By Tim Binnall
Sword swallowing, artificial intelligence, and vanishing stars were among the fascinating topics explored this past week on Coast to Coast AM. And, here at the C2C website, we told you about a UFO that mysteriously vanished on radar over Turkey, singer Adele being blamed for a house's haunted reputation, and trademark troubles for a proposed NHL team named the Yeti. Check out our round-up of highlights from the past week ... In Coast You Missed It.
Artificial intelligence was back in the spotlight on Monday night's program as robotics expert Daniel H. Wilson talked about the emerging technology that has become increasingly prevalent in our everyday lives. While skeptical of a scenario wherein AI develops free will, he conceded that the complexity of neural networks creates the risk that something like that could inadvertently occur. More concerning than the proverbial machines rising up against us, he mused, is corporations using artificial intelligence to control the thoughts of the masses via social media and algorithms. Wilson also warned of a future in which robots have replaced humans at various jobs, which ultimately leads to civilization 'forgetting' critical skills.
A pair of weird mysteries made news this past week, beginning with a puzzling case out of Turkey wherein a UFO appeared on radar and subsequently vanished, sparking a sizeable search for the unknown object. Turkish officials were so concerned about the incident that they enlisted the country's Air Force to look for the anomaly in the forested area over which it had disappeared. However, no sign of the seemingly downed aerial anomaly was ever found. Meanwhile, in the suburbs of Salt Lake City, residents were roused from their sleep in the middle of the night by a mysterious boom that was felt for miles. Called "bizarre" by a seasoned police officer, the cause of the massive explosion remains unknown.
Could UFOs be literally hiding among the stars? This intriguing question was explored on Sunday night's program with astronomer Beatriz Villarroel, who discussed the puzzling phenomenon of celestial objects that inexplicably disappear from the sky. Her work, she said, came about after she noticed that nine stars in a July 1952 image from Palomar Observatory were nowhere to be found in a photo of the same spot seventy years later. Interestingly, the time when the 'lost' stars were present in the sky happened to correspond to a legendary UFO flap over Washington D.C.
This past week featured two odd stories centered around houses that may or may not be haunted. First, singer Adele found her way into the paranormal headlines when the owner of a mansion she once rented claimed that he has been unable to sell the property ever since the musician called the site "quite scary" during an interview at the location. The seemingly innocuous comment, he lamented, led to the home garnering a reputation for being haunted, leaving him stuck with the sizeable residence for over a decade. Later in the week, an eerie video showing an eerie figure outside an abandoned house in Argentina sparked speculation that the stranger was a spirit, however, those in the neighborhood were skeptical of that fantastic theory.
The world of sword swallowing took center stage on Tuesday night's program as author Marc Hartzman shared insights into the classic performance art. While often described as a 'trick,' he explained that it is a genuine practice requiring years of training to master the delicate technique. To that end, he recounted one tragic incident wherein a performance went wrong for a sword swallower who nicked her esophagus and subsequently died. During his appearance, Hartzman also recalled strange stories he has researched over the years, including an alleged psychic dog that was said to predict Kentucky Derby winners and an unsettling tale of the Phantom Barber of Pascagoula.
In a testament to the widespread cultural embrace of cryptozoology, this past week featured two separate stories involving the legendary Bigfoot and his proverbial kin representing different organizations. Plans for Utah's new NHL team possibly adopting the name 'Yeti' hit a snag when their trademark application was rejected because it conflicted with the cooler company of the same name. Fortunately, the hockey club can appeal the decision, so there is still a chance they may take on the 'abominable' moniker. In Washington state, a community college announced that they were swapping their mascot from Bigfoot to Sasquatch due to oddly specific market research wherein people said they found a previous logo, featuring a large foot, to be "unappealing."
Coast Insiders can check out all this week's shows as well as the last seven years of C2C programs in our enormous archive. Not a Coast Insider yet? Sign up today.