Static? I don't get it October 16, 2009 2:35 PM   Subscribe

To what was setanor referring when he made this remark in the Falcon Heene thread yesterday?

Maybe my google-fu is lacking, maybe I'm old and out of touch, but I've searched and I don't get the reference or why it got 22 favorites.
posted by pasici to MetaFilter-Related at 2:35 PM (37 comments total)

The Blair Witch Project comes to mind, but I don't think it's that. It's some other film thing I think.
posted by lazaruslong at 2:37 PM on October 16, 2009 [1 favorite]


The movie Contact.
posted by shadow vector at 2:37 PM on October 16, 2009 [11 favorites]


shadow vector is correct.
posted by It's Raining Florence Henderson at 2:39 PM on October 16, 2009


Contact, movie from the 90's about a space craft that appeared not to go anywhere during the main character's strip, yet the camera recorded 18 hours of static.
posted by spaltavian at 2:39 PM on October 16, 2009 [1 favorite]


I believe it's from Contact with Jodi Foster. From the wikipedia synopsis:

She insists that she was gone for approximately 18 hours, but her recording devices only show static. Kitz resigns as National Security Advisor to lead a congressional committee to determine if the Machine was a fraud by Hadden, who had the resources to set up an elaborate hoax, but has since died. Arroway admits the lack of evidence to support her perception of the events, but maintains the validity of her story. Kitz and White House Chief of Staff Rachel Constantine together reflect on the fact that Arroway's recording devices contained 18 hours of static. Arroway is given continued grant money for the SETI program at the Very Large Array.
posted by phelixshu at 2:39 PM on October 16, 2009


*trip, though I'd be cool with that particular actress doing what I typed.
posted by spaltavian at 2:40 PM on October 16, 2009 [1 favorite]


And when they looked in the balloon....THERE WAS A HOOK! FROM INSIDE THE HOUSE!
posted by DU at 2:41 PM on October 16, 2009 [2 favorites]


Oh, now you've gone and done it!
posted by It's Raining Florence Henderson at 2:41 PM on October 16, 2009


Hrm. Why not just ask him directly?
posted by zarq at 3:07 PM on October 16, 2009 [1 favorite]


Ah yeah. That was a great twisty moment. I know lots of people hate that movie, but I rather enjoyed parts of it.
posted by lazaruslong at 3:08 PM on October 16, 2009 [1 favorite]


It was then that the aliens carried her.
posted by cortex (staff) at 3:09 PM on October 16, 2009 [28 favorites]


Sounds like "Contact" is right. Having not seen that film, my first thought was that it was some kind of weird Nixon Tapes reference.
posted by drjimmy11 at 3:13 PM on October 16, 2009


It was then that the aliens carried her.

Are you implying these were some sort of Soviet Russian aliens?
posted by drjimmy11 at 3:14 PM on October 16, 2009


Oh, obfuscated by 6-ish hours!
posted by setanor at 3:16 PM on October 16, 2009


It was then that the aliens carried her.

So that explains why the single set of footprints had only 3 toes!
posted by TedW at 3:16 PM on October 16, 2009


Um. The film was based on a novel of the same name by Carl Sagan.
posted by kbanas at 3:19 PM on October 16, 2009 [1 favorite]


If you click on someone's username, it takes you to their profile page. In the upper left, under the username, is a link to Send MeFi Mail. Click on that, and you can compose and send a private message to that user.

Because there are only so many MeTa posts in the known universe, I hate to waste them.
posted by Liver at 3:19 PM on October 16, 2009



It was then that the aliens carried her.


Is this because Jesus H. Shatner was occupied with a giant donut and not available to do the carrying?
posted by eyeballkid at 3:20 PM on October 16, 2009


One night a man had a dream. He dreamed
he was walking along the beach on an alien planet.

Across the sky flashed scenes from his life.
For each scene he noticed two sets of
footprints in the sand: one belonging
to him, and the other to something weird.

When the last scene of his life flashed before him,
he looked back at the footprints in the sand.

He noticed that many times along the path of
his life there was only one set of footprints.

He also noticed that it happened at the very
lowest and saddest times in his life.

