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You're a SLIder! and apparently you are not alone.
SLI stands for street lamp interference and it is happening to people all over the world. A SLIder finds that a lot of the time when they walk or drive under a streetlamp it turns off. It happens too often for it to be just coincidence.
Some SLIders also report strange effects on other electrical devices. Lamps and TV's going off, light bulbs blowing, volume levels on tv's and radios changing, watches that stop working and children's toys that start playing all by themselves!
There hasn't been a lot of studies into this phenomenon as yet. It may be because interest in this phenomenon is now picking up as more and more people report it or it may be because it seems that people who are SLIders have a hard time making the light go off on demand. Nothing has been proven yet but the following is the school of thought of the people who believe in SLI.
--Begin quote--
All of our thoughts and movements are the result of electrical impulses that the brain generates. At present it is known that these measurable impulses only have an effect within an individual's body, but is it possible that they could have an effect outside the body - a kind of remote control?
--End quote--
http://paranormal.about.com/od/telekinesispsychokinesis/a/aa052508.htm
Researchers suggest that that the subconscious could affect electronic devices. For instance if you are stressed or angry or emotional your subconscious could affect an electronic device. SLI can possibly be put in the same category as ESP and telekinesis. I am sure you have heard of both of these things.
This is a very interesting topic and as more and more SLIders come forward maybe reasearchers can prove the validity and reason for this phenomenon. Until then, keep and eye on the research and if you like, test out different things. Think about how you are feeling when you are passing a street light (angry / stressed / emotional or just normal). See if you affect other electronic devices.
I wouldn't worry too much though. Just know you are not alone.
Of course some believe that it is just old street lights that go bad. When they go bad the bulb would overheat, go out and when it it cools down would go back on and you may be passing below it when it happens. Just coincidence. Some also suggest that a passing car shining its light on the streetlamp could cause the photocell that controls how a streetlight goes on and off to react.
But i think SLI is more plausible as it seems to happen to SLIders too often to just be coincidence.
Check out these links
http://paranormal.about.com/od/telekinesispsychokinesis/a/aa052508.htm
http://paranormal.about.com/library/weekly/aa013100a.htm
http://www.assap.org/newsite/articles/Early%20SLI%20reports.html
http://www.tfproject.org/tfp/tilted-paranoia/22489-street-lights-go-out-when-i-pass.html
http://msgboard.snopes.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=20;t=000607;p=1
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So maybe the streetlights are a sign that someone is watching out for you.
Source(s):
personal experience
Tags: events, suprenatural, signs
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http://paranormal.about.com/od/telekinesispsychokinesis/a/aa052508.htm
Source(s):
about.com
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This link has some background information on this subject and some very interesting perspectives and experiences.
http://amasci.com/weird/unusual/sli.html
I would just count your blessing and be thankful you're not the woman in this video!
Tags: electricity, interference
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A whole mythology has grown up around this phenomenon. I'm into metaphysics, and spirituality, but I'm also into science. People who are into mysticism will tend to see every event through those lenses. People who are into science will tend to see everything as explainable with normal reasons.
I see both sides, and I am open to both. There are plenty of unusual things with solid evidence that can't be easily dismissed, but that doesn't mean every incidence of that category is due to the same cause(s).
Street lights are not normal bulbs. When they start to go, they dim somewhat, and they tend to go on and off. I see several points to consider:
- the lights on a street are likely to be mostly the same age, so you would get more of them on a particular street or group of streets;
- you tend to go down the same streets, so it's not a fair sample;
- when walking there is plenty of time for a light to flicker off, hence the reason it does not seem to happen when you are riding.
If you want to be sure, create a controlled set of tests (a.k.a. be scientific):
- go to a randomly chosen street and observe the lights for a defined period (say 30 minutes), and note how many are visible and how many flicker. Do this for at least 10 different streets in 10 different areas.
- then walk down the street and note how many flicker. If more flicker, then you might be having some effect.
You can do this for your normal streets as well. Count the flickers when just observing versus walking.
Another test would be to stop under a light and see how long it takes to flicker. Then stay until it flickers again. Record the times and see if they are different when you are observing from a distance versus being under it.
Overall, the body has electricity in it, but the amount is very small and is not likely to be able to affect small things, let alone large ones.
It's fun to think you might be having an effect, but it's very unlikely.
If you can do this in a way that's provably greater than random chance, you can become famous.
Source(s):
Rational logic and personal experience.
