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HalfMooner
Dingaling
Philippines
15831 Posts |
 Posted - 01/14/2006 : 22:16:42
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I'm a regular user of the wonderful free application, Google Earth.
This program essentially allows people to view satellite and aerial
images of the earth. The other day, I found that a lady,
"Supergranny," had discovered a "Face of Earth" that is 100 times more
impressive than the so-called Face of Mars -- though it, too, is
just a natural geographic feature. What I call the "Alberta Indian"
is a large feature found in the southern Alberta badlands, created
from equal part from nature's random beauty and our wonderful human
minds. But you just gotta see this one, it really does look
remarkable!
Here is a forum posting that I wrote (writing as "LoRezFlyer") on the
Google Earth forum
( http://bbs.keyhole.com/ubb/showthreaded.php?Cat=0&Board=EarthGiants&Number=146588&fpart=1&PHPSESSID=):
* * *
This is a truly remarkable find, Supergranny! Get ready for fame,
and I mean this seriously. I think this is going to become a cult
classic. Wait until the likes of The Star, or National Enquirer get
hold of it! Just think of all the fuss over the so-called Face of
Mars, a hill taking on a vaguely humanoid shape in a lo-rez image, but
which turned out not to even look like a face when hi-rez imaging was
done of it. This find of yours makes the Face of Mars look like a
crude child's scribble in comparison.
Here are some observations on Supergranny's "Alberta Indian" find:
Overall, it forms a very vivid spectacle, instantly "recognizable" as
a human, even as a Native American, figure. It appears to show a left
facial profile, with the "body" turned slightly toward the viewer. It
appears to show shoulders, neck, head, and headdress. Details include
the left eye, including eyelids, the nose, and both full lips. In the
"lower" area of the figure, it appears that the "Indian" is wearing a
jacket, complete with collar. The only apparent humanly created marks
on the Alberta Indian are a dirt road leading up from the south and
terminating in a loop around what appears to be a circular pit and is
probably a livestock watering pond. (Someone here aptly described the
human additions as something like an "iPod headset.") It's beautiful,
in my eyes. The whole figure gives the gut impression of being very
artistically designed. (This impression will no doubt cause some to
proclaim that an "Intelligent Designer" was involved.)
The dimensions are immense. From crown of head to the join of neck and
jaw is about 802 feet, or about 244 meters. From the point of the nose
to the left shoulder measures about 1,737 feet, or about 529 meters.
The Alberta Indian figure is an inverse "carving," that is, what we
naturally perceive as high points are actually low points. (Remember,
the lighting is from the south.) The whole "figure" seems to consist
of an area naturally eroded out of the south side of a flat-topped
mesa. I can see no sign of it having been created by modern or ancient
people. In generally, the shapes making up the Alberta Indian conform
to the sort of cursive, fractal erosion features found all around that
part of Alberta.
Remarkable find, Supergranny! I suspect that now the nut-cases are
going to move in. ; )
-- Art
* * *
I'm new to the SFN Forum and its functions, but I'm going to see if I can upload a screen capture of the Alberta Indian here.
-- HalfMooner
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“Biology is just physics that has begun to smell bad.” —HalfMooner
Here's a link to Moonscape News, and one to its Archive. |
Edited by - HalfMooner on 01/14/2006 22:47:40
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beskeptigal
SFN Die Hard
USA
3834 Posts |
 Posted - 01/14/2006 : 23:53:31 [Permalink]
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Hi new friend. My curiosity is peaked here but where do you find the formation? Is there something I put in the Google Earth search engine? Do I have to install Google Earth? Seems to me I went on the site and that was needed. The download on "Granny's" post looks intimidating. I wasn't sure what that was.
The BB has different code than the usual html. Ask and someone here that knows more than I can help you with the image posting. |
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HalfMooner
Dingaling
Philippines
15831 Posts |
Posted - 01/15/2006 : 00:30:16 [Permalink]
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quote:
Originally posted by beskeptigal
Hi new friend. My curiosity is peaked here but where do you find the formation? Is there something I put in the Google Earth search engine? Do I have to install Google Earth? Seems to me I went on the site and that was needed. The download on "Granny's" post looks intimidating. I wasn't sure what that was.
The BB has different code than the usual html. Ask and someone here that knows more than I can help you with the image posting.
Sorry I had not explained this carefully. The earth-like icon at Supergranny's root message, when clicked, gives the Google Earth application data to zoom in on the area she had selected. But you must have GE in order for this to work.
I haven't yet figured out a way to post a screen capture of the "Alberta Indian" here. I will try to ask around, as you suggest.
