(Watch this ISO episode on YouTube)

Jeb and Blake are surprised to find no aliens and almost no magic as we pursue PYRAMID SECRETS.

Shabti (aka Ushabti) servant "robots"

3D Models of Shabti (Sketchfab)

3D Model - Great Pyramid of Khufu (aka Cheops) (Sketchfab)

Frit - fused "glass batch" 

Faience - Egyptian ceramic like Frit

Flood cycle of the Nile

Three seasons of Akhet (Inundation), Peret (Growth), and Shemu (Harvest)

Transamerica Pyramid 

Stanford Research Institute (SRI)

Harold Puthoff (SRI)

Jason Colavito on Puthoff & "flying saucer material" 

John B. Alexander (SRI)

Doug Englebart and the "Mother of All Demos"

Dolphin Lab at SRI

Dolphin on Egypt 

More on Dolphin 

This excerpt gives some context to Dolphin's mixture of materialist science and desire for the numinous/spiritual.

Biblical Archaeologists: Maximalists 

Minimalists 

Biblical Archaeology & William F. Albright 

Robert Schoch - Sphinx age controversy

Schoch and Demons (Colavito Blog)

Schoch and (take a drink) Theosophy 

Cosmic Rays and Remote Sensing (not Remote Viewing)

Alchemy and Hermes Trismegistus 

Al-Ma'mun 

Al-Aziz 

Desertification of Egypt 

Pyramid Power (Loxton's resources)

Pyramidion 

Benben 

Broken Pyramid (Meidum) - Either Djoser or Sneferu (reign 2613 - 2589)

Bent Pyramid

Red Pyramid 

Giza

Consultant Gerald LaRue

Nimoy Fashion - plus fabulous pyramid model

Close-up reveals corduroy fabric

Check out this Amazing "James Bond Safari Infographic" by Matt Spaiser.

 

Here's a photo of Giza from the 1920s that we mentioned:

Photos Jeb provided from various museum trips:

Coffin Texts

Book of the Dead:

Imhotep (Left) with other gods in Ashmolean museum:

Imhotep and faience tiles from Djozer (Ashmolean):

Pyramidion:

Dive into the Great White North as we look beneath the surface of Lake Okanogan to see if we can find The Ogopogo Monster. 

Watch this episode of ISO on YouTube. 

 

The Ogo-Pogo: The Funny Fox-trot - via Karl Shuker's blog.

(Note: The lyrics listed here are not the same as in the recording, apparently due to differences between the published sheet music and the actual recording. Chiefly, in the actual recorded song, the lyrics match this version.)

The music was by Ralph Butler. The lyrics were by Cumberland Clark. 

Lake Okanagan (Wikipedia)

 

Nimoy vs Blue Steel:

 

Modern Coelacanths are larger than their fossil ancestors.

Book: Lake Monster Traditions: A Cross-Cultural Analysis 

Tribal representatives give really interesting lore about the lake and its dangerous water spirit.

 

Editors at ISO give us this "1970s calendar worthy" fade shot of the lake and First Nations representatives.

The famous Three Wolf Moon t-shirt.

Kelowna Museum - where we meet Ursula Surtees More on Ursula.

 

Mid-Atlantic accent 

Mary Moon! (author)

 

More on Canadian Dainty. 

Ben Radford & Joe Nickell's Lake Monster Mysteries 

The Lambton Worm song - not to be confused with the D'Ampton Worm Song from Lair of the White Worm (the movie, not the book).

Galvanic Corrosion on boat engine casing.

 

Alleged sighting of Ogopogo seen in ISO episode:

Jeb compares photos from Loch Ness he shot:

Willard Bascom, director of Southern California Waters Research Project appears as science expert. (and John McCain lookalike)

Jeb describes IncEELs - apparently, there is something to this.

Arlene Gaal - author and owner of the film shown at end of the episode. 

Nimoy Fashion Forensics:Are the shooting locations of Ogopogo and Astrology the same place? I think the yellow house with verticle exterior planking looks very much like it's the same building and setting.  We will keep an eye on this to see if further clues emerge!

