Would You Rather Fight a Tiger or Bigfoot?
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Jason Murphy is a novelist, screenwriter, and content creator. He is an energy field created by all living things. He surrounds us, penetrates us, and binds the galaxy together.
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Rock Apes
“The purported cryptid wasn’t taller than 5 feet and it walked upright. It stopped, looked at them as though scrutinizing each and every one of the soldiers.
“What the hell is that?”, one of the soldiers recalls muttering.
“It’s a rock ape”, said another.
“No, it ain’t”, a third man said.
“I’ve seen rock apes, and that sure as hell isn’t a rock ape!”
The warriors didn’t take their eyes off the creature.
“It’s an orangutan, isn’t it?”, asked the first soldier again.
“Well, if it is, then he can’t read a map. There are no orangutans in Vietnam.”
Squatches in the ‘Nam? As if soldiers didn’t have enough to worry about.
The legend of the "Vietnam Rock Apes" were predominantly spread by American soldiers stationed in Vietnam during the war. They were described as large, ape-like creatures that inhabited the remote jungle regions of Vietnam. The rumors spread as more soldiers had encounters with the aggressive things. They threw rocks at the Americans or sometimes even attacked them with brute force.
Now … these soldiers were in the jungle. Where there are apes. Lots and lots of apes. Do you think it’s reasonable that some 18 year old kid, scared out of his mind, saw an ape and thought, “Monster!!”
I do. It also bears mentioning that lots of soldiers were playing around with drugs like LSD. Taking LSD in a warzone is probably a bad idea. It might make you see Sasquatch.
https://www.historicmysteries.com/vietnam-rock-apes/
https://exemplore.com/cryptids/Wartime-Mystery-The-Rock-Apes-of-Vietnam
https://militarymachine.com/vietnam-rock-apes/
The story for a movie I would definitely watch is right there. I’m a sucker for bizarre tales of soldiers encountering the unexplained while on the field of battle. As a writer, I’m a big fan of putting my characters through the ringer. Be mean to them. Take the problem they’re already in the middle of - the Viet Nam War - and then escalate it by introducing some monsters.
Years ago, I watched a documentary about soldiers in the Viet Nam war. The doc interviewed both the Americans and the VC about their experiences. One recurring theme that I picked up on? Everyone was terrified of tigers. Unanimously, the soldiers asked would much rather encounter enemy forces than a single tiger.
But what if it wasn’t a tiger?
A Virus That Attacks Through Your Speakers
Locks are for honest people. That old adage still holds up and can be applied to any sort of security, really. Locks are only as good as the determination of the person trying to get in. It’s always disappointing to be reminded of that, especially when it comes to cyber-security.
You may think it would be easy to keep two computers from communicating. That’s what establishing an ‘air-gap’ is for. Two (or more) computers in the same room are considered to be separated by an ‘air-gap’ if there is no physical or logical connection between them. They’re often set up on completely separate networks. The air-gap separation ensures that data cannot be exchanged between the two networks, and more specifically, in a situation in which two computers have been compromised with a malware, data cannot be sent from one computer to the other and vice versa. But even that isn’t hermetic.
The air-gap between two computers in the same room can be ‘bridged’ if the two computers are equipped with speakers and microphone. That is, the two computers can covertly exchange data via inaudible sound waves. In this type of communication, one computer transmits the data to the other via high frequency sound (usually at 18 kHz or higher), using its loudspeaker. The receiver computer uses its microphone to receive the data. The speaker-to-microphone communication described above is mainly relevant for laptops, which have built-in speakers and microphones.
But that’s not all! They can even access your computer without a microphone, turning the speakers into sort of a receiver. So even if you have a computer not connected to the internet or a network, a virus can still be transmitted.
https://www.wired.com/story/ultrasonic-signals-wild-west-of-wireless-tech/
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S2214212619304697
We are at a point in technology where things that seem wholly within the realm of science fiction are being introduced every day. But whenever you’re introducing something like this into your fiction, it has to be somewhat believable. So how do you utilize a completely possible technology that sounds so absurdly implausible?
That seems to be the trick with introducing ‘new things’ to your audience. You’ve got to be concise, subtle, and yet also completely convey the idea without confusion. Then again, maybe you could handle it like any other super-advanced technology in film or literature. It’s just ‘magic’. Do we know how the mask making tech works in the Mission: Impossible films? No, not at all. It doesn’t matter. As long as it fits within the rules of your story’s world, you’re fine.
He Fought the Nazis With A Sword!
I’m quite certain Mad Jack Churchill was unhinged. I don’t mean to disparage a war hero, but if you’re marching into the Battle of France armed with a longbow and broadsword? You have earned the nickname of Mad Jack. And it’s not like he got gunned down. He captured over 40 Germans! With a sword!
