Science and Fiction

Large Predatory Cats in the Eastern U.S.

2008-11-24T21:05:00.004-05:00

While reports of lions and other large cats in the eastern U.S. are often dismissed as escaped zoo or circus animals, some recent photographic evidence may prove otherwise. The above photo of a cougar was captured in Columbia County, NY. The following picture shows a map of the recognized range of the cougar (mountain lion, panther, puma, etc.) as well as class 1(live sighting, photo or video) and class 2 (tracks, hair, etc.) evidence of cougars in other parts of the country.

Sightings of African lions have also been reported in the eastern U.S. More than one credible eyewitness has described large cats with manes and tufted tails, features associated with the male African lion. There once was a species of lion native to North America--panthera leo atrox--now said to be extinct. We may find that assumption to be in grave error . . .

Towers

2008-04-20T08:03:00.005-04:00

Wired had a cool slideshow of colossal skyscrapers that have either never been built or may yet be built in the future.

Lake Erie UFOs

2008-01-12T08:00:00.001-05:00

Here's a link to some more "footage" from Haiti. (The embed code was removed by YouTube.)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=up5jmbSjWkw&NR=1

Water Supply

2007-12-28T06:54:00.000-05:00

The Sierras Nevadas have been a primary feeding area for cattle in the past 100 years. Consequently, much of the water supply--rivers, creeks, ponds--has been contaminated by bovine fecal matter. Many of the animals that live in this area obtain their moisture from the plants they eat or from dew. Recently, a BFRO expedition to the Sierras Nevadas discovered what appeared to be another source of water--domes of snow covered by forest debris. All evidence points to deliberate construction by hand of these snow domes. Now, of course, human construction is a possible explanation but what human would be making piles of snow in remote mountain forests in the middle of winter? The only other explanation is that these were made by sasquatch. It would be relevant to mention that howls and other sasquatch vocalizations were heard in the vicinity of the domes.

Sasquatch--or something else?

2007-11-17T08:15:00.000-05:00

These photographs of an unidentifiable creature were captured on September 16 by a Bushnell motion-activated camera. Sasquatch, perhaps?

A Victorian Menace

2007-11-10T05:52:00.000-05:00

In October of 1837, a servant girl was walking home through London at night to visit her parents when she encountered a bizarre figure. He wore a long cloak, an egg-shaped helmet, and a tight fitting body suit of oilskin. The strange being grasped at her, ripping some of her clothes with his clawed hands. The girl's screams stopped the attacker, and drove him off into the night. And thus did Springheel Jack make his first appearance to the civilized city of London.

The moniker 'Springheel Jack' came about because of this creature's ability to leap great distances in a single bound. He was also known to spray noxious gas at his victims from a glowing blue light on his chest. He terrorized London with his seemingly senseless attacks often bounding away while laughing maniacally.

Theories on Springheel Jack's origins vary from the mundane to the supernatural. Whatever he was or is, he remains a mysterious entity who still imparts horror to the faint of heart.

Thunderbirds, Chicago 1977

2007-11-03T20:37:00.000-04:00

On July 25, 1977, in the field outside his family's home, ten-year-old Marlon Lowe was playing when two entities swooped down out of the sky towards the boy. Marlon's mother, Ruth, who had been inside the house, stepped onto the porch and saw a pair of enormous, coal-black birds flying over the field, one with her son in its talons. She screamed, and the bird dropped the boy, pecking at him as it flew off. Six other people witnessed the event. Ruth estimated the birds' winspans to be at least 18 feet. After doing a bit of research, she concluded that the birds reminded her most of condors.

Other citizens encountered either one or both birds in the Lawndale, Illinois area. After one sighting which caused a woman to collapse, a group of armed men went to the location of the sighting and reportedly killed a large bird. They burned the body, leaving no trace of evidence.

The attempted abduction of Marlon Lowe by two gigantic birds is consistent with Native American legends of thunderbirds.

The Sand Beasts

2007-10-10T06:21:00.000-04:00

Theo Jansen, a kinetic sculptor, has created these semi-autonomous creations which he calls "sand beasts". His long term goal is to make sculptures which can exist without human intervention.

