Lack of Updates

I apologize for the lack of updates the Crypto-Blog this past week or so. I am in the process of changing jobs and moving so the updates may be a bit sparse for a little while. What I may do however, is a weekly recap of Cryptozoology stories. Let me know what you think of this idea in the comments.

Cryptozoology Photo Contest

I am sure most of you are aware of the $1 million reward that was announced last year by Dual Masters trading cards(owned by Hasbro). The reward was "to encourage the public to assist in the safe capture of a Bigfoot, Yeti, Lake Monster, Sea Serpent, or other cryptozoological specimen" . A few days later, it was announced that the reward was retracted due to safety reasons. However, there was another contest announced soon after that. In this contest Dual Masters were going to offer smaller cash prizes for "the best photos that help to perpetuate the mystique surrounding legendary creatures". Personally, I have had mixed feelings about this contest. If you go to the Dual Masters website you will see the news about the contest as part of their "Creature Appreciate Week" which started in late October. My first concern, are the photos they have on the site. Now, I am sure these are just there to promote the contest but they are all obvious fakes. Most done with photographic manipulation techniques, i.e. Photoshop. What most alarms me though is what is stated in the rules for the contest: Entrants may use photography tricks and/or staging of props and/or other elements within the photograph in their attempt to create a photograph that helps further the myth and allure of finding a mythical beast. That right there tells me they do not want legitimate photographs of these creatures. They want fakes. In my opinion, this is not what Cryptozoology needs. This would just encourage people to submit fake photographs for this contest. If we are ever to legitimize these creatures we need serious, scientific study. Not contests like this. I have some more news about this contest as well. I won't write about it right now. I will very soon though. Stay tuned!

More Malaysian Bigfoot News

Malaysia, it seems could already be the Bigfoot hotspot of the year. With so many news reports and sightings coming from the Southern Malaysian Jungles as of late. A recent article tells more details about what is happening in Malaysia recently. I guess you could call it "Bigfoot Fever". The article goes into a little detail about how there are plans to capture the creature on film using motion-sensor cameras placed in the jungle. Which I think is a great idea, since these cameras have been recently used to uncover a new species of mammal in the jungles of Borneo. In the article there is also a story of a Bigfoot being shot and killed a few years back in a neighboring state. However, when a zoologist went back a year after the shooting the carcass was no longer there. I do hold out hope that something will be found in the jungles of Malaysia. Something that will make scientists around the world sit up and take notice. So stay tuned for updates on this story and many others!

Stabilized Patterson Footage

Now, we have all seen the famous Roger Patterson/Bob Gimlin Bigfoot video before. The grainy, shaky video is ingrained in most people's minds when they think of Bigfoot. The video's authenticity has been in question since it was filmed in 1967. Since then it has been featured in just about any and every TV show about the creature. What some of you may not have seen is a stabilized version of the footage. In this version, each frame is meticulously compared to the last and lined up. When it is played back the camera shake is accounted for and the main part of the image is stable. There is also another movie on the page that repeats and zooms in on a few key frames of the footage. Now, I don't want to bring up the old debate of whether or not this footage was of a real, unidentified primate or just a guy in a suit. I do think this stabilized video was pretty interesting though, and worth a mention. So, sit back and enjoy this update on a piece of Bigfoot history.