In the first half, astrophysicist Bernard Haisch and author Marsha Sims discussed their new work that explores the unique properties of our universe and how it could be thought of as a cosmic simulation brought together by the vast form of consciousness known as God. "We're not just biological machines," explained Sims, "but we are conscious immortal beings who co-create a virtual reality together with the great cosmic consciousness." Our consciousness is literally a piece of God, she added. God experiences himself only through creatures like us, doing the observing, as though we are his eyes and ears, Haisch remarked.
Haisch has been particularly impressed by people's near-death experiences, which he thinks opens the door to the afterlife, as well as accounts of past lives. The two said they don't ascribe to the notion of Hell as an eternal place of fire and brimstone. Rather, they believe individuals that have transgressed are eventually able to work off their negative karma. Sims described the zero point energy field as underlying the entire universe, being composed of every frequency and wavelength. ZPE provides an infinite source of energy that could be tapped by humanity, she continued. Sims and Haisch are involved with the company Jovion, which seeks to develop pollution-free power sources using the Casimir-Lamb Shift that works with the quantum vacuum zero-point field.
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In the latter half, writer, producer, and director Mark Zicree spoke about the entertainment industry, his "Space Command" movie series, and his Twilight Zone research. Addressing the recently resolved writer's strike, he found it interesting that one of the issues concerned AI being used to create movies and TV scripts. Long a concept explored in science-fiction, Rod Serling had written Twilight Zone scripts many years ago about robots or computers taking over, Zicree noted. Back in the day, if you wanted to reach a mass audience with TV or film, you had to go through the big networks or studios, but now we're in a totally different world-- via the Internet, we have such outlets as YouTube and crowdfunding on Kickstarter. Zicree said that with this model, his individual investors fund his Space Command show, and he much prefers this method of creation.
Many of the episodes of Twilight Zone were real jewels that looked deeply into the human heart, Zicree remarked, adding that Serling wrote 92 of the 156 programs that aired over a five-year period. Serling had said that the key to writing some of his stories was knowing the ending in advance. Initially, the TV network was considering a different host for the program, and wanted Orson Welles, but he was too expensive. The pilot was shot with Westbrook Van Voorhis serving as the narrator, who didn't work out, and it was then that Serling suggested himself, which initially the network didn't take seriously, Zicree recounted. During the last hour, callers shared some of their favorite Twilight Zone episodes, and Zicree offered commentary on them.
News segment guests: Lauren Weinstein, Steve Kates