This really bothered him and he
questioned nobody in particular about it:

"Whoever the fuck brought me here,
you said that once I decided to follow
you, you'd show me some cool shit, apparently.
But I have noticed that during the most
troublesome times in my life,
like right now, there is only
one set of footprints.
I don't understand why when
I am on this alien planet
after having traveled through some fucked-up gyroscope
a man can't get a decent Salisbury Steak
and there's nobody else weird here!"

An ALIEN appeard, and replied

"My friend, my special friend,
I love you and I would never leave you.
During your times of trial and suffering,
when you see only one set of footprints,
it was then that I hadn't grafted
a hybrid torso onto your midsection."
posted by setanor at 3:25 PM on October 16, 2009 [13 favorites]


There are people that are going to be offended by your mockery of our Lord Cortex.

For penance, say 4 Our Fathers and 10 Hail Haugheys.
posted by panboi at 3:32 PM on October 16, 2009


Metafilter: All Falcon Heene, all the time.
posted by HP LaserJet P10006 at 3:52 PM on October 16, 2009 [1 favorite]


Metafilter: Metafilter:
posted by setanor at 3:55 PM on October 16, 2009 [2 favorites]


Speaking of CNN, HOW did they get a PICTURE OF THIS
posted by setanor at 3:57 PM on October 16, 2009


Larry King took it. He's been dead for years.
posted by It's Raining Florence Henderson at 3:59 PM on October 16, 2009


Great leaping lens flairs!
posted by filthy light thief at 4:53 PM on October 16, 2009


Best take so far was the guy from Wired saying we should've known there was no kid in the balloon from a cursory glance at the balloon's shape.

As the parent of a 6-year-old boy, I was riveted to the screen for the entire broadcast. So yeah, I was caught up in the hysteria, hook, line and sinker.
posted by Cool Papa Bell at 5:19 PM on October 16, 2009


Oh, can I tag on? What was the deal with the "England's Rose" comments around the web?
posted by goodnewsfortheinsane at 5:41 PM on October 16, 2009


Buffalo: Buffalo:
posted by nebulawindphone at 6:21 PM on October 16, 2009


Liver: Because there are only so many MeTa posts in the known universe, I hate to waste them.

There are, in fact, an infinite amount of MeTa posts, but they are spread through infinite universes. The reason we get more than one is that in some other universes the Large Hadron Collider has already started up and annihilated that universe.
posted by Kattullus at 7:14 PM on October 16, 2009


Here's a good place to mention the funniest thing about this whole story I've seen written, on Facebook, of all places:

The news networks were literally distracted by a bright and shiny object.

Apologies if this was mentioned somewhere in that 700 comment mess of a thread. This place is getting way too big, man.
posted by Slarty Bartfast at 7:27 PM on October 16, 2009 [3 favorites]


Thanks. I do know how to send me-mail. I thought maybe others wondered the same and would benefit from a public query. And, if I hadn't asked, we'd have missed all the hilarity that has ensued.
posted by pasici at 7:43 PM on October 16, 2009


I liked the part where the kid announced on CNN live that "you [his parents] told me we were doing it for the show." What a bunch of bullshit.
posted by P.o.B. at 7:50 PM on October 16, 2009


The news networks were literally distracted by a bright and shiny object.

This was in Bill Maher's opening on his HBO show tonight.
posted by pearlybob at 7:52 PM on October 16, 2009 [1 favorite]


Oh; no, no, no, no. No asking for explanations of jokes. If you don't know the reference, smile and laugh like everyone else, and later, when you're alone, JFGI. If that doesn't work, don't come asking for anyone to rip aside the curtain and explain it to you. It demeans the jokER as well as the jokEE to even ask.

Besides: no soap; radio.
posted by yhbc at 9:28 PM on October 16, 2009


There are, in fact, an infinite amount of MeTa posts, but they are spread through infinite universes. The reason we get more than one is that in some other universes the Large Hadron Collider has already started up and annihilated that universe.

Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain!
posted by Meatbomb at 1:03 AM on October 17, 2009


As someone who didn't get it and likewise thought it was a Nixon reference, thanks for making it a Metatalk rather than a MeFi mail.

I feel pseudosmarter about a film I never saw, nor will likely ever see.
posted by Gucky at 8:43 PM on October 18, 2009


Yeah another thank you for posting this. I actually JFGI and found THIS POST explaining it! Turns out Google went right to the damn source on an explanation for the joke I wanted an explanation for.
posted by haveanicesummer at 7:23 AM on October 27, 2009


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