Saturday, May 31, 2008

Yet Another D. B. Cooper Suspect: William Pratt "Wolfgang" Gossett 

Steve Huff takes a look. Also be sure to read Steve's account of the unsolved Keddie Murders. What happened in Cabin 28?

posted by Prof. Hex at 1:21 AM

Friday, May 30, 2008

Jim Steinmeyer - Charles Fort and Magic 

Daily Grail has an interview with the author of Charles Fort: The Man Who Invented the Supernatural. Jim Steinmeyer is also the author of the justly celebrated Hiding the Elephant: How Magicians Invented the Impossible and Learned to Disappear. Highly recommended.

posted by Prof. Hex at 10:20 PM

Sapphire Energy turns algae into 'green crude' for fuel 

A San Diego company said Wednesday that it could turn algae into oil, producing a green-colored crude yielding ultra-clean versions of gasoline and diesel without the downsides of biofuel production.

Via Daily Grail.

posted by Prof. Hex at 9:17 PM

Bushnell: $1,000,000 For Bigfoot Trail Cam Photo 

Cryptomundo takes a look.

posted by Prof. Hex at 9:15 PM

World's First Phone Book Surfaces 

The only known edition of the world's first telephone book has just surfaced in Connecticut.

Via Boing Boing.

posted by Prof. Hex at 8:59 PM

6,000-year-old Jericho shroud might shed light on mysterious Turin shroud 

Scientists have expressed hope that a 6,000-year-old shroud uncovered in the Judean Desert in 1993 could help solve the age old mystery of the Shroud of Turin.

posted by Prof. Hex at 8:39 PM

'Crystal Skull' Has Connection To Indiana 

"The Mitchell-Hedges skull is something that there's more mystery around it than anything you would probably imagine," said Bill Homann, who currently has the skull. "The story of Mitchell-Hedges is really a very complex story, too, just like the crystal skull, and it's neat that people now are going to find it interesting."

posted by Prof. Hex at 6:13 PM

Video shown claims alien visit 

"It starts out with a digital camera looking out across the room toward a window," Peckman described the video to ABC News. "There's a couple of flashes of light. After a few seconds, there is a small head clearly rising above a sill, panning the room, blinking its eyes, all slowly."

posted by Prof. Hex at 3:11 PM

Thursday, May 29, 2008

Rare scimitars boom in value 

Damascus steel weapons can be traced back to the 8th century and for almost 1,000 years had a mythical reputation as the finest available, anywhere.

posted by Prof. Hex at 8:30 PM

Keeping alive an ancient martial art 

Kalarippayattu is taught in five stages, from karate-style freestyle fighting to the mastery of weapons. Children are especially encouraged because it is believed to instil discipline and self-confidence. Meditation and yoga are also part of the exercise routine.

posted by Prof. Hex at 8:28 PM

Ancient Egyptian city unearthed in Sinai 

Archaeologists exploring an old military road in the Sinai have unearthed 3,000-year-old remains from an ancient fortified city, the largest yet found in Egypt, antiquities authorities announced Wednesday.

posted by Prof. Hex at 8:19 PM

Man to unveil 'visual confirmation' of alien 

A video that purportedly shows a living, breathing space alien will be shown to the news media Friday in Denver. Jeff Peckman, who is pushing a ballot initiative to create an Extraterrestrial Affairs Commission in Denver to prepare the city for close encounters of the alien kind, said the video is authentic and convinced him that aliens exist.

See also: UFO spotted in NE skies (with pic)

Unknown Object Captured on Surfline.com Web Cam

UFO blamed for mystery explosion in Vietnam (with pic of metal from UFO)

posted by Prof. Hex at 6:53 PM

RIP Harvey Korman 

A legend has left us. Here's a bit of his genius from Blazing Saddles (probably not safe for work). I actually watched this last night with friends and we marveled at his brilliant line deliveries.

