Analytical Eye Wed, 25 Mar 2026 22:49:42 -0400 https://www.buzzsprout.com/2415474 en © 2026 Analytical Eye yes 69052392-48d9-5ab6-8e60-c242765de0b9 Occam episodic false Welcome to Analytical Eye, a podcast that evaluates conspiracy theories using techniques from intelligence analysis.


This podcast is brought to you by the Office of Rational Assessments, a non-government agency that researches conspiracy theories for its own mysterious purposes. 


If you've ever wondered who started a particular conspiracy theory, or if some of them might actually hold up, this podcast is for you. 


]]> Buzzsprout (https://www.buzzsprout.com) Occam https://storage.buzzsprout.com/s0i8b0jjpdffvp68q97uyf7g5pv4?.jpg Analytical Eye Minisode: Ted Holiday, the Loch Ness Monster hunter who ended up in a goblin universe Minisode: Ted Holiday, the Loch Ness Monster hunter who ended up in a goblin universe Through our time on the podcast to date, we've talked about a number of different conspiracy theorists, monster hunters and UFOlogists. In this minisode we deep dive into Ted Holiday, my favourite Loch Ness Monster hunter and one who displayed perhaps the greatest shifts in his beliefs over time.


Sources:

F. W. Holiday The Great Orm of Loch Ness: A Practical Inquiry into the Nature and Habits of Water-Monsters (1968), Serpents of the Sky, Dragons of the Earth (1973)  and The Goblin Universe (1986: posthumous)

See Loch Ness Mystery Blogspot for the search for Ted Holiday’s final book, https://lochnessmystery.blogspot.com/2025/07/ted-holidays-last-unpublished-book.html

And also for the anecdote about Ted Holiday’s unique way to search for Nessie, https://lochnessmystery.blogspot.com/2012/04/story-about-ted-holiday.html

 The BBC story regarding the exorcism of Loch Ness is available from the BBC Archive at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BNZ1dNWMh7c

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]]> Through our time on the podcast to date, we've talked about a number of different conspiracy theorists, monster hunters and UFOlogists. In this minisode we deep dive into Ted Holiday, my favourite Loch Ness Monster hunter and one who displayed perhaps the greatest shifts in his beliefs over time.


Sources:

F. W. Holiday The Great Orm of Loch Ness: A Practical Inquiry into the Nature and Habits of Water-Monsters (1968), Serpents of the Sky, Dragons of the Earth (1973)  and The Goblin Universe (1986: posthumous)

See Loch Ness Mystery Blogspot for the search for Ted Holiday’s final book, https://lochnessmystery.blogspot.com/2025/07/ted-holidays-last-unpublished-book.html

And also for the anecdote about Ted Holiday’s unique way to search for Nessie, https://lochnessmystery.blogspot.com/2012/04/story-about-ted-holiday.html

 The BBC story regarding the exorcism of Loch Ness is available from the BBC Archive at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BNZ1dNWMh7c

Send us Fan Mail

]]> Occam Buzzsprout-18031367 Mon, 20 Oct 2025 00:00:00 +1100 2222 1 12 bonus false Minisode: The Seattle Windshield Pitting Epidemic Minisode: The Seattle Windshield Pitting Epidemic In spring 1954, Washington state experienced a truly peculiar epidemic. Something mysterious was pitting their windscreens even as they watched. What was the cause of this phenomenon? And what does it tell us about human nature?


While ORA is busy at work preparing season 2, here's a minisode on the Seattle Windscreen Pitting Epidemic to tide you over.


Sources:

James Ross Gardner, What Pitted Seattle’s Glass? https://www.seattlemet.com/news-and-city-life/2020/04/what-pitted-seattle-s-glass



Susan Gerbic, Why is the 1954 Seattle Windshield Pitting Epidemic Pertinent to Today? https://www.humanists.org/blog/2025-02-16/


Classified Humanity, https://classifiedhumanity.com/tagged/Windshield%20Pitting%20Epidemic  

Nahum Medalia & Otto Larsen (1958). Diffusion and Belief in a Collective Delusion: The Seattle Windshield Pitting Epidemic. American Sociological Review, 23(2), 180–186. https://doi.org/10.2307/2089002 


Nahum Medalia (1959). Who Cries Wolf? The Reporters of Damage to Police in a Pseudo-Disaster. Social Problems, 7(3), 233–240. https://doi.org/10.2307/799450 


Alan Stein, Windshield pitting incidents in Washington reach fever pitch on April 15, 1954. https://www.historylink.org/File/5136


Linton Weeks, The Windshield-Pitting Mystery of 1954, https://www.npr.org/sections/npr-history-dept/2015/05/28/410085713/the-windshield-pitting-mystery-of-1954



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]]> In spring 1954, Washington state experienced a truly peculiar epidemic. Something mysterious was pitting their windscreens even as they watched. What was the cause of this phenomenon? And what does it tell us about human nature?


