Friday, August 26, 2011

Review UFO's: Generals, Pilots and Government Officials Go On the Record

Imagine one day, you're walking across a large parking lot at a military base and you look in the sky and see an object you've never seen before. It isn't flying but rather maintaining a fixed position overhead.  It looks like a gray metallic pyramid or triangle and very light clouds are blowing by accentuating the stationary position of the object.  Depending on your disposition, you might quickly dismiss it as perhaps a satellite or some object or space debris or maybe even a new military craft of some sort.  Another approach might be to rapidly conclude it is from outer space and contains alien life forms.   There's a range of possible reactions for a person in that situation depending on the person.

Suppose you shared your story with someone else. Would you expect them to believe you?  Perhaps if they'd known you for a long time and trusted your pronouncements--family, friends, etc.  But if they didn't know you, you'd have a low level of trust and could understandably be at peace if they didn't believe you or showed extreme skepticism.   Depending on the details of the event, you might be spurred to investigate further and see if anyone else saw the same thing.  Was it a boring uneventful viewing of some unrecognized object?  Or more dramatically, was it moving around doing somewhat unbelievable things?  Regardless,  most people whether they have viewed such things or not understand that individual sightings of unidentified aerial phenomena have low credibility and prove next to nothing.

Suppose instead of sighting this alone, you had someone with you and could validate that they saw it too?  Credibility goes up a notch between the two viewers at least.   Next imagine, tens or hundreds of people saw the same thing.   At this stage, the credibility goes up another notch but there's a problem.  Correlating all of the viewings with all of the potential legitimate airborne objects such as planes, satellites, etc is incredibly difficult because almost no effort has been expended to make such investigations possible. Not in the USA anyway.   So, while the credibility of that situation is greater than the others, all it has historically generated doesn't amount to much.  Rare events experienced by human observers, unless resulting in death, etc, have been given low regard by professional researchers even if occasionally it intrigues a  journalist or two.  And these days even photographic or video evidence has become easier to manipulate and generate hoaxes so professional interest remains low.

Such is the lot of the typical UFO enthusiast these days.

But contrast all of the above with a very different set of conditions. First, make the observers trained ones such as pilots both commercial and military, air traffic controllers & bring in physical evidence correlating all of the above with radar with official video/photographic evidence.    It turns out that in the realm of UFO's trained observers in small numbers outweigh large numbers of untrained viewers since first of all, such observers in the case of pilots have a duty to protect the safety of passengers in commercial settings and the safety of citizens in the case of military ones.  Objects occupying restricted airspace are a safety hazard and there are requirements to report such phenomena.  (requirements that are currently obstacled by the cultural stigma associated with reporting).

This is the jumping off point for an interesting new book written by investigative journalist Leslie Kean, whose previous accomplishments included documenting human rights abuses in Burma.  What Kean has set out to do is de-stigmatize the UFO phenomena by focusing on cases which have the most credibility which turn out to be sightings by military personnel around the world.   Although initially very skeptical of UFO's and impacted by the taboo surrounding them, Kean has attempted to see if rigorous journalistic methods could be brought to bear on a phenomena that previously had been largely relegated to amateur self appointed experts given away too easily to government conspiracies.

The result?  By almost every account, she has produced a smashing success.  It may be the single most important piece of investigative journalism ever produced on the subject and I highly recommend it to my readers for the primary purpose of demonstrating how a controversial topic can be rationally dissected in a way that even the most hardened skeptics can appreciate if only because she provides a good target for attack.

What got Leslie Kean to start poking around on such a controversial topic?  About 10 years ago, a colleague gave her an advance copy of a report compiled by high ranking French government officials on sightings there.  This exposed her to the reality that the way UFO stories are regarded in the USA both by the population and government is very different than elsewhere in other cultures where careful steps have been taken to assemble the most valid evidence available in a far more open way than we attempt here.   It was very eye opening and caused her to focus in on the most credible events and evidence and then carefully consider the origins of how the United States has handled similar phenomena.

The book begins with an assembly of the top incidents worthy of review based on a number of factors: number & credibility of viewers, radar data gathered from multiple points, and other physical evidence that varies by case.  The events covered occurred all over the globe and include thousands of witnesses in Belgium, Iran, Peru, Chile, UK, Japan and the USA and are largely based on official government evidence whenever possible.  It was through this careful analysis of FOIA documents and interviews with government officials that Kean was able to identify the origins of the taboo that has pervaded American culture regarding UFO's since they began appearing in the 1940s shortly after the invention of nuclear weapons and power plants...which turn out to be areas where the unexplained aerial phenomena have apparently tended to cluster.