Rest in peace, Harvey. Thanks for the laughs.

posted by Prof. Hex at 6:42 PM

Incredible pictures of one of Earth's last uncontacted tribes firing bows and arrows 

Skin painted bright red, heads partially shaved, arrows drawn back in the longbows and aimed square at the aircraft buzzing overhead. The gesture is unmistakable: Stay Away.

posted by Prof. Hex at 5:44 PM

Greek caves reveal mystery and history 

At some point between AD575 and 600, at least 33 men, women and children entered a cave near modern Andritsa, southwest of Argolid, in the eastern Peloponnese. They carried a Christian cross, some money and food supplies, perhaps intending to hide from some temporary threat. They were never to see the light of day again. One by one, they died from starvation, unable or unwilling to escape the cave. Fourteen centuries later, Greek archaeologists discovered the remains of this early Byzantine community and its tragic and mysterious end.

posted by Prof. Hex at 5:41 PM

Paisley memorial to ancient witches 

A new memorial which honours seven Paisley ‘witches’ who were brutally executed has been unveiled – more than 300 years after their deaths.

posted by Prof. Hex at 5:37 PM

Stonehenge was a royal family's burial site, researchers say 

With lovely photo.

posted by Prof. Hex at 5:36 PM

Tuesday, May 27, 2008

Tokens of doom: mascots seen as signs of times 

Superstitious bloggers have linked China's earthquake disaster and other recent misfortunes to the five Olympic mascots, a Hong Kong newspaper reported yesterday.

Thanks Scott!

posted by Prof. Hex at 7:41 PM

NovelDiscoveries - The Secret of Invisibility is finally revealed! 

I also have the power of invisibility but it only works with attractive women.

posted by Prof. Hex at 7:37 PM

Easy, Do-It-Yourself Ghost 

Neat. Via MetaFilter.

posted by Prof. Hex at 1:05 AM

Rare portrait of Elizabeth I found 

The rare find shows Elizabeth as a teenager alongside her siblings Edward VI and Mary I, father Henry VIII and his jester Will Somers.

posted by Prof. Hex at 12:31 AM

Safe bet? Investigators believe town founder's lockbox is buried in city 

It’s not the Ark of the Covenant, but the Safe of George Crawford is nonetheless something of a mystery, one ready to be solved by, no, not Indiana Jones. The Museum of the West and the Western Investigations Team have the situation well in hand.

posted by Prof. Hex at 12:30 AM

Monday, May 26, 2008

Little Petroglyph Canyon full of wonders, secrets - SGVTribune.com 

It's officially called Little Petroglyph Canyon, hidden high in the Coso Mountains of Inyo County west of Death Valley. There, true to its name, is the largest concentration of Native American rock art, or petroglyphs, in North America, and they may be as old as 16,000 years.

posted by Prof. Hex at 8:14 PM

Mystery of the governess who haunts the Griffin Inn 

Witnesses to this manifestation describe her wearing a black "funeral" veil that would have been worn in the Victorian era.

posted by Prof. Hex at 8:01 PM

20ft giant squid caught by fisherman 

With pic.

posted by Prof. Hex at 7:57 PM

Flamboyant archeologist believes he has identified Cleopatra's tomb 

A flamboyant archeologist known worldwide for his trademark Indiana Jones hat believes he has identified the site where Cleopatra is buried.

Now, with a team of 12 archeologists and 70 excavators, Zahi Hawass, 60, the head of Egypt’s Supreme Council of Antiquities, has started searching for the entrance to her tomb.

And after a breakthrough two weeks ago he hopes to find her lover, the Roman general Mark Antony, sharing her last resting place at the site of a temple, the Taposiris Magna, 28 miles west of Alexandria.

posted by Prof. Hex at 7:52 PM

Lindbergh's deranged quest for immortality 

Flying had a strange effect on the great aviation pioneer Charles Lindbergh, leading him to team up with a French surgeon and embark on a quest for ever-lasting life... for a chosen few.

Via the Anomalist.

posted by Prof. Hex at 7:50 PM

Friday, May 23, 2008

Sweeney Todd - Man or Myth? 

