Many are fascinated by the advanced innovations we predict to see in the world of the future. As a researcher of future science and unexplained phenomena myself, I have found that I, like a lot of others, look to the sorts of technologies that we’ll attain in the coming years as avenues for learning and understanding ourselves and our world in new, and perhaps better ways. However, could there be technology that exists in our midst right now that could give us a glimpse of what that future holds? If so, how does it relate to who we are now, and perhaps most importantly, who we will become?
My new book with New Page Books is going to address these sorts of questions. It’s called The UFO Singularity, and it takes a look at how UFO phenomenon may provide a glimpse of greater-than-human intelligence, as well as how varieties of intelligence like this might originate. A host of different approaches to understanding the UFO riddle are examined, looking at questions like:
What is the “Singularity,” and how does it relate to UFOs?
Could some UFOs be from planet Earth, and if not from the literal present day, then could they have traveled here from our future?
What scientific trends of today are already bringing us closer to the sorts of advanced technology we observe in some UFO reports?
Are there other ways UFOs could be extraterrestrial visitors in our midst, without accepting the conventional model of their arrival here through means of interplanetary space flight?
According to a new article featured in The Atlantic by journalist Molly Ball, Ron Paul has obviously sold out, and is now batting for the Romney camp. This has been revealed by way of Paul’s recent tendencies toward strongly attacking presidential hopefuls Rick Santorum and Newt Gingrich, while curiously avoiding any similar attacks against the former Massachusetts governor. But just because Ron Paul’s attacks seem obviously (and perhaps justifiably) more focused on Santorum in recent days, does that really mean that his campaign has been “bought” by that of Mitt Romney?
It’s interesting, to say the least, that there does appear to be an obvious congeniality between Romney and Paul. According to the piece featured today in The Atlantic, this is essentially because Romney has been nice to the Texas Congressman, who is subsequently made out to sound like the misfit who was kicked off the playground:
What Paul, who has spent his decades in the House as a political outcast, is essentially saying is this: After all his humiliating years in the political wilderness, someone important has finally been nice to him. Alone among the establishmentarians, Romney has allowed Paul into the sacred clubhouse of legitimacy.
My friend Dale Tripplett has made one of his science fiction short stories, titled Halcyon, available for eBook download on Amazon.com. For fans of Robert Heinlein and The Fifth Element, this will be one you’ll certainly enjoy, and it’s well worth the $0.99 he’s charging for the read:
As the mysterious “Halcyon” plummets toward Earth, a band of scientists and diplomats struggle to escape the oncoming Armageddon, as factions here on Earth play out their destructive last attempts at ideological war against one another. There are a few memorable quotes throughout, many a bit rough-around-the-edges in their humor and plain-speak, which add to the attitude and vibe the story projects. One of my very favorites was this:
“A tension lingered that could snap at the faintest fart on the breeze, and Halcyon still careened earthward.”
I could go on to list several more, as there are so many along these lines that make the story enjoyable, and at times worthy of a few belly laughs, despite the dramatic tension it conveys. You can purchase and download it by clicking here.
According to news site Blastr.com, Richard Garriot, a computer game developer and filmmaker who spent $300 million (!!!) to board the International Space Station as a “space tourist” and film 8 minute sci-fi horror vignette, has been barred from showing the film by NASA. The space agency’s rationale for doing so was cited as having to do with NASA facilities being used as sets and backdrops for Garriot’s movie, which is titled Apogee of Fear. Additionally, active members of the space program posed as actors in the film, which involves an unexplained oxygen increase on board the space station which is believed to indicate an exotic life form.
It seems a bit strange that NASA would react so strongly for a number of reasons. For one, anything released by NASA or as a product of a NASA operation typically enters the public domain, since it is regarded as a work of the U.S. Federal Government or an adjoining agency. Also, since a majority of the footage was actually taken in space, would similar conventions to those that apply to international waters hold true to an act that took place above the Earth (in other words, isn’t space also an “international territory)?
The video above is a trailer for Man on a Mission, a documentary which details Garriot’s space flight. With any hope NASA’s “default” response to the showing of Apogee of Fear will not squelch plans to show what may soon be known as the first theatrical release to actually be filmed in outer space.
Foster the People have become that band that everyone either loves, or loves to hate because they’re songs are so damned catchy. Admittedly, I’m one that happens to love their dancy blend of crossover eclecticism (and feel free to go ahead and call it a guilty pleasure, if it helps you come out with your own latent addiction for the Foster sound).
