Crop Circle time again

[CatInASuit]

Welcome to Summer in the English countryside as the crops grow and drunk students try out their latest art/maths project under the influence of several galloons of cider.

Now this is what I call a Crop Circle, a 600ft jellyfish in an Oxfordshire field.

That must have taken some effort to plan out.

Or was it the little green men or just a natural phenomenom?

[ivan astikov]

Nice.

Another group of anonymous artists with a surprising lack of need for recognition, strike again.

Come on guys, stop being so shy! We all know they aren't done by ET's or earth spirits.

[terrifel]

"We are looking into the meaning of it, but at present it just seems to have appeared out of nowhere."

"Our preliminary interpretation is that some unknown force wants humans to plant more jellyfish crops."

[silenus]

Mars needs peanut butter!

[CatInASuit]

[img ]http://www.telegraph.co.uk/telegraph/multimedia/archive/01414/jellyfish1_1414867c.jpg[ /img]

Wonder if this works?

ETA: Yup, image works here as well.

Just curious as to whether it would be good having an image here as well to show what the story is about?
Any comments?

[silenus]

There is a perectly good image in the link in the OP.

[CatInASuit]

True, but would having a picture of it in the thread enhance the story or is it easy ernough to just click on the link for the full story and image?

[deedeeknowit]

True, but would having a picture of it in the thread enhance the story or is it easy ernough to just click on the link for the full story and image?

Clicking on the link does the trick.

I wonder how many people it took to complete task in order for it to appear overnight?

Neat.

[Walker in Eternity]

I read in a newspaper yesterday that the landowners claim that this crop circle has done £600,000 of damage, must be bloody expensive wheat/corn.

[OneCentStamp]

I read in a newspaper yesterday that the landowners claim that this crop circle has done £600,000 of damage, must be bloody expensive wheat/corn.

It's opium.

[terrifel]

It is quadrotriticale; a high-yield perennial, genetically engineered four-lobed hybrid of wheat and rye.

[silenus]

A Russian inwention!

[ivan astikov]

What kind of artists don't leave a signature of some kind?

Anybody want to take a guess at what kind of people would go to such lengths, and then not claim any recognition for their work?

[WhyNot]

It is quadrotriticale; a high-yield perennial, genetically engineered four-lobed hybrid of wheat and rye.

Damn you, I actually googled.

[McNutty]

Anybody want to take a guess at what kind of people would go to such lengths, and then not claim any recognition for their work?

I'm going to go out on a limb and say people whose work would get them arrested. Or space aliens.

[ivan astikov]

So, they are just the geek equivalent of graffiti artists then? Don't graffiti artists usually leave some identifying marker?

[terrifel]

What kind of artists don't leave a signature of some kind?

Anybody want to take a guess at what kind of people would go to such lengths, and then not claim any recognition for their work?

My guess would be the kind of people who find it more entertaining to sit back and watch others offer explanations involving magnetic vortices or space aliens.

Thank you, anonymous midnight corn-knockers-over.

[CatInASuit]

Looks like those crazy aliens are back at it again, this time predicting the end of the world as we know it.

Got to admit, it's pretty impressive. A 400 foot phoenix

Story here

[Butterscotch]

There's lots here. I love the dragonfly!

[ivan astikov]

So, these jolly pranksters like to try and spread a little fear, as well as show how clever they are?

I still want to see live footage of a complex one being done in the dark, or a Louis Theroux special on the underground world of crop-circle makers.

[Baldwin]

So, these jolly pranksters like to try and spread a little fear, as well as show how clever they are?

I still want to see live footage of a complex one being done in the dark, or a Louis Theroux special on the underground world of crop-circle makers.

I'd like to see these guys locked up for a bit. I don't like people who have no respect for the property and welfare of others.

[ivan astikov]

I thought the damage to crops was usually offset by the money the landowner can charge for allowing access into their field? And they haven't even had to do any work for it.

