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The Hunt For Mr. Ferris!

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No, DBTrek has, from time to time, made useful contributions to ths forum, I don't think he merits being banned.

But he does seem to love to trash us at every opportunity, and me personally, and I'm wondering why, that's all.

dB
 
DAMMIT!

I just paid $20 to find out that Frank Ferris, in Woodury, NY, seems to have an unlisted phone #. I could keep trying to do this, but honestly, I don't have the extra cash at the moment to throw away $50-$100 to track down his phone #. If any of you feel like burning the cash, please go ahead and do so. You can call him, or you can pass along the # and I'll call him. I'd rather not drive him crazy with strangers calling him cold on the phone, I don't think this would be right (though I suspect that DBTrek is smiling with glee and reaching for his credit card).

dB
 
David Biedny said:
What's you point, dbtrek? If this your way of continuing to shit on the show, and me personally?

I don't appreciate it.

You make it obvious why I hesitate to speak about my experiences on the show - all that happens is that anonymous assholes like yourself take the opportunity to be gratuitously cruel, thinking that it shows how "cool" they are. I share my experiences out of the spirit of honest disclosure and a desire to have an actual conversation about them, perhaps arrive at some sort of understanding. I don't pretend to understand this stuff or have definitive answers, and I've nothing for sale in this realm.

So what's your beef with me?

dB
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That was a baffling response. Perhaps if you can elaborate on where you or the show were shit on I'd have some response. As it is, I have no clue what you're talking about.
 
Well, perhaps it's just my perception, but it seems to me that a large number of your posts have been negative about the show. If I'm wrong, I apologize, perhaps I'm feeling a little defensive after the recent show thread. That last post of yours didn't exactly feel complimentary, seems like you're taking me to task for being forthcoming. If not, my bad. Maybe I just need to stop reading these forums.
 
Miah said:
If anyone deserves banning for shit comments, DBTrek just fit the bill.

If someone is just being a troll, nothing but negative and nothing useful to add, fuck 'em. You got my vote.

But please don't continue this fight in this thread, it does not fit here.
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Listen, random internet stalker. Why don't you confine your activities to shaking down elderly strangers for information so you can 'prove' to the world that someone will or won't corroborate what DB said. Gene and Dave seem to have the forum well in hand without your sycophantic knee-jerk responses.
 
David Biedny said:
That last post of yours didn't exactly feel complimentary, seems like you're taking me to task for being forthcoming. If not, my bad. Maybe I just need to stop reading these forums.
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Hmmmmm.

Well, I wasn't taking you to task for not being forthcoming. I was trying to explain my recent realization of the actual consequences you face by being forthcoming. Originally I had thought that someone in your industry talking about UFO experiences wasn't anything out of the ordinary. I was unable to see what professional repercussions you could suffer from talking about UFO's.

When one of your listeners starts publicly tracking down and posting information on your old neighbors I begin to see where you're coming from. I realize that my line of thinking had been confined to people you interact with on a professional level when the issue actually encompasses everyone you know and have known. I hadn't considered "What if every time I talk about something in my life, there were people out there ready to chase down anyone I mention and question them". Once I realized this I understood one aspect what you had been talking about when mentioning the repercussions you face.

That was the point I was trying to make.
 
What the hell is going on in these forums lately? There are a few threads that I was following - out of interest in their stated topic - and they somehow mutated into these flame wars. We don't all have to agree. I don't hold any idealistic notions of an online world full of rainbows and cupcakes, but I thought we were all here to discuss the paranormal.

Whatever.

I had to vent.

Anyway... David, thanks for sharing that sighting on the last (12/9) episode. That must have really been something. Wow.

I think it's great that Miah is trying to track down Mr. Ferris. Great to perhaps get another report, but more so in that The Paracast has spawned this forum of interested listeners that are doing active investigations. I know that there are members who were already researchers, but I think you get my point. Seriously, if I had a real sighting, I'd contact Ritzmann first, then David, then Gene (not out of any favoritism, but out of proximity).

-todd.
 
Todd,

Thanks for the kind comments.

It seems like the online world does not enjoy the same types of social filters that are in place with realtime, meatspace interactions. When people realize that they can't be held accountable in venues like this one, due to the anonymity, it seems to bring out their worst behaviour. Folks have what I believe Ritzmann refers to as "Internet balls", they figure that you'll never meet them in person, so they can say the most provocative, hateful, insulting shit and never have to deal with the ramifications. Then there's the complete lack of nuance, body language, vocal inflections and other mechanisms needed to convey context, which also makes the whole situation even murkier.

dB
 
David Biedny said:
Todd,

Thanks for the kind comments.

It seems like the online world does not enjoy the same types of social filters that are in place with realtime, meatspace interactions. When people realize that they can't be held accountable in venues like this one, due to the anonymity, it seems to bring out their worst behaviour. Folks have what I believe Ritzmann refers to as "Internet balls", they figure that you'll never meet them in person, so they can say the most provocative, hateful, insulting shit and never have to deal with the ramifications. Then there's the complete lack of nuance, body language, vocal inflections and other mechanisms needed to convey context, which also makes the whole situation even murkier.

dB
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Agree 1000%, and I read that post the same way you did Dave.

