Show Notes for TWS093: See The Reality Of This World With Your Own Inner Eyes
On the show this week:
- Believing is Seeing
- Wielding Power
- Everything is Wrong
- The Right Stuff is Wrong Too (EXTRAS)
This week’s Challenge Question:
Can “ufologist” or “ghost hunter” be considered legitimate professions — or only hobbies?
Leave your answer in the comments, send your email to weirdshow[[at]]gmail.com, record your message via the MobaTalk client on the right hand side of Encaffeinated!, leave an answer on Facebook or call in at 206-203-2292.
Full links to all stories covered and many more after the jump!
- Theme Song: Caffeine by Grubspoon from The Podsafe Music Network
- Responses
- Thanks to: no one.. 🙁
- Fuffy frog sent me a link to this article about a neat folding bicycle.
- Promo: The Adventures of Indiana Jim — Looking at geekery beneath the brim of a genuine Indy hat, Jim talks about geeky conventions and geeky things with geeky people. NSFW, but I think it’s funny and witty. Indiana Jim is also a frequent contributor to the Slice of Scifi‘s voice mail show.
- Believing is Seeing
- Britain is in the middle of a “UFO flap”, with sightings all over the country. But hey, I’m sure it’s just swamp gas.. Or is it a Monkey Man summer? – The UK Telegraph: British UFO sightings at ‘bizarre’ levels
- The article isn’t as definitive as the title, but at least some people are considering things and not rushing to conclusions… – Worcester News: Mystery lights aren’t lanterns, say experts
- I really should get a map.. – Coventry Telegraph: UFO spotted over Coventry
- Kinda disappointing when an astronomer loses vision about the possibilities of space, and begins to see it all as hopelessly overwhelmingly impossible.. – The Telegraph: Astronomer dismisses talk of aliens visiting Earth from outer space
- Apparently, it’s all in our collective heads, including the video recordings.. – The UK Times: UFOs: more madness and apocalyptic fears
- If nothing else, it’s a rash of great English town names. – The Flintshire Standard: Flintshire readers report more UFO sightings
- Technically, almost all UFOs are some sort of light, really.. – Get Reading: Mystery of Caversham “UFO” light
- An unusual case of man vs nature… er.. rather, “alien” vs nature. Or is this some sort of super anti-alien weapon? (Probably not.) – The Sun: Tornado put wind up ‘UFO’
- Sick kids or aliens? Sick alien kids? – Inexplicata: ARGENTINA: First Cattle Mutilation of 2008 in Buenos Aires
- The reason I don’t report individual sightings on the show is simply because the articles are either a) scant on details or b) have the same details. Individual sightings, of course, are highly variable. – Diss Express: More south Norfolk UFO sightings reported
- Not everything seen in the sky is necessarily unidentified, although it might still come up as a surprise. Maybe it’s a weapon? Watch for more! – Haaretz: Meteor sighting sparks UFO panic in Israel
- Once again, commercial interests muddy the waters.. Generally a pain, particularly when they are faking something that needs more genuine evidence. And remember folks: just because you can fake something (e.g. an orgasm) doesn’t mean that it never exists.. – Inexplicata/Planeta UFO: Spain: Crop Circle Was a Rum Ad
- Apparently, if you carefully examine historical references you can write a very snarky piece on how you managed to look left when all the UFO references were rght… – The UFO Iconolasts: Scouring History, Literature, Biography, etc. for UFOs: Nada
- Another form of bigfoot, or just a mistaken identity of an unshaven tourist? – Cryptomundo: Amomongo Hominoid Terrorizes Philippines
- Some parts of this wonderful article include the statement: “So far, no DNA has been analyzed, no skeletons have been found, and no live Bigfoots have been studied up close, said Terry Bowyer…” Which, of course, is not true. But it easy to dismiss things which aren’t obvious — easy and also unscientific. – The Mercury News/The Sentinel: Sasquatch sightings stir second Bigfoot seminar
- The CFZ’s trek through Russia finds them at something closer to a ghost haunting than a Bigfoot sighting.. Win-win situation, as far as I’m concerned! – CFZ: Day 13: The murder scene, a shadow in the night, the team split in two
- A single photo showing a vaguely humanoid-shaped furry beast. Really? Is this the state of the art? – Cryptomundo: New 2008 Bigfoot Photo?
