The Dragonfly Drones

[Dreams End]

I'm curious to hear your speculation, as well as that of others, on Strieber's reaction to the silly-looking "drones," which to me resemble a prop from a high school film project. I'm at a loss as to why he is taking these photographs seriously and encouraging others to do so. To your mind, is this simple credulity, a slow news summer, or something else?

I really don't know. He's really hard to pin down. He has actually admitted in his books to telling people stories that even HE knew weren't true.

Unfortunately, no matter what the reality of his own experiences, I think now he has a niche, a career really and he has to keep giving his readers/listeners new stuff and from what I've seen, many of them are pretty credulous folks, so no harm in embracing the drones, I guess.

But there may be some other significance to this drone thing. I really don't know.

I haven't read the writings allegedly from the aliens. Have any surfaced telling us that our time as a planet is limited and a big disaster is coming? That's usually where these things head, especially with Strieber, who never tires in his search for yet another mechanism (meteorological, geological, viral, mandmade or alien) by which the world will soon come to an end. For some reason, that stuff goes over really well in his target audience as it does with the Rense folks.

Of course, I have my own theories as to why that themes is getting pushed in the first place....

[Et in Arcadia ego]

[DireStrike]

My first instinct is that it's part of an alternate reality game. Something about it just screams ADVERTISING!

[Wombaticus Rex]

Who has the time money and energy to pull off these elaborate type of things?

Me? My friends? Hundreds of thousands of other people with lots of free time, a good imagination and a similar sense of humor?

[Crow]

Thanks to everyone who responded. I wrote a response that the server ate, musing on Whitley Strieber's odd little throwaway comments that can make his writing so fascinating and so maddening.

The stupid drones have, by the way, been officially debunked by MUFON.

Via Posthuman Blues: http://www.virtuallystrange.net/ufo/upd ... -001.shtml

[AlanStrangis]

I'm sorry, but since the INITIAL released pics are just really well-rendered 3D objects, I'm guessing any subsequent images are just people honing their craft.

Similarly, the images provided at the initial link:
http://earthfiles.com/news.php?ID=1278&category=Environment
from the 'document' are clearly 3D renderings. To achieve the natural lighting and diffuse shadows, a techinique called "Radiosity" or "GI" (global illumination) is used. This calculates the light rays as they bounce of objects, and how they're altered based on what texture (or material) setting each modeled object is assigned.


(et al)

Focusing on just the shadows, there are two telltale signs that these are renderings, and not actual photos. One is that the GI is WAY to diffuse, in that no natural lighting would provide this kind of spread.

The other is that there is a 'patchiness' in the shadows that is a direct result of not using enough light bounces in your GI calculation.

Beyond that, these images would probably only rate a 3 out of 5 in the user forums of cgtalk.com, where you can find some of the BEST 3D artists and work online.

I also find it amusing that the document itself is called "CARET", making me wonder where the "STIK" is.

I agree with DireStrike and everyone else who thinks this is some sort of marketing stunt. If I had to put money on it, I'd say it's for Halo 3, which is due out in September, and the language looks like 'Covenant' design.

At least that's my take on it.

UPDATE: Read the MUFON debunking. Those guys were right on.

[Crow]

Interestingly, there is still no mention of the fact that the drones were debunked weeks ago on either Strieber's site or Earthfiles.com.

[yathrib]

With something as well-executed and convincing as UMMO, it isn't as simple as someone admitting that they hoaxed it. One of the Fox sisters back in the 19th century admitted to having hoaxed the phenomena that gave birth to modern spiritualism, but her "explanation" didn't explain everything. For a more recent example, think of crop circles. A few years back the media were abuzz with reports that the crop circles were hoaxed by two British alcoholics with too much time on their hands. Some of them were. But most were not, and they continue to this day. The Ummo thing is yet another instance in which the explanation is not totally satisfactory, even if it came from the guy who supposedly originated it.

[philipacentaur]

With something as well-executed and convincing as UMMO, it isn't as simple as someone admitting that they hoaxed it. One of the Fox sisters back in the 19th century admitted to having hoaxed the phenomena that gave birth to modern spiritualism, but her "explanation" didn't explain everything. For a more recent example, think of crop circles. A few years back the media were abuzz with reports that the crop circles were hoaxed by two British alcoholics with too much time on their hands. Some of them were. But most were not, and they continue to this day. The Ummo thing is yet another instance in which the explanation is not totally satisfactory, even if it came from the guy who supposedly originated it.

