2013 – Page 7 – Museum of the Weird

Posted on April 24, 2013 by MOTW Admin

GIANT UFO HEADING TOWARD OUR SUN

Today the NASA/SOHO ipad app reported the sighting of an unusually large, triangular object heading for our sun. The images posted by UFO Sightings Daily are remarkable to behold and beg the question: Just what exactly is traveling towards the center of our solar system?

Scott C. Warring, the gentleman who posted the news about the UFO stated, “I was looking at the still photos of the sun on the official NASA/SOHO app and noticed a triangle UFO of massive proportions that was far from the sun but heading towards its center at 12:42 (photo below in blue). Then the this same triangle UFO was caught in a SOHO photo at 12:48 that same day, but this time it was even closer to the sun which is in the photo above. Look at the massive amount of space this UFO has crossed in just 6 minutes. No planet, asteroid or meteor could do that!”

Take a look at these images and tell us what you think in the comments below…

Posted on April 23, 2013 by MOTW Admin

GERMANS ENGINEER ALGAE-POWERED HOUSE

German engineering firm Arup is taking “green building” to an exciting new level. At the recent International Building Exhibition the firm revealed their latest innovation, installed in the BIQ building, which utilizes the energy generated by the growth and decomposition of algae to power an entire house through a process called “adaptive shading.” The “algae house” was designed in collaboration with Austrian design firm Splitterwerk Architects and German consultancy SSC Strategic Science Consult,

During “adaptive shading” the algae are fed a constant stream of liquid nutrients and carbon dioxide through a water circuit running through the exterior of the building. When they reach maturity and are ready to be harvested the algae are then transferred to a “technical room” inside the building and fermented in a biogas plant. The heat absorbed by the exterior of the building is used to warm the hot water tank, which encourages the algae’s growth. Increased algae growth also provides additional shade for the building’s occupants during sunny weather.

“To use bio-chemical processes for adaptive shading is a really innovative and sustainable solution, so it is great to see it being tested in a real-life scenario,” said Jan Wurm, a research leader at Arup, in an interview with DeZeen.com.

“As well as generating renewable energy and providing shade to keep the inside of the building cooler on sunny days, it also creates a visually interesting look that architects and building owners will like,” he added.

HafenCity and the International Building Exhibition, the two major urban development projects featured as topics of the IBA conference in Hamburg, address issues facing modern European cities. These concerns include the questions: how can metropolises embrace progress and growth in a specifically European manner, preserving their traditions, developing new qualities and yet responding appropriately to future social needs and community requirements?

Until this year, algae-powered buildings have been merely concepts, such as the modular algae pod-covered building and the biofuel-powered skyscraper in London. The Arup design is a remarkable leap forward towards the realization of a self-sustainable building that harnesses and utilizes the inherent power of nature.

The International Building Exhibition will remain on display until November 3, 2013 in Hamburg, Germany.

**Photo by DeeZeen.com

Posted on April 22, 2013 by MOTW Admin

NEW CHUPACABRA SIGHTINGS IN GUAYAMA

On Wednesday, April 17th, the Institute of Hispanic Ufology (IHU) posted an article on their blog about a recent chupacabra sighting in Guayama, Puerto Rico. The post details an account reported by José Pérez, a field researcher with a “wide range of unpublished experiences in Puerto Rican ufology”, regarding one Mr. Rey D. Rodríguez and his encounter with the enigmatic creature known as the “chupacabra.”

In early April Rodríguez, also known as “Chaka”, was in the process of herding cattle toward his barn when he spied something otherworldly lurking in the dark. The night was clear and illuminated by a full moon, giving him a keen view of the landscape around their pickup truck as he and his nephew drove after the cattle. They were also equipped with a high-powered LED flashlight used to identify cattle from a distance. As they neared a field known as the Medianía sector, used primarily for rounding up the livestock in a game of “gotcha”, they spied what appeared to be eyes reflecting red in the beams of their headlights across the property. Assuming what they had seen had been one of Chaka’s cows, they drove across the clearing, but found nothing.

Turning the truck around to return to the rest of the herd, they spied the glowing red eyes again as something darted through the underbrush. According to the report, Chaka yelled, “Stop right there! Look at that!”

Just beyond a small mound of dirt, they spied “a short-statured man who appeared to be crouching” with glowing eyes and quills along its head and back. Chaka demanded that his nephew give him his machete and gave chase to the creature, which fled into darkness beyond the undergrowth. Chaka and his nephew continued to pursue the creature as it ran parallel to a barbed wire fence. The chupacabra leapt over the fence and disappeared into the night.