- EXTRA: This is one of those cryptids I’ve heard about in the Maine/NB area for most of my life. – Cryptomundo: New Black Panther Sighting: Maine
- Are we witnessing the new migration of birds? – The UK Telegraph: Pacific birds take flight to Britain over the Polar ice cap meltdown
- EXTRA: I never realized blackbirds could mimic things. Or that they were jealous of an ambulance’s prowess.. – Ananova: Blackbird copies ambulance
- EXTRA: More from this wacky guy in Denver who also recently had aliens on tape. Of course, he’s echoing the former Canadian defense minister, who basically called for alien research as a solution for global warming. – Rocky Mountain News: Speaker will address alien energy theory
- EXTRA: … although I wonder how Denver has such an important part to play, all of a sudden… – The Denver Post: UFO expert urges Denver to open doors
- The UFOs are spreading…. – Famagusta Gazette: ‘UFO lights’ spotted above Cyprus – did you see them?
- An opposite view to we are all deluded: now we’re in denial. Sounds like a psychiatrist’s ad campaign. – The Daily Post: Public are in denial over UFOs, says investigator
- Some people never get tired of scanning the skies — which is really, really good. – KOMO News/The Daily World/AP: Retired meteorologist still scans skies – for UFOs
- Dirty lens or accidental UFO capture? – The News Guardian: UFO captured on camera in North Tyneside
- Who keeps letting all these balloons go, eh? Aliens, perhaps? 😉 – Inexplicata: Mexico: Santa Cecilia UFO was a Balloon
- “Embrace and extend” is not only the technique used by the clever (evil!) creationists to twist words to their favour; it’s also Microsoft’s way to subvert standards. So.. creationists are as bad as Microsoft. *burn!* – New Scientist: New legal threat to teaching evolution in the US
- A short article, but big in implication: do we really still associate sex and skulking around ruins as likely witchcraft? Really? – The UK Gazette: North Essex: Black magic in churchyard?
- It’s a pretty ugly face, like one of those badly-preserved mummies.. – Ananova: Face found in log
- EXTRA: I had tofu once. That may be why I forgot to mention this story… – BBC: Tofu ‘may raise risk of dementia’
- Granted, people have *also* died 36 days after a “standard” cure failed… – Adelaide Now/The Adelaide Advertiser: Woman dies 36 days after ‘bogus’ cure
- All you’ve got to say to yourself is: “I can’t afford the gas, I can’t afford the gas”… – Ananova: Pensioner had surgery under hypnosis
- Wielding Power
- While the title says “power”, the article only says “machines”. Still: the ultimate in “grow your own”. – Live Science: Breakthrough: Artificial DNA Could Power Future Computers
- Some people have waay too much free time.. Thank them for it! – Yahoo!/AFP: Japanese sailor first to cross Pacific in wave-powered boat
- See!? This is the kind of non-linear thinking which will actually address the energy issues.. – New Scientist: Organic dye lets window panes harvest the Sun
- Apparently much more controllable than actual moss or algae.. – New Scientist: Nanotubes bring artificial photosynthesis a step nearer
- EXTRA: If only we didn’t think that life was quite that precious — or had the ability to let go — people like this guy would have to really work for their money. – Yahoo!/Reuters: Court convicts man who says he can raise dead
- AKA Zamora The Torture King, he points out that points don’t always go in. – The Insider: Author Tim Cridland challenges what we “know”
- EXTRA: The signal-to-noise ratio starts to resemble your email inbox, I suspect. – Live Science: Brain ‘Noise’ Increases With Age
- EXTRA: I *think* so.. but who thinks that *I* think? – PhysOrg: Do we think that machines can think?
