this post was submitted on 15 Aug 2023
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‘Flying aliens’ harassing village in Peru are actually illegal miners with jetpacks, cops say::Authorities announced their theory after visiting the isolated Indigenous community where the attacks took place.

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[–] Int@sh.itjust.works 79 points 1 year ago (1 children)
[–] BrrooklynMan@lemmy.world 49 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (2 children)

it’s 2023, and… yeah… this story sounds like bad sci-fi, so it’s probably true. I’d read he article, but I’m afraid I’d see the word “unobtainum” and throw my phone across the room.

[–] SeeJayEmm@lemmy.procrastinati.org 6 points 1 year ago (1 children)
[–] Marsupial@quokk.au 4 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

Let’s compromise and have AUstralium

[–] Kowowow@lemmy.ca 0 points 1 year ago

No it sounds like scooby doo

[–] MossyFeathers@pawb.social 71 points 1 year ago (4 children)

I never thought I'd say that I think aliens are more plausible than illegal miners with jetpacks, but uh... I actually think aliens might be more plausible than miners with jetpacks. I mean, there have to be more reasonable explanations than aliens or jetpacks, right?

"Miners with jetpacks" feels like something someone would say if they don't give a shit but are being forced into making a report. I just can't see a bunch of people who're mining gold illegally as being capable of rigging together jetpacks, nor can I see them having the money to buy one. Surely if they had the money to buy one then they could have bribed the right officials to make their illegal operations legal; and if they had the skills to make one themselves then I don't think they'd need to be illegally mining for gold.

[–] JoBo@feddit.uk 46 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Read the article right to the end. And think about why illegal miners might want to drive the locals away. And what illegal mining is. The people funding it are not poor and they do have a great deal to gain by not having witnesses around to report on their activities, or to stop them mining their land.

[–] GentlemanLoser@ttrpg.network 33 points 1 year ago

That's some Scooby-Doo level shit

[–] totallynotarobot@lemmy.world 16 points 1 year ago

Sounds like something an alien would say to throw us off.

Nice try, Little Green Lemming. We're on to you.

[–] ElBarto@lzrprt.sbs 5 points 1 year ago

Where do I sign up for who're mining?

[–] fluxion@lemmy.world 3 points 1 year ago

More plausible than miners with jetpacks, but less plausible than over-imaginative people in a self-fueled rumor frenzy.

[–] Gork@lemm.ee 54 points 1 year ago (2 children)

That raises even more questions.

What type of jetpack is it? What sort of fuel does it use? Who made it?

Why would miners need jetpacks? Why can't I have a jetpack? They promised me flying cars and we don't have them yet it's bullshit.

[–] LiquorFan@pathfinder.social 5 points 1 year ago

I'm pretty sure you can get a jetpack nowadays if you have enough money. I have no idea if it's legal to use it though.

Also flying cars is a stupid concept. And we have had the better equivalent for ages, they are called helicopters. And you can also get an actual flying car nowadays if you have enough money...

[–] JJROKCZ@lemmy.world 21 points 1 year ago (3 children)

I thought we hadn’t figured out a reliable jet pack technology yet other than those stupid water things. Are you telling me Peruvian miners have figured out jet pack technology and are using it to prank villagers?

[–] BrrooklynMan@lemmy.world 7 points 1 year ago (1 children)
[–] TropicalDingdong@lemmy.world 4 points 1 year ago (1 children)

That thing looks amazing, but also like, one poorly thought out move/ maneuver away frame plasma slicing off your leg.

[–] BrrooklynMan@lemmy.world 4 points 1 year ago (1 children)

at least it would be a cool story ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[–] TropicalDingdong@lemmy.world 7 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

¯_(ツ)_/¯

¯_(ツ)_~

[–] TheObserver@lemmy.world 4 points 1 year ago

I saw a tiktok of people racing with jetpacks. Pretty cool. Using what looks like mini rockets attached to each hand for control and then the main rockets on the back. Seems pretty simple to me 🤷

[–] just_another_person@lemmy.world 18 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Since people keep asking, if its anything, I bet its a Gravity pack: https://gravity.co/

Lots of search and rescue teams train on these as they are simple to fly, and fairly maneuverable.

[–] MossyFeathers@pawb.social 14 points 1 year ago (2 children)

At £380,000 starting price, I have doubts on whether illegal gold miners have the money for that. If they had £380,000 they'd probably be able to bribe their way into legitimacy and still have some money left over.

[–] just_another_person@lemmy.world 15 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Depends on who is funding them, and how expansive their operations are. Drug Cartels have been caught using these already. Theyre hardly a controlled product.

[–] LibertyLizard@slrpnk.net 5 points 1 year ago

Do you have a link? I didn’t find anything to support this when I searched. It sounds far fetched.

[–] BrrooklynMan@lemmy.world 5 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

you can almost certainly just rent them for a short time.

[–] InvertedParallax@lemm.ee 2 points 1 year ago

I'm pretty sure you could rent them for the rest of your life if you aren't careful.

[–] aquarisces@lemmy.world 10 points 1 year ago

Oh yeah yeah jetpacks no worries totally normal

[–] xylogx@lemmy.world 10 points 1 year ago

Were these cops named Fred, Velma and Daphne, cause this headline sounds like it came right out of a Scooby-Doo episode.

[–] FlyingSquid@lemmy.world 7 points 1 year ago

I don't even know anymore...

[–] Majestic@lemmy.ml 6 points 1 year ago

Literal Scooby-Doo shit. Villains trying to scare locals to get at resources.

[–] Squire1039@lemm.ee 3 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Sure, blame it on the illegal miners. It could have been anybody with resources.

[–] BrrooklynMan@lemmy.world 6 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)
[–] FireTower@lemmy.world 3 points 1 year ago

You can have resources and mine illegally.

[–] Hector_McG@programming.dev 2 points 1 year ago

Just FYI, there are some really wild drugs available in the Peruvian jungle.