A collection of riddles that will tie your mind in knots.

Is everything connected? Can we sense what's happening to loved ones thousands of miles away? Why are we sometimes certain of a caller's identity the instant the phone rings? Do intuitive hunches contain information about future events? Is it possible to perceive without the use of the ordinary senses? Many people believe that "psychic phenomena" are rare talents or divine gifts. Others don't believe they exist at all. But the latest scientific research shows that these phenomena are both real and widespread, and are an unavoidable consequence of the interconnected, entangled physical reality we live in. Albert Einstein called entanglement "spooky action at a distance"—the way two objects remain connected through time and space, without communicating in any conventional way, long after their initial interaction has taken place. Could a similar entanglement of minds explain our apparent psychic abilities? Dean Radin, senior scientist at the Institute of Noetic Sciences, believes it might. In this illuminating book, Radin shows how we know that psychic phenomena such as telepathy, clairvoyance, and psychokinesis are real, based on scientific evidence from thousands of controlled lab tests. Radin surveys the origins of this research and explores, among many topics, the collective premonitions of 9/11. He reveals the physical reality behind our uncanny telepathic experiences and intuitive hunches, and he debunks the skeptical myths surrounding them. Entangled Minds sets the stage for a rational, scientific understanding of psychic experience.

“Mr. Petit is the perfect teacher” in this fascinating, educational volume on knot-tying—an art and science that has held civilization together (The Wall Street Journal). Philippe Petit is known for his astounding feat of daring when, on August 7, 1974, he stepped out on a wire illegally rigged between the World Trade Center’s twin towers in New York City. But beyond his balance, courage, and showmanship, there was one thing Petit had to be absolutely certain of—his knots. Without the confidence that his knots would hold, he never would have left the ground. In fact, while most of us don’t think about them beyond tying our shoelaces, the humble knot is crucial in countless contexts, from sailing to sports to industrial safety to art, agriculture, and more. In this truly unique book, Petit offers a guide to tying over sixty of his essential knots, with practical sketches illustrating his methods and clear tying instructions. Filled with photos in which special knots were used during spectacular high-wire walks, quirky knot trivia, personal anecdotes, helpful tips, magic tricks, and special tying challenges, Why Knot? will entertain and educate readers of all ages. “In reading Philippe’s book we are cogently reminded that without the ability to secure a rope, or tether a goat, or make fast the sheets of a galley, much of the civilization that we take for granted would disappear as easily as a slipknot in the hands of a Vegas conjuror.” —Sting, musician and activist “His descriptions are clear, he deploys humor frequently and he makes his points with anecdotes that are colorful and memorable. Explaining the purpose and creation of knots and thanks to those flawless drawings Mr. Petit earns perfect marks.” —The Wall Street Journal

Celtic knots have been around for centuries, but they've been seldom used in any medium besides illuminated manuscripts. This book seeks to remedy that by presenting various applications of this fascinating motif, including a description of the designing process, a flip art series, and selections of literature with Celtic knot illustrations.

Reading Minds is a practical guide to the cognitive science revolution. With fascinating descriptions of studies of the mind, from the brain scans of lovers and liars in London to the eye movements of babies in Budapest, this book takes the reader into the laboratories of the most innovative psychological researchers around the world. Using anecdotes from everyday life and his clinical practice, renowned psychotherapist and academic the author shows how to use the insights of science to better understand and relate to others.

KNOTS is the third novel in the award-winning Justin Barnes series. Down-and-out insurance salesman, Kalvin Matheson, enamored with two notorious serial killers, strives to surpass their deeds. Justin Barnes, Suffolk County Long Island Homicide's covert operative, is called upon to untangle the web of clues left by this extraordinary murderer. Justin Barnes is back to solve yet another series of vicious murders in which the victims are tied with intricate knots. Kalvin Matheson is enamored by the deadly acts of Malcolm Columba and Clarence Emery--his two dearly departed serial killer "pals" killed by Justin--and embarks on a single-minded mission to follow in his heroes' footsteps and surpass their diabolical acts. It is Matheson's intent to be cloned along with his identical dead twin brother, Alvin, via the advancements in groundbreaking technology immixed dubious promises made by both Reality and Clonite, two connected institutions. Whereas the Reality Movement borders on the lunatic fringe, Clonite is a well-respected company, immersed in mainstream science. Now that Clonite has supposedly cloned the first human being, Reality is taking on a new dimension--one of unparalleled proportion. Police authorities have every reason to believe that both Malcolm Columba and Clarence Emery were deeply involved with the two groups, giving homicide detectives a possible lead to their serial killer's identity. However, Reality's member list is kept as secret as Clonite's laboratories and client list. Now that Clonite is on the brink of success, the one-time, up-front fee is one million dollars for the promise of "everlasting life," though one must patiently wait for technology to become available and the procedure perfected. However, the pot is proverbially sweetened for Matheson by Bishop John of the Reality church. The bishop offers Kalvin two clones for the price of one. Consequently, bodies suddenly expire like a two-for-one-sale--involving insurance schemes perpetrated by out-of-work Matheson in an attempt to raise one million dollars. Justin Barnes, along with Team Three detectives, must locate and surreptitiously weed through both organizations' lists in the hope of discovering the killer. As Kalvin murders for money and, just as importantly, the thrill, Justin Barnes and Team Three's homicide squad follow clues that lead them down a primrose path to the penultimate hour they arrest their prime suspect.

The mind is made / of pleasures and / uncertainty, inviting / as it yearns to be both / puzzle and adversity Full of philosophical digressions, questions, and answers, Knots forms a series of cyclical narrations, a kind of verbal asymmetry or mathematician’s knot, continuously mirroring its ideas and subject matter in a play of language and contrasting points of view. "Flight of the Mind & Measure of the Stars" sets an itinerary and series of proposed directions for the book, its poems introducing the mind in action, laying down themes of art and memory, reason and belief, intimacy and desire. The final sections are composed of verses that can also be read as parts of two longer, interconnected poems. "The Occupied Mind" enticingly pulls us deeper into philosophical questions and answers about the needs of the mind and the ambiguities of love. The central conceit of "Minutes" offers sixty meditations that are both a measure of time and testimony, as well as a witnessing and confession of what takes place within a changing relationship. Confronting the riddles and dualities of mind and heart, Knots provokes a layered interplay of reason, paradox, code, and cipher from our daily thinking and feeling. Actively engaging with the spoken strategies of thought, the nature of art, and our always unpredictable, evolving experience of love, we quickly discover the mind and heart are rarely what we expect.