In the last few days the Telegraph paper has been reporting stories on Google’s Street View picking up paranormal/extraterrestrial beings.
As ridiculous as that sounds, it makes the online edition of the newspaper’s front page.

For example, yesterday the Telegraph posted a report on an “old victorian ghost” being capture on photo through Google’s Street View.

A ghostly figure filmed on Google Street View near Cardiff’s Millennium Centre Photo: WALES NEWS/Google

According to a local medium, Jane Cohen, she had this to say:

Local medium Jane Cohen, 39, said: “Apparitions have often been caught on film but are invisible to the naked eye. “This woman is very smart – but she is dressed in clothes that you just don’t see these days unless it’s in a period drama on TV.

“But what is really strange is that she doesn’t appear as a full figure – you can’t see all of her.”

I don’t know exactly how people can make assumption based on blurry images, but more importantly is the statement the medium made about not being able to see all of her (ghost).
It’s apparent that there was some software glitch and it distorted the rendering of the image. This is obviously visible. How people come up with such allegations baffles me.

Then there is the other, more embarrassing report that came out on the Telegraph again this week. “ET tracked down on Google Street View ” read the headlines when the reports came out about Google’s Street View showing an anomaly on the picture that looked like the silhouette of the famous Steven Spielberg movie star, E.T.

The spooky snap was caught by Google image cameras in the town of Berkeley Heights in New Jersey. Photo: CATERS

From the Telegraph:

Malcolm Robinson, head of the Strange Phenomena Investigations, described the image as “the first of its kind”.

He said: “On close inspection the similarities with ET are obvious but it’s hard to say with any certainty what exactly it is

“Of added interest is the strange beam of light to the right, which I cannot explain either.

“This picture is the first of it’s kind, as far as I’m aware, in that its been captured on Google’s new Street View technology.

“However, because it was captured by Google it would appear that there aren’t any witnesses to back up what was photographed, which is frustrating.

“Without further details to go on I’m really stumped. We’d all love it to be alien, but that’s a big assumption.”

Here is another picture of “E.T.” Click on the image for a larger view.

Why do stories like these even make it to the printing press?
I always hear people say things like: “Nowadays people have the attention span of a gnat” and it makes me really think that this is this is all true.
Is it possible that technology and culture is mixing and producing some form of deep and rational thinking deprived mindsets?
Do people only look at headlines and scan for weird and odd things to read up on?
Do these newspapers get more readers by providing stories of ghost faces that are seen in tree trunks rather than people who want to know about the latest ecological struggle and civil war brewing in Ethiopia?

Are American youth even aware that John Hope Franklin passed away 2 days ago? The man who co-wrote one of the best history books I’ve ever read. CNN did not make a big deal about this. But you know what they did put up on their front page? Snoop Dogg and Rapper T.I. shaking hands with Louis Farrakhan. 3 hypocrites.

I’m going way off here….

The point I’m trying to make is that we must really be aware of what we read and how it is presented to us. Much like the paranormal reality shows that are out there, we really must use a rational and deep thinking mind and analyze how they present the show to us. What are they trying to accomplish with the premise? what do they expect from me? will this information help progress my thought process? or does it hinder it?