News Briefs 28-05-2012

Aw, looks like I'm not going to make the funding goal for my afterlife book project. Though at least the limited edition hardcover's going to be *very* limited now…so, more power to those who grabbed one!

• Men in Black sightings - do they still happen?
• Who needs the Men in Black anyhow, when you've got the Fermi Paradox on your side?
• Meet Hollywood's longtime friend: the CIA.
• Dr Peter Fenwick discusses dying, death, and the possibility of an afterlife.
• The latest Binnall of America podcast features Jason Offutt discussing all manner of creepy occurrences, from black-eyed kids to a haunted shopping mall.
• Plants are creepy - they shift around, hunt and eat their prey. They just do it all so slowly, we hardly ever notice.
• Prehistoric flutes uncovered in German cave are 42,000 years old.
• The butler dunnit! Pope's butler accused of leaking private Vatican documents.
• Neil Armstrong believed Apollo 11 only had a 50% chance of landing on the Moon safely. That's the definition of a brave man.
• Elon Musk on what's next for SpaceX.
• NASA asks future Moon visitors (ahem, you young SpaceX whippersnappers!) to respect its stuff. Aw, can't we at least go for a joyride in one of these?
• Do asteroid impacts spread life throughout the cosmos? I know they at least spread life across any planet they hit...
• Total Recall: the man who can remember every day of his life, in detail.
• Electricity from water?
• In a famous UFO case which appeared to involved some sort of military cover-up, would you believe a former military man's explanation?
• Animal Planet TV crew say they have captured audio that proves the existence of the Australian 'Yowie'. Big call…Australian wildlife can make some bizarre noises (you wouldn't believe the sounds a koala can make).
• Music: it's in your head, changing your brain.
• Sound increases the efficiency of the boiling process.
• Film-maker pretends to Indian guru for Borat-style documentary and develops a cult-like following. Maybe they just thought he was Kim Thayil…
• Octopuses offer a master-class in hiding. You ever worry that the ones we've noticed are actually the cephalopods that are crap at hiding? Maybe there's one on the wall behind you right now...

Thanks Rick and RPJ.

Quote of the Day:

I never ask a man what his business is, for it never interests me. What I ask him about are his thoughts and dreams.

H. P. Lovecraft