poisoning. http://www.textbookofbacteriology.net/B.cereus_2.html see analysis section at bottom. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Positivist Posted April 12, 2012 Share Posted April 12, 2012 The other thing is, the rice grows mold. Being able to sustain and propagate life--is this not a positive thing? Therefore, saying positive things should result in more life, not less. And a third thing, if this works, well then, we have a cure for cancer don't we? Just wear a t-shirt that says "I love myself" and voila--you are healed. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Positivist Posted April 12, 2012 Share Posted April 12, 2012 Debunking the rice experiment: 2 videos. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oi_gW-OKzjQ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ooZBxeKf6yc Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Super Moderator florduh Posted April 12, 2012 Super Moderator Share Posted April 12, 2012 Pyramid Power - remember that one? Got any dull razor blades? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mwc Posted April 12, 2012 Share Posted April 12, 2012 Pyramid Power - remember that one? Got any dull razor blades? If that doesn't work why are there pyramids? mwc Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Super Moderator florduh Posted April 12, 2012 Super Moderator Share Posted April 12, 2012 If that doesn't work why are there pyramids? Duh, aliens. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mwc Posted April 12, 2012 Share Posted April 12, 2012 If that doesn't work why are there pyramids? Duh, aliens. Stupid aliens. That kind of makes sense. mwc Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
London Posted April 12, 2012 Share Posted April 12, 2012 Debunking the rice experiment: 2 videos. I watched those and I almost agreed with what he did, except when he took the rice from the bottom of the pot he dumps the pot upside down into a bowl. So he basically changed the results by doing that. Otherwise I thought he was doing great. I suspect that this is a smoke and mirrors trick that comes out just like it should more often than not. There must be a scientific explanation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Positivist Posted April 12, 2012 Share Posted April 12, 2012 Debunking the rice experiment: 2 videos. I watched those and I almost agreed with what he did, except when he took the rice from the bottom of the pot he dumps the pot upside down into a bowl. So he basically changed the results by doing that. Otherwise I thought he was doing great. I suspect that this is a smoke and mirrors trick that comes out just like it should more often than not. There must be a scientific explanation. I agree. Also, he doesn't wear sterile gloves. There's a good reason surgeons wear sterile gloves. We are dropping skin cells loaded with bacteria wherever we go. (This, btw, is how scent dogs can follow a person.) I still think someone here should try it. Seems a little like water divination/water dowsing to me! God of the gaps? I think not. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
owen652 Posted April 13, 2012 Author Share Posted April 13, 2012 God of the gaps? No, even if this is proven to be true, I don't believe it has anything to do with any god. Untapped potential of our own minds, possibly, but not God. The vids you posted are the ones I was talking about, the only guy who got a negative result from the experiment. And all this talk of sterile equipment, bacteria etc seems to be irrelevant, because even if contamination was happening, you would expect it to result either in both jars being moldy, or at least get some alternation between which jars are moldy, not the same labelled jar every single time, like we seem to be seeing. But like i said, that is dependant upon whether or not we are seeing ALL results, and not just the successful ones. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Overcame Faith Posted April 13, 2012 Share Posted April 13, 2012 And all this talk of sterile equipment, bacteria etc seems to be irrelevant, because even if contamination was happening, you would expect it to result either in both jars being moldy, or at least get some alternation between which jars are moldy, not the same labelled jar every single time, like we seem to be seeing. You are assuming equal contamination in all jars, but neither you nor I have any basis for that assumption. The reason the issue of sterility is important is because it is the best way to come as close as possible to ensuring equal contamination (or no contamination). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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