X-files movie is about werewolves, isn't it? A spaceship wouldn't seem to fit the marketing push very well.

This looks like a companion to that other mystery spaceship footage a few months back (which was also thought to be a viral campaign, but nobody knew for what and no clarification ever came to light.)

Here we are - this is a year old.

[www.neatorama.com]

And there are others - everybody looks to the nearest sci-fi product and says it's viral marketing. Halo 3. Transformers.

well last time everyone said this ARG was for HALO I wish people would make their minds up. Seems they have no idea how to run a successful ARG/VIRAL campaign.
We know it's all fake bullshit, but for once I would like to know what film/tv/game it's bloody for.

How are these "steampunk-looking"?

@Chris Wren: All the metal and gears.

@castewar: Yup. Supposedly the new images are the schematics.

For an extensive report on this, go to

www.earthfiles.com

Linda Moulton Howe has some of the best information available on these "Drones"

That's just some swamp gas.

This is known as the CARET project, and it is claimed to utilize a new form of physics.

From what I understand, the "symbols" on the surface of the drone act as some form of a program or type of circuitry. It is supposed to be a form of "sacred geometry" that actually enables the drone to connect to and draw energy and purpose from the environment by way of some sort of hyperdimensional physics.

Really cool.

If you want to fart with physics through the shape of objects, you don't arse around with sacred runes and other mystical shite like that.

Better shapes most definitely exist.

(What's that? Real life scientific hardware looking drastically more alien than the chintzy baubles provided by someone's advertising ARG? Oh noes! ;-) )

I saw this on UFO hunters the other day. I wasn't really paying attention at the time ...

I saw this on UFO Hunters too. Watched the entire episode and didn't learn a thing. I doubt theyre for a movie though, seem to have been around too long for that.

That would be coolest juicer ever...

I remember seeing this right before Halo 3 came out. I was of the understanding that it was part of the viral marketing campaign but I don't know if they ever confirmed it. I know for a fact that it's been around at least that long. pretty sure there are some youtube videos too.

I hate to spoil it for everyone, but... those pictures aren't just old, they're obvious fakes. Back when they first made the rounds the lettering on them was matched to a crappy 'Katakana'-style font. Nice CG, but that's all. And too old to be a promo for anything coming out this year, unless some marketing exec was not just fiendishly patient but absurdly optimistic.

@eirenicon: Maybe they're like the Footage from William Gibson's Pattern Recognition.

First it was the viral marketing campaign for Halo 3, then Transformers, now X-Files?

The reality is that these are being flown secretly by our government -- simply yet another craft (like the Stealth Bomber) being tested and sometimes seen in public. Nothing alien or marketing about 'em.

Then again, this could be a truly viral campaign for this weekends new movie "21". Vegas, Blackjack, UFO's.

Those pictures are years old. And there were videos that went along with them. So unless the X Files movie is also planning to touch on time travel, I doubt that this is a viral marketing campaign.

ufo This has been out for ages! There is a new Michell Gondry piece in the works that is about a UFO hoax run amok. Could be that, although this has been around for years. Gondry's 3D guy also did this one http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=up5jmbSjWkw Looks like the same artist and hardware to me, tough to be sure. Here is one I am working on. This is not complete, (rerendering it, camera shake, etc etc) http://soaringbrain.com/ufo2.html James Coddington Freelance 3D Artist -- ('-'*) ! (Be sure to check out my site below!) http://soaringbrain.com 312 525 0188 ALL CONTENT COPYRIGHT 2008 _ | | | | __ _ _ __ ___ ___ _ | |/ _` | '_ ` _ \ / _ \/ __| | |__| | (_| | | | | | | __/\__ \ \____/ \__,_|_| |_| |_|\___|

I think it's a spare parts thingamajig from Stargate. It looks like Ancient technology to me.

A viral marketing campaign was ruled out many months ago. These drones are from 1997 to June 2007 except for another in September 2007.

If you want to educate yourself on the subject go here.
[aliencases.conforums.com]

Go into the board called ISAAC AND THE DRONES and then the thread called ISAAC AND THE DRONES SAGA CONTINUES.

There's more here that you really don't know. And, there was just a new discovery yesterday where those two private investigators have located one of the drone locations. That is in the same board called, CHAD DRONE LOCATION DISCOVERED.

These are not from the X-Files.

This is CGI purported to be reverse engineered alien technology built by the (fictitious) CARET Project. (Commercial Applications Research for Extraterrestrial Technology)

Read MUFON's PowerPoint presentation on their investigation into this hoax.

[www.mufon.com]

These images have been around for a couple years now. I don't think they were part of any viral campaign, just enthusiast noodlings.

I really doubt that it has anything to do with the xfiles

As a special effects professional who's been involved with designing and compositing similar pictures/footage, I can tell you that this is definately a hoax. First of all, a subjective but edutcated opinion...the drones appear to be very carefully and deliberately "art designed"..that is they have a clear art-directed style to them. But the real damning thing is this: notice that some of the photos are taken from the perspective of someone on the ground pointing their digital or even film camera straight up overhead, pointing into the sky as the probe hovers overhead. Notice that the underside of the probe, the side in shadow, facing the photogrpaher, seems clear and well exposed. This is impossible since the sky behind the shadow side of the object being photo'd is at least 15 stops brighter. you would either have to expose for the shadow, in which case the sky would overexpose to white or the sky background would be way too bright and you'd never see anything but a silouette of the probe details. conclusion: beautiful, clever but obvious hoax.

What they said.

@strider_mt2k: Swamp gas? Please adjust your spectacles, my good sir.

