Scotland: Aliens' Official Favorite Destination

scubacuda writes: "This Reuters article says that Scotland has the highest concentration of UFO sightings--300 per year, the most per square kilometer and per head of population of anywhere in the world. That means 0.004 UFOs for every square kilometer of Scotland -- a rate four times as high as in France or Italy, earth's other UFO hotspots. (In comparison, only 2,000 UFOs are spotted every year in the United States represent, making just 0.0002 sightings per square kilometer. Bonnybridge--30 miles west of Edinburgh--seems to be the Scotland equivalent of Roswell, New Mexico). UFO nuts explain it in terms of aliens being attracted to remote areas. But can anyone say *autosuggestion*?"

Comments

Oh dear

[Rogerborg]

I live not far from Bonnybridge. I wouldn't call it the arsehole of the universe, because arseholes have a use. Bonnybridge is a classic oversized-small-town, i.e. crammed full of disillusioned young people with nothing to do. UFO spotting is pretty much the only thing to do there of an evening that doesn't involve pointy implements or GTA (the Live Action version).

Note the military airlanes, note the undulating foggy roads, note that UFO sighting go up after firework displays. It's pretty much a local game now, with people playing along and making up more and more outrageous claims. And note also the ulterior commercial motive: a (dear god) theme park.

I'm picturing the pitch now: "Come to Bonnybridge, home of surly teenagers and desparate hollow eyed single mothers. Taste the delights of warm Irn Bru and soggy chippies. A free stabbing with every ticket!"

Shudder. Nothing to see here. Move along. For your own good, move along.

Re:A book recommendation for the submitter:

[Dark Paladin]

The battle against human stupidity is never ending.

We have to fight against:

• people who believe aliens are really kidnapping people in the countryside
  
• people who believe that herbal viagra will add 2 inches to your penis
  
• people who believe that 2000 jews called in sick to work at the world trade towers
  
• people who believe that Microsoft software is secure
  
• people who believe that 500,000 illegal movies are downloaded from the Internet every day and that it's cutting in profits
  
• people who believe Daikatana was a great game, and John Romero is just getting picked on because he's famous
  
• people who believe that women/children/ethnicgroupsotherthanyourown have no rights because God Said So
  
• people who believe that you have to protect children from porn by using filters that all too often block the good instead of just the bad
  
• people who believe that women are just "asking for it".
  
• people who believe that all anime is porn, all games are violent, and all computer geeks are lonely males who never get dates
  
• people who believe that the search for truth and the destruction of lies is a worthless pursuit
  

Sadly, the human condition where only 5% of the population actually examines evidence, weighs the options, and picks the most logical choice that is proven true by experimentation and analysis is going to continue for a long time. Mainly because most people are too fucking lazy to think for themselves.