The Great Pyramid . . . of Tokyo

2007-09-02T20:30:00.001-04:00

This sounds like some urban renewal project from the future. Japanese designers are planning a 3000ft tall pyramid to be built in the ocean off the coast of Tokyo. Inside this structure, the equivalent of twenty four 80-story buildings would hang from the pyramid's roof and they would be connected by a network of tubes. The height of this thing would be almost three times as tall as the World Trade Center Towers. Talk about a target for terrorists.

Large-toothed mystery fish

2007-08-24T20:12:00.000-04:00

Some people are speculating that this is some type of unknown species of pirahna. I'd hate to see a school of these babies heading for me.

Loch Ness Monster Footage

2007-06-08T22:09:00.000-04:00

The latest footage of Nessie seems to show directional movement of some type of organism. Loren Coleman of Cryptomundo gives his thoughts on the footage.

The Freeman Footage

2007-05-18T21:00:00.000-04:00

The Freeman footage is probably the best closeup footage of a sasquatch besides the Gimlin-Patterson film. Judging from the emotion in Freeman's voice, the heavy gait of the creature as it walks in front of the sunlit trees, and the footprints seen at the beginning of the footage, i'd say this video is genuine. The original, high-res version of the footage complete with closeup analysis can be seen on the dvd, Sasquatch: Legend Meets Science.

The Rhino of Borneo

2007-05-07T13:05:00.000-04:00

This footage shows a rare Bornean rhino, a subspecies of the Sumatran rhino, thought to be extinct for the past twenty years. I would have been a lot more excited about the footage if it turned out to be a rare breed of sasquatch. Why hasn't anyone set up motion activated cameras in the woods of the Pacific Northwest? Actually, I think the BFRO does use remote cameras but they obviously haven't recorded anything yet.

Let My People Go!

2007-04-23T12:43:00.000-04:00

Some startling evidence of the crossing of the Red Sea by the Israelites. The pictures above show an Egyptian chariot wheel identical in design to those found in Tutankhamen's tomb and a calcified human bone. The chariot wheel, though thousands of years old, remains extremely well preserved because it is covered in gold. These and other objects were found on the sea floor at one of the most likely places that the crossing occurred.

courtesy Jessie Barrett

Friday Fiction

2007-04-13T12:56:00.000-04:00

Tolkien fans will be interested to know that the incredibly complex history of Middle-Earth continues to unfold in a new, yet old work.The Children of Hurin relates the tale of Turin Turambar and his sister Nienor. The Silmarillion tells of Turin slaying the dragon Glaurung and of his tragic end, but this new work from Tolkien takes us even deeper into the account. I'm curious to know what new revelations of this ever-expanding world are contained in The Children of Hurin.

The Cult of John Frum

2007-04-04T19:14:00.000-04:00

On the little South Pacific island of Tanna, islanders await the return of an American serviceman named John Frum. A cult has grown up around this mythical figure and many locals worship John Frum. They believe his spirit lives in the active volcano on the island of Tanna.

Members of the cult have a parade every year. They wear homemade US army uniforms. And they carry weapons made of bamboo. Devotees say that an apparition first appeared in the 1930s. It urged tribal elders to reject the teachings of Christian missionaries and to put their faith in their own customs. The Second World War and the arrival of American troops on Vanuatu was a turning point for the John Frum Movement. Villagers believe that their messiah was responsible for delivering the US military and its valuable cargo to them. The movement’s local Chief Isaac Wan calls John Frum a god…

"He’s our Jesus and John will come back."

courtesy of PRI's The World

Vancouver "Sasquatch" Footage

2007-03-22T12:57:00.000-04:00

I found this footage on cryptomundo, and, as you'll see, there's not much to get excited about. Some aspects of the video point towards a hoax, while others could be evidence of a true sighting. Either way, it's a blurry, shaky recording that doesn't prove anything.

I love calamari, but this is too much

2007-03-19T12:35:00.000-04:00

Earlier this year, a New Zealand fishing boat accidentally hauled up a 1 ton squid, the largest ever caught. What interested me more was that the captain reported finding enormous giant squid beaks in the stomachs of sperm whale. These beaks dwarfed the beak of the squid recently caught.

Thanks to Mark and Jessie for alerting me to this story

Heston Hijinks

2007-03-07T12:22:00.000-05:00

This is a little quiz which most people would find extremely challenging. Only a true Charlton Heston fan would answer correctly on the first try.