While ORA is busy at work preparing season 2, here's a minisode on the Seattle Windscreen Pitting Epidemic to tide you over.


Sources:

James Ross Gardner, What Pitted Seattle’s Glass? https://www.seattlemet.com/news-and-city-life/2020/04/what-pitted-seattle-s-glass



Susan Gerbic, Why is the 1954 Seattle Windshield Pitting Epidemic Pertinent to Today? https://www.humanists.org/blog/2025-02-16/


Classified Humanity, https://classifiedhumanity.com/tagged/Windshield%20Pitting%20Epidemic  

Nahum Medalia & Otto Larsen (1958). Diffusion and Belief in a Collective Delusion: The Seattle Windshield Pitting Epidemic. American Sociological Review, 23(2), 180–186. https://doi.org/10.2307/2089002 


Nahum Medalia (1959). Who Cries Wolf? The Reporters of Damage to Police in a Pseudo-Disaster. Social Problems, 7(3), 233–240. https://doi.org/10.2307/799450 


Alan Stein, Windshield pitting incidents in Washington reach fever pitch on April 15, 1954. https://www.historylink.org/File/5136


Linton Weeks, The Windshield-Pitting Mystery of 1954, https://www.npr.org/sections/npr-history-dept/2015/05/28/410085713/the-windshield-pitting-mystery-of-1954



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]]> Occam Buzzsprout-17606092 Sun, 03 Aug 2025 00:00:00 +1000 1899 1 12 bonus false Och Aye Loch Eye: The Loch Ness Monster Och Aye Loch Eye: The Loch Ness Monster What lurks in the dark waters of Loch Ness? When did people begin to believe there was a monster in this Scottish loch, and why? In this episode of Analytical Eye, we look at the history of the Loch Ness Monster.


This episode is dedicated to listener Leanne H, with thanks for her constant support. 


Voices were provided thanks to Al B, Amanda F and readaloud.net.


Sources


Like Bigfoot, there were so many interesting books about the Loch Ness Monster that I kept reading perhaps past when I should have moved on: and yet I still didn’t cover the full gamut, though I do believe I hit many of the key documents. Sources for this episode include: 

Believers


Rupert Gould, The Loch Ness Monster and Others, 1934


Constance Whyte, More than a Legend, 1957


Peter Costello, In Search of Lake Monsters, 1964 


Tim Dinsdale, Loch Ness Monster, 1968 


Tim Dinsdale, The Story of the Loch Ness Monster, 1973  


F. W. Holiday The Great Orm of Loch Ness: A Practical Inquiry into the Nature and Habits of Water-Monsters (1968), Serpents of the Sky, Dragons of the Earth (1973) and The Goblin Universe (1986: posthumous)


Nicholas Witchell, The Loch Ness Story, 1974 


Roy Mackal, The Monsters of Loch Ness, 1976 


Loch Ness Mystery Blogspot – a blog by a true believer who has carefully catalogued a huge amount of information about the Loch Ness Monster, current and full of an excellent amount of detail


Skeptics


Ronald Binns, The Loch Ness Mystery Solved, 1983


Steuart Campbell The Loch Ness Monster: The Evidence, 1986


Daniel Loxton and Donald Prothero, Abominable Science! Origins of the Yeti, Nessie, and other famous cryptids


Benjamin Radford and Joe Nickell, Lake Monster Mysteries: Investigating the World’s Most Elusive Creatures, 2006 


Gareth Williams, A Monstrous Commotion: The Mysteries of Loch Ness, 2015


Dr Darren Naish, tetzoo.com, current. A fascinating blog by a biologist with an interest in examining cryptozoology. Not only was it an excellent lead for Nessie sources, I found it so intriguing that I ended up dipping into random entries on other topics entirely. I recommend it.


In-betweeners 


Gerald Snyder, Is there a Loch Ness Monster? The Search for the Evidence, 1977


Jonathan Betts – Time Restored: the Harrison timekeepers and R.T. Gould, the man who knew (almost) everything, 2006 



Send us Fan Mail

]]> What lurks in the dark waters of Loch Ness? When did people begin to believe there was a monster in this Scottish loch, and why? In this episode of Analytical Eye, we look at the history of the Loch Ness Monster.


This episode is dedicated to listener Leanne H, with thanks for her constant support. 


