Colonel Philip J. Corso

[eyesoftruth]

What is current situation in Corso case? Is he's claims getting any real evidence to back up?

Who do not know: Corso claims
Example
http://www.lauralee.com/corso.htm

[jmercer]

Through his work, Corso claims, Americans now are able to do such things as see through night-vision devices, find their way with laser tracking equipment, feel secure while wearing Kevlar bulletproof vests, cruise the information superhighway thanks to their computers’ integrated circuit chips and live in a world made safer for democracy due to the fall of the Soviet empire.


And here I thought that there was a clearly documented logical progression for the development of integrated circuits, night vision, and lasers. Boy, are all those patent-holders going to be mad when Zyrcn^goop! from the planet Mxyr44 sues them for copyright infringement and damages from loss of income... :D

[Dr Adequate]

Through his work, Corso claims, Americans now are able to do such things as see through night-vision devices, find their way with laser tracking equipment, feel secure while wearing Kevlar bulletproof vests, cruise the information superhighway thanks to their computers’ integrated circuit chips and live in a world made safer for democracy due to the fall of the Soviet empire.
Kevlar. was invented by Stephanie Kwolek (http://www.ideafinder.com/history/inventors/kwolek.htm)
The silicon chip was invented by Jack Kilby and Robert Noyce (http://inventors.about.com/library/weekly/aa080498.htm)
Night vision was invented during WWII, before the Roswell incident (http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2001/10/1018_wirenightvision.html)

[eyesoftruth]

Ok, thanks.

What i already thinked, that inventors are those scientists. But could be possibly, that they have some help to invented their system with some outside help?

I don't believe, that "if" some alien technology was taken and used, that it rightly used what it was, but propably studiet and copied some features on it.

[jmercer]

I recommend Occams Razor for a nice, close shave. :D

Didn't you notice that nightvision was invented BEFORE Roswell?

(edited for sp)

[valis]

Didn't you notice that nightvision was invented BEFORE Roswell?
[/B]

Ahhh but Corso claims in his book that the Nazi's had a captured saucer even before Roswell. So maybe nightvision was from the Nazi's by way of the space aliens.

See there is always a rational explanation for everything if only you wouldn't be so darn skeptical!

[jmercer]

Originally posted by valis
Ahhh but Corso claims in his book that the Nazi's had a captured saucer even before Roswell. So maybe nightvision was from the Nazi's by way of the space aliens.

See there is always a rational explanation for everything if only you wouldn't be so darn skeptical!

Yep - darn skepticism! ;)

Well, since night vision was developed for use by American, British and Soviet's during WWII, I'd love to hear his rationale for why the Nazi's (who didn't ever use it) would give it up to the Allies and not make use of it themselves... that must be one helluva spy story! :D

[Ashles]

But could be possibly, that they have some help to invented their system with some outside help?
No. It is a silly story with no background in reality.

The story has no internal logic and all the technologies are clear products of a long and detailed chain of perfectly mundane experiments and tests (though undoubtedly made by clever and insightful people).

I suggest you watch the news to see how all this amazing alien technology has made US and European soldiers invincible and all powerful.
(I.e. it hasn't.)

[jmercer]

Originally posted by Ashles
I suggest you watch the news to see how all this amazing alien technology has made US and European soldiers invincible and all powerful.
(I.e. it hasn't.)

Well said. And sadly, there are over 1,000 now-silent testimonials to that fact in caskets from Iraq.

[gregdibiase]

cripes, how all creatures of this world we live in cease to amaze me! humans especially. we all want a piece of the action. at what cost. money, publicity, power, sex, drugs, rock 'n roll, etc. the ufo hoaxes initially involve publicity which consequentially if pursued with savy, good looks, and good acting could lead to good money. hey, just take a look at dr greer. okay, maybe not the best looker but he gits the job done! very amusing presentation.

[Sledge]

Who the where the what now?

[Gord_in_Toronto]

Who the where the what now?

Or, then again, maybe not. :cool:

[Sledge]

I'm confused.

Ok, more confused than normal.

[Gord_in_Toronto]

I'm confused.

Ok, more confused than normal.

Crank it up a couple of degrees and there is a job for you on network TV.

:hit:

[Akhenaten]

I wonder if this feller is interested in working with abr.

[Chris L]

I just love this whole reverse engineer alien tech thing. A simple bit of thought would prove just how silly it is.