Tags: psychokinesis
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You may want to "test" this as you can. Take a notebook on your next walk, jot down the intsances. (Ex how many lights you pass vs. how many turn off within 30 seconds of the passing.) Make notes of any patterns (Ex is it every third light?)
I suspect the intance will not survive multiple tests, yet if the instance continues well through multiple testing dates you may wish to investigate further.
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SLIding is bunk. Noone who's experienced the phenomena has taken the time to fully and critically analyze this. The wikipedia link that discusses it cites articles from 1995, most of which are broken links. You'd think in 14 years we'd have at least ONE study confirming or denying this phenomena. You can't use the excuse that the SLIders can't control it, if this is truly happening, there would be at the very least a statistical anomaly in which SLIders have it happen more often to them than anyone else. This anomaly would be cited in a study.
One of the people cited as having done a study, name of Richard Wiseman. This study is missing. His credentials are questionable. He talks about a subject called Quirkology, the study of things that are quirky. He has this picture on that page.
James Randi is promising to give away 1 million dollars to anyone who can prove paranormal activity. I belive this would count. Make some money and prove it. (PS, this offer has been up for a while, and he has yet to give away 1 million dollars)
The first thing to consider is the streetlamps down the road that are cycling that you feel are too distant for you to be affecting. Half a mile or so. If you don't take time to critically study this, your fall victim to Confirmation Bias. You'll generally not notice the distant lights cycling because they're masked by the proximity to other lights in the distance. The change in luminositiy would be too slight to pick out if you don't take the time to observe.
Take a good hour or two to really get the timing down. Use a notebook and record your results.
From this you can get a good idea of how frequently they cycle on their own, without your presence. Some areas of the sidewalk are going to have older streetlights that need replacing, so their cycling frequency will be higher. This explains why it's usually three or four lights that do it for you, and not different ones every time.
You've also got to decide at approximately what point you feel you can affect the lights. Take that distance and use that as your radius, notice all the lights within that radius you are not affecting.
Now make two or three trips, or ten trips, down that area of the sidewalk. Note if the pattern increases or not. You can do this over a long period of time, take a regular walk down the street for a month. It's healthy too! :)
You will not find a link, though, or an increase in frequency, that can't be explained by random chance. You're just seeing it happen and remembering it because it's interesting. You have an inquisitive mind, and that's great, but the human mind puts patterns to things that don't have patterns. Confirmation Bias.
Source(s):
Wish I could find a scientific study to prove/disprove, but there's nothing.
http://actionskeptics.blogspot.com/2008/04/paranormalists-are-running-out-o...
(use of foul language on this blog)
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Answered Question
M$2.25
November 09, 2009 06:55 PM
Why does this happen to me?
Hey guys...alright...so ive been searching online to find out just why street lights turn off when i pass by them. Now, like a few years ago i use to think "ok it's just probably a timer on the street lights that make them turn off" or "the light bulb must have died out"...but for like the past 3-4 years ive been paying more attention to the lights...when my coworker drives me home...i dont see any lights going out...and when i walk home around the same time im driven home...the lights go out...what made it more weird...was that last night i was really sad so i caught the bus home only to a certain point though...that way i can walk the rest of the way and have time to think...when i started walking down the street...the lights started going off...not all...but way more than the usual...so if anyone knows why this happens...please let me know...i hope it doesn't have anything to do with having a lot of bad energy or something...cuz that would be so not cool :)
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Best Answer Decided by Votes
| November 09, 2009 08:39 PM |
SLI stands for street lamp interference and it is happening to people all over the world. A SLIder finds that a lot of the time when they walk or drive under a streetlamp it turns off. It happens too often for it to be just coincidence.
Some SLIders also report strange effects on other electrical devices. Lamps and TV's going off, light bulbs blowing, volume levels on tv's and radios changing, watches that stop working and children's toys that start playing all by themselves!
There hasn't been a lot of studies into this phenomenon as yet. It may be because interest in this phenomenon is now picking up as more and more people report it or it may be because it seems that people who are SLIders have a hard time making the light go off on demand. Nothing has been proven yet but the following is the school of thought of the people who believe in SLI.
--Begin quote--
All of our thoughts and movements are the result of electrical impulses that the brain generates. At present it is known that these measurable impulses only have an effect within an individual's body, but is it possible that they could have an effect outside the body - a kind of remote control?