The first big hit off their debut album was the infectiously groovy “Pumped Up Kicks,” which actually was recorded earlier when Foster was employed with the Los Angeles jingle producers Mophonics. Thanks in part to the distortion applied to the vocals of singer Mark Foster, the track still manages to conceal the fact that this song’s dark lyrical content deals with a scenario evocative of the tragic Columbine Shooting of 1999.
Despite the popularity of “Pumped Up Kicks,” the video above features what is probably my favorite song by the group, “Helena Beat.” The video, while also in keeping with the sort of dark humor for which the band has become known, also nods to the post-apocalyptica of the “Mad Max” film series, as well as other popular films depicting ravaged desertscapes in a future where humanity clings to existence by a thread. Whatever the case, enjoy the song; but be warned… Foster’s songs do tend to get very addictive.
The ever-controversial Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) legislation has caused yet another stir among the online community, with a number of popular Internet websites removing their pages for the duration the day on Wednesday. The so-called “blackout” is in protest of two pieces of pending U.S. anti-piracy legislation: the aforementioned SOPA (The Stop Online Piracy Act) and PIPA (The Protect IP Act).
Granted, companies that stand to lose revenue from online users who upload videos, music, and other material that can be accessed by users for free should have every right to protect their endeavors. But anti-piracy isn’t the crux of the matter, according to many participating in the online blackout protest.
Writing for the New York Times, Jenna Wortham noted that Wikipedia–who has drawn the most attention for their full-scale blackout–said the move “was meant to spark greater public opposition to the bills, which could restrict its freedom to publish.” A number of websites and online companies have expressed fears that the legislation, while aimed at curtailing piracy, may have the undesirable effect of granting virtually unlimited power to government that could be used to shut down sites offering such content.
Late Sunday evening, a number of Western North Carolina residents in the Fairview area of Buncombe County described hearing a loud, booming noise at approximately 1:00 AM. While the cause of the unsettling noise remains unverified, the event left many locals concerned that a massive explosion had occurred somewhere nearby.
Reports indicate the noise was audible within a five mile radius centered around the Fairview area, which is situated in a valley only a few miles southeast of Asheville.The following information was made available regarding the mysterious noise by local ABC news affiliate WLOS News 13:
We’ve had some calls from folks asking about a loud boom early this morning in the Fairview area of Buncombe County. We checked with the Fairview Fire Department and firefighters say they got calls about the boom around 1:00am and went to check it out, but never found anything. They say from what they can tell people in about a five mile radius heard the loud sound, but at this point the source remains a mystery.
As to the cause of the loud noise so many area residents described hearing, no official explanation has been issued.
Ever wished you could anticipate places where UFOs might show up before they actually appeared? This article from Slate.com, sent along to me by my colleague Curt Arledge, just might be the kind of thing that would help you do it:
Writer Angela Tchou notes that “In the past 15 years, the Davenport, Wash.-based National UFO Reporting Center has collected more than 30,000 reports of UFO sightings through its hotline and Web site.” The three maps included with the report “visualize that rich history,” perhaps even linking certain areas to trends that might help one to discover where a UFO is most likely to appear (save, of course, the obvious consistency associated with major metropolitan areas, where more viewers present equals a proportionate increase in reported sightings).
A similar system is available here at the UFO Stalker website, which compiles MUFON data into a real-time live report feed. Enjoy!
Perhaps, after all these years, we’ve come one step closer to learning the secret behind Mona Lisa’s placid grin.
After all, you’ve probably heard the expression “in the eye of the beholder.” This definitive phrase takes on a whole new meaning, however, in light of a spectacular discovery by art historians: within the the eyes of Leonardo da Vinci’s famous painting, there appears to be actual hidden numbers and letters, the likes of which would have any Dan Brown fan marveling.
British news source the Daily Mail reported on the spectacular find recently which, according to Silvano Vinceti, president of Italy’s National Committee for Cultural Heritage “are not a mistake, and were put there by the artist.”
Many are fascinated by the advanced innovations we predict to see in the world of the future. As a researcher of future science and unexplained phenomena myself, I have found that I, like a lot of others, look to the sorts of technologies that we’ll attain in the coming years as avenues for learning and understanding ourselves and our world in new, and perhaps better ways. However, could there be technology that exists in our midst right now that could give us a glimpse of what that future holds? If so, how does it relate to who we are now, and perhaps most importantly, who we will become?
Perhaps, after all these years, we’ve come one step closer to learning the secret behind Mona Lisa’s placid grin.