In what classic Heston movie was this photo taken:

a. Ben-Hur
b. The Ten Commandments
c. Bowling for Columbine
d. Planet of the Apes

Imagination

2007-02-16T12:35:00.000-05:00

a little colored pencil piece i recently drew

Dinosaurs at Angkor

2007-02-11T16:06:00.000-05:00

At the great temple ruins of Angkor Wat, bas reliefs cover almost every exposed surface. Amongst carvings of monkeys, elephants, and other animals native to Cambodia, a carving of what looks to be a stegosaurus decorates a doorpost leading into one of the temples.

I Think We Can Forget About Ethanol

2007-02-07T12:59:00.000-05:00

Finally, there's an electric car that seems like it won't be crushed by the evil oil empire. Tesla Motors, you've done it again.

Hello, my name is Asimo

2007-02-01T13:05:00.000-05:00

I was amazed at the fluidity of Honda's humanoid robot, Asimo.

Ancient Lenses

2007-01-30T12:53:00.000-05:00

When the great pyramid's construction was in its beginning stages, a level foundation would have been crucial to the pyramid's stability. Archaeologists of the present day have discovered that the 13-acre base is indeed level with only an 1/8th of an inch in variation from one corner to the other. Such accuracy requires accurate measurements. Accurate measurements rely, in turn, on accurate instruments. I am referring to ancient lenses. Lenses ground from rock crystal have been found not only in Egypt, but in Greece and Europe, and, possibly, South America. These lenses were most likely used in surveying and in astronomy. The Egyptians would have certainly used lenses in their construction of the pyramids at Giza.

A very clear example of the ancient Egyptian's use of lenses in astronomy is found in their recorded observations of the star Sirius. Sirius is a binary star: two stars orbiting each other in very close proximity. Only with a powerful telescope can one discern that Sirius is a binary star. To the naked eye, a binary star like Sirius appears as a single star. Yet the Egyptians, in their observations of Sirius, depict it as a binary star.

Military Exoskeletons

2007-01-26T15:03:00.000-05:00

It's true that science fiction often predicts the future. I just finished reading Starship Troopers by Robert Heinlein, a military sci-fi adventure that takes place in earth's future. The troopers, the equivalents of today's infantry, wear technologically advanced suits that allow them to run at 40mph, jump to the height of 10 story buildings, carry extremely heavy loads, and do all this while keeping in constant communication with their comrades. I was amazed to hear just a few days ago that the U.S. military is developing a similiar suit for its own armed forces.

The suit is being described as an exoskeleton that will increase a soldier's capability to run, carry equipment, and spot the enemy. Several technologies are being tested to power the suit such as deforming magnets and pneumatic muscles. Whatever they use needs to operate silently. The suits are still in development and many obstacles need to be overcome before they will be field ready.

Psalms, Prophecies, and Peat

2006-11-10T21:34:00.000-05:00

I know what I'm about to post is old news but here it is: A construction worker in Ireland discovered a book of Psalms in a peat bog. When the worker picked it up, the book was open to Psalm 83. Every news source that I have read so far has given a misinterpretation of that Psalm. Most of them say that the Psalm refers to various nations' attempts to destroy Israel or simply to the destruction of Israel--as if the discovery of this book is some omen of doom for Israel. What the Word of God really records is the psalmist's prayer to God to destroy, not Israel, but the enemies of Israel! The book has been dated to earlier than 1000 B.C.

The Awful Returns to Richford

2006-10-25T13:25:00.000-04:00

In the 1920's, a griffon-like creature appeared in the towns of Richford and Berkshire, Vermont. Just a few weeks ago, the Awful, as it is called, seems to have returned. A halloween prank? Some think so. Read the full account here

Malaysian Bigfoot Cast (Supposedly)

2006-10-19T13:24:00.000-04:00

This footprint cast looks more reptilian than anthropoid to me. Some have even said it's been faked by attaching a cast of human heel to a cast of a crocodile footprint. In any case, someone from the U.S. wants to buy it for $50,000 from the Malaysian government.

A Summer Remembered

2006-10-13T13:30:00.000-04:00

After almost fifty years, Ray Bradbury has finally written a sequel to his nostalgic classic, Dandelion Wine. For those readers who love the story of Douglas Spaulding and the summer of 1928 in Green Town, Illinois, Bradbury's continuation, Farewell Summer, will hopefully be a welcome return to that memorable time. Farewell Summer takes place in the autumn of 1928 picking up exactly where Dandelion Wine left off. I have not read the book yet. I am expecting something exceptional, however, because if there is any subject Bradbury handles better than summer, it is autumn.