Take a piece of mundane 21st century technology, like a cell phone. Send it back 100 years to the very early 20th century. Now figure the odds of those folks trying to reverse engineer it and tell me we can do it for tech that is likely 1000's of years ahead of us.

[Yeah_Right]

This article should shed some light on Corso's credibility.

http://greyfalcon.us/The%20Day%20After%20Roswell.htm

[Chris L]

This article should shed some light on Corso's credibility.

Interesting article. It filled in some gaps on the guy.

[Jim_MDP]

I wonder if this feller is interested in working with abr.


They could exchange missing/overused punctuation.

Does abr use the shift key?

[Gawdzilla]

Crank it up a couple of degrees and there is a job for you on network TV.

:hit:

Glenn Becks all over the world are feeling threatened right now. ;)

[fuelair]

I just love this whole reverse engineer alien tech thing. A simple bit of thought would prove just how silly it is.

Take a piece of mundane 21st century technology, like a cell phone. Send it back 100 years to the very early 20th century. Now figure the odds of those folks trying to reverse engineer it and tell me we can do it for tech that is likely 1000's of years ahead of us.

To reverse engineer it, you would likely first have to have some vague notion of what it did and how it did it. cell phone sent back a hundred years - even a simple one that was really just a telephone - would be hopeless. MAYBE if you sent it back to the mid-60s they would have a good chance, but.

[Gawdzilla]

To reverse engineer it, you would likely first have to have some vague notion of what it did and how it did it. cell phone sent back a hundred years - even a simple one that was really just a telephone - would be hopeless. MAYBE if you sent it back to the mid-60s they would have a good chance, but.

And you'd have to reverse engineer the cell towers, the satellites, the batteries, and all the other infrastructure. (Well, you would HAVE TO do the billing system.)

[Jim_MDP]

I'm too late, but I was thinking with the 100 year example...

FIRST, you need to build a SECOND phone! Ouch.

[manxman]

A basic reproduction of a 6 shooter may not of been an insurmountable challenge to the romans tho.

[Marduk]

I don't know if this is stating the obvious, but I wouldn't think that Philip Corso is getting any "real evidence to back up his claims" on account of the man being dead since July 16, 1998
:D

[Chris L]

And you'd have to reverse engineer the cell towers, the satellites, the batteries, and all the other infrastructure. (Well, you would HAVE TO do the billing system.)

Exactly my point. Any given piece of technology does not exist in and of itself. There is an entire technological infrastructure that has to be there first. For instance, in the phone example, not only do you need all the things already listed, but you also need to invent the semiconductor industry too. And to do that, you need to invent (or discover, depending how you look at it) quantum mechanics.

[manxman]

What infrastructure do you need for a 6 shooter then.

[Marduk]

What infrastructure do you need for a 6 shooter then.

Bullets, cowboys to shoot at. spitoons to start the fights to have a reason to shoot at cowboys

hmmm
Leather holster industry
:D

Ok I worked out where the OP went wrong now. The article he linked to was a review for Philip Corsos new book published on July 6th, 1998. The author of the review obviously didn't bother to check his current status or simply copied a review from somewhere else, the book is available for sale from that website.

unfortunately
Phillip Corso died ten days after it was published
:D

[catsmate1]

A basic reproduction of a 6 shooter may not of been an insurmountable challenge to the romans tho.
Analysing the propellent and primer would be rather difficult before the development of systematic chemistry let alone manufacturing them. Manufacturing a replica revolver with the Roman level of ironworking would also be tricky. It wasn't unknown for firearms of the 1860s era to burst and steel quality was far beyong the Roman level.
FYI historical estimates for the iron production of the entire Roman Empire in the late first century CE are ~20,000 tonnes. Metals were rare an iron knife blade cost the equivilant of a modern car; a legionary's gear would be equivilant in cost to a Humvee type vehicle.
I don't doubt that such comparisons would hold for advanced alien technology; perhaps they need perfect crystals grown in free fall, for example. We might be able to manage that today but the effort required would be significant.

[manxman]

I still reckon that a working model wouldn't be beyond them.

Cost etc, dont make me laugh.

They had the basics.

[Marduk]

They had the basics.

They had the metallurgical knowledge possibly, but the invention of gunpower had to wait until 850CE
They would have probably thought that was magic.
;)

[Howie Felterbush]

I still reckon that a working model wouldn't be beyond them.

Cost etc, dont make me laugh.

They had the basics.