Indeed. See also: "The Philadelphia Experiment" and its bastard progeny. I have such ambivalence for hoaxing and Tricksterism in general. It's only "good" if you can come away from it sane and better-informed, but that happens so rarely anymore that this cottage industry of Strangeness, both High and Low, is alarming when I really think about it.

Once something hits the imaginations of the masses, it's all over. The complexity increases exponentially and grows beyond the control of anyone, including (sometimes especially) the progenitors. Mysteries crop up in the minds of dupes that hadn't even been considered by the Trickster, and new blind alleys are pursued tirelessly and passed on to new generations.

[Crow]

With something as well-executed and convincing as UMMO, it isn't as simple as someone admitting that they hoaxed it. One of the Fox sisters back in the 19th century admitted to having hoaxed the phenomena that gave birth to modern spiritualism, but her "explanation" didn't explain everything. For a more recent example, think of crop circles. A few years back the media were abuzz with reports that the crop circles were hoaxed by two British alcoholics with too much time on their hands. Some of them were. But most were not, and they continue to this day. The Ummo thing is yet another instance in which the explanation is not totally satisfactory, even if it came from the guy who supposedly originated it.

Maggie Fox later recanted her confession. As you are implying, the story of the Fox sisters is much more complex than it appears.

I agree with you about strangeness breeding strangeness; it suggests something radical but true about the nature of reality itself, especially the paranormal. The world is, at least in part, some sort of warped mirror.

But it's still worth it to separate truth from illusion whenever possible, or we'll find ourselves even more screwed up than we already are.

[Jeff]

Once something hits the imaginations of the masses, it's all over.

Which makes me think it might be interesting to consider the congruities of "mass hallucination" and tulpa creation.

There's no escaping the trickster, but he's a right asshole.

[slimmouse]

Mysteries crop up in the minds of dupes that hadn't even been considered by the Trickster, and new blind alleys are pursued tirelessly and passed on to new generations.

Such as 9/11 was an inside job ?

Or Iraq didnt have WMDs ?

Are those the kind of blind alleys that dupes are falling into ?

Or that there isnt actually a bunch of greedy reptilian fucks ( a metaphorical term, you understand) who have been dictating 'How it is' to the likes of me ever since, and have actually become quite skilled, courtesy of their experience, and agents, not to mention a plethera of left brained clones, in making us believe that Black is actually white ?

Is that what you meant , Phil ?

[philipacentaur]

Once something hits the imaginations of the masses, it's all over.

Which makes me think it might be interesting to consider the congruities of "mass hallucination" and tulpa creation.

There's no escaping the trickster, but he's a right asshole.

It is fascinating to think about, even on a metaphorical level, but dangerous if you tread that path seeking a shortcut to any sort of global understanding of the mysterious. You get two steps in, and there he is; huge fucking asshole, the guy who blazed the trail to begin with.

Watching others get sucked into the trap is tragically comic at best, heartbreaking at worst.

And Slimmouse, I'm not falling for it. I gave at the office.

[slimmouse]

And Slimmouse, I'm not falling for it. I gave at the office.

Sounds like youve got nothing left to lose then.

Unfortunately, its only sounds like.

[professorpan]

Whitley's latest -- he seems to be backpedaling a bit, but still won't admit the drones are a hoax (and he hasn't mentioned the MUFON debunking, interestingly).

My realization that the circles might be used for patterning
within our minds and brains arose out of reading the Isaac
'Caret' material, and thinking about some of the imagery on the
strange 'drones' that have recently been seen in northern
California skies.

But what if the Isaac material is fake and the drones a hoax?
To me, that doesn't invalidate my realization about using the
circles for mind patterning. But, in any case, the debunking
of both the Isaac material and the drones has been a non-
starter so far.

I am not too surprised that NONE of the drones debunking
addresses the issue of the witnesses. How can it? The
testimony of so many people is, in the end, irrefutable. But,
to the debunkers, it is as if the eyewitness simply don't
exist. Instead, we're being told that it's all some sort of
subtle 'viral marketing' scheme for the Transformers movie or
the Halo game.

Since the producers of Transformers are also making the film of
my upcoming book 2012: the War for Souls, I asked them about it
and they said that the drones and the Isaac material had nothing
to do with their movie. So that rumor is dead. As far as the Halo
rumor is concerned, can it really be true that all these
eyewitnesses are working for Microsoft? If so, how is the drones
material advancing sales of the Halo game?

The debunking of the drones, and of the Isaac material, for that
matter, has so far been a load of hooey.

I think in his gut he realizes he's been hoaxed, and he can't bring himself to admit it.