An alleged "time traveler" claims to have visited Earth in the year 6000 and has a photo to prove it.

Yawn -- just another news day on the Internet, right?

As reported in this story from the International Business Times, the traveler in question shared details of his trip in a You Tube video, which has over three million views. He explains (with a blurred out face and distorted voice) the United States discovered how to travel through time back in the 1990s, and he was one of the program participants.

Apparently his assignment was visit the year 6000 and report back.  And from the sound of it, things in 6000 aren't bad. Disease has been conquered and people are living peacefully under the watchful eye of an Artificial Intelligence entity.

While he admits some might find all this hard to believe (you think?), he has the proof -- whipping out a photo he snapped (don't tell the government) of a future unnamed city. Unfortunately, it got blurred during the whole time travel thing. Go figure -- I thought photography would have advanced a little further in the next 4000 years.

On a sadder note, he also reported a friend that went with him is permanently stuck in the year 6000 after he uploaded his brain to a virtual reality server. Don't you hate it when that happens? But not to worry, he's in a better place.

All of this will become apparent in the year 2028, when he says the government will release time travel publicly. If the idea of a no-disease future where you can upload your consciousness in any reality you choose appeals to you, better get your name on the list. But before you put all your trust in technology, you might want to see the movie "Westworld" again. Just sayin'.

Here's the YouTube interview in full:

While we're on the topic of headlines, here's another one that caught my eye from the New York Post:

                                        Traveler arrested at airport for wearing too many clothes
 
"A man traveling from Iceland to England was arrested at the Iceland Keflavík International Airport for attempting to avoid an excess luggage fee by wearing eight pairs of pants and 10 shirts.

"Ryan Carney Williams, who goes by Ryan Hawaii, reportedly was denied a boarding pass at the British Airways desk for his flight home after he put on all his clothes that wouldn’t fit properly in his checked luggage."

You have to give the guy points for creativity. But that's what all these extra airline fees have driven people to: The cost of your baggage could be more than the cost of your seat. 

The story goes on to say it was his alleged rudeness, not over-dressing, that led to the actions taken. I just wonder how the guy would enjoy the flight wearing a dozen layers of clothing?

Of course, it's not the first time we've seen this happen. Remember Joey and this scene from "Friends"?

A good headline always draws readers in (as someone who did that for a living, I should know). When I saw this one, it made me want to know more:

                                                  Japanese City Triggers Emergency Broadcast System After
                                                             Supermarket Accidentally Sells Deadly Blowfish

According to the story on Gizmodo, "The Japanese city of Gamagori in the Aichi Prefecture went into full alert mode earlier today after a batch of potentially deadly fugu fish was sold to customers at a local supermarket.

"As AFP reports, five packages of blowfish, also known as puffer fish, fugu fish, and globefish, were sold with their livers still intact. Blowfish livers contain a deadly toxin that can cause paralysis and asphyxiation, and there is no known antidote. Officials in Gamagori didn’t hold back once the situation became clear, activating the city’s emergency broadcast system and alerting residents from loudspeakers installed across the city."

First Hawaii with a false missile alert, now Japan with a blowfish warning. 

Make no mistake: Japanese take their blowfish very seriously. Considered a delicacy, it must be prepared correctly or there could be fatal consequences. I learned this firsthand from a former colleague at Belo in Dallas.

As a GI in Tokyo, he and two of his buddies went out on the town and wandered into a restaurant where blowfish was a featured item on the menu. No doubt fortified by sake, he told the server he wanted to try it.

He  watched the server go to the kitchen, where he had an excited conversation with the chef -- lots of hand gesturing. Some time later, they brought the blowfish to his table. I say "they" because he said at that moment, the entire staff of the restaurant gathered around  to watch as he took his first bite.

Needless to say, it must have been prepared right, because he lived to eat another day.

I'm all for trying new dishes, but I think I would draw the line at blowfish. I'll go with the fish and chips.

UFOs. I'll wager everybody has, at one time or another, seen something weird in the skies. According to this story, there were actually almost 5,000 reported sightings of UFOs in 2017. That's comes from the National UFO Reporting Center, which I confess I didn't know existed.

There's been a rash of UFO stories lately, fueled by the recent revelation of a program devoted to UFO activity in the U.S. Dept. of Defense, which included a detailed account of a close encounter by Navy pilots near San Diego.

Not surprisingly, California led the nation in UFO reports, logging 490 sightings. But guess what state was second? Yes, it's Florida, with 308. Apparently the Sunshine State attracts tourists from all over and outside the world as well. 

No doubt there is some correlation between the number of reports and overall population. But with almost a thousand miles of beaches, what alien wouldn't want to pay us a visit?

Another story looked at what U.S. counties had the most sightings  between 2001 and 2015. Florida made the top 20 on that list as well, with 621 reports coming from Miami-Dade County, and 619 from Broward County,

So keep those cell phone cameras at the ready, folks. The next "close enounter" could be yours.