The net result of Leslie Kean's work is a passion for a cause to centralize the research that has been conducted around the world in an organized way.  She advocates for a small government agency to be setup in the USA to conduct this research. As she shows, the effort required is a small one and has already been adopted by governments in Russia, UK, France & elsewhere yet not here in the USA.  (Note: President Jimmy Carter had asked NASA to do this several years ago after he encountered a UFO at a political event in the 1970s....the UFO bug also bit  Bill Clinton as he admitted later.).   Kean has done a great service by showing us in very clear terms how the current government mindset in the USA was formed. It is a very elucidating narrative and jibes with my own distaste for government conspiracies which I believe are often weak in light of more mundane explanations of human failings.  Some of the amusing revelations about our own government's work in regard to UFO's have emerged from FOIA requests in the UK, in particular concerning triangular/pyramid shaped objects with unexplainable high speed maneuvering.  Incidentally, if you chop off the high speed maneuvering part, such descriptions match what a colleague and I appeared to see above a military base in Virginia a few years ago.
I never had much interest in researching that event nor did it increase my already in place interest in the topic.  I drew no strong conclusions about what we saw that day.

Although Kean's book, which is now a New York Times Bestseller, was originally released last year, it has gained some recent attention due to it's use in a new documentary on The History Channel which appeared yesterday, ie, 25 August 2011. I haven't watched it but here is a Huffington Post piece on it.  It includes a trailer from the program.

A lot of people hate it when I bring up controversial topics like this in a blog whose main focus is on EEStor Inc which they are desperate to separate from nutter topics like 9/11 conspiracies.  But I think Kean's book captures some of the elements of dogmatic irrational skepticism shown towards EEStor, which most would probably agree is orders of magnitude less controversial.  How to conduct an investigation of a controversial topic is something I find interesting due to my unique experience covering EEStor.   I think a lot of people who read & try to understand what is going on at EEStor will appreciate many of the insight's Kean's book pulls together.   What can we know when and why are shared themes.

I predict you'll begin seeing a change in attitude about UFO's in the USA in part due to this book but also in large part due to the fact that more people have an ability to record events on camera phones and quickly upload them to YouTube.  Secondly, sensor instrumentation around the world to gather various kinds of things have proliferated particularly among the US Dept of Defense.  There is a much greater chance of capturing odd events now in multiple ways for near immediate analysis.  Don't take my word for it....watch it happen yourself by monitoring news.google.com... you'll find new stories on this topic almost every day.

Good luck and may the force be with you.





Friday, August 19, 2011

Review: Mad Like Tesla by Tyler Hamilton

This is me helping sell a few copies of Tyler Hamilton's new book, "Mad Like Tesla" which contains new information about EEStor.  It really does contain new information about EEStor...that I did not know previously. It has fresh EEStor research hitherto unrevealed publicly except in this new book available on Amazon.

What new information you ask?  If I told you, you wouldn't buy the book.  I got the book overnighted to me for around $10.   Basically, Hamilton is giving it away unfortunately not that authors of books make much money.

What's in the rest of the book? Um...uh....ok, I didn't read the book yet.  I can tell you it is about what people mean when they say some new technology is impossible...with past and present examples to sift through all the salient points.  Sound familiar?

In any case, rather than write an article summarizing the EEStor portion of his book, I think it would be better if people actually read it first and then discuss it.   Maybe later I'll write a fuller review.

Only 10 books are left in stock.  Reminder: it has new information.  You want that don't you?  Don't you? Yeah, I knew you did. Get it. Get the information and consume it.

Zenn Works Hard on Relationship with EEStor

On Aug 18, 2011, Zenn Motor Company published an update on it's financial condition which looked weaker than a hotdog stand in the middle of the desert.  The good news though is Zenn is aligning their cash burn rate (formerly known as a bonfire inferno) to match the pace of development at EEStor.  Why is this good news?  It means Zenn now knows EEStor's pace of development.  Or does it?  Well, we know one important thing now: Zenn is spending all of it's time focusing on it's relationship with EEStor:

 "At the same time we have worked hard to build on our relationship with EEStor."  -Jim Kofman

Sometimes people use words like investor, supplier or co-owner to describe relationships such as this but I'm pretty sure this is not where we are in this case.   When Kofman says 'relationship' he's speaking more of what people in therapy mean as in, "I love you so much but we need to work on our relationship."  As I've had relationship difficulties in the past, I've got some advice for Kofman:

1) Never let Dick Weir pay for the all-you-can-eat chinese buffet.  Just make sure you get in line ahead of him so he can't ring his up before you get your tray filled up.  They don't serve alcohol at Dick's favorite spot so bring along a half-carafe of merlot in your coat pocket and casually offer it to him as a special treat.

2) Always set aside time each day to let Dick Weir talk about his feelings, hopes & dreams. This means you can't be looking at your blackberry, Jim.  You have to set it down and validate what he is saying with interesting responses so Dick knows you care.  Be a good conversationalist. Ask him about his plans for his minivan--will he continue to service it or would a nicely deserved cadillac be in his future? How will he pay for it?

