eb and Blake hoist the Jolly Roger and set sail to the Caribbean to look for unsuspecting rich tourists in fancy 1970s yachts.   A lot of this episode is based on the writing of Carl Hiaasen - his newspaper work, not his many successful novels.  We see Carl here (RIGHT) with beer-drinking FLORIDA MAN (LEFT). This episode deals, primarily, with a few key missing boat cases: The Saba Bank  (also, see the attached PDFs for contemporary coverage of missing ships in this episode) The Pirate Lady (found in 1990s)  - this was being searched for by the colorful owner Charlie Slater.  The Como No  Fiction/Pop-Culture Mentioned: The Island Licence to Kill The Deep Hitchhiking as Moral Panic Some more images from the episode: Remember folks, when doing a reenactment NEVER GO FULL GILLIGAN!  Our reenactment Villain for this episode takes the "Pirate" thing pretty seriously. You can tell from his shirt. His cartoonish villainy reminds me of the "Red Ryder" home-defense sequence from A Christmas Story.  The "Map Scrolling" equipment the Coast Guard was using as an animated GIF: And finally... our Nimoy Fashion Alert! I'm on a boat! (See this NSFW boat documentary)

In Research Of

S03E10 - Bermuda Triangle Pirates

I recently appeared on a podcast called The Plastic Plesiosaur Podcast.  They asked me for a copy of the theme to this show and I realized I never made that available?  So... here it is! The music is by Greig Johnson and the singing is by Rachel Lackey. The lyrics are by me, Blake Smith.  And in case you have trouble following them for your sing-alongs, here they are: "In Research of" We talk and have some fun They shared ideas But not the only ones We share the facts That the show sometimes lacked "I-R-O" "In Research of!"

Theme Music

Jeb and Blake continue their coverage of the influential film Raiders of the Lost Ark. Part two of this session is exclusive to our wonderful Patrons.   Full show notes includes additional images and material with background on the science and nonsense behind this movie. Quftis: "men from the Upper Egyptian town of Qift who were trained and became skilled excavators and foremen who went on to work for other foreign missions in Egypt, as well as in Palestine" From OxfordHandbook article on Egyptian Archaeology and the Museum. Building the Ark today: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zGcdE5RllG0+ https://youtu.be/enbdsdKfhFo?t=2611 - featuring "scientist" John Hutchison of Canada. (Creator of "The Hutchison Effect" fiasco…) Archaeoastronomy - how the sky is tied to ancient sites (Map Room) The art of the Ark: https://www.thepropgallery.com/raiders-of-the-lost-ark-ralph-mcquarrie-the-power-of-god Jacques James Tissot's ark of the covenant Errors Removed in Digital Versions? According to this site the Cobra reflection was removed - which matches Jeb's recollection.  But after famously negative responses to guns being replaced with mobile phones in digital releases of E.T., Spielberg claimed he wasn't going to be tinkering with his films.  Well… people certainly change their minds. Movies knocked off from Raiders: https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/la-et-indy-ripoffs-2008-pg-photogallery.html Video Games based on Indy: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=93ojbvhbqOI The idea that the Templars worshipped the mummified head of Jesus?  Source: The Head of Godby Keith Laidler. The Dorade Box (Indy's hiding locale on freighter) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dorade_box Kiss Me Deadly (McGuffin style copied in Pulp Fiction)

S3 Bonus - Raiders of the Lost Ark - Part 2

Jeb and Blake tackle the Ooky world of Monster Hunters.     Nimoy in the forest shadows...   Peter Burns and Tim Dinsdale - two legendary monster hunters meet. Monsters in the intro to this episode are from the TV film Manbeast! Myth or Monster   For reasons I can't explain, some of the images in this episode reminded me of 1970s album covers...   Arch Buckley 2007 Obituary  Warren Thompson 2013 Obituary  Al Berry 2013 Reminiscence   Ron Moorhead (Sierra Sounds)   We have more material on Doc Shiels but that will be a different post for Patrons.  Scientific American discussion on Bigfoot Language (by MonsterTalk co-host Dr. Karen Stollznow) Some supportive analysis of the Sierra Sounds recordings that we discuss in the episode.   Another paper from Dr. Kirlin  Ook Ook in Sierra Sound paper 

