Brianna Maitland - a teenager goes missing after a car crash

 Brianna Maitland was born in 1986 in Burlington, Vermont (USA). Her parents were Bruce and Kellie, and she also had an older brother. The family, who were also called Bri's girlfriend, lived on a farm near the Canadian border. At the age of 17 (October 2003), the teenager decided to move out of her family home and live with her friends. Parents claimed that it was not due to any family conflicts or aggression at home. Brianna wanted to be more independent. She also wanted to spend more time with friends who lived more than 20 km away and attended another high school. The teenager lived for a short time in the house of several different friends. Eventually, due to the constant changes of address, she decided to drop out of school in February 2004. She also moved in with her childhood friend Jillian Stout.

Three weeks before she went missing, she was attacked at a party by former friend Keallie Lacross. It is not entirely clear what was the reason for the girl's behavior. Brianna's father suspected Keallie was jealous of a boy at a party who was paying his attention not to her, but to Bri. One of the teenagers' friends later recalled that despite Maitland's proficiency in martial arts (she had trained ju-jitsu in the past), she did not use physical force against the perpetrator of the attack. Lacross hit the girl several times in the face while she was sitting in the car. Brianna had a broken nose and a concussion. For this reason, she submitted a notification to the police, which was withdrawn 3 weeks after her disappearance. Police investigated Lacross's connection to the mysterious disappearance, but found no connection.

On Friday, March 19, Brianna wrote her GED exam to start her studies. After completing the test, the teen met her mother for lunch to celebrate the occasion. The girl's father was not present because he was away on business in New York. Kellie later recalled that her daughter was in a good mood and made plans for further education. After lunch, the women went shopping. As they stood in line at one of the stores, Brianna noticed something outside that caught her attention. She told her mother that she would be right back and left the store. Kellie met the girl in the parking lot. The teenager was shaky and nervous. But she did not say what had happened, and her mother did not want to question her. Brianna said she had to go back to get ready to work at the Black Lantern Inn in Montgomery. So her mother took her home. It was around 3:30 PM - 4:00 PM. Kellie did not know then that she was seeing her daughter for the last time.

Brianna left a card shortly after with her roommate that she would be home after work, then got into her mother's car and drove to work. After she finished around 11:20 pm, she decided to go back to the apartment just like she wrote to Stout. She told her friends at work that she needed to rest before the day ahead of her second job. Co-workers then agreed that she got into the car and drove away. She was alone in the car.

The next day, in the early hours of the morning, a representative of the state police appeared at the site of the old, abandoned house. It was discovered that the back of the car the teenager was driving had hit one side of the building. Checks from the employer, change, a bottle of water, and an unlit cigarette were found on the spot. The policeman thought the car had been abandoned by a drunk driver and had it towed to a nearby garage. However, the driver did not come to pick it up.

It took several days for Brianna to be reported missing. The girl's mother found out about the accident only after five days. The roommate saw a note on Friday that the 17-year-old had left her before she left for work and then went away for the weekend. When Stout returned on Monday, she thought her friend was staying with someone else. She became concerned when Brianna did not show up at home or contact her on Tuesday. She called her friend's mother. Kellie talked to various friends and colleagues. Unfortunately, no one has seen Maitland since Friday night. So the girl's mother reported her missing. The policeman showed her a photo of the old Oldsmobile, which was immediately identified. Kellie later recalled that she had a strange, disturbing feeling when she saw a photo of the car after the accident. She thought someone other than her daughter had left the car in a hurry and escaped.

After her disappearance, several witnesses have come forward claiming to have spotted Brianna Maitland's car the night she was last seen. One of them saw a car near an abandoned house between 23:30 and 0:30 the next day. The man said it was likely the lights were on, but he couldn't see anyone nearby. A second witness was passing that way after midnight on Saturday, March 20. He mentioned that he had noticed the turn signal light. Around 4:00 AM, the missing ex-boyfriend was walking past her old house after a party night in Canada. He thought he knew the car, but there was no one inside or near it. In the morning, several motorcyclists also stopped at the scene of the accident. They thought it looked really peculiar, so they decided to take pictures. Next to the car, they noticed the change, a bottle of water, and a necklace or bracelet.

The police who investigated were initially skeptical that Brianna might have been a victim of a crime. The detectives assumed that the girl probably escaped voluntarily. The area around the scene of the accident was searched by police and tracking dogs, but no significant evidence was found. The Maitland car has been checked by police technicians. When it was returned to the family, Bruce noticed that it contained glasses, lenses, an ATM card, and migraine medications.

After some time, however, the police decided that the teenager had probably been a victim of a crime and that the accident had been faked. Brianna's parents also claimed that their daughter must have been abducted by several people as she would probably have dealt with a single attacker thanks to her ju-jitsu knowledge.

One hypothesis is that the 17-year-old's disappearance was linked to the mysterious disappearance of Maura Murray just a month earlier. There are surprisingly many similarities between the two. First of all - the aforementioned time and place. Murray was last seen in Haverhill, New Hampshire, approximately 100 kilometers away. Second, they were both attractive young women (Maura was 21). Third, they both disappeared shortly after the car accident. Fourth, Maura was looking for a hotel in Vermont just before she went missing. It is interesting that she checked specifically in Burlington, Brianna's hometown (although this may be a complete coincidence). In any event, the investigators found no evidence to link the two cases.

Police received an anonymous report within a week of Briana Maitland's disappearance. The informant claimed that the girl was being held in nearby Berkshire (Vermont), 16 km from Montgomery. The house in question turned out to be rented by Ramon L. Ryans and Nathaniel Charles Jackson. The men were known drug dealers in New York City. Police searched their home on April 15, less than a month after they went missing. Drugs were found inside, but there was no sign of Brianna. Investigators, on the other hand, found out from the girl's friends that she knew the traffickers and had experimented with heavy drugs such as crack herself.

Interestingly, the Ryans and Jackson thread returned in an anonymous letter received by the police. The author alleged that Maitland was killed by Ryans as a result of a drug-related money dispute. The teenager's body was reportedly cut into pieces and dumped on a pig farm. The police failed to confirm this statement. Brianna's parents received anonymous calls several times. Interviewees claimed that the 17-year-old was tied to a tree in the forest and then thrown into a lake.

In 2006, at the Caesars World casino in Atlantic City, NJ, a camera captured a woman similar to the missing one. However, her identity could not be established.

In 2012, the investigators checked whether the perpetrator was Israel Keyes - a serial rapist and murderer. Ultimately, this theory could not be confirmed. Keyes committed suicide in December of the same year.

In March 2016, the police collected and tested DNA samples from inside a Maitland car. However, she did not provide information on what could be established. However, in July of the same year, the house in which the missing person's car was hit, burned down in a fire. To this day, Brianna's fate remains unknown.

Leah Roberts - unsuccessful expedition into the unknown

 For those who liked the Maura Murray and Brianna Mailtland case, Leah Roberts' disappearance may be of interest. The car, which had a mysterious accident, played a quite important role in it. Before that, the young woman went on a journey that she did not tell anyone. Sounds intriguing? This is just the beginning, I invite you to read!

In the years leading up to the woman's disappearance, her parents had died and she was seriously injured in a car accident. According to her friends and siblings, it caused her to reflect on spiritual matters and question the direction in which her life was taking. So Leah Roberts dropped out of North Carolina State University just a few months before graduating. The note Roberts left before her mysterious disappearance suggested that she was drawing inspiration from the works of Jack Kerouac. She was particularly influenced by the novel "Dharma Bums", the action of which takes place near the place where her car was found. She also left money with her roommate to cover her monthly housing expenses, which might suggest that she was planning on returning in about four weeks.

Investigators focused on potentially conflicting evidence found in Roberts' car. Documents inside suggested she arrived around the scene a few days before the crashed car was discovered. It was suspected that no one was in the vehicle at the time it crashed. This could suggest that the car was destroyed on purpose. What really happened?