-- HalfMooner
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“Biology is just physics that has begun to smell bad.” —HalfMooner
Here's a link to Moonscape News, and one to its Archive. |
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HalfMooner
Dingaling
Philippines
15831 Posts |
Posted - 01/15/2006 : 01:15:28 [Permalink]
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Oh, I think I forgot to give the URL where you can get Google Earth:
http://earth.google.com/
No need to get the pay versions; the free one works fine. |
“Biology is just physics that has begun to smell bad.” —HalfMooner
Here's a link to Moonscape News, and one to its Archive. |
| Edited by - HalfMooner on 01/15/2006 01:19:55 |
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Dr. Mabuse
Septic Fiend
Sweden
9688 Posts |
Posted - 01/15/2006 : 06:40:23 [Permalink]
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quote:
Originally posted by HalfMooner
I'm new to the SFN Forum and its functions, but I'm going to see if I can upload a screen capture of the Alberta Indian here.
First of all: welcome, HalfMooner!
Here's a link about forum codes. Read and scrolldown.
http://www.skepticfriends.org/forum/faq.asp#hyperlink
Unfortunately, there is no way to upload files to the SFN-server, but if you have access to a web-server you can put it there, and make an [img]-[/img]link. |
Dr. Mabuse - "When the going gets tough, the tough get Duct-tape..."
Dr. Mabuse whisper.mp3
"Equivocation is not just a job, for a creationist it's a way of life..." Dr. Mabuse
Support American Troops in Iraq:
Send them unarmed civilians for target practice..
Collateralmurder. |
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Randy
SFN Regular
USA
1990 Posts |
Posted - 01/15/2006 : 07:01:31 [Permalink]
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Greetings, Halfmooner. Below, I simply used the screen capture key which copied the images to my computer's clipboard. From there I just used a simple program to crop same. I uploaded them to a on-line gallery of mine to web-host to post here. Took a couple of moments to do both.
Interesting find that Indian face. I agree with "Art" in your post....it's a matter of time until the flakes find it (Erik von Daniken for instance) and make much more about it than what it is.
Google Earth is quite an amazing feature to add to one's desktop computer. I recommend it to everyone to try the free download. I've spent quite a bit of time zooming in and around the Earth from the mountain valleys in New Zealand to the huge Mediteranian harbor of Athens, Greece. One can 'plant' themselves near the ground at Pompeii, and with a small scroll of the mouse 'look up' to the magnificent view of Mt. Vesuvius. |
"We are all connected; to each other biologically, to the earth chemically, to the rest of the universe atomically."
"So you're made of detritus [from exploded stars]. Get over it. Or better yet, celebrate it. After all, what nobler thought can one cherish than that the universe lives within us all?"
-Neil DeGrasse Tyson |
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filthy
SFN Die Hard
USA
14408 Posts |
Posted - 01/15/2006 : 07:36:55 [Permalink]
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Greetings Halfmooner and welcome!
What a neat formation! Wind & rain can do marvelous things, given time to work.
The 'face' looks, to me, not so much like an indian but one of the Easter Island whaddya-callums -- can't seem to recall the name of those big, stone statues. 
Thanks!
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"What luck for rulers that men do not think." -- Adolf Hitler (1889 - 1945)
"If only we could impeach on the basis of criminal stupidity, 90% of the Rethuglicans and half of the Democrats would be thrown out of office." ~~ P.Z. Myres
"The default position of human nature is to punch the other guy in the face and take his stuff." ~~ Dude
Brother Boot Knife of Warm Humanitarianism,
and Crypto-Communist! 
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| Edited by - filthy on 01/15/2006 07:39:30 |
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Siberia
SFN Addict
Brazil
2322 Posts |
Posted - 01/15/2006 : 10:04:49 [Permalink]
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| Wow, that's absolutely impressive! Welcome and thanks for lettin' us know! |
"Why are you afraid of something you're not even sure exists?"
- The Kovenant, Via Negativa
"People who don't like their beliefs being laughed at shouldn't have such funny beliefs."
-- unknown
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HalfMooner
Dingaling
Philippines
15831 Posts |
Posted - 01/15/2006 : 11:38:07 [Permalink]
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Thanks to all of you who have replied, and incidentally, made me feel quite welcome.
Randy, thank you so much for posting the two Google Earth screen captures! The top one is exactly like the one what I had intended to post. The second one you made, from an oblique angle, was a wonderful idea. It clearly shows the "Alberta Indian" as a terrain erosion effect, exactly the kind of an alternative "skeptical angle" from which everyone should look try to at the universe. Wish I'd thunk of it.
I do think we can all agree on one thing: This "face" is a lot nicer to look at than that ugly, uninspiring "Face of Mars" (from the NASA's original low-rez image) that we've all had to stare at for the last several years. I would even purchase a poster of this beautiful terrain feature, frame it, and hang it as "art." When I see something "awesome" in nature, I have something that is emotionally similar to a religious experience, a feeling that I know skeptics share with all other people. The difference is, we skeptics try to use a logical method to understand nature's wonders.
