Can MIT Help Solve the Mystery of Bigfoot?

One Sasquatch enthusiast hopes so.

Image via YouTube

Matt Knapp thinks that Bigfoot research is a mess right now.

“The facts are that in terms of progress, the Bigfoot research community has ultimately made none. We are no closer now to proving these creatures exist than we were 40 years ago,” Knapp told Boston.

Knapp blames the setbacks on the digital age, and the amount of misinformation being spread in the form of photos and videos online. That, and the fact that more people seem to be trying to cash in on what they claim are legitimate Bigfoot sightings. “Self admittedly, up to this point, we have not had anything worth presenting as real evidence of this creature’s existence. If we want scientists to get involved, we have to go by their standards, not our anecdotal ones,” he said.

To help filter out the phonies and fakes all trying to make a quick buck on something he believes in, Knapp is asking those vested in Bigfoot research to rely on technology built out of MIT to prove that the truth is out there.

Knapp, who runs a blog called “Bigfoot Crossroads,” a personal site with updates about all things Sasquatch, recently stumbled upon an invention created by students and researchers in the MIT Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Lab in Cambridge in 2012, called “Eulerian Video Magnification.”

Also:

"Already, users online have applied the MIT technology to alleged Bigfoot footage that has been floating around for decades. On March 23, a video was posted to YouTube—and later to Knapp’s blog—of one of the most infamous Sasquatch “sightings” in history. Originally shot by Roger Patterson and Robert Gimlin in 1967, the person that uploaded the clip applied the EVM technology to try to determine if blood pulses could be detected through the use of the software. Seeing the blood pulses on the large mammal, as it struts through the forest in the short film, could potentially tell Bigfoot researchers if, in fact, it’s the real deal."

Read more:

http://www.bostonmagazine.com/news/blog/2014/03/26/can-mit-help-solve-mystery-bigfoot/

Avengers 2: Age of Ultron trailer - youtube

Amnesia: The Dark Descent Scary Moments

20 Things I Learned While I Was in North Korea

"He’s their George Washington and their Stalin and their Jesus and their Santa Claus combined, all in the form of one pudgy dead Korean man. He’s the Eternal President—eternal because he had the position abolished for all future so that no one can ever be president again. And they’ve created an almost entirely fabricated story about all of the legendary accomplishments he didn’t accomplish.

There are an estimated 34,000 statues of Kim Il Sung in the country, everything possible is named after him (if they were starting the country today, it would be called Kimilsungland), every adult is required to wear a pin on their shirt with his face on it every day, all students dedicate a large portion of their study to memorizing his speeches and learning about his achievements, and his birthday is the nation’s biggest holiday. They even changed the year—it’s not 2013 in North Korea, it’s Juche 101 (101 years after Kim Il Sung’s birth)."

Read more here:

http://waitbutwhy.com/2013/09/20-things-i-learned-while-i-was-in.html

Bizarro Staten Island bozo freaks out locals - yahoo news

A creepy clown has been freaking out residents of Staten Island, according to local media reports. But it appears the bizarro bozo may be part of a marketing stunt.

The silent clown, which loosely resembles the Pennywise character from the Stephen King book “It,” has been spotted at various locations — including street corners and train stations — throughout the borough, holding a bouquet of balloons and waving at passersby.

“Guess who’s not sleeping tonight!” Robert Privitera wrote upon seeing the creepy clown.

"He was just kinda standing there waving," Vincent Innocente told the Staten Island Advance of his encounter with the yellow-clad character.

"So I'm a little freaked out right now," Michael Leavy wrote on Instagram March 17. "I was driving home from Buffalo Wild Wings and saw this waving at me. #wtf ... is this real life?

More of the story:

Creepy Clown Pennywise

Officials Say Missing Malaysia Airlines Plane 'Ended in the Southern Indian Ocean' -ABC News/yahoo

Very sad news to report:

New satellite data reveals that missing Malaysian Airlines Flight 370 "ended" its journey in a "remote location" of the southern Indian Ocean, Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak said today.