Leah Roberts was born in 1976 as the youngest of three children to a family living in the suburbs of Durham, North Carolina. When she was seventeen, her father was diagnosed with chronic lung disease. Roberts then enrolled at a university in nearby Raleigh. It was 1995. When Leah was twenty years old and a sophomore, her mother suddenly died of heart disease.

In the fall of 1998, Roberts returned to school after a long break but had a serious car accident that punctured her lung and ruptured her femur. The surgeons placed a metal bar next to the femur to help it recover faster. The victim's sister, Kara, later recalled that when Leah saw the truck she had hit, she was sure she was going to die. After she recovered, she felt like she was born again. The girl took some time off in college and decided that she wanted to live life to the fullest.

In the spring of 1999, just three weeks before his scheduled trip to Costa Rica, Father Roberts died. The woman, however, decided not to give up her plans. As Leah was leaving the country and her parents died, Kara was given power of attorney to the bank accounts where the money inherited from her parents was deposited.

Roberts dropped out of school just before graduating in Spanish and anthropology. Kara and her brother Heath tried to persuade her to hold out for the next six months but failed to convince their sister. Instead, Leah learned to play the guitar, developed an interest in photography, and adopted a cat she named Bea. The woman began to spend time in local cafes, writing poems about the meaning of life and making new friends along the way. She often talked to Jeannine Quiller with her roommate, Nicole Bennett, and her roommate about the journey west. It was an idea inspired by the writer Jack Kerouac, one of the leading representatives of the beatnik movement.

On the morning of March 9, 2000, Leah spoke to Kara on the phone about her plans for the future. No details were agreed upon, but in the end, the sisters agreed to see each other in the near future. Later in the early afternoon, Leah and Nicole agreed to look after the children the next day. The roommate left for work, and when she returned she found neither the white Jeep Cherokee 1993 that belonged to Roberts nor herself. The woman didn't really care, because Roberts had come and gone a lot at different times since she had dropped out of college. She also did not have to go to work because she used the money from her parents' inheritance.

The next day, however, Leah did not come, contrary to what had been agreed, to look after the children and did not show up at home until the end of the day. The next day, March 11, Roberts was still absent and her friends and family tried unsuccessfully to contact her. On Monday, March 13, Kara reported her sister to the police.

On March 14, Kara and Nicole (Roberts' roommate) searched the woman's room. Many of her clothes were missing, which suggested a departure and a long absence. The cat was also not found, so Leah was assumed to have taken it with her. The 23-year-old left a note: “I'm not suicidal. On the contrary, she assured her relatives. Along with the note, she left some cash (the equivalent of her share of the monthly rent and fees). It was a sign that encouraged family and friends a little. The woman on the note drew the Cheshire Cat with its signature smile. This character comes from the book "Alice in Wonderland".

Since Kara still had power of attorney over her sister's bank accounts, she was able to check the transaction history. She discovered that Roberts had withdrawn several thousand dollars on the afternoon of March 9 and then used her debit card to pay for a motel room near Memphis, Tennessee. The location of the points where the woman was making subsequent payments suggested that Leah was traveling west on Interstate 40 and then north on Interstate 5 when she reached the west end of I-40 in California.

After purchasing fuel shortly after midnight on March 13 in Brooks, Oregon, activity on the woman's account ceased. To understand why her sister traveled to the Pacific Northwest, Kara and Susie Smith, Roberts' best friend, went to a coffee shop in Durham, where she often spent time. There they met Jeannine Quiller, with whom Leah discussed Kerouac's work. Both were huge fans of the 1958 novel "Dharma Bums". This book was a kind of continuation of the most famous work of the beatnik, that is, "On the way". Kerouac worked for a time at the summit of Desolation Peak in the Washington State Cascade, looking for fires in the area. The writer was taken by the beauty of this mountain landscape and Roberts wanted to see these views with her own eyes. Kara was relieved to discover her sister's likely destination, though no new transactions were recorded in her bank account.

Kara expected Leah to call her on March 18 to wish her sister a birthday. However, this did not happen. Instead, the woman received a message from the Durham County Sheriff's Office. She was ordered to call the Whatcom County Sheriff in Bellingham, Washington. The woman found out that earlier that day her sister's Jeep was discovered deep in the woods, but the owner of the vehicle was not found.

Early in the morning in Washington state, a pair of runners noticed garments on the side of the road next to a bend at the top of the slope. Some clothes were tied to trees and branches by the road. In the woods below, at the bottom of a steep embankment, runners spotted a severely damaged missing Jeep.

Based on the route the car traveled and the degree of damage to the vehicle and nearby trees, investigators determined that the Jeep was traveling at over 60 km / h when it ran off the road and pulled down a hill. It was found that the car rolled over several times, but no traces of blood or other signs were found that would indicate that the driver was injured. There were no cracks in the windshield or damage to the seat belts, which are likely to have occurred with the driver and possible passengers inside. Police deduced that no one was possibly in the Jeep when it crashed, which might indicate that the accident had been staged.

On the other hand, there were blankets and pillows hanging in the windows, which could indicate that the vehicle served as a shelter after it crashed. Roberts' passport, her checkbook, driver's license, clothes, guitar, CDs, and other items were scattered around the area. Cat food and a small transporter were also found in the Jeep, confirming that Leah took Bea on the journey, although the cat was never found. Valuables such as jewelry and $ 2,500 cash were also left at the scene of the accident. For this reason, it can be assumed that if there was a crime in this situation, robbery was not the goal of the perpetrators.

Kara and Heath decided to fly to Bellingham to help investigators. The women saw the scene of the accident and, with the help of the sheriff's office, created a leaflet about the missing person that was circulated around the city. They also visited places Leah might have visited. They questioned owners and customers if any of them had seen Roberts. Among the missing items, a travel souvenir box was found, which was an important clue. The clue was a ticket to an afternoon screening of "American Beauty". The screening took place on March 13 at a cinema in a local mall. This suggested that Leah might have spent several hours in the city after arriving at Bellingham. She got there after a few hours' drive from a station in Oregon, where she bought fuel.

There was the only restaurant in the mall near the cinema. Heath and Kara believed Leah might have eaten there. The detectives managed to reach two clients who remembered Leah Roberts well. The men sat on either side of her that day at the counter, talking about Kerouac and the woman's plans. One new acquaintance claimed that the missing girl had gone out with another man whom she called Barry. Based on the description, the police made a memory portrait of the mysterious man. The other man, nor any other customer who was at the restaurant at the time, however, confirmed that they saw Barry at the time.

In the police garage where the Jeep was towed away, the police continued to investigate the potential tracks. The FBI has also joined the investigation as Leah has crossed state lines. Two pieces of evidence suggested Leah may have been a victim of a crime. First, the amount of money found in her pants suggested that the woman had spent very little at Bellingham. Less than what you would expect if she had been in the city for a few days. Second, Roberts's mother's engagement ring was found under the rug. Her friends in North Carolina said she was very fond of him because he associated him with her late mother. Leah is said to never have taken it off voluntarily.

Heath and Kara returned to North Carolina after four days. Investigators, on the other hand, verified the scenario according to which the 23-year-old could be injured in an accident and then set off. For two April weeks, police searched the area where Leah might be, with the help of dogs and helicopters. However, no trace of a woman was found. Security camera footage from the gas station Leah stopped at in Oregon. In the video, the woman was alone and acting rather normal, although she looked at the parking lot a few times. Unfortunately, the monitoring did not show this area, so it was not possible to establish whether any suspects might have appeared there.

While the facts of the case were featured on the popular TV show Unsolved Mysteries and Disappeared, few leads have surfaced. Unfortunately, this mysterious matter has not been solved to this day.

