• We have updated the guidelines regarding posting political content: please see the stickied thread on Website Issues.

FT345

MorningAngel

MorningAngel

Justified & Ancient
Joined
May 14, 2015
Messages
3,210
I got mine today (well yesterday as its late). I've not read much yet. But I'm slightly concerned about the advert for men's pants with a phone pocket. Irradiated goolies can't be good.
 
MorningAngel said:
I got mine today (well yesterday as its late). I've not read much yet. But I'm slightly concerned about the advert for men's pants with a phone pocket. Irradiated goolies can't be good.
Click to expand...
Is the pocket round the back? Maybe it's there so the phone can automatically upload all of you crap to Facebook without the tiresome need for all that tapping away on the screen...
 
I just got my FT and you made me look for those, the pockets right on the ole meat and two veg, umm, i suppose they might set the phone on vibrate, wheres the womens phone knickers?
 
Can anyone confirm please what the latest date is for the submission of copy to FT?

I'm intrigued that either We, of FTMB, have either influenced the content of FT, or at the very least, predicted/pre-empted it, in a very Fortean fashion.

FT345 includes a very-welcome (and both interesting & timely) article about the Voynich Manuscript.

Consider that as recently as the third week in August, @rynner2 reanimated the well-established FTMB thread about the VM.

Did this somehow influence the editorial content of the magazine? Was my (FTMB) 'announcement discovery' of the hugely-significant recent progress made by Professor Bax in any way usefully-informative for the magazine?

Or was it just a good-old classic Fortean coincidence of convergent paths (not to mention morphic resonance, nor the 'era for steam-engines' precept)?

I for one would not mind in the least if my/our faltering research and message board meanderings actually helped the magazine in it's mission.

Or have I already said too much?

@Dr_David_Sutton
@stuneville
 
If the manuscript has been mentioned in the news the FT will have picked up on it. Look to the references at the end and see (my copy isn't here yet).
 
I noticed the ad for the pants with a phone pocket, and thought that can't be good for the nuts unless you like them roasted. Also it's going to look a bit dodgy rummaging round in your pants when you want to answer the phone...
 
The Voynich attracts much more media airplay than other fashionably mysterious manuscripts. Last month the Voynich MS made again the news because the new fac simile edition to be printed on a limited edition. So, its presence on the magazine and the forum at the same time is not a surprise. But, still, it's good news, in more than one sense. ;)
 
I'm going to grumble slightly about the Pokémon Go article.
First of all it is not a Nintendo game. Nintendo own a 1/3 of the rights to the characters and gave permission for them to by used by a third party. They have the sum total of bugger all to do with the development of the game.
Lots of people didn't realise this which caused Nintendo's share price to rise.
Secondly Pokestops were put in place before the game was even created.
They are a hang over from a much older game where places could be added by the players. As I understand it, this is not possible with the current Pokémon game. So there was no way that vicars could add Pokestops.
 
That IHTM is pretty sensational (in the original sense). Was it a letter that had been in the office since 1996?
 
GNC said:
That IHTM is pretty sensational (in the original sense). Was it a letter that had been in the office since 1996?
Click to expand...

It was something although that is my favourite section and was a little disappointed to only get one story. It used to be two pages but lately it's been just one :-(
 
Dr_David_Sutton said:
"Or was it just a good-old classic Fortean coincidence of convergent paths (not to mention morphic resonance, nor the 'era for steam-engines' precept)?"

Yep. This, as ever!
Click to expand...

One of the best examples of synchronicity in Fortean Times stories, was the publication of a story "Ariel Sharon Death Curse", in Feb 2006. The article was about a colourful group of religious zealots in Israel who, about a year previously, had put a curse on the Prime Minister. The article was looking back on this event, and discussing religion and curses.

Then, just as that issue of the FT was published, Ariel Sharon collapsed with a stroke, and went into a coma, never to recover.
 
Wish the UFO conversation article had been longer, they were just getting warmed up! The fashion victims article was excellent, not least because the subheadings were great in themselves.

Funnily enough, I was watching that film Eye in the Sky the other day and thought the hummingbird spy camera was a bit of a stretch, but there it was in the pages of FT! Tell me the spy camera beetle is real too?
 
Ermintrude said:
Yes, just exactly...

Umm....although we all know and love FT, there are sometimes inadvertant non-factual that emerge
Click to expand...

But there's a photo of it, and info that it wasn't much used because of short battery life! Although the one in the film is obviously CGI...
 
It was claimed over 10 years ago that the CIA had drone technology that was sufficiently-sophisticated so as to be capable of permitting vast swarms of $5 note-sized electronic insects to be used for vague intelligence-gathering purposes. It wasn't true then, and it isn't true yet...perhaps it never will be.

By analogy: everyone would agree that mustard gas is a horrible weapon of war. Yes? Perfect...it therefore has worked.

