Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

CIA declassifies hundreds of UFO documents

cia.gov

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

141–150 of 224 posts

Re: CIA declassifies hundreds of UFO documents

#141

Post by sam_goody »

enkephalin wrote: post #127
Houshalter wrote: post #115

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Not really unlikely if you consider the vast scale of time as well. A few million years is enough to reach the end of the galaxy even at very very low percent of the speed of light. That's a long time in our terms, but a very short time given the age of the universe, or even our own planet. Self replicating Von Neumann probes could handle the issue of exploring such a large number of solar systems by increasing their…

i think the main issue with people having trouble believing in visitations from extraterrestrial species (or at least their technology), is that they have absolutely no sense for the age of the universe. and the fact that so many people believe it to be utterly ridiculous that alien life forms could be exploring the galaxy, yet here we humans are, doing exactly that, is just completely mind-boggling to me.

I think the main issue that most people have with aliens is that we kinda expect that if they exist (which scientifically and religiously they should) and they have the technology to have found us and interact with us (possible) they would have subjugated us or annihilated us by now.

The fact that they haven't suggests that either they don't exist or that they haven't found us.

Re: CIA declassifies hundreds of UFO documents

#142

Post by golergka »

noobermin wrote: post #118
vasilipupkin wrote: post #71

Earlier quoted context omitted.

don't overestimate Soviet competence. Soviet system was completely submersed in the sea of utter incompetence, with occasional pockets of competence here and there

I don't know, I can't speak for their military leaders, but I've read Soviet physics papers and they had (funded and educated) some solid scientists.

Physics as a field doesn't have the same pressures and people aspiring to it as intelligence military analytics.

Re: CIA declassifies hundreds of UFO documents

#143

Post by golergka »

xupybd wrote: post #100
spydum wrote: post #74

Earlier quoted context omitted.

as recently as last year when opening another checking account, the bank clerk told me to start my check numbers at atleast 500 (you can specify when ordering checks). I asked her why, and that was also the same reason given. I laughed at the silliness of the idea, but took her advice anyways.

Wow what country still uses cheques? Most stores won't take them anymore, here in New Zealand.

Israel, for long-term monthly payments, mostly rent. Thanks to checks, I pay rent every month, but see my landlord once a year.

Re: CIA declassifies hundreds of UFO documents

#144

Post by golergka »

incepted wrote: post #47
hyperpallium wrote: post #38

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Like carrots. The British promulgated the belief that carrots improve eyesight to explain the effective of their aircraft spotters, instead of radar.

As a matter of fact, I've never seen rabbits wearing glasses.

http://sussex4hnews.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/Monmouth-...

Re: CIA declassifies hundreds of UFO documents

#145

Post by sangnoir »

acqq wrote: post #34
josh2600 wrote: post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

RE: Abductions, it's entirely possible that those stories could be, instead, related to MK Ultra [0] rather than Air force testing. [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_MKUltra

Anybody who hasn't, do read to see how much they were ready to do. Abductions or just "anal probes" are nothing compared to their actions. Note the use of different drugs and the brain washing experiments after which some innocent people never recovered. E.g. "In Operation Midnight Climax, the CIA set up several brothels in San Francisco, California to obtain a selection of men who would be too embarrassed to talk ab…

> Note the use of different drugs and the brain washing experiments after which some innocent people never recovered.

One of the victims of MK ULTRA experiments was Harvard undergraduate student Theodore John Kaczynski (who later gained infamy as the Unabomber[1]). I can't help but to wonder if history would have turned out any different had MK ULTRA not existed

1. http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2000/06/harvard-...

Re: CIA declassifies hundreds of UFO documents

#146

Post by dkersten »

golergka wrote: post #143
xupybd wrote: post #100

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Wow what country still uses cheques? Most stores won't take them anymore, here in New Zealand.

Israel, for long-term monthly payments, mostly rent. Thanks to checks, I pay rent every month, but see my landlord once a year.

I pay monthly rent but see my landlord once a year too, but because of internet banking :)

Re: CIA declassifies hundreds of UFO documents

#147

Post by V-2 »

jimrandomh wrote: post #22

I'm surprised they're continuing the misdirection so many years later. "Unidentified flying object" means an aircraft, usually a military one (because civilian aircraft are easier to identify). A UFO over US soil would usually be a USAF plane, but the CIA ran (runs?) a reporting hotline because they might occasionally be foreign spy planes instead. But of course, the Soviets were very interested (or the US believed t…

I recall a thought-provoking article about how a lot of UFO "folklor" (abductions, cows etc.) was fabricated at some point by secret service agencies in order to distract the UFO crowd from actually observing the sky.

This is one of my favorite twists on conspiracy theories - that they themselves are often a product of conspiracies. Or that they get discreetly, erm what would be the right word, native speakers? Kinda "fed" (by controlled information leaks, for instance) if it serves some purpose.

Re: CIA declassifies hundreds of UFO documents

#148

Post by Shivetya »

davorb wrote: post #133
sanoli wrote: post #41

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There's probably a lot of this going. Comes to mind right now the way the Navy had about two seal teams in the beginning, and then decided to name the next one 'Team 6', to make it look like they had more. I've read about other examples, but can't remember right now.

The Soviets managed to fool the US government into believing that they had many more strategic bombers than they actually did, using the same tactics. > At the Soviet Aviation Day demonstrations at the Tushino Airfield, ten Bison bombers were flown past the reviewing stand, then flew out of sight, quickly turned around, and flew past the stands again with eight more, presenting the illusion that there were 28 aircraf…

sometimes attempting to fool or convince your own people you get the side benefit of doing the same to a foe

Re: CIA declassifies hundreds of UFO documents

#149

Post by Shivetya »

jimrandomh wrote: post #22

I'm surprised they're continuing the misdirection so many years later. "Unidentified flying object" means an aircraft, usually a military one (because civilian aircraft are easier to identify). A UFO over US soil would usually be a USAF plane, but the CIA ran (runs?) a reporting hotline because they might occasionally be foreign spy planes instead. But of course, the Soviets were very interested (or the US believed t…

Anecdotal examples of the management of information and personal for this and similar areas. While in the military we had a sergeant transfer in from that area. They were flown to and from the base on transports without windows. While there were a lot of on base persons apparently there were quite a few who rotated out weekly. Later in the 90s working for a rent a guard company we had a special group doing perimeter security. These guards could not so much as bounce a check, get a traffic ticket, or be charged with a crime, without risking their jobs. The idea was that you don't get leverage on people who work in areas where things can be seen. You also tend to have some of the most over the top patriotic types who take pride in keeping the trust

All that really circles back to the first part of my comment, the CIA and military had people dedicated to management of the story and the people involved. Legends and myths can be created, you just have to plan it out and act on the plan correctly

Re: CIA declassifies hundreds of UFO documents

#150

Post by jessaustin »

ocdtrekkie wrote: post #103
xupybd wrote: post #100

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Wow what country still uses cheques? Most stores won't take them anymore, here in New Zealand.

While no stores take checks here in the US either, it's far more common to use for settling personal debts. Also, many utility bills are most commonly paid by check here as well (for those who don't pay online), as people do not mail cash.

If you haven't been stuck in queue behind a check-writer recently, presumably someone else does your in-store shopping for you. Or maybe you only shop late at night, after the old ladies have gone to bed? That demographic just loves to write checks, and most USA stores accommodate that preference.
Post reply on HN