Voices were provided thanks to Al B, Amanda F and readaloud.net.


Sources


Like Bigfoot, there were so many interesting books about the Loch Ness Monster that I kept reading perhaps past when I should have moved on: and yet I still didn’t cover the full gamut, though I do believe I hit many of the key documents. Sources for this episode include: 

Believers


Rupert Gould, The Loch Ness Monster and Others, 1934


Constance Whyte, More than a Legend, 1957


Peter Costello, In Search of Lake Monsters, 1964 


Tim Dinsdale, Loch Ness Monster, 1968 


Tim Dinsdale, The Story of the Loch Ness Monster, 1973  


F. W. Holiday The Great Orm of Loch Ness: A Practical Inquiry into the Nature and Habits of Water-Monsters (1968), Serpents of the Sky, Dragons of the Earth (1973) and The Goblin Universe (1986: posthumous)


Nicholas Witchell, The Loch Ness Story, 1974 


Roy Mackal, The Monsters of Loch Ness, 1976 


Loch Ness Mystery Blogspot – a blog by a true believer who has carefully catalogued a huge amount of information about the Loch Ness Monster, current and full of an excellent amount of detail


Skeptics


Ronald Binns, The Loch Ness Mystery Solved, 1983


Steuart Campbell The Loch Ness Monster: The Evidence, 1986


Daniel Loxton and Donald Prothero, Abominable Science! Origins of the Yeti, Nessie, and other famous cryptids


Benjamin Radford and Joe Nickell, Lake Monster Mysteries: Investigating the World’s Most Elusive Creatures, 2006 


Gareth Williams, A Monstrous Commotion: The Mysteries of Loch Ness, 2015


Dr Darren Naish, tetzoo.com, current. A fascinating blog by a biologist with an interest in examining cryptozoology. Not only was it an excellent lead for Nessie sources, I found it so intriguing that I ended up dipping into random entries on other topics entirely. I recommend it.


In-betweeners 


Gerald Snyder, Is there a Loch Ness Monster? The Search for the Evidence, 1977


Jonathan Betts – Time Restored: the Harrison timekeepers and R.T. Gould, the man who knew (almost) everything, 2006 



Send us Fan Mail

]]> Buzzsprout-17202154 Wed, 21 May 2025 22:00:00 +1000 5411 1 11 full false Paul is Dead - But Congruence Bias is Alive and Well Paul is Dead - But Congruence Bias is Alive and Well Was Beatle Paul McCartney killed and replaced with a talented impostor in the 1960s? Did the surviving Beatles hide clues to his death in their subsequent albums? Or was the whole idea a mirage – and if so, where did it come from? In this episode of Analytical Eye, we turn our attention to the 1960s and one of the earlier music conspiracy theories.


This episode is dedicated to Shannan M. 


Please remember the ORA is not a real agency: it’s just a bunch of otters in a line. 


Sources


Sources for this episode are mostly secondary.


A particular shout-out to Andru Reeve and his 1994 book Turn me on, dead man: The Beatles and the Paul is dead hoax, which provides a comprehensive overview of how this theory developed.


Another good secondary source is R. Gary Patterson’s 1998 The Walrus was Paul: The Great Beatles Death Clues.


Hunter Davies 1968 book The Beatles: The Authorised Biography provides a contemporary understanding of how the band felt about fannish interpretations.


In articles, I consulted


  • Tim Harper, Is Beatle Paul McCartney Dead? Drake Times -Delphic, 17 September 1969
  • Fred LaBour,McCartney Dead: New Evidence Brought to Light, Michigan Daily, 14 October 1969
  • Jeff Magalif, Clues Do Not a Dead Man Make: 'I Buried Paul'- And So Have We, Harvard Crimson, October 23, 1969
  • David Felton and David Dalton, Charles Manson: The Incredibly Story of the Most Dangerous Man Alive, Rolling Stone, 25 June 1970 
  • David Sheff, An exclusive interview: John Lennon and Yoko Ono on love, sex, money, fame and all about the Beatles, Playboy, January 1981 


On the internet side, thank you to the YouTubers who captured Beatles interviews, parts of Roby Yonge and F Lee Bailey’s programs, and forwards and backwards ‘clues’ – this has immeasurably improved the research and also the episode.


Thank you also to the website for the band Klaatu.





Send us Fan Mail

]]> Was Beatle Paul McCartney killed and replaced with a talented impostor in the 1960s? Did the surviving Beatles hide clues to his death in their subsequent albums? Or was the whole idea a mirage – and if so, where did it come from? In this episode of Analytical Eye, we turn our attention to the 1960s and one of the earlier music conspiracy theories.