[Baldwin]

I thought the damage to crops was usually offset by the money the landowner can charge for allowing access into their field? And they haven't even had to do any work for it.

Are you suggesting that excuses the crime? I'm used to you rationalizing your own criminal history, but you're usually hypocritically harsh on other offenders.

[SBSO2]

I thought the damage to crops was usually offset by the money the landowner can charge for allowing access into their field? And they haven't even had to do any work for it.

Are you suggesting that excuses the crime? I'm used to you rationalizing your own criminal history, but you're usually hypocritically harsh on other offenders.

A question for you Baldwin: Is theft ever morally justified?

[Baldwin]

I thought the damage to crops was usually offset by the money the landowner can charge for allowing access into their field? And they haven't even had to do any work for it.

Are you suggesting that excuses the crime? I'm used to you rationalizing your own criminal history, but you're usually hypocritically harsh on other offenders.

A question for you Baldwin: Is theft ever morally justified?

Sometimes. But we're not talking about Jean Valjean here.

[SBSO2]

A question for you Baldwin: Is theft ever morally justified?

Sometimes. But we're not talking about Jean Valjean here.

No, but we are talking about a relatively tiny amount of damage caused to the benefit of almost everyone else; and by this stage crop circles are effectively an occupational hazard for farmers.

[Baldwin]

A question for you Baldwin: Is theft ever morally justified?

Sometimes. But we're not talking about Jean Valjean here.

No, but we are talking about a relatively tiny amount of damage caused to the benefit of almost everyone else; and by this stage crop circles are effectively an occupational hazard for farmers.

I hope you're joking.

[Guinastasia]

My theory? Alien teenagers trying to freak out us Earthlings. If we could decipher them, it would be, "For a good time, call Zolta" and "Haydar was here!"

[terrifel]

I'd like to see these guys locked up for a bit. I don't like people who have no respect for the property and welfare of others.

I believe the traditional approach is to harangue the rapscallions from the front porch while wearing Bermuda shorts and black socks.

[SBSO2]

I hope you're joking.

Nope. I'm going to guess you've been to the countryside once in your life.

[CatInASuit]

Looks like it's not kids, it's wallabies .

[ivan astikov]

Best explanation, EVAH!

I was having a look at the Wikipedia article and read this

Critics have cited what they refer to as the "shyness factor". This alludes to the fact that no crop-circle makers have been caught in the act. This assertion is not true however, and there are cases of circle makers being apprehended, including one high-profile case in 1998 when a circle was made for the media and the makers interrupted when seen in the act. In most cases, it appears that the creation of crop circles is a nocturnal activity. Usually nothing is reported, and during one attempt to observe the creation of a crop circle, numerous individuals witnessed nothing out of the ordinary, yet were astounded to see a crop circle in the field only a short distance away from the one they had been watching the next morning

The conclusion wasn't quite the same as the article cited that it was taken from, on the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry webpage,

# The Shyness Factor. A fourth characteristic of the cropfield phenomenon is its avoidance of being observed in action. It is largely nocturnal, and the designs even appear to specifically resist being seen, as shown by Operation White Crow. That was an eight-night vigil maintained by about sixty cereologists in June 1989. Not only did no circles appear in the field chosen for surveillance but-although there had already been almost a hundred formations that summer, with yet another 170 or so to occur-not a single circle was reported during the period anywhere in England. Then a large circle-and-ring formation was discovered about 500 yards away on the very next day!

Tbh, I'm still not sure what the above is trying to prove, but it certainly isn't conclusive of anything.

[Baldwin]

I hope you're joking.

Nope. I'm going to guess you've been to the countryside once in your life.

A few times. People who rely on crops for their livelihood don't like vandals trespassing and trampling their fields.

[SBSO2]

I hope you're joking.

Nope. I'm going to guess you've been to the countryside once in your life.

A few times. People who rely on crops for their livelihood don't like vandals trespassing and trampling their fields.

