The X-Entertainment Blog!

08/16/2005: Nowhere to run.

Over the course of the next seven days, I’ll be assisting on a shoot starring six professionally trained dogs, traveling to Toronto to the first time, and working extensively with interactive Furby dolls. I’m kind of digging my job right now.

Wednesday Survey: To what level do you believe in the following: Ghosts, Space Aliens and Cryptozoology’s Finest. “Ghosts” being, like, yer dead mama, or his dead mama. “Space Aliens” being, like, space aliens that have visited this here planet. “Cryptozoology’s Finest” being, like, Bigfoot and shit.

Also, sharing the things I love most, I remind everyone that you can still listen to Freddy Krueger’s music album by clicking this old link. I listen to it every night. Please don’t hate me.

I really believe in ghosts. I’ve felt too many weird presences without even knowing the context. Example: on a road trip we stopped at this old woman’s house that my Dad knew. The second I entered her house, I felt someone else there. I found out later that she was my late grandmother’s best friend and lamented about not being able to see her before she died. Creepy.

Aliens: I don’t think they’ve arrived yet, but to think we’re totally alone in this whole universe is close minded, I think.

I bring you this survey as someone who, to some extent, fully believes in all three — and, to some extend, believes in all three more than I believe in any religious origin story.

1) I have not personally seen or experienced anything to make the GHOSTS category a no-brainer, but I tend to believe some of what I read, and would be swayed very easily.

2) Aliens, for the reason Jeff listed. No way this universe is ours. But since I was referring to aliens that have visited, I’ll just be blissful in my not-really-knowingness and say that I believe that too.

3) Believe in many of the lesser Cryptozoo myths, but not the big ones, unfortunately.

I should point that I answered the second part as in visited. For in the whole universe I simply don’t know. It could swing both ways and I don’t think being alone in the whole universe is a close minded thought either.

Bigfoot, not really once they showed it was a hoax, but I do think that there are plenty of weird creatures that we have yet to fully discover or understand.

Ghosts, don’t really believe in them as I’ve never had a ghost like experience, but it may be completely possible they exist and I’ve just been ignored…ghosts can be mean y’know.

For those of us who are unintiated in the nuances of Cryptozoology’s "lesser myths"? (Forgive my ignorance).
1. I don’t believe in ghosts.
2. Aliens-Probably just swamp gas. Honestly, I couldn’t say. As awful a movie as it was, AVP does make a interesting point involving extra-terristrials and the Egyptians/Aztecs.
3. Unlikely Nessie or Sasquatch are real but I do have a coloring book of all of the monsters including the Dover Demon, Jersey Devil, MoMo, and the hometown favorite, FLORIDA’S OWN: Skunk Ape.

Forgive the bad punctuation on my first sentence. I am trying to get to bed but I am working on a PowerPoint for (interestingly enough): The Aztecs and Pre-Contact Indian Civilizations for tomorrow.
Hope you have a good trip to Toronto and all.

Mentioning Toronto makes me crave Spaghetti Factory food. A fun restaurant for the name alone, makes me think of "spaghetti" being squeezed out of a Play-doh Factory.

Ghosts - Out of the three I believe this one the strongest. No experiences, I guess I believe because it makes scary stories more fun.

Aliens - I go along with the "we’re not alone" theory but I don’t think there’s X-Files type visits going on. I have seen a large disc hover above me then take off really fast. It was so close to military property that I just chalked it up as some funky top secret aircraft.

Cryptozoology - I have no friggin idea. I guess I wouldn’t be shocked if some of the myths were proved but I have no particular belief or interest in proving them.

aliens-I think if they DO exsist, i don’t care about them. They haven’t been here and been willing to show themselves and probably won’t in my lifetime

crytozoo-mabye, there’s new animal discoveries all the time, just not usually big animals. I used to live in the Okanogan Valley, and people swore our lake had Ogopogo. Which was kinda North America’s version of Loch Ness. Ogopogo’s been on all those Discovery channel shows about things of that sort.

Quite frankly, I’ve never seen anything that would make me believe even remotely in any of these things. I’ve never been adbucted by aliens, I’ve never seen a ghost and I’ve never stumbled upon Bigfoot while out camping…

Ghosts? Yes, with all my heart. Here is something to try. When you are in a grave yard and you see a ghost wandering around, quickly kick a bunch of tomb stones, causing other ghosts to pop out. Then kill the first ghost you saw, and the others will go away and leave behind a bunch of money and stuff!

Me’s, I’s only believe it when I’s sees da proof. And a proof is a proof, until it becomes a proof.

Speaking of Toronto though, Yay, hometown. If you get the chance you should see about swinging by Paramount Canada’s Wonderland, just outside of our fair city. You can look for me working my ass off, I’ll be the sucker cleaning up the fries you spill on the ground.

Speaking of speaking of Toronto, I actually saw someone who looked exactly like you, Matt, at Wonderland yesterday. Speak of the devil, eh?

Ghosts- I believe in ghosts because there’s that law of energy conversation or something that says that energy cannot be destroyed, created, whatever. If human beings have some sort of unique energy…a spirit…it’s gotta go somewhere. And sometimes that stuff gets lost.