Beneath the Water

2006-10-09T21:59:00.000-04:00

Jessie Barrett informed me of these unusual underwater structures in Wisconsin. The complete story can be found at weirdus.com

"The southern end of Rock Lake near Aztalan State Park in Wisconsin is the site of an unexplainable series of rock formations that has baffled everyone who has seen them for centuries.

When European settlers first took up residence in the area, Native Americans told them of rock teepees located on the lake's floor. In 1900, their existence was verified when local duck hunters caught site of the massive monoliths from their boat. Entirely submerged, the structures are 30 feet high and 100 feet long, and are conical in shape.

Explanations for the underwater stone pyramids vary. Some say that they are simply natural glacial formations, while others say that they are manmade, and were constructed by an ancient civilization before the area was flooded with water. Proponents of this theory point to the archeological evidence found nearby in Aztalan State Park, where the Mississippian Indians constructed pyramidal mounds over 1,000 years ago."

The War to End All Wars

2006-09-14T13:25:00.000-04:00

From the author of The Zombie Survival Guide comes a terrifying new work, World War Z. Max Brooks has created a pseudo-historical account of life ten years after the war against the zombies came to an end. I read an excerpt from the book. The author interviews a Palestinian who relates his experience right before the war began. His story of initial disbelief eventually leading to realization of the horror to come left me wanting both to run for my life and to look back to see what would happen next.

The Tallest Trees

2006-09-12T13:36:00.000-04:00

A coast redwood in Eureka, CA may soon bear the title of the world's tallest tree. At 378.1 feet the tree towers 70 feet higher than the statue of liberty. This redwood stands higher than the Stratosphere Giant, the previous tallest tree. Scientists have dubbed the record-breaker, Hyperion. I had a feeling this name was taken from Greek mythology. After a little research, I discovered that Hyperion was a Titan, the God of Observation. Makes sense considering how far you could see if you climbed to the top of this new tree.

"We travel the solar system together, trees and men."
-John Muir

Mr. Rogers Hugging a Sasquatch

2006-08-31T13:06:00.000-04:00

If this isn't science fiction, I don't know what is.

A Personal Account

2006-08-29T12:53:00.000-04:00

I would like to briefly relate an experience I had as a child.

I was about eight or nine. It was an autumn night. I lay asleep on the top bunk in the upstairs bedroom of our house in Reading, MA. I had been sleeping for several hours evidently because suddenly I woke up to a dark room and a strange glow coming from the window at the foot of my bed. I crawled forward to look out the window. Behind the leafless trees of the neighborhood hung an object that appeared to be the sun at dusk. It was reddish-orange. Its outline and form seemed broken up much like a setting sun just above the horizon. It was moving. It was moving slowly upwards. And then, as i looked, it moved slowly back downwards. I called my dad and he came running into my room. I pointed out the window and he looked at the strange object that had woken me from a deep sleep.

My memory ends there.

Tunguska Event

2006-08-16T12:56:00.000-04:00

The Tunguska Event occured in 1908 in Siberia. An unexplained explosion with the power of an atomic bomb leveled acres of forest and created powerful shock and heat waves which damaged property for hundreds of miles. Expeditions to the site of the explosion revealed no impact crater and, strangely, microscopic glass spheres in the soil. The most accepted explanation is that a meteroid exploded 3-4 miles above the earth's surface.

Invisibility

2006-08-12T23:42:00.000-04:00

Scientists at the Imperial College London have recently developed a material which is able to divert electromagnetic waves--including light--around an object. As light approaches this material it is diverted by the metamaterial which has been tuned to redirect light particles onto a different path. Because no light comes into contact with the surface, and light is needed to make something visible, an object covered by this material could be rendered invisible. Presently, the material can only be tuned to one particular wavelength of light at a time. They are still working on making the material able to simultaneously refract every wavelength of light.

Now, a question: What would be the first thing you would do if you had an invisibility cloak?

