Giantology

My Journey Begins

This is it! The last post before I head off on my research travels. On Tuesday, January 3, 2006, at 12:15pm CST I take off on a flight from O'Hare, arriving in Lima, Peru, roughly 11 hours later. I scour Peru for a few weeks, come back for a week, then hit the road again for points unknown (meaning, I haven't quite decided yet). I will try to post whenever I can, but it's going to get more sporadic.

I'd like to give a big shout-out to all my readers, fans and even the haters, all around the world (and I literally have been contacted from every corner of the Earth). This has been an awesome year since I started Giantology, and it wouldn't have been possible without people sending me links, helping me solve some mysteries, and even taking me to task for being stupid about some obvious fakery.

From here forward, I am an official, globe-trotting Giantologist. Keep sending me your emails and comments, and I'll continue to read them and post them when I can. If there's a cyber-café on the top of Macchu Piccu, you'll hear about it.

Despite all the hoaxes and trickery and puzzles, I believe there's too much actual evidence in the world that points to one conclusion:

That giants once walked the earth.

The ancient humans knew it, and recorded it in their myths, their legends, and their artwork. And those have been passed down to us through the millenia in scraps and clues and sometimes even physical evidence.

And I hope to find some in my travels, and put them all in my soon-to-be-published book, The Age of Giants.

Until I can post again, however, I leave you with the following image. I received it by email the other day from a supposed Giantology fan in South Africa, who saw this in a regional newspaper and felt compelled to send it to me. His email described many tales of giants in the local myths, and now I am certain I must find a way to get to Africa one day soon.

I leave it up to you to determine whether it's real, or yet another colossal hoax.

Happy Holidays!

Fittingly, today is both Christmas and the start of Hanukka, and the day before the first day of Kwanzaa - so the phrase "Happy Holidays" is perfectly apt.

So then: Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukka, Happy Kwanzaa, Wondrous Winter Solstice, Joyous Saturnalia, Lovely Zagmuk, and a Funderful Festival of the Birth of the Unconquered Sun.

For everything and anything that you celebrate, you will surely find this link very amusing (turn on your speakers to enjoy).

Carcasses Everywhere

An interesting page featuring images and descriptions of crypto-carcasses. Enjoy between holiday meals, the images can get a little gross.

Inside the Hidden Directory

I've worked through the puzzle (with a little help from my "public"), teased you with some hints and clues, and  now I think it's time to lay out the contents of the hidden stop-polarneft.com directory (click the headline to view at stop-polarneft.com):

Khatanga Cave Painting
Shows a cave painting likely found in the region of Khatanga in Siberia, not far from where the Siberian Ice Giant was found, and probably the source of Arkady's interesting "Myth of Khatanga" mentioned in his radio interview.

IPICP Memo
A memo written in 1985 (shown here cropped), by a scientist complaining that his research project was shut down after finding an anomaly on Ostrov Viner-Neyshtadt, probably the ice covered giant creature. Worth a read, if only for the exquisite detail of it.

3D Seismic Video
Finally! A cool-looking rotating 3D seismic video of the creature that was found by Arkady Simkin. Perhaps poor Arkady died trying to bring this to the public. We may never know.

And 2 more screengrabs from the video (click to see full image):

Translation of Boris Phone Call

A Russian-speaking Giantology fan in the UK, by the name of Demitri, emailed me the following translation of Boris Atlasov's outgoing voicemail message:

Arkady, if this is really you, please leave a message and tell me that you are safe and sound. I am with friends, so do not worry about me. The 3D seismic video is in the password protected directory. I will release it only once I am certain you are safe. The password is "polar ice giant".

This leads me to wonder whether we'll ever know what happened to Arkady Simkin - whether he be a real person or, more likely, a made-up character. If captured by Polarneft, we'll never hear from him again. If on the lam, we should eventually expect some kind of message. I'm certainly not holding my breath, especially since I haven't heard from Boris again, since his emailing me the stop-polarneft URL, and I kind of don't expect to.

Recap of the Arkady Simkin Mystery

Very shortly I will post all of the stuff from the hidden directory at stop-polarneft.com. But first, for anyone coming to this new, a quick recap (try saying that five times fast) of what's gone down so far:

In October, Arkady Simkin came to fame with a website that hosted a remarkable video of a creature found in the ice cap near the north pole, in a remote set of islands known as the Franz-Joseph Land.