Ah. I see we share more than one interest, you paranormal enthusiast you. I do not beleive in ghosts on account of that I do not beleive in souls and/or spirits. I beleive in a biochemical electrical charge and a frequency. Space aliens? Oh, they’re out there. And we’re here. And we’re never gonna meet. Really, the universe is big. Very big. Bigger than Dick Cheyney’s shiny head. To beleive we are the only planet with life is plain ignorance. However, if there is life on a planet that knows of us and can move from that planet to Earth is so very unlikely you’d turn into a talking lobster with Charlton Heston grafted to your testicles than see extraterrestrials. And now we get to the field that most interests me (Well… outside of cybernetics) cryptozoology. The most popular cryptids I can think of are probably not real. Bigfoot? Unless they have the intelligence of at least a retarded human I doubt they could function in the North American Wilderness. Most animals there are small and compact and can hide in trees, this guy just stumbles around. Nessie? There aren’t enough fish in the Loch Ness to feed one or three plesiosaurs. Remeber, that Nessie sightings date as far back as 1,500 years ago, so at least three "monsters" must’ve been in the lake at one time. The thunderbird? Maybe it kills vultures and eats them, but I don’t see it being able to live off much else in the desert. Now, when we get to sea monsters, that’s something different. My favorite animal, the Collosal Squid (Mesonychoteuthis hamiltoni) of which the first (mostly) intact specimen of was discovered in… 2003 I beleiev (of note… it supposedly can grow to 40-45 feet, the Architeuthis dux can grow to abou 33-43 feet). The dapths of the earth are vastly unexplored, it may very well house a giant aquatic or amphibious snakelike creature. But I bet a colossal squid could kick it’s ass. Just keep in mind that the Gorilla and Okapi took years to become reognised animals, and ever hear of the coelacanth? Thought extinct since the end of the cretaceous period found alive in Africa in 1938. Just keep your mind open to new discoveries. Or in the words of my father "It is a great idea to keep your mind open, but not so open that your brain falls out.)

TRUKK NOT MUNKY, apparently proving that it is TRUKK NOT MUNKY and not TRUKK NOT BIGPHOOT!

This is my first post, and I’m a bit frightened about making it. I’ve been a lurker for quite sometime, but everyone appears to be intelligent, articulate people. I’d hate to ruin the trend.

First off, let me say that the reason I came out of lurking was to ask Matt what his shoot is for. I’m not sure if you’re allowed to reveal such stuff, but if you are, reveal!

And since I’m here, I figure I’ll post my answers to the question posed above.

- Ghosts: Believe in them, and hope there is some bit of afterworld for everyone to wander around in. This being it would be a major bummer.

- Aliens: I doubt they’ve visited Earth, but I do believe there are other lifeforms somewhere in the universe, possibly mocking us.

- Bigfoot, Loch Ness, etc.: While I don’t believe that such things exist, I think it’d be pretty cool if they did. I want a Bigfoot like in Harry and the Hendersons, but him from the movie version, not the show. The show sucked.

I watched the encore of the Pam Anderson Roast on monday, and they CUT DOWN BEA ARTHUR’S PART!!! She was one of the best ones, and they cut her down to 30 seconds! And I remembered that the name of the book was Starstruck.

And on the Timer links posted by Manimal and porchlight, did you (or anyone else here) watch that Family Guy episode Petarded where Peter met Timer? They cut to a Timer look-alike who sings most of the Hunka Hunka Cheese jingle before Peter storms into his apartment for doing that at 3 am (he then shows Peter a Wagon Wheel), and he reveals that he took a "whole buncha crack"

off topic, I got Simpsons season 6 today on DVD! The box is…unique, I have to say.

I believe in ghosts. I think there was one that haunted the house I use to live in because somebody died there.

Man, paranormal stuff is fun. I generally end up stumbling onto some guy’s patched-together photo site late some rainy night and reading badly-researched phenomena until I give myself the screaming heebie jeebies. So here goes.

1)I sort of believe in ghosts, but not in the sense that they’re an actual human spirit wandering the earth. Instead, if they exist at all, I would imagine them in the "psychic stain" sense. That said, before I move out of this apartment I fully intend to fill a journal with a Lovecraftian account of dark forces and madness at work here and stash it somewhere inconspicuous in the hopes that some future renter will find it and be severely traumatized by it. Muah hah.

2) Like most people, I believe that life is not an uncommon thing in the universe, but I’d give no more than even odds to the idea that the speed-of-light barrier will ever be broken. The possibility of an advanced race being nearby during our ten-thousand year stint of near-civilization is so small as to be immeasurable. Unless, of course, they were the progenitors of our rise, as Tom Cruise would have you believe. In any case, I believe they’re Out There, but not Around Here.

3) The only major cryptids I find reasonably probable are those who live under water. The idea that Bigfoot is STILL hiding out despite all the effort dedicated to finding him strikes me as more far-fetched every year. However, if you’ve ever seen the silt-laden waters of Loch Ness, you’ll appreciate how difficult it would be to locate even a large animal. The stuff is black soup. And, given that we know far more about the surface of the moon than the bottom of the ocean, I make a point out of never disbelieving in any wierd things that may or may not be in the ocean.

In my learned opinions:
1) To believe in ghostsm you have to believe in some sort of after life. I don’t, so I can’t see ghosts as plausible.
2)Aliens–they probably exists as some sort of lifeform, but I’m doubtful that any have visited yet. If they have, I would need a lot of good, sloid evidence to be convinced (blurry photos and hypnosis-induced memories don’t count).
3)When it comes to Cryptozooids, part of me really wants to think they may exist (not so much bigfoot as lake monsters and such–I don’t like bigfoot). And I can’t say they don’t, just because there is no tangible proof. But again, I would need some pretty good, incontovertible evidence to be convinced (not, say, a tuft of hair that turns out to belong to a bison).

