Posthuman Blues

Monday, October 01, 2007

The notorious "drones" star in their own must-see CGI music video:

Watch those memes fly!

16 comments:

Anonymous said...: This video was done by "saladfingers," a participant on the Open Minds Forum (see: http://tinyurl.com/ysmeo8 ).

His youtube.com ID is:
saladfingers123456
where you can find other related videos.

I wonder if his interesting effort to produce a music video of what I consider an obvious, yet rather elaborate, hoax is a sociological sign that this particular hoax has now been going on for long enough for it to now be transmuted into art, and thus, to some extent, myth.

I wonder if there are any studies that have analyzed and calibrated the stages of an incident, whether "real" or hoaxed, and have identified particular steps or levels of evolution of a myth. This music video would possibly seem to be another step in that direction, if so.

And why the hell does the creator of this video call himself saladfingers? Eh, pass the blue cheese dressing...; 5:34 PM
Anonymous said...: Correction:
Music video of "Strange craft" by DRONE. http://www.myspace.com/droneonline
Video done by Kris Avery. http://www.kaptive.co.uk

[saladfingers just posted the video on his account--it was not done by him, apparently] D'oh!; 12:50 AM
Dustin said...: Not sure what you're trying to say there salad hooter, but Kris, aka saladfingers did make that video. I've tried asking him why, exactly, but no response as of yet.

Seems really strange for someone who's apparently trying to prove the existence of such objects to put out what's ostensibly a fake video of them, full well knowing that many people are going to try to pass it off as "real" and subsequently the entire phenomenon will be disregarded based on a "video hoax". I'm betting that's not what he's intended to do, but it is what it is, and apparently people are already trying to pass it off as real(silly, of course).

Gotta agree with part of what you said though. I guess once a hoax has been going on long enough, it gains a whole new level of status and gets immortalized in a faux-music video.; 3:28 PM
Dustin said...: Ah, I think I've figured out your confusion after just posting, salad hooter. The music was done by someone else, the video by saladfingers.; 3:29 PM
Mac said...: Has anyone wondered if "Saladfingers" might have faked the "real" photos as well as the CARET documents? He's obviously got the talent and technical ability.; 4:41 PM
Anonymous said...: You have to go on the Open Minds Forum and do some digging to find the answer to that one, Mac, and even then it won't be clear. But I'll try to answer the question, based on my own visits to OMF:

I think "saladfingers" or "Kris" is a skeptic, and has indicated in several of his posts on OMF that he thinks the original "Chad" and "Rajman" photos that started this whole affair are CGI or small models, i.e., fakes. Hoaxed.

I would agree with him. The entire series of "drone" photos, IMHO, are hoaxed in some manner. I suspect some are entirely CGI, and that some may be of models made by people and then images made and inserted into photos of the sky and telephone poles/lines using CGI related software. Most of the subsequent videos, if not all, have been self-identified as fabrications by the creators thereof. Their point, I guess, is that it's very easy for an experienced graphic artist to not only fabricate still digital photos, but even semi-realistic looking videos.

I don't know, but I suspect the various still photos, videos, and particularly the "isaac/caret" docs and photos were faked by various parties. I would guess some of these parties know each other, and some do not. Those that do not are probably riffing on the whole silly business, and for similar reasons, which I would suggest is to expose the gullibility and "will to believe" of those who accept that the "drone" photos are of real ET back-engineered tech or actual alien probes of some kind, which I personally find both laughable and absurdly ridiculous. Also, kind of disturbing, in the sense that there is a self-evident desire of some folks to believe just about any silly thing associated with ufos, especially when "documented" with "photographic evidence."

It's kind of the same syndrome of those who, because some authority figure has been quoted in the press, or due to just being shown on TV or reported in the papers, that that alone somehow gives the data some degree of credibility, which is rather obtuse thinking.

So, Mac, to answer your question directly, no, I don't think "saladfingers" likely had anything to do with the CARET documents. To me, that aspect of the hoax shows a higher degree of thought and effort, even though it's also a fabrication. But, then, I could be wrong.

What I find most interesting is how diversionary and time-wasting this process is.
----------------------------------
"Not sure what you're trying to say there salad hooter, but Kris, aka saladfingers did make that video. I've tried asking him why, exactly, but no response as of yet."

Thanks for that information, Dustin. It seems my intuition was initially correct. I got thrown off when I rechecked the youtube account and saw the reference to "DRONE" at myspace, and the name "Kris Avery"--I incorrectly thought that "saladfingers" was someone other than Kris Avery.

How do you know Kris Avery and saladfingers are the same person, btw?

Anyway, I only superficially have looked into this, as the forums at OMF about the "drone" go on and on for dozens of pages, and I decided I didn't want to waste my time looking into what I still say is essentially a more elaborate hoax than is usual in the ufo field.

See, here I am commenting on what a waste of time and energy this all is, but I'm guilty to some degree of doing it myself. It's interesting that "SF/Kris" has not reponded to your email, Dustin, about what his intentions were in creating the music video, but I would suggest he was just having fun, and pointing out in some way just how stupid and silly this whole affair is. A kind of critique through art, as it were.

