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IBM Sci-Fi

IBM Targets UFOs, Ghosts, and Goblins With Search Tool 192

Posted by samzenpus from the isn't-halloween-over dept.
coondoggie writes "IBM wants to help you find out if UFOs are real. Well, sort of. With UFO sightings seemingly on the rise, Big Blue is teaming with The Anomalies Network to offer UFO Crawler, a new search engine specifically tuned to search for information about the paranormal, unexplained or just plain bizarre. The search tool employs IBM's OmniFind Yahoo! Edition enterprise search software and the UFO Crawler should help users precisely target and gather information from relevant sources, including thousands of documents and files collected in the vast Anomalies Network archive, as well as multiple global resources across the Web on topics such as such as ghosts, conspiracy theories and extraterrestrials."
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IBM Targets UFOs, Ghosts, and Goblins With Search Tool More

IBM Targets UFOs, Ghosts, and Goblins With Search Tool

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  • Military projects (Score:3, Insightful)

    by electrosoccertux ( 874415 ) on Thursday March 08, 2007 @02:38PM (#18279796)
    Presumably the most stealthy plane form is a saucer. The idea of many is that these flying saucer sightings are nothing but X-projects. I don't see why this isn't likely to be the case.

    • Re: (Score:3, Interesting)

      by Anonymous Coward
      It only takes one incident to be extra-terrestrial to be some huge bombshell that shakes up our perception...

      There are probably a lot of sightings of stuff that are really just exotic aircraft and military projects. And then 80% of the reported UFOs are probably easily explainable as common stuff. I'm picking that number out of my ass but it's IIRC from some of the UFO documentaries I've seen.

      I think it is highly plausible that if there was some sort of contact with not-of-this earth beings and technology

      • Re:Military projects (Score:5, Funny)

        by eln ( 21727 ) on Thursday March 08, 2007 @03:19PM (#18280276)
        Wow man, it's a good thing you aren't one of those "crazies" that you talk about or you would have posted some bizarre rant about one world government and interdimensional beings instead of this well-thought-out rational discourse.

      • I think it is highly plausible that if there was some sort of contact with not-of-this earth beings and technology that the government would hide it, and try to take whatever they could for military advantage. Some of the reports I've read about secret budgets and groups seems highly plausible to me.

        If the aliens are so smart and have such a military advantage... why the hell do they let the government push them around? I wouldn't even put up with airport security if I had advanced weaponry!

    • Re:Military projects (Score:5, Insightful)

      by eln ( 21727 ) on Thursday March 08, 2007 @03:15PM (#18280224)
      Conspiracy theories don't work like that. Conspiracy theories employ a sort of reverse Occam's Razor: do not accept the simplest logical explanation if a needlessly complicated conspiracy can be made to fit the same facts.

    • Re: (Score:2, Interesting)

      by thrawn_aj ( 1073100 )
      Somehow, the idea of "top-secret" government projects (called X-projects for some strange reason *roll*) that can do the things that people claim they do seems as much of a conspiracy theory as the whole UFO paranoia. I think people are taking that old bromide about there being a kernel of truth inside every legend a little too seriously :P. People are foolish enough, or attention-starved enough or diseased enough, or naive enough to get there on their own. One can summarize this lunacy in a simple (albeit

      • Re: (Score:3, Interesting)

        by db32 ( 862117 )
        I typically hear them refered to as black projects, and skunkworks type stuff, and the only place I have seen X anything is in regards to eXpierimental aircraft. The X-2 for example was the 1st plane to break the sound barrier, X-15 is in that realm of sound barrier breaking research as well, the X-35 is just the Joint Strike Fighter thats all the rage in the news.

        Aside from that, I have often wondered if the 'conspiracy' is government supplied. Think about this, you are doing top secret research during

    • ohh, look, I can be insightful too! (Score:4, Insightful)

      by c6gunner ( 950153 ) on Thursday March 08, 2007 @04:00PM (#18280802) Homepage
      Presumably the Flying Spaghetti Monster's appendages are saucer shaped. The idea of many is that these flying saucers are nothing but the ends of his noodly appendages. I don't see why this isn't likely to be the case.
  • The search tool employs IBM's OmniFind Yahoo! Edition enterprise search software

    Nothing new here, you always had to be a real "YAHOO!" to believe in UFO's anyway.

    • Correction (Score:5, Insightful)

      by ravenspear ( 756059 ) on Thursday March 08, 2007 @03:14PM (#18280210)
      UFOs exist, that is a fact. A UFO is by definition an unidentified flying object. Hundreds of cases of aerial objects that can't be immediately identified have been reliably documented (and by qualified observers).

      What you choose to "believe" or not believe is what UFOs represent. If your position is that it would be irrational to assume these represent alien spacecraft, then the correct statement would be "you always had to be a real "YAHOO!" to believe UFOs were alien spacecraft."

