CROP CIRCLES Signs of Intelligence: UFOs, Aliens and Close Encounters of the Second Kind
By Francesco Grassi
Kindle Edition (2016) – £4.07
If you don’t already know, Francesco Grassi is an Italian skeptic turned circle maker. When he chose to dabble with the stomper, he did so to prove that humans can create impressive pieces in a field of wheat. Whereas others through the years have turned to covert circle-making or walked away, Grassi treads an unusual path through the fields. He makes circles with permission, says nothing and watches as his audience gets excited. Then he confesses and highlights what features of his circles are considered signs of authenticity by believers in the extraterrestrial hypothesis.
Signs of Intelligence is a short book recording some of Grassi’s circle making exploits, together with a thorough debunking of many crop circle myths. There’s also an insight into the motivations of a very limited sample of circle makers, plus a very basic guide to the construction process and sacred geometry. If this sounds familiar to parts of Rob Irving and John Lundberg’s The Field Guide, it’s because it is; albeit without the latter’s wry humour and artistic insight. Nonetheless, Signs of Intelligence is still worth a look for the skeptical insight it offers on the crop circle phenomenon.
