Incorrigible1 Posted October 5, 2013 Posted October 5, 2013 I wouldn't call Ketchum. Heh! Are you kidding? Drew's suggestion might be fine, and I'd certainly have Dr Meldrum on the line, immediately.
Guest DWA Posted October 5, 2013 Posted October 5, 2013 I hope you didn't think I meant call Ketchum. Good grief. I have spared myself the lesson in misreading genetics for a reason.
Guest zenmonkey Posted October 7, 2013 Posted October 7, 2013 I have to say I met a couple members of the NAWAC tis weekend they were very polite and put up with all of my questions. I felt almost star struck when meeting them because im such a fan of the work. keep up the good fight guys and thank you for all that you do!
Painthorse Posted October 7, 2013 Posted October 7, 2013 Bipto, ditto what the Zen said^. It was an unexpected pleasure to have them there.
Gotta Know Posted October 7, 2013 Posted October 7, 2013 (edited) Agree with just about everything you said there, Mr. Flashman. Hey Bipto, I call out this quote only to get your attention in the thread. I finally listened to episode 54 yesterday, and I was simply blown away. Serious question: do your team members wear protective head gear or body armor while inside the Overwatch tent? And to that end, how do you assess that rock that came whistling in at a horizontal angle? Was it to merely intimidate, or to injure? It was unclear if it pierced the plastic walls, but I assumed it did. If so, it seems it could easily have seriously hurt or killed someone. Further, do you think that the creatures can distinguish between a hard roof like at the cabin, and the soft roof of the tent or tents? They are known to throw large rocks at the cabin, and it was said that there was a large rock found when the tent was destroyed. Do you think they were trying to destroy that tent with the big rock, or just hoping for a big attention getting "bang" like they'd have gotten with the cabin? Big difference in intent, obviously. You guys are brave as all heck regardless, but that tent seems extra dangerous. Perhaps a semi-permanent hard top should be put in place? Not sure what to do about horizontally thrown rocks... While I am in question mode, what happens after a specimen is taken? Do you anticipate animosity to escalate should they understand you made one of their friends disappear, or with food gifts etc. do you hope to quiet things down and be good neighbors forever more? Yours is a facinating (and necessary) endeavor and I applaud you. Hard roofs are your friend. Edited October 7, 2013 by Gotta Know
Guest Posted October 7, 2013 Posted October 7, 2013 (edited) Bipto, ditto what the Zen said^. It was an unexpected pleasure to have them there. That's great to hear. Contrary to some popular assumptions, we're actually a bunch of pretty nice guys! Serious question: do your team members wear protective head gear or body armor while inside the Overwatch tent? Some of us wear helmets when out and about and others wear other types of protective gear (elbow and knee protectors) since it's not hard to twist an ankle and fall in the creek. Other than that, no, while on Overwatch, I don't think anyone wears anything special. It's not unlike a baseball game in there: hours of routine tedium punctuated by moments of intense action. And to that end, how do you assess that rock that came whistling in at a horizontal angle? Was it to merely intimidate, or to injure? It was unclear if it pierced the plastic walls, but I assumed it did. If so, it seems it could easily have seriously hurt or killed someone. It's a debate we continue to have amongst ourselves. The long-distance throws we experienced this year are something new. The rocks seemed to be hefty — certainly hefty enough to hurt someone if they got in the way of them. When the OW tent was found destroyed, one of the large rocks had punctured it, but prior to that, none had hit it in such a way as to do so. I think most of the rocks that are thrown are not done so to hurt us. Intimidate? Play? My assumption is that they, like other primates, all have different personalities and objectives (some possibly based on their position within their social structure). They don't all act the same all the time. Therefore, I think it's possible (even likely) that some of them throw rocks to play and some throw them to intimidate. Some might even throw them to cause injury. Whatever the case, it's important to reiterate that there have been just a few instances when their behavior could be easily interpreted as hostile. I think the vast majority of the time, they're not interested in direct conflict. They're drawn to us due to their insatiable curiosity, not, IMO, because they feel