It’s hard to say to what extent I believe in those 3 things. I like to think that I don’t really believe in them, but somewhere in the back of my mind, I am terrified of the prospects. Not so much with ghosts, I don’t really find them scary and I don’t know or care if they exist.

But I am *terrified* of the prospect of aliens visiting this planet…it all started with the "yip-yips" on Sesame Street…those fucking things scared the shit out of me, and I’ve never been the same. War of the Worlds was a cheesefest, but the first 40 minutes or so of that movie may have scarred me even further…

I’m on the fence with Cryptozoology stuff…things like Big Foot for example, don’t really do anything for me, and I am not sure I believe in it…however I am completely obsessed with the Loch Ness monster and other lake monsters.

I only believe in the chupacabra. Anything that translates to "goat sucker" is gotta be real.

Sure, ghosts, NOt exactly in the sheet with holes in it, I can see the body clearly way, but yeah, spirits are hanging around.

Space Aliens of course, out of this universe only one planet has creatures on it?

Bigfoot, etc….maybe they existed at one point, but I’m a doubting thomas about them right now.

But I sure as hell don’t belive in Toronto….despite living there for the past 4 years.

Ghosts) there are just some things out there that can’t be explained (yet). I’ve never seen real evidence myself, but I choose to be open-minded.

Aliens) There has to be something else out there…space is too vast. Have they visited? Perhaps. Why don’t we know? Think about it…if you were from an advanced society, and you visited earth, where mankind is set to destroy itself and take the earth with us as we do…would you stop and say "Hello" ?

Cryptids) I’m with the masses (on here) on this one. I think there are as-of-yet undiscovered animals out there, most likely under the ocean, but don’t subscribe to the more popular stories such as Nessie and Bigfoot.

Aliens? I’ve actually had a minor encounter with what was either an extraterrestrial space craft or a top secret military project. Looked like a u.f.o. to me, though I didn’t see any aliens, so I can’t be sure.

Bigfoot? Man, as a kid I remember watching a movie called "The Mysterious Monsters" about Bigfoot and the Yeti and Nessie and it freaked my shit out for a month. While I doubt their actual existence, I’ll still entertain the possibility.

Matt - what do you mean by "lesser" crypto myths? Any especially interesting examples? Like most people I just think of Nessie (our underwater ally), Bigfoot, the sasquach, the yeti, and of course Elvis.

I’m actually a card-carrying member of a skeptical society (the Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal), so I’d have to say that I believe there is no good evidence for any of the listed phenomena.

That being said, I add these caveats: 1) Aliens visiting? Not so much. But Aliens existing somewhere? Seems pretty likely to me. No less a luminary than Carl Sagan thought so, too. 2) The policy of the CSICOP, which I think is a good one, is that nothing is impossible - just some things are highly improbable. I dimsmiss nothing out of hand without having evidence.

Manimal - as an aside, the "theory" of alien interaction with ancient peoples in AvP (didn’t see it, taking your word) has been around since the 1950’s. It’s most commonly associated with Erich von Daniken’s racist ideas that he put forward in several books ("Chariots of the Gods?" and many more). He basically believed that brown-skinned ancient people couldn’t have done cool things like the pyramids without extraterrestrial intervention. (Another example was a Peruvian carving of a human skeleton, made in his words "Thousands of years before the invention of X-Rays!!") Poorly researched and disrespectful crackpot theories.

I don’t so much necessarily believe in ghosts, for say. But I do believe in spirits interacting with alive people.

Aliens, definately. There’s no chance that God made JUST us. That’s kind of boring, eh?

While C-zoology is fun, it’s kind of hard to believe. It’s certainly possible, but there needs to be more evidence.

I don’t so much necessarily believe in ghosts, for say. But I do believe in spirits interacting with alive people.

Aliens, definately. There’s no chance that God made JUST us. That’s kind of boring, eh?

While C-zoology is fun, it’s kind of hard to believe. It’s certainly possible, but there needs to be more evidence.

Ghosts–sure, why not? I’ve heard creaking floors in my house and assumed it had to be ghosts. I dont think they’re dangerous though…

Cryptozoology’s Finest-all the oddities of the world. Seen by the finest drunks in the world. Not me of course. I believe it.

Dude Matt I am not sure my life was complete but now that i have heard Freddy Krueger singing i know it is LMFAO "check out Freddie’s manicure" thanks for the link.

Ghosts? Sure. I had to shout down a poltergeist a few times. When you can look out your bedroom door and see the cabinet doors near the ceiling open and close on more than one occasion, you quit getting spooked and start yelling, "I’m trying to get some SLEEP!" As a Native American, there’s other ways to deal wih spirits that I can use.

Bigfoot? Such critters are part of my cultural background. One was seen near our church out in the country. Up north of us, the Caddo "Hairy Man" tends to keep an eye out at a campground run by the tribe. In El Reno, where the Cheyenne/Arapaho tribes built a casino, a Bigfoot-type was seen lurking in the shadows after the place was opened. He hasn’t been seen for a while. When you’re a forest-dweller, you can stare at neon for only so long. We even have our own Faerie-type Little People. To my People, such things are part and parcel of this world. "They have always been here," we say. "They don’t even have to let us see them. Just let them be." The same goes for ghosts, too.