But most myths and legends have a basis somewhere in truth, and Sweeney Todd is no different. There really was a mad barber, he really did use a trapdoor and straight razor to rob and kill customers, and most did end up as filling for meat pies. Extensive, painstaking research by British author Peter Haining has shown this without a doubt. Todd's life and exploits are not nearly as romantic as Sondheim would have us believe, but then who would pay to see a movie or musical about a psychopathic mass murderer unless there was more to the story?

posted by Prof. Hex at 7:43 PM

Lab-Grown Meat a Reality, But Who Will Eat It? 

Thanks George!

posted by Prof. Hex at 12:50 PM

Jesus, Mary Magdalene And “Bloodline” 

This remarkable documentary not only explores a burial tomb in the French village of Rennes-le-Chateau, where a mummified body and artifacts verified to be from the 1st century A.D. have been found, but it also follows Burgess and amateur archeologist Ben Hammott, who deal with unnerving threats to their exploration.

posted by Prof. Hex at 8:00 AM

Manson ranch dig called off with no bodies found 

Investigators and scientists went to Charles Manson's last hideout to hunt for clandestine graves that could contain other possible victims. The closest thing they found were animal bones.

posted by Prof. Hex at 7:58 AM

Real life Indy on trail of treasures 

How about Fleetwood's very own Atlantis – the legendary Portus Setantiorum which could be the mystery iron-age settlement discovered by the group last year?

posted by Prof. Hex at 7:51 AM

'The Monster of Florence' 

Excerpted from "The Monster of Florence" by Douglas Preston with Mario Spezi.

posted by Prof. Hex at 7:35 AM

Crystal skulls 'are modern fakes' 

Two of the best known crystal skulls - artefacts once thought to be the work of ancient American civilisations - are modern fakes, a scientific study shows.

posted by Prof. Hex at 7:32 AM

Whale of a find in Lake Waccamaw 

While exactly what's in the water might take several months to decode and reconstruct, what's not a mystery is how an estimated 20-foot-long whale ended up in Lake Waccamaw.

posted by Prof. Hex at 7:31 AM

Answers About New Yorks Hidden Places, Part 2 

A Q & A with the author of Secret New York: Exploring the City’s Hidden Neighborhoods.

posted by Prof. Hex at 7:24 AM

Long-Lost Ship May Surrender Civil War Secrets 

On an October night 145 years ago, the Kate Dale, a sleek sloop made of live oak and pine, lay at anchor beneath the cypress trees in the Hillsborough River just north of what is now Lowry Park, its hold full of cotton for a stealthy voyage to Cuba.

posted by Prof. Hex at 7:11 AM

Fourth severed foot found 

The gruesome mystery of severed feet being discovered on various B.C. coasts has washed up on the Lower Mainland.

posted by Prof. Hex at 6:55 AM

Wednesday, May 21, 2008

Did Humans Colonize the World by Boat? 

Research suggests our ancestors traveled the oceans 70,000 years ago.

Via Fark.

posted by Prof. Hex at 2:42 PM

UFO Round Up 

UFO sightings in skies above North Devon

UFOs do exist - we've seen them

Stephenville UFO incidents explored in detail

posted by Prof. Hex at 9:02 AM

Lab agrees to test Shroud of Turin for new theory 

A physics professor here has resurrected the mystery of the Shroud of Turin, the fabled burial cloth of Christ that 20 years ago scientists declared a fake.

posted by Prof. Hex at 8:54 AM

First day of excavation at Manson clan's Barker Ranch uncovers bullet casing 

It didn't take long Tuesday for a posse of Inyo County sheriff's deputies and forensics experts to mark their first find while searching for buried human remains at a remote, sun-scorched ranch once used as a hangout by the notorious Charles Manson family.

posted by Prof. Hex at 8:53 AM

Remains of murderess' children exhumed 

Each discovery only begs more questions, but as a team of anthropologists from the University of Indianapolis labors to solve a 100-year-old murder mystery, the time for Belle Gunness to reveal herself has arrived.

posted by Prof. Hex at 8:44 AM

Is the government compiling a secret list of citizens to detain under martial law? 