You can already see a scattering of credulous people among those in the Google Earth thread (link in my first posting) who appear to be potential fodder for both charlatans and sincere mystics who are likely to start beating their drums about the "Alberta Indian." I wanted to make sure that skeptics were aware of the "AI" early on, in case this thing blows up into a big bruhaha.
One thing I would suggest is that skeptics should try to respect the "awe" people quite naturally feel when seeing any truly impressive aspect of nature. We are all fortunate, in my opinion, when we can have such feelings. No, we shouldn't give in to irrational explanations. We should challenge them, and propose better methods of gaining understanding. But "awe" can motivate a skeptic as much as it can move a New Age mystic or a religious fundamentalist. "Awe" is wonderful; only the hogwash explanations are bad.
PS:
I'm re-editing this message to make another observation: The singular most awesome thing about the Alberta Indian is how wonderful the human brain and visual system are at making sense out of apparent near randomness. This is clearly a matter of evolutionary advantage, and it allowed our ancestors to pick out lions well hidden in tall grass. But it also allows us to see things that aren't "really" there, like the Alberta Indian. |
“Biology is just physics that has begun to smell bad.” —HalfMooner
Here's a link to Moonscape News, and one to its Archive. |
| Edited by - HalfMooner on 01/15/2006 11:59:39 |
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Chippewa
SFN Regular
USA
1496 Posts |
Posted - 01/15/2006 : 12:31:45 [Permalink]
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quote:
Originally posted by Randy
...Below, I simply used the screen capture key which copied the images to my computer's clipboard...Interesting find that Indian face. http://ck37.image.pbase.com/image/54863317/original.jpg
Yes, it is, and...hey, that's my Grandpa!  |
Diversity, independence, innovation and imagination are progressive concepts ultimately alien to the conservative mind.
"TAX AND SPEND" IS GOOD! (TAX: Wealthy corporations who won't go poor even after taxes. SPEND: On public works programs, education, the environment, improvements.) |
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beskeptigal
SFN Die Hard
USA
3834 Posts |
Posted - 01/15/2006 : 14:07:33 [Permalink]
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From the Google Earth forum I take it there is no chance this is photoshopped?
It is indeed worthy of, Whoa! That is great. Incredible detail from shoulders to headdress.
There was a Google Earth download required. Anyone know how long it takes before I hit the key? |
| Edited by - beskeptigal on 01/15/2006 14:08:23 |
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Randy
SFN Regular
USA
1990 Posts |
Posted - 01/15/2006 : 14:19:21 [Permalink]
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I downloaded it with having Road Runner cable here. To download Google Earth....I dunno, maybe a few seconds?
Here's their requirement page...
http://earth.google.com/faq.html#requirements
The 'image' does appear on Google Maps, satellite. Terraserver doesn't cover that area.
Imagine the number of geo-facsimiles out there of yet discovered animal, plant, whatever species. It boggles the mind!  |
"We are all connected; to each other biologically, to the earth chemically, to the rest of the universe atomically."
"So you're made of detritus [from exploded stars]. Get over it. Or better yet, celebrate it. After all, what nobler thought can one cherish than that the universe lives within us all?"
-Neil DeGrasse Tyson |
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pleco
SFN Addict
USA
2998 Posts |
Posted - 01/15/2006 : 14:31:52 [Permalink]
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| Definitely a quick download - a runs very well on broadband. |
by Filthy
The neo-con methane machine will soon be running at full fart. |
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Randy
SFN Regular
USA
1990 Posts |
Posted - 01/15/2006 : 14:50:05 [Permalink]
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When you run Google Earth, try out the myriad of placemarkers on the left side. But be sure and check "Terrain" under "Layers". That tool will give you the 3D look, a relief map effect that's way cool.
You can go 'flying' down and thru the Grand Canyon, then over to the Northern Italian Alps. Zoom down to Red Square. The world is your oyster.
If you check Google Community, there'll be a ton of links people put in with messages. I haven't yet figured out how to get a placemark out into the Google Earth community yet. |
"We are all connected; to each other biologically, to the earth chemically, to the rest of the universe atomically."
"So you're made of detritus [from exploded stars]. Get over it. Or better yet, celebrate it. After all, what nobler thought can one cherish than that the universe lives within us all?"
-Neil DeGrasse Tyson |
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HalfMooner
Dingaling
Philippines
15831 Posts |
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Jason Barker
Skeptic Friend
USA
55 Posts |
Posted - 01/20/2006 : 17:31:44 [Permalink]
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| This reminds me of a book I have called The Tampa Triangle, about all sorts of paranormal things happening in the Tampa and Orlando are aof Central Florida. One of the claims is that, from orbit, the state, or some part of it, forms a native american head. It's a pretty funny book. ^_^ Albeit unintentionally. (My favorite part is about aliens abducting sharks.) |
Homer: He thinks he's so big, with all his money and wealth. But there's one thing he can't buy with his money.
Marge:What's that?
Homer:........a dinosaur. |
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