You would be surprised how little they are bothered by crop circles, actually - they are just too rare to care about

[ivan astikov]

Thing is, any sad bastards who aren't creating works of art out of a natural canvas, and are still at the bottom level of Crop Circles 101, absolutely deserve to be arrested and beaten with a rotten haddock until they are very sorry indeed.

Whereas I'd like to know who these creatively technical geniuses are and see their ninja-like moves in action. Damn, those crop-circling savants have got to be the shyest, most humble artists, that I have ever heard of. They don't even sign off with a pseudonym!

[Guizmeaux]

You would be surprised how little they are bothered by crop circles, actually - they are just too rare to care about

Not only that, but I would stick my neck out and say that they couldn't give the slightest crap about crops that the EU pay them to grow, seeing as there is no intention of the product ever reaching a consumer market. After all, the purpose of growing the worthless crop - usually oil seed rape instead of wheat or maize - is to artificially inflate the price of grain.

And before anyone gets all self-righteous, I have one word; "Wisconsin".

[Zuul]

Not only that, but I would stick my neck out and say that they couldn't give the slightest crap about crops that the EU pay them to grow, seeing as there is no intention of the product ever reaching a consumer market. After all, the purpose of growing the worthless crop - usually oil seed rape instead of wheat or maize - is to artificially inflate the price of grain.

And before anyone gets all self-righteous, I have one word; "Wisconsin".

Yes.

[Glazer]

Let me get this straight. the EU is paying English farmers to grow useless crops to support wheat farmers in Wisconsin?

[Guizmeaux]

Let me get this straight. the EU is paying English farmers to grow useless crops to support wheat farmers in Wisconsin?

Yeah, I think it's something to do with all that globalisation stuff I've been hearing about.

[ivan astikov]

Anyone want to give me a best 'guestimate' how long it would have taken to have done the jellyfish in the OP?

I suppose the more people involved, the quicker it would be achieved, but it brings to mind the old Russian saying, "two people can keep a secret...if one of them is dead." - or something like that.

Are we to suppose that these "Circle-makers" only discuss their nocturnal activities with other like-minded, extremely secretive folk?

[Guizmeaux]

Not only that, but I would stick my neck out and say that they couldn't give the slightest crap about crops that the EU pay them to grow, seeing as there is no intention of the product ever reaching a consumer market. After all, the purpose of growing the worthless crop - usually oil seed rape instead of wheat or maize - is to artificially inflate the price of grain.

And before anyone gets all self-righteous, I have one word; "Wisconsin".

Yes.

My tone was a little aggressive - sorry about that - but I'm guessing you know what I mean. I'm obviously not a dairy farmer so I'm bound to be negative toward him, but William Proxmire made me so damned mad.

[terrifel]

Are we to suppose that these "Circle-makers" only discuss their nocturnal activities with other like-minded, extremely secretive folk?

Well yeah, pretty much. That is the whole point of the joke, after all.

It's a bit like stage magic: most magicians do not demonstrate how the tricks are done, because that kills the effect. A rabbit that seemingly appears from an empty hat is magic. A rabbit that appears from a specially prepared pocket is not magic. Similarly, a mysterious crop circle that seemingly appears from nowhere will end up on the news and potentially published in books on the subject; while a crop circle produced by a couple of guys knocking down corn probably won't garner any attention other than perhaps a misdemeanor vandalism charge.

And what if the perpetrators do talk about it afterward, to friends or family? "Hey, you remember that big jellyfish crop circle that was on the news a few weeks ago? A bunch of us did that on a lark." At that point, what difference does it make? The story's already out there.

[Zuul]

My tone was a little aggressive - sorry about that - but I'm guessing you know what I mean. I'm obviously not a dairy farmer so I'm bound to be negative toward him, but William Proxmire made me so damned mad.