Is the government compiling a secret list of citizens to detain under martial law?

posted by Prof. Hex at 8:42 AM

Gold rush fever returns to the California hills 

Almost 150 years after the first ’49ers swarmed into the mountains of California, a new gold rush is sweeping across the United States.

With video. Via Boing Boing.

posted by Prof. Hex at 8:41 AM

Strange colored lights in the sky before Chinese earthquake 

With video.

posted by Prof. Hex at 8:38 AM

Search ongoing for Lost Colony site 

Archaeological teams are geared up to answer the on-going mystery of Fort Raleigh's early settlers.

posted by Prof. Hex at 8:36 AM

Warning: Using a mobile phone while pregnant can seriously damage your baby 

Study of 13,000 children exposes link between use of handsets and later behavioural problems.

posted by Prof. Hex at 8:33 AM

Tuesday, May 20, 2008

Bruce Burgess' new film 'Bloodline' stirs controversy 

The documentary "Bloodline" asserts that Jesus Christ married Mary Magdalene, and that their wedding chalice was spirited off to the French countryside and protected by a secret society of Catholic priests.

posted by Prof. Hex at 9:58 PM

Monday, May 19, 2008

Mystery of Lost Confederate Gold 

Wesley Millett and Gerald White are the authors of The Rebel and the Rose.

posted by Prof. Hex at 1:04 AM

Colombian 'hit' that set off a UK cocaine war 

A drugs baron from Liverpool built up a £200m fortune through his links with the Colombian cartels. But when he tried to cheat the South American traffickers, he was brutally assassinated by a contract killer. Now police across Europe fear an international drugs war between the two syndicates.

posted by Prof. Hex at 12:32 AM

Sistine set-up: the 500-year-old art mystery 

Jealous rivals plotted in vain to humiliate Michelangelo. Alistair Fraser uncovers a 500-year-old art world mystery.

posted by Prof. Hex at 12:30 AM

Rewriting RFK's Assassination 

Now, forensic scientist Phil Von Praag is attempting to rewrite history with a startling revelation.

"I believe Sirhan was definitely not the only gunman," admits Von Praag. Praag's belief is based on a new computer analysis of six seconds of sound.

posted by Prof. Hex at 12:27 AM

Huge "sturgeon ball" in Columbia a mystery 

What they found below the spillways in February was not a giant pile of rock at all, but a humongous pile of thousands upon thousands of sturgeon — some of them 14 feet long or longer — lounging together in frigid water at the bottom of the river.

posted by Prof. Hex at 12:13 AM

LaPorte native's skull interest reflected in Indiana Jones flick 

Area man owns most famous of skulls guiding Indiana Jones film.

posted by Prof. Hex at 12:08 AM

Investigation Discovery-The Criminal Report Daily: New Leads Sought in D.B. Cooper Skyjacker Case 

The advent of new technologies and DNA testing has resulted in renewed efforts by the Federal Bureau of Investigation to solve the 36-year-old mystery of the D.B. Cooper skyjacker case.

posted by Prof. Hex at 12:03 AM

Sunday, May 18, 2008

Mysterious Remains Dated Nearly 150 Years Ago Found In Southern Utah 

A mysterious discovery in the Escalante Canyons brought a dozen of agents from the F.B.I. and Bureau of Land Management to the national monument. Now agents try to solve the mystery that dates back nearly 150 years.

posted by Prof. Hex at 11:40 PM

Alien Walks Into a Bar: What Do You Say? 

On the windswept campus of the University of Wyoming, spring is struggling to arrive, students are fighting their way through finals, and Jeffrey Lockwood's creative writing class is grappling with how to talk to aliens. And they're not kidding.