Chaka and his nephew did not see the creature again after that. However, a week later, two mares and two calves were slaughtered by an unidentified “animal.” So far, no concrete evidence has been gathered from either the Medianía sighting or the slain livestock. The search for the illusive chupacabra continues…

**Illustration by Clee Barker

Posted on April 21, 2013 by MOTW Admin

AMAZING WASHINGTON UFO SIGHTING

A spectacular piece of photographic UFO evidence was spotted this week on the MUFON Reporting Database by Scott McMan, a contributor for the website Ghost Theory.

According to the report, submitted by an anonymous source, the person was in Swift Forest Camp, located in Swift Lake Reservoir, Skamania County in Washington State on July 25, 2011. At 8:45pm the person was sitting beside the lake watching the sun set. They went to retrieve their camera in order to capture the view. Upon reviewing the photos they noticed a bright white light in the upper center of the frame. Using a graphics program to enlarge and enhance the images’ clarity they discovered that the object was rectangular in form. The person claims that the shape was not visible through the viewfinder or to the naked eye and only noticed it upon reviewing the film. The UFO appears to be moving upwards due to its position and relation to the mountain range. In the three photos below, the object also appears to be moving toward the viewer.

Scott McMan is a diligent debunker of falsified sightings and has stated, “I have mandated myself to do as much media analysis as possible prior to posting on anything from MUFON. That’s not to say I didn’t do my due diligence before, but in past years my access to certain tools was limited. Of course I can’t catch everything, but at least I can eliminate examples, which are suspect.”

McMan took it upon himself to run the submitted photos on MUFON through a variety of error correction programs and has made the final analysis that the images are 100% genuine and have not been altered in any way, shape, or form. The evidence is fascinating to behold.

Do you have a follow-up to this sighting? We would love to hear about it! Leave a comment below.

Posted on April 20, 2013 by MOTW Admin

EASTER ISLAND — THE MYSTERY OF MOAI

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=946w7SBqDmc&version=3&hl=en_US]

Posted on April 19, 2013 by MOTW Admin

GIANT SNAIL INVASION

This is the type of story the best B-horror films are made of! Move over “Night of the Lupine!” It’s time for the Giant African Land Snail to slime… I mean shine!

Florida is under siege from an invasion of Giant African Land Snails. These gargantuan mollusks that can grow to the size of a large rabbit, are reported to be able to mow through everything from the hardiest form of vegetation to the siding on your house! Their epic, if slow, path of slimy destruction has thrown Florida officials into panic as they scurry to contain the epidemic.

When one pictures a creature with the capability to cause mass panic, the snail is not necessarily the first to come to mind. As you can see in the picture below, they are not exactly the image of environmental catastrophe. Or… are they?

Someone might want to tell all of the people on the internet holding these creatures without gloves like pets that they also carry a human parasite called rat lungworm, which is a form of meningitis and potentially deadly. Suddenly, the Giant African Land Snail is slightly more menacing than I had originally pictured. The snails have also been sited as the cause of car crashes as shards from their shells can puncture tires. Steer clear of the mighty Land Snail, literally.

These snails can also reproduce quickly, producing up to 1,200 eggs per year. The young snails reach full maturity in a year’s time and have a lifespan up to nine years. Each week over 1,000 snails are caught and removed from the Miami-Dade county area, and since first discovered in 2011 over 117,000 snails have been successfully terminated.

One theory held by experts on how the mollusks came to live in the United States is that they “hitched a ride” on overseas luggage, bidding bon voyage to Africa. The search is on in Florida to contain this epidemic before the snails migrate to other states. Countries such as Ecuador and Barbados have now run out of ways to contain their own infestations. The Giant African Land Snail continues to slowly terrorize the planet.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XuHaHmKYylU&hl=en_US&version=3]

Posted on April 18, 2013 by MOTW Admin

MILLION DOLLAR BIGFOOT

We could all use a million dollars. However, if you’re looking to retire anytime soon, you might want to stick to your state lottery for better chances of winning such a jackpot. For dedicated Bigfoot hunters, though, keep hunting! Unless someone offers you a higher bid, you can rely on Olympia Beer and Pabst Brewing Company to pay you $25,000 a year for forty years for either a captured live Bigfoot or “irrefutable proof that the creature exists.”

“We have been sharing the same backyard for over a century and we believe it’s time to do what has never been done, and that is to offer a one million dollar reward to anyone who can ensure the safe capture of Bigfoot,” Evan and Daren Metropoulos stated in an official press release from the company. They continue, “When we say safe capture that means Bigfoot has to be alive and breathing folks, with no wounds.”

You heard it, folks. Bigfoot has to be alive and ready for his close-up when the exchange happens!

According to the official rules of the contest, “Evidence may include, but is not limited to DNA Evidence. DNA Evidence may include hair, blood, tissue or saliva that proves the DNA sequence of the donor shows that said donor resides in the primate evolutionary family tree, among other apes or hominids, but does not have the same genetic markers and DNA sequence as any known species.”