A scientific experiment has confirmed that ghosts do not exist

 Scientists a few years ago conducted an experiment in which they tried to create "artificial ghosts" proving that ghosts do not exist and are only a creation of our mind. The participants in the study actually believed that there were ghosts around them.

To carry out this experiment, the researchers used a robot with which the participant could control a robotic arm that was right behind him. The machine could only be controlled with the index finger and the robot sent traffic information to the other robot. This created the illusion that the participant was touching his back.

The person involved in the experiment was blindfolded. The researchers then desynchronized the robots - as the participant moved their finger, the robotic arm on the back made the same motion with a slight delay of around 500 milliseconds.

Of the dozen or so people who participated in the study, some of them had the impression that there were ghosts next to them. Some participants even indicated the presence of as many as four ghosts, although they were alone in the room. Two people were so frightened that they asked to end the experiment immediately.

The author of the study, Professor Olaf Blanke of the Swiss Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne (EPFL), said that the feeling of someone's presence can occur even under normal conditions when sensory-motor signals are disturbed. This creates the impression that someone is right next to us - in this case, we are talking about ghosts.

The system used in this experiment imitates the feelings of some patients with mental disorders or healthy people in some even extreme circumstances. Olaf Blanke believes that our brain is actually to blame for everything.

Moreover, even before the study was conducted, the researchers scanned the brains of 12 patients with neurological disorders who had had sensations of someone else's presence in the past. The disorders have been identified in three specific areas of the brain that are responsible for self-awareness, movement, and the sense of one's own body in space - the so-called island, in the parietal lobe, and in the temporal-parietal cortex.

Secret Project MK-ULTRA

 The 50's. Reports of the CIA's drug experiments are not the only domain of conspiracy theories. In 1953, the MK-Ultra project was launched, which was to prepare the American intelligence for the possibility of using psychoactive substances by the USSR and China. As a result, unsuspecting US citizens are being investigated for the use of heroin, LSD, and even electrical torture.

On November 28, 1953, under the influence of hallucinations and severe depression, Dr. Frank Olson jumped from the tenth floor of a hotel in New York. This American bacteriologist was a long-time employee of a secret military institution - the Chemical Team of the Special Operations Department - a military cell that ran one of the MK-Ultra projects. His death was the result of one of the experiments.

A few days earlier, Olson had attended a meeting chaired by the head of the CIA's psychochemical weapons research facility, Sidney Gottlieb. The latter, in turn, decided to secretly test the effects of LSD on the audience. He dissolved a considerable amount of the substance in a bottle of a French liqueur, then poured it into the glasses of the three gathered men and waited calmly for the effects.

Olson began to act as if he was suffering from psychosis. The other men also complained that they suffered from severe emotional disorders for several days after the meeting. They had nightmares and hallucinations. But Olson felt the worst. The measure drove him completely insane. Between depression and panic attacks, he screamed that he saw dangerous creatures everywhere. He finally broke and jumped out of the window in the middle of the night. Sidney Gottlieb tried to cover up the matter, and the circumstances of Olson's death for 20 years were among the Agency's most carefully kept secrets.

At stake in this game was the CIA's top-secret program: MK-ULTRA. 150 separate projects were combined at 80 laboratory sites in the US and Canada. They had one common goal: to "find ways to control people's minds" by using chemicals. Heroin, marijuana, and LSD were involved, as also electrical stimuli, brain wave analysis, and subliminal activity trials. The research, often brutal and with tragic consequences, was carried out on US citizens who were completely unaware of their purpose.

MK-Ultra was never supposed to see the light of day. Therefore, in 1973, the then CIA director Richard Helms ordered the destruction of all documents marked with the mark of a secret project.

However, not everything was destroyed. A year later, the New York Times wrote about MK-Ultra. Shortly after its publication, the program was subject to investigation by journalists and government committees alike. The investigation revealed shocking facts.

For twenty years, the Central Intelligence Agency checked which methods of influencing the human brain were the most effective. Everything was aimed at making people who had previously been brainwashed unaware of their role as spies, killers, and saboteurs.

One of the most shocking discoveries was a project at the Kentucky Toxicomania Research Center. The head of the facility, Dr. Harris Isabel, asked by the CIA to develop new synthetic drugs, began experimenting on his patients - people who are addicted to drugs. He gave them enormous doses of LSD, mescaline, marijuana, scopolamine, and other unexplored hallucinogens. He watched their action by playing with the doses, he examined the influence on the mind, behavior, and mental condition.

The actions of the Scottish psychiatrist Donald Ewan Cameron, who tried to take control of the mind, putting his patients into a coma, even for a period of 3 months, were also considered sensational. As a result, some of them lost their memory and even the ability to speak.

Jennifer Kesse - mysterious disappearance, suspect in surveillance

 The Jennifer Kesse case is one of the most famous disappearances in the last dozen or so years. Why? You must check it out!

Jennifer Kesse was born in New Jersey (USA) in 1981 but was associated with Florida in her adult life. She graduated in finance from the University of Orlando and then started working in Orlando as a finance manager. She also bought a house there. The weekend before her disappearance, she spent a vacation with her boyfriend (Rob Allen) in the picturesque Virgin Islands. The couple returned from vacation on Sunday. Jennifer spent the night of Sunday (01/22/2006) to Monday (01/23/2006) at her partner's house. In the morning, however, she went straight to work from him. The young woman was last seen on that day. After her disappearance, it was found that the 24-year-old left work on Monday around 6 p.m. Then, while driving home, she spoke to her father on the phone. The last phone call she had with her boyfriend was around 10:00 PM.

The woman used to call or text her partner in the morning before leaving for work. On January 24, however, she did not do it, which seemed strange to the man. For this reason, he tried to call Jennifer, but instead of the girl's voice, he only heard a voicemail message. The man, however, remembered the important meeting Kesse had scheduled that day. So he thought that maybe that was why she hadn't called him.

This was not the woman's only unusual behavior. Kesse did not show up at work on Tuesday. The employer contacted the 24-year-old's parents about this and they got in the car without thinking. The couple, who live in Tampa, set off on a two-hour journey to their daughter's house. Meanwhile, they called the manager to use a spare key to Jennifer's apartment. Nothing that seemed particularly suspicious was found inside, however. A wet towel and spread of clothes suggested that the woman was getting ready for work in the morning. There was no missing car in front of the house. Parents called the police, which did not start operations right away. The investigators decided that it was an adult who could voluntarily go somewhere without notifying relatives. After a few hours, the detective finally appeared at Kesse's house, and family and friends began to put up posters with a picture of Jennifer in the area.

Two days after her disappearance, the 24-year-old has still not been found. In the morning of January 26, however, an important trace appeared. A man living nearby (a little over a kilometer away) recognized the missing car's car when he saw it on TV. He informed police that the car had been parked outside his apartment for several days.

The police established that there was no break-in in the missing person's apartment. It has been found that the woman was possibly abducted on the way from home to the car or while getting into it. Investigators analyzed the footage from the cameras. One of them captured a man exiting Jennifer's car around noon on the day she disappeared. Unfortunately, the mysterious suspect was walking past the fence which unfortunately shielded the man. For this reason, it was not possible to establish any features that would allow him to be identified. The recording was analyzed by experts from the FBI and NASA, but they only managed to determine the estimated height of the likely perpetrator.

Detectives also found that a robbery motive can be ruled out. There were a few valuable items left in the car. However, the woman's phone, iPod, keys, purse, and briefcase were not found. Jennifer's cell phone was turned off and her payment card was never used again. No evidence was found in the car that would facilitate the solution to the mystery. Probably the interior was cleaned quite thoroughly. The tracking dog, on the other hand, sensed the scent that led from the discovered car to the woman's house. This would indicate that the alleged abduction (homicide?) Perpetrator returned to the scene after abandoning the vehicle.

Jennifer's parents did not give up and moved to Jennifer's apartment to be close to the investigation. They told police that their daughter had complained about the building staff, who at times made her uncomfortable. In fact, several of them were working in her apartment a week before the woman disappeared.

