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Born-Again Cynic
01/07/2005 . Source: Geoff Willmetts 
Whether it's the 1933 Loch Ness Monster Surgeon's photograph actually being a model or the 60s Big Foot film footage actually a woman in a gorilla suit from a relative who couldn't hold a camera on horseback but made it more spontaneous by the effect, one thing that comes out of it is that even experts can be taken in by fakes. Is it any wonder that it's harder to convince people of anything out of the ordinary these days might be the real thing? Buy Loch Ness Monster in the USA - or Buy Loch Ness Monster in the UK 
Hello everyone
Whether it's the 1933 Loch Ness Monster Surgeon's photograph actually being
a model or the 60s Big Foot film footage actually a woman in a gorilla suit
from a relative who couldn't hold a camera on horseback but made it more
spontaneous by the effect, one thing that comes out of it is that even
experts can be taken in by fakes. Is it any wonder that it's harder to
convince people of anything out of the ordinary these days might be the real
thing?
What was more amazing is that the two examples above have now been
disowned by those in the know and that honesty is coming to the fore. Then
again, better that that such footage being examined under a digital gaze. Is
it any wonder that the 'experts' couldn't tell the difference between
magician's magic tricks and real ESP, let alone try proving it by lab
statistics rather than any field research where such abilities would really
be used? Predicting a run of Rhine cards is hardly a demonstration of
day-to-day ESP use but stepping back from the kerb before seeing a speeding
car is.
Mind you, as with Alfred Bester's novel, 'Tiger! Tiger!' (aka 'The
Stars My Destination'), it's not something you can statistically test cos
the brain will know when its geared to near misses At the end of the day, an
expert opinion in these instances ends up being no better than that of a
layman with a touch of common-sense...sometimes not even that. It invariably
means its up to the informed individual as to what they belief or how much
proof is needed to support it. Having seen so much fakery, is it any wonder
that more of us are becoming born-again cynics?
The interesting thing is that none of the above examples go away despite the
fakery and hoaxes that surround them. It can't all be put down to wanting to
believe or gullibility although it could be seen as something inherent about
the human species to want to see more than they have about them. Whatever,
people still see odd things and report them which is the reverse of the
scientific community.
You rarely see any of them put their hands up and say
they've seen something they can't explain. This is odd because scientists
mostly prefer not to pursue such things because it goes against the
establishment and potential damage to their reputations that they don't even
want to lay old chestnuts to rest. When Loch Ness was scanned completely in
the 90s for other 'proper' research something large was detecting moving
behind the main ship flotilla scan and yet no one wanted to check and
finally solve the mystery. If that level of curiosity was kept up, we'd
still believe the Earth was flat and the centre of the universe.
The same kind of thing goes for Yeti or whatever local name you have for
giant hairy men which seems to crop up in all continents but Australasia.
There's enough Native American place names for Sasquatch aka Big Foot to
suggest there's something hidden away in them thar hills and forests not to
mention in deepest Russia and the Himalayas. There's even wilderness and
unexamined land to support the belief that small tribes of such creatures
might well be hidden away, trying their best to avoid press coverage.
Lest anyone things I'm ignoring unidentified flying objects, I do have to
confess that I'm tending to ignore anything since the dawn of the digital
camera. With film it was always possible to examine the negatives for age
generation or hidden strings. With digital, everything is first generation
and any possible tampering easier to hide. Film evidence can only really be
used to collaborate sworn statements and even the latter can be doubtful.
Once you've accepted something is there, it makes things much harder to
publicly back down on what you claim or thought you saw.
Any claims for aliens to come from other planets in our Solar System puts doubt in any
sense of credibility with what we know and recorded of local space. Most
alien close encounters are the equivalent of biblical talking burning bushes
- they don't really live up to close scrutiny in an enlightened age. Mind
you, that opinion might change if several people with digital cameras set on
movie mode filmed something from several different angles at the same time.
Even that might be questionable without some means to prove size in space
(sic) or why would a bunch of people have their cameras all available at the
same time. However, outside of Brazil, there doesn't seem to be much in the
way of UFO flaps that have been seen clearly over populated areas in recent
years. If there are aliens watching us, they seem to be losing interest or
at least not showing themselves so much. An alien correspondent says digital
cameras are far faster at taking pictures anyway and have tended to avoid
being photographed these days.
