Monday, September 26, 2011

The (New) Great American Road Trip 

Hey folks. Allow me to apologize for the lack of frequent posting here but I'm on a big road trip so my computer access has been off and on and I've been busy enjoying myself. I'm heading west and investigating strange and mysterious phenomena as I go, hopefully to write a book about my adventures. I managed to write a couple columns for Big Think as I moved along. Here's my first:

The (New) Great American Road Trip

And while in Denver I wrote an article about the innovative farming project at the Denver Green School.

Denver Green School seeds new innovation – growing their own food

Check them out if you are so inclined.

I'm pulling out of Casper, Wyoming, today and will be heading to Douglas, home of the Jackalope, and then into the Pedro Mountains to look into the Nimerigar, the legendary (and violent) little people of Shoshone legend. Hopefully, I won't get a tiny arrow in my butt. I'll post again when I reach civilization. Until then, check out the links and I hope this finds you well.

posted by Prof. Hex at 2:26 PM

Friday, September 23, 2011

Insurance for ... zombie attacks? 

Nice.

posted by Prof. Hex at 5:21 PM

The Dark Side of the Placebo Effect: When Intense Belief Kills 

While people of all cultures experience sleep paralysis in similar ways, the specific form and intensity it takes varies from one group to the next.

Thanks, Scott!

posted by Prof. Hex at 4:48 PM

Doc tries to decipher mystery left underfoot around U.S. 

The main phrase is always some variation of this: “TOYNBEE IDEA IN MOVIE 2001 RESURRECT DEAD ON PLANET JUPITER.”

posted by Prof. Hex at 4:44 PM

Feds probe mysterious markings on Southwest jets 

The writings -- which some have interpreted as being either Arabic or Arabic-type symbols -- appeared to have been done with a chemical process that reveals the text once an auxiliary power unit is turned on and heats up the outside skin of the aircraft.

posted by Prof. Hex at 4:42 PM

Min Min light, the phantom glow that chases confused motorists in Australia 

If you ever visit Eastern Australia, there's a rare chance you may encounter the Min Min light, a spectral luminescence that trails the viewer and is often mistaken for a UFO.

posted by Prof. Hex at 3:55 PM

Tintin returns to the mind-melting worlds of H.P. Lovecraft 

Awesome.

posted by Prof. Hex at 3:54 PM

Thursday, September 22, 2011

Does Lake Erie Harbor an Underwater UFO Base? 

Around 9Pm on Saturday September 17th 2011 unknown air borne phenomenon was observed over Lake Erie near western Erie County Pennsylvania by two households.

posted by Prof. Hex at 4:58 PM

Tuesday, September 20, 2011

Five year old girl discovers 160 million year old fossil 

She named the fossil “Spike”.

posted by Prof. Hex at 11:29 PM

The mystery continues: What killed the dinosaurs? 

The source of the asteroid that killed off the dinosaurs 65 million years ago remains a mystery, a new study finds.

posted by Prof. Hex at 10:44 PM

Monday, September 19, 2011

Canadian cryptid coins are the most bad-ass currency in the history of legal tender 

I can't top that headline.

posted by Prof. Hex at 7:40 PM

Archaeologists in Illinois dig to find civilization that vanished 

The largest excavation of a prehistoric site in the country is poised to solve a riddle about Illinois prehistory that has lingered for a century — where did the Mississippians go?

Thanks, Scott!

posted by Prof. Hex at 7:04 PM

Mysterious 'booms' perplex scientists 

Mysterious booming sounds are occasionally heard on the North Carolina coast, often powerful enough to rattle windows and doors. They cannot be explained by thunderstorms or any manmade sources — their source is a mystery.

posted by Prof. Hex at 2:21 AM

Sunday, September 18, 2011

Online gamers crack AIDS enzyme puzzle 

Online gamers have achieved a feat beyond the realm of Second Life or Dungeons and Dragons: they have deciphered the structure of an enzyme of an AIDS-like virus that had thwarted scientists for a decade.

posted by Prof. Hex at 6:05 PM

Friday, September 16, 2011

Today's Document from the National Archives 

"Regulations Governing Mountain Climbing Expeditions in Nepal - Relating to Yeti."

Thanks, Scott!

posted by Prof. Hex at 11:08 PM

Visible Only From Above, Mystifying 'Nazca Lines' Discovered In Mideast 

They stretch from Syria to Saudi Arabia, can be seen from the air but not the ground, and are virtually unknown to the public.

With cool pic.

posted by Prof. Hex at 8:43 PM

Did zombies roam medieval Ireland? 