The Location of the Ark

2006-07-28T22:32:00.000-04:00

I just recently finished reading Graham Hancock's The Sign and the Seal, a non-fiction account of his own search for the ark of the covenant. His quest leads him all the way to Ethiopia, where the ark is kept in the church of St. Mary of Zion in the capital city of Axum. Through the years and centuries a guardian of the ark has always been appointed to protect the ark. The guardian remains with the ark always, never to leave it on pain of death. Once a year, the ark is brought out covered in heavy cloths to be carried through the streets in a ceremony called timkat. Hancock went to Axum in an attempt to see the ark. Of course, he would not be allowed inside the church where it is kept. Not to be hindered, he asked if the ark carried during timkat was the real ark. He could get no clear answer. He did notice an interesting occurrence as the ceremony commenced. The guardian, the man who was to remain with the ark at all times, did not follow the procession carrying the ark into the city. The guardian remained at the church, watchful and at his post. Hancock surmised that the true ark, the one that held the ten commandments, was not what was being carried through the streets. The ark of the covenant remained in the church of St. Mary of Zion and resides there to this day. The evidence for its existence is convincing. But you'll have to read the book to be convinced yourself.

Space Tourism

2006-05-25T19:25:00.000-04:00

Space tourism will be hitting another milestone soon. Space Adventures, the leader in space tourism, has been flying customers as tag-alongs on mission flights to the international space station (ISS). Their next flight, however, will be carrying only private customers. This will be the first space flight in history to be dedicated solely to space tourists. In the near future, Space Adventures will be offering tourists other experiences such as spacewalks, and pleasure trips to the moon.

Creature in Raystown Lake

2006-05-22T13:21:00.000-04:00

This image was captured in February 2006 at Raystown Lake, Pennsylvania. As intriguing as the photo is, there are some convincing arguments against the existence of this creature. First, the lake is man-made and is approximately 100 years old. How could a lake monster have been confined in a body of water so recently constructed? Second, the Huntingdon County published a press release about the creature which sounds very much like a marketing campaign to draw tourists.

There have been other sightings of the creature in the past. To see more photos and read the press release go to cryptomundo.com

A Secret of the Templars

2006-05-16T22:23:00.000-04:00

The Templars (The Poor Knights of Christ and of the Temple of Solomon) was an order established by nine Frenchmen, some of whom were great architects. They traveled to Jerusalem in 1119 with the official purpose of guarding a road into Jerusalem, yet, it seems, with another ulterior motive, for they never left the city. They set their headquarters on the Temple mount and for seven years conducted activities there in secret. After those years, with their quest evidently unfruitful, they returned to France.

Soon after the Templars returned, an unexplained event occurred. The first Gothic cathedral was constructed at Chartres, France. An architectural style with no precedent, suddenly appeared in Europe for the first time. Historians have disagreed on the origins of the Gothic architectural style, but the coinciding of the Templars' return and the first example of Gothic architecture appearing may be more than coincidence. The explanation could be this: the Templars discovered something in Jerusalem. Whether it was manuscripts describing architectural principles or even the plans for Solomon's temple itself, no one knows. But the possibility remains that the Templars, master architects themselves, had found secret knowledge, and were influential in the manifestation of that knowledge in Chartres.

Prepare While There's Still Time

2006-05-13T18:45:00.000-04:00

The Zombie Survival Guide provides detailed instructions on how to survive a zombie attack--from a few stumbling, moaning attackers to a worldwide epidemic of zombie hordes.

Don't foolishly ignore the signs of an impending zombie threat. Prepare now before their ranks swell, and all chances of survival are gone!

Top 10 Lessons for Surviving a Zombie Attack

1. Organize before they rise!
2. They feel no fear, why should you?
3. Use your head: cut off theirs.
4. Blades don’t need reloading.
5. Ideal protection = tight clothes, short hair.
6. Get up the staircase, then destroy it.
7. Get out of the car, get onto the bike.
8. Keep moving, keep low, keep quiet, keep alert!
9. No place is safe, only safer.
10. The zombie may be gone, but the threat lives on.

Sasquatch Howl

2006-05-09T21:36:00.000-04:00

This is purported to be a sasquatch howling off in the distance. A dog is barking throughout the recording as well.

Mayan Calendar--The End of the World

2006-05-05T17:26:00.000-04:00

The Mayan calendar begins on August 13, 3114 B.C. From that enigmatic starting point, the calendar proceeds through cycles, each of which ends in catastrophe. The final cycle ends on December 23, 2012 A.D. The end of the world?

