Cryptozoology and Myth, Part 3: Hiding in the cold, dark water until Judgment Day

By | September 8, 2015
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This is the third in a series of posts examining cryptids (“hidden” animals said to exist based on local testimony), namely lake monsters, in terms of the folklore, tradition, and native tales of these creatures. The first part is here: Cryptozoology and Myth, Part 1: The Illusion of Facticity in Unknown Animal Reports The second part… Read More: Cryptozoology and Myth, Part 3: Hiding in the cold, dark… »

100 Things Popular Science Thinks Science Got Wrong, but Didn’t Quite

By | September 5, 2015
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I was in the grocery checkout line a few weeks ago. I sometimes scan the magazine rack impulse grabs but never buy them. This week, the crop circle cover photo of a special edition of Popular Science caught my attention: Mistakes and Hoaxes – 100 Things Science Got Wrong What did science get wrong about… Read More: 100 Things Popular Science Thinks Science Got Wrong, but Didn’t… »

Cryptozoology and Myth, Part 2: Lake Monster Tropes

By | August 31, 2015
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This is the second in a series of posts examining cryptids (“hidden” animals said to exist based on local testimony), namely lake monsters, in terms of the folklore, tradition, and native tales of these creatures. The first part is here: Cryptozoology and Myth, Part 1: The Illusion of Facticity in Unknown Animal Reports What can… Read More: Cryptozoology and Myth, Part 2: Lake Monster Tropes »

Cryptozoology and Myth, Part 1: The Illusion of Facticity in Unknown Animal Reports

By | August 19, 2015
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What can we make of folklore tales that cryptozoologists use to support claims that an unknown animal has been historically reported and remains to be identified? Cryptid researchers say that modern reports of Bigfoot-Sasquatch, lake monster, sea serpents, giant flying animals, and elusive land creatures are supported by the stories of native people, legends or… Read More: Cryptozoology and Myth, Part 1: The Illusion of Facticity in… »

Stone-throwing wall-thumpers: Review of Australian Poltergeists

By | April 14, 2015
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Paul Cropper sent me a copy of his new book with co-author Tony Healy, Australian Poltergeist: The Stone-throwing Spook of Humpty Doo and Many Other Cases. He must have known how much I love this topic and was eager to learn about various cases around the world. I learned about the concept of poltergeists before… Read More: Stone-throwing wall-thumpers: Review of Australian Poltergeists »

I know, not just believe, this book is nonsense: Book Review

By | March 14, 2015
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Sometimes publishers and authors send me stuff. I’m not sure why they think I’ll suddenly be open to unscientific, fringe ideas about how the world works and overthrow what we know via just one book. Yes, that’s right, KNOW. This book, Paradigm Busters, from the Atlantis Rising magazine library, starts off by confusing conditional scientific… Read More: I know, not just believe, this book is nonsense: Book… »

The 1988 US Army commissioned report on Enhancing Human Performance

By | February 6, 2015
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mystery booms

It was news to me that back in 1985, the US Army commissioned an analysis of certain techniques that were proposed to enhance human performance. The Army Research Institute asked the National Academies to form a committee to examine these questionable strategies. The report is available here where you can read it for free. Enhancing… Read More: The 1988 US Army commissioned report on Enhancing Human Performance »

Deliver me from another ridiculous “demons everywhere” story – Book Review

By | January 23, 2015
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A review of Deliver Us from Evil, R. Sarchie with L.C. Cool I shall cut to the main point. I didn’t set out to read this one. I saw it in the library and it looked like a fast read. It’s important to understand what’s being put out there as “true” stories. As usual, it… Read More: Deliver me from another ridiculous “demons everywhere” story – Book… »

Sykes paper is a clarion call for higher standards for cryptozoology

By | July 2, 2014
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The highly anticipated paper from B. Skyes regarding DNA testing of anomalous primates has been published and is, thankfully, freely accessible. In 2012, the team from University of Oxford and the Museum of Zoology, Lausanne, put out a call for samples of suspected anomalous primates – Yeti, Bigfoot/Sasquatch, Almasty, orang pendek. The samples, if accepted,… Read More: Sykes paper is a clarion call for higher standards for… »

Warnings of impending danger: Science and Social Factors

By | June 7, 2014
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Natural disasters happen every day. The people who can help prepare society for them are not psychics or crank pseudoscientists but those who study events inside out and upside down – scientists. Those who consider prediction a part of their research and responsibility range from weather forecasters to seismologists and volcanologists. It’s a great responsibility to… Read More: Warnings of impending danger: Science and Social Factors »