--End quote--
http://paranormal.about.com/od/telekinesispsychokinesis/a/aa052508.htm
Researchers suggest that that the subconscious could affect electronic devices. For instance if you are stressed or angry or emotional your subconscious could affect an electronic device. SLI can possibly be put in the same category as ESP and telekinesis. I am sure you have heard of both of these things.
This is a very interesting topic and as more and more SLIders come forward maybe reasearchers can prove the validity and reason for this phenomenon. Until then, keep and eye on the research and if you like, test out different things. Think about how you are feeling when you are passing a street light (angry / stressed / emotional or just normal). See if you affect other electronic devices.
I wouldn't worry too much though. Just know you are not alone.
Of course some believe that it is just old street lights that go bad. When they go bad the bulb would overheat, go out and when it it cools down would go back on and you may be passing below it when it happens. Just coincidence. Some also suggest that a passing car shining its light on the streetlamp could cause the photocell that controls how a streetlight goes on and off to react.
But i think SLI is more plausible as it seems to happen to SLIders too often to just be coincidence.
Check out these links
http://paranormal.about.com/od/telekinesispsychokinesis/a/aa052508.htm
http://paranormal.about.com/library/weekly/aa013100a.htm
http://www.assap.org/newsite/articles/Early%20SLI%20reports.html
http://www.tfproject.org/tfp/tilted-paranoia/22489-street-lights-go-out-when-i-pass.html
http://msgboard.snopes.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=20;t=000607;p=1
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Helpful: jeffhoard, lilyloretta, argmatrixman9000, kty2777, buddawiggi, socalsue, shewolfsilver, silverhammer, robbj, vladis
Tip suzd688 for this answerVoted as best: kareul, buddawiggi
Other Answers (10)
November 09, 2009 07:15 PM
I don't know if you've lost anyone close to you or not, but when my son's friend died a few years ago his mother came to our house a few days later, then she stopped in a few nights after that. I thought it was odd because while our sons were friends we weren't exactly close. Then she told me that when she tried to drive by her headlights would go out when she got to our driveway, so she would stop in to check on my son. She thought it was her son telling her to keep an eye on him since he wasn't there to do so. This continued for about 6 months, and I think it made a world of difference to my young son who had lost his best friend. So maybe the streetlights are a sign that someone is watching out for you.
Source(s):
personal experience
Tags: events, suprenatural, signs
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Helpful: lilyloretta
Tip suzalicie for this answer
November 09, 2009 07:49 PM
It's called Sliders http://paranormal.about.com/od/telekinesispsychokinesis/a/aa052508.htm
Source(s):
about.com
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Voted as best: theenlightened
November 09, 2009 07:58 PM
It looks like you could have "Street Light Interference". This link has some background information on this subject and some very interesting perspectives and experiences.
http://amasci.com/weird/unusual/sli.html
I would just count your blessing and be thankful you're not the woman in this video!
Tags: electricity, interference
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(0)
Helpful: lilyloretta
Tip bunnyphuphu for this answer
November 09, 2009 08:01 PM
I'm in favor of mystical interpretations, but this one feels like something else. It's very easy to miss critical factors that can skew your interpretation of an event. A whole mythology has grown up around this phenomenon. I'm into metaphysics, and spirituality, but I'm also into science. People who are into mysticism will tend to see every event through those lenses. People who are into science will tend to see everything as explainable with normal reasons.
I see both sides, and I am open to both. There are plenty of unusual things with solid evidence that can't be easily dismissed, but that doesn't mean every incidence of that category is due to the same cause(s).
Street lights are not normal bulbs. When they start to go, they dim somewhat, and they tend to go on and off. I see several points to consider:
- the lights on a street are likely to be mostly the same age, so you would get more of them on a particular street or group of streets;
- you tend to go down the same streets, so it's not a fair sample;
- when walking there is plenty of time for a light to flicker off, hence the reason it does not seem to happen when you are riding.
If you want to be sure, create a controlled set of tests (a.k.a. be scientific):
- go to a randomly chosen street and observe the lights for a defined period (say 30 minutes), and note how many are visible and how many flicker. Do this for at least 10 different streets in 10 different areas.
- then walk down the street and note how many flicker. If more flicker, then you might be having some effect.
You can do this for your normal streets as well. Count the flickers when just observing versus walking.
Another test would be to stop under a light and see how long it takes to flicker. Then stay until it flickers again. Record the times and see if they are different when you are observing from a distance versus being under it.
Overall, the body has electricity in it, but the amount is very small and is not likely to be able to affect small things, let alone large ones.
It's fun to think you might be having an effect, but it's very unlikely.