    • Re:Nothing New - A Real Yahoo! (Score:5, Funny)

      by JohnnyLocust ( 855742 ) on Thursday March 08, 2007 @03:19PM (#18280284) Homepage
      Maybe we could use it to find Duke Nukem Forever

    • Nothing new here, you always had to be a real "YAHOO!" to believe in UFO's anyway.

      Why, UFO's most certainly exist. All they have to be is unidentified and flying.

      Now, wether or not they're aliens is a different story. But, 'UFO' doesn't directly imply that.

      Cheers
      • So, if you can't identify it, it's flying, and you are sure it is from a foreign nation, can we start assuming aliens then?
        • So, if you can't identify it, it's flying, and you are sure it is from a foreign nation, can we start assuming aliens then?

          No, they might have a visa or a green card. We're only concerned about Unidentified Flying Illegal Aliens. Big difference.

    • Wouldn't Yahoos explain most UFO sightings as Laputa?
      • You would have stood a much better chance of being modded funny if you had worked in a Star Trek reference, rather than one that would only be understood by moderators who have actually read a book.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by Sloppy ( 14984 )

      you always had to be a real "YAHOO!" to believe in UFO's anyway.
      Or a real bastard. [theregister.co.uk]

  • While... (Score:5, Funny)

    by Icarus1919 ( 802533 ) on Thursday March 08, 2007 @02:40PM (#18279816)
    While I understand that this is probably good for pageviews and thus revenue, do we really have to encourage these people?

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by daeg ( 828071 )
      I'd type up a witty reply, but the Government is watching me.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by zCyl ( 14362 )

      do we really have to encourage these people?

      Unquestionably there's a lot of crap out there on these topics. But what we can probably all agree would be nice is if there were some site which organized such things with the ability for user moderation to raise the better material above the crap.

      (Unfortunately this does not seem to be what Yahoo has in mind...)

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by kabocox ( 199019 )
      While I understand that this is probably good for pageviews and thus revenue, do we really have to encourage these people?

      Yes, we should. There is a part of me that would love to have the cash to just throw up a DVR security system for 1.5-2K with 4 cameras and record everything that flies over head or also cars passing by my house. I'd want to be able to have pics/videos of what passed, and a date/time stamp, with the GPS cordinates, of my home. To me, every plane flying over my home is a UFO and every car

  • Don't click the link! (Score:5, Funny)

    by $RANDOMLUSER ( 804576 ) on Thursday March 08, 2007 @02:41PM (#18279828)
    That's what they want you to do!
  • Sure, it might be interesting. But why isn't IBM devoting resources to actual space research? Or even something more earth based?
  • I'm sitting here on the couch watching X Files thinking that this may have made Mulder and Scully's job a bit easier...

    • Re: (Score:2, Funny)

      by BendingSpoons ( 997813 )
      Scully, I've received another report of spontaneous human combustion. Quick - to the IBM's OmniFind Yahoo! Edition enterprise search software with UFO Crawler!

      With any luck, we'll find a few geocities pages documenting this bizarre phenomenon. If we're extremely lucky, we might even come across a few poorly animated gifs of the combustion process.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by Xyrus ( 755017 )
      Tobin's spirit guide. Online. Sweet.

      ~X~

  • ufologist (Score:5, Funny)

    by BigHungryJoe ( 737554 ) on Thursday March 08, 2007 @02:50PM (#18279946) Homepage
    I'm a trained Ufologist and I'm thinking I would NEVER trust a search engine from IBM - that would be like giving me a UFO search engine written by the US gov't. I *KNOW* where the files I need to see are - they are in gov't bldgs at Area 51 and I don't need a search engine to tell me that.

    • I *KNOW* where the files I need to see are - they are in gov't bldgs at Area 51

      At what point in your investigation did you become certain the files were at Area 51?

    • I'm a trained Ufologist

      What exactly is a "trained Ufologist"? As far as I'm aware, there are no degrees or otherwise officially recognized courses that would lend themselves to being referred to as "training" Ufologists. Which means that most Ufologists are of the self-taught persuasion.

      Not that I'd mind being proven wrong. I'm just not aware of such a thing as you describe.

      • This reminds me of the time I was watching a show on Discovery about "lay lines." They were talking to a guy who was the world expert in them, and I could have sworn I had seen him before. Then they showed a clip of him driving a school bus, and it hit me: He drove my bus in elementary school!

        So, really, a "trained ufologist" could be someone who is really interested in their hobby of looking at grainy photographs of saucer-shaped things.

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by Surt ( 22457 )
        The roswell ufo museum and research center offers accreditation as a ufologist. I got mine there.
        http://www.roswellufomuseum.com/ [roswellufomuseum.com]
    • So what accredited university has a degree plan in unidentified flying objectologoy?

      I mean, really, wouldn't xenology sound better?

    • wow, me too! (Score:5, Funny)

      by c6gunner ( 950153 ) on Thursday March 08, 2007 @04:04PM (#18280848) Homepage
      I'm a scientician with a BS in ufology! We should team up!