Almost three years after Kesse's disappearance, Detective Joel Wright decided to investigate the case. An officer took charge of the investigation six months after his disappearance. The man conducted many interviews, which he recorded on cassette tape. One of the people he spoke to was the caretaker working in the Jennifer condominium. When he showed the woman an unidentified surveillance person, she said the character reminded her of the man she knew. He was nicknamed Chino because of his hair, clothes and the way he walked. It was the first time Wright had heard of this man. The detective found out that Chino was living in another building in the Jennifer Kesse apartment complex. He worked there as a restorer. Interestingly, he was also one of the employees who made several repairs in her apartment a week before the 24-year-old disappeared. Detective Wright also found an anonymous message from the police hotline that was reported during the first week of the investigation. Callers suggested that Chino may have been involved in the missing woman.

When Wright found the man, he was in prison for rape. On March 18, 2009, a detective questioned Chino in prison. He asked him about the time he was working in Jennifer's apartment. The suspect said Kesse let him in. He claimed that it was a normal working day and nothing unusual happened. Chino also said he had no idea what happened to the missing woman. On that day, the man underwent a polygraph examination, the result of which was successful for him.

The missing person's family hired a private detective - Michael Torretta. About 10 months after Jennifer's disappearance, a man learned that a person had been seen throwing a rolled-up carpet into the lake. It took place not far from Kesse's house. This tip was of particular interest to Torretta, as on the day Jennifer was missing, workers were laying a rug in the apartment next door across the hall. The private investigator knew he needed to check this clue.

In November 2019, local police showed up with a team of divers to search the lake, where an eyewitness said a carpet had been thrown. The specialists spent two days searching but found nothing. "This is something that haunts me," said the private investigator. "Until we find this rug and see what's in it, we must follow this particular trail."

Michael Torretta also has one more theory about what could have happened to Jennifer Kesse on the day she disappeared. Based on interviews with people who lived in the apartment complex, she believes that up to 10 construction workers lived in the empty apartment across from Jennifer. According to the detective, she was kidnapped by one or more employees.

This question is certainly asked by the relatives of the woman. Her body has not been found to this day. It has also not been confirmed that anyone saw her alive after the abduction, which probably took place. The police first questioned Kesse's relatives. The woman's ex and present boyfriend were particularly carefully checked. However, no evidence or circumstantial evidence was found that would indicate their involvement in the disappearance. They both had a solid alibi.

The woman's workplace was also checked. It was established that one of her colleagues wanted to go out with her several times but was refused each time. In the end, however, he was excluded from the group of suspects. Another theory was kidnapping as part of human trafficking, although this is rather unlikely.

More than a year after her disappearance, the director of the company Jennifer worked for offered a prize of one million dollars. Unfortunately, this generous offer did not translate into significant progress in the case. This unexplained disappearance bothers many to this day.

Terri Missy Bevers - Killed in a church by an offender dressed as a policeman

 Terri Leann "Missy" Bevers was born on August 9, 1970, in Graham, Texas (USA). Her parents were James Clinton Strickland and Norma Strickland (née McMillion). She had two brothers: Clifford and Clint. Bevers attended Jacksboro High School from which she graduated in 1988. She then studied at Tarleton State University until 1995. In 1998, she married Brandon Bevers, with whom she had three children: Hannah (born 2001), Allie (born 2003), and Sarah (born 2007). The woman led a fairly normal life until the day she died under very unusual circumstances.

On Monday, April 18, 2016, at 3:50 a.m., surveillance footage captured an unknown person breaking into Creekside Church of Christ in Midlothian, Texas. Even stranger than the unusual time and place of the robbery was the burglar's clothing. This character was dressed from head to toe in a costume typical of SWAT, a special police unit. The person wandering the corridors was wearing a black complete uniform, a helmet, and a vest with the word "Police" on it. In his left hand, the attacker was holding a hammer. Walking around the empty church in a disturbingly free and at the same time characteristic way, an unidentified person opened the door, checked the locks, and broke a window nonchalantly.

Another camera recorded a parked car, probably a Nissan Altima or an Infiniti G37 manufactured in 2010-2012 or a similar vehicle. It was peculiar to the driver who turned the lights on and off before he slowly pulled out of the church parking lot. It happened more or less at the same time as the break-in.

This morning's surveillance video also shows 45-year-old fitness instructor Terri "Missy" Bevers, who entered the church at around 4:20. Missy had arrived early to prepare for the 5:00 AM fitness classes. In the video, the burglar is seen shortly before Missy arrives, but then disappears from the screen. Unfortunately, the fates of these two people have most likely crossed this morning.

At 5:06 am, an upset student Missy called 911 after discovering that the instructor had passed out. He also noted that she had been brutally attacked. The woman had numerous stab wounds to the head and chest. The ambulance arrived shortly after, but Bevers could not be saved. Her death was found at the scene.

Authorities soon began investigating. There have been mentions of an ongoing financial crisis and a bad situation between the Bevers spouses. It was also established that Missy was having an affair with someone whose identity was not disclosed. However, after almost a year of investigation, no suspect was arrested.

The case gained a lot of publicity in the United States and beyond. The most disturbing camera footage of a person dressed as a policeman aroused the greatest emotions. Experts estimated the figure to be approximately 158 to 174 cm tall. However, the identity of the intruder, and even his gender, has not been established to this day. It is true that the burglar's face was not visible on the monitoring, but its characteristic feature is a specific gait. This figure was putting his right foot in a strange way.

Why was the perpetrator wearing a police uniform? Was it a woman (as indicated by short stature and, in the opinion of many observers, the manner of moving "feminine")? Did the driver of the car captured on the camera have something to do with the case? To this and many other questions, it has not been possible to find answers to this day.

What was the haircut about? An important initiation ritual in the culture of the ancient Slavs and its traces in the sources

 The Chronicle of Gallus Anonymus mentions, inter alia, the haircuts of two sons of Popiel and a descendant of Piast, Siemowit. It is then that the progenitor of the Piast family receives his name, which can be translated as "the ruler of the family". Why were haircuts such an important element of the culture of the ancient Slavs that they were included in the legend of the origin of the Piasts?

A rite or rite of passage is a family ceremony to mark a person's transition from one stage of life to the next. The term "rites de passage" was proposed by the French anthropologist Arnold van Gennep in a work of this title from 1909. Various types of rituals related to the stages of human life are known in all cultures of the world. For the Slavs, haircuts were the first ritual of this type to which a boy was subjected. The girls' counterparts were braided lines. A wreath was put on the girl's head, thus marking that she was no longer a child, but a virgin.

Before we look at the ritual of the haircut, it is good to talk about other similar rituals in order to better understand the cultural background.

One of the very important rituals was swajba or wedding. For a woman and a man, starting a family was an extremely important stage of participation in the life of the entire community. In this way, they undertook the task of begetting and educating the next generation, giving hope for the survival of the family. They also connected two families by contract and brought the property to a new farm. Each wealthy and well-run farm contributed to the better functioning of the entire community.

During the wedding ceremony, which was an important element of the wedding, the bride's hair was cut and burned, and a bonnet was put on the head. The girl said goodbye to the family house and in the groom's house, she was devoted to the care of new domestic deities. In this way, the woman left her virginity behind and became the mistress of the new household.

The final rite of passage for a member of each community was the funeral. The Slavs, like other peoples, believed in some form of afterlife. Souls went to the realm of Navas, Paradise, or to the realm of Veles.  Beliefs had to be different at different times. It was common to burn corpses, but there was also a custom of burial underground, and a tree was planted on the grave. Until the 10th century, coins were placed on the lips of the deceased - possibly a fee for a Charon-like carrier. An important element of the rite was also equipping the deceased with items that he used during his lifetime.