Arkady claimed to be hounded by an oil company called Polarneft, that was trying to stop him from releasing information on this find, out of concern that their oil prospecting would be halted. Arkady soon stopped posting to his site, which crashed for a day, prompting fears that Simkin had been kidnapped.

There was a "friend" named Brian who claimed to know where Arkady was. And a colleague named Boris Atlasov who claimed to have the 3D seismic video, but himself was afraid of Polarneft. There was even a second site that contained all the same content as Arkady's, but in a different order.

Then the whole thing was effectively debunked on national radio as another piece of the elaborate Shadow of the Colossus viral campaign.

Still, questions lingered, a conspiracy was suspected. Weeks passed with no word from Arkady or Boris, until Boris finally emailed me the URL for stop-polarneft.com, which appeared to be just an angry rant about Polarneft "abuses."

And then it became apparent there was more underneath the surface. A puzzle to be solved - a hidden, password-protected directory that appeared to be only for Arkady. The page had some invisible Morse Code and a strange anagram that spelled out "ViewSourceCode".

You, the Giantology readers, were very quick to solve the puzzle and unlock the hidden directory. The password, BTW, is polaricegiant (select text to reveal).

Giantology Podcast 04

Check out my latest podcast. It's the last one prior to me leaving on my research trip. In it, I dial the UK number listed in the stop-polarneft.com source code.

How to listen:

• Click here to auto-play the MP3 file in your browser.
• Right-click here to download the MP3 file to your computer.
• Copy this link and use your podcast software to subscribe to the podcast feed.

Same links are provided on the top right of the blog page, under the heading "podcast."

Giantology Travel 6: EUROPE

The UK would be my first Euro-stop, since I'm hearing "bits and bobs" about:

• Wales (Cader Idris, the Llyn Peninsula, Snowdonia)
• Cornwall
• Stonehenge, of course
• Avesbury
• Silbury Hill
• The Chalk Horses
• The Giant's Causeway in N. Ireland
• and who could forget the grand-daddy of all giant sites in Great Britain - Loch Ness

While many of these are very well travelled (and some are even tourist traps), I'm certain there's plenty of sites off the beaten track or near these places that can add enormous depth to my research. England is rich with Giantology.

I'm considering Finland based on a visitor's email, and I'm open to any other European countries, cities or towns, since travel there is so easy.

But if I could hit any site in (or near) Europe, it would certainly be the Franz Josef Land archipelago to once and for all determine whether there's any truth to the stories of Arkady Simkin and Boris Atlasov, or if it really was just a fantastical viral marketing scheme.  If I can find some way to get all the way up to Ostrov Viner-Neyshtadt, that is.

Calling Boris

As you should know by now, the "viewsourcecode" clues at stop-polarneft.com direct you to the following tag hidden in the - what else? - source code:

ARKADY: TELEPHONE 44 7962 837 318

Which is a working mobile phone number in the UK. Which is where I suspected Boris was hiding out following his first cryptic email to me, based on the message headers.

When you call that number, you get a message apparently from Boris Atlasov, saying something in Russian. He clearly mentions the 3D seismic video we've all been waiting for, as well as, at the very end, the password for a certain hidden directory.

Now, I do recommend calling that number if you can swing it, simply because it's worth hearing Boris' voice in person. Kinda cool.

However, if you can't call it because of the cost, or you just are too darn lazy to pick up the phone and dial 011 for an international line, I plan to call the number again and record the message for you. Because I care!

I'll post it, along with the password to the hidden directory, as part of my final podcast before I begin my research travels for The Age of Giants book I'm going to write.

Granted, there are a couple of technical workarounds to get into the hidden directory that quite a few of you have figured out and emailed or sent via comments. And if you have the know-how to get in without the phone message, good for you. But I'm of the opinion that a puzzle - even a simple one such as this - should be solved properly. And that is why I have been much stingier lately with posting comments. It's like giving away the ending of a movie, and I truly hate that. So you'll have to go elsewhere for technical trickery. I'm a traditionalist.

Also, if anyone knows Russian, maybe you could call and translate the full message for us. Da?

Some new links to check out

Here's a few interesting new blogs/sites/articles I've found recently:

• Evidence of strange stuff everywhere.
• Our Earth holds some amazing and beautiful structures.
• Stuff you can only see from a satellite.
• A compendium of mysteries.
• An "investigative mythologist."
• The top beasts and dragons and their basis in science.
• New seabed splits open in Africa.
• A brief scientific overview of Sea Monsters.
• And finally, the thumb bone of a giant.

