ANTIMATTER

Magazine Overview

Title: ANTIMATTER
Issue: 77
Publisher: OMNI
Country: USA
Language: English
Date: Undetermined (appears to be from the 1990s based on content)

This issue of ANTIMATTER, a section likely from OMNI magazine, focuses on the challenges and developments in the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI), alongside intriguing reports on surveillance technology and financial astrology.

UFO UPDATE: To follow their stars, SETI researchers have found that they must seek a pot of gold

The lead article details the precarious state of SETI research following a Congressional decision in October 1993 to pull federal funding. This action has forced many prominent projects to seek alternative sources of financial support. The NASA SETI program, however, has received a significant boost from private donors, including William R. Hewlett and David Packard of Hewlett-Packard, Gordon Moore of Intel Corporation, and Paul Allen of Microsoft Corporation, who collectively donated approximately $4.4 million. This funding has allowed the program, now renamed Phoenix, to continue its work.

The Phoenix program aims to conduct a targeted search for intelligent signals from the nearest 1,000 sun-like stars. It will utilize Australia's 210-foot Parkes radio antenna and the 1,000-foot radio telescope in Arecibo, Puerto Rico, which is currently being upgraded. Despite this revival, the scope of the search has been reduced; Kent Cullers, a NASA Ames project scientist, notes that the new program will cover about half the number of stars initially planned.

Other SETI efforts have not been as fortunate. The High Resolution Microwave Survey, a major initiative operated jointly by the Jet Propulsion Lab (JPL) in Pasadena, California, and the NASA Ames Research Center in Mountain View, California, which had received $58 million over 20 years, has been effectively shut down. Mike Klein, program manager for the Sky Survey, laments that this broad, all-sky search, considered a crucial complement to targeted efforts, has been stopped. Smaller projects are also struggling. Project SERENDIP, led by Stuart Bowyer at Berkeley's Space Sciences Lab, requires a modest $60,000 annually but faces an uncertain future due to funding shortages.

Seth Shostak of the SETI Institute likens the situation to Isabella and Ferdinand financing Columbus's voyage only to mothball the fleet once the ships were built, emphasizing the lost potential due to funding issues.

SPY DUMMIES

This section explores the development of surveillance mannequins, such as the Anne Droid models manufactured by F. Jerry Gutierrez in Denver. These mannequins are equipped with closed-circuit television cameras in their eyes and can also include microphones in their noses. The camera feeds are relayed to monitors for store security to observe or record. While primarily used in stores to deter shoplifters, Gutierrez mentions that some clients use them at conventions to gather customer feedback.

The cost for a new Anne Droid mannequin ranges from $2,400 to $5,000, with options to fit the spy equipment into existing mannequins for around $1,800. For those on a tighter budget, 'blind installation'—fake look-alike eyes—is available for about $60. These can be placed on non-spy dummies, making them indistinguishable from the real thing without close inspection.

University of Colorado psychiatrist Gordon Neligh views these surveillance mannequins as a potentially dehumanizing trend that could exacerbate paranoia. However, Gutierrez maintains that if people are honest, they have nothing to worry about.

STAR-STRUCK STOCKS

This article introduces Henry Weingarten, a New York commodity trader who uses astrology to predict stock market movements. Weingarten studies horoscopes for the nation, individual stocks, and CEOs to identify financial winners. He claims his six-year-old Astrologer's Fund has achieved resounding success through these methods.

While few Wall Street insiders publicly admit to taking astrology seriously, Weingarten notes that his fund's conference last year attracted financial managers overseeing billions of dollars. Gary Meyers, first vice president of investments at Robinson-Humphrey in Atlanta, acknowledges that while he doesn't believe in astrology, he recognizes the existence of cyclical indicators in the market and suggests that some in the business may consider astrology as another such cycle.

Recurring Themes and Editorial Stance

The issue's primary theme revolves around the impact of funding on scientific research, particularly SETI, highlighting the contrast between government cutbacks and the potential for private philanthropy. It also touches upon the increasing integration of surveillance technology into everyday life and the unconventional methods employed in financial forecasting. The editorial stance appears to be one of reporting on these diverse and sometimes speculative topics, presenting different viewpoints without explicit endorsement, as seen in the contrasting opinions on surveillance and the reporting on astrological financial predictions.