We'll leave it at that and let time tell his true colors, and mine.
 
I certainly didn't mean to violate anyone's privacy with what info I posted (all of which is freely publicly available.) Certainly, bringing David back into touch with an old neighbor (if he wants to pursue it) doesn't seem any more "stalking" than, say, genealogical research. Additionally, I thought it might be interesting to see if there were other sightings or witnesses. Not to "prove" David's story but just to find out more about this sighting and shed more light into what was going on. Isn't this exactly what is done with all the "big-name" UFO sightings?
 
marmer said:
I certainly didn't mean to violate anyone's privacy with what info I posted (all of which is freely publicly available.) Certainly, bringing David back into touch with an old neighbor (if he wants to pursue it) doesn't seem any more "stalking" than, say, genealogical research. Additionally, I thought it might be interesting to see if there were other sightings or witnesses. Not to "prove" David's story but just to find out more about this sighting and shed more light into what was going on. Isn't this exactly what is done with all the "big-name" UFO sightings?
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It's safe to say that any reasonable person would agree with that.

It's obvious that this Ferris would remember the event even better than David, how illuminating it would be to hear his memory of the event. And as a bonus, it would give David more credibility, where's the harm in that. Even if the guy said he didn't recall it, it wouldn't mean it didn't happen to me.

And David obviously agreed or he would not have been in this thread helping with it.
 
Not beating a dead horse here, just trying to clarify:

David Biedny said:
Folks have what I believe Ritzmann refers to as "Internet balls", they figure that you'll never meet them in person, so they can say the most provocative, hateful, insulting shit and never have to deal with the ramifications.
Click to expand...

If you're referring to this thread in particular I'd say that description does not apply to what I wrote. I'd also offer that my balls are quite real, and anyone who wants to take the time to come see me face to face is welcome to my personal information, I'm just not going to post it in a forum where people with no intention of ever facing me have access to it.

If you're simply speaking generally, than I agree. A lot of people say stuff on the internet because there are no repercussions.

Then there's the complete lack of nuance, body language, vocal inflections and other mechanisms needed to convey context, which also makes the whole situation even murkier.
Click to expand...

I think that's what happened in this case.

Still, am I the only one slightly creeped out by the public investigation of DB's old neighbors? I mean, it's one thing to research this stuff tactfully off-line. It's quite another to start posting their names, address, and home ownership history in a public quest to vindicate/shame a podcast host.

I realize there is nothing illegal in doing it.
I realize all the information is publicly available.

But I'm thinking about some 93-year-old dude who has no idea that somewhere out on the internet a group of people are talking about him and posting satellite imagery of his house. This guy has no idea that he's now a key player in a the search to uncover . . . I'm not even sure what. Maybe just to provide a second witness to one of db's stories?

It could be that I'm the odd one here for speaking out, and this all seems normal to the rest of you. To me though, it's straight up weird; and contemplating the weirdness of it enlightened me as to possible 'repercussions' for talking about UFO's that I hadn't previously considered.

Obviously the ambiguity of my first post rubbed people the wrong way. Hopefully it's been cleared up now.

-DBTrek
 
DBTrek said:
But I'm thinking about some 93-year-old dude who has no idea that somewhere out on the internet a group of people are talking about him and posting satellite imagery of his house. This guy has no idea that he's now a key player in a the search to uncover . . . I'm not even sure what. Maybe just to provide a second witness to one of db's stories?

It could be that I'm the odd one here for speaking out, and this all seems normal to the rest of you. To me though, it's straight up weird; and contemplating the weirdness of it enlightened me as to possible 'repercussions' for talking about UFO's that I hadn't previously considered.


-DBTrek
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Well If you think thats creepy, I live in Philly and was planning on going on a little road trip to see what old man ferris was up too these days. bad idea?

He'll probably just scream for me to get off his lawn.
 
David Biedny said:
His address is the one thing I was able to find, and will be contacting him. We'll see what happens, hopefully he'll decide to call me.
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Give him your e-mail address too, in case he doesn't want to pay long distance.
 
Well If you think thats creepy, I live in Philly and was planning on going on a little road trip to see what old man ferris was up too these days. bad idea?

He'll probably just scream for me to get off his lawn.
Click to expand...

I was kidding of course.
 
My two bob for what is worth is this.

Put yourself in the position of Mr Ferris. Or in the place of say his brother or daughter.
Your name is mentioned in a public forum e.g. podcast, internet forum and a popular one at that.

People then start to track you down. Particularly an elderly person, who most likely would like to live an ordinary life without complications.

Add to the mixture that people are tracking you down to talk about a UFO sighting - something most people would consider comes out "of left field".

By this time one would become anxious.


All in all it could have been handled better, but hey everything is easy in hindsight.
 
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