Show Notes for TWS095: Never Take A Vacation, Never Turn Your Back On The Weird
So, I take a little time away, and the world goes nuts.. Woo hoo! 🙂
On the show this week:
- The Montauk Monster
- Bigfeet
- Dr. Ed Michell
- Minor Spectacularities
- EXTRA: Appendage Anomolies Got Cut
- 90% fits in 10% (EXTRAS)
This week’s Challenge Question:
We are more connected as humans than ever more — but are those connections stronger or weaker? Are we better connected, but the connections are less meaningful?
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: Bruce
- Promo: Geek Survival Guide — A fun, short podcast about how all the world’s truly dire predicaments can be handled — if you’re a geek.
- Promo: Double Trouble — Philippa Ballantine and Tee Morris have released their new sequel novels (“Digital Magic” and “Billibub Baddings and The Case of the Pitcher’s Pendant”, respectively) on the same day — and have teamed up to let people know about it. Worth checking out, I say!
- The Montauk Monster
- The initial report on Gawker, which seems to have started the craze. – Gawker: (O) Dead Monster Washes Ashore in Montauk
- The story picked up steam when someone claimed to have seen the creature — and the cries of “marketing!” began. – Gawker: (O) Montauk Monster Madness Spreads
- Mockery is the sincerest form of… mockery.. – Gawker: (O) Fox News Discredits Itself With Wildly Incorrect “It’s Not a Monster” Reportage
- Finally, the peopel who took the photo emerge, to take the limelight. – Newsday: ‘Montauk Monster’ witnesses emerge
- … And then there was more marketing, this time with famed cryptozoologist Loren Coleman surprisingly attached. – Cryptomundo: (O) Bounty For Montauk Monster
- I feel vindicated: apparently, the essence of reporting is quoting other people. Still, a nice summary. – National Post: (O) Sea monster washes up on Gawker (updated)
- And finally, analysis! Forgetomori gives it the once over. – forgetomori: (O) The Montauk Monster
- And, the end of the story, really. Loren carries a few more pics and discusses the interplay between media, marketing and mysteries. – Cryptomundo: (O) New Montauk Monster Pic and Cryptid Marketing
- Bigfeet
- – The Sault Star: Is legendary Bigfoot in Kenora? — SEE FOOTPRINT
- – Cryptomundo: (O) New Ontario Sasquatch Track Find
- – Canada.com/Canwest News Service: (O) Six-toed ‘Sasquatch’ sighting in northern Ont.
- – Missoulian: (O) Gray wolf killed on road, Sasquatch allegedly seen near Alberton
- – Cryptomundo: (O) Bigfoot Body “Accidentally Found”
- – Fayette Daily News: (O) Has a real Bigfoot finally been caught?
- – Associated Content: (O) Bigfoot Killed, Kept Frozen; Police Officer Claims
- – The UK Sun: ‘Leprechaun-alien’ snapped
- – Yahoo!/Reuters: (O) Rare new Tanzania monkey “at risk of extinction”
- – BBC: Primates ‘face extinction crisis’
- – CNN: More than 100,000 rare gorillas found in Congo
- – BBC: (O) Scientists to test ‘yeti hairs’
- – The Daily Mail: (O) ‘Yeti hairs’ examined
- EXTRA: – stuff/The Dominion Post/NZPA: (O) Sir Ed helps close net on elusive yeti
- EXTRA: – Yahoo!/AP: Ancient moss, insects found in Antarctica
- EXTRA: Insert your own joke about “beating the bishop” or “dwarf-smacking” here.. – KOAT/ABC: Did ‘Masked Little People’ Attack Bishop?
- EXTRA: – The UK Daily Mail: (O) Dogs of war: SAS trains canines to parachute into enemy territory to help fight insurgents
- EXTRA: – Ananova: (O) Piglet with monkey’s face
- EXTRA: – The Register: (O) Orangutans concoct plant-based soothing balm
- EXTRA: – CBC: (O) Berry-pickers report sasquatch sighting in northern Ontario
- EXTRA: – National Geographic: (O) Boozing Mammal Drinks “Beer” Every Night, Study Finds
- EXTRA: – The Victoria Times Colonist: (O) Whatever happened to old Caddy? ‘Search ongoing’ but Cadboro Bay sea monster last spotted years ago
- EXTRA: – ScienceDaily: (O) New Species Of Predatory Bagworm From Panama’s Tropical Forest
- EXTRA: – Canwest News Service: (O) B.C.’s Ogopogo sighted
- EXTRA: – The Border Watch: (O) Expert confirms big cat reports
- EXTRA: – MSNBC/The Today Show: Holy cow! Rare red bovine sold for $1 million
- Dr. Ed Michell
- “We” may not be, but it looks like Dr. Mitchell may be.. – News.com.au/The Herald Sun: (O) We are not alone, claims NASA astronaut Edgar Mitchell
- Or at least: “… is interviewed again and asked direct questions, rather than misquoted”. – UFO Digest/BlogTalkRadio: (O) Dr. Edgar Mitchell Sets Record Straight
- At least someone actually thinks a bit before retorting.. – ABC Australia: Astronaut’s alien claims fall short, says UFO researcher
- Do we trust these people? You know, the ones with the most far-out jobs? (If not, why did we send them up to begin with?) – Frank Warren’s NAM ET IPSA SCIENTIA POTESTAS EST: Astronauts as UFO Witnesses
- Technically, yes: everyone changes from profound experiences. If they do not, *then* you should worry. Although this is a bit more than just that.. – ABC: Do Astronauts Change After Going Into Space?