They used to call this a "vampire" burial but I guess zombies are more popular these days.

posted by Prof. Hex at 7:43 PM

Thursday, September 15, 2011

Nile crocodile is actually two species (and the Egyptians knew it) 

This is what happens when you don't read your Herodotus.

posted by Prof. Hex at 10:04 PM

Southland Residents Report Seeing Strange Lights In The Night Sky 

Anonymous: “I was on my cell outside, in City of industry when I looked up and saw the green, orange falling object about 7:40 p.m. As I saw it my buddy was on his way home on the 91 and he saw it at the same time.“

With video.

posted by Prof. Hex at 9:31 PM

New species of dolphin discovered 

Around 150 of the dolphins live around the Melbourne area and had until now been assumed to be one of the known bottlenose dolphins.

posted by Prof. Hex at 9:23 PM

Dan Aykroyd talks UFOs, recounts phone conversation with Britney Spears interrupted by Men in Black (yes, really) 

If you want real intrigue, you apparently need to get Aykroyd started on unidentified flying objects.

posted by Prof. Hex at 12:18 AM

The trailer for "The Hunter" is here 

Willem Dafoe hunts the Tasmanian Tiger.

posted by Prof. Hex at 12:11 AM

Wednesday, September 14, 2011

Beware of the Big Gray Man 

The mountain is the reputed home of a vile and terrifying man-beast: the Big Gray Man, as it has become infamously known.

posted by Prof. Hex at 11:33 PM

'Wi-fi refugees' shelter in West Virginia mountains 

Dozens of Americans who claim to have been made ill by wi-fi and mobile phones have flocked to the town of Green Bank, West Virginia.

Thanks, Scott!

posted by Prof. Hex at 10:47 PM

Tuesday, September 13, 2011

Can animals forecast disasters? 

In the dead of night, dogs howl. Snakes slither away in droves. Moments later, an earthquake upends the landscape. No one sees it coming -- no human, that is.

posted by Prof. Hex at 7:05 PM

Yeats, faeries, and the Irish occult tradition 

With video.

posted by Prof. Hex at 6:57 PM

Is this the face of Jack the Ripper? 

More than 200 suspects have been named. But to Ripper expert Trevor Marriott, a former murder squad detective, German merchant Carl Feigenbaum is the top suspect.

posted by Prof. Hex at 5:18 PM

Face of Simon of Sudbury revealed by forensic artist 

A forensic expert has reconstructed the face of a 14th Century Archbishop of Canterbury who met a grisly end during the Peasant's Revolt of 1381.

posted by Prof. Hex at 5:01 PM

‘Pangbourne Panther back on the prowl’ 

A furry scourge of Reading’s countryside might be back – if the legend of the Pangbourne Panther is to be believed.

posted by Prof. Hex at 1:27 PM

Saturday, September 03, 2011

Postcards and maps from America's olden days, filled with monsters and alien dictators 

As someone who spends a lot of time looking at old paper, I really appreciate the attention to detail here. Neat stuff.

posted by Prof. Hex at 10:56 PM

Jonny Quest Opening Titles 

So cool.

Jonny Quest Opening Titles from Roger D. Evans on Vimeo.

posted by Prof. Hex at 9:19 PM

Rebel and Yank Snowball Wars: Fighting Winter Boredom 

At least four rare wintertime Civil War engagements remain footnotes in history, even though the scope and ferocity of these battles received mention in many diaries and journals of the soldier-participants.

posted by Prof. Hex at 12:44 PM

Friday, September 02, 2011

Rick Perry and the Satanic Statue of Liberty 

My latest at Big Think.

posted by Prof. Hex at 9:12 PM

New study finds pirates of the Caribbean had fascination with fine pottery 

They smoked like the devil, drank straight from the bottle, annoyed the Spanish and had a fascination with fine pottery.

posted by Prof. Hex at 8:52 PM

All Hail The Tiny $25 PC! Coming In November 

Raspberry Pi, a UK-based charity focused on computer science studies, has a slice of really interesting tech goodness on tap — a working PC that’s the size of a credit card, able to connect to a mouse and a keyboard, and can use a TV or even a capacitive display, for a make-shift tablet.

posted by Prof. Hex at 4:51 PM

The Score 

If you have a Kindle or Kindle app you can pick up Richard Stark's The Score now for free. Great book.

posted by Prof. Hex at 2:03 PM

Utah Campers Film Bigfoot? New Breakdown Footage Added 

Apparently Bigfoot is roaming the forests of many North American locales as a new video comes to us from some campers in the mountains of Utah.

posted by Prof. Hex at 10:43 AM

Magic blamed for road mishap 

Police checking the damaged car found pieces of human nails and hair tied to each other and wrapped in a handkerchief, which was concealed under one seat.

posted by Prof. Hex at 10:38 AM

Beyond Belief and Randi's Million Dollar Challenge 

Firstly: there is something very wrong with an organisation that is supposedly dedicated to raising the public understanding of science and skepticism deliberately obfuscating the fact that its well-known challenge is no real scientific test of the topic and thus says *nothing* about the existence or non-existence of the paranormal.

posted by Prof. Hex at 10:34 AM

The Texas Batman is back! 

At the time, the lady of the household was standing in her driveway having a conversation on her cell phone, when she happened to glance up and spotted what appeared to be a huge, dark winged man gliding through the air!

posted by Prof. Hex at 10:18 AM

Thursday, September 01, 2011

Inside the Great Pyramid of Giza 

Few would be so bold as to suggest that, even today, we know why Khufu ordered the construction of what is by far the most elaborate system of passages and chambers concealed within any pyramid.

posted by Prof. Hex at 3:07 PM

Bigfoot Round Up 

TV crew comes to Carlton County looking for Bigfoot

Sasquatch claims draw TV show to Minnesota

Hunt for Bigfoot continues in Alberta's mountains

Bigfoot in Banff?

Knobby legend lives on: History of bigfoot sightings brings the curious to Casar

posted by Prof. Hex at 6:00 AM