Groundspeak Portal

Seeking input and officers for a group/category that I'm interested in forming on the subject of UFOs and Extraterrestrials.

This would be a general interest type of category (Pirates, Elvis, etc.) where many different types of locations would be accepted including: Reputed UFO landing and crash sites, documented locations involving alien abductions and livestock mutilations, crop circles and geoglyphs, Roswell/Area 51, localized places documented in Project Blue Blook, SETI sites, current sighting areas where MUFON-type groups gather, public UFO landing pads, etc.

We would not accept entries about non-localized sighting (sighted above Houston, spotted while in-flight by an airline pilot, etc.)

I'm interested in input from believers, skeptics, and outright nuts (You don't have to declare which you are).   

 

 

I think you will have to come up with a different name for your category.  There is already a category   Extraterrestrial Locations, it has a different direction than your proposed category but I think your title of Extraterrestrials will be confusing.

I know that Google Earth can list Bigfoot sightings.  Where could we get information for UFO's?

Also, it would be interesting to be able to categorize different types of information such as: explained, unexplained, hoax, close encounter of the first, second or third kind.  I guess you could get bonus points for pictures of evidence from the UFO's.

Michael Shermer of Skeptic Magazine said in an interview that most sightings occur near military bases.  This category would be a good way to test this hypothesis.

I do like the idea of including SETI sights.  However, I don't think we should allow every computer running seti@home.

I think you will have to come up with a different name for your category.  There is already a category   Extraterrestrial Locations, it has a different direction than your proposed category but I think your title of Extraterrestrials will be confusing.

How about Alien Life Forms?  Ha!  I kill me!

Or from The X-Files, Extraterrestrial Biological Entities?

Seriously, though, I like the idea.

OmegaLimit:

Michael Shermer of Skeptic Magazine said in an interview that most sightings occur near military bases.  This category would be a good way to test this hypothesis.

Maybe a "closest Military Base" variable would make it easier to organize the data.

globetrotters.us:

OmegaLimit:

Michael Shermer of Skeptic Magazine said in an interview that most sightings occur near military bases.  This category would be a good way to test this hypothesis.

Maybe a "closest Military Base" variable would make it easier to organize the data.

That's a good idea, but it might take too much work to find which military base is closest.  I was thinking of downloading all of the waymarks as a KML file and then opening them in Google Earth.  If clusters appear, then we can see what is near the clusters.

I was just thinking of a way to put waymarking to use.  I am a skeptical person, but I do not like Skeptic Magazine.  One of the problems I have with Skeptic Magazine is that they try to debunk junk science with more junk science and the occasional ad homonym attack.  I would be happier if they attempted to explain and educate more.  Waymarking is a good resource for educating and explaining.  Here is a chance to do some original research at the same time.

By the way, the interview I was talking about was in the DVD extras of "The Day the Earth Stood Still."  I got the three disk version because it had the original movie with it.  I will have to watch it when I get home to make sure I got the statement correct.

I apologize if I hijacked this discussion.  I must have had more interest in it than I expected.

Coming from an IT, and Data Warehosuing background, I highly recommend optional text boxes for anything you might have the remotest interest in analysing by in the future.

Its much easier to give someone a liink to a phase of moon calendar and ask them to include the phase of the moon than to go back and add moon phase after you have been up and running for a long time.

Obviously, you won't know up front every factor that you wished to include, but the more thorough you were in planning up front, the more valuable your data would be.

SETI sites are interesting to me. 
 
As someone who lives near Rachel Nevada I find some of the other things at least entertaining.  :)

globetrotters.us:

Coming from an IT, and Data Warehousing background, I highly recommend optional text boxes for anything you might have the remotest interest in analyzing by in the future. Its much easier to give someone a link to a phase of moon calendar and ask them to include the phase of the moon than to go back and add moon phase after you have been up and running for a long time. Obviously, you won't know up front every factor that you wished to include, but the more thorough you were in planning up front, the more valuable your data would be.

I see your point. 

This may be a first in any internet forum, but I will change my mind on the matter.  I will have to start believing that the world is flat to balance my karma.  Go Buckeyes.  (Just kidding, my in-laws are die hard Michigan fans.  I don't like college football.)

nvtriker:

SETI sites are interesting to me. 
 
As someone who lives near Rachel Nevada I find some of the other things at least entertaining.  :)

I had to Google Rachel to remember where I heard it before.  I had it confused with Roswell at first.  I would say that you could be the first century poster if this category gets off the ground (no pun intended, for once).