They could build it, but they'd have to wait around for a couple thousand years for a Cabela's to open so they could get bullets and a laser sight for it.:D

[Chris L]

What infrastructure do you need for a 6 shooter then.

Since it is a product of the industrial revolution, I'm afraid your Romans would have to create that steam powered era, as well as the scientific principles that led to it.

[manxman]

Why couldnt the romans shoe a horse then.

[Sledge]

Depends what you mean by "working model." If you mean "one that wouldn't blow up if fired," than probably not.

[Marduk]

Why couldnt the romans shoe a horse then.

They could, perhaps you meant "Why could the romans shoe a horse then"
which is a straw man question, as horseshoes do not require gunpowder for attachment
:)

[Chris L]

They had the metallurgical knowledge possibly, but the invention of gunpower had to wait until 850CE
They would have probably thought that was magic.


From the smell after it went off, they might guess the sulfur part, and the color might suggest charcoal, but the potassium nitrate would be a total mystery.

[FattyCatty]

They had something similar to this in a science fiction series by Eric Flint and David Drake, the Belisarius series. Of course, they were given information by a time-travelling "magic" being.:)

[Chris L]

Of course, they were given information by a time-travelling "magic" being.


Well sure, if you have the Class 5 Vegan Starship, and the operations manual, and the building plans, and all the engineering and physics textbooks the Vegans use to educate their engineers and designers, maybe even Bob Lazar could reverse engineer the thing.

[Gawdzilla]

What infrastructure do you need for a 6 shooter then.

Steel, gunpowder, turning technology.

[RoboTimbo]

A basic reproduction of a 6 shooter may not of been an insurmountable challenge to the romans tho.

Won't do them any good without cartridges.

[Ravenwood]

Not all revolvers require cartridges...I have a few that are cap & ball, & they use loose black powder & a patched round ball...

[RoboTimbo]

Not all revolvers require cartridges...I have a few that are cap & ball, & they use loose black powder & a patched round ball...

I know. I was hoping he would shed some light on which type he was referring to so I would know what other technology would be necessary.

[MrBooglemaumau]

Who the where the what now?
I read Corso's book a long time ago,and must admit I was intrigued,I am now anxiously waiting, with baited breath, for a glimmer of a Science Fiction movie to appear, starring well-known actors,and directed by a famous Sci-Fi Film Director of such magnitude as to make this whole story totally believable,using special visual effects and real alien bodies [a la Area 51 ].

[Marduk]

I read Corso's book a long time ago,and must admit I was intrigued,I am now anxiously waiting, with baited breath, for a glimmer of a Science Fiction movie to appear, starring well-known actors,and directed by a famous Sci-Fi Film Director of such magnitude as to make this whole story totally believable,using special visual effects and real alien bodies [a la Area 51 ].

They did that already, it was called "Independance Day", it was about America saving the rest of the world from the bad guys while at the same time stereotyping other nationalities, the same as every other Blockbuster american movie. Only this time it was aliens, not Nazis or Japs or germs or ghosts or dinosaurs or moral dilemmas, who were the bad guys. Jeff Goldblum was in it, well he's in all of them isn't he
:degrin:

ohhhh wait
:D

[catsmate1]

They had something similar to this in a science fiction series by Eric Flint and David Drake, the Belisarius series. Of course, they were given information by a time-travelling "magic" being.:)
Well if you give me an AI capable of explaining all the stages in building advanced tech I could probably do it. Of course it'd have to be able to figure out how to get the resources to create the infrastructure to get the resources to create the infrastructure to get the resources to create the infrastructure to get the resources to create the infrastructure to get the resources to create the infrastructure to get the resources to create the infrastructure.......to build the devices. And survive in the meantime.

From the smell after it went off, they might guess the sulfur part, and the color might suggest charcoal, but the potassium nitrate would be a total mystery.
Assuming it was using black powder. If it was a modern weapon with nitro-powder ammunition they wouldn't even have that much to go on with.
I'm not aware of any usage of saltpetre by the Romans for any purpose so it's unlikely they'd be able to replicate black powder. The Chinese were using various pyrotechnics around the first century CE so if the Romans learned of this they might be able to duplicate black powder.
Of course if someone showed the Romans how to construct niter-beds they'd be able to produce it in quantity....

Not all revolvers require cartridges...I have a few that are cap & ball, & they use loose black powder & a patched round ball... True and a loose powder/paper cartridge weapon with separate caps would be far more likely to inspire our putative Romans to experiment with firearms. I still can't see them making their won percussion caps without detailed instructions.

