Kind of . . . sort of . . . well, not really . . . maybe. Actually, it depends on what one wants to read into what's said and isn't. I can hardly wait for the ancient astronaut crowd to think this means something. They are truly desperate for validation. But let's be...
media hype
Did NASA Just Endorse Ancient Astronauts?
Uh . . . no. But you might be led to believe that, given the carelessness of some mainstream media outlets. I saw several pieces on this fiasco yesterday, but I want to direct readers to Jason Colavito's site for a timely assessment: "Media Outlets Wrongly Claim NASA...
How Scientists Could Be Fooled Into Thinking They’ve Found Extraterrestrial Life
That's the title of an interesting and appropriately cautionary essay by George Dvorsky. He also wrote a piece entitled "14 Intriguing Ways We Could Detect Signs Of An Alien Civilization." Here's another article on how scientists could also draw the wrong conclusion:...
The Wife of Jesus Coptic Fragment: Another Update
The New York Times online science page published a short article today wherein scientists who have examined the Coptic fragment that has Jesus referring to his wife ("my wife") is more likely authentic than not. Sigh. The issue isn't really if the papyrus is ancient....
A Lesson in Retail Ufology
Robert Sheaffer gives his readers another bird's eye view into how ufology is marketed to the masses in "More Museum Shenanigans." Enjoy!
Another “Stone Age Atlantis”
Here's a report about the discovery by some Swedish divers of "an ancient underwater site" deep in the Baltic. Since it's in the Nordic region, it's being dubbed as the "Swedish Atlantis." (Sigh). Have you ever wondered why every time some evidence like this is...
Solomon’s Treasures and the Ark of the Covenant … Really?
Several readers have sent me articles about the new "discovery" about the hiding of the ark of the covenant and other treasures from Solomon's temple. Here are some samples: King Solomon's treasures revealed: Newly translated Hebrew text lists legendary riches -...
I Was Right About that CA Crop Circle
A few days ago I said the CA crop circle looked to me like a computer chip or motherboard. I suggested that it was part of some marketing campaign for a new chip or some other electronics toy. That suspicion turned out to be dead on. From the article (and the...
What Do UFOs Have to do with Animal Planet?
After watching this past week's Animal Planet show, "Uncovering Aliens," I'm still without an answer -- other than ratings. At any rate, I watched to see my friend Derrel Sims. It was fun to see him on TV. But I confess I had to roll my eyes in several places. Two...
California Crop Circle
I'm sure by now everyone who frequents this blog has heard about the California crop circle. Naturally, it's generating talk of aliens. It looks like a computer chip. My guess is that it's a clever promotion for some new chip or motherboard for some new tech device -...
Contact in the Desert Conference: Conclave of the Bizarre
Rob Sheaffer over at the Bad UFO blog offers a whimsical (and in places, disturbing) description of the goings-on at the "alternative knowledge" conference held this past August at the Joshua Tree Retreat Center. Every UFO conference is a mixture of people (attendees...
Review of Candida Moss’s Book, The Myth of Persecution
A book of this nature is a bit tangential to what I normally do on this blog, but this book has gotten a lot of recent attention. In fact, it's own history is a good object lesson. When Moss's book was published months ago, the popular media picked up on it right away...
Shroud of Turin Double-Take: Yep, It’s Easter
This headline caught my eye today: "Turin shroud makes rare appearance on TV amid claims that it is not a forgery." Why, you ask? Because last year at precisely this time -- Easter -- basically the same sort of story ran. I blogged it here under the title, "Is 'Jesus...
Shape-Shifting Jesus: On the Sins of Marketers and Media
[Addendum; 3/24 - some have noted that another passage in the article linked below other than the one I note does have Jesus shape-shifting. It doesn't. Change of appearance is not shape-shifting as those religious traditions who talk of such things have in mind -...
Simcha Jacobovici Sues Archaeologist Joe Zias
You can read the story here. In a nutshell, Jacobovici is torqued that Zias' criticisms of the former's archaeological claims as erroneous and goofy have cost him money. Since Zias (unlike me) is a professional archaeologist, his criticisms about Jacobovici's...