Giantology Travel 5: NORTH AMERICA

I'd prefer to start the entire Giantology expedition in the US, but given the weather this season, that seems unwise.

Sometime this coming spring or summer, then, I'll undertake a titanic road trip across America, starting in Evanston and heading Southwest along Route 66. I'll look into reports of "thunderbirds" in Illinois, check out some kitschy giant statues I've heard about and head to the Arizona/California border to investigate the intaglios mentioned in my earlier post, in Quartzite and Bouse, AZ, and Blythe, CA.

Then make a giant round trip to check out the Canyon of the Evil Giant at the Nevada/Idaho border.

Along the way, I'll detour as needed, since this will be overall the least difficult part of my research travel. I'm expecting to pick up some cool images of desert rock art and hopefully some interesting folklore from the Native Americans of the Southwest (like the Wendigo).

I'm sure I've missed a thousand other cool places, and I'd love to visit the Pacific Northwest, where Bigfoot roams. Feel free to comment to the site on suggestions.

If at all possible, I'm also considering Mexico - however, going to Cancun in the spring with the intent to visit Chichen Itza, Tulum and some interesting findings in the Yucatan cenotes, would likely result in a colossal hangover.

Giantology Travel 4: AFRICA

From Egypt, I'd love to dip down into Africa, where ancient rock art often depicts giant creatures or larger than life humans:

• Niola Doa ("big ladies") in Chad
• Dodoma Region of Tanzania
• Malawi
• Lake Victoria Island in Uganda
• Kasama Hills in Zambia

Several spots in South Africa seem good, too, but I'm a bit skeptical that I can stretch my budget far enough to go much further south than Luxor.

The Source

OK, so by now I imagine most if not all of you have figured out Boris Atlasov's previous clue, hidden in some invisible Morse Code (how Cold War of him!) on stop-polarneft.com, which translated means:
VIEWSOURCECODE (highlight the preceding text if you want to know).

If you follow that instruction, you see this:
ARKADY: TELEPHONE 44 7962 837 318 (highlight text to reveal).

And if you follow THAT instruction... well, I did, but I'm curious to know if anyone else did too.

Also, I mentioned another phrase on the site that points at the same clue. I've had a couple of responses from smart smarties. That phrase is:
DEVIOUS CEO CREW (highlight to reveal)

Which is an anagram for - you guessed it:
VIEW SOURCE CODE (highlight to reveal)

As promised - big shout-outs to:
CS, David, Mad Matt, (a different) Matt, Daniel, WatACutie, Jamie and Kevin for solving that last one. Way too many people emailed and commented solving the Morse Code for me to mention, but you're all very smart. Although some of you ARE a bit sarcastic. This means you, Col. Chaos.

(And just in case anyone thinks I'm a total idiot - and you know who you are, and that's not a very nice word! - I have cracked the puzzle and seen what's in the hidden directory. And if you stick with me, all will be revealed in due time.)

Giantology Travel 3: MIDDLE EAST

Boris and his secrets and puzzles have gotten me briefly sidetracked. But as we work to solve the mystery of stop-polarneft.com, I still need to prepare for my research travels. I've been doing more research, and the next place after Asia I'd like to visit would be the Middle East.

Ah, the fabled "cradle of civilization." No Giantology Expedition would be complete without a visit to the ancient land where it all supposedly began. The entire region is home to the Biblical giants of Genesis and possibly hundreds if not thousands of tales of giants over the eons.

Israel is central this these legends, but given the tensions and border controls in the region, I will have to plan it like a pro - go there too early in my journey, and none of the Arab countries will let me in, go there after Syria and Iran, and Israel might not let me in. It's a sticky wicket, since Israel obviously holds some of the most important "giantological" finds of the region (including this recent piece of evidence that David v. Goliath actually occured!).

I'd also like to look into giant lore in Jordan, Turkey and Syria, as well as some tantalizing finds in Egypt.

I've gotten a number of requests to check up on Casper Shilling and the Skeleton of Jebel-Barez, and if I can work out the logistics, I will definitely visit Bam, Iran.

Dots and dashes

So this stop-polarneft site is coming into focus, and making a lot more sense. Obviously, whatever evidence Boris Atlasov has for Arkady, is being hidden in the password-protected directory. Most likely the 3D seismic survey is in there, and who knows what else - so I imagine it's worth it to crack this thing.

