Air Force told FBI about recovered flying saucers?

When I first read the headline "FBI Releases Document Confirming Roswell UFO" on Slashdot this morning, my initial reaction was to chuckle and think, "Yeah, right. Were they Asgard or Ferengi?" However, I still followed the link and tried to suspend any disbelief. I wasn't disappointed.

Tracing the story back to its source on the FBI's website, I found a memo written by Agent Guy Hottel to the FBI Director on March 22, 1950 [FBI Vault]. In this memo, the agent details contact from "an investigator for the Air Force" who stated that "three so-called flying saucers had been recovered in New Mexico" and that each was "occupied by three bodies of human shape but only 3 feet tall".

I've transcribed the body of the memo here:

The following information was furnished to SA [redacted text] by [redacted text], [redacted text]

An investigator for the Air Force stated that three so-called flying saucers had been recovered in New Mexico. They were described as being circular in shape with raised centers, approximately 50 feet in diameter. Each one was occupied by three bodies of human shape but only 3 feet tall, dressed in metallic cloth of a very fine texture. Each body was bandaged in a manner similar to the blackout suits used by speed flyers and test pilots.

According to Mr. [redacted text] informant, the saucers were found in New Mexico due to the fact that the Government has a very high-powered radar set-up in that area and it is believed the radar interferes with the controlling mechanism of the saucers.

No further evaluation was attempted by SA [redacted text] concerning the above.

As I said above, I wasn't disappointed. This is very intriguing information, but not something I considered so important that I should interrupt my day's plans -- as you may have noticed since I'm not writing or publishing this until almost 12 hours after reading.

Before we discuss further, let me make it clear, this document was certainly released by the FBI, officially, so I do not debate the document's authenticity. Now, let's look at the facts we can discern in the memo and consider their impact.

First, we know that some individual gave a Special Agent (SA) this information. We don't know who that individual was or how they came by the information themselves. (No, we cannot be sure that the individual is the "investigator for the Air Force". That is part of the information seen here, not necessarily the agent's source.)

Second, we know that a Special Agent chose not to evaluate the information further. This could mean any number of things, mainly that the SA either felt that the matter was of no concern to the FBI (e.g. jurisdiction) or that the informant (or information) was of questionable authority.

As you can see, a reasonable critique of the information can free us from sensationalism while still embracing the excitement of a notable document. Personally, I find the narrative enlightening. (At the least, as to the reporting and documentation of the FBI and its agents in the 1950s.) Regardless of whether all of the contents describe factual details of what may or may not have happened in Roswell, New Mexico, I think it's important to strive to always keep our priorities and goals in focus as we enjoy the excitement of each day and the community we share here on Earth.

Site down time while I move to California!

The main INDY site will be down for a time while I move my things to California. I've decided to accept a job offer in Irvine. I have missed the ocean so much; I am thrilled to have this opportunity!

UPDATE (2011-04-01 @ 11:30): Here's a map of Irvine, CA. I found a place on Crosscreek which is about a 5 minute bike ride from Irvine College where I'll be working.
UPDATE (2011-04-01 @ 18:00): APRIL FOOLS! I do miss California and the ocean, but I'm kept content with the beauty of the Rocky Mountains; especially Fort Collins and working with the people I do at my current job.

A time for thoughtful reflection

Tonight, cities across the globe are powering down in recognition of Earth Hour. Over the years, Earth Hour has gathered a great deal of support. For some, the cognizance brought on by Earth Hour has changed how they behave in their daily lives; while others seem to only switch off their lights for that one hour before they again switch off their minds to the world for the rest of the year.

I've tried to make Earth Hour more than a simple act of environmental conservation and observation. Since I began recognizing it in 2008, I have tried to make Earth Hour a time of contemplation personally, culturally, and globally. Tonight, I encourage you to do the same.

