Math of Insects

Sheesh guys, stay on topic. What do you think this is, a skydiving site??

Anyone know where Newton was November 24, 1971? Did he smoke? Working with apples might explain some of those particles.

Can you explain more about why these particular scans are important?

Right. That’s libel, but accusing an innocent man of terrorism and roping him into every Google search on Cooper forevermore is completely fine. Yep, you’re the victim here. Do you have a gofundme? I’m sure once the news hears about this injustice the donations will start rolling in. Also: you called WJS by his actual name. That poster simply said “a researcher.” The only way that’s libel against you is if you’re that researcher. Was your post an admission that it was you?

There is a lot to unpack here.

The act itself is fundamentally suicidal. There was no reason to think it wouldn't end in death, injury or prison, since the previous versions all had. Success was not the expected outcome. It was a desperate act done by someone for whom the cost of failure was not a deterrent.

I just wanted to announce that from today on I plan to be only marginally and fitfully engaged with the Vortex, in a way that exactly matches how I have always been.

Howlin’ Wolf. The Doors were copycat hijackers.

"I'm a back door man..."

I don't think the 20-year-old issue means anything in isolation, unless there have been significant changes in the science or knowledge-base in those years. Have there? I would expect newer programs to be more efficient in how they approach the data set, but I'm unclear how the underlying field has changed in that time. Does anyone know?

"I can't reveal who Deep Throat is. Let's just say his name is Mark LeFelt." --Bob Woodward

I also wouldn't be surprised if it were true, and also think the sample size is probably too small to get thrilled about. It also wouldn't surprise me if it WEREN'T true; after all, that's a very specific longshot, and I'd personally want to see the writing compared to other LETTERS of the time, related to the skyjacking--maybe the "confession" letters sent to the papers, for example. I also think the most likely option is thatCooper died in the event, and I also would not be surprised at all if Gunther made up every single word of the book, including the letters. However, one way or another, one thing is indisputable: regardless of all of that, "DB Cooper" cannot have been involved in the Gunther book, because there are errors that the actual skyjacker would be the first and best to know better than. So if the book is false (regardless of whether Gunther was duped or crafty), there is no connection to nice old Mr. S, other than a picture that looks like he might have been imagined to look later in life. And if the book is NOT false, the question arises: where is the Smith character in it? Clara = Barb or not, there's just no path that leads to any legitimacy around WJS. (Spoiler alert: he's not.)

200K then was a million and a half dollars. That is moonshot money for someone. And he wouldn't have been able to spend it. (I agree with Larry.)

I think the most that can be said is that his story is different. I don't think we can say if his memory "changed" as time went on, or if had a family or a life and just didn't want to be an eyewitness to a federal crime. For all anyone knew at the time the guy lived and would be coming after anyone who ratted him out. It is sometimes just easier to say you didn't see anything and get on with your life. It could also have gone the other way, of course, where over time there grow to be 200 people on the plane, all of whom sat next to him. Who knows? Is he alive? Someone should ask.

That's exactly what they want you to think.