Via Fark.

posted by Prof. Hex at 6:57 PM

Thursday, May 15, 2008

Green aliens and UFOs said to visit UK 

Aliens from outer space have been visiting Britain for years and UFO sightings doubled after the film Close Encounters was released in 1977, according to secret files collating reports by members of the public.

Mysterious object seen flying over Southampton (with pic)

posted by Prof. Hex at 9:08 AM

Stonehenge may have been an ancient spa 

The mysterious circle of stones that rises on Salisbury Plain near here has stood as an archeological marvel for thousands of years, its origins and purpose shrouded in the mists of history.

posted by Prof. Hex at 9:01 AM

Hunt for Diamonds Yields a 500-Year-Old Shipwreck 

The ship was laden with tons of copper ingots, elephant tusks, gold coins and cannons to fend off pirates.

But there was nothing to protect it from the fierce weather off a bleak stretch of African coast, where it sank 500 years ago.

posted by Prof. Hex at 8:58 AM

How weird is Washington state? A new book lets you be the judge 

A new book called "Weird Washington: Your Travel Guide to Washington's Local Legends and Best Kept Secrets" (Sterling, $19.95) features oddities in our state ranging from notorious people to tales of hangings and haunted places, unusual roadside attractions, mythical flora and fauna and other esoterica.

posted by Prof. Hex at 8:56 AM

Al Goodyear and the Secrets of the Ancient Americans 

USC Professor Discovers 50,000 Year-Old Artifacts in S.C.

FTA: “To most people of my generation, saying you’re searching for something pre-Clovis is tantamount to saying you’re going looking for Elvis or E.T. It was that entrenched — it’s what I was taught myself and what I taught my students to believe. And lo and behold the first week we start finding artifacts.”

posted by Prof. Hex at 8:54 AM

Last year's crop circle mystery solved? 

Two crop circles in two years. It has residents in Monroe County scratching their heads wondering what or who is causing the circles in their hay fields. Wednesday night, they got some answers.

posted by Prof. Hex at 8:47 AM

Children's remains exhumed in 100-year-old murder mystery 

Forest Park graves may hold clue to whether Belle Gunness of Indiana killed children as well as suitors.

posted by Prof. Hex at 8:44 AM

Searching for Amelia: The plane truth 

The aviation world’s greatest mystery may be on the cusp of being solved.

posted by Prof. Hex at 8:37 AM

N.H. man makes sense of paranormal events 

David Manch was born to investigate the paranormal.

posted by Prof. Hex at 8:37 AM

Local mediums see past, future 

Need a psychic in Iowa?

posted by Prof. Hex at 8:33 AM

Searching for the Real Crystal Skulls with Lester Holt 

It's safe to say that if you don't know what a crystal skull is, by the end of the summer you might be an amateur expert on one of life's long-standing mysteries.

posted by Prof. Hex at 8:29 AM

Monday, May 12, 2008

Bizarre Japanese Arcade Game: Live Lobster Catcher 

Remember those coin-operated “claw” games in the 80’s, where you could snag some fuzzy dice if you moved the robot hand with enough skill?

posted by Prof. Hex at 11:11 PM

'Smiley Face' Killers May Be Linked To Man Found Dead In Jan. 

A young man was found dead in Delaware County and investigators want to know if he is the latest victim of the smiley face killers.

Investigators: Drowning May Be Linked To 'Smiley Face' Killings

posted by Prof. Hex at 12:59 PM

Giant space vegetables ‘could feed the world’ 

Or destroy us all!

posted by Prof. Hex at 12:30 PM

In pictures: The giant cow that's the size of a baby elephant 

That's a lot of cow.

posted by Prof. Hex at 12:27 PM

Inca Skull Surgeons Were "Highly Skilled," Study Finds 

Inca surgeons in ancient Peru commonly and successfully removed small portions of patients' skulls to treat head injuries, according to a new study.

posted by Prof. Hex at 12:23 PM

Fond du Lac area is hot spot for UFO activity 

Several Fond du Lac area residents aren't surprised that Long Lake, located near Dundee, was recently named the top UFO hotspot in Wisconsin. The area is notorious for strange lights and objects, plus an occasional crop circle.

posted by Prof. Hex at 12:21 PM

Do You WANT TO BELIEVE The New X-FILES Movie Trailer Is Online?? 

