It is now undeniably autumn. My summer swimming season has come to an end, and the trees here in southeastern New England are beginning to turn. Here is what has happened since my last missive.

My September column for Skeptical Inquirer covered recent, somewhat disturbing research showing that readers actually prefer fiction and poetry written by AI chatbots over works written by human beings—even by some of the best writers in the English language. If readers are told a work is written by AI, they report liking it less than works they are told are written by a chatbot. But it appears that, among other things, the robots have learned how to enchant us with their words.

Dr. Willoughby Britton

My October column, “Is Meditating Bad for You?” covers research showing some potential downsides of meditation. I was surprised to learn that, according to the available evidence, one in ten people who have tried meditation at some point in their life has had an unwanted experience that affected their daily functioning. As part of the column, I interviewed Dr. Willoughby Britton, who has done much of the research on the harmful effects of meditating and operates Cheetah House, a non-profit organization offering consultation and support for those suffering from the ill effects of meditation.

A note for locals. I will be giving a talk at the Norwich (CT) Arts Center, “The Wild World of 19th Century Spiritualism,” on Saturday, November 7 at 7:30 pm. You can find details here. Norwich was the home of Daniel Dunglas Home, who was a physical medium who claimed to be able to levitate, among other things. I will be appearing with researcher Doug Harlow in what should be a fun program.

Finally, I managed to get away for a brief vacation in Dublin—my first trip to the land of Yeats, Shaw, Wilde, and Heaney. Because I visited during the Dublin Theatre Festival, I saw seven plays in six days and visited several museums. I will leave you with a selfie of me in St Stephen’s Green near Trinity College next to a bust of one of my literary heroes.

All for now.

SV