…Namely, the remains of exploded planets in the solar system. So says rogue astronomer Tom Van Flandern and it seems like every new finding supports his theory, yet he still gets no respect from the establishment. Hm. Like these bits about how comets and asteroids are so similar in some cases that, well, Van Flandern’s assertion that they are the same thing seems like what you might call reasonable.

Object blurs line between comets and asteroids

Asteroids with comet-tails

Van Flandern’s idea is essentially that asteroids and comets are each rocky bodies with some water. Most asteroids have had their water burned away already since they hang out in (relatively) close orbits around the sun. Comets, whose orbits take them farther away for much of the time, haven’t burned off all their water yet. But they are otherwise essentially the same, and it is no surprise to see objects that blur the distinctions between them (unless you are a mainstream astronomer and think the exploded planet hypothesis is ‘wacky’, no matter how many predictions it racks up).

Fourth Annual Area 61 Convention Photos

Craig Lang of MN MUFON, who we invite to represent the Extraterrestrial Hypothesis:

Before we opened the doors: the UFO/Pyramid viewing area awaits

The Space Gamer area

The Keep Aways (we seem tohave no photos of Crew Jones or Hotel Coral Essex)

Nikki of the Keep Aways

Mindy of the Keep Aways

Cloud Cult

See y’all next year!

Fabulous writeup of the upcoming Saturday November 3rd Mr. Nice show.

I have turned the comments on since the spam has died down a bit. Let’s see how this goes…

Jim lectures on the 40th Birthday of the Patterson-Gimlin Bigfoot film (seen here in the Gonzo Science Action Suit).

The vendor area tables set up to spell out “UFO”.

UFO/Pyramid display used to project UFO movies

Convention Revelers

Mr. Nice made time during his busy campaign schedule to MC the bands.

The Keep Aways

Cloud Cult bringing down the mother ship

More convention photos here.

Heaven forfend. The allegation of fakery earns this post a ‘conspiracy’ tag.

Hoaxers:1, Mind Over Matter: 0

Sightings increasing in the Northland? (page no longer exists, sorry fans)

Comprehensive local blog report here.

Photo of one of Cloud Cult’s painters during their set, found on Flickr.

And this is from someone who drove by that night but didn’t stop in.

Black hole discovered that is waaaaay more massive than theory says it should be. Here’s why the theory got it wrong: it is based on Big Bang assumptions, but the Big Bang never happened - the universe has always been here. According to Tom Van Flandern, black holes don’t exist anyway - but supermassive objects waaaay more massive than the Big Bang theory says are possible, do exist. Van Flandern: 1, Big Bang: 0

Dr. David Kelly, the UK weapons expert found dead right before he was to testify about sexing up the case for war, apparently cut his wrist with a knife using only his telekinetic powers to wield the knife. UK Government: we’re not reopening the case. Hm.

[More on this -Priapos]

9 dead, 14 wounded. Paging Dr. Asimov. Gosh, who could have predicted that computerized weapons systems could develop fatal software glitches? What, as a society we are so comfortable with the reliability of computers that we give them control of artillery that keeps shooting and reloading until it plain runs out of ordinance, despite a heroic human attempt to turn it off? I don’t know about you but I had a toaster with a microchip in it once, and it was the worst toaster I ever had - it was practically an evil genius at burning toast. Sounds like the same situation with this robot gun. Note to engineers - computerized weapons systems need foolproof “OFF” buttons already.

(Link spotted on Perfect Duluth Day.)

As in, “this new find shows early humans thrived by the sea much earlier than previously believed.” Attention scientists: can we just start assuming that EVERYTHING happened much earlier than previously believed, since the frequency with which this phrase appears in science articles makes you all look like you cannot fairly judge when things happened. The answer is always much earlier than you believed, so - get out in front of it!

…Adding, this new find of a “surprisingly early” human habitat by the sea is Totally Predicted by the “Aquatic Ape” theory of Elaine Morgan et al. So, all you scientists who attacked and dismissed her theory can take it all back now right?

Latest info spreading through the web says: why yes he was.

…Meanwhile, in other “discoverer of DNA” news, James Watson’s lab suspends him for being a racist idiot.

Some days ya just gotta say WTF,man. Science recreates a perfectly good tree,except this one removes carbon from the air. Wait, the real tree’s do that too. Check it

http://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/16722257/2007_hot_issue/print

America’s greatest living cryptozoologist, Loren Coleman, mentions the Gonzo Science brothers in his analysis of “brother acts” in cryptozoology; we are mentioned in passing since we are not cryptozoologists but “weird science” writers (for lack of a better term). Here’s the link. Thank you Loren Coleman for the compliment:

Jim and Allen Richardson promote themselves as the “Gonzo Brothers”, and admittedly cryptids are only a small part of their focus. Still, they’ve taken the brother thing to a higher level of art.

The Gonzo Brothers are a good example of working together that often is not seen in the field.

The Blogsquatcher.

WTH? A “metallic object” falls from the sky? Probably a basketball-sized meteor according to one analysis I read. Apparently shook people’s homes with a sonic boom.