This is a weather balloon!

Indeed.

Those pics are over a year old.

Those pictures were presented in May and June and no it is not a hoax. Nobody has been able to state hoax just yet. Google ALIEN CASEBOOK - HOME and you can educate yourself on the drones, which are far from a viral marketing campaign as well. There isn't one or two drones, there are 14 that have been sighted around the U.S.

The upper and lower elements are obviously handless whisks.
Bet that muther could whip up a mean omelette.

@Zantor: When you strip out the meaningless technobabble, what you just said boils down to: It utilizes magical physics. It flies because of magic runes. It draws energy from the surroundings through magical shapes.

If you believe what you just said you are a tool.

Comment on Mysterious New UFO Pics Probably from X-Files The lettering looks similar to a viral marketing project from a while ago that (initially, at least) was thought to be for Cloverfield but turned out to be for some new D&D-style game. http:// www.ethanhaaswasright.com/

@CargoCult: That is some awesome stuff. I wish I could read the German one.

Y'know, that would be a great viral marketing campaign: find something that's been around for years but never really caught on, work it into your project, revive it, and you have a campaign with a sense of history.

I can't wait to see the movie those mysterious "Toynbee Tiles" are promoting.

Drone.
Strange Craft

+ Watch video

There is a link to a CGI company, Kaptive. So while I would love for this to be real, I think it is ajust a reel...as in demo... But it is very proof that SciFi sucks, since these effects effin' rock. Not like the typical SciFi Saturday crap... Rock Monster BS CGI... but I rant...

@Zantor: You're reminding me of the healing artifact things that the Gentle Wind Project cultists use. I didn't know they had spaceships, too...

Oh, dear Jeebus! Earthfiles.com?

What next, a link to zetatalk and the latest info on PLANET X that's going to screw up the inner solar system any day now?

@Ghede:

I didn't say I believed it. In fact, to me it sounds pretty questionable at best. From the description, I suspect it to be flown by Pixies or something. I'm just sharing available information and the love!

"We report, you decide"

@HerrIssyvoo:

Retract those claws kitties!
I'm not championing this stuff, I'm just sharing fringe info.

Frakin' Me-ow!

@Zantor:
I bet the Japanese are kicking themselves for not realizing earlier that just writing katakana backwards could make things fly. I also have it on good authority that writing roman characters backwards can turn people into frogs. The whole backwards Thai/talking cats thing has been discredited, however.

@Zantor: No claws here. I was just saying what you reminded me of. I would have responded the same way if you had prefaced your original comment with "Hi, my name is Richard-James Dawkins-Randi, and this is known as the CARET project...." etc.

venusians from the planet Xenu?

@CargoCult:

Stellerator!? That's fantastic!

Ph and I hope my demo reel gets this much play someday. Just need to make sure I put my name on it somewhere.

Seen that one a year ago. So fake it hurts.

Dammit. Real Aliens are going to come and land a ship in Times Square and we are all going to think that it is a Halo 4 campaign.

A new x files film ?what ?Some one really knows how to jump on the that bandwagon ,wow strike while the irons hot I say unlike the filmakers??

I will not rest until I know what this is a viral marketing campaign for! Who would make these unless they were being paid by a a giant media corporation? It just doesn't make sense.

Everyone seems to have missed btgoss's comment.

[io9.com]

Wait, wait, y'all are just finding out about the CARAT ships? I've known since... I think last July-- and even then I was extraordinarily late to the party...
They do indeed look real, and really, anything is possible through quantum theory...

~Y

Jesse Ventura told me that they're pictures of Venus, and that Venus is the celestial body that is most commonly mistaken for alien craft.

@E0157H7: Did Alex Trebek say anything?

@Annalee Newitz:
Hi Annalee - I think this has been "solved", and is unfortunately not a viral marketing campaign. Self-proclaimed "CG Guy" Kris Avery (he's awesome, BTW) claims to be the owner and creator:
[www.kaptive.co.uk]
(this URL is from the end of the video that btgoss posted above - thanks btgoss!)

He even has some hi-res divx encoded ones:
[www.kaptive.co.uk]

It's from a music video he did for "Drone".

I think it's really cool, and the music is pretty good too. No real aliens this time though.
(Or is that just what they WANT us to believe...)

Wow, no aliens AND no viral marketing campaign? It's just somebody with talent making shit for fun? What a disappointment.

[www.youtube.com]

@btgoss: The guy that did this claims he made this AFTER seeing the pics.

@lonewolf333 I may have nissed that bit, if that is true. But the amount of work needed for the CARET document animation is extreme, and then making fairly exact models, working only from pictures... I don't know.. I think I see a man behind the curtain...

I meant missed that bit about him doing this AFTER seeing the pictures....
I have to get used to a regular keyboard..

I like it because it's complex... not just a simple geometric solid with a few added bobs. I also like the idea of 'printed propulsion'; it really reminds me of Wen Spencer's 'printed spell circuits' in his Tinker series.

@btgoss: I don't know what to believe. I do believe in UFOs but this drone thing just doesn't feel right to me.

I agree. If it's not a shiny wobbly disc taken either out of focus or at night, then it's just not kosher.

I mean really - can we have some classic old-school UFOs please? Those are the only ones I have been conditioned to feel are the real ones.

It's not from a movie or any other promotion. When it first got press, there was tons of FUD that it was a promotion for Halo 3. It obviously wasn't.

Doesn't mean it's real, but it's not an ad.

@btgoss: Great video. The think was not advanced enough to avoid a slow little jet?