The flip-flop effect

This column – not for the first time – was inspired by a dream. I take note of them more than most, as regular readers will know. This one was weird, aiding ideas that I’ve been developing for years about the nature of the close encounter experience – a search for the ‘it’ that turns an anomalous observation into a lifelong memory that will shape how you personally view the Universe.

I will return to my dream, but first consider this 1933 photograph from Loch Ness in Scotland, one of many depicting the fabled monster snaking across the water. Now look at the second photo. It shows the hand of a man who had gone to sleep worrying about