Jeb and Blake discuss the ISO episode: Hurricanes.  The episode touches on some emotional memories for Jeb, who was directly impacted by Hurricane Katrina, the storm that devastated New Orleans in 2005. (Watch the ISO episode on YouTube.)

(From NOAA - the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration)  A tropical cyclone is a rotating low-pressure weather system that has organized thunderstorms but no fronts (a boundary separating two air masses of different densities). Tropical cyclones with maximum sustained surface winds of less than 39 miles per hour (mph) are called tropical depressions. Those with maximum sustained winds of 39 mph or higher are called tropical storms. When a storm's maximum sustained winds reach 74 mph, it is called a hurricane. The Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale is a 1 to 5 rating, or category, based on a hurricane's maximum sustained winds. The higher the category, the greater the hurricane's potential for property damage.

Tropical cyclones are categorized according to the speed of sustained winds.

• Tropical Depression - 38 mph or less
• Tropical Storm - 39 to 73 mph Hurricane
• Category 1 - 74 to 95 mph
• Category 2 - 96 to 110 mph
• Category 3 - 111 to 129 mph
• Category 4 - 130 to 156 mph
• Category 5 - 157 or higher mph

The Maya god Hurakan. (Wikipedia) This one-legged diety is the axe who opens storms. Much of the ISO episode centers on Hurricane Camille, now considered the second most intense tropical cyclone to hit the United States.  The most intense since the measurement scale began was Hurricane Carla in 1961. This is based on a ranking that combines Intensity and Size, leaving Camile (1969), Opal (1995) and Katrina (2005) all tied for third with a combined score of 36.  Second place went to Betsy (1965). 

Jeb shares some photos from Katrina. 

The exodus as people flee the coming storm.  

Arial footage of floodwater damage in 9th ward:

Coverage of the tragedy in the lower 9th ward.

Mercenaries after Katrina.

Camp Greyhound - post-Katrina Internment Camp, where people were given the option of labor or being stuck on cold concrete.

Famous Mike Myers & Kanye fundraiser moment.

Trump throwing paper towels in Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria.

 

Back to shots from the Episode:

Inside the National Hurrican Center in Florida. You can see they're still mostly in paper mode.  They have computers and advanced tools, but a lot of their work is still paper, feeding in report data and drawing projected paths and force on paper maps.

ASCII computer map of the southern US coast.

Richelieu Apartments BEFORE the Hurricane

Richelieu Apartments AFTER the Hurricane

Thankfully the hurricane party itself is a myth, but the tragic loss of lives was real.

Prominently featured in the last third of the episode, but not so much in our coverage, is Dr. Neil Frank who was instrumental in making the National Hurricane Center the institution that it is today.

 

 

On a more positive note, we did get some 70's beach fashion in our Nimoy Fashion Alert!

 

 

Special thanks to Beth Patterson for allowing us to use her song Come Hell or High Water in this episode. Please check out this song and her other amazing music on Bandcamp.

 

[Correction: I've replaced the original audio file because I forgot to insert the Nimoy Fashion Alert!  I feel like mission control launching the Apollo mission and then turning to ask the astronauts how the flight was going - then doing a spit-take as I see they're not on the space ship. Sorry!]

Jeb and Blake look into the mysterious (well, not THAT mysterious) disappearance of Michael Rockefeller who disappeared while researching the Asmat people of New Guinea.  (Watch the ISO episode on YouTube)

Witchcraft, Oracles and Magic among the Azande by E. E. Evans-Pritchard

Thinking with Things by Esther Pazstzory

The ISO episode title card:

The original photo the title card is based on:

 

Milt Machlin - the guy who goes looking for Rockefeller, former editor of Argosy men's adventure magazine.

 

Machlin on location looking for Rockefeller

 

 

Just saying... (Harcourt Fenton Mudd)

Machlin investigated the theory that Rockefeller had been taken to the Trobriand Islands, a thousand miles from where the boat had capsized. The shots of the island reminded me of another fateful trip.

