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There is a difference between a theory that has been tested by years of careful experiment and idle speculation (I know, because as people who've waded through my ramblings can attest I indulge in a lot of idle speculation). And the nature of science is such that while some theories are proven...

Welcome. PS. Go easy though on the LOLs, all that excitement can't be good for your health. Mind you, my perceptions may be skewed by the fact that I come from a country where the exclamation mark is only retained for backward compatibility (in case anyone's ever wondered about Flight of the...

For a different perspective, here's Nick Redfern's take: http://ufocon.blogspot.com/2009/05/roswell-and-nitinol-memory-metal.html (It's only more hearsay, but interesting)

But they would themselves have a history, which we should be able to see. On interbreeding: since we don't live in the Star Trek universe - if it can interbreed with us, it is us. Still, there are legends. A question that keeps nagging at me about the whole cryptoterrestrial hypothesis: If...

http://gizmodo.com/5271710/how-do-you-avoid-hitting-stars-at-warp-5-a-pulsar-positioning-system That's a seriously nifty idea. It also suggests (if only as a potential Science Fiction plot element) a question which I'm sure you can all think of by your little selves :)

Showing too much enthusiasm to those new to the subject would just confirm the stereotype of the wild-eyed zealot in their eyes. You played it exactly right.

Oh dear God. I have occasionally felt proud to be human. On more occasions I have unfortunately felt ashamed. But these people just leave me with an overwhelming, crushing sense of embarrassment for my species. Such complete and utter dickheads.

For very concrete evidence of things left behind on the Moon: http://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/SEhelp/ApolloLaser.html (Yes some people deny the reality of the reflectors as well. The technical term for these people is "idiots"). This is one of the more ridiculous conspiracy theories (and sad -...

While this is obviously a crucial development if it pans out, I'm concerned at some of the leaps of logic that are being asked of us. To quote: "No references have ever been located to something that must surely exist- Battelle's "First Progress Report" on the memory metal. While the Second...

Pictorial/ideographic writing systems take much longer to learn, because of the number of symbols to be acquired. They are also less flexible: with an alphabetic system (especially one in which, unlike Modern English, there is a close match between sound and symbol) a word which has never...

Many people like to imagine that the world is governed by a shadowy and sinister conspiracy of immensely powerful individuals, usually in league with whichever religious and/or ethnic group they enjoy hating. They will then blame this all-powerful conspiracy for their own sense of having no...

Good Lord! Couldn't've seen that coming :)

I agree with everybody so far about this (doesn't happen often, but there you go)....I also think that the brain (or the brain + whatever else is required) seemlessly integrates information from multiple sources - it doesn't care whether the source is the known senses, subsconscious observation...

I don't think he's by any means a "wicked little monkey": that's a childish oversimplification. To judge a person's character and intentions you have to look at the overall pattern of behaviour. In Obama's case I am inclined to trust his intentions to the extent that I would with any politician...

If there's a public API or REST interface that can be used I'll do one for Windows Mobile (we might as well cover all bases...). Maybe a desktop applet as well.

The weight of evidence however does seem to point to a separate species, and likely one that diverged earlier than previously thought. I think most of the opposition is coming from the rump of the largely discredited Multiregionalist faction. My quibble is with the use of the term "Hobbit"...

Schuyler said pretty much everything I was going to say. I'd just add that even when speaking of fossils that are suspected of lying on the path between ourselves and the last common ancestor of humans and modern apes, the categorisation of one as the latest (perhaps the closest to the idea of...

David: Thank you oh so very much for planting in my mind the horrific image of Strieber kissing Paola Harris' behind. I may never eat again.

On the subject of people not being able to see ships: http://www.forteantimes.com/strangedays/science/20/questioning_perceptual_blindness.html Still, the analogy isn't that good anyway: in the majority of cases people in the New World had no trouble grasping that their visitors were men like...

Most recently I heard they were going to have a go at reverse-engineering a sort-of-dinosaur from chickens, which are also apparently suitable for some reason. I think the term used was "chickensaurus", probably to someone's eternal regret :) That's probably the best chance of getting something...