This episode is dedicated to Shannan M. 


Please remember the ORA is not a real agency: it’s just a bunch of otters in a line. 


Sources


Sources for this episode are mostly secondary.


A particular shout-out to Andru Reeve and his 1994 book Turn me on, dead man: The Beatles and the Paul is dead hoax, which provides a comprehensive overview of how this theory developed.


Another good secondary source is R. Gary Patterson’s 1998 The Walrus was Paul: The Great Beatles Death Clues.


Hunter Davies 1968 book The Beatles: The Authorised Biography provides a contemporary understanding of how the band felt about fannish interpretations.


In articles, I consulted


  • Tim Harper, Is Beatle Paul McCartney Dead? Drake Times -Delphic, 17 September 1969
  • Fred LaBour,McCartney Dead: New Evidence Brought to Light, Michigan Daily, 14 October 1969
  • Jeff Magalif, Clues Do Not a Dead Man Make: 'I Buried Paul'- And So Have We, Harvard Crimson, October 23, 1969
  • David Felton and David Dalton, Charles Manson: The Incredibly Story of the Most Dangerous Man Alive, Rolling Stone, 25 June 1970 
  • David Sheff, An exclusive interview: John Lennon and Yoko Ono on love, sex, money, fame and all about the Beatles, Playboy, January 1981 


On the internet side, thank you to the YouTubers who captured Beatles interviews, parts of Roby Yonge and F Lee Bailey’s programs, and forwards and backwards ‘clues’ – this has immeasurably improved the research and also the episode.


Thank you also to the website for the band Klaatu.





Send us Fan Mail

]]> Occam Buzzsprout-16758221 Mon, 10 Mar 2025 01:00:00 +1100 3702 1 10 full false The Hammaspeikko The Hammaspeikko HEY OCCAM 

I had to use your computer for something. Mine still hasn't been replaced after that fire - totally not my fault this time either! 

Anyway you were still logged in and I saw you had an episode ready to go so I uploaded it for you! 

YOUR WELCOME :):):)

Hanlon

Send us Fan Mail

]]> HEY OCCAM 

I had to use your computer for something. Mine still hasn't been replaced after that fire - totally not my fault this time either! 

Anyway you were still logged in and I saw you had an episode ready to go so I uploaded it for you! 

YOUR WELCOME :):):)

Hanlon

Send us Fan Mail

]]> Occam Buzzsprout-16675746 Mon, 24 Feb 2025 00:00:00 +1100 159 1 9 bonus false Pixielated Evidence: The Cottingley Fairies Pixielated Evidence: The Cottingley Fairies In 1917, two young girls in Yorkshire took photographs of fairies in their very own backyard. 

To skeptics, the photos seemed like obvious fakes - but to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, the creator of Sherlock Holmes, they were proof of a whole new realm of existence. What made him so sure, and how did the investigation of these photos unfold over the years and decades that followed? 

In this episode of Analytical Eye, we look at the Cottingley Fairy incident.

This episode is dedicated to Rosie, with thanks.

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]]> In 1917, two young girls in Yorkshire took photographs of fairies in their very own backyard. 

To skeptics, the photos seemed like obvious fakes - but to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, the creator of Sherlock Holmes, they were proof of a whole new realm of existence. What made him so sure, and how did the investigation of these photos unfold over the years and decades that followed? 

In this episode of Analytical Eye, we look at the Cottingley Fairy incident.

This episode is dedicated to Rosie, with thanks.

Send us Fan Mail

]]> Occam Buzzsprout-16588304 Mon, 10 Feb 2025 03:00:00 +1100 3689 1 8 full false Eye on the Horizon: Flat Earth Eye on the Horizon: Flat Earth Why did some people in the Victorian period argue that the earth was flat?  Were they flat-out wrong - or is there something in their argument, once you get around to assessing it? 

In this episode of Analytical Eye, we consider the flat earth theory: one of the oldest alternative beliefs we've looked at to date.

This episode is dedicated to Al Baker, with thanks for bringing the voice of Samuel Rowbotham to life.

Send us Fan Mail

]]> Why did some people in the Victorian period argue that the earth was flat?  Were they flat-out wrong - or is there something in their argument, once you get around to assessing it? 

In this episode of Analytical Eye, we consider the flat earth theory: one of the oldest alternative beliefs we've looked at to date.

This episode is dedicated to Al Baker, with thanks for bringing the voice of Samuel Rowbotham to life.