As an aide in triggering those thoughts, allow me to share a list with you made by Tony Schwartz which he published in the Harvard Business Review. In his list, Tony presents us with a side-by-side grouping of things he thinks "We need LESS" and things "We need MORE":

WE NEED LESS:	WE NEED MORE:
Information	Wisdom
Shallow billionaires	Passionate teachers
Self-promotion	Self-awareness
Multitasking	Control of our attention
Inequality	Fairness
Sugar	Lean protein
Action	Reflection
Super sizes	Smaller portions
Private jets	High-speed trains
Calculation	Passion
Experts	Learners
Blaming	Taking responsibility
Judgment	Discernment
Texting	Reading
Anger	Empathy
Output	Depth
Constructive criticism	Thank-you notes
Possessions	Meaning
Righteousness	Doing the right thing
Answers	Curiosity
Long hours	Longer sleep
Complaining	Gratitude
Sitting	Moving
Selling	Authenticity
Cynicism	Realistic optimism
Self-indulgence	Self-control
Speed	Renewal
Emails	Conversations
Winning	Win-win
Immediate gratification	Sacrifice
Source: http://blogs.hbr.org/schwartz/2011/03/30-things-we-need-and-30-we-do.html

It matters little what you may think of specific items from Tony's list; my hope is that this will prompt you to consider the same comparison of "needs" in your own life, as it did for me.

Whether it's during the official Earth Hour (20:30 - 21:30 local time) [Earth Hour] or during a different hour of your choosing, I encourage you to turn off your lights, your gadgets, and your daily routine. In place of your usual behaviors for that hour, light a candle, sit outside, or simply meditate in the solace of your mind and spend an hour in consideration of your choices and how they affect you, your family and friends, your community, your culture, and your planet.

Full Moon during lunar perigee

Tomorrow night (March 19th), the full Moon will rise and appear a little larger than usual; that's because it will be about 30,000 km (approx. 18,600 mi) closer to Earth during what's called the lunar perigee [Wikipedia: "Orbit of the Moon"].

The Moon's average distance from our lovely blue marble is about 385,000 km. The Moon's perigee tomorrow night will put it only 356,577 km (221,567 mi) away. While this is really only 7% nearer, the Moon will appear 12-14% larger as it passes across the night sky. Making it the perfect night to gaze upwards at our lonely natural satellite.

When the Moon's perigee coincides with a Full Moon or New Moon, it is sometimes called a "Supermoon" [wikipedia]; though that title appears more often in astrology and mass media than it does in scientific discussions.

Tomorrow's event is even more rare as it is the nearest approach of the Moon during its perigee since March 1993. More still, the Spring equinox occurs on Sunday; making this lunar affair almost as much fun as the "Winter solstice lunar eclipse" which happened last December.

So, as you enjoy the night, be sure to look up and appreciate the beauty of another unique astronomical experience.

INDY Poll: Daylight Saving Time?

Just hours before the ages-old aggravation of Daylight Saving Time spread across the United States of America for the year 2011, I voiced my hatred of DST in the post "Why I hate Daylight Saving Time". Now it's your turn to add your voice to the debate....

Pi is a lie. Happy Half Tau Day

Pi is a lie. The concept of Pi (π) is confusing and makes trigonometry more complex than it needs to be. Math can be made easy to learn and understand. Michael Hartl proposes that we reclaim that simplicity through the use of Tau (τ).

Enjoy this video made by a Math student who understands the logic of Tau and the need to increase its popular use.

URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jG7vhMMXagQ

Intrigued? Try tasting this bit of Tau (excerpt from "The Tau Manifesto"):

The Tau Manifesto is dedicated to the proposition that the proper response to “π is wrong” is “No, really.” And the true circle constant deserves a proper name. As you may have guessed by now, The Tau Manifesto proposes that this name should be the Greek letter τ (tau):

τ ≡ C/r = 6.283185307179586…

Throughout the rest of this manifesto, we will see that the number τ is the correct choice, and we will show through usage (Section 2 and Section 3) and by direct argumentation (Section 4) that the letter τ is a natural choice as well.

Happy Half Tau Day! The complete celebration will come on the 28th of June.

Why I hate Daylight Saving Time

In a matter of hours clocks across the United States of America will be "wrong" by an hour due to the onset of Daylight "Saving" Time¹.