 

Interior and Exterior Nimoy Fashion:

 

 

The woodwork of the Asmat people is very impressive:

 

 

Carl Hoffman on the case for cannibalism. 

Ostjanep chief Ajam of the Asmat region, who says that his tribe did not kill Rockefeller. 

Asmat person chewing gum.

 

The writer of this episode, Alex Pomasanoff, also produced a NatGeo special called The Invisible World. 

Jeb and Blake discuss horoscopes, planets, and one of the most pervasive beliefs in human history: Astrology.  (Watch the ISO episode on YouTube.)   Show Notes: The episode "Astrology" first aired on January 12, 1978 . It was written and produced by Peter Rosten. Fads and Fallacies in the Name of Science (Amazon) The Werewolves of Livonia - the witch-fighting werewolves of Italy The Witch by Ronald Hutton (Amazon) http://skepdic.com/fullmoon.html Short version is: despite anecdotal support, the actual data (of which there is plenty to look at) does not support increase in suicide, madness, murder, etc… during the full moon.  Schwazenegger on Dating Game  Chapman survey has 18% of Americans with psychics etc. (not just astrology), that’s 60 million Prepping the show for posting, I did finally find a connection between Moses and Astrology in the form of a 1798 book titled Genethliacal Astrology Comprehending an Enquiry Into, and Defense of the Celestial Science: To which is Added an Appendix Containing Remarks on the Nativity of a Gentleman Now Living Paleolithic Bone Markings - like Alexander Marshack Alternative Maps Styles

• Ammassalik Wooden Maps
• Marshall Islands Stick Chart

Gnomon - sundial part that casts shadow Tower of Jericho Mayan Zodiac Mesopotamia/Egypt

• Babylonian Astronomy
• Egyptian Calendar
• Egyptian Astronomy
• Nabta Playa
• Ptolemy

Beth Alpha Star of Bethlehem Sydney Omarr (his IMDB page) George O. Abell, originating member of CSICOP, UCLA C64 Synth Sample  We mentioned Equinox: Superpowers which turns out to be part of a British Channel 4 series Equinox.  I wasn't able to track down this episode, but they also did a famous episode on psychics which was protested by Uri Gellar for showing how some of his effects could be done with stage magic.  Karl Krafft Louis de Wohl - Useless for Britain but you will find lots of news stories about him. Jeane Dixon - one of the astrologers used by the Reagans. Dr. Hans Eysenck Dr. George Abell The Barnum Effect   The "Cancer Dancer" lady:   Nimoy Fashion Alert!  Check out the gingham tie pattern!   Nimoy reads astrology phone-call notes in a cul de sac.  Nurse footage reused from season one and then re-used during this same episode:   The "Bank of America" building in front of a dark high-rise during the "Man on the Street" segment in this episode may give us some "Fashion Forensics" type data to work on identifying the shot locale.

[some explicit language in this episode] Jeb and Blake look at the very strange coverage of Mayan Mysteries on In Search Of season 2. (Watch this ISO episode on YouTube)

The term Blake was trying to remember at the beginning of the creation story was "ethnogenesis." This is a relatively new word, coming from the mid-20th century.

We mention Star Wars and Tikal. The story from David Anderson is in this ArchyFantasies episode, about 5 mins in.

The De Landa Letras - how we came to understand the Mayan alphabet

http://www.famsi.org/

https://www.mexicolore.co.uk/maya/

Mural detail from the episode:

 

The poet (and frequent speaker in this episode) Alurista. (Wikipedia)

 

Some discussion in the episode is about the wheeled caiman or crocodile toy in the museum.  This is a detailed screen-cap of that.

We briefly discuss the United Fruit Company. The role of fruit companies in manipulating politics and behaving badly is long, depressing, and too much to fit into this episode. But it is worth reading about.

 

Reenacment of an Auto-da-fe:

 

We talk a bit about cacao and chocolate. I got curious and asked Jeb if he could help me find some somewhat authentic recipes for those audience members who want to try something close to the original drink. First (because, duh!) some background reading on the history of cacao in Mayan culture. And some thoughts about spicy, bitter takes on the drink. The latter link includes a lengthy video on the history of chocolate by Michael Coe (who we mention in the episode).

