Debunking Humor...

[Alien Chess Fiend]

There's historical precedent for this - all my web searches are failing, but perhaps some fellow brits will remember the story - back in the 80s and 90s there was a "rogue" scientist who was developing models for ultra-long range weather predictions, with the intention of being able to provide information to farmers IIRC, using secretive methods (understandable if you wish it to be the core of your money-making enterprise, but we know it very solar-oriented). However, he did want to (a) statistically prove that his methods had merit, and (b) fund his own research; so he got the Met Office (so actual experts in the field he was playing in) and a bookmaker to evaluate a range of factual, unambiguously measurable, claims about future weather/climate, and assign odds to them. He would then place the bets as he wanted, and, year after year, he would make a small profit.

Sounds like Piers Corbyn - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piers_Corbyn

Piers Richard Corbyn (born 10 March 1947) is a British weather forecaster, anti-vaccine activist, conspiracy theorist, and former politician
[...]
Following some years of weather prediction as an occupation, he formed WeatherAction, a business, in 1995. WeatherAction is the business through which Corbyn sells his predictions. He has in the past bet on these predictions.
[...]
WeatherAction left the Alternative Investment Market in 1999 after reported losses of £480,000 incurred during its time as a public company

More in the spirit of holding conpsiracy theorists to account, James Annan did some betting against climate change deniers, e.g. Betting summary

To save people having to dredge through my blog and elsewhere for the "betting on climate change" stuff, I'll try to keep this article reasonably up-to-date as a set of links to relevant pages, both my own and those others have written.

 

[FatPhil]

Sounds like Piers Corbyn - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piers_Corbyn

Piers Richard Corbyn (born 10 March 1947) is a British weather forecaster, anti-vaccine activist, conspiracy theorist, and former politician
[...]
Following some years of weather prediction as an occupation, he formed WeatherAction, a business, in 1995. WeatherAction is the business through which Corbyn sells his predictions. He has in the past bet on these predictions.

That's gotta be him - 1994 was the transition to PowerPC on Macs and emulation was relevant - I'm pretty sure I was in the market for a job as I'd just come back from working abroad, so the BBQ must have been late summer late '94. I guess he must have been sending out press releases that news stations picked up on trying to drum up publicity for his forthcoming company.

And, wow, that wiki page is fun. Looks like he went full loonietunes. Thanks for remembering/digging. Now I've got political hooks to hang him on I'll probably have a better chance of remembering who he was next time it's useful information. That'll probably be in 2055 if his relevance to me goes in 30 year cycles (anyone wanna bet whether it does or doesn't?).

EDIT: Enjoyed clicking around the Annan blog too. This paragraph in particular resonated with me "Sooner or later the denialists might decide that it is worth taking on a few losing bets, just to avoid looking dishonest. I just hope I can get a slice of the cash when they do." ( http://julesandjames.blogspot.com/2005/05/more-betting-on-climate.html )

 

[psikiwi]

Found while watching "potholer 54" on Youtube, in a video entitled:
'Do your own Research' and the Dunning-Kruger Effect

 

[JMartJr]

Totally unexplainable video of transmedium UAP... I'm very excited...

 

[Gary C]

 

[Mendel]

Good news, the search for bigfoot is over, I just checked youtube:

Source: https://youtu.be/lus44bhvDmc

 

[MonkeeSage]

Totally unexplainable video of transmedium UAP... I'm very excited...
View attachment 81126

Color changing / shape shifting ✔
No propulsion signature ✔
Trans-medium travel ✔
Positive lift ✔

There's even an orb flying out from it!

 

[JMartJr]

There's even an orb flying out from it!

I wondered if anybody would notice that bit, well spotted!

 

[John J.]

There's even an orb flying out from it!

I wondered if anybody would notice that bit, well spotted!

There's a book in this for someone...

...The shocking sequel to

 

[John J.]

From the thread Yankee Blue - The Hazing Ritual Responsible for Some Military Belief in UFOs?

For decades, certain new commanders of the Air Force's most classified programs, as part of their induction briefings, would be handed a piece of paper with a photo of what looked like a flying saucer. The craft was described as an antigravity maneuvering vehicle.

The officers were told that the program they were joining, dubbed Yankee Blue, was part of an effort to reverse-engineer the technology on the craft. They were told never to mention it again. Many never learned it was fake.

Breaking News:

Two emaciated middle-aged men with long beards and in tattered 1990s army uniforms have been rushed to hospital, having been found by "urban explorers" who broke into a long-decommissioned Army base.

Police and forensic archaeologists are at the site after skeletal remains of several men, wearing scraps of uniform apparently dating back to the early 1950s, were found seated along a bench nearby.

A paramedic said one of the survivors whispered that he had been sent to get "a long weight" from the base stores.

