(Blogger’s Note: David Rudiak has equipped his research of what Kaleb wrote about his paintings on the Ramey Memo. I assumed that David’s research could be of pastime to those that consult with right here ceaselessly. I additionally imagine that it kind of feels now we have now not advanced past the place we had been which is to mention that there is not any consensus. Following is what David wrote in accordance with Kaleb.)
1. Why the extraordinarily low solution (simplest about 11 pixels vast/persona when our absolute best scans are at 10 occasions that)? There could also be causes to make use of lowered solution as a result of boundaries in tool, time, or pc energy (or greater solution does not make it extra readable), however solution will have to unquestionably now not be dropped _this_ a lot. Any ultimate Ramey memo will have to be a minimum of Three or Four occasions extra solution than those remaining effects via Kaleb.
2. As a corrollary of #1, such low solution will _necessarily_ introduce artifacts via getting rid of upper element. Thus, e.g., an “S” in the phrase “DISC” were given blurred/smeared into the letter “O” (in Kaleb’s maximum smeared model) and we’re knowledgeable via him that it’s
unquestionably an “O” and the phrase unquestionably is not “DISC”. Really? Well what’s it then? Besides the truth that virtually everyone else who has ever studied the memo now consents the phrase is “DISC”, is Kaleb acutely aware of the historic context of this message? 1) How the phrase “disc” was once a logo new use of the phrase to explain the bizarre flying gadgets being reported the earlier 2 weeks, 2) As a consequence was once often positioned in “scare quotes” to suggest the new, extraordinary utilization, and 3) Roswell base and Gen. Ramey each placing out press releases and _public_ statements in fact the use of the phrase “disc” to explain what was once discovered, transported to Fort Worth, and displayed in Ramey’s place of business. Thus, no explanation why it mustn’t additionally seem in an interior message about Roswell. I’ve connected an instance newspaper entrance web page with articles the use of DISC to describe Roswell, now and again in quotes, now and again now not.
There isn’t any query in my thoughts and maximum different readers of this message that the phrase is certainly “DISC” (in quotes). The correct method to take a look at to interpret this message is to convey ALL data to undergo on it, together with historic context and linguistic research, and now not simply twiddle pc processing dials to the level that every one varieties of artifacts can also be presented and muddy the waters. If Kaleb needs to proceed to say that the phrase is not “DISC” however “??O?”, then he wishes to supply a four-letter phrase there with the “O” that makes grammatical, semantic, and historic sense and is not just a host of gibberish.
(Incidentally I’ve scientifically examined this phrase and plenty of different phrases in opposition to the authentic teletype font the use of a cross-correlation assessments, which creates a point of fit between the authentic letters and the degraded one. In the case of “DISC”, each the “I” and “S” examined as #1 likelihood letters, while “O” got here out round #7 in the third letter place. So, it is not simply my say-so or others reviews that agree that the letter is actually “S”.
To illustrate the degradation of the symbol and the way this has created an artifactual “O” instead of an “S”, I’ve created a graphic with feedback (2018 DISC symbol comparisons.jpg) appearing two of Kalebs photographs plus an previous one among mine off of one among my authentic 8×10″ prints, and one among our 2015 ScanPro 3000 scans. Notice the large distinction in symbol sizes and letter high quality. Going to such low resolutions goes backwards, now not forwards. Kaleb’s exchange symbol which he says keeps a few of the fantastic grain is healthier, however nonetheless a lot poorer than photographs I used to be acquiring off of blow-up prints virtually 20 years in the past. (see graphic once more).
3. What’s the goal of re-rotating the message when our absolute best scans on the ScanPro 3000 had the message about as horizontal as total conceivable? Rotating the textual content clear of horizontal simplest makes the message more difficult to learn, now not more uncomplicated.
4. Ditto all the different crap throughout the message. Remove it. We do not want to see Gen. Ramey’s thumb two times, turned around and unrotated, nor some thriller protractor dial. What’s the level of leaving these items there?
5. Why is there no correction for viewpoint, which squashes down the letters usually via about 50% in the vertical path? NOT doing it will exchange the look of letters into one thing else? E.g., with the letters compressed, a capital “V” in standard percentage can also be squashed down and seem as a small “r” to a few folks. I’m additionally questioning if Kaleb is conscious that the message is all-caps teletype font, and there will probably be no small “r”s or different small letters in the message, and it unquestionably is not a mixture of cap and small letters.
6. As an instance, I’ve taken Kaleb’s newest rendition which he says keeps a few of the fantastic grain (and IMHO is thus extra readable than the first examples the place the letters are extra smeared) and achieved the following: 1. Rotated about 30 levels again to the horizontal place; 2. Cropped away all the pointless and distracting junk round the message; 3) Stretched the message 50% in the vertical path to make the letters nearer to the true proportions of teletype font; 4) Done a easy lightening serve as. See 2d attachment. Just very elementary, easy stuff that took a few minute to do. That’s the elementary layout I need to see this message at in the finish, now not turned around obliquely, now not squashed down, now not with numerous different pointless issues there. And additionally at a lot upper solution.
7. I’ve additionally connected one among my lighter model, complete solution makes an attempt (from our ~10000 pixels vast scans) at knocking down and straightening out the message), which (preferably) corrects for viewpoint distortion and letter distortion, makes all letters similarly sized and spaced (as is correct for affect printer, non-proportional font, which is what Teletype font is), straightens out all the traces and edges of the paper, and eliminates the folds. I used the morphing program Abrosoft
Fantamorph 5, which is able to dealing with such huge recordsdata.(I did this paintings a few yr and part in the past and have not been ready to get again to it as a result of many urgent non-public issues. I assumed everybody right here was once acutely aware of it.)
Fantamorph 5, which is able to dealing with such huge recordsdata.(I did this paintings a few yr and part in the past and have not been ready to get again to it as a result of many urgent non-public issues. I assumed everybody right here was once acutely aware of it.)
As in ALL symbol processing, there are once more artifacts presented via this, specifically smearing of very distorted letters the place there’s a lot of viewpoint distortion, reminiscent of the most sensible of the web page above the most sensible fold, the heart of the web page in the center fold, and at the left the place Ramey’s thumb is warping the left margins of the paper (and shadow is making it very tricky to peer precisely the place the letters in fact are). Also the place the letters and phrases are not obviously visual, it takes some skilled guesswork as to the place they’re, which impacts the warp style. But total, this I imagine to be a significantly better rendition of the memo. Once I am getting a warp style, I imagine just right sufficient, it may be implemented to all the more than a few lightness ranges of a specific collection of Scanpro scans to take a look at to extract additional information.
E.g., a lighter scan may well be used to take a look at to make out the rest in the shadows, while darker scans assist convey out the extra visual letters in the center of the memo. And you guys appear to have strategies of blending the more than a few gentle and darkish scans to take a look at to suppress movie grain. This I suppose could be higher achieved on the flattened, straightened photographs. But do not overdo it. Making the message clearer to learn is the number one objective, now not eliminating a most quantity of grain (which is able to very simply be achieved simply by cropping it out between traces and between phrases). Remove an excessive amount of grain and letter element may be going to get compromised.It is obvious Kaleb may be very devoted and installed numerous laborious paintings into this, a lot more so than the moderate individual. But thus far, I do not see the effects getting higher. Indeed, let’s get again to fundamentals, which will have to come with upper resolutions, emphasis on letter readability and conserving vital element, straightening issues out, and protecting them correctly proportioned.
It may also assist me if Kaleb’s technique was once supplied. Currently I do not need a clue how he’s coming near this.
