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Metal monolith found by helicopter crew in Utah desert

bbc.co.uk

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Re: Metal monolith found by helicopter crew in Utah desert

#61

Post by lultimouomo »

MrSourz wrote: post #41

A reddit user [1] found its location [2] and another figured out it was installed sometime during 2015-2016 based on when the satellite imagery changed. [1] https://www.reddit.com/r/videos/comments/k01dc3/mysterious_m... [2] https://goo.gl/maps/2xdrTqcnguX3ky8AA

This guy really is something:

> I looked at rock type (Sandstone), color (red and white - no black streaks like found on higher cliffs in Utah), shape (more rounded indicating a more exposed area and erosion), the texture of the canyon floor (flat rock vs sloped indicating higher up in a watershed with infrequent water), and the larger cliff/mesa in the upper background of one of the photos. I took all that and lined it up with the flight time and flight path of the helicopter - earlier in the morning taking off from Monticello, UT and flying almost directly north before going off radar (usually indicating it dropped below radar scan altitude. From there, I know I am looking for a south/east facing canyon with rounded red/white rock, most likely close to the base of a larger cliff/mesa, most likely closer to the top of a watershed, and with a suitable flat area for an AS350 helicopter to land. Took about 30 minutes of random checks around the Green River/Colorado River junction before finding similar terrain. From there it took another 15 minutes to find the exact canyon. Yes... I'm a freak.

https://old.reddit.com/r/geoguessr/comments/jzw628/help_me_f...

Re: Metal monolith found by helicopter crew in Utah desert

#62

Post by tssva »

jamestimmins wrote: post #28
ericmay wrote: post #16

Fun art installation, but it should be removed now that it's been found.

Why does it need to be removed? I understand not wanting to set a precedent, but I wish more organizations adopted a mindset that the original can stay, but no others are allowed. That leaves space for a little bit of whimsy.

What counts as an original in this context? Would another unauthorized art piece of a different type in the same protected land be an original? Would a metal monolith in a different park count as an original for that park? Would a unauthorized art piece of a different type in a different park be an original? What if one of these originals was 100' high?

If you allow the original but remove a 2nd and it is goverment land, are you opening yourself up to legal issues regarding the 1st amendment.

Re: Metal monolith found by helicopter crew in Utah desert

#63

Post by shiftpgdn »

thayne wrote: post #46
barbecue_sauce wrote: post #27

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Ignorance of the law is no excuse.

Probably everyone is a criminal, because no one knows what all of the laws are.

That's the point. The government can compel you as they please under threat of harsh criminal punishment. For example, did you know it's illegal to lie to an FBI agent? Think of how many things could easily be misconstrued as lies in a normal conversation. Introduce yourself to an FBI field agent as a "Jim" when your given name is actually "James"? You've just committed a crime punishable by up to a year in prison.

Re: Metal monolith found by helicopter crew in Utah desert

#64

Post by webmaven »

s_dev wrote: post #20

In Spore the video game you send down a monolith to upgrade a planet. I found this to be a very tasteful tidbit that paid homage to Kubrick.

> In Spore the video game you send down a monolith to upgrade a planet. I found this to be a very tasteful tidbit that paid homage to Kubrick.

There is a similar game mechanism in Will Wright's 1990 title SimEarth.

Re: Metal monolith found by helicopter crew in Utah desert

#65

Post by twic »

s_dev wrote: post #20

In Spore the video game you send down a monolith to upgrade a planet. I found this to be a very tasteful tidbit that paid homage to Kubrick.

That's also in SimEarth, from 1990. Given both games were designed by Will Wright, perhaps not a surprise!

Re: Metal monolith found by helicopter crew in Utah desert

#66

Post by Phenomenit »

MrSourz wrote: post #41

A reddit user [1] found its location [2] and another figured out it was installed sometime during 2015-2016 based on when the satellite imagery changed. [1] https://www.reddit.com/r/videos/comments/k01dc3/mysterious_m... [2] https://goo.gl/maps/2xdrTqcnguX3ky8AA

How someone found it:

"I looked at rock type (Sandstone), color (red and white - no black streaks like found on higher cliffs in Utah), shape (more rounded indicating a more exposed area and erosion), the texture of the canyon floor (flat rock vs sloped indicating higher up in a watershed with infrequent water), and the larger cliff/mesa in the upper background of one of the photos. I took all that and lined it up with the flight time and flight path of the helicopter - earlier in the morning taking off from Monticello, UT and flying almost directly north before going off radar (usually indicating it dropped below radar scan altitude. From there, I know I am looking for a south/east facing canyon with rounded red/white rock, most likely close to the base of a larger cliff/mesa, most likely closer to the top of a watershed, and with a suitable flat area for an AS350 helicopter to land. Took about 30 minutes of random checks around the Green River/Colorado River junction before finding similar terrain. From there it took another 15 minutes to find the exact canyon. Yes... I'm a freak."

u/Bear__Fucker

Re: Metal monolith found by helicopter crew in Utah desert

#68

Post by kitd »

bencollier49 wrote: post #35
Grustaf wrote: post #2

Monoliths are supposed to be made of stone, hence the name...

So lith, from Greek lithos, stone. Problem is there's no straight equivalent for a metal bar - perhaps rávdos/rabdos, meaning ingot/rod. So, "Monorabd"?

"Sideros" (roughly) is iron in Greek.

Monosider?

Re: Metal monolith found by helicopter crew in Utah desert

#69

Post by leetcrew »

bencollier49 wrote: post #35
Grustaf wrote: post #2

Monoliths are supposed to be made of stone, hence the name...

So lith, from Greek lithos, stone. Problem is there's no straight equivalent for a metal bar - perhaps rávdos/rabdos, meaning ingot/rod. So, "Monorabd"?

métallon is probably the most analogous word to líthos. unfortunately "monometal" just sounds kinda dumb.

Re: Metal monolith found by helicopter crew in Utah desert

#70

Post by chooseaname »

thayne wrote: post #46
barbecue_sauce wrote: post #27

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Ignorance of the law is no excuse.

Probably everyone is a criminal, because no one knows what all of the laws are.

That and there are laws that never go away, like not spitting on the sidewalk or not chewing gum on a Sunday.
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