"This is a remote location, far from any possible landing sites. It is therefore with deep sadness and regret that I must inform you that, according to this new data, flight MH370 ended in the southern Indian Ocean," a somber Razak said during a media briefing.

The jet vanished March 8 with 289 people on board after it took off from Kuala Lampur bound for Beijing.

The announcement follows weeks of searches that spanned the South China Sea, Strait of Malacca and finally the south Indian Ocean off of Australia as authorities tried to figure out what happened to the plane.

More of the story here:

http://gma.yahoo.com/missing-malaysia-airlines-plane-ended-south-indian-ocean-140638663--abc-news-topstories.html

Note: I had a dream over a week ago, regarding missing flight MH307. It was a dream with
3 skeletons on the edge of an island, the west coast of Australia it looked like. Maybe it meant
something? -Rob

Flight 370 passenger's relative: 'All lives are lost' - CNN Breaking News UPDATE

(CNN) -- Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 went down over the southern Indian Ocean, Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak said Monday, citing a new analysis of satellite data by a British satellite company and accident investigators, and apparently ending hopes that anyone survived.

A relative of a missing passenger briefed by the airline in Beijing said, "They have told us all lives are lost."

Razak based his announcement on what he described as unprecedented analysis of satellite data sent by the plane by British satellite provider Inmarsat and the British Air Accidents Investigation Branch. He didn't describe the nature of the analysis.

But he said it made it clear that the plane's last position was in the middle of the remote southern Indian Ocean, "far from any possible landing sites."

Read more of the story here:

http://www.cnn.com/2014/03/24/world/asia/malaysia-airlines-plane/index.html?hpt=hp_t1

Why I Think It’s Very Possible That the Missing Airliner Is in Central Asia - Slate.com

"I’ve been covering the story of missing Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 for four days now, and it’s settled into a rhythm. Every day, new evidence points to a conclusion that beforehand would have seemed laughably absurd. We publish an analysis of the situation that seems most likely to us. Readers scoff. Further evidence emerges that reinforces the once-crazy notion, and some proportion of the doubters come around. Then even more implausible information turns up, and it’s off the to the fringes again.

My post from this morning, in which I asserted that the plane is most likely in western China or an adjacent Turkic area, stands out for having received an extra measure of skepticism. “Impossible,” many have declared, in comments and over Twitter. So I’d like to go back and further explain my logic in coming to the conclusion I did.

The first thing I want to make absolutely clear is that my entire premise is based on today’s statement by the Malaysian Prime Minister, and the accompanying chart showing two arcs where the Malaysians believe MH370 happened to be when the ping was detected by satellite at 8:10 a.m., Malaysia time. If that assertion does not hold up, then everything I’m about to say falls apart..."

More of the story here:

http://www.slate.com/blogs/future_tense/2014/03/15/flight_370_disappearance_why_i_think_the_missing_airliner_could_be_in_central.html

Malaysia Flight MH370 Mystery: UPDATE

Here is some updated info on missing Malaysia Flight MH370:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/satellite-locates-malaysian-flight-370-still-flying-seven-hours-after-takeoff/2014/03/15/96627a24-ac86-11e3-a06a-e3230a43d6cb_graphic.html

MALDIVES RESIDENTS REPORT SIGHTING -news.com.au

EYEWITNESSES claim to have seen a low-flying jumbo jet “with red stripes” similar to that of a missing Malaysia Airlines jet flying over their houses in the Maldives, local media reports.

The Maldivian daily newspaper Haveeru reports residents described a white aircraft with red markings similar to the missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 passing overhead about 6.15am on March 8.

The claims, which have not been confirmed, follow reports of radar and satellite signals indicating the missing airliner could have followed a track in that general direction.

The holiday islands are about halfway between Malaysia and the east coast of Africa.
It’s about 3200 kilometres from Malaysia — placing it at the extreme edge of how far flight MH370 could travel.

TOMNOD USER SPOTS PLANE — BUT IS IT MH370?

A Taiwan university student who has assisted the search effort by scouring satellite images on the website Tomnod claims to have found an image of Flight MH370.

The Taiwan China Times reported that the image had not yet been verified and the surrounding jungle landscape had yet to be identified.