  • UFO's, Ghosts . . . Meteor Freaks? (Score:4, Funny)

    by e_armadillo ( 14304 ) on Thursday March 08, 2007 @03:03PM (#18280088) Journal
    Hmmmmm, a searchable "Wall of Weird", cool.
  • IBM is sure getting word of mouth advertising out of this for their 'tuned search engine' services.
  • My faith in humanity is restored, temporarily.

    For the first time in my life, I'm seeing a crowd that doesn't wonder if Egyptian hieroglyphs, crop circles, and the Xbox 360 all have the same origin. (link [cropcircleconnector.com])
    • > For the first time in my life, I'm seeing a crowd that doesn't wonder if Egyptian hieroglyphs, crop circles, and the Xbox 360 all have the same origin.

      Heh, we merely signed the non-disclosure agreement.

  • Targeting Ghosts 'n Goblins? (Score:3, Funny)

    by Pluvius ( 734915 ) <pluvius3NO@SPAMgmail.com> on Thursday March 08, 2007 @03:31PM (#18280424) Journal
    Good luck, IBM. I don't think even Blue Gene could beat that video game.

    Rob
  • you could just go to a reputable source and do your own research:

    http://www.bluebookarchive.org/ [bluebookarchive.org]

    No zombies or esp, just government docs about ufo's.

    Tom Caudron
    http://tom.digitalelite.com/ [digitalelite.com]
  • We've seen them:
    • They are (U)nidentified;
    • They are (O)bjects;
    • They (F)ly.

    Who wouldn't agree that people frequently see flying things that they can't identify? Only CRAZY people wouldn't agree.

  • It was big, blue and incredibly lost.

  • Just about every result could be resolved with this [files.naiv.us].

  • Naive (Score:2, Interesting)

    by spacemanjupiter ( 1073466 )
    The funny thing is, i see people here that laugh at the subject, when they are really the naive ones. I don't live in a box, or bubble. I welcome change, and i'm not afraid of it. Your bad jokes and unhealthy skepticism do not change the facts. These objects are real, and there needs to be a formal study and open discussion about it in the scientific community. It's not about little men from mars, and many people who lack research skills or the desire to solve the greatest mystery in the history of the huma
    • none of the skeptic will deny that there are indeed unidentified sky phenomenon, looking like objects, and sometimes being objects. What the skeptic deny is that you "believer" make the jump to alien-spacecraft, angel sent from God, flying unicorn or whatever you believe in without evidence whatsoever. Face it what pass as evidence by Ufo=aliens people is laughable at best. We got better photo of faery during the 19th century. Heck that funky hoax of bigfoot get better film and photo. And do not get me star
  • This is going to sound crazy; I'm sure to be marked a "troll" and all that, but the truth...just so you can hear it...is that *almost* all these anomalies are demons. Some are just the unknown, but most are much more.

    Yeah, I know; I felt the same way when I heard the concept. Fairy tales, nonsense and bullshit. I've learned differently.

    I think it was 1996-97 or so, my buddy and I were working late a Lee Lumber. I forget the task at hand, but we'd come downstairs to "the floor" where we could smoke, maybe we

    • Re: (Score:3, Interesting)

      by PhxBlue ( 562201 )

      So throw your stones, call me an unenlighted bigot homophobe misanthrope...but these things are true.

      Unenlightened? No. Bigoted? No. Homophobic? No. Misanthropic? No.

      Delusional? Almost certainly, and as equally as the "occult" that you oppose so vehemently.

      I understand that it's a lot easier to turn off the thinking, rational part of your brain and say, "There are demons at work here." It's also throwing away the very same gift of reason that God gave you in the first place. I'm all for ch

      • No, as a security guard, taking apart sounds while you're out on rounds is a part of the job. In fact, in the new bank building it was kinda fun. But consider closely the signal content: bristles on the inside of cardboard, dirt under the box, and all this just FEET away in a dead-silent, no one else is here situation. This isn't a distant noise like limbs of a tree brushing against a house; this is sound so close it couldn't be faked by a stereo system.

        I've been a skeptic for 41 years. I've dedicated a g
      • > > So throw your stones, call me an unenlighted bigot homophobe misanthrope...but these things are true.

        When he puts it that way...
  • UFO sightings are not on the rise. If you have the opportunity to hang around the right circles, you'll notice that a _lot_ of persons believe they saw UFOs, ghosts and things like that. Sometimes they just want attention but often they really believe [amazon.ca] it. What has changed is that major news agencies repport those sighting. I think they figured that their credibility is not a stake anymore.
    • I read an article long ago (sorry, can't remember the source, probably an all audience science magazine) that concluded that if you add UFO sightings to religious/mystical apparitions and divide by local population, the rate is globally constant all over the world since centuries, but at the start of the cold war, religous apparitions dropped in western contries in favor of UFOs, folowwed in the next few decades by the rest of the world.
      The conclusion (and I tend to agree with it) was that a certain proport

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