An investigation of the Pentagon's UFO program

>why do you believe anything humans are capable of building can do what these objects are reported as doing?

I believe they exist because of the videos and statements. I believe they're man made for the reason I stated above.

>What's your guess on how the boys filled that gap?

That's a lot harder to answer. The short version is, I have no clue. We could speculate forever. We do know that stealth technology existed for years before the public was informed, as one example of many. And we know that agencies like DARPA and programs like Skunk Works exist and are extremely well funded specifically to develop new technologies for military use. I submit that we do not know about every technology these sorts of entities have created. How far those technologies go? Man, I'd really love to know! I'm hopeful these videos are a glimpse of that.

> Mention of Skinwalker Ranch in Utah as a “possible laboratory for studying other intelligences and possible interdimensional phenomena.”

Using the word "interdimensional", rather than something more precise, smells like bullshit. Specifically, it sounds more like pop scifi than actual science. A "dimension" is an axis, not a universe, and I expect someone writing a serious document for the government about anything, much less ETI, to use the word correctly.Then again, I've been disappointed before. Anyway, I'm holding open the possibility that the whole BAASS thing is the biggest, most embarrassing contracting boondoggle of all time.

In my mind, Skinwalker Ranch is one of the most clear events that should raise questions about Bigelow's credibility. NIDSci very prominently purchased the ranch and initiated a research project there which they even invited some reporters to observe. Absolutely nothing came out of it besides a couple of books which provided essentially nothing other than recapping myths related to the site which are, themselves, of dubious origin (e.g. may have been fabricated much later than their supposed origin). See, e.g., Kelleher and Knapp's book.

Note that both Kelleher and Knapp are referenced by TFA - Bigelow is perhaps the central body orbited by a dozen or so paranormal enthusiasts repeatedly involved in various schemes. Take down a list of the researchers associated with AATIP/BAASS and you will see their names come up over and over for the last twenty years of paranormal phenomena - frequently associated with high-profile research projects that quietly die with no results.

After years of work at Skinwalker, NIDSci quietly closed up shop with nothing to show for the effort and, espeically in later years, very little apparent activity besides hiring a guard to keep everyone else out of the site.

So obviously this is an opinionated answer, but I would say that there is nothing about Skinwalker Ranch besides some strange stories coming from the Gormans (previous owners of the ranch) and then a tremendous amount of confirmation bias and intrigue, most of which was only even possible because NIDSci was so incredibly shady and non-transparent about their work there despite inviting people to write books.

To answer your question more directly, there is not necessarily any connection between Skinwalker Ranch and UFOs except to the extent that the greater community (and to some extent Bigelow and his friends) have drawn tenuous connections between Skinwalker Ranch and essentially every other paranormal phenomena ever proposed. For example, on of the phenomena said to surround Skinwalker Ranch is a rumbling or deep sound from the earth, which some suggest is evidence of ongoing construction work on a deep underground military base (DUMB). DUMBs are generally associated with interaction with alien races or work on extraterrestrial technology, mostly due to Bob Lazar.

>It only means they are in the best position to make the claim.

That's a good point I hadn't considered.

I intend this less as a criticism of the material and more as a criticism of Popular Mechanics. I do have plenty of criticism of the material but it's a little more substantial than an apparent lack of copy editing.

The introduction of the article really plays up its significance and this is clearly intended to be a big feature piece for PopMech. But it introduces very little new material to people who follow this issue and, as I was mentioning, doesn't even seem to have been carefully prepared for publication.