Aliens? According to some Native American origin stories, most people came from Some Place Other anyway. Then the Europeans showed up in fantasic vehicles (sailing vessels, stagecoaches, locomotives) beyond our imagining. And, until they prove they don’t exist, I’ll believe in ETs.

A better question is why do I still get freaked out as hell sometimes if I don’t believe in ghosts and stuff? Like someone else said, I could be viewing some creepy site online on a stormy night and my heart will be beating faster than Paul Ruben.

I’m a bit of a cynic, so I don’t really believe in any of those things. I believe that there could be life on other planets, but I don’t think we’ve been visited and I sincerely doubt that the life is more intelligent than us (since, if it was, they probably would have made it here by now. Sorry for the funky grammar in that sentence.) As for the cryptozoology question, I believe that at least some of them (probably most) had some basis in reality at some point and over time they’ve just become exaggerated legends. Just my opinion though…

I believe in both ghosts and aliens. Not going to delve into all the reasons why but I just do. Very skeptical on the other stuff like Bigfoot, LochNess monster, etc. Lots of luck on your "business trip" Matt. Sounds like a lot of fun!!!

I think there is something to "ghosts," although I’ve kind of blended that with my religious beliefs to think that maybe what we call "ghosts" are souls caught in pergatory or some sort of limbo, between here and heaven. I’ve never seen one, but I’ve seen enough compelling evidence to suggest that SOMETHING weird is going on that we can’t quite explain.

Aliens? I believe there’s other life in the universe (we found bacteria living on Mars, so that right there shows that life can and does exist elsewhere), but I don’t believe they have visited us. If other life is even aware of our presence, they’ve probably only observed us from a great distance, like the Prime Directive from Star Trek. And that’s only assuming that the other life is way more advanced than us. Who’s to say that the only other life in the universe isn’t a bunch of cavemen (or the alien equivalent thereof)?

Bigfoot and Nessie? Nah. We discover new species all the time, but a giant apeman and an enormous pseudo-dinosaur? Not bloody likely.

I believe in celebrities who have been abducted and replaced with bad looking android counterparts… unless that’s weird. Do you think that’s weird? I think it’s weird.

Oh my god–I was just reading the "Major Award" article again. Man, I was trying to stifle my laughter while reading it, b/c I’m at my internship right now. The 1st time I read it was the Monday before Thanksgiving while I was in the library at school. I had to stifle my giggles there too.

Ekkostar–that’s weird. You wanna know what else is weird? I gotta quote Garth from Wayne’s World for this:

"Does anybody think its weird that this guy has contracts? did you ever see the Twilight zone episode where the guy signed the contract, and they cut out his tounge and put it in a jar? And it wouldnt die? It just grew and pulsated and gave birth to baby tounges? Pretty cool huh?"

Apparently that episode never existed. Cool concept though. Baby tounges…so random.

All I have to do is think of the picture of Cosby on the cover of that Cosbyology book and start laughing.

I really think you people are confusing superstition with cryptozoology. Cryptozoology is just the study of animals that are not fully recognised by any official body. Thousands upon thousands of creatures were once cryptids. The MOOSE was a cryptid in Europe until someone killed it and brought it to them. The Polar Bear? No one beleive the Artic Explorers until they brought them a fur rug. Now, any animal with supernatural powers is not a cryptid. It is bullshit. And the animal has to at least be plausible in it’s natural enviroment. Let’s go back to the jersey devil. Horse hooves and head, bat wings, some crazy ass bird body, about 5 feet tall. Do you really think that thing could take down a full grown cow? No fucking way. And bigfoot is just too large an animal to exist in even small numbers in the American wilderness. Why are humans the only primates that live on that continent? Because the smaller primates are herbivores that eat a lot of fruit. There are many fruit trees in the American forests, yes, but not enough. And the larger primates are omnivorus or carnivorus. True, they COULD live off rabbits and foxes and shit, but they’re TOO BIG for the dense, dark forests. Bigfoot is like what… seven feet tall? Has feet the size of oblong dinner plates? You telling me that guy can maneuver around a forest fine and catch it’s prey? I don’t think so. Some animals are plausible, but you also have to look at things from an evolutionary standpoint. Why would bigfoot evolve in North America. As stated before, humans are the only other living primates on the continent. And we supposedly migrated from Africa over some million year old land bridge during the ice age. Either Bigfoot followed us (and it couldn’t last long enough to evolve into a better suited form ot it evolved FROM us, and I doubt that. It seems that the ocean is the only place with a virtual conicopia of undiscovered animals now. Well, I gotta go build a kraken-hunting robot submarine. You can ask me again about any cryptids you might think exist. Peace!

I believe in ghosts, but never actually SEEN one… that I know of, anyhow. I have felt weird things before - strange cold spots in rooms, once in a great while I’ll feel like someone’s touching me, and it scares the shit out of me, but no one’s there when I turn around faster than the speed of light.

Aliens - I’ve seen a couple weird things in the sky at night, but nothing to definitely say "Yeah it’s an alien!" But yes I do believe in them and think that they are visiting us.

Other weird creatures - I’m still up in the air about those, but the Lochness Monster always intrigued me. Yeti’s - not so much, but I won’t rule them out

BTW, Matt - you probably already know, but TRU’s "green tag" event went to 50% off this past Sunday, up from 30%. Thought I’d let ya know.