Three million people have joined the effort to locate the missing plane on Tomnod, in what may be the largest crowdsourcing project of its kind.

The satellite firm DigitalGlobe, which owns the Tomnod platform, said that its search area now has some 24,000 square kilometres (9,000 square miles) and that more images are being added daily, including a new area in the Indian Ocean.

The company said more than three million people had participated in the program, with some 257 million “map views’’ and 2.9 million areas “tagged’’ by participants.

The response was so great it overloaded the system’s computers for a time last week.

It is unclear whether the above Tomnod image even shows a Malaysia Airlines plane. Commentators have suggested the coloured ring towards the tail seems more like the paint scheme of Qantas than Malaysian Airlines.

Source: http://www.news.com.au/world/malaysia-airlines-missing-plane-families-dragged-away-by-security-satellite-data-in-australia-could-hold-planes-location/story-fndir2ev-1226858579129

Note:

It's obvious this plane is missing, most likely, b/c of:

a) Pilot suicide (due to ideology or a radical political statement being made)
b) Depression/suicide
c) A hijacking/Terrorism
d) A radical religious statement/beleif
e) Theft/Criminal Act
f) Political Hostages being taken
g) Mental Problems by one of the pilots
h) Gay love affair between pilots
i) Love triangle between pilots
j) Act for religion or ideology
k) Insurance money/Sabotage
l) Family/Love/Money/Health problems
m) Misc reasons(s).

Least likely or impossible/improbable:

a) Mechanical/engine problems or even failure
b) An accident
c) Pilot disorientation/confusion
d) Weather
e) Electric Problem/Failure
f) Lack of oxygen/Hypoxia
g) UFO
h) Missile/Bomb/Explosion (Maybe after 8/11 am?)
i) Government/Military action
j) Odd Weather
k) Misc.

The plane kept flying until 8:11 am or after. I wonder why no passengers
attempted to use their cell phones, PDA's, etc? Does 8:11 or after have to
do with 9/11 by any chance?

I also wonder if this was a random act or deliberate. It seems it was planned.
Premeditated. A criminal act.

One or both pilots are responsible for this imo. However the two Irans on board could also have had a key in this as well.

Just my thoughts on the matter.

-Rob

Malaysia Airlines missing plane families dragged away by security; satellite data in Australia could hold plane’s location

news.com.au reports:

"CHAOS has broken out at the media centre for missing flight MH370 after distraught Chinese family members of those on board the plane arrived to protest to Malaysian authorities.

It came just before Malaysian authorities held a press conference where they revealed files were recently deleted from the flight simulator of the pilot aboard the missing plane.
Frustration boiled over for the anguished families who have travelled from Beijing in a bid to get more information.

The relatives came to the media centre at the Sama Sama hotel at Kuala Lumpur airport carrying a protest banner.

They were then dragged away by Malaysian security staff to a room with officials, with the area then erupting into chaos.

The protest banner being brandished by the relatives accused the Malaysian government of hiding the truth, wasting time and failing to find the missing jetliner.

A relative of one of the Chinese passengers appears to have been knocked to the ground in a stampede as police tried to stop relatives of family members from speaking to international media.

Minister of Defence and Acting Minister of Transport Hishammuddin Hussein tonight said local and international experts have been recruited to examine the pilot’s flight simulator.

“Some data has been deleted from the simulator and forensic work to retrieve this data is ongoing,” he said.

More here: Malaysia Airlines Missing Plane Mystery

Political Tensions Mount as Questions Surround Pilot of Missing Plane - LIGNET

..."political tensions in Malaysia will continue to escalate as 12 days have passed since the disappearance of Flight 370 . . . opposition leader Ibrahim is taking advantage of the incident to accuse the ruling coalition of incompetence . . . meanwhile, Chinese civilians are demanding answers about the 150 missing nationals, which will cause tensions between China and Malaysia as the Beijing government seeks to quell growing public unrest."-Via LIGNET

Read more: http://www.lignet.com/InBriefs/Political-Tensions-Mount-as-Questions-Surround-Pil.aspx#ixzz2wRAm7wUh

All Rights Reserved LIGNET.com

CNN - Courtney Love is as obsessed with the missing plane as you are

(CNN) -- For a minute, Courtney Love believed she'd found a clue in the case of the disappearance of Malaysian flight 370.