Here are two recipes that Jeb described as "pretty ok": First, the "if you go to all this trouble I hope it doesn't suck" version: https://www.instructables.com/id/Mayan-Chocolate-Drink/

Second, the "you can totally knock this one out at a regular grocery store" version: https://www.newmexico.org/nmmagazine/articles/post/mesoamerican-chocolate-elixir/

Good luck! If you try these let us know how it turns out.

Nimoy Fashion!

Fashion Forensics!  I think we've got a repeat use of the same denim shirt from the killer bees episode.  Below are some comparison shots.  Let me know if you agree or disagree. I believe in the bee episode Nimoy's unbuttoned collar is hiding the thick black buttons we see in the Mayan museum.

 

And yes, I did make a joke about "author" Jackson Curtis, as depicted in the disaster film 2012. It is a very, very, very, very silly movie but I love watching it with my kids.  So - no apologies. -B

Extremely cool video example of what LIDAR can do to reveal lost jungle ruins. (NatGeo)

Accompanying story about the LiDAR project.

Snake Kings of the Maya (PayWall)

 

Jeb and Blake whip out the marshmallows and settle down by a big hot fire to discuss the In Search Of episode: Firewalkers.  (watch this ISO episode on YouTube)

From Wikipedia (on heat transfer): Advection Advection is the transport mechanism of a fluid from one location to another, and is dependent on motion and momentum of that fluid. Convection The transfer of energy between an object and its environment, due to fluid motion. The average temperature is a reference for evaluating properties related to convective heat transfer. Radiation The transfer of energy by the emission of electromagnetic radiation. Conduction  The transfer of energy between objects that are in physical contact. Thermal conductivity is the property of a material to conduct heat and evaluated primarily in terms of Fourier's Law for heat conduction.

The guy who trained Tony Robbins - Tolly Burkan used to train people to TEACH firewalking for just a mere $2000. 

Tolly said he learned about this from August 1977 Scientific American.

Expedition Magazine mentioned by Jeb.

Harry Price (famous Ghost Hunter) researched firewalking.

The Skeptic's Dictionary lengthy entry on Firewalking

More on the physics of Firewalking 

2 Kings 17, v 16-17 (Bible verse discussed) And they left all the commandments of the LORD their God, and made them molten images, even two calves, and made a grove, and worshipped all the host of heaven, and served Baal. And they caused their sons and their daughters to pass through the fire, and used divination and enchantments, and sold themselves to do evil in the sight of the LORD, to provoke him to anger.

The symbolism filled story of Shadrach, Meschach, and Abednego 

Sydney Walter - hypnotist

The Spanish fire walking of San Pedro Manrique 

I did notice (on rewatching) that not all couples crossing were heterogeneous, nor were they all young.  

The magician Chung Ling Soo, mentioned by Jeb, who died on stage with a botched bullet catch.

Nimoy reminds us of The Police video for Wrapped Around Your Finger as he plays with candle fire.

The Balinese shaman may be invoking the spirit of the Bali Pony, the local breed.

 

Arthur C. Clarke's World of Strange Powers (Firewalking) 

 

  1973_newswire_story_about_firewalking_in_Sri_Lanka__Ceylon__.pdf Firewalkers_TV_Listing_04_JUN_1978.pdf

To prepare for S02E04, we present a quick overview of Maya culture we're calling Maya 101.  Listen in awe as Jeb distills 3000 years of Maya culture down into 90 mins!

An influential book mentioned by Jeb: A Forest of Kings 

Notes: Preclassic 1500 BC – 250 AD

• Early 1500-900
• Middle 900-300
• Late 300 BC – 250 AD

Classic Period 250-1000 AD

• Early 250-600 AD
• Late 600-1000 AD

Postclassic 900-1520 AD

• Early 900-1200
• Late 1200-1520 AD

The stunning pyramid complex of El Mirador 

Example of Olmec Heads mentioned (Wikimedia)

Link to image of the stunning scale of El Mirador. (drawing by T.L. Rutledge)

 

Yuri Valentinovich researcher

 

Bishop Diego de Landa the priest who demanded Maya language be written for him

(If David Anderson has his Star Wars story written down or recorded anywhere and I find it, I'll link to it here.)