S03E09 - Monster Hunters

 Jeb and Blake discovered that S03E08 - The Great Lakes Triangle - has disappeared into a temporal anomaly. But we dare not leave you adrift in Lake Eerie, so instead we usher you through a mysterious temple to a VHS tape on a stone pedestal... as we go in research of RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK. Discussed in this episode: The story conception tapes of Raiders (Lucas, Spielberg, Kasden)  Same thing, but performed by actors  Secret of the Incas (Affiliate Link) Whole film https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K02U0CVoutE Map Room https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ZJaIc1SDbQ The big scene https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dzl4_ytmxDs The real Aztec Sun Stone  The "protection of antiquities" act wasn't real yet when the film is set. The Nazis and the occult stuff alluded to the Ahnenerbe.  Discussed on MonsterTalk before.  Turkdean Barrows mentioned in the film were not a real place but during and after the filming, two barrows in similar area were excavated. Retcon doesn't work in real life guys. The Pan American sea plane  LucasFilm & Trademarking the word "Nazi." Also mentioned: OG style gaming in the Raiders mileu: Raiders of the Lost ArtifactOG style D&D game 

S03 Bonus - Raiders of the Lost Ark - part 1

Jeb and Blake consider the possibility that the Tunguska Event was caused by an extraterrestrial  atomic craft.  An old friend returns. A SciFi icon cameos. Atoms are split.    Mr. Leonard Nimoy!   Charles Cole   Ronald Oriti   And Dr. Isaac Asimov   News about Golden Globes scandals Asteroid Monitoring (NASA) Tunguska in Pop Culture (Wiki) Basic coverage of Tunguska and theories (Wiki) Leonid Kulik  Thomas R. Atkins (A Fire Came By) Amz Author's Page (Affiliate Link) The Jomon Period (Japan) and some amazing Jomon Masks (3D Print) Henry Gris ("Psychic" author and early member of Hollywood Foreign Press Association) Alexey Zolotov Permafrost Links: https://spookygeology.com/the-hellmouth-batagaika-crater/ https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2020/07/siberia-s-gateway-underworld-grows-record-heat-wave-thaws-permafrost https://www.thearcticinstitute.org/blessing-curse-melting-permafrost-russian-arctic/ Finally - and I'm definitely not recommending this video to you - but am sharing it because it might be the disturbing thing you're looking for. Rabies in a Human Patient (1960) - Warning, Disturbing Imagery

S03E07 - Siberian Fireball

 AIPT Comics - is putting on a free online convention Sunday July 18th.  The online convention starts at 10 am and I'll be participating in a couple of ways if you're interested. At noon, I've got a special interview with Stephen R. Bissette.  You might know him as a key artist on Alan Moore's run of Swamp Thing in the 80s - but if you've been subscribing to BIG FOOTAGE the Patreon bonus cast, you'll know him as the author of CRYPTID CINEMA. I'll also be on at 3:30 pm with Jeb Card to discuss conspiracies and comics. Other guests include paleontologist Jim Lehane, psychologist Craig Foster, paranormal investigator Kenny Biddle, artist Celestia World, archaeologist David Anderson, and Matt Brady. author of THE SCIENCE OF RICK AND MORTY.   A link to Cryptid Cinemais here:  http://bit.ly/CryptidCinema   The convention details are here:  https://aiptcomics.com/2021/06/28/aipt-sciphi-fest-science-skepticism/   The direct ZOOM link is here: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86109451697   I hope you can catch the show tomorrow but if you can't, I know that many of the interviews will end up on YouTube and I'm happy to report that Steve Bissette and I talked quite a while longer and the full version of that discussion will be up on YouTube *AND* will drop as a regular episode because it's all right up your alley, dear audience.  Fun and informative stuff indeed - and chock full of monsters.   Also chock full of monsters is also my favorite imaginary coffee. 