[Andrew Wiggin]

Kevlar. was invented by Stephanie Kwolek (http://www.ideafinder.com/history/inventors/kwolek.htm)
The silicon chip was invented by Jack Kilby and Robert Noyce (http://inventors.about.com/library/weekly/aa080498.htm)
Night vision was invented during WWII, before the Roswell incident (http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2001/10/1018_wirenightvision.html)

Actually, John Logie Baird had a version of night vision in the thirties, arguably his only actual invention in the field of television. He called it 'noctovision', and it can be found, along with a lot of misinformation as well, by google. Basically he substituted a detector sensitive to infrared light for the visible light photocells in use in the mechanically scanned television cameras of the day. He had some brief interest from the military, which died out when his claims for it turned out to be mostly hype. He had claimed it could see for miles, and penetrate mist and fog, but it could actually see for about as far as the infrared spotlight (an arc lamp behind a black filter) could penetrate, which was about far enough to make some cool studio shots. He also hyped a future version which he said would use radio waves, but it never actually materialized, otherwise he'd have a claim to radar as well.

[dafydd]

They did that already, it was called "Independance Day", it was about America saving the rest of the world from the bad guys while at the same time stereotyping other nationalities, the same as every other Blockbuster american movie. Only this time it was aliens, not Nazis or Japs or germs or ghosts or dinosaurs or moral dilemmas, who were the bad guys. Jeff Goldblum was in it, well he's in all of them isn't he
:degrin:

ohhhh wait
:D

That was an awful movie,even by Hollywood's standards.

[Jim_MDP]

They had something similar to this in a science fiction series by Eric Flint and David Drake, the Belisarius series. Of course, they were given information by a time-travelling "magic" being.:)


I'm four or so into his 1632 series... what a great way to use (and appreciate) your fan base. I don't think Drake is involved in this one (hope Drake hasn't passed on, I'd look the fool).

[FattyCatty]

I'm four or so into his 1632 series... what a great way to use (and appreciate) your fan base. I don't think Drake is involved in this one (hope Drake hasn't passed on, I'd look the fool).

The Belisariius series is fun too. The ancient Byzantine/Romans aren't exactly reverse engineering future weapons, as they have no physical samples. Rather, they attempt to create the "technologies" after having been told it can be done; some of the theory is explained in a simplified way. The problem is figuring things out without having all the science/knowledge developed in the time between the present and the future.

[Gord_in_Toronto]

They did that already, it was called "Independance Day", it was about America saving the rest of the world from the bad guys while at the same time stereotyping other nationalities, the same as every other Blockbuster american movie. Only this time it was aliens, not Nazis or Japs or germs or ghosts or dinosaurs or moral dilemmas, who were the bad guys. Jeff Goldblum was in it, well he's in all of them isn't he
:degrin:

ohhhh wait
:D

I thought it was Mars Attacks? :eek:

[Marduk]

I thought it was Mars Attacks? :eek:

Don't be silly Gord
Jeff Goldblum wasn't in that
:p

[catsmate1]

Why couldnt the romans shoe a horse then.
As has been said the Romans did have horseshoes (hipposandals). In fact the first recognisable metal horseshoes start to appear in Roman times, as early as the first century CE, because of the hard surfaced all weather roads that the Roman empire built.
These 'hipposandals' actually resembled sandals, hence the name, and were strap on plates.
Recognisably modern type shoes that were nailed to the hoof were around by the eighth to eleventh centuries CE. Both these and the 'hiposandals' were mostly constructed of cast bronze rather than iron.
Iron horseshoes did not dominate the field until the thirteenth/fourteenth centuries CE.

[CORed]

And you'd have to reverse engineer the cell towers, the satellites, the batteries, and all the other infrastructure. (Well, you would HAVE TO do the billing system.)

It would never work. There hadn't been fluoride in the water for long enough to make people stupid enough to accept long term contracts with huge cancellation fees. :D

[Gawdzilla]

It would never work. There hadn't been fluoride in the water for long enough to make people stupid enough to accept long term contracts with huge cancellation fees. :D

Why not? The Catholic church has been around for 1600 years. So "stupid" has that much of a history at least.

[manxman]

Why not? The Catholic church has been around for 1600 years. So "stupid" has that much of a history at least.

And still very much alive and kicking.