Meets The Weird » research

Killing Bigfoot

John D — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 21:10:21 +0000

There has been a bit of a flap going on in the Bigfoot hunting community regarding a research opening fire on a Sasquatch during a field investigation. While I want to come back to the particular incident later, this event has served to cast a spotlight on an issue that divides the Bigfoot research community. On one side, you have the no-kill researchers who are completely opposed to any attempt to kill a Sasquatch. Other researchers, however, feel that a specimen must be taken to further the study of the creature. Looking at this one issue, the two groups couldn’t seem to be any more different in their goals, but they both want the same thing. Both pro-kill and no-kill researchers ultimately want to protect the Sasquatch and their habitat.

While no-kill research is important to understanding Sasquatch and how it lives, ultimately a specimen will have to be taken to have the species formally classified and accepted by the mainstream scientific community. While unfortunate, this is the process by which new species are identified. Without formal identification there is no way that Sasquatch or its habitat will have any hope of receiving protection under the law. Especially considering that protecting Bigfoot, in its natural habitat, will have a significant impact on the multi-billion dollar lumber industry. There can be no controversy regarding the existence of Sasquatch that could be leveraged by the lumber industry to limit or prevent habitat preservation efforts. As saddening as the unnatural death of a Bigfoot would be, the simple fact is that its sacrifice would benefit the rest of its species.

That being said, I hardly think that every Sasquatch researcher that sets foot in the woods should head out looking to bag a Bigfoot. If a Bigfoot is taken, it needs to be done humanely as possible AND in a way that allows the scientific community a viable sample to be used for classification. Ideally, a team looking to collect a Sasquatch specimen should include an experienced marksman/hunter armed with a weapon that will allow a clean kill with minimal tissue damage. The last thing Bigfoot and the Bigfoot research community needs is an animal being taken in a way that makes its remains useless. That would be a horrific waste and is inexcusable. Additionally, if an expedition intends to take a sample for classification they need to be very clear of their intentions with whomever is granting them access to the property they are hunting on. If a landowner does not want a Sasquatch killed on their property for whatever reason, that is well within their rights. Ignoring this would endanger all Bigfoot research as private land owners may become less likely to allow any researcher on their land for fear of it being turned into a shooting gallery in spite of their wishes.

photo by Ed Siasoco

This brings us back to the incident in question. This past July a team member performing an investigation with Texas Bigfoot Research Conservancy opened fire on a Sasquatch while on the land of one Charles Branson. While this particular event has become somewhat of a black-eye for the Bigfoot community, there is quite a bit that can be taken away from it for future expeditions. Foremost, it would seem that Mr. Branson was unaware of the groups intent to take a specimen for analysis. Had the group been upfront about their intentions, Mr. Branson could have easily either rescinded his permission to access his property or made clear that agreeing to not harm any Sasquatch was required to access his property. Secondly, according to the account released by TBRC the individual who opened fire on the Bigfoot with a shotgun, “firing all the rounds in rapid succession”. The landowner’s nephew was on the property at the time of the shooting and he believed the gunfire he heard to have been from a “machine gun”. Ignoring any other issues (including possible safety implications), witness reports like this paint Bigfoot hunters who would like to collect a specimen in a bad light, making them out to be crazed Yosemite Sam types who would shoot down a whole forest in the hopes of hitting a bigfoot. Hopefully the community as a whole can learn from the mistakes made by the TBRC team and move forward better prepared to secure the future of the Sasquatch species.

Ultimately, it is up to each individual Bigfoot researcher to decide whether they want to be involved with the potential killing of a Sasquatch. It is perfectly fine for a researcher to decide that they want to focus their research on observing Bigfoot in their natural habitat without doing any harm to the creatures. Hopefully researchers who make this choice will acknowledge the benefit collecting a Sasquatch specimen will bring to the field and not attempt to prevent that from happening. Ultimately, this misguided “protection” could end up hurting the entire Bigfoot population. On the same token, researchers who choose to attempt collecting a Sasquatch specimen need to ensure they conduct themselves in the most professional manor and are beyond reproach in their methods or they risk damaging no only their own reputation, but the reputation of the entire community as well.

Major Update: TBRC Admits To Shooting

New Super Photoshop Will Haunt Paranormal Researchers and Ufologists

John D — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 15:26:53 +0000

It is no secret that Photoshop can be a giant pain for researchers investigating in UFOs, the paranormal or other Fortean interests. In the hands of a skilled user, there is no limit to what can be done to a photograph. Want a ghostly apparition to spook up a boring shot? No problem. Need some “evidence” to put the finishing touches on a UFO hoax? Sure, it will only take a minute. Fortunately, most “shopped” photos are obvious fakes, clear indications of their creator’s lack of skill. That’s a good thing too, a truly gifted Photoshop artist can create images that require advanced forensic analysis to reveal as hoaxes. Thanks to a group of students at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, that is all about to change.