This may be of interest to some folks although it’s off topic. A power ranger and his wife are accused of murdering a wealthy couple. Saw it on the news this morning.

It’s kind of dumb to dismiss cryptozoology and exobiology altogether, I mean we can’t positively say we’ve identified every single species on Earth, and there’s now way to confirm that there is no life outside of Earth.

Alien probe reports and Big Foot sightings do not generally hold as much credibility as the sciences themselves do, but indeed, they are legitimate areas of study. As long as they are approached rationally, rather than with hysteria, or just the "I-want-attention Syndrome".

He was a background extra in a couple of eps. not a PR. He tied the couple to an anchor and sent them to Davy jones’ locker. I’d go out that way and help search for the bodies, if it wasn’t for this darn Cursed Fruit problem.

TRUKK NOT MUNKY:
The kraken is not a cryptid anymore. In fact, there are two different species, one commonly referred to as the giant squid and one the colossal squid. There’re recovered specimens of both species.

Silly tv, it told me the guy was a power ranger. Thank’s for the info Kingklash.

Well, okay, there are definitely undiscovered animal species out there, but I think that if anything as spectacular as a gigantic North American ape (or other cryptozoological wonders) actually existed we’d have actual evidence of it by now.

My take on space aliens is similar. I admit the possibility that they exist, but I don’t think there’s convincing evidence that we’re being visted by them.

Ghosts…ehhh, it’s hard to say. I live in an area that supposedly almost has more ghosts than living residents during the winter, if the local legends are to be believed. Too many people around here, including several friends of mine, have reported strange goings-on to dismiss the spiritual world entirely…but I don’t believe in the "evil spirit out to get us" horror movie thing.

Aliens - I’m going to go with the rest of you on this one. Yes, I think there are other people out there besides s. No, I don’t believe in the X-Files paranormal stuff, not to mention I’ve never been crazy about that show, anyway. Are they smart? When they make it here and people don’t freak, give me a call.

Cryptozoology and Animal Urban Myths - I’m from New Jersey, where we have our own version of the Bigfoot/Nessie story…the Jersey Devil. To be honest, while I do think there are species of animals out there we haven’t discovered or just figured out yet, I don’t think anyone’s going to run into Harry and the Hendersons or a dinosaur living in a Scottish lake. Some stories really are just good stories…but they’re damn good stories for all that.

Gozer: The "lesser cryptos" thing refers to a great many creatures — the kind who haven’t been indulged with countless television specials and specific books. There’s giant-sized versions of plenty of "regular" animals, larger sea serpents and the like. I definitely believe in a lot of those stories, as despite them not getting as much press, there’s more solid evidence to support the claims.

WYATT:
You didn’t read my first post. I know of the collosal squid you idiot, it’s the Mesonychoteuthis hamiltoni! I was making a joke, and we’ve also never seen a full grown Giant or Collosal squid, we only get the carcasses of juviniles.

1. Ghosts - Dunno.
2. Aliens - Dunno.
3. Cryptozoology - I believe in the Jersey Devil, but the others, I dunno.

I do believe that some people have the ability to see or hear ghosts or some type of afterlife human, I myself have had some very odd experiences living in a very hunted town. I also was told by a psychic that I have some psychic ability; I’ve even been able to prove to friends and family that these things happen.

I believe in aliens, but I doubt that they have come to visit us, or are ever going to visit us, I think that somewhere out there are other planets with ppl just like us who are wondering the same thing about aliens as we are.

I also think that we haven’t actually discovered all the animals on this planet, but I doubt there is a Bigfoot or Nessise.

Ghosts: I believe in them, but I (sadly) don’t think they’re the kind that the Ghostbusters would go after. I’ve had some weird experiences over the years. I remember watching tv one night and the channel changed, about twice, with the remote control about 10 feet away from me. Either that was a glitch, or the ghost wanted to watch Fresh Prince. Also, one time I heard really loud footsteps going down, then up the wooden stairs outside. This happened as I was glaring out the window that the stairs were directly against. It couldn’t have been from the inside either since I could clearly tell that the sound was different and sounded too close to be from a neighbour’s. Not only that, but random times I would feel like pats or taps on my back or whatever and smell scents in different rooms that would last maybe a couple seconds at the most (even at other people’s places). Either I’m crazy or I should start gathering up some friends and a great dane for some mysterious adventures.

Aliens: My parents told me stories from when they were kids/teenagers about odd things they would see outside like mini flying saucers, but it was probably neon frisbees. Other than that, there is other life out there, but maybe not the green big-headed aliens kind.

Bigfoot and Shit: While I don’t necessarily believe in Bigfoot or poo, I’m not going to totally dismiss the possbility that there’s something out there. Fingers crossed for a gigantic, barrel throwing ape roaming the top of construction sites.

Aliens: I’m sure other life exists elsewhere, but I doubt any of them would come here.

Aliens? It’s a big universe, it’d be a bit presumptious to say we’re the only ones out here. Of course if you go by the Darwin theory you have to wonder about all the circumstances that made it possible for us to BE here. Then you get into consciousness. The fact that YOU are here. Personally, when you think about all that does believing in a higher force seem so crazy?

Cryptozoology. Hm, well, one of my friends has claimed to have actually seen Bigfoot over in North Dakota. But he’s from a hick town and Bigfoot made the front page of his local newspaper. Personally, I believe there are plenty of creatures out there we haven’t discovered yet, but stuff like Bigfoot and the Loch Ness Monster? …with all the technology we have now, I think we’d have more than glimpses and fuzzy pictures. Even if Mr. Sasquatch IS avoiding us.