The rituals led each person through the stages of his relationship with the local community. But let's get back to the haircut.

The most famous mention of the first haircut can be found in the legend about Piast and Siemowyn, described by Gallus Anonymus. According to the author of the chronicle, on the same day there were haircuts for Popiel's children - the prince of Gniezno and Piast's only son. When two mysterious newcomers tried to enter the feast, they were driven away. So they went to a modest plowman called Piast. He received them as best he could. Miraculously, there was more food and drink at the plowman's house, and less at Popiel's court. At the end of an unexpectedly magnificent feast, "these guests cut the boy and named him Siemowita for the sake of his future fate."

The custom described in the chronicle contains mythological threads, but in this case, we are interested in the rite described. The description shows that it was common to representatives of all social classes. The prince of Gniezno introduces his sons to the male community in the same way as the poor Piast (of course, each one to the best of his abilities). At the time when Anonim was writing his chronicle (beginning of the 12th century), the knowledge of this custom must still be alive. He presents the ceremony as something obvious and only briefly cites elements of the ritual, focusing on its importance for the family of its patron - Bolesław the Wrymouth. Most Poles today know this practice only from the chronicle of Gall Anonymus or legends based on it. Some people go back to the old ways and add new elements. In the Middle Ages, however, the tradition was still alive.

What can we say about the rite itself? What was the haircut about?

Based on the description of Gallus Anonymus, we can conclude that it was associated with a ceremonial reception during which a person other than the parents made a ritual haircut and gave an official name. The entire celebration had not only social but also magical significance. The behavior of the hosts, the events and miracles that happen during the celebration, as well as the given name says something about the future of the child.

Divination was of great importance in the beliefs and practices of the ancient Slavs. Particularly among the Western Slavs, divination was a highly valued skill. Animals (including the famous Radogosh horse), wax, lead, fire, water, and the color of the lake were foretold. The gods could, after all, speak through various phenomena, situations, and objects.

In the case of Siemowit, the haircut and naming are performed by mysterious strangers (Cyril and Methodius? Angels? At least someone with supernatural powers). In traditional rituals, it was more often a father (who thus accepted his son as his descendant) or a Slavic priest - żerca. Before the haircut was performed, the baby usually wore a name to protect it from evil spirits. These were names that mislead the spirits, e.g. Niemój, Nielub, Wilk, etc. If the boy lived to the age of 7 (according to some, up to 12), he could be considered a part of the community and given the right name, usually two-part (Siemo-wit, Sławo-mir, etc.). After cutting the hair - as in the case of the previously described bride's cap - it was ritually burnt. Braiding, growing, and cutting hair were of great importance in the culture of the ancient Slavs. No wonder hair plays such an important role in the rites of passage.

Haircuts are also known in other cultures, e.g. Anglo-Saxon or Jewish. In some people, the symbolic haircutting is performed on infants or very young children. This is recognized as a member of the community, but not related to the transition to a group of young adults, as was the case with the Slavs.

Bibliography:

• Aleksander Brükner, History of Polish culture vol. 1, Krakow 1930
• Stanisław Urbańczyk, The Old Slavs. Faith and Cult, Wrocław 1991
• Anomim so-called Gall, Polish Chronicle, digital edition of NetPress 2008 (https://cyfroteka.pl/ebooki/Kronika_polska-ebook/p9534i23329)

Kenny Veach - a mysterious disappearance in the middle of the desert

 Kenny Veach lived in Las Vegas (Nevada, USA). The 47-year-old man had a daughter and a granddaughter. His girlfriend was Sheryon Pilgrim. Kenny ran the snakebitmcgee channel on YouTube. On it, he mostly recorded his lonely expeditions into the desert. This type of escapades was Veach's great passion. The man was a survivor addicted to adrenaline. He usually walked with minimal supplies of water and food. He claimed that he wanted to check the capabilities of his body in this way.

He also did not take a GPS or even a compass with him. He relied solely on his experience and above-average orientation in the field. The channel was named after the man's other favorite activity. It was catching rattlesnakes for fun. Kenny was skilled at this, for once the snake was faster and bitten the traveler.

Veach did not publish many videos on a well-known website, but commented on other materials quite often. He placed the most famous opinion under the film entitled "Son of an Area 51 Technician". Unfortunately, the material is no longer available on YouTube. In a comment, the 47-year-old described one of his hikes.

Kenny claimed that Nellis found a strange cave near the military base. The entrance itself, in the shape of a large letter "M", was supposed to be mysterious. Shortly after entering the cave, the man's body began to feel strange vibrations. Veach also felt an indescribable fear. He was certainly not a cowardly person, but he decided to leave this unusual place quickly.

This comment began to gain popularity. Some users questioned the credibility of this story. Others, on the other hand, believed the man. Both asked for proof of the existence of the mysterious cave. The 47-year-old, encouraged by this response, decided to try to locate this place again. He also wanted to make a video of this trip.

However, he was unable to find the cave again. Less than months after the video was posted on YouTube, Kenny set off on a quest for the third time. On November 10, 2014, he left home and headed back to the Mojave Desert, Nevada. This time, however, he did not publish any video material. Moreover, he did not return home or contact his loved ones.

After he didn't come home, his girlfriend reported him missing. A search for a man was organized. The task of finding him, however, was not easy. The Mojave Desert is slightly larger than half the size of Poland. Nor did anyone know exactly where Veach might have gone. The man's cell phone was found. It was lying near the entrance to the old mine shaft. It was as if the 47-year-old had left his cell phone there on purpose. Unfortunately, that was the only clue that was discovered.

There are several hypotheses about what happened to Kenny. One of the most popular and simple explanations is that Veach simply got lost and died as a result of dehydration or hypothermia. Given the man's bravado, this is a likely scenario. Another theory is an unfortunate accident he may have suffered. His hobby was dangerous and one wrong move could have serious consequences.

It is also possible that the 47-year-old may have come across some wild animal. The Mojave Desert is home to the aforementioned rattlesnakes, scorpions, coyotes and pumas. The meeting with one of them could undoubtedly end tragically. The more that he could not count on anyone's help in the middle of nowhere.

There was also a conspiracy theory. According to it, Veach would be murdered on the orders of the US government or army. Proponents of this scenario believe that the discovered cave was the entrance to some top secret government facility. It cannot be ruled out due to the proximity of the Nellis air force base and the famous Area 51. Strange vibrations, according to some, may explain the research on infrasound or a new type of weapon.

One of the internet users warned the man to give up the return to the strange cave. When asked about the reason for this recommendation, the user replied that otherwise Kenny would never return from this trip. It's hard to say whether it was a gloomy joke or a hateful comment. According to some opinions, the user was a government or military employee and wanted to scare Veach successfully.

Another hypothesis is that Kenny may have committed suicide. The likely abandonment of the phone seems to confirm this. This would make it impossible to track his steps. It is also worth adding that shortly before his disappearance, Veach quit his job. The man wanted to earn a living from now on thanks to several inventions he created. Unfortunately, this turned out to be more difficult than he initially thought.

The missing person's girlfriend also said he was suffering from depression. The man had once commented on a possible suicide. He said that if he had decided to kill, he would have done it so that no one would ever find him. These words make sense as we go back to Veach's childhood.

His father committed suicide, and Kenny was the first to find his body. It was certainly a traumatic event that must have left its mark on a lifetime. The more so because the man did not want to use the specialist help of a psychologist or therapist. He also never took any medications for depression.

One more very important detail should also be mentioned. Kenny didn't take his camera with him on his final trek. It is so strange that the main reason for the trip was to capture the enigmatic cave on film. This may indicate that it was only an excuse. The real reason for the expedition may have been to take his own life in a lonely place.

The case of Kenny's disappearance has become popular in adventurer circles. Many YouTube users decided to follow in the man's footsteps and find the cave with an "M" -shaped entrance. They then posted videos of these escapades on their channels. The channel operator Exploring Abandoned Mines and Unusual Places found a place that the missing man might have been talking about.