The UIUC students have created a technology that allows anyone, regardless of skill, to insert objects into a photograph with stunning results. The inserted objects can even be easily animated, flawlessly interacting with their surroundings. The software that these student’s have developed is mind-blowing. Just take a look at their demonstration video.

The very first scene seems to foreshadow the quality of hoaxes that paranormal researchers will face once this technology comes to market. It is already difficult to identify good evidence, especially online. Once the general public is able create fake photos and videos of this quality, it will become near impossible to even begin judging any evidence without a full forensic analysis. As the line between what is real and fake blurs Fortean researchers will have to become even more and more suspicious of every shred of evidence they examine.

New software allows you to insert realistic interactive objects into existing photographs

Are Amateur Rockets The Next Big Thing For Ufology?

John D — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 18:26:38 +0000

The footage you are watching was captured during a Carmack Prize attempt by team Qu8k. (More footage is available at the end of the post.) While the simple fact that this video was recorded by amateurs who managed to send a rocket through 99% of our atmosphere to an altitude of 22 miles is absolutely amazing, what I find exhilarating is what private launches like this can mean for ufology. Presently, when it comes to searching for UFOs outside of our atmosphere, we are stuck either peering through telescopes or searching through NASA footage. While we can be in full control of our telescopes, the problem with NASA footage is that NASA decides what footage they release and it doesn’t seem that they are keen on sharing any UFO evidence with the public. This means ufologists are stuck looking for scraps missed by NASA’s censors.

However, amateur rocketry gives us another option. As you can see from these videos, private citizens are now capable of recording incredibly high quality video from space (more or less). While this launch didn’t catch anything “interesting”, we can see that if something was there the rocket’s cameras would have recorded it. Each private launch gives us a chance to collect incredible evidence that otherwise would be unavailable to UFO researchers. As the technology developes, launches like this will become a possibility for more and more people. We will no longer dependent on governments or large corporations to let us look beyond our own planet. I really think we are at the precipice of something amazing. What do you think?

22 miles straight up in 90 seconds

Researchers Uncover Yet Another E-Voting Security Flaw

John D — Thu, 29 Sep 2011 15:08:24 +0000

Once more researchers have uncovered yet another security flaw in electronic voting machines that can be used to manipulate election results. Uncovered by researchers at the Department Of Energy’s Argonne National Laboratory, the flaw in Diebold AccuVote machines allows an attacker to alter a voters selection as they are being committed. While the attack requires tampering with the machines, the device designed by the researchers can be attached and removed without any evidence anything was ever wrong. Worse still the device costs about $10 in parts and can be assembled by anyone with a half decent electronics workbench. The researchers also believe the attack may also be useful against other e-voting systems.

This is just the latest in a continual stream of vulnerabilities uncovered by security researchers that allow attackers to manipulate modern voting machines to their own ends. Unfortunately this pattern is likely to continue as the public is forced to vote on machines that are manufactured by companies who refuse to make their software and hardware designs public. In a perfect world all voting machines would run software and hardware that anyone could examine for flaws. We only need to look to modern encryption to see how well public review works. By making their encryption algorithms public companies have been able to develop incredibly strong encryption and make billions in the process. Why then if public review works so well and can be so profitable are the companies that make OUR voting machines so resistant? Let me know what you think in the comments.

Diebold voting machines vulnerable to remote tampering via man-in-the-middle attack

Angry Fish? Your Aquarium May Be To Blame

John D — Wed, 28 Sep 2011 14:20:54 +0000

Your aquarium is pissing off your fish, at least according to a new study by Ronald Oldfield at Case Western Reserve University published in the Journal of Applied Animal Welfare Science. For the study Oldfield observed Midas cichlid in a variety of environments ranging from their natural habitat to home aquariums. Oldfield found that as the size and complexity of the habitat was reduced, the fish behaved with more aggression. Responses ranged from angrily flaring fins to murder. That’s right, a poorly thought out aquarium can drive a fish to murder. While your average goldfish probably isn’t a threat to you, do you really want to take the chance when some extra plastic plants and ceramic castles could help calm the savage beast?

Angry Fish Inhabit Most Home Aquariums

Scientists Reconstruct What Person Sees Using Brain Scans

John D — Fri, 23 Sep 2011 14:40:57 +0000

In what can only be called a groundbreaking experiment, scientist at UC Berkley have managed to record video of what a person is seeing by using functional MRI. After showing subjects a set of baseline images and recording the corresponding brain activity, the researchers were able to create composite images that reflected, quite eerily, what the test subjects saw. As you can see from the video above, the images being produced are blurry, though I would imagine early photographs looked similar as the technique was being developed. Currently the researchers are only able to reproduce images that the subject is seeing, though they hope to be able to extend the technology to allow the viewing of dreams and possibly even memories.

