[FormerLurker]

College kids could design circles that are laced with "hidden meaning" and then the galoots could get out there with their strings and snowshoes and stomp around, thus mystifying the "researchers."

You forget however that the "galoots" can't make a properly constructed crop circle, at least any of which have been documented. The best of the best couldn't construct a crop circle formation that was geometrically correct or symmetrical, so we are back to the fact that we just don't know exactly who IS creating these things...

[discostu]

Interesting that neither the TLC (very much pro-woovy groovy) nor the History Channel (vaguely neutral though still leaning towards woovy groovy) got into any serious discussion of the "quality" issue. The History Channel one did briefly discuss in the beginning how most crop circles (and other "mystic" circle ala Stonehenge) are actually oval. But they didn't dig into that.