AIPT Presents SciPhi Fest 2021

Jeb and Blake head into cold as we look at the episode titled "Cryogenics."  Yes, there is a lot of legitimate discussion of the science of freezing - but there's also a lot of optimistic coverage of "Cryonics," the much more questionable idea of freezing people for a later thawing and restoration.   CONTENT WARNING:  This episode contains images of dead people, frozen semen, animal harm, terrible puns, and some naughty curse words.  (You're welcome.) Discussed in this episode: Cryogenics is NOT Cryonics Difficult early history of Cryonics (via Alcor website) The first US successful use of insanity plea (Sickles) The Artists Statement video that Jeb talked about The Cryonics Institute (in Michigan) Robert Ettinger - father of Cryonics Alcor Life Extension (Arizona) American Cryonics Society (formerly Bay Area Cryonics Society) Frozen Bovine Semen (History of) The history of alleged "eating ancient mammoth" stories   This animal was revived using ratsuscitation.   Dr. Paul Segall makes a return visit to In Search Of...   Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you method acting:   Who can forget this famous scene from The gRATe Escape?"   UCLA's Dr. Josiah Brown (obituary 1985)   Here's that mouse embryo gif I promised you.   Mr. Leonard Nimoy!  

S03E6 - Cryogenics (Explicit)

Jeb and Blake crawl through the cobbled streets of 1978 television to find out what was going on when IN SEARCH OF went looking for Jack the Ripper.  A lot of this episode is about "The Royal Conspiracy" - the idea that Prince Albert Victor (aka "Prince Eddy") was secretly Jack the Ripper.   This was largely derived from a book called Jack the Ripper: The Final Solution, an ironic title since it turned out to be neither final nor the solution.  This was written by Stephen Knight, who appears in the episode. Shortly after this he will develop brain cancer and pass away. The story also involves Prince Albert Victor's surgeon, Dr. William Gull.  We discuss the "modern plague" of Gin in London at the time. Nimoy Fashion Alert! Did you notice that big book lying flat behind Nimoy's head? That's a book about Vincent Van Gogh. We'll hear more about him in Season 4.  In our bonus episode about pop-culture of JTR we talked about a weird 6-part BBC crime series which pitted two fictional modern TV police detectives against the case.  Wendy Sturgess was one of the writers.  We discuss some of the appalling poverty of the area of London where the murders took place. This included discussion of Jack London's book about London. "The People of the Abyss" - that was the name of a work by American fiction writer Jack London.  It's available online. A young Donald Rumbalow makes an appearance.  We briefly discuss the "wizard money" of England at the time.  The Police News vintage paper is shown several times in the episode. You can search these old papers on the British Newspaper Archive! I elected not to do dramatic readings of the JTR letters, but some of the most famous ones you can read about here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dear_Boss_letter https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saucy_Jacky_postcard https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/From_Hell_letter Dr. J. M. Cameron - chief pathologist of home office (1930 - 2003) makes an appearance. We're not done with the "foggy streets of London" either because we'll be looking into the real identity of Sherlock Holmes in just a few episodes, with return guest Dr. Kenny Feder.

S03E05 - Jack the Ripper

Jeb & Blake discuss the ways that Jack the Ripper has been adapted in fiction and documentary over the years. The strange convergence of Jack the Ripper, Sherlock Holmes, and The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde merge into a weird mix of fact and fantasy through the decades. A variety of media are discussed. And you can be sure that in the foggy gas-lit, cobbled streets of London there lurk some puns as well.  A few references we'll hit in the show (with affiliate links): Yours Truly, Jack the Ripper by Robert Bloch  YouTube (Thriller! adaptation)  Time After Time  Jack the Ripper (1959)  6-Part BBC Jack the Ripper series (Amazon UK - Region 2) Read about it here The Lodger (1944) Gotham by Gaslight (Batman) From Hell (comic) Letters from Whitechapel mystery board game Bridge Across Time aka Terror at London Bridge - featuring The Hoff Wolf in the Fold - Star Trek S2 Michael Caine in Jack the Ripper (1988) Murder by Decree (1979) Sherlock Holmes vs JTR   Jeb has some Ripper-related photos which I will add later.

