I am posting this here, because you folks seem to be far less judgmental than other places on the Café, and I can't think of another place to put it.

I think I may have a natural "ability" that is worthless, but seems to be real.

I stop watches.

Any non-digital watch, stops on my wrist. It isn't instantaneous. It takes a day or so. I have tried different kinds of bands, fresh batteries, different levels of expense (though nothing over $200, we're not talking rolex here)

What made me think that this was actually "me," was a watch my mother got me for Christmas. I put it on and it was stopped within a day. I put it in the glove box of my car, where I checked on it a week later, and found it working. I put it back on. Stopped.

I have a penchant for breaking other technology too. I went through 3 PDA's that crashed a lot. I can't touch a copier without causing problems. I have even had 2 securedigital media cards go completely dead on me. Those things are supposed to be uncrashable. Not when I touch them.

This is like a low level Xman mutation that impresses no one, isn't strong enough to do on command, and only breaks things. Woo hoo.

Is it all in my head? Or is this an actual phenomenon with a name? Is there instrumentation to measure this in a person?

The only way that could be possible is if you have broken your arm and had to have it fixed with metal plates or pins. Then you would have had to be picked up by one of those huge magnets that they pick up cars with in the junkyard. You would have had to be held up in the sky for a day or so until the plates/pins in your arm magnetised. If that has happened to you, then there's your answer. If not, then it's in your head. Uri Geller made a heck of a living and it was only in his head.....he was also a great showman!

If you're willing to be tested under strict conditions, then James Randi is willing to bet one million dollars that your abilities can be shown to not exist paranormally.

If I wanted to test myself, then I suppose I would buy ten identical watches and have them all powered up and otherwise prepared by the same technician. Then I would wear one of those fishing vests with 20 small pockets with a watch scattered here and there. Also keeping in mind to stay away from ANY other electro-magnetic source, even my car, TV, or my computer.

If by the end of the week even 3 or 4 of the watches have failed, then it might be time to contact http://www.randi.org and attempt to recoup your investment for the ten watches. Better yet, offer the broken ones on ebay as authentic paranormal time pieces. I think there's a casino somewhere that might like to place them next to a cheese sandwich!

You are right. We are non judgmental but also smart a**es.

This is very interesting and I would like to hear what you find out. My grandmother is allergic to gold. Pure gold turns green on her skin. Not cheap plated gold but pure gold. The doctor said it had something to do with her skin being allergic to gold.

As Chance said I would do my own scientific testing before contacting Randi.

Thanks for the replies.

I didn't mean to imply this was paranormal. This isn't Randi material.

I know some people have chemical imbalances in their brains. I thought maybe I have a minor electrical imbalanace. We all have a certain level of electric current in us. Maybe not current, I'm not a neurologist, whatever the terminology is, our nervous systems have electricity at some level.

So whether it's magnetic or electrical, I wasn't claiming to be paranormal. I just wondered whether this was a common condition for some people.

Trust me, I don't consider this an ability, but a disability if anything, if it does exist.

I will have to try the several watches thing, only from friends who will loan them of course.

I have heard of folks that couldn’t wear wrist watches. Don’t know why, but maybe it’s something about having too much magnetic stuff in the body. No it doesn’t stop as soon as you put it on, but give it a few days and it’s gone.

I've always thought of it as just one of those ole wise tales, and it probably was just bad watches, but I gave up wearing a watch a few years ago. They only lasted about a month. But hey, maybe I do have super powers.

Tom

Paranormal simply refers to anything outside our normal experiences that can not be immediately explained by natural means. It does NOT necessarily imply spirits, ghosts, alien creatures, etc. But then again, it just might. That's the whole point: to test and re-test until the truth comes out. A test such as this comes directly under that heading, and yes, Randi should be willing to discuss it with you. Just because you're not willing to attribute this power/gift/ability/disability to dead realtives is beside the point of honest scientific debate.

Hey.....try the scientific method. I work around a lot of equipment that gives off strong electro-magnetic fields and sometimes when I go near my radio, it starts buzzing...then when I walk away, it goes back to normal....so who knows. Maybe you have a similar magnetic field in your living area that you are not aware of.

Do you consume lots of Iron?

I have a friend with a similar quirk...If she stands underneath a streetlamp for more than a few minutes, they invariably shut off.
It's odd...I mean, she's pale...But not so reflective that she would blind the sensors...
No explanation for it...Just odd.
Gwyd

I have a question for you...


Please PM me with the answer:

Where do you work? (Not a specific name per-se, but the industry)

Prof. Piper

I think somebody forgot to take their M5 off...LOL jk

Was that Censors, or Sensors?

I know a girl who can get Radio One on her Coil,,is she a paranormalist or just plain unlucky?

Ken.

Revlovejoy,
You are not alone. My grandfather could not keep a watch. Neither can I. I have tried several different watches over the years. The best luck I have is with a Walmart digital cheapo. I even bought an expensive Swiss watch that wouldn't last. I took it in twice and the only answer I got from the repairman was "I don't know, maybe there was a flake of metal stuck in a gear or something."
I'm a teacher- nothing too rough on watches.
Shawn Hull