The Best Amateur Lightsaber Duel Ever Created

2006-04-27T19:49:00.000-04:00

Robot Walks on Water

2006-04-27T15:39:00.000-04:00

Scientists at the Carnegie Mellon Institute have developed a robot that can run on water. Its design is based on the basilisk, a reptile that sprints across open expanses of water, as can be seen in the above photo. The little robot uses the same technique as the basilisk: the foot slaps the water creating an air pocket and is quickly raised before the air pocket can burst. In this way, the robot and the basilisk slap the water with their feet 10 times per second, running on cushions of air.

Unfortunately, the robot can't run very far because of the tether attached to its power source.

The next post about robots will probably relate to the giant robots roaming the British countryside and lending aid to stranded motorists.

(Photos: Courtesy Metin Sitti)

Sarcophagus of the Great Pyramid

2006-04-25T22:17:00.000-04:00

Flinders Petrie, the 19th century egyptologist, examined this sarcophagus during his extensive survey of the Great Pyramid. After studying the sarcophagus extremely closely, he concluded that the Egyptians had made use of some, as yet, undiscovered instruments to construct it.

The granite sarcophagus had been sawn to shape using eight-foot long saws. Bronze was the hardest metal known to man at that time, or so history tells us. It was also evident that the stone coffin had been hollowed out using tubular drills. "The amount of pressure, shown by the rapidity with which the drills and saws pierced through the hard stones, is very surprising; probably a load of at least a ton or two was placed on the 4-inch drills cutting in granite. . . These rapid spiral grooves cannot be ascribed to anything but the descent of the drill into the granite under enormous pressure . . ."

Patterson/Gimlin Film Stabilized

2006-04-21T17:41:00.000-04:00

This version of the Patterson/Gimlin film has been stabilized allowing the subject to be more clearly seen.

On a side note, the Sonoma Sasquatch Footage posted a couple of weeks ago may have been a hoax. Read more

Baby Bigfoot Captured--Maybe

2006-04-20T14:41:00.000-04:00

Yesterday, a baby bigfoot was supposedly shot with a tranquilizer gun and captured in Johor, Malaysia. Now the Wildlife and National Parks Department is denying the incident.
The New Straits Times has the story. Also, take a look at this entry on Cryptomundo and also this entry for more information.

Large Carnivorous Dinosaur Discovered

2006-04-20T12:52:00.000-04:00

Mapusaurus roseae is the name given to this newly discovered, forty-one foot long carnivore. Despite the dinosaur's immensity, it is still slightly smaller than Gigantosaurus, the current carnivorous record-holder.

More than one skeleton of Mapusaurus was discovered. In fact, paleontologists found bones from multiple animals, both juveniles and adults, in the same place. They then made the somewhat reasonable assumption that the Mapusaurus traveled in packs. Fair enough (although even that logic could be argued). But then, Rodolfo Coria, who also worked on the excavation and is a paleontologist at the Carmen Funes Museum in Argentina, made this statement based on his assessment of the social nature of these dinosaurs: "The pack even appears to have passed away together in a mass die-off."

Because these animals were found fossilized together, the immediate, and correct, conclusion was that they must have died together. But, since a worldwide flood is unscientific in their minds, they have to contrive another explanation for this mass death. Thus, the statement that these animals chose to die together at the same time and same place.

If evolutionists can stretch their imaginations to make absurd statements such as this one, they at least could admit that creationists are no more fantastical in their claims then the evolutionists.

Creation Museum

2006-04-18T09:15:00.000-04:00

The Creation Museum, opening in 2007, has come under attack from the scientific establishment. Critics label it as another attempt by narrow-minded fundamentalists to force theology into the realm of science. Interestingly, the "narrow-minded" leaders of the Creation Museum effort have incorporated both views--Creation and Evolution--into the exhibits, letting visitors make up their own minds (see article).

Possible Sasquatch Photos

2006-04-14T16:30:00.000-04:00

This is one of two photos taken on November 17, 2005, by a backpacker from Vancouver, Washington. He was hiking on Silver Star Mountain in Gifford Pinchot National Forest when he noticed a figure on the ridge ahead of him. The resulting photos are inconclusive, yet the outline of the figure suggests something other than another hiker. The BFRO site shows the other photo and gives more information about the incident.

