Phantoms and Monsters

Japanese Unveil Android Surrogate 'Geminoid F'
The Large Hadron Collider Basics
Photo: Huge Blimp Size UFO - Mesa, Arizona - 4/3/10
Shropshire Sheep Farmers Witness UFOs 'Laser' Their Livestock
Announcement: 'Phantoms and Monsters' On The Air

Japanese Unveil Android Surrogate 'Geminoid F'

Posted: 05 Apr 2010 11:37 AM PDT

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blacklistednews - The inventors of a robot capable of mimicking human movements and facial expressions believe it is so realistic that it can be used to provide counseling to human patients.

The robot, called "Geminoid F," is modeled after a woman in her late 20s and operated by remote control. It can copy a wide range of expressions, including blinking, frowning and smiling. A speaker in the body can project a human voice.

Hiroshi Ishiguro, the professor at Osaka University who led the development team, told a press conference on Saturday that he saw the robot as more than an expensive toy. "It could be used for remote medical care, such as counseling," he said.

Geminoid F, a joint creation of Osaka University and Kyoto-based Advanced Telecommunications Research Institute International, will be sold by robot maker Kokoro Co. from May. It hopes to sell about 50 robots at about 10 million yen ($106,000) each.

The android is slightly smaller than the model on whom Ishiguro's team based its design. She is 158 centimeters tall, while the robot is only 140 cm and weighs 30 kilograms.

"I felt as if I had a sister sitting next to me," said the model. "But when I was using the remote control, she seemed to be me."

Japanese Unveil Android Surrogate 'Geminoid F'

The Large Hadron Collider Basics

Posted: 05 Apr 2010 11:20 AM PDT

Dennis Overbye offers an interesting primer for those who have trouble wrapping their brain around the Large Hadron Collider.

nytimes - Yes, the collider finally crashed subatomic particles into one another last week, but why, exactly, is that important? Here is a primer on the collider - with just enough information, hopefully, to impress guests at your next cocktail party.

Let's be basic. What does a particle physicist do?

Particle physicists have one trick that they do over and over again, which is to smash things together and watch what comes tumbling out.

What does it mean to say that the collider will allow physicists to go back to the Big Bang? Is the collider a time machine?

Physicists suspect that the laws of physics evolved as the universe cooled from billions or trillions of degrees in the first moments of the Big Bang to superfrigid temperatures today (3 degrees Kelvin) — the way water changes from steam to liquid to ice as temperatures decline. As the universe cooled, physicists suspect, everything became more complicated. Particles and forces once indistinguishable developed their own identities, the way Spanish, French and Italian diverged from the original Latin.

By crashing together subatomic particles — protons — physicists create little fireballs that revisit the conditions of these earlier times and see what might have gone on back then, sort of like the scientists in Jurassic Park reincarnating dinosaurs.

The collider, which is outside Geneva, is 17 miles around. Why is it so big?

Einstein taught us that energy and mass are equivalent. So, the more energy packed into a fireball, the more massive it becomes. The collider has to be big and powerful enough to pack tremendous amounts of energy into a proton.

Moreover, the faster the particles travel, the harder it is to bend their paths in a circle, so that they come back around and bang into each other. The collider is designed so that protons travel down the centers of powerful electromagnets that are the size of redwood trunks, which bend the particles' paths into circles, creating a collision. Although the electromagnets are among the strongest ever built, they still can't achieve a turning radius for the protons of less than 2.7 miles.

All in all, the bigger the accelerator, the bigger the crash, and the better chance of seeing what is on nature's menu.

What are physicists hoping to see?

According to some theories, a whole list of items that haven't been seen yet — with names like gluinos, photinos, squarks and winos — because we haven't had enough energy to create a big enough collision.

Any one of these particles, if they exist, could constitute the clouds of dark matter, which, astronomers tell us, produce the gravity that holds galaxies and other cosmic structures together.

Another missing link of physics is a particle known as the Higgs boson, after Peter Higgs of the University of Edinburgh, which imbues other particles with mass by creating a cosmic molasses that sticks to them and bulks them up as they travel along, not unlike the way an entourage forms around a rock star when they walk into a club.

Have scientists ever seen dark matter?

It's invisible, but astronomers have deduced from their measurements of galactic motions that the visible elements of the cosmos, like galaxies, are embedded in huge clouds of it.

Will physicists see these gluinos, photinos, squarks and winos?

There is no guarantee that any will be discovered, which is what makes science fun, as well as nerve-racking.