- EXTRA: A press release about a study that so many people will disbelieve, it will likely sour all the results.. – Entangled Minds Blog/EXPLORE: Compassionate Intention paper published
- EXTRA: When your eyes start to watch you, things are definitely getting.. interesting.. – New Scientist: Smart contact lens feels the pressure of glaucoma
- EXTRA: Another successful borg implant! – New Scientist: Brain implant helps stroke victim speak again
- EXTRA: It’s probably more “squeals of icy pleasure” than a love song, really.. I mean, they are always giving each other the cold shoulder. – New Scientist: Embracing icebergs sing eerie duets
- EXTRA: Strains of life, forever trapped not in ice, but in “ice”.. – BBC: Diamonds hint at ‘earliest life’
- EXTRA: Can you have a favourite when you have 8 hands? And if we had 8 hands, how would we refer to them? I mean, “left” and “right” aren’t going to be sufficient. Would each one have a different name? – The Independent/Reuters: Do octopuses have a favourite tentacle?
- EXTRA: If you really do have an ability, always embrace it. If you don’t really have an ability, embrace your psychiarist.. – The Commercial-News: Teen now embraces his psyhic gift
- EXTRA: The Winchester Mystery House in San Jose. I went there. It was truly mysterious. I want to go back. – The McDowell News: Mike Conley’s Tales of the Weird: Mystery House built just for spirits
- EXTRA: Ghost hunters using state of the art technology… like an electromagntic field sensor. What? No proton pack? – Inside BayArea.com/The Oakland Tribune/Tri-Valley Herald: Turning technology loose on the phantoms of the Inn
- Everything is Wrong
- Uh.. wait.. Oops. “Clear skies at morning, hemisphere gets warming..” – New Scientist: Cleaner skies explain surprise rate of warming
- EXTRA: Are there any secrets that can still be derived from very old standing stones? Are the stars still in their proper places? – BBC: Uncovering stone circle’s secrets
- EXTRA: Whew.. at least the one in the *movie* was real… To me, personally, they are fascinating artifacts, but once again the presence of some fakes does not necessarily mean that they are all fakes, merely that the verifiers might need to be fired (if they are still alive). Even then, I worry about “false negatives”, declarations of fakery on scant evidence. – Yahoo!/AFP: Art of deception: Crystal skulls in British, US museums were fakes
- EXTRA: Is this the only case of the Romulus and Remus suckling a pig in art? Is the legend now questionable even further? – BBC: Famed Roman statue ‘not ancient’
- EXTRA: An asteroid big enough to have its own moon? Amazing! … and maybe not entirely uncommon. – New Scientist: Solar-powered asteroids make their own moons
- EXTRA: First Mars, now the Moon. Maybe there is water everywhere after all. – New Scientist: Now the Moon reveals its water
- EXTRA: The Drake equation just got another kick in the factors.. – New Scientist: Hot super-Earths could host life after all
- EXTRA: I always knew that dogs were evil — weiner dogs are just *more* evil… – Yahoo!/AP: Miniature dachshund gnaws off diabetic owner’s toe
- I think I heard this guy. From Canada. He said “Hi”. – Ananova: Loudest man in China promotes Olympics
- The one person on this Earth who will never need an enema. – Ananova: Mr Methane to blow away audiences
- EXTRA: Uh.. sometimes it’s ok just to walk away.. – Ananova: Woman calls police on chatty pal
- EXTRA: It’s quite an epic feat, and it’s the most the church will ever likely move for progress.. – Ananova: Builders to move cathedral
- This is a lot like having a no-handed typist. Well, except that it is impossible. – Ananova: Air traffic controller ad – in Braille