Then again, outside of the quiet or 'funny season' when the world seems to
be taking a break from 'important' news is about the only time such things
happen anyway. Other than that, things seem to have gotten quiet even for
the mass press to get stirred away from anything outside of the 'celebrity'
circuit. Even then, as with that Loch Ness tooth incident that was reported
in one of the news items here at SFCrowsnest last month, it's not difficult
to spot the fake from the real. The first thing you do is look around and
see if anyone is out to promote a book at the moment or who's likely to gain
from such things.
Likewise, you never take statements at face value and any
lost evidence is immediately suspect not to mention co-incidence or setting
up people to unwittingly back up what they thought they saw. A monster's
resting or feeding place with no human footprints but on a dirt track to the
road is automatically suspect. It doesn't take much in the way of brainpower
to decide whether there might be a truth or a total hoax in what you're
provided with. To my mind this does tend to develop as consensus or 'public
opinion'. If we can be seen to know the difference then maybe it will pave
for a better attitude on things that have better credibility and something
that might escape deniability. Somewhere down the line, someone will also
probably recognise that with the end of 'The X-Files' on television, people
might have had their fill of conspiracy theories for a while.
As we get older, we tend to become less of a dreamer of such things and more
cynical as we question things. We might not be as close-minded as
'scientific experts' have become but really it's a different reflection of
the same coin. Do we believe there is something or there is nothing out of
the ordinary? A lot of the time, it pays to straddle the fence and take
every case on an individual basis and examine for flaws and hoaxes before
making a decision as to where something is viable or not. Enough people with
different perspectives can make a better jury as to whether something is
real or not.
Even then, a lot of evidence is going to be suspect. I doubt if an alien
spaceship is ever going to land on the White House lawn and say, 'Take me to
your leader.' If they've been monitoring, let alone understanding our media,
the real problem is which nation is truly representative of the human
species let alone who is going to take umbrage if they choose the wrong one.
I doubt if even the United Nations would be of much use here largely cos
there's no one who can say that they're in charge and we must take certain
actions. A certain President might disagree but it won't be by consensus. No
alien inspections this year then.
If I was in charge of an alien investigation group wanting to formally meet
humans, I doubt if I'd want to come to such a war-torn planet like this let
alone with the inequalities across the globe. Klattau was probably right in
that mankind might take its wars out into space except I doubt if we'd
survive long let alone think the expensive would make that kind of war
prohibitive. Going into space might well be the one way to stop us having
wars on the ground.
In the meantime, I'm going to remain sceptic and cynical and take all
sightings or evidence of the unknown on a case by case basis. I might even
apply it to the more mundane things that are discussed about human affairs.
It's evidence not words that tends to make people sit up and take notice. If
such things can withstand my observational eye then they'll deserve a closer
look. Cynicism doesn't mean I don't think strange things go on but
convincing indisputable truth is always far better. Get rid of the hoaxers
and we might see what's really going on.
Be happy. Keep watching the skies. Enjoy the rest of the website.
Thank you and good night
Geoff Willmetts
editor: SFCrowsnest.co.uk
(Less Serious) Thought For The Month: Let's see how I can put this so we
won't risk being sued. I was asked recently why Yoda in 'Star Wars' talked
in such an odd back-to-front way. My off-the-cuff remark was that if he
talked normally and being green, would have had people think he was Kermit
the Frog's big brother which also probably explains why, of all the cast
members, he never guest-starred on 'The Muppet Show' at the time.
Interesting very.
Info Department: For those of you living in the UK, keep an eye or video
tape on to record the late night Australian detective show 'Blackjack'
starring Colin Friels. In the first episode it had guest-stars Gigi Edgley,
Anthony Simco and Melissa Jaffer. There's a fair bet that other guest should
also be of interest. The series isn't bad, neither but with four episodes
you might have to wait for repeats to see them again.
Big Oooh! Department: Watching the early 'Stargate SG-1' seasons for review
and still with a possibility of doing an article on Stargate portal
technology left me pondering the other night. I can appreciate that passage
through a Stargate can only be done one way so as to prevent travellers'
molecules bumping into each in transit not to mention the memory storage at
either end from constructing properly. What is the puzzle is how can two-way
radio/video transmissions be done when the same condition has to exist? I
mean, even if nothing else is in transit, things can only go one way or am I
missing something here? I'm putting thought to the problem but if you have
any ideas that don't contradict the series continuity then you have
SFCrowsnest's own letter pages to discuss them in.