For more information visit http://olympiabigfoot.com/. Be the first to submit a photo or video to their site!

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4gl3H_KGC_8&version=3&hl=en_US]

Posted on April 16, 2013 by MOTW Admin

STRANGE “ALIEN” SHOT BY HUNTERS IN NAMIBIA

Undocumented new species are discovered all of the time here on Earth, but occasionally, people automatically assume the bizarre is actually “alien.” That said, the lone photo that has been circulating on the web since August of 2012 of the creature shot and killed in a Namibian forest is creepy, to say the least. If the image, and the story are real, the figure is strikingly humanoid, with muppet-esque features, skin covered tentacles on its head, and what appears to be a case of “Patau Syndrome”, otherwise known as “Cyclops Syndrome.”

According to reports, the creature, which was to undergo a full forensic investigation by Namibian authorities after its capture, was spotted by locals as they were escorting a hunting party through the jungle. The “alien” was foraging for food, but when spotted, turned and fled. The hunting party and their escorts took chase and followed the creature back to its lair where it turned on them and attacked in an attempt to defend itself. The creature was shot and killed, but not before the hunting party spied three additional “animals” fleeing into the undergrowth.

Of course “theories” about the creature’s origin flooded weird-news websites quickly following, including a possible relationship to a Mayan god legend. The most reasonable explanation presented so far has been that of genetic deformities unfortunately caused by incessant, long-term inbreeding. Think back to Season 4, Episode 2 of The X-Files, entitled “Home.” The consequences of close inbreeding over the span of several generations can result in severe birth defects and other grotesque anomalies. Another theory is that it is a new species of pigmy, which has, until now, avoided our detection.

Nearly a year later we are still waiting for the results from the forensic autopsy done on this creature, leaving us to believe it was all simply a hoax. However, nothing online has turned up concrete evidence of fact or fiction. Perhaps one day we will know the truth? In the meantime, be careful on those hunting parties when you’re trekking through the jungle…

Posted on April 15, 2013 by MOTW Admin

CREATORS OF THE “BIGDOG” ROBOT UNVEIL THE “PETMAN”

Boston Dynamic’s cute little puppy robot we came to have a strange affection for evolved into the rather menacing, futuristic war beast known as the “BigDog.” Now, in 2013, they have taken their science to a thrilling new level with the newly introduced fully assembled anthropomorphic robot entitled “PetMan.” Now, complete with a head and clothing, the robot has been filmed walking, sitting, jumping, and turning its torso in the video below. In one instance it even holds up both hands in an “I surrender!” motion. Its walk still resembles that of an early C3PO, but the advancements are impressive lending to the consideration that truly humanoid androids in our workforce, homes, and military may not be too far in the future.

“PetMan” was not developed to exist outside the lab, however. The purpose of this particular robot is to test hazardous material suits or flak jackets that may be sprayed with a vast array of toxic agents—basically anything a lab assistant with common sense would refuse to sign up for.

Its capacity for a wide range of motion is not the least of the robot’s impressive evolutionary traits. BD has equipped “PetMan” with the ability to mimic actual sweat and heat to evaluate the body temperature of the person within the suit itself. Equipped with temperature, humidity, and chemical sensors, “PetMan” can determine the safety level and give an accurate determination of whether a person would expire or become dangerously incapacitated by the conditions within the suit.

We can thank the Defense Department’s Chemical and Biological Defense program for funding this particular Boston Dynamic project. The DDCBD is also assisting Boston Dynamic with capital for the development of the “Atlas” robot, which is designed to navigate terrain. We can expect to see a video of this new robot on YouTube later this year.

The latest footage of the new “PetMan” robot in action!

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tFrjrgBV8K0&version=3&hl=en_US]

Check out this spooky footage of DARPA’s previous creation, the “BigDog”.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TA4ARPs0R-E&version=3&hl=en_US]

**Photos & Illustrations by Boston Dynamics http://www.bostondynamics.com/robot_petman.html

Posted on April 14, 2013 by MOTW Admin

NESSIE TURNS 80

Today the Loch Ness Monster turned eighty years-old. At least, that is her “modern monster” age, as I like to say. It has been exactly eighty years, to the day, since Aldie Mackay had her first sighting of the legendary aquatic Scottish beast. In 1933 the hotel manager witnessed what she described as a “whale-like fish.” Since that time the creature of the murky Highland depths has become one of the most iconic cryptids in the world, drawing thousands of tourists and creature hunters from around the world each year. We at the Museum of the Weird would like to say Happy Birthday to Nessie! Keep your head high and your body submerged and always remember we love you.

**Photo by Invergarry Lodge http://www.invergarrylodge.co.uk/site/2012/cakes-ahoy/