If you can do this in a way that's provably greater than random chance, you can become famous.
Source(s):
Rational logic and personal experience.
Tags: psychokinesis
Helpful Answer?
(2)
(0)
Helpful: lilyloretta, socalsue
Tip kazuki for this answer
November 09, 2009 08:06 PM
Sometimes things, even really odd things, really are just coincidence. Events that happen with 1/1,000,000,0000 odds still happen. (very rarely!) You may want to "test" this as you can. Take a notebook on your next walk, jot down the intsances. (Ex how many lights you pass vs. how many turn off within 30 seconds of the passing.) Make notes of any patterns (Ex is it every third light?)
I suspect the intance will not survive multiple tests, yet if the instance continues well through multiple testing dates you may wish to investigate further.
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November 09, 2009 08:58 PM
Street lamps are not on timers..they are on light sensors if it is dark they will automatically turn on...if it is light they will turn off... this is why on a really stormy cloudy day sometimes the street lights will be on, if it was on a timer this would not happen....sometimes the headlights from your car can be bright enough to turn street lamps off, it tricks the lights into thinking it is daylight. You can do a simple test, first see if it is the same street lamp every time, once you have located the street lamp turn your headlights off when you drive by (only do this if it is not a busy road and there are no cops around) if the lights still turn off then you have ruled out the possibility of the lights sensor detecting headlights. anytime real paranormal investigators try to figure out strange occurrence they first try to find all of the logical explanations and test them before deciding it is paranormal. If the lights still turn off I would try walking instead of driving by the light this will rule out weather or not it is the electrical system of the car or if it is you. If it still turns of when walking by, you can further test to see if you have control over this anomaly, try to influence if the light stays on or turns off when you walk past, then you will rule out if it is your body or your mental energy that is doing this. If it is truly your mental energy, you are among the few truly gifted people who have the ability to influence the physical world around you through your thoughts. There are a lot of exercises you can do to help focus this energy...but before you get ahead of yourself go down the list and rule out all other possibilities first.
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November 10, 2009 05:06 AM
Confirmation bias. The lights are Cycling. There are also movement sensors on some lights, but mostly it's Cycling. SLIding is bunk. Noone who's experienced the phenomena has taken the time to fully and critically analyze this. The wikipedia link that discusses it cites articles from 1995, most of which are broken links. You'd think in 14 years we'd have at least ONE study confirming or denying this phenomena. You can't use the excuse that the SLIders can't control it, if this is truly happening, there would be at the very least a statistical anomaly in which SLIders have it happen more often to them than anyone else. This anomaly would be cited in a study.
One of the people cited as having done a study, name of Richard Wiseman. This study is missing. His credentials are questionable. He talks about a subject called Quirkology, the study of things that are quirky. He has this picture on that page.
James Randi is promising to give away 1 million dollars to anyone who can prove paranormal activity. I belive this would count. Make some money and prove it. (PS, this offer has been up for a while, and he has yet to give away 1 million dollars)
The first thing to consider is the streetlamps down the road that are cycling that you feel are too distant for you to be affecting. Half a mile or so. If you don't take time to critically study this, your fall victim to Confirmation Bias. You'll generally not notice the distant lights cycling because they're masked by the proximity to other lights in the distance. The change in luminositiy would be too slight to pick out if you don't take the time to observe.
Take a good hour or two to really get the timing down. Use a notebook and record your results.
From this you can get a good idea of how frequently they cycle on their own, without your presence. Some areas of the sidewalk are going to have older streetlights that need replacing, so their cycling frequency will be higher. This explains why it's usually three or four lights that do it for you, and not different ones every time.
You've also got to decide at approximately what point you feel you can affect the lights. Take that distance and use that as your radius, notice all the lights within that radius you are not affecting.
Now make two or three trips, or ten trips, down that area of the sidewalk. Note if the pattern increases or not. You can do this over a long period of time, take a regular walk down the street for a month. It's healthy too! :)
You will not find a link, though, or an increase in frequency, that can't be explained by random chance. You're just seeing it happen and remembering it because it's interesting. You have an inquisitive mind, and that's great, but the human mind puts patterns to things that don't have patterns. Confirmation Bias.
Source(s):
Wish I could find a scientific study to prove/disprove, but there's nothing.
http://actionskeptics.blogspot.com/2008/04/paranormalists-are-running-out-o...
(use of foul language on this blog)
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I try my best.
I'm going to have to disagree - there is no research, only anecdotal evidence.