Strange Swirling Surface Feature on the Moon

2006-04-12T16:13:00.000-04:00

The Reiner Gamma Formation was originally misidentified as a crater before this and other photos were taken on January 14, 2006. On closer inspection, its true appearance became evident. It is a strange mass of swirls unlike any other topographical feature on the moon. One of the theories about its origin relates how debris from a low-density comet could have changed the properties of the surface material of that region. The ability of the formation to deflect radiation from the sun has promped further study.

Orb of Chatham

2006-04-11T14:32:00.000-04:00

On a summer night in 1935, five people witnessed a strange object rolling into Chatham, Massachusetts, a seaside town on the outer elbow of Cape Cod. (From left to right) Herbert Eldredge, Margaret Snow, Walter Snow, "Gus" Nickerson, and Isabel Porter all reported seeing a black, metallic orb either moving through the streets, hovering in front of the church tower, or rolling through the rooms of a house. Their reports were dismissed as hoaxes.

Two months later to the day on Halloween, all five people mysteriously vanished and were never seen again.

orbofchatham.com

Bigfoot 911 call

2006-04-10T12:45:00.000-04:00

This 911 call took place in the mid-1990's on the Kitsap Peninsula in Washington State. Even if this isn't authentic, it's still entertaining.

James Gurney Exhibition

2006-04-08T21:31:00.000-04:00

Currently on exhibition at the Norman Rockwell Museum in Stockbridge through May 20: Dinotopia: The Fantastical Art of James Gurney

On March 4, I was able to meet James Gurney at the Norman Rockwell Museum. Cori and I went to attend a small speaking event featuring James Gurney and the former art director for National Geographic. We were able to look through Gurney's sketchbooks, take one of his sketches with us, and talk to him a little about his work.

The Time Traveler Explains

2006-04-07T16:54:00.000-04:00

The Time Traveler in H.G. Well's The Time Machine describes his theory of the feasibility of time travel. Here is an excerpt in his own words:

`You must follow me carefully. I shall have to controvert one or two ideas that are almost universally accepted. The geometry, for instance, they taught you at school is founded on a misconception.'

`Clearly,' the Time Traveller proceeded, `any real body must have extension in FOUR directions: it must have Length, Breadth, Thickness, and--Duration. But through a natural infirmity of the flesh, which I will explain to you in a moment, we incline to overlook this fact. There are really four dimensions, three which we call the three planes of Space, and a fourth, Time. There is, however, a tendency to draw an unreal distinction between the former three dimensions and the latter, because it happens that our consciousness moves intermittently in one direction along the latter from the beginning to the end of our lives.'

`Really this is what is meant by the Fourth Dimension, though some people who talk about the Fourth Dimension do not know they mean it. It is only another way of looking at Time. There is no difference between time and any of the three dimensions of space except that our consciousness moves along it.'

The entire first chapter should be read to gain the full context of what the Time Traveler is attempting to convey. The above illustration was created by myself.

Sonoma Sasquatch Footage, November 14, 2005

2006-04-05T21:06:00.000-04:00

This video was shot on November 14, 2005 in Sonoma County. Mark Nelson and his girlfriend were hiking on some private land when he noticed the sasquatch in the brush at the bottom of the hill. He had no previous interest in the subject of the north american great ape.

I realize the resolution is terrible on this video of a sasquatch shot in Sonoma County. It is by no means conclusive. However, note the length of the arms in proportion to the body. Quite longer than a human's. A higher resolution video is available on the BFRO site. Follow the instructions to download a .mov file.

Piri Reis Map

2006-04-05T09:16:00.001-04:00

Most everyone is somewhat familiar with the shape of Antartica on modern day maps. What many people may not realize is that the actual landmass of Antartica is much smaller and hidden beneath the great ice shelfs that define the continent on present maps. This landmass has been mapped by modern cartographers only recently using satellite technology.

The Piri Reis map, made in 1513 and discovered in 1929, defines that same, hidden landmass of Antartica. Unbelievably, it has been mapped with laser-like precision. Its accuracy has been compared with modern maps and the measurements are virtually identical. How did a sixteenth century mapmaker, with no twentieth century technology, create such an accurate representation, 300 years before the continent was even discovered?

The Purpose

2006-04-04T13:50:00.000-04:00

The purpose of Science and Fiction is dual in nature:

To share information relating to the tangible, the factual, the physical world
To share information relating to the mysterious, the imaginative, the unknown

Some information will relate to Science, some will relate to Fiction, and some will relate to both. Come back soon to see the first posting.