Up, up and away

[andre]

For we can fly!! :D

http://www.keelynet.com/greb/greb.htm

Viktor Stepanovich Grebennikov is a naturalist, a professional entomologist, an artist-simply put, an intellectual with a wide range of interests and pursuits. He is known to many as the discoverer of the Cavernous Structures Effect (CSE). But very few people are familiar with his other discovery, one that also borrows from Nature and its innermost secrets.

Back in 1988 he discovered anti-gravitational effects of the chitin shell of certain insects. But the most impressive concomitant phenomenon discovered at the same time was that of complete or partial invisibility or of distorted perception of material objects entering the zone of compensated gravity. Based on this discovery, the author used bionic principles to design and build an anti-gravitational platform for dirigible flights at the speed of up to 25 km/min. Since 1991-92 he has used this device for fast transportation.

So Lady's and Gentlemen, if you kindly pay me a million buck, I'll get you such a device, eventually :cool: .

[Dragon]

Grebennikov was mentioned by Randi in his commentary of December 6, 2002 (http://www.randi.org/jr/120602.html). I think the $1,000,000 is safe.

[wipeout]

He discovered anti-gravitational effects of the chitin shell of certain insects.

He wasn't smoking them, was he? :D

But the most impressive concomitant phenomenon discovered at the same time was that of complete or partial invisibility or of distorted perception of material objects entering the zone of compensated gravity.

I think answers it. ;)

Since 1991-92 he has used this device for fast transportation.

"I have an anti-gravity device"
"Please go away"
"I really have an anti-gravity device"
"Please go away"
"No, I really have an anti-gravity device"
"I'll pay for your taxi if you go away."
"Okay, it's a deal. I'll go away."

It works! :D

[SquishyDave]

You know, I thought I had found an anti gravity insect, there was this insect I had never seen before, and it was hovering near a brick wall, it had no wings as far as I could see, nothing was attached to the wall, but this insect was hovering, in broad daylight. I inspected it from every angle, trying to discern how it was flying, but could find no clue, it was moving about near the wall, clearly not attached to the wall.

Finally, as I was writing my nobel peace prize speech in my head, I finally noticed it did indeed have wings, they were just moving so fast, and were apparently so thin, that they were virtually impossible to see, once I did know it had wings it was still impossible to tell they were there from almost every angle.

Maybe this guy saw something similar, and just ran with it.

[Jeff Corey]

a hummigbird has wings that flap so fast that I and a couple of friends were going, "What the hay is THAT?"
So don't let it bug you.

[SquishyDave]

Originally posted by Jeff Corey
a hummigbird has wings that flap so fast that I and a couple of friends were going, "What the hay is THAT?"
So don't let it bug you. Was that a pun? If that was a pun I will cry. If neccessary I was going to catch the bug to determine it's mode of locomotion, but luckily I didn't have to.

[Jeff Corey]

Don't cry, mate, it appears a bit girley.
We have a lots of puns around these parts. 'Course we have a lot of parts, too, some are private, some are funning Steve Grenard about not being conversant with current events.
I understand that a bunch of Strines are coming to TAM2 and will be in San Diego in the prior week. We two.
Sounds liike a a potential rendezvous,

[rdaneel]

The moth you saw was probably a Sphinx Moth (also known as a Hawk Moth). I saw one for the first time last summer and had the same WTF reaction. I saw a picture a little later in the local paper that gave it's name. Apparently, you don't normally see them very often because they're nocternal.

Now I'm going to drag this topic back on track by going back and reading the link. I want to find out why this guy isn't richer than Bill Gates now and why I don't have MY invisible flying car yet. :confused:

[NileQueen]

You don't have your invisible car yet because they forgot where they parked them all....

You know, I thought I had found an anti gravity insect, there was this insect I had never seen before, and it was hovering near a brick wall, it had no wings as far as I could see, nothing was attached to the wall, but this insect was hovering, in broad daylight. I inspected it from every angle, trying to discern how it was flying, but could find no clue, it was moving about near the wall, clearly not attached to the wall.

Since it was broad daylight, it probably was not a sphinX moth, but a syrphid fly. These yellow and brown striped flies can hover in one place, and I think they were actually studied for helicopter design...

[SquishyDave]

It wasn't yellow and brown, yellow is my favourite colour, so if it was yellow I would have remembered, I am in Australia, so you guys may not know the species, it was small, roughly wasp shaped, but thin, and it was dark blue or black all over, as far as I recall.

[NileQueen]

Well with that coloration, maybe it was a damselfly. They can hover.

[SquishyDave]

Damselfly, could've been, the last damselfly I saw was HUGE compared to this one, and that light browny colour insects have, but it coulda been a different version of a damselfly.

[rdaneel]

Since it was broad daylight, it probably was not a sphinX moth
Hummingbird (Sphinx) moth (http://www.birds-n-garden.com/hummingbird_moths.html)

Unlike most moths, they will fly during daylight. You can see many of them at any time of the day but evening is the most productive time to watch for hummingbird moths.

[SquishyDave]

It wasn't that, it looked to be of the damselfly or wasp family. That sort of body shape.

[NileQueen]

Dragonflies are much larger than damselflies.

Well, can you give us an estimate of the size then?

[SquishyDave]

Very small, one of the reasons I couldn't see it's wings I think, no longer than 2.5cm (1 inch) from head to butt. As I said, black or very dark blue, looked like a small wasp, longish thin legs. I doubt we can ID it.

[pupdog]

If you mistook it for a hummingbird, it was probably a sphinx moth (that's what the field guides say).