Ain't It Cool News has the info.

posted by Prof. Hex at 12:18 PM

Bigfoot, aka Sasquatch, will draw hundreds to a conference next weekend 

Ohio has a proud history: Mother of presidents. Birthplace of aviation. And don’t forget, bastion of Bigfoot.

Bigfoot searchers to return

Bigfoot Hunters Capture Unidentified Audio Recordings (with video that has the audio)

posted by Prof. Hex at 11:59 AM

Variety speak: The bizarre Hollywood terminology you'll need to clinch a movie deal 

Now Variety has put its 2005 book "The Hollywood Dictionary", a collection of some of the most popular slanguage terms, online for the first time.

posted by Prof. Hex at 11:51 AM

A billionaire's sweet purchase turns to 'Vinegar' 

In vino veritas? Patooie.

Fakery born of greed has infested the wine trade pretty much since the first grapes were fermented. The Canterbury Tales warned of doctored juice; Thomas Jefferson, America's first famous oenophile, probably got burned by Bordeaux merchants who added cider and vegetable dye to "improve" the product.

But as Benjamin Wallace illustrates in The Billionaire's Vinegar, his splendid account of an international wine scandal of recent vintage, it was some wealthy collectors in the 1980s and 1990s who really got hosed.

posted by Prof. Hex at 11:47 AM

1948 “Birdmen” Cases Revisited 

Cryptomundo looks back...and up.

posted by Prof. Hex at 11:37 AM

Friday, May 09, 2008

Bigfoot: Daylight encounter with two hunters south of Union (w/ cellphone photos) 

Interesting report over at BFRO.

posted by Prof. Hex at 1:58 AM

Gay Bigfoot & the 7 Weirdest Mythical Creatures in the World 

Funny and probably not safe for work.

Cryptomundo has a cleaner take on it.

posted by Prof. Hex at 1:16 AM

Thursday, May 08, 2008

Kelso Theatre Pub ghost highlighted in 'Weird' book 

Washington is the second-weirdest state in the union when it comes to mysterious phenomena, according to a company that compiles ghost stories, unsolved mysteries and colorful characters into factoid-rich books.

posted by Prof. Hex at 11:12 PM

Centuries-old source of healing waters in line for restoration 

For centuries its murky waters were prized by nuns, lepers and royalty alike for their mysterious health-giving powers.

posted by Prof. Hex at 11:03 PM

Iron mask legend endures 

For more than 300 years, one of Europe's greatest unsolved mysteries continues to fascinate historians, writers and even Hollywood filmmakers: Just who was the man in the iron mask?

posted by Prof. Hex at 11:00 PM

The Facts Behind The Medical Mystery Of Morgellons 

Is Morgellons related to Lyme Disease?

posted by Prof. Hex at 10:55 PM

Spain Says Treasure Wreck Was Its Warship 

Although experts have long suspected the wreck was a Spanish frigate, Spain said for the first time on Thursday it could prove it was the La Nuestra Senora de las Mercedes, thus giving it sole ownership of the wreck and its contents, despite its lying in international waters west of Cadiz.

posted by Prof. Hex at 10:45 PM

Drowning victim’s mom questions eerie demise 

Another “Smiley Face Murder?”

posted by Prof. Hex at 6:35 PM

Discovery of Mummies at Durango, Mexico, 1848 

The Texan Star states that a Million mummies have been discovered in the environs of Durango, Mexico. They are in a sitting posture, but have the same wrappings, bands and ornaments, as the Egyptians. Among them was found a sculptured head, with a poignard of flint, chaplets, necklaces &c, of alternated colored beads, fragments of bone polished like ivory, fine worked elastic tissues, (probably our modern India rubber cloth,) moccasins worked like those of our Indians today, bones of vipers, &c. It remains to continue these interesting researches and America will become another Egypt to antiquaries, and her ruins will go back to the oldest period of the world, showing, doubtless, that the ancestors of the Montezuma lived in the Nile.