3) Hold hands during important conversations.  It's really difficult to yell at someone whose hand you are holding.  Try it even if you feel silly at first.  If his hands are dusty, ask him if alumina coated powders have high permittivity or just uncoated ones.

4) Don't be so mechanical.  Remember to date Dick Weir with as much effort as you put into having business with him.  Take him to the movies--something uplifting where story lines focus around completed missions...like Iron Man 2. (BTW, ask him afterwards if he thinks such technology is realistic)

5) Bring back spontaneity and surprises.  For example, do you always have to enter EEStor's offices from the front door?  Why not camp out at the adjoining parking lot for the medical clinic and when things are being delivered out back sprint up with some flowers and say, "hey partners, I've missed all of you so much...these are for you!" You might as well have a look around the production line while you are there since it would be awkward otherwise.  Note anything labeled "Lockheed Martin."

But in all of this, don't try too hard because that makes people flee (investors?).  But if you find yourself not trying at all, then that's equally problematic.  I've got other ideas here but I don't want to seem like a know it all especially since I'm not a mergers & acquisition expert from UBS.  I'm a bit of a dope comparatively speaking.


Monday, August 15, 2011

Oh Man. TheEEStory.com Discussions Are AWESOME!!!

Whew!  Where to start?  The discussions at TheEEStory.com have become so incredibly insightful and informative, I can't even begin to describe how awesome it is.  The quality of insight there is way beyond average.  I would dare say even the people who may be nuts are actually brilliant too.  It is incredibly fun to be part of it and to learn --before most of the planet -- all the cool things people contribute.  Should I even bring up the chat room?  Ok, I will. The chat room is 24x7 fun fun fun. Need a laugh or a short pithy insight or just need a recent news photo of Presidential hopeful Michele Bachmann?  Wow, the chat room is the place for that especially when you are at home drinking your favorite beverage without relatives telling you to disconnect!   Well, that's all for now. I've got to go login to theEEStory and see if I missed any EXTREMELY IMPORTANT NEWS.  

MUAHAAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHA!!!!!!!

Friday, August 5, 2011

The Batteries...[It] Was a Big Thing

Cryptogon.com is a website that endeavors to expose information about covert operations performed by governments, corporations and the media.  Kevin Flaherty is it's author and he resides in New Zealand.
Basically, it's a great site to read if you need creative inspiration to come up with a cool movie thriller that has an element of realism.  Or, if Flaherty's views impress you, it could be a life altering journey into the unfiltered truth.

Over the years, Flaherty has reported upon and speculated about EEStor.   His view is that EEStor's technology may have originated from government research...a view I don't share but can't rule out.

In any case, Flaherty drew attention to the recent crash of the Lockheed Martin HALE-D airship because the county sheriff where the experimental vehicle crashed said that one of the major concerns of Lockheed Martin in recovering the vehicle was "the batteries."  Don't believe it?  Well, then have a gander at the video.  The sheriff says "it is top secret through the military. But the batteries was a big thing. They didn't want anyone going around that aircraft once it was down and they wanted us to provide security. "

Here is a gizmag article about the crash.




Even if the batteries in question weren't EEStor related, you have to wonder what batteries Lockheed Martin would be so worried about losing. Hhmmmmmm....


UPDATE:

A funny thing about the crash of an aircraft is that many government agencies end up responding and writing reports about what happened.  When the HALE-D blimp crashed in the remote hunting grounds of Pennsylvania, personnel from the Pennsylvania Game Commission, Federal Aviation Administration, Pennsylvania State Police and local fire department responded.

According to an internal report of the incident written by Lockheed Martin and submitted to the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, "Primary concerns were ongoing generation of electricity by the airship's photovoltaic array, and the condition of its lithium battery. The integrity of the battery and its container ultimately proved intact."  Lockheed officials confirmed that the battery in question was removed from the area following HAZMAT procedures out of an abundance of caution.

According to Lockheed officials, the batteries used were lithium ion polymer batteries developed by Lockheed's space division for space applications.   Officials within the Army Space and Missile Defense Command in Huntsville, AL, who own the vehicle,  could not immediately confirm or deny any details about the batteries in question.  

The Lockheed DEP report includes this description of the Hale-D:

HALE-D was 232 feet wide, 75 feet in its greatest diameter, weighing approximately 3800 pounds, and with a volume of 580,000 cubic feet.  Its two electric propulsion motors drew energy generated by photovoltaic film on the uppermost portio of the airship's hull, with the energy stored in a metal-enclosed lithium ion polymer battery. Each of the battery cells was sealed individually with aluminum-laminated film.  Liquids on the HALE-D were limited to the solvents within the battery, and to 16 gallons of trim fluid (used to maintain the airships equilibrium by pumping the fluid through a system of tubes and containers) by the trade name "Dynalene MV" (see attached material safety data sheet). 

Two days after the crash or "controlled descent," the HALE-D caught fire destroying the entire envelop or hull of the ship.

My gut says these are not EEStor batteries, folks.