Sean Horlacher, on the other hand, came across a cave, the entrance to which was blocked by boulders. It is practically impossible to notice from a distance. This may explain why Kenny didn't find his destination the second time around. It seems extremely difficult and requires large resources to place heavy rocks that adhered to each other almost perfectly. This suggests that the entire operation may have been driven by the military or government agencies. Below you will find a video that is really interesting.

To this day, unfortunately, Kenny's body has not been found. The relatives did not receive any information from him. It is rather unlikely that the man is still alive. His remains are probably hidden somewhere in the Mojave Desert. I hope to find Veach's body someday and solve this mysterious case.

Magdalena Żuk - the tragic end of holidays in Egypt

 This time, I decided to present a case that probably most of you have heard about. It is about the unexplained death of Magdalena Żuk. The woman went on vacation to Egypt. Instead of a dream vacation in the land of the pharaohs, real hell awaited her. Although several years have passed since the death of the 27-year-old, the case still arouses emotions, and many questions remain unanswered. Traditionally, I invite you to read!

Magdalena Żuk was born on September 19, 1990 in Bogatynia (Lower Silesia Province). She had two sisters - one older and one younger. She was a very ambitious and hardworking woman. At the age of 17, she left for nearby Zgorzelec, bordering Germany. There she gained knowledge and experience in cosmetology. After a few years, she even managed to open her own beauty salon. From childhood, however, Magdalena wanted to become a model. She grew up to be an attractive woman and was well aware of her beauty. She even tried to get into the well-known program "Top Model". Unfortunately, she did not manage to make a career in a television show.

The beetle led a very intense life. She completed BA studies in dietetics. She was a fan of a healthy lifestyle. She liked to play sports. She went to the gym and practiced running. She had plans to complete a half-marathon. She also trained in pole dance. In 2016, the woman moved to the capital of Lower Silesia, Wrocław. There she started working in a beauty salon. She also worked after hours in her own studio, which she founded at the age of 22. As an interesting fact, I would like to add that the boss of Magdalena from Wrocław had the same name and surname as the heroine of our story.

Six months before her death, Magdalena met Markus Włodarski at a hip-hop concert at the Gray club. The man later became her boyfriend. Markus also lived in Wrocław. He worked there as a hairdresser. He had the prestigious title of the Polish Champion in hairdressing. Just like Magda, he was interested in sports, he also liked music. The couple knew each other for a short time, but apparently, they planned a future together. Family and friends remember the woman as always smiling, full of energy, and outgoing person.

The tragic story begins on Tuesday, April 25, 2017. According to Włodarski, that day he learned about a surprise trip from his girlfriend. Magdalena bought a vacation in Egypt, which she planned to go with Markus. The parents of the 27-year-old borrowed money for the trip abroad. It is puzzling that the departure was the same day in the evening, and the woman allegedly had not mentioned it to the boy before. According to other sources, the man was told about the departure a few days earlier. How was it really? We'll probably never know.

In any event, the question of a vacation in Egypt got complicated. It turned out that Markus did not have a valid passport. In addition, the plane took off from Katowice-Pyrzowice, not Wrocław. So there was little time to make a decision. Włodarski posted an announcement on Facebook that he wanted to sell the trip, but it was not possible to find a willing person. It is also not surprising as it happened just four hours before the departure of the plane.

After talking with her partner, Magdalena finally decided that she would go on her dream vacation alone. She needed a rest after many months of hard work. She also felt sorry for the money that would have been completely lost. So Żuk got into the car with the boy and his friend. Then all three drove to the airport. Apparently, Żuk was nervous and tense even before departure. Several vacationers mentioned that a woman bought alcohol in a duty-free shop.

In any case, after a few hours of flight, Magdalena found herself in Marsa Alam, which is one of the largest Egyptian resorts. This town is located in the east of the country, on the shores of the Red Sea. The woman checked in at The Three Corners Equinox Beach Resort Hotel on April 26 at around 3:00 AM. Before going to sleep, Magda called the boy. She was upset because she heard that someone was walking near her room. The matter was reported to the reception. Hotel staff reportedly checked the report but did not notice anything suspicious.

On Thursday, April 27, Magdalena's family and boyfriend were concerned about her strange behavior. Contact with the woman was difficult, and at some point, it was impossible to reach her at all. Hotel staff and other vacationers have also noticed disturbing signs. The relatives contacted the Polish embassy in Egypt. They obtained information that officials are in contact with the resident. The 27-year-old was also offered an appointment with a doctor, but Żuk did not agree. Eventually, concerned, Markus bought the girl a return ticket. The flight was scheduled for Saturday, April 29.

On Friday, April 28, the shocking video was sent to Magdalena's family. It shows a Polish woman lying in a bathrobe at the door of her hotel room. The beetle was curled up and looked vulnerable and exhausted. She seemed unaware of what was happening around her. The resident then took the woman to a hospital in Port Ghalib. However, staff at the facility refused to treat her because they reportedly said they did not deal with mental illness.

Everything seemed to be back to normal soon. The next day, Magda had a planned premature return home. The woman was driven to the airport. She was supposed to be aggressive during this trip. The 27-year-old was denied boarding at the airport. Poor health was given as the cause. According to another version of the events, the woman was already on the plane. Then the pilot was supposed to call a doctor. On the basis of his opinion, Magdalena was not allowed to travel.

One thing is certain - Żuk did not fly by plane and did not return to Poland. However, she was checked out of The Three Corners Equinox Beach Resort. So she had to find a new place where she could stay overnight. The first hotel did not want to accept her again due to previous problems. A resident from a travel agency drove Magda to several other hotels. However, no accommodation could be found due to the lack of vacancies.

On April 29, another very important event took place. After an unsuccessful attempt to return to Poland, Żuk talked with her boyfriend. The video function was used then. Markus' friend recorded the entire conversation on the video. Magdalena was accompanied by the resident Mahmoud K. It was his phone that was connected to the 27-year-old's boyfriend. Her cell phone had been turned off for some time. The entire recording lasts several minutes. The video then went online. Supposedly as a result of a mistake, because Markus wanted to add the material as private.

In the film, Włodarski repeatedly asks the girl to tell him what happened. You can see, however, that the woman is upset and terrified. The reason could be the presence of a resident who knew Polish. In the video, Magda, crying, begs Markus to take her home. The man promised that his friend, Maciek, would come to Egypt the next day. He was to return to Poland with Magda. The man did fly to Marsa Alam, but it was too late.

Żuk's condition worsened and Mahmoud K. decided to take the woman to the hospital again. However, Magda did not agree to any research. The woman was aggressive about this. She started struggling with doctors and nurses. She tried to escape the staff. After midnight, the 27-year-old tried to jump out of the window twice, according to witnesses. One of the nurses was about to stop her at the last moment. To prevent similar attempts, the staff reportedly tied Żuk to the bed.

It is not known whether the woman freed herself or someone else. In any event, Magdalena headed towards the window and jumped out a third time. This time successfully. Falling injuries turned out to be serious. The woman had injuries to the chest, head, and limbs. The medical staff decided to transport the Polish woman to a hospital in Hurghada. It was on April 30 at around 8:00 am. The woman was pronounced dead around 6 p.m. on the same day.

On May 9, in the presence of a Polish expert, a woman was autopsied in Egypt. On May 19, an autopsy was carried out in Poland. According to the family of the deceased, the documents sent from Egypt indicated traces of drugs in Magdalena's blood. Specifically, it was supposed to be a narcotic drug popular in Africa called khat.

This drug is obtained from the leaves of the chuwalic leaf. This measure is very little known in Europe. According to specialists, khat has an effect similar to that of amphetamines. Investigators from Poland, however, deny that toxicological tests showed the presence of drugs in the woman's blood. According to some sources, drugs for depression were also found during toxicology tests.

