NY Times: Aliens built the pyramids!

[ferd burfle]

In an article concerning a French architect's theory that at least one of the pyramids is an engineered mechanism was this doozy of a statement by the article's author:

"What no one is exactly sure of is how the ancient Egyptians managed to move and assemble the stones into a pyramid 480 feet high. There are theories, including one popular one that the builders constructed a huge ramp leading to the very top of the pyramid. (There is another theory, too, that aliens were involved.)" ---emphasis mine

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/05/27/world/africa/27houdin.html (registration required)

I sent the editors this:
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What an incredibly stupid statement! A dope slap for the writer and a double-Dutch dope slap for the editor who let this inanity be printed. Can we look forward to a story where a theory that the Easter Bunny built Stonehenge gets equal time with scholarly theories?
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I couldn't tell from the story if the Frenchman's theory is woo or not.

Ferd

ETA link and for clarity

[Manny]

I rarely miss an opportunity to bash the New York Times, but here I think they included that as a humorous aside to their all-too-knowledgeable readers than any kind of implication that the "theory" was to be taken seriously.

[ferd burfle]

Yeah, maybe I just hadn't had enough coffee yet to boot up my sense of humor, but I looked for the equivalent of ;) in the story and didn't find it. And I could just see woos quoting this statement as 'evidence'.

Uh oh. I took it seriously. Woos will take it seriously. :scared:

[rjh01]

If anyone took this as evidence then they will be quoting it out of context. The quote is only time aliens are mentioned.

[Anacoluthon64]

All attempts at trying to show how humans made the pyramids just look absurd to me. UFO tractor beams much easier.
...but not half as easy as psychokinesis, in which case we don't need any hypotheses involving extraterrestrials. :D

On the other hand however, the alien theory wins hands down in the popularity stakes here (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/customer-reviews/0620308869), so I suppose it's equally valid... ;)

'Luthon64

[steve s]

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Can we look forward to a story where a theory that the Easter Bunny built Stonehenge gets equal time with scholarly theories?
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Ferd



Don't be silly. Everyone knows the Easter Bunny built those huge statues on Easter Island.

Steve S.

[ferd burfle]

Manny and rjh01, pardon the slow response but on reflection I think you have it right. Thanks for the feedback, I'll turn down the gain on my BS detector.

Ferd

[Meffy]

Leave the Gain knob high, but adjust the Squelch control. :-)