What's New in Ufology?

[Jortic]

[FONT=&quot] Lately I have been reading some of the “classic” UFO books, trying to get an idea of how much progress we, collectively, have made in determining what they are.<o></o>[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Regardless of what history has taught us about Gray Barker, he created a useful summary of UFO-think circa 1956. In [/FONT][FONT=&quot]THEY KNEW TOO MUCH ABUT FLYING SAUCERS, Published 1956, before "Flying Saucers" became "UFOs", Mr. Barkers says: <o></o>[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot] I have at least, I believe, narrowed the possibilities down to six, and that should be of some value. Lacking enough data, I am unable to narrow it to fewer ramifications.<o></o>[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot] These possibilities are, and I will read them off my notes as I have them outlined: <o></o>[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot](1) The saucers come from space.<o></o>[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot](2) The saucers represent American secret defense weapons.<o></o>[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot](3) The saucers represent secret devices built by a foreign power.<o></o>[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot](4) The saucers represent a kind of fourth dimension, and are not solid or real as we would think of it.<o></o>[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot](5) The saucers are coming from a secret place on the Earth itself, constructed by a people we do not know about.<o></o>[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot](6) [Albert K] Bender found out that we have already achieved space travel, have already launched an artificial or, more fantastic but possible, that man is already on the Moon.<o></o>[/FONT]
#<o></o>
[FONT=&quot] So I’d like to throw this out there. From 1956 to 2008, over half a century, have me made any real progress toward solving this mystery? Can we add anything useful to Mr. Barker's list?<o></o>[/FONT]

 

[Stagger]

[FONT=&quot] Lately I have been reading some of the “classic” UFO books, trying to get an idea of how much progress we, collectively, have made in determining what they are.<o></o>[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Regardless of what history has taught us about Gray Barker, he created a useful summary of UFO-think circa 1956. In [/FONT][FONT=&quot]THEY KNEW TOO MUCH ABUT FLYING SAUCERS, Published 1956, before "Flying Saucers" became "UFOs", Mr. Barkers says: <o></o>[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot] I have at least, I believe, narrowed the possibilities down to six, and that should be of some value. Lacking enough data, I am unable to narrow it to fewer ramifications.<o></o>[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot] These possibilities are, and I will read them off my notes as I have them outlined: <o></o>[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot](1) The saucers come from space.<o></o>[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot](2) The saucers represent American secret defense weapons.<o></o>[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot](3) The saucers represent secret devices built by a foreign power.<o></o>[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot](4) The saucers represent a kind of fourth dimension, and are not solid or real as we would think of it.<o></o>[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot](5) The saucers are coming from a secret place on the Earth itself, constructed by a people we do not know about.<o></o>[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot](6) [Albert K] Bender found out that we have already achieved space travel, have already launched an artificial or, more fantastic but possible, that man is already on the Moon.<o></o>[/FONT]
#<o></o>
[FONT=&quot] So I’d like to throw this out there. From 1956 to 2008, over half a century, have me made any real progress toward solving this mystery? Can we add anything useful to Mr. Barker's list?<o></o>[/FONT]

Uhm, far from being the expert here but, if anything, I think the list got even longer.
In terms of progress: I think you could merge the redundant, Cold War based options 2) and 3), making the list less America-centeric , and note the fact that the various options are far from being mutually exclusive, something which might not have been all that obvious back in 1956 (not sure though, I wasn't around).

 

[schticknz]

Uhm, far from being the expert here but, if anything, I think the list got even longer.
In terms of progress: I think you could merge the redundant, Cold War based options 2) and 3), making the list less America-centeric , and note the fact that the various options are far from being mutually exclusive, something which might not have been all that obvious back in 1956 (not sure though, I wasn't around).

Umm ... Brad Steiger (prolific book put-er-out-er) has a list of 17 "Theories of the UFO Enigma". See here (you may have to do a lot of scrolling to find this bit on the page):

http://www.bradandsherry.com/sfiles.htm

And of course there are probably others you could add to this if you stretch your mind outside the square.