Has anyone noticed bighorn sheep throwing bones into the air? Just checking.

No, I have not noticed bighorn sheep throwing bones into the air, but I live in the Bronx so I almost never see bighorn sheep

Well, I hear DeBlasio has lost all control of NYC streets, so maybe you will soon.

Interesting. I think their point about some artist doing an homage to 2001 is probably correct.

He said that was the strangest thing he'd seen out there. What about the mormons? ;) In all seriousness, Utah does seem like one of those states full of weirdness.

Uh, how close is that thing ta Area 51?

While looking for location data for r4, I found this tidbit in the Independent:

[quote]If the monolith is an art installation, it won't be the first time a pop culture reference is built miles away from civilization.

[quote]Last year, German-Namibian artist Max Siendentopf constructed an art installation consisting of seven white pillars, an mp3 player, and seven speakers.

We can't link to the Independent, but the title of the article is Mysterious metal monolith found in the wilds of Utah by team of biologists.

I always trust The Independent, German-Namibian artists, and all of the incredible work that comes from the deserts of Utah. And also, of course, your impeccable research (no kidding, r5). Keep up the good work. The kitties take up so much of my time...

So that is the same installation (or same artist) as this monolith-maker to the bighorn sheep? Or whatever?

[quote] A mysterious monolith has been discovered in a remote part of Utah, after being spotted by state employees counting sheep from a helicopter.

Cue the advent of bighorn sheep learning to use bones as murderous tools.

Weird

I hope it's aliens. I'm not bothered about whether they're friendly, with a cure for COVID, or hostile and planning to wipe out human civilization. Anything would be better than what we have now.

Unfortunately, it's probably entirely human in origin. In fact, I'll bet it's a publicity stunt for some upcoming TV show or movie. Second most likely option is a prank/artwork somebody put out there just to be puckish.

I'm guessing it's art.

No one goes to the trouble/effort this had to be, put in a place no one will see, for the sake of art. It's actually a pretty dangerous place. You can get lost very easily, full of rattlesnakes, no water access. This is very, very odd. They put it in a place expecting no one would actually see it. And it looks like no one did for a good while. Strange indeed. But intriguing.

You've never heard of 'Performance Art' R11? Same concept. Art for the sake of art.

R11, very intriguing. Note that it was spotted from the air. Perhaps whoever placed it there knew there were regular overflights and figured it was bound to be found sooner rather than later. Or perhaps the helicopter pilot and sheep-counting biologist were in on the plan.

Aside from hostile aliens to put us out of our misery, I hope it's publicity for cool new TV show - a creepy, Twilight-Zoney series, not some Star Wars space opera.

Utah BLM statement:

Official statement: "Although we can't comment on active investigations, we would like to remind public land visitors that using, occupying, or developing the public lands or their resources without a required authorization is illegal, no matter what planet you are from."

Isn't that just some southwestern Millennial couple's tiny house??

Mysterious monolith puzzle has been solved by internet sleuths

Sorry, but it's probably not aliens.

A few days ago, the internet went wild at the discovery of a metallic monolith mysteriously standing in the middle of the Utah desert. The rumor mill quickly began churning at the find by Utah's Department of Public Safety. Was it aliens? Had 2001: A Space Odyssey been brought to life?

Thanks to some particularly devoted Reddit users, we now know the likelihood of it being anything extraterrestrial is slim (though if it were going to happen, I think we can all agree 2020 would have been the year).

The Redditors were able to isolate the monolith's approximate location, tracking the flight paths of Utah Public Safety's helicopters to triangulate a rough area near Canyonlands National Park and the Colorado River. Once the approximate location was narrowed down, the internet sleuths took to Google Earth to isolate the coordinates and figure out when the monolith first appeared.

Historical imaging data reflected that the monolith arrived sometime between August 2015 and October 2016, leaving open a fairly significant gap. Roughly around that time, the epic sci-fi drama Westworld was filming in a nearby location, so the best bet at the moment is that someone on the crew either didn't pack up properly or maybe even used the metal to play a long-term Kubrick-inspired prank on the world.

The location had also been used in a number of other TV shows and movies, from more recent films like 127 Hours and Mission: Impossible 2, stretching all the way back to classic westerns in the 1940s and 1960s -- though the chances that the westerns left behind a 10- to 12-foot metal monolith is about as unlikely as the alien scenario.

Authorities ask that people don't seek out the monolith themselves, as they may well become stranded in the desert and need to be rescued.

It's all about seeking attention today. LOOK AT MEEEEEEEEEEEE !!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!

It seems likely to be the work of Eliot Lee Hazel

Dang r18, I was hoping it was aliens 👽

[quote] Helicopter pilot finds 'strange' monolith in remote part of Utah

cue Doctor Who Theme.

[quote] Helicopter pilot finds 'strange' monolith in remote part of Utah

cue Doctor Who Theme.

[quote]Dang [R18], I was hoping it was aliens 👽

Yeah, sorry about that, [r19]. I will usually choose to maintain illusions, but this truth is stranger than that fiction. Mr Hazel is alien enough for me to consider that they might walk among us.

Now the Monolith has vanished.

Somebody came and got it. It's disappeared.

[quote] Somebody came and got it. It's disappeared.

Probably scrappers, can you imagine what you could get for that much stainless steel.

^Link

It's on Jupiter now.

[post redacted because linking to dailymail.co.uk clearly indicates that the poster is either a troll or an idiot (probably both, honestly.) Our advice is that you just ignore this poster but whatever you do, don't click on any link to this putrid rag.]

This is stupid. It's a prank with someone with too much money. Fuck off.

It's not stupid. It's fun - some much-needed fun in this grim year. I wish one would show up near me.

Anyway, the Romanian monolith is probably a copycat. Note that the metal is dark and covered with scribbles rather than shiny and bright.. Also, from the story and photographs, it doesn't appear to be in a location as remote as the one in Utah.