Mysterious Suburban Chicago Crop Circles

NBC 5 Chicago ^ | 7/26/02 | NBC 5 Chicago

[Dengar01]

Timing Suspicious On Mysterious Suburban Crop Circles
Could Eerie Mystery Have To Do With Movie Release?

Is it a case of mysterious crop circles -- or an elaborate movie hoax?

A soybean farmer in Naperville said the broken, concentric rings that appeared in a field off Diehl Road left him scratching his head.

"Have you ever heard of something so crazy?" Steve Berning said. "Unbelievable."

Berning said the circles appeared last weekend and damaged more than 10 percent of his 8-acre field.

The circles do resemble similar ones seen in England, but in this case, the timing of their appearance in the western suburb is a bit suspicious.

Two weeks from now, "Signs" hits the big screen. The movie starring Mel Gibson involves -- you guessed it -- mysterious crop circles.

William Leone, an investigator with the Mutual UFO Network, said soil analysis could determine whether the circles have human or extraterrestrial origins.

But Illinois Farm Bureau spokesman Dennis Vercler scoffed at that idea.

"Since I don't believe in UFOs -- at least not soybean-destroying UFOs -- I have to assume whoever did this did it intentionally as a malicious prank," Vercler said.

Meanwhile, Berning doesn't seem overly upset about the circles.

"There's some damage, which upsets me," Berning said. "But I'm more curious than anything. I"ll always be asking questions."

[PatrickHenry]

Well, you got post 300. I'll have to settle for 301. It's a prime number. (At least I think it's prime ...)

[VadeRetro]

301 / 7 = 43

[VadeRetro]

The guy's a raving nutter. He's going to rant his rants anyway and imagine that he answers you with web pages on mathematical puzzles and games.

[PatrickHenry]

Only a shoe-bomber would divide by seven.

[VadeRetro]

It's the first number I tried. Why can't I seem to win Lotto?

[PatrickHenry]

Have I ever told you about my method of squaring the circle?

[Dengar01]

I went out to the crop site location today and it is a lot bigger than I thought it would be I took some ground shots and I will post them later here. I was not able to actually walk in the location I will try to later on today, then I should be able to get some better photos.

[balrog666]

I think I see something in this one:

Arrrrggggggh!

[balrog666]

Here's an interesting site:

Are you a budding circlemaker? Or maybe you're just curious about what we do. Then you need our exclusive indispensable 40 page "circlemakers manual", this is one book you won't find on amazon.com! It includes everything you ever wanted to know about circlemaking and incorporates the famous "Beginners Guide to Crop Circle Making", numerous detailed diagrams and everything that you need to know to join the ranks of covert circlemakers. Site is here!

[longshadow]

Have I ever told you about my method of squaring the circle?

I remember the professors talking about that technique. They referred to it as the "brute-force" approach.

;-)

[PatrickHenry]

This one appeared suddenly in the middle of a turnup field in Idaho:

[longshadow]

If you REALLY think this field of Mathematics to be archaic and obsolete, drop me a line sometime.

I've got an even better idea......

Remember that LINK you provided to the Univ. of Buffalo that was supposed to make everyone think that they were teaching "Egyptian Geometry" there? Well, as I demonstrated in a previous post, it had nothing to do with any Math courses taught at the Univ. of Buffalo, but just to be fair about it, I have provided below the ENTIRE undergrad course offering of the Univ. of Buffalo Math Department for the fall semester.

Can you point out which course is the one on "Sacred Geometry?"

Of course not...... BECAUSE IT'S NOT PART OF THE CURRICULUM!

---

>>> Fall 2002

---

Courses: Undergraduate: MTH

The following Undergraduate courses are offered by the MTH department in the Fall 2002 semester:

MTH 115 - Survey Of Algebra & Trig, Section EN1, LEC, M W, 1500 - 1640
MTH 121 - Surv Calculus & Appl 1, Section B, LEC, M W F, 0900 - 0950
MTH 122 - Surv Calculus & Appl 2, Section M7A, LEC, M W, 1900 - 2040
MTH 131 - Math Analysis For Managemt, Section M3A, LEC, M W, 1500 - 1640
MTH 141 - College Calculus 1, Section B, LEC, M W F, 0900 - 0950
MTH 142 - College Calculus 2, Section D, LEC, M W F, 1100 - 1150
MTH 153 - Honors Calculus 1, Section C, LEC, M W F, 1000 - 1050
MTH 181 - Conceptual Math I, Section , LEC, T R, 1230 - 1350
MTH 191 - Intro To Discrete Math, Section B, LEC, M W F, 0900 - 0950
MTH 241 - College Calculus 3, Section B, LEC, M W F, 0900 - 0950
MTH 301 - Basic Analysis And Profs, Section C, LEC, M W F, 1000 - 1050
MTH 306 - Intro Diff Equations, Section C, LEC, M W F, 1000 - 1050
MTH 309 - Intro Linear Algebra, Section B, LEC, M W F, 0900 - 0950
MTH 313 - Elements Of Set Theory, Section A, REC, F, 1600 - 1650
MTH 353 - Intro To Combinatorics I, Section , LEC, M W F, 1500 - 1550
MTH 411 - Probability Theory, Section C, LEC, M W F, 1000 - 1050
MTH 417 - Survey Multivariable Cal, Section A, LAB, F, 1600 - 1650
MTH 419 - Intro To Algebra 1, Section A, REC, W, 1600 - 1650
MTH 425 - Intro Complex Variables 1, Section , LEC, M W F, 1400 - 1450
MTH 427 - Intro To Topology 1, Section , LEC, M W F, 0900 - 0950
MTH 431 - Intro Real Variables 1, Section A, REC, T, 0830 - 0920
MTH 437 - Intro Numerical Analys 1, Section A, LAB, M, 1600 - 1650
MTH 443 - Fundamen Applied Math 1, Section , LEC, T R, 0930 - 1050
MTH 445 - Intro Ord Diff Equations, Section , LEC, T R, 1400 - 1520
MTH 458 - Mathematical Finance, Section , LEC, M W F, 1200 - 1250
MTH 465 - Lectures On Geometry, Section , LEC, T R, 1100 - 1220
MTH 467 - Intro To Cryptography, Section , LEC, T R, 1400 - 1520
MTH 497 - Honors Thesis, Section , TUT, ARR, ARR - ARR
MTH 498 - Internship, Section , TUT, ARR, ARR - ARR
MTH 499 - Independent Study, Section BLO, TUT, ARR, ARR - ARR

[ Course Schedule ][ Undergraduate ]

---

Records & Registration
Schedule Last Updated: 8/3/2002 at 07:19
On-line schedule by UBWings staff. Questions/comments: wings@buffalo.edu

---

So, if YOU think "Sacred Geometry" is NOT "archaic and obsolete," pray tell why it isn't part of the curriculum of the school YOU chose to showcase how Mathematically significant it is supposed to be?

[PatrickHenry]

You know he ain't gonna answer.

[longshadow]

You know he ain't gonna answer.

Failure to "answer the bell" IS an "answer," from which the lurkers will rightfully infer the appropriate conclusion.

[Chemnitz]

The ran shark scare stories for "Jaws." Nothing to see. Move along.

[BJungNan]

H O A X

[Scully]

the "brute-force" approach.

Don't knock it. :-) I employed the technique on many occasions as an undergrad. It's a time-honored method. (Notice, I am also bowing to peer-pressure by inserting a nose into my smilie)

[VadeRetro]

Now let's see if you make a dent upon FormerLurker! I think not.

So, we have evidence for the paranormal in a phenomenon that 1) people have confessed to hoaxing, and 2) you can buy pamphlets on how to do yourself.

[PatrickHenry]

This is the only truly "sacred geometry" I know about:

1st kings
7:23 And he made a molten sea, ten cubits from the one brim to the other: it was round all about, and his height was five cubits: and a line of thirty cubits did compass it round about.

[balrog666]

So, we have evidence for the paranormal in a phenomenon that 1) people have confessed to hoaxing, and 2) you can buy pamphlets on how to do yourself.

And, in addition, we have (at least) two distinct groups of professional "crop circle" makers advertising on the internet complete with demonstrations of past performances.

As for denting FormerLurker, I have assumed that he has a connection to the movie marketing. I suspect that now they are all ruing the fact that no one read the script before they shot it.