by
May 9th, 2008

I won't say that I believe in the paranormal, but I will allow that there are things that exist today that are beyond our current level of understanding.

The term "paranormal" covers a lot of territory, but most folks will think of aliens, UFOs, Big Foot, and E.S.P when they hear the term. I'm not a dyed-in-the-wool skeptic, I'm pretty much open to the possibility that UFOs manned by shaggy aliens with big feet have visited our world sometime in the past, using mind control to force proto-humans to build pyramids and worship them as gods.

I'm open to this possibility and more, but I won't believe it's true until a flying saucer with a Wookie inside parks on my lawn and forces me to do the Macarena non-stop for 24 hours using nothing but its highly developed mental muscle.

I'm not going to hold my breath while waiting for that to happen, but some folks believe that ghosts are all around us, that aliens visit our little world on a regular basis, and that Big Foot is an as-yet undiscovered ultra-shy species of ape.

Are these folks nuts? Not necessarily. I've had some experiences in my life that were juuust enough on the far side of weird to keep my mind open to the possibility that mainstream science is wrong about many things and that those folks who investigate these paranormal issues may actually be onto something.

No, I haven't been abducted by aliens, forced to have unprotected sex with them, probed anally, then RFID tagged before being dumped on some remote highway in Kansas. (Would those of you who have been snatched by green/gray people tell me if you can pick which abduction scenario happens to you? Is it always the four courses or can you have your abduction a la carte? "...I'll have an Alien Abduction please, but can I get extra Alien Sex and hold the probing? Make that to go...")

My brush with the paranormal is nothing so dramatic as an alien abduction, and it is not something I will discuss here. Suffice it to say that what happened to me changed my life profoundly.

Profound life changing events are the cornerstone of the paranormal and when something has affected someone so deeply they tend to want to tell others, and in today's world one of the mediums of choice for disseminating info are podcasts. (Somehow you knew I was going to say that, right?)

Australian UFO Wave is a podcasts that claims that unidentified flying objects are being seen in Australian skies daily, and they've got the video to prove it. Flashing lights, floating triangles, silvery objects, and stuff that's just plain strange make up each brief episode. Some of it's obviously faked, but some is either good camera work or the real thing. You decide.

Alien about to get its freak on in Australian UFO Wave

When writing this article I originally downloaded just three episodes so that I could get a feel for the podcasts, but after watching them I downloaded all nine. Some of these things are spooky and if I wasn't blessed with a healthy dollop of skepticism I'd be a true believer. As it is Australian UFO Wave makes me more curious about UFOs than ever.

There are nine UFO Wave episodes and they are all dated two years ago, so maybe ET decided to pick on another country. Anyway, whether you believe in UFOs or not, Australian UFO Wave is bound to pique your interest.

Those of you who remember the TV show, The Outer limits, know that it was a groundbreaking series in its day. Like The Twilight Zone, The Outer Limits explored humanity, but with a SciFi backdrop. Stranger Things is a podcast similar to The Outer Limits in that it looks at how we deal with each other and the world around us, and it uses SciFi as the foundation on which the stories are built.

To clone or not to clone... Stranger Things

In the episode Discontent, human cloning is the hook, while other episodes explore astral projection, prayer, and other paranormal manifestations. The episodes are interesting and the other downloads discuss things about the show.

Check it out.

Also, you might want to take a look at Hometown Tales. This podcast features weird stuff like ghosts, strange events, and other oddities that go bump in the night. Hosts Gene and Bryan show and discuss some of the history behind the tales. It's actually a lot more entertaining than I make it sound.

In one episode, they go in search of the grave of the original MGM lion, you know, the one that roars in the beginning credits of MGM movies. The history surrounding the lion is fascinating. Maybe not as fascinating as alien sex, but then, what is?

There are more than 20 Hometown Tales podcasts -- plenty to keep you from thinking about that creature outside your airplane window.

Go grab a bunch.

Well, that's a wrap for this week.

If you've had an encounter with the unexplained I'd like to hear about it. Post a your story below or send me a note directly.

More freebies at the iTunes Store, with links:

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Vern Seward is a writer who currently lives in Orlando, FL. He's been a Mac fan since Atari Computers folded, but has worked with computers of nearly every type for 20 years.

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