- The Bad Astronomer does some Bad Analysis, which basically boils down to “I don’t want to attack his story, so I’ll just attack his character instead.” Ya know, just because you are an excellent astronomer trying to dispell myths about astronomy doesn’t make you always right, either. – Discovery/Bad Astronomy: (O) Ed Mitchell: Going to the Moon doesn’t mean you’re right
- It’s not that he “didn’t find evidence”, it’s that he didn’t *try*. Maybe he was told to not try.. – The International Herald Tribune: Admiral: Never looked for UFO data
- EXTRA: We should all just calm down and get back to denial and ignorance, I guess.. – Space.com/SETI: UFOs: Flying Emotions
- EXTRA: Officially, the FBI does not have X-Files. And neither does the CIA. But they have these *other* files.. – American Chronicle: (O) CIA X-files Support Astronaut Edgar Mitchell UFO Tale
- EXTRA: A bit more on the STARpod investigations. – American Chronicle: (O) STARpod.org Reveals Real-life Government X-files
- Gary Mackinnon hacked NASA looking for UFO evidence. Now that he’s being exradited from the UK to face trumped-up charges in the States, I hope that his lawyers will at least be able to present what he found.. If it’s good enough, maybe there will even be some sort of “whistle-blower” statute.. If he doesn’t get sent directly to Guantanamo, that is.. – The Herald Tribune: A natural for Court TV
- I remember when this was announced; I’m glad he made it to graduation! Now, to plan my move to Australia.. – Canberra Times: A degree in strange flying objects alien no longer
- EXTRA: There are now a lot of people releasing candles on balloons, and I suspect we have to wait until these “UFO spammers” die down before we can really trust any more massive sightings.. – BBC: Police flooded with UFO sightings
- EXTRA: Another article on the balloon sightings, noting its proximity to the UFO capital, Bonnybridge. Deflecting disbelievers to a more credible location, or casting aspertions on the Bonnybridge sightings? – The UK Daily Record: Police swamped by wave of UFO sightings
- EXTRA: A typical reporting of a crop circle, which is to say, short on details, but at least it isn’t riddled with the common scorn.. – Grand Forks Herald: (O) Mysterious crop circles materialize near northwestern Minnesota town
- EXTRA: Uh, they mean a “flying sperm”. Uh, a plane. – Northern Territory News: (O) Is it a UFO or a Yak
- EXTRA: A UFO convention gets mocked for its sincerity by someone who has none. – San Francisco Chronicle: (O) They really, really want to believe in UFOs
- EXTRA: A poll suggests that UFO belief is prevalent. Although with all the mockery, one might be suspicious of this.. – The UK Sun: (O) UFOs: We believe
- EXTRA: Cattle mutilation is often (but not always) associated with alien activity. I don’t know what it is, but it deserves close scrutiny. – Inexplicata: (O) Argentina: Mutilations in Rosario del Tala
- EXTRA: The remnants of an exploded star hang like green mist in the sky. – Yahoo!/Reuters: Amateur astronomer spies gassy “cosmic ghost”
- Minor Spectacularities
- – New Scientist: (O) Phoenix Mars lander ‘tastes’ first sample of water ice
- – Wired: NASA: Mars Soil Could Support Extreme Life Forms, Maybe
- – National Geographic: (O) Mars Was Warm, Wet, May Have Hosted Life, Study Says
- – Yahoo!/AP: (O) NASA says liquid confirmed on Saturn’s moon Titan
- – BBC: (O) Life from Venus blown to Earth?
