Richard Wiseman's Blog, page 65

Win a free signed copy of Rip It Up

Today sees the publication of my new book, Rip It Up.

The book describes how small changes in your behaviour have a surprisingly large effect on how you think and feel. It is against positive thinking and instead promotes a new concept that I have called ‘positive action’. The book is grounded in science, and reviews decades of research into a concept known as ‘embodied cognition’.

To celebrate the launch I thought it would be fun to hold a caption contest. The starting point for the book is a famous quote by the Victorian philosopher William James “You do not run from a bear because you are afraid of it, but rather become afraid of the bear because you run from it’.

So, here is a bear-based caption competition……take a look at this photograph:

Now feel free to post a caption. I will take a look at all the comments this time tomorrow, pick my favourite, and send a free signed copy of Rip It Up to the winner.

Don’t hold back – post your captions now!

Oh, and here is a little video explaining why the book is called Rip It Up

Impossible 3D illusions…..

Yesterday I wrote this Rip It Up article on mind control and why we should ban prayer in schools.  Hope that you enjoy it.

I also came across the remarkable work of Markus Raetz. He has created amazing 3D illusions like this one….

and this one….

Which one do you prefer?

Alien on a train!

@jbrownridge sends me lots of great images, and yesterday he brought my attention to this wonderful pareidolia of an alien on a train…..

Like it?

Answer to the Friday Puzzle…

Over the weekend The Observer carried the first article about Rip It Up. It reveals what the book is all about – Forget positive thinking. It’s time for positive action. You can read the article here.

So, on Friday I set this puzzle…..

A man is stranded on an island covered in woodland and surrounded by cliffs. One day disaster strikes and a fire starts on the west end of the island. The wind is blowing from the west and soon the whole island will be burned, killing everything in its path. The man cannot put out the fire, so how does he survive it?

If you have not tried to solve it, have a go now. For everyone else the answer is after the break.

He takes a piece of wood and lights it on the fire. He then returns to a point a few metres in from the east end of the island and starts a fire there. This new fire will burn across right to the east coast and the man can take shelter in the area it burns out. Simple as that!

Did you solve it? Any other solutions?

I have produced an ebook containing 101 of the previous Friday Puzzles! It is called PUZZLED and is available for the Kindle (UK here and USA here) and on the iBookstore (UK here in the USA here). You can try 101 of the puzzles for free here.

It’s the Friday Puzzle!

My new book, Rip It Up, is now available to pre-order on Amazon UK, and the book website is here.

So, to the puzzle…..

A man is stranded on an island covered in woodland and surrounded by cliffs. One day disaster strikes and a fire starts on the west end of the island. The wind is blowing from the west and soon the whole island will be burned, killing everything in its path. The man cannot put out the fire, so how does he survive it?

As ever, please do NOT post your answers, but do say if you think you have solved the puzzle and how long it took. Solution on Monday.

I have produced an ebook containing 101 of the previous Friday Puzzles! It is called PUZZLED and is available for the Kindle (UK here and USA here) and on the iBookstore (UK here in the USA here). You can try 101 of the puzzles for free here.

World’s best 3D art?

I am a big fan of 3D art, and a few days ago Chris L sent me one of the best examples I have ever seen…

Like it?

Big announcement – It’s time to RIP IT UP!

OK, here is today’s big announcement – drum roll – my new book, RIP IT UP – is now available to pre-order.  The book followings in the footsteps of 59 Seconds, and presents a completely new way of looking at the mind and change.  To celebrate the launch I have made this fun video…..

You can pre-order the book on Amazon UK, and the book site is here (lots more content to be added when we do the full launch next week).  I will give a special hug to everyone who helps spread the word, and a double hug to all those that pre-order.

Dare you take THE TEST

Over the weekend I created a new YouTube video… hope that you like it….

P.S. The scary version – with a loud scream at the end – is here. Have fun!