- “And *poof!* she disappeared in a puff of logic.” – Ananova: Girl told she ‘doesn’t exist’
- Sometimes, fiction truly is fiction — although they should probably have thought of that.. – Ananova: Fans try to ring Dr Who
- EXTRA: I wonder if he exists either… – The Sentinel: Hidden Immigrant Found After Cannabis Drug Raid
- I always thought tourism was a bit of a shady industry. – Ananova: Bandits to turn tour guides
- EXTRA: “And this goes to show, young child, why you should never trust *anyone*.” – Ananova: Thieves posed as firemen
- It sounds like a joke, but really, it’s not.. – New Scientist: Referees award more points when they see red
- EXTRA: Propoganda only goes so far before you start to wonder if there is some truth to it. – Yahoo!/TIME: Most Obnoxious Tourists? The French
- EXTRA: Finally, rugby with more scoring. – BBC: Porn appears on rugby programme
- EXTRA: They’ve never met the computers that I’ve known. – PhysOrg: Why musicians make us weep and computers don’t
- The Right Stuff is Wrong Too (EXTRAS)
- EXTRA: Ok, so there were two planes and three towers, right? Did the 3rd one burn down or not? – BBC: 9/11 third tower mystery ‘solved’
- EXTRA: Oh, great.. now everybody will have gunky screens.. Ewwwwww… – New Scientist: Sneeze-sensing software gives avatars a good laugh
- EXTRA: A more in-depth description of the Fuwa mentioned last week — although the author definitely has a spiritual ax to grind. – The Paranormal Pastor: The Curse of the Beijing Olympics
- EXTRA: Take the carrots off the menu, too. Their screams are too much to take. – Ananova: Dog meat off the menu for Olympics
- EXTRA: It’s no fun being the only lobster *not* chosen by a restaurant. I mean, do you start to think “What’s wrong with me?” and “Am I not appetizing enough?” and “Eat me! Eeeaaat meeeee!”.. – Sydney Morning Herald: Lucky the lobster’s takeaway to life
- EXTRA: Remember: “calculus” really means understanding changing rates of change; the worms aren’t going to be passing Calculus 101 any time soon. – ScienceDaily: Worms Do Calculus To Find Meals Or Avoid Unpleasantness
- EXTRA: One of these kittehs is not like the other.. – Discovery/AP: House Cat Adopts Panda Cub
- Wow.. he’s actually a Darwin Awards *loser*.. – CN/AP: Lawn-chair balloonist flies from Oregon to Idaho
- EXTRA: Yeah, those pesky kids, getting into something they shouldn’t.. Oh, wait: the mayor was with them. – CNN/AP: Eight dead as canoeists sucked into turbines
- EXTRA: If the Devil did exist, he’d set up a soul exchange.. – Stuff: Soul for sale on TradeMe
- EXTRA: Yep, a marketing stunt. To sell a *car*. Lame! – The UK Telegraph: ‘Faceless people’ revealed as marketing stunt for new Lotus Eagle
- EXTRA: Grannies are actually just regular people, only with more years of rage built in. – Ananova: Grans hooked on virtual boxing
- EXTRA: See? Grannies are just blue-haired balls of misery and vexation. – Ananova: Battling grans dragged apart in shop
- EXTRA: Now *this* is a better outlet for their anger.. Or is it? – Ananova: Gran turns cats into hats
- EXTRA: Not quite the padding most bras have.. although from the size, she doesn’t need the padding. – The UK Telegraph: Teenager finds baby bat in her bra
- EXTRA: What is with the rash of bats in undies? Do we have some sort of vampire crisis to worry about? – The UK Press and Journal: Bat’s wardrobe error leads to a day at the office
- EXTRA: Some records should only represent true accidental achievements rather than intentional creepiness.. – Ananova: Socks-obsessed schoolboys
- EXTRA: Unlike most 2-headed creatures, this one seems to be relatively stable. – BBC: Mystery of ‘two-headed pheasant’
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