Send us Fan Mail

]]> Occam Buzzsprout-16502841 Mon, 27 Jan 2025 03:00:00 +1100 4147 1 7 full false Coming a Cropper: Crop Circles Coming a Cropper: Crop Circles In this episode, we dig into the history of crop circles. Who or what was behind the flattened swirled crops phenomenon in the 1980s and 1990s? Was it something out of this world? An unusual meteorological phenomenon? Or just a corny prank?

This episode is dedicated to listener Nick B.


Send us Fan Mail

]]> In this episode, we dig into the history of crop circles. Who or what was behind the flattened swirled crops phenomenon in the 1980s and 1990s? Was it something out of this world? An unusual meteorological phenomenon? Or just a corny prank?

This episode is dedicated to listener Nick B.


Send us Fan Mail

]]> Occam Buzzsprout-16421039 Mon, 13 Jan 2025 04:00:00 +1100 4025 1 6 full false Eye in the New Mexico Sky Part 2: The Roswell Bodies Eye in the New Mexico Sky Part 2: The Roswell Bodies In this second part of our first two-part special, we assess the conspiracy theory that alien bodies were recovered from a crashed alien spaceship in Roswell, New Mexico in July 1947.

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]]> In this second part of our first two-part special, we assess the conspiracy theory that alien bodies were recovered from a crashed alien spaceship in Roswell, New Mexico in July 1947.

Send us Fan Mail

]]> Occam Buzzsprout-16285740 Mon, 16 Dec 2024 21:00:00 +1100 5406 1 5 full false Eye in the New Mexico Sky Part 1: The Roswell Crash Eye in the New Mexico Sky Part 1: The Roswell Crash Something crashed into the New Mexico desert in July 1947. But what was it? Just a weather balloon, as the authorities claimed? Or was it an alien spacecraft, as a first-hand witness insisted? In this first part of a special two-episode assessment, it's time to look at the Roswell incident. 

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]]> Something crashed into the New Mexico desert in July 1947. But what was it? Just a weather balloon, as the authorities claimed? Or was it an alien spacecraft, as a first-hand witness insisted? In this first part of a special two-episode assessment, it's time to look at the Roswell incident. 

Send us Fan Mail

]]> Occam Buzzsprout-16204555 Mon, 02 Dec 2024 15:00:00 +1100 4530 1 4 full false Bigfoot's Many Daddies Bigfoot's Many Daddies In August 1958, Jerry Crew discovered something had been walking around his excavator... something with unusually big feet. In this episode, we look at the arguments for and against Bigfoot and his Canadian cousin Sasquatch, and the first generation of Bigfoot hunters.

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]]> In August 1958, Jerry Crew discovered something had been walking around his excavator... something with unusually big feet. In this episode, we look at the arguments for and against Bigfoot and his Canadian cousin Sasquatch, and the first generation of Bigfoot hunters.

Send us Fan Mail

]]> Occam Buzzsprout-16125269 Mon, 18 Nov 2024 21:00:00 +1100 4650 1 3 full false When The Moon Hits Your Eye: The Moon Landing Hoax When The Moon Hits Your Eye: The Moon Landing Hoax In July 1969, two men stepped onto the moon and made history... or did they? In this episode, we examine the moon landing hoax conspiracy theory. 

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]]> In July 1969, two men stepped onto the moon and made history... or did they? In this episode, we examine the moon landing hoax conspiracy theory. 

Send us Fan Mail

]]> Occam Buzzsprout-16037578 Mon, 04 Nov 2024 12:00:00 +1100 2927 1 2 full false Don't Hit the Mute Button: Cattle Mutilation Don't Hit the Mute Button: Cattle Mutilation In 1970s North America, someone or something was killing and mutilating cattle. Was it cryptids? Government experiments? Aliens? Or something else? In the first episode of Analytical Eye, we assess the theories around cattle mutilation.

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]]> In 1970s North America, someone or something was killing and mutilating cattle. Was it cryptids? Government experiments? Aliens? Or something else? In the first episode of Analytical Eye, we assess the theories around cattle mutilation.

Send us Fan Mail

]]> Occam Buzzsprout-15955103 Mon, 21 Oct 2024 13:00:00 +1100 2926 1 1 full false Teaser Trailer Preview. Hi. Teaser Trailer Preview. Hi. A brief teaser for Analytical Eye: a new podcast that uses intelligence analysis techniques to evaluate conspiracy theories.

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]]> A brief teaser for Analytical Eye: a new podcast that uses intelligence analysis techniques to evaluate conspiracy theories.

Send us Fan Mail

]]> Occam Buzzsprout-15946414 Fri, 18 Oct 2024 12:00:00 +1100 70 1 1 trailer false