The only mystery is why people go there.

We know a lot of people don't understand what the word 'theory' means in a scientific context, but it seems that scientific 'laws' are also confusing to road travelers. Scientific Laws are things that ALWAYS apply! No exceptions damnit. If somehow you were able to demonstrate something that contravened Newton's Law of Universal Gravitation it would no longer be a law and you would earn the Nobel Prize. Einstein managed to add to it with his general theory of relativity but the law still holds up. Somebody could disprove the law any day but I strongly doubt that it's going to be some carny at a tourist attraction called "The Mystery Vortex"conveniently located just a few miles off the Interstate.

There are at least a dozen of these tourist traps around the country. They feature a building that is built on a slope or tilted, preferable in an area where a land shift has also tilted the trees to help out the effect. James Randi explains the whole thing quite well here. Yes, it is a really cool optical illusion. We love optical illusions! If these places marketed themselves as cool optical illusions we would be the first in line. Instead they claim they are "Gravitational Anomalies" that teams of scientists and surveyors were stunned by when they first stumbled upon them a century ago, or maybe they throw in "former UFO landing site" for extra fun! Obviously honesty doesn't pay when you are trying to separate tourists from their money. How does knowing the truth that it is an optical illusion spoil things?

It is also interesting that there aren't as many as there were in the past. The Haunted Shack at Knott's Berry Farm closed down in 2000. I suppose the vortex powers cease working when the dollars stop flowing. Weren't the folks at Knott's worried when they built a new thrill ride on a location that defied physics? No thought for the safety of the guests!

To those of you who say it is all a bit of harmless fun, well in this case you are probably right. My guess is that more than half of their business comes from rabble-rousers who want to 'disprove the place' to show off how smart they are. If you do want to visit one of these spots and give these hucksters your hard-earned money, and you own an iPhone or iPod touch, download one of those free cool Level apps that use the motion sensor and test out the angle of things yourself.

If I ran the place I would bark out a spiel that focuses on how important the scientific method is because humans can't trust their own senses. I know I could come up with just as captivating a presentation without having to resort to any woowoo. On our road trip we don't have time to stop for any BS. It would be nice if we had more time to stop at science museums and observatories but if we can we will try to get a few in. The real world is so much more fascinating than any nonsense that us humans can dream up.