great hostility towards us. Further, do you think that the creatures can distinguish between a hard roof like at the cabin, and the soft roof of the tent or tents? They are known to throw large rocks at the cabin, and it was said that there was a large rock found when the tent was destroyed. Do you think they were trying to destroy that tent with the big rock, or just hoping for a big attention getting "bang" like they'd have gotten with the cabin? Big difference in intent, obviously. Yeah, that's a great question. I think it's entirely possible that the first thing that happened was the big rock went through the wall instead of making a big sound. That could have led to further investigation on their part resulting in the crushing of the tent, not in a violent way, but in a sort of quizzical experimental way. Again, this kind assignment of intent is tricky stuff. Two people can see the same thing and come to opposite conclusions. It's interesting to me that the two temporary structures we believe they destroyed weren't tampered with until we'd been gone for more than a week each time. That suggests two other personality traits of the apes: extreme patience and caution. ...that tent seems extra dangerous. Perhaps a semi-permanent hard top should be put in place? Not sure what to do about horizontally thrown rocks... We're working on a different structure for next year. We'll see how it develops. While I am in question mode, what happens after a specimen is taken? Do you anticipate animosity to escalate should they understand you made one of their friends disappear, or with food gifts etc. do you hope to quiet things down and be good neighbors forever more? Most of us think nothing will happen, but of course, there's no way to tell. I expect we'll let the place sit undisturbed immediately afterward and let them sort of settle back into a normal life before re-entering the area. We hope they'll still be there afterward, but we can't say for certain they will, obviously. Nothing we've done thus far has caused them to retreat. Edited October 7, 2013 by bipto
Gotta Know Posted October 7, 2013 Posted October 7, 2013 ^^I really appreciate you taking the time for such thoughtful answers. I'm sharing "54" with any friend on the fence willing to keep an open mind about BF's existence. Considering that you could be doing all this in secret and then just notifying the world when you have a specimen, it's very cool you're letting us in on the process. How this is not a movie yet I do not know. Thanks again. GK
Guest Posted October 8, 2013 Posted October 8, 2013 Saw this in a old book and thought about this thread.
Guest Posted October 8, 2013 Posted October 8, 2013 We've often discussed some of the similarities between what we've experienced and what Fred Beck related.
Cotter Posted October 8, 2013 Posted October 8, 2013 ^On an aside, do you feel that the Fred Beck account is legitimate?
Guest Posted October 8, 2013 Posted October 8, 2013 There are lot's of truthy elements to it, but all his talk about being psychic kinda freaks me out. He specifically mentions behavior we've experienced (i.e., thumping sounds, loud and heavy bangs against walls, rock throwing), though, to me, it seems odd that the apes were that aggressive based on what he described and what we've experienced. Sounds to me like he didn't tell all the events that led to the aggression, but who knows. Different animals are going to act differently.
southernyahoo Posted October 8, 2013 Posted October 8, 2013 That makes me wonder what Beck was experiencing that led him to think they were psychic. Perhaps it was that they would vanish when they went outside, as if they knew what your next move was going to be. It certainly wasn't that they could dodge camera traps and avoid nightvision video cameras.
MIB Posted October 8, 2013 Moderator Posted October 8, 2013 Consider the times. Cultural interest in occult / psychic stuff was pervasive. He may well have been predisposed to assume anything odd had such a connection. If I remember right, he was kinda "out there" and not just regarding bigfoot. The transcripts of interviews with him lead me to think he might not be too stable. That's not to say I don't believe anything he said, but I think a person needs some discernment, some "wait a minute", rather than jumping off the deep end first, then checking for water second. MIB
Guest Posted October 8, 2013 Posted October 8, 2013 That makes me wonder what Beck was experiencing that led him to think they were psychic. He thought *he* was psychic. Seems a low bar to let other people and animals have the same "power" you think you have.
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