Bonus - Jack the Ripper: The Pop-Culture References

Grab your sticks and join Jeb and Blake as they go looking for water flowing underground. Same as it ever was? Not hardly. Special content in this episode courtesy Sharon Hill. Be sure and check out her article on dowsing for water at Spooky Geology. The "earth, air, fire, and water" idea comes from Empedocles.  Early in the episode Francis Hitching holds up a stack of paperbacks. I looked them all up (affiliate link to Amazon). The stack of books he puts down includes: Dowsing: One Man's Way by J. Scott Elliot Dowsing, Water Witches, and Divining Rods for the Millions by Howard V. Chambers Modern Dowsing: The Dowser's Handbook by Raymond Willey Practical Dowsing by A. H. Bell Pendulum Power (1977 edition shown) by Greg Nielsen and Joseph Polansky And finally: Dowsing: The PSI Connection by Christopher Hitching Tom Graves Author of "The Diviner's Handbook: A guide to the timeless art of Dowsing" (1986) Book online https://leanpub.com/needlesofstone/read He's still alive, still writing, and has a Twitter account. When he's not writing fiction and new age - he's an IT and Business consultant of 30 years. Inner London Educational Authority https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inner_London_Education_Authority The dry well belongs to John Mitchell. He calls in Dr. Arthur Bailey. Former president of British Society of Dowsers An article by Dr. BaileyDr Arthur Bailey was a senior lecturer in Electronics and Electrical Engineering at the University of Bradford. At some point he got very interested in botanical healing and founded Bailey Flower Essences - which sold plant essences and was closely affiliated with homeopathy.   This episode really inspired me to some show-notes silliness.   The episode had some stunning visuals in it. This looked like an album cover to me.     We don't know who THIS guy is, but he probably was trying to hide from all the Muggles.   Pat Lucas was the only professional British female dowser. The "biofeedback" device from the episode:   And then there's THIS machine - the one used by Harry Lovegrove. New Scientist (New Scientist Feb 16, 1978) article discussing Lovegrove using child's dowsing kit for "amazing results" at "laying down dowsing lines." Whatever that means. The SPR has a lengthy article about dowsing that includes believer and skeptical content. Stan Shepherd - the dowser and well driller. We're of mixed opinions. I think it looks like he's having a heart attack, Jeb prefers the idea that he's having a fart attack. And Stan was just going with the flow.   We also mentioned Martin Gardner and his book Fads and Fallacies in the Name of Science. 

S03E04 - Water Seekers

 We'll be taking a look at ISO's coverage of cloning in this episode. We'll be taking a look at ISO's coverage of cloning in this episode.  Content warning (for ISO watchers) there is animal experimentation and surgery video in this TV episode.  Jeb asked me to include a gif of the "groovy" 1970s video effects from this episode: In the 1970s the idea of "test tube babies" was still quite controversial, as evidenced by this opinion piece in the Berkeley Gazette (1978).  The Weibe Twins (Josephine and Rozzalyn) appear prominently in this episode. Their shop (Twin's Armoire Boutique) shut down last year during the pandemic.  Their outfits threw some serious Boohbah vibes my way. Nimoy fashion alert! We meet the Beernink Twins - brother gynecologists. They both passed away but former patients posted heartfelt remembrances of them.  This look at twin gynecologists brought up the memorable film Dead Ringers and the strange, sad tale of the Marcus twins that inspired it. Learn to pronounce axolotl!  (sounds like ash-sho-lote) You can learn more about these endangered and adorable amphibians here.  You can't talk about eugenics without KHAN! We meet Dr. Clem Markert of Yale. He worked to make a chimera-mouse with genes from multiple mice. Not quite 20 years after this episode was filmed, we got Dolly the cloned sheep.  

S03E03 - Cloning

Get to your shelters and turn on your weather radios as Jeb and Blake watch IN SEARCH OF...'s episode on Tornadoes.  Discussed in this episode: NOAA  Dr. Ernest Agee  National Severe Storms Lab (NSSL) Twister (1996) - Amazon Affiliate Link  John Weaver   Bob Davies-Jones   Kelvin Droegemeir   Edwin Kessler   Poorly lit Nimoy Fashion:  

S03E02 - Tornadoes

Jeb and Blake have a close encounter of the In Search Of... kind.  We look at two UFO abduction cases that you may not have heard of - and that definitely have more details to them than ISO covers. Flying Saucers and the Three Men (Amazon Affiliate Link) Communion (AAL)  King Kong 76 animatronics  Above Top Secret - Isaac Koi (UFO Barrister) Catalina UFO Case on YouTube   APRO  CUFOS  NICAP  MUFON  They're not in the episode but if you'd like to learn about Betty & Barney Hill, Blake highly recommends checking out the podcast Strange Arrivals.   We also talk a bit about the Travis Walton case.  Nimoy Fashion Alert: Our weird "alien abductor" in this episode: 

S03E01 - UFO Captives

The show where we watch the 1970s TV show "In Search Of..." and look at possible explanations the producers didn't consider.

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In Research Of

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