In 1941, Churchill joined the Commandos, an elite British military unit specializing in unconventional warfare. He participated in the daring raid on the German-occupied Norwegian island of Vågsøy, leading a small team against heavily fortified positions. Despite the odds stacked against them, Churchill's team inflicted significant damage and managed to evacuate successfully.
In 1943, during the Allied invasion of Sicily, Churchill stormed the shores playing his bagpipes, signaling his arrival amidst the chaos of battle. His bagpipe playing and fearless leadership served as a morale boost for his comrades, and he fought valiantly until he was captured by the Germans. However, even as a prisoner of war, Churchill continued to devise escape plans, eventually succeeding in his fourth attempt.
https://www.warhistoryonline.com/instant-articles/forget-robin-hood-meet-the-mad_major-m.html
These days, if someone is carrying a sword around, they’re either unwell or a huge nerd. Here in Texas, you can carry such a weapon around all you like. Walk down the street with a Scottish claymore! Why not? It’s Texas! Anything goes!
I’d like to understand just why Mad Jack thought this was necessary. If I’m walking into some of the most epic battles in world history, I’m going to want a gun. Maybe two guns. And some grenades. A sword, though? I’ve sparred with swords. It’s clumsy and exhausting. A bow and arrow? I took archery in college and I sucked. I can’t imagine defending myself against something nice and stationary, like a cow or an old Buick in someone’s front yard, much less trying to take on the Germans.
As I develop my fantasy novels, I’m tempted to base a character on him. Was it bravado? Mental illness? Did he just need attention?
If he were involved in modern conflicts, would he have brought his Kingdom Hearts keyblade? Would he run across the beach Naruto-style? Like I said, huge nerd.
The Battle of Los Angeles
February 25, 1942. It was just a few months after the attack on Pearl Harbor. Everyone was afraid of a Japanese invasion on the mainland, especially on the West Coast.
At approximately 2:25 a.m., air raid sirens wailed across Los Angeles, signaling an imminent threat. Witnesses reported seeing a large, glowing object in the sky, slowly moving southward. Immediately, the sky was ablaze with the bright beams of searchlights, crisscrossing the night air in a frantic attempt to track the intruder. Military personnel quickly mobilized, readying themselves for a potential attack.
The 37th Coast Artillery Brigade sprang into action, unleashing a barrage of anti-aircraft fire toward the unidentified object. For nearly an hour, shells exploded in the air, lighting up the night sky and raining debris over the city. But despite the relentless barrage, the object appeared unfazed, its presence remaining undeterred.
As dawn broke, the "battle" ended as abruptly as it had begun. No enemy aircraft were downed, and no evidence of a successful interception was found. The only aftermath was the damage caused by falling shrapnel and the realization that Los Angeles had come under attack from an unknown and seemingly invincible enemy.
The event garnered immediate attention, making headlines across the nation. Theories about the nature of the object and its origins spread like wildfire. Some speculated that it was a Japanese aircraft or a secret weapon, while others believed it to be an extraterrestrial craft. The absence of a definitive explanation only fueled the growing curiosity and skepticism surrounding the incident.
Official explanations soon followed, attempting to dispel the rumors and restore calm. The U.S. Army initially claimed that the object was an enemy aircraft, but subsequent investigations revealed no evidence to support this assertion. The prevailing explanation put forth by the military was that the sighting had been a case of "war nerves" triggered by a weather balloon, combined with the heightened anxiety of the time. Convenient how it’s always a “weather balloon”, isn’t it?
Despite the official explanation, the Battle of Los Angeles has remained a topic of intrigue and debate. Skeptics argue that the government's account was a cover-up, meant to conceal the presence of extraterrestrial life or advanced technologies. They point to the witnesses' descriptions of the object's maneuverability and resilience as evidence that it was something otherworldly.
https://www.history.com/news/world-war-iis-bizarre-battle-of-los-angeles
This one is already a movie. Kind of. Stephen Spielberg’s 1941 is a film most people choose to quietly ignore. While there isn’t an actual UFO in that flick, the movie does make obvious reference to the ‘Battle of Los Angeles’.
Was it really a weather balloon? Some sort of enemy craft? Or anything at all? Unfortunately, no one was carrying a cell phone at the time, so we can’t get some jittery, portrait-mode “proof” narrated by some awe-struck rando.
Nonetheless, this one has all of the ingredients of an incredible story. A UFO appears above Los Angeles during World War 2? The mayhem that must have broken out in that city. The raw terror …
It reminds me many ways of the classic Twilight Zone episode, The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street. It’s a story about a neighborhood gripped with unfounded paranoia. That paranoia escalates into mob violence and murder. People do horrible things when they’re scared.
The Strangerous Channel Updates
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Swords don't run out of ammunition.
It was fascinating reading about the Battle for Los Angeles! Most people are unaware of that strange occurrence in history, unless they live around that area. A fun fact, Fort MacArthur Museum puts on a recreation event almost every year called The Great Los Angeles Air Raid.