Watch this ISO episode on YouTube 

[explicit] Jeb and Blake discuss the In Search Of... episode about the mysterious character known as The Count of St. Germain. 

We talk a little about the I AM movement and Mt. Shasta lore, but if you want a real deep dive, check out our 2-part Shaver Mystery coverage from MonsterTalk: Shaver pt 1 Shaver pt 2 

Okay - you may have wondered about that insert about William Blake? That comes from Noel Fielding's TV series and you'll just have to watch it.  It's very surreal and requires a bit of knowledge about WB's famous painting of the ghost of a flea.

There was a 1975 TV movie titled "The Man Who Would Not Die" but it appears to be unrelated to the ISO episode.

Mentioned in the episode:Jaguar Jungle 

 Voltaire and the Great Rap Battles of history

Madame de Pompadour 

The Doctor Who episode Blake mentioned (The Girl in the Fireplace)

Elizabeth Clare Prophet 

Dr. Peter Reill 

Jeb's favorite scene of the imperiled lamp.

Jeb's list of people in the age of "average life expectancy of 35:"

• Voltaire, 83 years
• Ben Franklin, 84 years
• Maria Theresa, 63 years
• Catherine the Great, 67 years
• George Washington, 67 years
• Thomas Jefferson, 83 years
• John Locke, 72 years
• Rousseau, 66 years
• Immanuel Kant, 80 years
• Louis XV, 64 years
• George III, 82 years
• William Blake, 70 years

Episode written by Nicholas Webster - who also directed the cult classic Santa Claus Conquers the Martians (1964) which introduced the world to Pia Zadora.

If you want to dive in on St. Germain legends, plus hear a surprising cameo by a famous actor/comedian, Astonishing Legends did a 3-part series on The Count. Part 1, Part 2, Part 3.

 

Nimoy Fashion Alert - Nimoy is almost upstaged by his setting, but not quite.

My only complaint about his fashion is that the lighting on this set makes his skin look pale and yellow. But that Asssssssscot.

 

Watch this episode of In Search Of... on YouTube.

Jeb and Blake go prospecting for the facts behind The Lost Dutchman Mine episode of In Search Of... beginning season 2 of IRO.

Yes, there was a typo in the TV listing. "Professor" should have been "Prospector" but it was funnier (for me) to read it as written.

 

An NPR story about how the Red Tailed Hawk became the voice of the "eagle."

Reenactment at the beginning based on the story of Jacob Waltz.

Much of the episode revolves around the geologic structure called Weaver's Needle.

The hunt for GOLD!

Some ghost-town details on Bodie, CA  

3-Part series on the Dutchman Mine: https://arizonareport.com/lost-dutchman-gold-mine-legend/  (part 1) https://arizonareport.com/lost-dutchman-gold-mine-adolph-ruth-julia-thomas/  (part 2) https://arizonareport.com/lost-dutchman-gold-mine-glenn-magill/  (part 3) 

 The Killer Mountains, by Curt Gentry 

Scooby Doo - Mine Your Own Business featuring "The Miner 49er"

The Brady Bunch meet a crazy "prospector" 

Legislation mentioned in the episode to limit treasure hunting.

7 Cities of Gold (wiki) video game. Programmed by the amazing Dani Bunten of Ozark Softscape.   You can play it at this Abandonware site.  There is an updated version available at "Good Old Games" but I haven't played it, though it looks quite nice.

Nimoy Fashion Alert! 

Author Robert Blair (Tales of the Superstitions) rocking the Elvis shades.

 

 

TV Listing for Lust for Gold, a 1949 movie about the search for the Dutchman mine.

 

PDF news stories related to the episode: 1956_Phoenix_story_about_secret_history_of_mine.pdf Adolph_Ruth_body_found_09JAN1932.pdf