3 in several days since the one last week that traversed the US.

Who knows what China...or Russia....or both....are doing.  Perhaps probing our radar and detection capabilities?  The latest one was shot down over Lake Huron, which makes me think it avoided detection until well over land (probably like the first).

Perhaps just a distraction? Or the beginning of a "psychological" cold war?

Had anyone seen any pictures or videos of these objects?  

posted by superman

Had anyone seen any pictures or videos of these objects?  

Yes the first one there was videos all over TikTok of it being shot down

posted by sportchampps

Yes the first one there was videos all over TikTok of it being shot down

Seemed like there was also video of the one shot down over Prudhoe Bay.

I'm sure it's not a popular idea because of what it would mean to inflation, but the developed economies need to collectively kick China in the ass for all the problems they are causing.

But there are still plenty of people living in extreme poverty around the world to move those jobs to.  If China won't play ball, then kick them out of the global economy.

I was at the cashier at Mountaineer when the second one was shot down and the teller said they had been having internet issues and was blaming it on the balloon being shot down. Not sure how she'd know that, if it were even true.

I’ve had a cold the last couple days. Probably from the balloons. 

People are actually asking if they ruled out extraterrestials?!?

If that were true, then that would be like what?  The equivalent of a trail cam?

I was at a kids birthday party on Saturday night and when they shot down another one a dad said, "aliens come to earth, and this is what will happen. We will fuck them up". And he was 100% serious. 

Ok buddy - they have mastered intergalactic space travel, but we are gonna take them out. Yep. 

If it were aliens, we would be done for if they wanted lol.

posted by Laley23

Ok buddy - they have mastered intergalactic space travel, but we are gonna take them out. Yep. 

If it were aliens, we would be done for if they wanted lol.

It would actually be kind of funny if the alien society evolved such that they never developed any weapons (and, related, virtually no defenses).  And they come here expecting us to be peaceful....

It's just hilarious to think aliens traveled across the galaxy, and then set-up surveillance using our tech from the 60's. Unless that's just what the aliens WANT us to think.

I think I'm at the point where I legit hope aliens come and wipe out every nation's entire government because anything short of "you humans are our food supply/slave labor" would have to be an improvement over all the dipshits in charge of anything world-wide.

So keep shooting down those mysterious flying objects, guys! Let's play this out to it's conclusion, whatever it is!

What if the aliens doubled our life span, but said "when you turn 150, we eat you"?  Would that be a good deal?

posted by gut

What if the aliens doubled our life span, but said "when you turn 150, we eat you"?  Would that be a good deal?

Depends. Do we get to live younger or are we still aging (and then even more aging the last 50 years)? If I can be 100 but feel 55, and 125, but feel 65. Yeah, sign me up for 150 years and being food for my demise.

If I gotta be 82 for 68 years, FOH. 

posted by gut

What if the aliens doubled our life span, but said "when you turn 150, we eat you"?  Would that be a good deal?

Depends on how functional we are from our 70's to 150.

posted by Heretic

I think I'm at the point where I legit hope aliens come and wipe out every nation's entire government 

posted by Laley23

Depends. Do we get to live younger or are we still aging (and then even more aging the last 50 years)? If I can be 100 but feel 55, and 125, but feel 65. Yeah, sign me up for 150 years and being food for my demise.

If I gotta be 82 for 68 years, FOH. 

Ideally you Benjamin Button at 75 and start reverse aging.

posted by gut

What if the aliens doubled our life span, but said "when you turn 150, we eat you"?  Would that be a good deal?

I doubt I taste good at 48…..I definitely will be spoiled by 150

Assuming I get to keep things like mobility and functionality for the duration, as opposed to just getting older and older and winding up being a senile coot for the final 60-70 years, I'd take that deal in a heartbeat. And ingest a fuck-ton of poison at 149 years and 364 days of age, so those aliens, assuming they aren't immune to that sort of thing, get royally fucked by the whole arrangement.

Bonus points if that pisses them off enough to completely scrap the whole arrangement and they just wipe out the whole planet in retribution. That'd be cool as fuck, being the reason an entire planet got ended!

posted by Laley23

I was at a kids birthday party on Saturday night and when they shot down another one a dad said, "aliens come to earth, and this is what will happen. We will fuck them up". And he was 100% serious. 

Ok buddy - they have mastered intergalactic space travel, but we are gonna take them out. Yep. 

If it were aliens, we would be done for if they wanted lol.

If they are aliens they are going to be extremely disappointed with what they see here and just move on. 

Aliens already run the show, anyway.

posted by superman

Had anyone seen any pictures or videos of these objects?  

No.  The point is the government has been and is currently all over it.  As you can see your safety is their utmost concern. 

Schumer's comments about the Chinese being "humiliated" about having this balloon shot down is laughable at best. The Chinese sent a balloon across most of the US, which supposedly flew over highly sensitive military areas (without being shot down until it had crossed the country) and it was the Chinese who were humiliated?

Hobby club says its weather balloon has gone missing near Yukon.

Shot down a $12 balloon with a $400,000 missile.  

posted by TedSheckler

Shot down a $12 balloon with a $400,000 missile.  

...in a $200,000,000 fighter jet. 

Sending a message. 

posted by majorspark

Hobby club says its weather balloon has gone missing near Yukon.

Sounds like a trick by the aliens to me!

Seriously, if this is the case, would that be the most anti-climactic end to a story ever? "It's China!!!!" "No, it's aliens!!!!" "Oh, it's a nerd club whose membes love balloons..."