In terms of it's absolute effectiveness, the greatest advantage gas warfare provides to the aggressor is the impact upon the defending nation in respect of the requisite efforts to build safety preparations, create and maintain detection mechanisms, the perceived need to train populaces and personnel, the resource drain resulting from drills, false alarms, and tactical panic outbreaks.

Like many military strategic weapons, gas has a projected propaganda value to the aggressor that is vastly-greater than it's own intrinsic capabilities (I could explain this in much more layered detail, but this is not the place/time, and I shall be thought to be exaggerating. But I would still be right).

The finest battle you will ever win is the one that you correctly-interpret does not need to be fought in the first place.
 
Mostly agree with the Blair Witch review but I'd give it 6/10, not enough shocks/horror.

The Hunt For The Wilderpeople and Under The Shadow reviews are interesting, might get to see Hunt this pm & will watch out for Under.

Not going to read The Girl With All The Gifts review until after I've seen the film. A long review, it may give away too much.
 
I tried watching Blair Witch, but gave up about half way through - the shaky cam made me sea sick!
 
I'm agreeing about the Pokemon GO article being disappointing; as a Pokemon fan and a weeaboo myself, I have to say I’m a bit cheesed off.

First of all, he’s dragging out that old chestnut used every time whenever something you don’t understand becomes popular; rather than point out the actual flaws, just insult the players enjoying it. After all, if they’re all zombies for playing something you don’t, that by default makes you smart and different, right? It’s not smart, it’s not funny, and certainly not original.

I’m pretty sure he’s never actually played the game either, as it does quite the opposite of making people stare into their phones. As the stops and gyms in the game are actual locations, people are instead looking round trying to find all these hidden areas. Go has actually made me explore nearby towns and villages I’ve never been to before, and I’m discovering so many things I never knew existed; blue plaques, information signs, historic buildings, art work, beautiful parks, memorials, all sorts. It genuinely makes you look at and appreciate your local area.

He’s dropped the ball on the Pokemon descriptions too. Pikachu isn’t based off a raijin, he’s based off- brace yourselves- a pika! There is actually a raijin though Pokemon- Raikou, whose Pokedex entry literally describes it as ‘descends on lightning’.

I am baffled by what a big deal he makes over Froslass being based on a yukionna as well, especially since the franchise is loaded with yokai and other creepy things. Like Mawile (based off futakuchi-onna, a woman whose hair is a maw of teeth that devours men). Bonus shout out to what must be FT’s mascot Pokemon: Elgyem and Beheeyem.

Also in the Strange Days article, I think whoever wrote it got Go mixed up with the main Pokemon games. Which make me kinda worried about this future article they mentioned. Please FT, get an actual Pokemon fan to proof read it, I'm dreading it being a cringe-worthy 'we're hip and down with the kids' piece.

Otherwise, I kinda liked this issue. I'm really happy the Illustrated Police News now has a book, that's definitely for my Christmas list!
 
Jenny Randles' column on the weird space broadcasts was great, looking forward to the ones she doesn't have an explanation for next issue.
 
GNC said:
Jenny Randles' column on the weird space broadcasts was great, looking forward to the ones she doesn't have an explanation for next issue.
Click to expand...

I really enjoyed it as well. Can't say that about many of her recent columns.
 
LittleBat said:
One of the best examples of synchronicity in Fortean Times stories, was the publication of a story "Ariel Sharon Death Curse", in Feb 2006. The article was about a colourful group of religious zealots in Israel who, about a year previously, had put a curse on the Prime Minister. The article was looking back on this event, and discussing religion and curses.

Then, just as that issue of the FT was published, Ariel Sharon collapsed with a stroke, and went into a coma, never to recover.
Click to expand...

There's a pretty atmospheric novel on this theme: "Prayer" by Philip Kerr is about an FBI agent investigating an ambitious fundamentalist preacher who has discovered how the Almighty's Angel of Death can be invoked and set upon those Godless commies, feminists, atheists and nonbelievers who are dragging America down and preventing her from Becoming Great Again. Reccomended!

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18667985-prayer
 
I greatly enjoyed the article "Manuscripts of Mystery", by established Fortean writer Ian Simmons. It gives detailed information about the Voynich Manuscript, and has lovely illustrations.

Illustrations and quirky historical facts are also to be found in "Fashion Victims" by Maria J Perez Cuervo. This is all about dresses and corsets with their sometimes harmful and even deadly effects - reputed and real. Cuervo has appeared in the FT in recent years, and is making a great contribution, with literary and artistic themes in her articles.
 
I am very sorry, but a moment ago, I put up a thread about issue 345. For some reason, I could not find this thread. So my contribution should be added to this.

But how does one pull a thread on FT forums? I can't find out how to do it.

Your post has now been moved into this thread.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top