I've always had a fascination for things beyond current understanding (I guess it's just the scientist in me really), particularly the diverse range of phenomena labelled "Paranormal", "Fortean" or just plain "weird". My main area of study is that of Unidentified Flying Objects.
The "Paranormal" is just a vague group title for certain subjects outside current scientific
knowledge. I'm deliberately avoiding the term "Supernatural" because everything has an
explanation - there's nothing "beyond the natural", everything has cause and effect. Especially
UFOs.
Not All UFOs are Flying Saucers
I cannot even begin to count the number of times I've cringed at people who say "Oh but UFOs don't exist". Unidentified objects are seen in the sky all the time... there is no doubt of that.
Most of the time they have perfectly ordinary explanations. In fact, around 90-95% of all sightings are merely optical effects, weather balloons, stars, meteorological phenomena or other "ordinary" aerial activity - though such sightings may well be so vague that any proper identification is impossible.
It's the sightings that aren't down to conventional explanation that intrigue me. I admit that I
do subscribe to the Extraterrestrial Hypothesis (ETH), but I'm still open to other plausible
ideas and do feel that many sightings are down to perfectly natural, but currently unexplained or
partially understood, atmospheric phenomena. Though you can't really say that the sightings of
intelligently controlled, structured craft are down to swamp gas and ball lightning!
A UFO isn't necessarily an extraterrestrial spacecraft
There are two aspects to UFOlogy which I have special interest in:
Abductions? Well, I only know the basics of the field - most of which came from studying other
aspects to UFOs. There's definitely something to many abduction reports, though I'm not sure what
it could be - psychological, electromagnetic, extraterrestrial.
UFOs are seen all over the world, by all kinds of people
Have I personally seen one? Well... I have seen some very odd things in the sky, though nothing I could say was a genuinely Unidentified object. However, they were sufficiently unusual and could easily have been reported as UFOs if I had not examined them more carefully. I guess I should be a hardened sceptic, but that would not be a valid position to take after everything I have seen and heard from other sources.
In the end it comes down to who you feel is closer to the truth... and only you can make that decision. I've formed some opinions of my own on aspects of UFO phenomena. I would not classify myself as a naive believer, despite what some people think of me. I tackle the subject with an open, inquisitive mind. Use the information wisely, be heavily critical and judge for yourselves...
If you know of links to related WWW pages then please mail me the URLs.
The Internet is already the new frontier of UFO research. Reports and studies can be disseminated faster than ever before, aiding the spread of information and the break down of cover-ups. But the new frontier also poses problems - faster transfer of false material leads to quicker acceptance... so, beware!
Keith Rowell's UFO Bibliography - This is a quick guide to some of the more serious books on the subject. I can't recall where I downloaded this so I've placed the file locally. Vital reading for anyone interested in UFOlogy. I have to admit, I'm still making my way through it! *grin*
You can find a small selection of related books at my Paranormal Bookshop or go to the excellent Uforia-Books site (who also share the name of this site!) for a wider selection of UFO and paranormal books.
Please note, I do not necessarily agree with all ideas presented on the following pages. I have merely chosen resources I have found to offer something interesting. Interesting doesn't equate to true - nor is the truth always interesting...
If you know of a group not on here, send me the URL and a brief description.
Links to several topics overlapping aspects of UFOs