What if BigFoot is the Ghost of an Alien? And the Eternal Search For Lost Kool-Aid Flavors is what keeps him here? Which would mean the X may just help him find the peace he never knew in life! I just got chills…. oh, the A/C just kicked in.

I used to have what I would have then called an "open mind" when it came to supernatural stuff, alien abduction and visitation and cryptozoology. There was a time in my life when I actually wanted to be a parapsychologist.

Then I went to college, took a few psychology courses and came to realize the difference between 1) what we believe because there’s, at the very least, some sort of logic as support and 2) what we believe for no discernable reason at all.

Let me be clear: I’m not insulting anyone who holds these beliefs. I don’t think a belief in ghosts, alien greys or Nessie makes you stupid.

I do think a lot of people believe a lot of baseless stuff for a lot of different reasons (and before I get an angry response, I’m not talking about religion). Whether or not you think these things fall into that catergory is, and should be, up to you to alone to judge and decide. That’s how you should approach pretty much everything, within reason.

All that said, I don’t think I believe in ghosts, extraterrestrial life pretty much has to exist in some form based on the odds and, while cryptozoology is one of my interests, I’m pretty sure there’s no such thing as the Sasquatch or the Loch Ness Monster (lots of studies, not ONE piece of tangible evidence).

Matt: By the way, you got a mention over at SomethingAwful.com recently. It’s near the bottom of the page.

Oh yeah, and it was was my birthday two days ago. The big 23. I don’t know if that warrants another post, but… meh.

I believe in ghosts. Not that I’ve ever had an encounter… and I’m way too attention defecit to be able to feel a "presence"… but Most Haunted scares the crap out of me.
Aliens? I don’t know. I mean, something else has to exist, but have they been to earth? I just don’t know. Me and my best friend thought we saw a UFO when we were like 14. But we were insanely drunk.
Cryptozoology. Um. I once had this teacher who smelled like a new car and was insanely hairy. I do not think he was human. I like to think of him as the son of Bigfoot and a car dealer.

Happy b-day Night_Trecker! I’ll hit the big 23 next month. Halfway to 46. Did ya do anything especially fun?

Wow Matt was raised to Idol status. Has anyone else seen the ads for brothers Grimm and is looking forward to it? or corpse bride? I’d take either.

I have some sort of belief in ghosts; when my stepson was about 2 or 3, he had an imaginary friend named George when they moved into a new house. Grandpa George died about 5 years earlier. Liam had never known George. Liam’s mother is a complete sociopath, and caused all kinds of trouble for him and his dad, and I believe that grandpa George hung out and kept an eye on Liam until such time as his dad managed to find a different place to live and obtain custody. Apparently, Liam talked about George all the time; "George sat with me while I went to sleep" and all that.

You can’t tell me this is coincidental; he didn’t know anyone by the name of George, and he wasn’t old enough to make it up. He still remembers George as his imaginary friend, but he hasn’t been around since they moved away from the psycho mother.

"You can’t tell me this is coincidental; he didn’t know anyone by the name of George, and he wasn’t old enough to make it up. He still remembers George as his imaginary friend, but he hasn’t been around since they moved away from the psycho mother."

Why can’t it be a coicedence? Lots of people are named George. Maybe the child saw a TV show with a character named George, or was read a story with a character named George, or met a man named George while on a trip to the supermarket, etc. etc.

The thought of deceased loved ones looking out for us is a nice, one, but which is more likely, a child assigning a random name to his imaginary friend, or the spirit of a dead relative beaming back through the cosmos to protect a descendant he’s never met?

Iffin you’re coming to Toronto, do yourself a favour and see the Reg Hartt cartoon film festival…

All popular cartoons we grew up with, mostly Warner Bros., but in they’re original, genital exposing, completely unpolitically correct origins. A great time.

I’ve seen the Bus Bunny short mentioned. It’s a Bob Clampett, so yuou know it’s wild. Bugs has invaded Elmer’s dream, and proceeds to invoke one of the greatest freakouts in cartoon history. When he turned fudd into a chick, he pulls down a background of Hollywood and Vine and a buch of nattily-dress wolves get all goggle-eyed and one howls, "Hoooowwww ooollddd is she?!?" When I was old enough to understand the implication, I nearly hurt myself falling off the couch. The best Loony Toons are the ones that get funnier the older you get. Paying attention in history class makes for funny as well.

Happy late b-day! The big 23, eh? One of my faves. A few years ago when I turned the unfathomable age of 30, my sister and husband took me out to dinner and I had a wee bit of wine. A guy at the next table was having his 23rd birthday celebration. "Twenty-three?" I said in a voice too loud and too slurred,"Big Deal!" I’ve yet to live it down.

Anyway, I like your philosophical bent: respectful, but logical. You might like a book called "Why People Believe Strange Things," which I think addresses some points you made in your post. A good skeptic is careful to never denigrate or ridicule a belief, but should be willing to examine all possibilities critically and carefully.

Yes, trunko. Everyone’s favorite headless, furry, lobster tailed marine mammal with a opposable probiscus. But that’s a story for another day…

Tanta07 - he was like TWO, and didn’t watch much TV or anything. Sure, it’s possible it’s just a name he picked up, but it’s still kind of a neat thought, isn’t it? Still, no one knows where he would have picked up the name, in his limited life experience.
I still like thinking it’s possible anyway.