Now here's a couple little pieces of the puzzle that several of my intrepid fellow Giantologists figgered out:

The hidden link at the bottom of the page has the following text:

...- .. . .-- ... --- ..- .-. -.-. . -.-. --- -.. .

I'll leave it to you to find a way to translate it, but there is another clue on the page as well. I found a certain phrase a bit odd for a couple reasons, and sure enough, it points in the same direction as the above dots-and-dashes. A colossal shout-out to whoever emails or comments to me with the phrase and what it actually means.

Check back here soon for what's behind the next curtain...

Cracking stop-polarneft.com

I've been doing a little digging on the stop-polarneft site, and here's what I've been able  to determine.

It's actually a clever little puzzle, apparently set up by Boris Atlasov to ensure that only Arkady Simkin could gain access to the hidden, password-protected directory. I won't spoil the fun by giving it away, but a few of you have already figured it out. The one clue I will offer is that just because you can't see text on a webpage, doesn't mean there isn't any.

...- .. . .-- ... --- ..- .-. -.-. . -.-. --- -.. .

What's the secret of stop-polarneft?

No more word from "Boris Atlasov," so I'm thinking the only thing we have to go on from here on in is stop-polarneft.com. And you've all wisely pointed out that Polarneft probably doesn't even exist (it only turns up search results in reference to Arkady Simkin).

Regardless, I am intrigued by an email I got from a Giantology fan, that said there's a hidden directory on the "Stop Polarneft" site.

At the very bottom of the home page is an invisible link. And if you click it... you get a pop-up asking for a password.

So the question is, what's the password? And more importantly, what's behind it?

Boris has spoken...

Yes, after weeks of utter silence, Boris has spoken. And frankly, I'm scratching my head.

Today I received an early-morning email from him. No greeting. No message. No signature.

Just a URL:

www.stop-polarneft.com

His site consists of a single page rant about Polarneft. No new information. No 3D model that he AND Arkady Simkin promised us.

I don't get it. So I sent Boris an email:

Boris,

Thank you for the link. But I must admit I'm rather disappointed. I really thought you were planning to release the 3D seismic survey video you talked about in your last email to me.

Most people no longer believe your story - in fact, they think it's an outright hoax on behalf of a videogame campaign for Sony PlayStation.

As far as I'm concerned, if you want anyone to believe you, you should email me the 3D video and any other evidence you have so I can post it to my blog.

Sorry for being so harsh, but I and many others want some answers. We want to believe. But we can't without further proof.

Sincerely,
Eric Belson

And to you, dear readers, if you can make sense of this site, please by all means do.

Giantology Travel 2: SOUTHEAST ASIA

This is obviously a huge region to cover, but my plan is to go directly to the Philippines, specifically, the Sulu Sea, site of Ed Guyler's "underwater giant," as well as the Solomon Islands, where a giant race of humans is believed to exist. As for Ed Guyler, I haven't had much luck getting in touch with him, but I might just make a visit to him in person and see if he's selling the real deal or a bunch of (giant underwater) snake oil.

Easter Island is high on my list as well, for obvious reasons.

Cash permitting, I may attempt to visit Yonaguni, a site on the Westernmost point of Japan, just a stone's throw from Taiwan, to look at the famed underwater ruins. Question: what does Yonaguni have to do with giants? Not sure. I also don't know how to Scuba Dive. So this will likely not happen.

Lauren has opten to join me on this leg of the journey, as long as I promise that we can stop in Bali for an extended romantic weekend.

Giantology Travel 1: PERU

Peru will be my first stop on the Giantology World Tour 2005/2006.

Regardless of the trickery of the recent "Incan Giant" Colossus video, the more I look at Peru, the more cool Giantology type treasures it seems to offer.

All of the following sites consist of giant structures, and legends swirling about giants relating to each of them:

• Cuzco & Sacred Valley/Urubamba:
• Machu Picchu
• Sacsayhuaman
• Ollantaytambo
• Pisaq
• Village of Calca
• Maras
• Moray
• Trujillo region - specifically Huaca del Dragon (Temple of the Dragon)
• Chullpas of Sillstani
• Quenko
• Nazca
• Marcahuasi (a particularly mysterious site with giant figures carved in stone)
• Tiahuanacu (actually in Bolivia, but maybe I can make a visit)
• Anywhere else you, dear reader, might recommend?