The advantages and disadvantages of Daylight Saving Time have been debated at length for nearly one hundred years. We've all heard the legend of the great inventor and founding father Benjamin Franklin decreeing DST to benefit agriculture across America. (Really, I think he just didn't like the night life in Paris and thought he'd go about suggesting a shift in behavior by having them "use more daylight". ["Benjamin Franklin: America's Inventor" - HistoryNet])

Daylight Saving Time didn't come into recognizable use until the first World War. During which much of the world's energy was spent on lighting (with fuel which could be put to better use in the war). A fact which really can't be used with current arguments for DST. Lighting is a small fraction of our modern day energy usage; instead, heating and cooling systems make up the biggest portion. Resulting in the following scenario today:

With DST, people return with an extra hour of sunlight. An hour during which homes would have cooled further. Once individuals enter a warmer house, they crank some cold air out of the cooling systems.

So, much for energy savings. You see, they didn't have electricity sucking HVAC systems back when they started this DST thing. Don't worry, though, some would have you push your evening plans out an additional hour if you were so concerned about coming back to a warmer house. (The same hour DST took away.)

Ignoring the involvement of energy companies, there are many industries which claim a benefit from DST. Tourism, sports, and retail; to name a few. Customers of these industries consume more of their products and services during the daylight; if they can catch a few more customers after the workday is through then that's money in the bank. That's not a bad thing for those industries to want, so I don't fault the efforts to take advantage of the time change. It does mask the larger issue, which started DST in the first place.

The idea of Daylight Saving Time is to make the most of the hours of daylight available during the Summer. That's fantastic! Unfortunately, people use DST as a crutch to hobble a few days of good feelings out of "more" daylight. You've heard this before, but I'll say it again: If you want more daylight, then use it when it's there. Consistently. I'm definitely not going to do what Ben Franklin did and tell you how to spend your day though; in fact, I'd rather point out a consequence encountered when using DST.

Tomorrow morning, you are going to feel like crap. You're going to wake up, look at your clock and think, "What?! It's ??:??. How is it so late?!" That feeling of panic is not only because of DST (just as little as that feeling of rest in the Spring); it's because you got an hour less of sleep. If you don't like that feeling, then you should consistently try to get an extra hour of sleep. DST "takes" away an hour of night for most people; moving that darkness from the evening to the next morning. Personally, I think it's your choice to define your sleeping habits as you want. Additionally, I don't think there should be any attempt to dictate whether you choose to play during the day or night. In 1779, however, Ol' Ben thought he knew best and suggested Paris "early to bed and early to rise", but we both know that sometimes more excitement can be found after dark or in sleep.

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¹ Technically, my clocks are all either radio clocks [wikipedia] or using NTP [wikipedia] and, therefore, set the time automatically according to either the radio signal being broadcast by WWVB [wikipedia] here in Fort Collins, Colorado or the NTP server wwv.nist.gov hosted by the same.

Thumb-cat Apocalypse

In a creative and memorable advertisement for its Cravendale milk, Arla Foods UK humorously presents a very simple question: "What would happen if cats had thumbs?"


Source URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h6CcxJQq1x8

If they develop the use of thumbs, the whole of human civilization will fall before the kingdom of the kitty. Be afraid. Be very afraid.

INDY Adventure Map updates

Over the weekend I made some adjustments to the map appearing on the main page of the Adventure section (http://www.indy.cc/adventure/). In addition, I updated the location which allows INDY members to indicate the places they've visited around the world. (Members can now mark places they've visited, even if those places no longer exist on a map. e.g. the USSR, Yugoslavia, etc.)

The map, viewable to all, is an implementation of a Flash product created by Antanas (www.ammap.com). This weekend I created a new world map for the Adventure section which uses a Fuller projection [wikipedia: Dymaxion Map] to display the continents with nearly accurate surface areas.

I think the Fuller projection is a much nicer 2D presentation of our planet as there is little distortion -- such as the distortion which makes Greenland look larger than Africa on many maps. Additionally, the viewer is able to see all of the continents laid out on a single plain (including Antarctica).

INDY Poll: What's your favorite music genre?