- – New Scientist: (O) Nations sign landmark lunar exploration agreement
- EXTRA: – New Scientist: Solar systems like ours may be rare
- EXTRA: Own your own universe! Or give one away! – Your Universe: (O) The Ultimate Low Cost Customized Gift
- – EE Times: MIT claims 24/7 solar power
- – New Scientist: (O) Electrode lights the way to artificial photosynthesis
- EXTRA: – ScienceDaily: (O) Researchers Discover New States Of Electrons That Behave Like Light
- – New Scientist: World’s most powerful accelerator set to switch on
- EXTRA: – New Scientist: Bottle-brush robot goes where ‘pigs’ can’t reach
- EXTRA: – New Scientist: Five scientific discoveries that got the wrong name
- EXTRA: – New Scientist: Gyroscopic space robot avoids negative reactions
- – Ananova: Medieval marvel solves heating crisis
- – The New York Times: (O) Discovering How Greeks Computed in 100 B.C.
- – CNET’s crave blog: (O) Ancient astronomical calculator had Olympic run
- – The International Herald Tribune/AP: (O) Inventor says jet packs ready to take off
- – BBC: A quick fix for global warming
- – The Scotsman: Last Ice Age happened in less than year say scientists
- – LA Times: Ventura County hot spot puzzles experts
- EXTRA: – The News and Observer/AP: (O) Groups to pray for lower prices at gas stations
- EXTRA: – CNN/AP: (O) Sunscreen for crops
- EXTRA: – The UK Telegraph: (O) Nasa is out of line on global warming
- – Canada.com/National Post: (O) Reality bites: Patients believe their lives are on TV: MDs
- – Yahoo!: (O) Wasting time online? You might be mentally ill
- EXTRA: – MarketWatch: (O) Dallas Psychiatrist’s Paranormal Abilities to Be Tested by Noted Debunker James Randi
- – CTV: ‘Six degrees of separation’ not far off: study
- EXTRA: Appendage Anomolies Got Cut
- EXTRA: – MSNBC: Surgeons transplant two arms onto farmer
- EXTRA: – UK Telegraph: Man ‘proud’ of his 12 fingers and 14 toes
- EXTRA: – Yahoo!/Reuters: Dying for a salad? Try a dash of this…
- EXTRA: – The UK Daily Mail: Depressed Unilever director tried to cut his head off with a chainsaw
- EXTRA: – CNN/AP: Man who beheaded bus seat mate defiled body, police tape says
- EXTRA: – CBC: (O) 40-year-old suspect held in gruesome Manitoba bus killing
- EXTRA: – BBC: Santorini ‘butcher’ gravely ill
- EXTRA: – Yahoo!/AP: Killer gets life sentence plus pizza in plea deal
- EXTRA: – KOMO/Peninsula Daily News: New mystery foot found on Wash. state shoreline
- EXTRA: – CNN/AP: (O) Mystery foot was depressed man’s, police say
- EXTRA: – Komo News: (O) Wash. state link to Canada’s mystery feet?
- EXTRA: – BBC: Man lay dead in bed for two years
- EXTRA: – Ananova: Dead angler becomes fish food
- 90% fits in 10% (EXTRAS)
- EXTRA: “Now that you’ve pardoned us, how about giving everything else back, mkay?” – The Register: Knights Templar to Vatican: Give us back our assets
- EXTRA: At least I admit that *my* grasp on history is weak — apparently, history itself is full of holes.. – Stuff/NZPA: Mystery European died in NZ long before white settlers
- EXTRA: Does it really say anything bad about your ancestors to say that they were resourceful and accepted harsh realities rather than standing on superstition? — Well, yeah, I suppose if they ate people.. Maybe.. – Stuff/NZPA: Tales of Maori cannibalism told in new book
- EXTRA: “Take your zilly Ztonehenge avay! Ve will find our own!”* (* With apologies to, well, everyone for that accent.) – MSNBC/Reuters: German scientists dig for their own Stonehenge
- EXTRA: I’m pretty sure you can stand just about anywhere in London and declare: “Something important happened *right* here!” – Yahoo!/AP: Possible Shakespearean theater found in London
- EXTRA: Pennies do not fall from heaven. They can, however, find coins buried underground.. – WOAI/AP: (O) Coin cache found in Amarillo backyard
- EXTRA: Ok, that’s it — I’m going to start digging. I’m bound to find *something* apparently.. – Yahoo!/AP: (O) Buried loot a mystery for authorities
- EXTRA: This was featured on the very first episode of Arthur C. Clarke’s Mysterious Universe. Nice to see it’s still a mystery, in a way.. – The Daily Ancient: (O) The Mysterious Stone Balls of Costa Rica