Both autopsies, however, were in agreement as to the cause of death. Death was to occur as a result of injuries resulting from a fall from a height. However, it was not possible to determine whether the woman jumped out of the window by herself or someone pushed her out.

This case is full of contradictory information. It is not even sure exactly which window the woman jumped out of. Family members who went to Egypt in search of the truth were shown a different window than in the official version. Communication with the Egyptian authorities was also a big problem, despite the assurances of local politicians. They guaranteed the investigation a high priority.

One of the explanations for the strange behavior of the beetle may be a temporary crisis or a long-term mental illness. According to journalists, Magdalena was supposed to receive psychiatric treatment in the past. The problems were reportedly caused by alcohol abuse. Other reporters, on the other hand, found out that the woman used the help of a psychologist. She was supposed to participate in ACA (Adult Children of Alcoholics) therapy. The family, however, denies these findings.

One of the more interesting details concerns the events of April 27. On that day, Magda's phone was supposed to establish connections with the local network about 30 km from the shoreline. This could indicate that a woman (or another person who had a Żuk cell phone with her) was on the yacht. Another explanation could be a technical error in the cellular network.

The most controversial, however, is the famous recording of the conversation between Markus and Magda. Many point to the unnatural behavior of a man. He seems to be extremely calm and composed. There is a stark contrast to his girlfriend's behavior here. The reason why the entire conversation was recorded is also puzzling. There are many voices that Włodarski wanted to secure an alibi in this way.

Many following the case draw attention to too many coincidences surrounding Markus. A passport that has expired. Last-minute listing of the trip sale offer. The aforementioned conversation with Magda. There is also a moment when the man covered the front camera during the recording (the beginning of the 8th minute).

Then he tilted the phone slightly. He then showed Magda something he was holding in his left hand. Then Włodarski gave the mysterious object to his friend. This is evidenced by a characteristic rustle. The beetle seemed even more panicked than before. What did Markus show his beloved? Unfortunately, we do not know this, and it may be the key to solving the puzzle. One cannot forget about the mysterious "M" as well. Magda pronounces the letter as Markus presses on it once again. What could it mean? It is difficult to say because it is the first letter of the name of Żuk, her boyfriend, boss, resident, or friend who was supposed to come for her. We'll probably never know what the deceased meant at the time.

Finally, mention should also be made of the rape of which the woman was said to have been the victim. The key video call recording is not the clearest. Hundreds of people tried to analyze the content of all statements. According to some, Magda at one point in a barely audible voice reveals that she was raped. According to other theories, the woman was shown a video of her rape of her. In the background, you can hear sounds and voices confirming this. It would also explain why the woman was so scared.

It is also worth mentioning the connections between the Magdalena Żuk case and the death of Karolina Kaczorowska. The woman died in January 2016, so a little over a year earlier. The 30-year-old was also an attractive blonde living in Wrocław. She worked as a model, so she did what Żuk always dreamed of. Among Kaczorowska's friends, there were many people who knew Magda. The most common name is Kamil P., pseudonym "Złoty".

The man was Karolina's boyfriend and apparently a friend of Markus, the partner of a Polish woman who died in Egypt. According to other sources, it was only the same names and nicknames. It is certain, however, that Włodarski knew a person with the nickname "Złoty". During the famous last conversation between a man and a girl, you can see that someone with such a pseudonym called Markus. Finally, there is one more common aspect between these two matters. To this day, it is not really known how both women died. Let's hope that one day the truth will come out.

The first computers and the birth of the digital age. From Z1 to PC

 In the twenty-first century, we cannot imagine our life without computers. From daily communication to spaceflight, these universal machines fuel our world. Thanks to them, we can move more efficiently in reality or completely escape from it in VR games. How did great counting machines become the universal tool of civilization? Here is the story of this groundbreaking invention.

Any machine that can read and execute coded instructions can be called a computer. The main difference that separates the computer from the calculator is the possibility of programming. Even the oldest analytical machine from the 19th century (which I will write about later) was theoretically able to execute the program. The architecture of computers was described by two eminent mathematicians in the 1930s and 1940s - Alan Turing (Ritchie D., 1986: p. 77) and John von Neumann. In order for our computer to function as described above, it must meet certain conditions:

• I / O devices take instructions and return results
• memory stores variables and instructions
• the arithmetic logic unit processes information
• the control unit has access to memory and enables the execution of accepted instructions.

The computer needs its own energy source. Unlike slide rules, mechanical calculators, and arithmometers, it is fully automatic. The latter condition meant that the construction of a computer only began to be feasible in the 19th century. For centuries, people have used numerical codes, and machines of all kinds, including calculating machines. However, everything happened in the head, on paper, or, at best, as a result of the use of levers, springs, gears, or weights. The situation changed when an improved steam engine became widely used.

The first programmable computer in history was to be powered by a steam engine. In 1822, English inventor Charles Babbage built the first differential machine. It wasn't a computer yet, but rather a huge mechanical, automated calculator. In the next decade, he began working on an analytical machine that had all the basic features of a modern computer. It was programmable (using punch cards - an idea borrowed from Jacquard), and had a separate memory unit and an analytical unit. Powered by a steam engine allowed for automated work. (Petzold Ch., 2002: pp. 267-268) The project was never finished. In Babbage's time, it was very expensive. The cost and complexity of the device were disproportionate to the demand for this type of equipment. After all, complex calculations could be performed with the help of abacuses, manually controlled small arithmometers, and sliders.

Babbage's associate and author of the first programs were Ada Byron-King, Duchess of Lovelace. Daughter of the well-known romantic poet George Byron and well-educated (including mathematically) Anna Izabela (Anabelli) Byron.

The German engineer Konrad Zuse is considered to be the first computer constructor in the modern sense. In 1936 he patented a memory that could be read by a computer control unit. The memory was based on automatically displaced plaques. In 1938, a prototype of the V1 computer was created, later renamed the Z1. Zuse's most innovative idea was to use binary numbers, that is, represented by ones and zeros. The ability to represent even the largest numbers with ones and zeros made it possible to represent them by appropriately long sequences of simple electrical pulses. This has another advantage. It is easy to move from working with numbers to logical operations where instead of 0s and 1s there are "true" and "false".

The Z1 was a community-funded project, more specifically by the family and friends of the young engineer. The prototype was never fully functional due to the unreliability of the plates. It was finally destroyed during the bombing of Berlin in 1943.

The first fully programmable version of the computer was the Z3 model, unfortunately, was used by German aviation during World War II. (Lee J.A.N .: pp. 765-766) Zuse was not ideologically associated with the Third Reich, but he was also not in opposition. He was one of the scientists and engineers who simply did his job. Regardless of everything, his invention was groundbreaking. Other Zuse machines were used for computation for scientific and commercial purposes. After the war, he ran the company Zuse KG, which was later absorbed by the Siemens corporation.

World War II was a turning point in the history of computers. The ability to communicate remotely was great for war purposes. It had one drawback - the enemy could intercept orders by connecting to the cable network or catching the appropriate radio frequency. Therefore, encryption techniques began to develop quickly. At the end of World War I, Artur Schreibus constructed an encryption machine that he patented in 1918 and sold under the commercial name of Enigma from 1923. At the end of the 1930s, it was started to be used by the army of the Third Reich. Another device used by the German command was the Lorenz machine.

Deciphering the instructions encoded with Enigma and Lorenz's machine was crucial for predicting the opponent's movements. Speed ​​and faultlessness mattered. Therefore, it was decided to use analytical machines. The Colossus, constructed in 1943, is considered the first digital, binary, and (manually) programmable computer. His task was to decode the information transmitted by teletype by Lorenz's machine. A mechanical-electrical device called Bomba was used to decode the Enigma. They were constructed by Polish cryptologists before the war. The British Bombe was adapted to the new encryption methods that the Germans introduced after the outbreak of the war. In the construction of Colossus and Bombe, he helped, among others Alan Turing, author of a hypothetical model computer called the Turing machine.