I guess if I really cared much about this nuttiness, I could explore in depth all the stuff on OMF and Reality Uncovered, or Linda Moulton Howe and Whitley Strieber's respective websites, but then that would be doing just what I've pointed out: it would be a waste of time, diversionary, and, in the end, just stirring up waters so muddy now that probably no answers could be derived, and even if they could, so what--it still would just be detailing the specific facts about what anyone rational already knows; that this is a hoax. Been there, done that.

'Nuff said. On to more productive, real endeavors, thank you.; 8:28 PM
Derek C. F. Pegritz said...: OMG, that is a total botty-destroying antigravity JAM! I've tracked the song down and will be adding it to my DJ playlist this weekend....; 10:23 PM
Greg Bishop said...: You all need to check out Colin Bennett's essay on this whole business at:

http://www.realityuncovered.com/memewars.shtml

which was writen months before this new video was created (or released anyway.); 10:26 PM
Mac said...: Salad Hooter--

Thanks for your analysis. I agree: it looks more like a memetic jam session than the work of a single mastermind.

Greg--

Read it. Good stuff, even if Bennett goofs on some basic details.; 12:40 AM
Dustin said...: salad hooters, I know they're the same person because I've sent him e-mails and corresponded with him. In no way has he ever tried to hide who he is.

Not to shoot myself in the foot here, for any further communication, but Mac, I think you're right on. No one's gained more from the drone story than him. Some people at OMF pointed him out to me a while back, because they have their suspicions there. He's been the #1 suspect as far as I'm concerned for a while. Nothing he posted at BoT(which was unfortunately deleted due to his abuse of other members) made me think otherwise, in fact, it only reinforced by belief by some of the language he used.

He might not be behind it, but if he's not, he's quite the opportunist and he knows something he's not letting on, IMHO.; 4:52 PM
Dustin said...: And just to clarify...I don't think he's behind everything from the documents to the CGI, but I do think he's behind at least part of it. I know that in my research the "info" has come from at least two specific IPs, and I believe one is him, the other is someone working with him on it in an entirely different location not exactly near to him.

To be totally clear, I haven't been around this one from the beginning, so I don't know if I think he was in on it from the beginning, or if he just jumped in for whatever reason. So the idea of a "memetic jam session" (wonderful term which I might just steal) is still in play in my mind.

Anyway, just my opinions. If I'm wrong, I'm wrong, but that's the way I see it going down at this point.; 4:57 PM
Anonymous said...: lol.. Kris here. I'm just looking at the links from the music video on Youtube.

I'm honestly not in on anything. I'm just a CG guy. Nothing special. Those who suspect me of being in on it have to be pretty suspicious.

To date, I haven't benefited from it in any way. Not money, not work, nothing. All I have got for my points of view and work is abuse really. Not pleasant.

I got so frustrated with fighting my corner (Which I will add was to only make some of the most ardent believers accept that it could be a CG hoax, not that it is) that I just decided to vent my feelings and work into a music video, which for me would give some kind of conclusion to something which didn't have one. If I didn't I would probably go mad, as the conversations go around like a round-a-bout sometimes.

Drone (the musician) had written such an amazing piece of music, that is exactly the kind of music I listen to (Aphex twin anyone?) that I saw a great chance to have a go at creating a music video. Something I had wanted to do for a very long time. A lot of the work for the video I had already done because of my interest in the story, so it made sense to get some mileage out of it. Otherwise it would just be another set of models sat on my hard drive doing nothing.

So that's it really. I'm not a hoaxer, never want to be one, and I've only ever tried to fight a reasoned argument. Things get twisted on the internet. it's sad really.

Anyway, thanks for the comments and posting up the video. I'm really glad you like it. I'd also really recommend you check out Drones other music on myspace/droneonline ...He is brilliant!

Keep good all,

Kris; 5:27 AM
Dustin said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 4:28 PM
Dustin said...: Kris, good of you to show up. I deleted my previous comment because I like Mac too much to call you out on his blog and make his post and his space about that.

I think you can clearly see how there's lots of suspicion regarding you, and not answering the questions and claiming that you get nothing out of it when you clearly are getting press for your CGI abilities(which, is incidentally how you make your money at your 3D graphics/CGI company) is obviously a benefit to you. There's other oddities, but maybe we can hash those out.

I'll just say here that I hope you decide to reply to one of the two e-mails I've sent you without a response as of yet.; 4:55 PM
Anonymous said...: Hi Dustin,

Are you sure you got the email address right? It is possible I have missed you emails just purely because of the sheer quantity I have had recently. I'll go back and take a look.
You did get it off my website didn't you?

Thanks for the reply on here, it is appreciated.

Hopefully, if I can find your emails, I'll be in touch.

Keep good,

Kris; 11:27 AM
Anonymous said...: I've just checked my inbox, and I can't find any email with your name in it.. I searched for Dustin. Is that right?

You did send it to kris at kaptive.co.uk... not .com?

kaptive.com is someone else. I look forward to your email! Cheers

Kris; 12:05 PM