- EXTRA: Apparently, *everything* was found or invented by the Chinese in antiquity. (Just don’t tell the Scots..) – Yahoo!/Reuters: (O) Columbus debunker sets sights on Leonardo da Vinci
- EXTRA: – The Universe Today: (O) Project Lucifer: Will Cassini Turn Saturn into a Second Sun? (Part 1)
- EXTRA: – Canada.com/Victoria Times Colonist: (O) Prophets of doom always with us
- EXTRA: – New Scientist: (O) New cash to tackle smoking in developing world
- EXTRA: – The UK Gazette Live: Ex-spy claims to be “new Messiah”
- EXTRA: – Ananova: Sun worshippers saved by bouncy church
- EXTRA: – The Globe and Mail: (O) Real ghost hunting – not that fake stuff on TV
- EXTRA: – Haunted America Tours: (O) Gins Lanier’s 10 useful tips and tricks to becoming a better Ghost Hunter
- EXTRA: – The Colorado Springs Gazette: (O) Chasing shadows
- EXTRA: – Science Daily: Survival Of The Fittest: Even Cancer Cells Follow The Laws Of Evolution
- EXTRA: – New Scientist: (O) Smart shoe keeps you on your toes
- EXTRA: – Yahoo!/AP: Booger is back: Woman receives 5 cloned puppies
- EXTRA: – Ananova: Dogs can ‘catch’ yawns too
- EXTRA: – The UK Daily Mail: The student, 20, who collapses every time she giggles because of rare muscle condition
- EXTRA: – ScienceDaily: (O) What Do Squid Hear? Scientists Learn How Sensitive The Translucent Animals Are To Noise
- EXTRA: – Scientific American: Seeing is Hearing: New Type of Synesthesia Discovered
- EXTRA: – New Scientist: Artificial eyeball does away with distorted images
- EXTRA: – New Scientist: Male dominance is no guarantee of genetic success
- EXTRA: – New Scientist: Folklore gets it wrong on love matches
- EXTRA: – New Scientist: First ‘virophage’ could take the fight to viruses
- EXTRA: – Ananova: ‘Sleep can aid weight’
- EXTRA: – Science Daily: (O) From Humming Fish To Puccini: Vocal Communication Evolved With Ancient Species
- EXTRA: – Science Daily: (O) Scientists Create Touch-based Illusion: Mind Trick Yields New Insights On Perception
- EXTRA: – Daily Texan: (O) 600 evacuated from Towers
- EXTRA: – ScienceDaily: (O) Diamonds May Have Been Life’s Best Friend On Primordial Earth
- EXTRA: – Philly.com/AP: (O) Woman, 44, gives birth to her 18th child in Canada
- EXTRA: – ScienceDaily: (O) Did Dinosaur Soft Tissues Still Survive? New Research Challenges Notion
- EXTRA: – LiveNews Australia: Chinese restaurant takes the cake for naming error
- EXTRA: – Ananova: Banana and peach surprise on menu
- EXTRA: – Ananova: Married on a wing and a prayer
- EXTRA: – Ananova: The L23,000 oil change
- EXTRA: – Science Daily: Spanish Bank Notes Contain Highest Traces Of Cocaine Of Any European Currency
- EXTRA: – Ananova: Woman arrested over lasagne attack
- EXTRA: – Ananova: Randy badger sparks police manhunt
- EXTRA: – Ananova: Bullet-proof bras for German police
- EXTRA: – BBC: (O) Dog in court for breaching peace
- EXTRA: – New Scientist: (O) Pollen-coated bullet could make its mark on criminals
- EXTRA: – Cabinet of Wonders: Wisemanism
- EXTRA: – New Scientist: GPS cellphones to unleash gamers onto the streets
- EXTRA: – Ananova: Graduate shuns L100k a year job
- EXTRA: – Ananova: Cows get VIP treatment
- EXTRA: – Ananova: Foot spas get the boot
- EXTRA: – BBC: (O) Bed tester’s bottom ‘worth L1m’
- EXTRA: – Reuters: (O) Celebrating the navel in Japan’s “belly button”
- EXTRA: – Canoe/CNEWS/AP: (O) ‘Energy boosting’ eel drink on sale in Japan
- EXTRA: – LJWorld: (O) Letter from the 1940s lands in local mailbox — 60 years after sent
- EXTRA: – The UK Daily Mail: (O) Fancy a pint in the world’s only bar that’s INSIDE a tree?
- EXTRA: – Yahoo!/AP: (O) Labrador ‘runs’ for mayor of Fairhope, Alabama
- EXTRA: – Yahoo!/LiveScience: (O) Portrait of Woman Revealed Beneath Van Gogh Painting
- EXTRA: – Yahoo!/Reuters: (O) World’s oldest joke traced back to 1900 BC
- EXTRA: – Wired: (O) FBI: We Don’t Have Tesla’s Death Ray
- EXTRA: – FBI: (O) FBI 100: The Top Ten Myths in FBI History
- EXTRA: – FBI: (O) FBI’s Unusual Phenomena Listing
- EXTRA: – American Chronicle: (O) The Skeptibunkies Meme: “Nothing But Grainy Blurry Photos. . .”
- EXTRA: – The Heavy Stuff: (O) In Search Of `The Wonder’
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