Oh, I didn't take it aggressively at all. I know exactly what you mean. It's all a house of cards and it disgusts me.

[Guizmeaux]

My tone was a little aggressive - sorry about that - but I'm guessing you know what I mean. I'm obviously not a dairy farmer so I'm bound to be negative toward him, but William Proxmire made me so damned mad.

Oh, I didn't take it aggressively at all. I know exactly what you mean. It's all a house of cards and it disgusts me.

Thank you, Caerie. I'm preaching to the choir but;

It's not so much that I am a proponent of space industry, and so objected to him spending a weekend shaving $80K off NASA's budget.

My problem is that he milked* the system in any way he could to protect his own position, got uppity at others doing the same as he was, and gave no acknowledgement to the fact that he was perpetuating theft from taxpayers and greed of his electorate.

Grr. The worst thing is that I have to acknowledge that he was sometimes right, (according to my own value system. Others may vary).


*All puns in this post are entirely accidental.

[Guizmeaux]

Anyone want to give me a best 'guestimate' how long it would have taken to have done the jellyfish in the OP?

I suppose the more people involved, the quicker it would be achieved, but it brings to mind the old Russian saying, "two people can keep a secret...if one of them is dead." - or something like that.

Are we to suppose that these "Circle-makers" only discuss their nocturnal activities with other like-minded, extremely secretive folk?

In answer to this, I would say, "The hours of darkness". Maybe 5-6 hours, though that jellyfish is quite impressive if done in that time.

And it wouldn't have taken that many people - maybe four - since it is usual to pre-calculate the pattern, draw it out on graph paper, go into the field during the day to plant locus stakes to which you attach guide strings, then use a GPS unit to guide yourself around on the night.

As for who they talk to, I wouldn't know.

[ivan astikov]

So, assuming the above is the more prosaic and likely solution, do you suppose they have no interest in recording their achievements for posterity, and are happy just to tip off a nearby 'circle enthusiast' and wait until their feat appears in the press?

[ivan astikov]

If someone could give me some research tips on how to determine how all the 'complex crop-patterns' came into the public eye, I'd be interested in having a go at finding out who these secretively shy artists are.

[Guizmeaux]

Ivan, I reckon it's just one of those charming little quirks of ours. It is surprising that they've kept their identities secret for so long, especially since it's almost a certainty that multiple groups are involved.

If there is any bragging going on, (most hackers feel the need to, and this is certainly a "hack" in the traditional sense) then it's either happening on a BBS, or on a dusty host somewhere without a DNS entry and spidering blocked...

But they are recorded for posterity of course - by the media. And I wouldn't be too surprised to find a handful of private pilots in their midst.

As for when it came into the public eye, I have a feeling that the trail has probably run cold by now. The first crop circle seems to have appeared in 1678 in Hertfordshire.

[Cartooniverse]

And it wouldn't have taken that many people - maybe four - since it is usual to pre-calculate the pattern, draw it out on graph paper, go into the field during the day to plant locus stakes to which you attach guide strings, then use a GPS unit to guide yourself around on the night.

They didn't have GPS location units in 1678.

The hobby, for I personally doubt it is the work of space aliens, predates modern technology by over 400 years.

Cartooniverse

[Guizmeaux]

And it wouldn't have taken that many people - maybe four - since it is usual to pre-calculate the pattern, draw it out on graph paper, go into the field during the day to plant locus stakes to which you attach guide strings, then use a GPS unit to guide yourself around on the night.

They didn't have GPS location units in 1678.

The hobby, for I personally doubt it is the work of space aliens, predates modern technology by over 400 years.

Cartooniverse

FFS. Well no, of course not. I was referring to the most recent ones, in direct reply to Ivan's question;

Anyone want to give me a best 'guestimate' how long it would have taken to have done the jellyfish in the OP?

In the 17th C, I would guess they would have had more people. They certainly had less complex designs, but the other equipment was just the same: rope, boards and paper & pencil.