Something for neo-writers to ponder on: When in Rome do what the Romans do.
Always be aware of what century you're writing in. Don't give your
characters current day things like watches or that way to measure the time
pre-18th century and even beyond there, only the very rich actually owned
them up to the early 19th century. If anything, its always important to play
by the rules of whatever century, past, present or future, than to create to
get out of jam. The real art of imagination is solving with what you've got
rather than to having the convenient gadget solution.
Medical: If you're susceptible to tendon arthritis be careful of how much
aspartame you have in your additives. As a diabetic, I run into it a lot and
can't totally keep it out of my diet but can only keep the dose as low as
possible. It's unfortunate that the ingredients don't show the quantities. I
can't speak for all products or the effects on all people, but watch the
dosages in non-chewable Vitamin C tablets and Diet Sprite and see the
effects of being off them for a few days. Makes for a whole new distinction
in getting your grip back.
PS If you've survived this far in the editorial, let me reiterate something
from the website newsletter and the above editorial. As you can see from the
main page, we have one of the biggest SF/fantasy/horror monthly reviews
columns on the Net. Our success has increased the number of books that comes
in and our policy is to read everything before giving a review. You want the
bottom line about what you're going to choose to read. We roadtest books so
you have some idea of what you're letting yourself in for. That means
actually reading the product and telling others what you think. For that,
we're always on the outlook for more reviewers.
Apart from the ability to put words into sentences, you also need to know
how to précis, either know or do a little research on associated subjects
and can express opinions constructively expressing good, bad points and
opinions about the books you read. You'll even get a little editorial help
in how to write good copy and that can always lead to other things. I did
say you have to love books and willing to read beyond your favourite
authors, didn't I?
If you like reading books in the genre, think and show you can write a
decent review and, most importantly, live in the British Isles (sorry,
expense, time and distance travelled prohibits elsewhere), contact me below
for my 'Reviews Flyer' - put this in the subject ebox and we'll see if
you've got what it takes. We can't pay you but a review for the price of a
new book has to be a good incentive.
We have one of the most popular SF review columns on the Net. Do you think
you're up to writing a review? If you think you can, then you're really
going to think you've landed your hands in the biscuit tin.
PPS: For those keeping track, I'm still about 20 months (mid-June 2003)
behind.
With going through the ebook samples, I have removed some who've gotten
published elsewhere. Thank you for your patience but let me know if you've
sold elsewhere so I can reduce my pile or if you've changed address,
especially e-mail address. I can't give you my comments unless either is up
to date. Currently, doing spot-checks to see if you're still there when I
reach your sample in the pile is making it easier on my time and catching up
on the slush pile.
This isn't much of a repeat, just to show you're not forgotten. Those
sending in ebook samples, be prepared for a long wait and read the
Guidelines elsewhere on this website. They are there to help you do some of
the right things and reduce the number of times I'm repeating myself over
silly grammatical errors and spelling mistakes that you shouldn't be making.
It makes editing a lot easier if any editor has less work pointing out poor
English which should have been sorted out in the first place and more
focused on other areas of your work.
There's an old editorial adage, if you can't aim for perfection why should
an editor nurse-maid you to that state? If you're a writer, then you should
understand the words and grammar of the job you're supposed to be writing or
are you considering it as mundane and boring as any other job to get right?
Fall in love with making every sentence the best you're ever written, read
up and understand the rules of grammar. Be prepared to put a story away for
a few weeks and go back to it for a self-edit. A lot of the time, errors
will just stare you in the face when you didn't see them the first time
round. Once you know where your weaknesses are, they can be sorted and allow
you to move a little higher up the ladder towards making your material look
its best.
Please don't confuse this with my short story slush pile which is kinda
low at the moment. We're always willing to give short story writers a chance
to be seen if they can withstand my scrutiny even if we can't pay for their
efforts. Don't forget also, we've got a teaching ground of one page stories,
so check out the rules elsewhere on the website.
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