While from a scientific standpoint this is amazing, I can’t help but feel a little creeped out by it on a personal level. This really is the stuff of science fiction (not the fun, happy utopia kind either) and while now researchers can only see what you are seeing using a huge machine where will the technology be in 10 or 20 years, especially if they are able to refine the technology to view memories and dreams? The US government already ignores the 4th Amendment wholesale, how long until they ignore the 5th? I can imagine there are some very excited people at Homeland Security imagining setting up scanning stations to pick out people thinking about committing a crime or act of terrorism.

Scientists use brain imaging to reveal the movies in our mind [via Engadget Alt]

Could Long Hair Be The Key To Enhanced Perception?

John D — Thu, 22 Sep 2011 18:15:38 +0000

Could having long hair be linked to having increased perception? According to one anecdote uncovered by Scott McMan on Ghost Theory it may very well be, at least that is supposedly what the US Army thought during Viet Nam.

The story goes that faced with fighting in inhospitable terrain that was familiar to their foe, the US Army turned to Native American trackers to help find the enemy. Undercover recruitment teams were sent to reservations across the country to find the best trackers available, and they did. There was only one problem. Once enlisted, the trackers seemed to lose their ability to track. When questioned about their failure to perform, the recruits replied that their intuition was no longer reliable after receiving their military hair cuts. With no other possible explanation for why expert trackers suddenly were useless, the Army performed a series of tests. Trackers were separated into pairs and one member of the team received a short military cut, while the other retained their long hair. Consistently the tracker with short hair failed to perform while the other excelled at every test. Based on the results of this testing, the Army required all Native trackers to have long hair. While I can’t say if this is true or not, it does make you think.

Interestingly enough, according to Wikipedia, throughout history short hair has been used to control. In fact, prior to World War One longer hair and beards were far more common among western men. During the war (and the Second World War) much of the male population was indoctrinated the vary disciplined and controlled military life. With this subservience came shorter hair. These global conflicts spawned today’s military industrial complex which many claim controls the world. One could postulate that there is a vested interest in keeping the population’s hair shorter to make it easier to control. Even women’s hair styles seem to be growing shorter on average. If longer hair is linked to enhanced perception then it would make sense that it would be easier to control a group by limiting their awareness (think blinders on horses).

What do you think? Is our ability to be aware of the world around us helped or hampered depending on the length of our hair? Is modern fashion being manipulated to create a more submissive population? Share your thoughts in the comments.

Supernatural Science: It’s in the Hair

Researchers Communicating With Dolphins Through An iPad

John D — Wed, 02 Jun 2010 16:56:01 +0000

photo courtesy SpeakDolphin

With some estimating Apple has sold over 2 million iPads, there is no disputing that the device is currently the hottest gadget on the planet. If researchers with SpeakDolphin are successful in their quest to build a language interface allowing cross species communication, Apple may have an entirely new user base. Currently the project is in its infancy, but the researchers hope that by using touch screen technology they will be able to build a system that will allow dolphins to communicate fully with humans. While they are still evaluating other touchscreen devices to use in their program, researchers have begun to introduce the iPad to the dolphins at their Puerto Aventuras facility. To acclimate the creatures to the touch pad, the SpeakDolphin team show a real object to the dolphin and then ask it to touch photos of the same object on the screen. According to dolphin researcher Jack Kassewitz, “This is an easy task for a dolphin, but it is a necessary building block towards our goal of a complete language interface between humans and dolphins.”

Dolphin Uses iPad To Communicate (PDF Link) [via BoingBoing]

Could the world share one consciousness?

John D — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 20:08:32 +0000

A MiniREG used GCP network to monitor
for signs of a global consiousness.

This is exactly the question that scientists with Princeton’s Global Consciousness Project are trying to answer. Their research is an extension of a study done at the now defunct Princeton Engineering Anomalies Research (PEAR) lab that showed that through directed concentration, the human mind can have a small but noticeable effect on noise based random event generators (REGs). While the PEAR experiments focused on collecting data from a single generator, the Global Consciousness Project uses a network of 60-65 generators spread around the world to monitor for fluctuations in the random data that may indicate a global consciousness that reflects the emotions and attentions of every person on the planet.

Such fluctuations have already been seen during catastrophic events such as the September 11th attacks and worldwide celebrations like New Years Eve. Interestingly, the projects data shows that human generated events, such as a terror attack, generate stronger fluctuations than a natural disaster. This has led some researchers to speculate that the world as a whole accepts some disasters as a normal part of the natural order where others, like a bombing, disrupt that order causing a deeper psychological effect.

While the project is very much in it’s infancy and right now it is often very hard to separate fluctuations from the natural randomness in the data (something the project’s detractors are quick to point out), as the technology and research mature, we may be able to get a clearer picture of how the world feels and possibly how we are all connected to each other.

Global Consciousness Project

Could Long Hair Be The Key To Enhanced Perception?