The saga of the missing airplane has captured the public's attention, and Hollywood is clearly not exempt from the intrigue. Love, best known as a musician, actress and wife of the late Nirvana front man Kurt Cobain, tweeted a picture of a body of water with the caption "really? look closer? check it out @DR24 #MH370 and its like a mile away Pulau Perak, where they 'last' tracked it."

See more here:

CNN - Courtney Love Finds Missing Flight MH 307?

CNN - Malaysia Airlines Flight 370: How do passenger jets change flight paths?

(CNN) -- The timing of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370's change of direction is a focal point of the investigation into its disappearance, and it appears the passenger jet was programmed to steer off course before the pilots signed off with air traffic control -- and that the change of course was transmitted to air traffic controllers.

The flight's Aircraft Communications Addressing and Reporting System communicates various data to the ground, including engine reports, maintenance requirements and weather conditions.

The last transmission from Flight 370's ACARS system came at 1:07 a.m.

The next update was due at 1:37 a.m. It never came.

While all information so far indicates that someone inside the cockpit, believed to be the co-pilot, made the last verbal communication with air traffic controllers -- "All right, good night" -- at 1:19 a.m., a law enforcement official told CNN that the plane's programmed change in direction was entered at least 12 minutes before the plane's verbal sign-off...

See more here: CNN - Malaysia Airlines Flight Path Change

CNN Gives Up, Wonders About Supernatural Conspiracy Theories for Flight 370 Disappearan

Taken from friend Lon's Blog "Phantoms and Monsters":

There's only so much "breaking news." After more than a week of wall-to-wall coverage on the missing Malaysia Airlines Flight 370, much of it baseless speculation from vaguely defined experts, CNN today resorted to the most baseless of speculation from a certifiable non-expert about what "supernatural" or conspiratorial explanations there could be for the disappearance.

"It's where every conspiracy falls apart: How do you keep everyone quiet?" offered Brad Meltzer, an author of political thrillers and host of the History Channel's Decoded. "I'm glad you brought that up," said host Don Lemon, who proceeded to make things much stupider.

"Especially today, on a day when we deal with the supernatural, we go to church, the supernatural power of God. You deal with all of that," said Lemon, making little to no sense. "People are saying to me, why aren't you talking about the possibility — and I'm just putting it out there — that something odd happened to this plane, something beyond our understanding?" Just putting it out there!

Meltzer was more than game to offer nothing of substance. "We all kind of roll our eyes at conspiracy theories, but what conspiracy theories do is they ask the hardest, most outrageous questions sometimes," he said. "But every once in a while, they're right. And that's what we have to remember here. I think why it's captured our attention is because there's no logical explanation right now."

"You can say, oh, it crashed into the ocean, but where are the parts? Where are the pieces? Why did it keep going for seven hours? Why do you have a guy onboard who gives his watch and his ring to his wife and says keep this for my boys in case something happens to me?" he continued.

"Something smells wrong," he concluded, having added negative knowledge. "It just smells terrible. How does a jet liner, with almost 200 people on it, disappear? [Ed. note: There were 239.] How are they just gone?"

"Absolutely, absolutely," said Lemon. "Absolutely."

You can get this kind of trenchant analysis 24 hours a day, if you hate yourself. - NY Mag

Report: Chinese site may show plane debris images

"KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — Satellite images on a Chinese government website show suspected debris from the missing Malaysia Airlines jetliner floating off the southern tip of Vietnam, near the plane's original flight path, China's Xinhua News Agency reported Wednesday.

The revelation could provide searchers with a focus that has eluded them since the plane disappeared with 239 people aboard early Saturday.

The Xinhua report said the images from around 11 a.m. on Sunday appear to show "three suspected floating objects" of varying sizes, the largest about 24 meters (79 feet) by 22 meters (72 feet)."

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/report-chinese-may-show-plane-debris-images-214930324.html