So how much energy do you need to create these fireballs?

At the Large Hadron Collider, that energy is now 3.5 trillion electron volts per proton — about as much energy as a flea requires to do a pushup. That may not sound like much, but for a tiny proton, it is a lot of energy. It is the equivalent of a 200-pound man bulking up by 700,000 pounds.

What's an electron volt?

An electron volt is the amount of energy an electron would gain passing from the negative to the positive side of a one-volt battery. It is the basic unit of energy and of mass preferred by physicists.

When protons collide, is there a big bang?

There is no sound. It's not like a bomb exploding.

In previous trials, there was an actual explosion.

All that current is dangerous. During the testing of the collider in September 2008, the electrical connection between a pair of the giant magnets vaporized. There are thousands of such connections in the collider, many of which are now believed to be defective. As a result the collider can only run at half-power for the next two years.

Could the collider make a black hole and destroy the Earth?

The collider is not going to do anything that high-energy cosmic rays have not done repeatedly on Earth and elsewhere in the universe. There is no evidence that such collisions have created black holes or that, if they have, the black holes have caused any damage. According to even the most speculative string theory variations on black holes, the Large Hadron Collider is not strong enough to produce a black hole.

Too bad, because many physicists would dearly like to see one.

The Large Hadron Collider Basics

Photo: Huge Blimp Size UFO - Mesa, Arizona - 4/3/10

Posted: 05 Apr 2010 10:26 AM PDT

MUFON witness report (unedited) - On April 3, 2010 in Mesa, Arizona, I was outside watching for UFOs and I saw: 2 ball size objects (no lights)[object-1 and object-2], 1 possible satellite (dim light), 1 huge (blimp size) UFO (low altitude, no lights). During the late afternoon of the same day before the night event, I think I captured on camera an UFO at close range which is the reason why I decided to watch for them possibly occurring at night too.

While watching at night, I spotted object-1 at an altitude height area typical of spotting either high altitude commercial jets or satellites. I had my camera set up on a tripod; however, this object came towards me from a high angle in the sky which thereby caused me to dismount the camera and take hand held pictures. While taking pictures of it, I saw with my eyes through the camera viewer it appearing to be perfectly spherical in shape, dullish gray color with a hint of black color. It did not appear to emit light; however, it did appear to reflect city ambient light. From my best estimates in size via experience with camera shots at that distance, I would estimate the size of object-1 similar in size to a large weather balloon size but not the shape of it. Viewing it with no camera but with eyes only: the object-1 appeared to be at a high altitude, traversed slowly typical of a satellite or drifting balloon heading East, barely noticeable in the sky until spotted, no audible sound were heard. Duration of object-1: 46 seconds starting at 20:41:31. Object-1 never changed in shape or in light intensity throughout the entire observation of it. Pictures were taken (no tripod); faint light can be seen upon adjustments of lighting in photo program.

Object-2 similar to object-1. Heading: South East. Duration: 65 seconds starting at 20:55:58. Object-2 never changed in shape or in light intensity throughout the entire observation of it. Pictures were taken (no tripod); faint light can be seen upon adjustments of lighting in photo program.

Object-3 (possible satellite) 5 pictures were taken with a camera on a tripod until object observation was lost upon readjustment of camera view. No enhancements required except via D-Lighting low. Light characteristic of 1 second exposure is not typical to any known jet or plane light pattern. Object-3 had a level flight coarse, but interpretation of light characteristic is unknown at this time. However from past observation of satellites with eyes only, object-3 appeared to be a satellite with minor fluctuation in light intensity. Duration: 16 seconds starting at 21:00:46