The most dynamic development of digitization took place between 1945 and 1989, i.e. during the Cold War. The conditions conducive to the development of computers had multiple grounds, including an economic boom in the US, and the availability of raw materials and technologies. The world war forced both sides to accelerate the development of previously known technologies. The demand for further technology refinement was driven by the arms race and competition in space, but also by growing commercial and social needs. Generations born after World War II were more and more interested in the development of entertainment, communication, and facilitating everyday life with the help of computers. Dreams from before the war came back. Even then, people were to be replaced by machines. The entry of computers into use made these dreams closer and more real.

In 1946, the first computers already had all the basic components I mentioned earlier. Their architecture did not differ significantly from the modern one. Nevertheless, they took up a lot of space and required qualified service.

The transistor is one of the most important inventions that made the computer work better and made it possible to reduce and speed it up.

A transistor is a component of an electronic circuit capable of amplifying an electrical signal. Before its creation, vacuum tubes were used for this purpose. Their size limited the miniaturization of the first computers.

The main component that enables a transistor to function is the semiconductor material. The most commonly used is silicon, hence the name of the electronic el dorado "Silicon Valley". The first working transistor was made in Bell's laboratories in 1947. (cf. Ritchie D .: p. 120) During the 1950s, the design was improved. In 1958, Jack Kilby and Robert Noyce independently built the first integrated circuits from transistors.

Immediately after the appearance of a working transistor on the market, experiments with its use in computers began. However, it was only the creation of an integrated circuit that became the basis for the real development of computers (and other electronic devices). Development was so rapid that around 1965, George Moore, the future co-founder of Intel, found that the number of transistors in an integrated circuit would double each year. This is called Moore's law was modified in the following years and began to be applied to other parameters of the computer, i.e. memory capacity or processor clock speed.

Today, we might be surprised to see what was called a minicomputer in the late 1960s. One of the first models - the PDP-8 - looked like a medium-sized cabinet, not counting any peripherals, of course. Huge, multi-piece mainframes have been used by large organizations and were priced beyond the capabilities of most small businesses, not to mention home use. Minicomputers were adapted to more common use. They gave rise to personal computers. Not only did they take up less space, but it was easier to enter data using switches.

Among the precursors of the PC, historians of digitization unanimously distinguish the Altair 8800 model, using the Intel 8080 processor. Introduced by MITS, it was the first computer that a private user could afford. It was the most minimalist version of the computer, with no external memory, keyboard, or other input devices. It was also impressively small for those times - the size of a large suitcase.

The availability of the Altair 8800 made it possible to create computers that really could be used by everyone. Its usefulness to non-professionals increased when, in 1975, Bill Gates and Paul Allen wrote the Altair Basic programming language (later named Microsoft Basic), based on the previously developed educational Basic language. (Lee J.A.N., 1995: p. 413) With further refinements, the fairly crude machine that was the "bare" Altair 8080 turned into a real personal computer, with programs, games, and learning. Connecting the monitor and keyboard allowed it to be used normally.

The second half of the 70s and the beginning of the 80s are the next improvements related to the development of personal computers. The miniaturization of devices was combined with more and more efficient work.

It is arguable what event started the digital age, but it was certainly sealed by the spread of the internet. Personal computers were not only widely available and easy to use but also provided access to a global database of information.

Bibliography:

• Charles Petzold, Code. The hidden language of computer hardware and software, Warsaw 2002
• David Ritchie, The computer pioneers: the making of the modern computer, New York 1986
• John A.N. Lee, International biographical dictionary of computer pioneers, Chicago 1995

When will you be able to send your brain to the computer?

 For years, the ability to assemble the mind in a computer has been the main topic of science fiction, but will we ever get a chance to do it for real? We often imagine that human consciousness is simply the input and output of electrical signals in a network of computing units that is comparable to a computer. The reality, however, is much more complex. For starters, we don't know how much information the human brain can hold.

Two years ago, a team from the Allen Institute for Brain Science in Seattle (USA) mapped the three-dimensional structure of all neurons (brain cells) found in one cubic millimeter of a mouse brain, which is considered a remarkable event. In this tiny cube of brain tissue, the size of a grain of sand, scientists counted over 100,000. neurons and over a billion connections between them. They were able to write relevant information to the computer, including the shape and configuration of each neuron and connection, which required two petabytes or two million gigabytes of memory. To do this, their automated microscopes had to continuously collect 100 million images of 25,000 sections of a miniature sample over several months.

If that's what it takes to store complete physical information about neurons and their connections in one cubic millimeter of a mouse brain, you might imagine that collecting this information from the human brain wouldn't be easy. However, extracting and storing data isn't the only problem. For a computer to resemble the brain's mode of operation, it must have access to all stored information in a very short time. The information must be stored in random access memory (RAM) and not on traditional hard drives. But if we tried to store the amount of collected data in a computer's RAM, it would take 12.5 times the capacity of the largest single-memory computer ever created.

The human brain contains approximately 100 billion neurons (the same number of stars as can be counted in the Milky Way) - a million times more than a cubic millimeter of the mouse brain. And the estimated number of connections is a staggering ten to the 15th power. Ten and 15 zeros - a number comparable to single grains of sand contained in a two-meter layer of sand on 1 km of beach.

Even if we don't know how much information the human brain can store, we can imagine how difficult it will be to transfer it to a computer. The first step is to translate the information into code that the computer can read and use after it has been written. Any mistake in this can be deadly. A simple rule of thumb for information storage is to make sure you have enough space to store all the information needed for your migration before you begin. Otherwise, you will have to know exactly the order of importance of information stored and how it is organized, which is far from the case of brain data.

As our civilization grows and technology advances, new threats are also emerging. The emergence of new lethal weapons, the development of artificial intelligence and robotics, social stratification, lust for money and power, as well as the destruction of our planet, and the excessive extraction of natural resources are just some of the most serious examples. So it should not be surprising that scientists try to predict when our end will come and directly warn us about the potential destruction of humanity.

Dr. Fergus Simpson, a mathematician at the Institute of Cosmology at the University of Barcelona, ​​made his own calculations to estimate the risk of the demise of the human species. His calculations were based on the so-called doom argument that can predict the future size of the human species based on the total number of people born to date.

His calculations show that about 100 billion people have been born so far, and in the future, a similar number of representatives of our species will be born before our civilization ends. Simpson estimated that each year there is over a 0.2% chance of a global catastrophe and a 13% chance that humanity will not live to see the next century.

The mathematician's predictions, however, are quite optimistic compared to the visions of other researchers. For example, Sir Martin Rees, a British astronomer, and cosmologist predict that the human species has only a 50% chance of surviving this century. Dr. Fergus Simpson believes that humanity should urgently take action to mitigate global threats. In his opinion, we may not be able to avoid certain events, but we are certainly able to delay their occurrence.

https://arxiv.org/pdf/1611.03072v1.pdf

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/mathematician-humans-extinct-2017-apocalypse-fergus-simpson-doomsday-argument-a7426451.html

The prominent American businessman Elon Musk, the founder of PayPal, Space X, and Tesla Motors, stated that artificial intelligence can pose a serious threat to humanity. He even called the work on this "demon-calling".

Already a few years ago, when AI was not as advanced as it is today, during a speech at MIT, a businessman was asked what he thought about the prospects of creating artificial intelligence. Musk said this area needed special care as AI could be "the main threat to human existence."

Elon Musk said he was willing to support the need to regulate this issue at the national and international levels. This should give us confidence that we are not making a terrible mistake.

Earlier, other experts also concluded that artificial intelligence can be very dangerous. Physicist Nick Bostrom has recognized that artificial intelligence can be even more dangerous than nuclear weapons.