Aliens: We aren’t alone, I just hope the aliens are more like Dr. Zoidberg and unlike Kang & Kodos

Cryptozoology: Yep. I think Bigfoot is real, Unicorns, Loch Ness Monster, Steve Guttenberg’s stardom…

When I visited Burlington, Vermont on July 24, I crossed Lake Champlain in a ferry, and searched for Champ. My name links to a news story about a fisherman and his son seeing him the other day. Damn, wish I did…

gadgetsgirl: Believe it or not, that was our main text in the first psychology class I took in college

There’s a lot of overinflated ego out there that gives skeptics a bad name (thankfully we also have people like Michael Shermer). For instance, there’s a great website I’ve been using as my start page called The Skeptic’s Dictionary that I would urge everyone to visit and read. There’s a lot of interesting info there. The problem is, it’s not exactly neutral in its POV. If you believe a lot of this stuff and you go read the corresponding entry… well, the author doesn’t seem so interested in respecting your beliefs while presenting alternative explanations.

I’ve never understood that… why would you risk alienating the people you wish to reach? Unless you’re more interested in reinforcing your own smug sense of self. I perfectly understand losing your patience with someone who, for example, keeps pushing Creationism as a legitimate science, but give me a break.

Oh, and the fact that you’re 30 and visiting X-E makes you pretty damn cool in my book

Gozer: Well, my friend has his birthday a few days before mine and neither of us are partiers so we usually end up doing something low-key like renting as many games as we can afford and sleeping over. It was fun but we really got stuck with a mixed bag this year. Feel free to skip this section, I’m just bored and feel like expressing my opinions:

*Harvest Moon: A Wonderful Life - How is it possible that Natsume is on its 8th incarnation of the series (10th if you count the female versions of the GBA and GCN games that were released recently) and they’re STILL just as sloppy with their programming and localization? As a fan of the series since the SNES version I feel pretty let down at how unpolished this game is. This has gotten the most playtime of the games I rented however. It’s covered in inexcusable warts but I love it anyway. Which is probably why we’ll keep getting half-finished games like this. Oh well…

*Killzone - My friend warned me not to rent the Harvest Moon game (he loves the series too but he dislikes the latest version) and I warned him not to rent Killzone. We both knew it was probably going to suck but he wanted to see it in action. We were basically right. I expect Killzone 2 to be excellent though, given they won’t be fettered by the limitations of the least powerful console on the market.

*Brothers in Arms: Road to Hill 30 - A pretty cool WWII first person shooter with limited tactical control. If a historical game gives me a greater understanding and respect for the time period and the people who lived it, then in my mind it’s done its job. The voice acting isn’t outstanding but this is the closest a game has gotten (and likely will get) to Band of Brothers, and it’s heavily based on a true story.

*Destroy All Humans - Ha ha! Poop jokes! It’s just like GTA except 1) it’s got a better engine (not too difficult to do) and much better control, and 2) it’s not as clever. I like the atmosphere but the humor is a little too lowbrow and hamfisted, even for me.

*Advent Rising - It’s been a long time since I’ve been so disappointed in a game. The developers take a story co-written by Orson Scott Card (who is a fantastic author, even if you hate his political leanings as most do) and totally fuck it up with a weird control scheme, terrible targeting and camera systems and some of the ugliest, most pointless cinematics I’ve ever seen (which are really poorly disguised loading screens). I tried to play through it despite the multitude of bugs, hoping it would get better, but the game locked up on me.

The voice actings is superb, the music is standard fare from Tommy Tallarico Studios (which is to say it’s magnificent) and the writing seems pretty solid in the little I got to play. But overall this title screams "rush job" and I don’t doubt the industry has left OSC with a bad taste in his mouth. We’ll be very lucky to see another collaboration with him anytime soon. Fuck you, Majesco.

Invader Norbert: Yep. I think Bigfoot is real, Unicorns, Loch Ness Monster, Steve Guttenberg’s stardom…

Not much else to say, going to work, I’m so fucking glad it’s Friday! Some buddies coming back into town for the weekend, so I’m gonna have a real good time!

I definitely believe in the supernatural, as far as ghosts are concerned.. I find it fascinating, the whole EVP thing, etc. it’s probably b.s., but, it’s interesting. Bigfoot, was a hoax, however, again: fascinating. Aliens- definitely.

It is very hard to surf the ‘net when you have had your eyes dialated during an early morning eye appointment. I had to make the text really huge so I could read on the iMac. Damn these eyes!

Halloween news: The grocery store I work at just got their shipment of Halloween candy. So, you know, keep your eyes open…

On the topic of Matt’s Friday The 13th II article, I just read the latest issue of ToyFare and saw that there are going to be figures based on the movie! There’s gonna be Pamela Vorhees (normal version) and her voodoo version, as well as Jason with AND without the pillowsheet on his head! The Exposed Jason looks exactly like the one Matt posted.

Thanks for mentioning me Night_Trekker but I have no idea what you meant by that…

I must be nuts, because I totally believe in EVERYTHING! I am so gullible. If there’s a case for it, why not? GHOSTS? SURE! ALIENS? SURE! BIGFOOT? OH YEAH!