Object-4 (blimp size) was unquestionably an UFO of some sort in my opinion. I first noticed the unknown object within a 1 mile range with my eyes only. This object had no lights on it nor did the object emit any lights. The size of the object is comparable for that distant of being an extremely large commercial jet, or comparable in size to a large C-31 military transport jet, or comparable in size of a Goodyear blimp. It was almost unnoticeable while traveling except it almost stand out from the background scenery as a large and dark, elongated object traversing very slowly in speed which the speed is very comparable to a blimp speed. The altitude is estimated to be at the altitude of a blimp flying, or at the altitude of a landing-approach of commercial jet. I had a difficult time trying to locate object-4 with my eyes while trying to locate object-4 through the camera's viewfinder since the viewfinder on the camera has a darken filter. Once I was able to locate it on the camera, what I saw quite literally sent chills down my body as being startled but not frighten,; yet, I continue to take pictures of it with the remote. The object appeared to be a huge eye looking thing. It is possible that it might be a blimp because of it elongated shape, but I doubtful of that. At the ends points of the object, it appeared to come to a point similar to how our eyes come to a point at both ends. A blimp is more rounded at those ends. In the center of this object structure appeared to be a wavering, huge darken, circular-like mass area as in some similarities to the iris of a dark, color eye on a person. Outside the darken circular area but in the area that comes to a point, the color was of darken, yellowish color with maybe a hint of orange in it. While looking at it through the camera, it appeared to me to have a mean-like look which that part is what sent chills down me. I managed to take 4 pictures on the tripod before I completely lost sight of the UFO including searching with my eyes only. Only one pictures shows up with no enhancements required; plausibly, one of the search light from the light show that was taking place near my location possibly lit the object up which was pure luck for me. Duration: 19 seconds starting at 21:15:34. Pic-1 resembles (to some extent) the object which I saw through the camera's viewfinder. Further cropping and resizing (pic-2) shows something completely unknown and bizarre yet enlightening in features as to being unique.

About 10 minutes later, a jet making the sounds similar to a fighter jet headed NW in direction towards the commercial airports but in opposite direction of the UFO's heading. I took 3 pictures of that jet. Now I know how all this sounds with "light show" and "eye looking" terms used; however, this event did take place, and this is not a concocted or exaggerated event. This is a true chronicle of the event and how it unfolded that night.

NOTE: very concise report...lots of good information. The first thing that came to mind was a weather balloon reflecting ground lights off a reflective surface though, I have been told current balloons are a flat light color that resist reflection as well as being shaped differently. I really can't attest to that as fact but I'll take the person's word for now. I doubt a balloon would purposely be placed in a low altitude, especially at night, risking the chance of a plane hitting it...Lon

Photo: Huge Blimp Size UFO - Mesa, Arizona - 4/3/10

Shropshire Sheep Farmers Witness UFOs 'Laser' Their Livestock

Posted: 05 Apr 2010 10:07 AM PDT

A series of bizarre incidents involving sheep in Shropshire have led to farmers' claims that aliens are attacking their livestock.

telegraph - Farmers near Shrewsbury claim to have witnessed sheep being "lasered" by unidentified light from UFOs.

They have linked the unexplained incidents, where sheep's brains and eyes were removed, to the mysterious orange lights in the sky.

They have found sheep with "neat holes" while their brains and other internal organs were removed. Other animals have lost eyes or had their flesh "carefully stripped away", usually on the left side.

Phil Hoyle, 53, who has spent almost a decade investigating how the livestock have died, said the UFOs were found to have roamed a 50-mile "corridor" between Shrewsbury and Powys.

Mr Hoyle and 15 members of the Animal Pathology Field Unit, claimed they witnessed UFOs at work last month while working during the night at a Welsh hill farm near Radnor Forest.

"The technology involved in these attacks is frightening," he told The Sun.

"These lights and spheres are clearly not ours.

"They are built by technology and intelligence that's not from here."

He added: "For a short while it looked more like a Star Wars battle."

Next day he interviewed farmers and "all but one had some type of unusual disappearance of animals or deaths with strange injuries", he told the paper.

Shropshire Sheep Farmers Witness UFOs 'Laser' Their Livestock
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Oops!
Doctors Perform C-Section, Only to Find No Baby. At least they didn't cut off a leg or give her a hysterectomy (rolling eyes).

Witchcraft Phenomenon
Witch-Hunts Then – and Now. 'Muti', killing for body parts to be used in witchcraft concoctions, is increasing in Southern Africa.

Announcement: 'Phantoms and Monsters' On The Air

Posted: 05 Apr 2010 06:30 PM PDT

Starting on Sunday, April 18th, 2010 - 9:00 pm ET - a new 1/2 hour live segment has been added to Beyond the Edge Radio titled 'Strickly Paranormal: For Those Seeking the Truth' hosted by yours truly, Lon Strickler. I plan to highlight some of the more important and unusual events / encounters posted on 'Phantoms and Monsters'. Join Eric, Sean and the segment hosts for alternative talk radio with an edge!

You can tune in at the following sites:

Z Talk Radio
Jackalope Radio
Planet Paranormal Radio

Thanks again for your support...Lon

Announcement: 'Phantoms and Monsters' On The Air

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