Is the above one of the playful paragraphs of our “American Fast Man,” or is it true?

From the Boston Evening Transcript, August 4, 1848.

Also reported, with slight differences, in the Gentleman’s Magazine, Vol XII, July to December, 1939.

posted by Prof. Hex at 5:36 PM

Wednesday, May 07, 2008

Ghost Stories 

Using science, a group of paranormal investigators from Kansas City visit Southwest Missouri. Video cameras are used, as well as audio recordings, to see if the group can find evidence of spirts.

With videos.

posted by Prof. Hex at 11:18 PM

Could West Kilbride be replaced as UFO hotspot? 

With video of UFO.

See also: Dells, Lake Delton residents report UFO sightings

posted by Prof. Hex at 11:02 PM

The mysterious body from the sky 

The discovery of a body in the yard of a south Knoxville home 22 years ago was strange enough, but it was the circumstances surrounding the body that would become truly bizarre and dramatic.

posted by Prof. Hex at 10:37 PM

Eating yogurt keeps your inner garden green 

Over the centuries, yogurt developed a medicinal reputation. Eat yogurt regularly and your gastro-intestinal apparatus purrs along as smoothly as your granny's old Singer. One much-told story concerns Francis I of France, the popular monarch for whom Benvenuto Cellini created the amazing salt cellar I described in a recent column.

posted by Prof. Hex at 10:28 PM

Rare silverware is the Baskerville’s 

A treasure trove of family silver which has been hidden in the back of a wardrobe for more than 60 years has sparked a mystery even Sherlock Holmes might have had a problem solving.

The 40 pieces of silver, which date back to the 1780s, were owned by the Baskerville family - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s inspiration for one of the most famous detective intrigues of all time.

posted by Prof. Hex at 10:24 PM

Rare Victorian lifestyle book is the first lads' mag 

A rare book from Victorian times has revealed how image-conscious young men soaked up lifestyle advice from the grandfather of all lads' mags.

The language might seem a trifle floral and the content might be a bit tame compared to those of modern-day successors like GQ, FHM, Nuts and Zoo.

But there can be little doubt that The Young Man's Own Book, published in London in 1832, was the original tome for dedicated followers of fashion.

posted by Prof. Hex at 10:23 PM

Mystery of the house in the etching solved 

Neat.

posted by Prof. Hex at 10:20 PM

Jack Parsons, RIP 

Parsons, one of the founders of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, is an enigmatic figure who became the subject of much speculation surrounding a "mystery cult" after he died in a 1952 explosion.

posted by Prof. Hex at 10:19 PM

Exhuming a Real-Life British Murder Mystery 

In 1860, a three-year-old British boy was found murdered at his family's country estate, and Scotland Yard Detective Jonathan Jack Whicher was charged with the case.

Audio review of The Suspicions of Mr. Whicher: Murder and the Undoing of A Great Victorian Detective by Kate Summerscale.

posted by Prof. Hex at 10:17 PM

Could a cell phone spy be targeting you? 

Your cell phone helps you keep tabs on the office and chat with friends and family but did you know that someone could use your cell phone to keep tabs on you?

posted by Prof. Hex at 10:07 PM

The smiley-face killers: a born-in-Minneapolis urban legend takes wing 

If you missed Kristi Piehl’s breathless April 25 KSTP-TV report on the pair of retired NYPD detectives who believe there’s a network of serial killers murdering college men around the country — over 40 to date, they claim, and perhaps up to 100 — then you’ve probably also missed the overnight growth of a new urban legend on the web.

Police sort through leads, rumors in Garza disappearance

posted by Prof. Hex at 10:05 PM

Lake Pepin Sea Monster? 'Capture' It For $50,000 

There's one creature in Minnesota that's so hard to track that $50,000 reward is out for proof it exists.