Um…I dunno, I dunno, and I dunno. I was trained as a scientist, sooo I guess I would need reliable, falsifiable evidence. On the other hand, life on other planets makes sense, I’d just say don’t expect it to be anything like humans. We are indeed very anthrocentric. I believe Xenophanes said something along the lines of, if horses could communicate (more effectively than they do) they would describe the gods as horses. I think that sums it up pretty well. Selfish, egomaniacal humans. But I still have faith in the species, for some reason

Oh, and I still believe in love. hahahahaha

I think people would like to believe in ghosts as the same manner of heaven. Its nice to think that when we die we still get to go around and have lives.
As for MY beliefe i think its possible that ghosts exist. I think that alien space craft COULD really be time machienes from the future though. Think about it.
Also congrats matt.

Good point, Knegative. To put it in a different way, we only see Galactus as a giant human be cause we are human. Horses will see him as a giant, world-devouring horse. Skrulls see him as a Skrull. We really have no idea what he looks like. If you go commando every waking hour, I bet you’re going to see Galactus with no undies if you look up his big metal loincloth. We try to understand the unknown, so we do what we can, to see as much as we can handle. Besides, even if you don’t believe in ghosts, you still can enjoy Ghostbusters, right?

Ghosts:I believe in them to some extent,though I think those psychic people on TV who walk around in peoplres houses going "I sense a sad presense here"are full of crap.They could be here because they have some unfinished business or because of some cosmic fluke that denied them entrance into Heaven or Hell.They could also be astral bodies from the astral realm. Aliens:Like just about everyone who posted comments I believe that it is close minded to think that we are the only ones in the universe.It is also probable that Mars once had life.Despite the fact that NASA said that the Face on Mars was a natural feature,it looks pretty artificial to me.The five-sided pyramids found nearby also look like someone built them.I know a bunch of people are going to think I’m full of crap,but just look at the pictures yourselves before judging my opinion.I also think it’s possible that aliens from another planet are visiting Earth and have been doing so for thousands of years. Cryptozoology:I think it is possible that bigfoot and Nessie could exist,but not likely.I really don’t have a strong opinion on the subject.As for ocean creatures I think its entirely possible that there are creatures we haven’t discovered.All the books bring up the Ceolocanth whenever the subject comes up,that fish dicovered near Africa that was supposed to be extinct.It’s likely that there are other animals that have yet to be dicovered.

Hmm, no Saturday night thread yet? Must be Matt’s too busy to start one for us.

To whomever keeps mentioning IFC’s horror movie schedule - thanks to your advice I’m watching Slumber Party Massacre right now.

And speaking of Slumber Party Massacre, I should mention there’s a scene with a victim making kool-aid. If anyone wants to see a 1982 packet of kool-aid being put to action, there’s your chance.

The one saturday I remember the Saturday night thread and alas… there is none.

Ghosts: Spirits, yes…full-fledged ghots that interact with physical objects…not really, but I won’t say no completely.

Aliens: Definately. Have they visited us? I think it’s a 50-50 deal. Maybe. Maybe not.

Bigfoot/Nessie, etc: I believe that many "monsters" may have some ring of truth to them…but that truth may be stranger..or normaler..than we think.

Ghosts - I believe in 100 percent
Space Aliens - I believe they exist, but don’t believe the toothless rednecks who go on History Channel specials have really seen them.
Cryptozoology’s finest - exist, because I saw a cryptid myself. It looked like a cross between an emu, a dog, and a Lipoterm.

PS- this is a bit late, but about Safari Amusement Park - I’ve been there like 1,000 times

eh, I just finished watching Ghost Ship and that movie sucked ass!! Really obvious CGI, and a plot with more holes than my original ET blanket from 1983! The ending sucked too, didn’t make any sense to have a stupid little twist like that.

"Every time you’ve heard someone say they saw a ghost or an angel; every story you’ve ever heard about vampires, werewolves or aliens is the system assimilating some program that’s doing something they’re not supposed to be doing."

I cannot believe I didn’t quote this before. "God, I must be slipping in my old age"

Ghosts - On a scientific, rational level, I don’t think there’s reason to believe in them. On an instinctual, spiritual level, I can’t discount them entirely. So I’ll stick with a ‘Probably Not’.

Aliens - Yes, there is almost certainly life on other planets. No, that life doesn’t necessarily resemble us in having two arms, two legs, a head with two eyes, a mouth, and so forth. No, that life is almost certainly not close enough by to visit, and even with advanced technology there’d be no way for aliens to know we were here until the first broadcasts made it to them - and even then, they’d have to have their instruments set to the exact right area of the sky. Even if there were human-like aliens that knew we existed and lived close enough to visit, I doubt very much that they’d come all this way just to probe some rednecks’ anuses and cut up cattle.

Cryptozoology - Bigfoot, probably not. Nessie, probably not. Is there unidentified life on our own planet? Definitely. In more urban parts of the world (Western Europe, Japan, America, etc.), I consider it probable that most undiscovered species are likely to be small enough to have eluded notice thus far. This said, there’re probably tons of undiscovered species small and large in the Amazon Rainforest and other still quite untamed parts of the world, and as for the ocean we only really likely know a tiny portion of the life to be found there. So yes, strange animals unknown to science exist… but they aren’t likely to be in the American Midwest or in some lake in Scotland.

Oh yeah, I believe.
1. I’ve had some weird things happen that make the idea of ghosts possible. A few things were just freaky (but I won’t bore you with the details. ^_^)
2. Aliens, possible certainly, but if they come, not nearly as much as tv would have you believe.
3. Cryptos, of course! Cause, see, the ice worms, man.. they totally exist!

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