Posthuman Blues

Author/mathematician Rudy Rucker has enlarged a photo of a typical "orb," revealing internal detail and a passable (if fortuitous) face. I should point out that the only weird thing about "orbs" is the number of people who've managed to convince themselves they're somehow mysterious; this isn't simply wanting to believe -- it's flat-out desperation to believe, often facilitated by fringe personalities who should know better.

Whitley Strieber, for example, posts occasional "orb" pictures on his site with eerie commentary that suggests they're disembodied souls or earth-spirits or whatever -- no questions asked.

If pressed, Strieber and other believers will admit that some "orbs" can be explained as dust particles and lens flares, but that there's a percentage that defies explanation.

Show me one.