 

[elvenwear]

Totally unexplainable video of transmedium UAP... I'm very excited...
View attachment 81126

Well it is aerial and it is phenomenal, so no issues there. It's also confirmed NHI.

 

[John J.]

Well it is aerial and it is phenomenal, so no issues there. It's also confirmed NHI.

Thankfully, great statesmen have already established that we need not fear our fishy, orb-belching neighbours:


Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=20Jcrk6jGfo

I know the human being and fish can coexist peacefully.

George W. Bush, 29 February 2000 in Saginaw, Michigan (Time magazine, archived at Wayback Machine website).

 

[JMartJr]

Thankfully, great statesmen have already established that we need not fear our fishy, orb-belching neighbours:

But if they decide to start something, we're ready...

 

[RTM]

Well I already see a rod.

 

[Mendel]

Maybe we should start fighting Tic-Tacs with Fisherman's Friends?

 

[FatPhil]

Maybe we should start fighting Tic-Tacs with Fisherman's Friends?

That's just menthol!

 

[jdog]

But if they decide to start something, we're ready...

View attachment 81269

Some sort of mechanism for helping fish go transmedium?

 

[John J.]

Some sort of mechanism for helping fish go transmedium?

As long as you're not expecting federal funding.
Danged if I know what toilets the government says transmedium fish should use.
Or if their seances are entirely reliable.

 

[Ann K]

Some sort of mechanism for helping fish go transmedium?

There are also these nefarious non-human flying fish, which are not only transmedium, but stay close to water level to avoid detection. Sneaky!

 

[jdog]

There are also these nefarious non-human flying fish, which are not only transmedium, but stay close to water level to avoid detection. Sneaky!

Escorted by tictacs, no less!

 

[JMartJr]

Well, of course, after you eat fish you probably need a tic tac.

 

[obiwanbenobi]

Some sort of mechanism for helping fish go transmedium?

They also have these wonderful sealed cans that have been proven effective for transporting them safely.

 

[obiwanbenobi]

Well, of course, after you eat fish you probably need a tic tac.

plenty of yellow mustard and hot sauce...

 

[JMartJr]

plenty of yellow mustard and hot sauce...

...maybe 2 tic tacs.

 

[Gary C]

 

[RTM]

 

[MonkeeSage]

Looks like the plasma shield doesn't protect the black triangles from missiles.


Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IHEbgKZMDug

 

[Gary C]

From a poster on YouTube -

@waferty6027

2 months ago (edited)
Here is my favorite joke about space communication and the vastness of space ;

We receive a signal from 40 light years away in 2025 that Says : Hi, how are you ?
We send a signal that says : I'm fine and you ?
in 2105, we still receive a signal that says : I'm fine, thanks for asking. So, how is life with 4 arms ?
Our answer : Well, we only have 2 arms, but life is pretty great. And you, how is life on your planet ?
2185 : 2 arms ? Aren't you a Kaldocian ?
Our answer : No, we are humans from planet Earth.
2265 : Oh my bad, i got a wrong number.

 

[Gary C]

Today on FB ...

 

[obiwanbenobi]

"Break on through to the other side!"

 

[Mendel]

https://imgur.com/gallery/its-about-how-you-perceive-things-9U5CkAP

the human eye is amazing

 

[elvenwear]

They also have these wonderful sealed cans that have been proven effective for transporting them safely.

Are those sealed cans disc shaped and wider than they are high?

 

[obiwanbenobi]

Are those sealed cans disc shaped and wider than they are high?

yes, but may need a bit of adjustment via hammer to assume the full position.

 

[obiwanbenobi]

I was advised this morning to go check that my spices had not gone past their expiration date... salt of the earth and all that rot.

 

[Ann K]

I was advised this morning to go check that my spices had not gone past their expiration date... salt of the earth and all that rot.

True story: when the Durkee research labs occupied the other end of our building, they disposed of all spices once a month. They'd put them in the hallway, boxes lined with plastic, and set out baggies and Dixie cups so anyone could take them. My son was in his "experiment with spices" teenage years, and I once brought him home some oregano. I then noticed I was driving home with three bags of green stuff labeled "Turkish", "Greek", and "Spanish" ...and I drove verrry carefully...

 

[TDM]

 

[JMartJr]

the Durkee research labs

Ahh, the memory of several hundred turkey and ham sandwiches lathered in Durkee Sauce all come flooding back. Thank you for bringing up some pleasant memories.

 

[elvenwear]

Wow, I have no memory of any of that The 2008 video has altered my way of thinkin' on this. Hard to ignore the similarity there...

Clearly a memory wipe. If it's not tequila, it must be aliens.

 

[RTM]

 

[Mendel]

I think I've seen too many "totally not an aircraft" UAP reports... :-(