Via Fark.

posted by Prof. Hex at 6:40 PM

Tuesday, May 06, 2008

Mystery widens in case of ‘CIA operative’ gunned down by police 

Was Roland Carnaby a member of the U.S. intelligence community or a would-be spy? The mystery widens in the case of the man who claimed to be a CIA operative who was shot and killed by Houston police following a high-speed chase on Tuesday.

Via Steve Huff's True Crime Tumblelog.

posted by Prof. Hex at 1:36 AM

Monday, May 05, 2008

Papal Insults in the Sistine Chapel? 

They say that Michelangelo embedded powerful and even dangerous messages in the frescoes of the Sistine Chapel, that he encoded these messages using his knowledge of mystic Jewish texts and that he intended some images as insults to the pope.

Via Daily Grail.

posted by Prof. Hex at 11:27 PM

Treasure hunters to seek "Unknown Shipwreck" this week off St. Lucie County 

This will be the first hunt of the year for the Fisher organization, which runs Mel Fisher’s Treasures museum in Sebastian.

posted by Prof. Hex at 8:03 PM

Sunday, May 04, 2008

Alaska’s Prehistoric Monster 

Cryptomundo looks back.

posted by Prof. Hex at 9:03 PM

Space aliens invade Canada 

Funny, eh.

posted by Prof. Hex at 6:42 PM

Theodore Roosevelt’s Bigfoot Story 

This is an excerpt from Theodore Roosevelt’s 1893 book, The Wilderness Hunter. In this excerpt he wrote about a Sasquatch encounter near the Salmon River in Idaho.

posted by Prof. Hex at 6:35 PM

The legend of Akakor 

In the fourth Indiana Jones movie, our archaeologist-adventurer goes in search of a lost “kingdom of the crystal skull”. It appears that this is none other than the legendary Akakor, which became famous in the 1970s. But is the legend too good to be true?

Via the Anomalist.

posted by Prof. Hex at 5:09 PM

America's Chemically Modified 21st Century Soldiers 

Armed with potent drugs and new technology, a dangerous breed of soldiers are being trained to fight America's future wars.

posted by Prof. Hex at 5:03 PM

Building Manager: DC Madam's Death Not Suicide 

The building manager of a Central Florida condo said he spent time talking to Deborah Jean Palfrey on Monday as she packed to go to her mother's house and she did not seem suicidal.

Via this thread at the Rigorous Intuition boards.

posted by Prof. Hex at 4:30 PM

Friday, May 02, 2008

Sci Fashion: The Four Styles You'll Wear in the Future, According to Science Fiction 

Very funny. Via Fark.

posted by Prof. Hex at 2:04 PM

Thursday, May 01, 2008

Slain cougar likely from South Dakota 

The 124-pound cougar that ended up in Roscoe Village last month may have started its life nearly 1,000 miles away in South Dakota. And the big cat -- the first cougar found in Cook County since at least 1855 -- definitely passed through southern Wisconsin as it wandered toward Chicago.

posted by Prof. Hex at 12:23 PM

Remains of czar’s children ID’d 

DNA tests performed at the University of Massachusetts Medical School appear to close the book on a 90-year-old mystery that had many people around the world convinced that two of Czar Nicholas II’s children survived a massacre of Russia’s last royal family by Bolshevik revolutionaries.

posted by Prof. Hex at 12:21 PM

DC Madam commits suicide in Tarpon Springs 

Police were called to the home of DC Madam Deborah Jeane Palfrey's mother on Thursday to investigate her apparent suicide.

The dead tell no tales.

posted by Prof. Hex at 12:12 PM

De Beers Finds Shipwreck, Treasure From Columbus Era 

De Beers, the world's biggest undersea diamond miner, said its geologists in Namibia found the wreckage of an ancient sailing ship still laden with treasure, including six bronze cannons, thousands of Spanish and Portuguese gold coins and more than 50 elephant tusks.

posted by Prof. Hex at 10:58 AM