back to article Satanic blob beast menaces North Carolina

Those of who who've just eaten or are generally of a nervous disposition are advised to look away now, because here is some sewercam footage captured under Raleigh, North Carolina, and which has been horrifying interweb citizens for the last couple of days: Quite disturbing, we're sure you'll agree. Mercifully, we can now …

COMMENTS

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  1. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Bliney, I thought it was one of......

    the people on "Embarrassing Bodies" TV last night and his "problem" with private parts,lol. Infact I think the Blob looks healthier than his parts.

  2. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    "I’ve seen a lot of sewer TV before"

    Didnt realise that the BSkyB footprint was so wide

    It couldn't have been BBC3 iplayer, as they block non UK IP addresses.

  3. Anonymous Coward
    Troll

    Popular SEO Tool

    I did a Google on "tubifex worm", and got quite a few "SEO" sites. You know, the junk 'blog' sites that are little more than link farms.

    Interesting to see "tubifex worm" mentioned in the same paragraph as "wedding."

  4. John Gaunt

    What Sounds Does It Produce?

    I would be worried if it were to make noises, especially vocalizations such as "Tekeli-li! Tekeli-li!"

  5. andrew mulcock
    IT Angle

    Tube worms ?

    Quick look at that well known nest of truth, wiki, shows these things to be worm like. Can't see any worms on this video,

  6. David S
    Welcome

    May I be the first...

    to welcome our sewer-dwelling slime-chomping underlords...

    Was I the only one watching that, half-expecting a sudden cut to some CGI-rendered slavering monster lunging out and tearing the camera to pieces? Too many of those "where's the ghost" youtube efforts, I fear...

    Still. Ew.

  7. northern monkey
    Coffee/keyboard

    Oh my days!!

    That's bloody 'orrible!

    I have vomited on my keyboard and am thus owed a new one!

  8. frank ly

    Not very frequent frequenting?

    "..Ed Buchan, environmental coordinator at the Raleigh Public Utilities Department, explained to News 14 Carolina that the creatures frequent "sewage and pond sediment",

    "..“I’ve seen a lot of sewer TV before and I’ve never seen them. We were surprised. We didn’t know immediately what it was.” ”

    Aren't these two statements mutually exclusive if this man really does know anything about it?

    Whatever it is, it really does look freaky!

  9. A. Lewis
    Paris Hilton

    Worms.

    Apparently...

    According to Dr Timothy Wood, freshwater bryozoa expert:

    "They are clumps of annelid worms, almost certainly tubificids (Naididae, probably genus Tubifex). Normally these occur in soil and sediment, especially at the bottom and edges of polluted streams. In the photo they have apparently entered a pipeline somehow, and in the absence of soil they are coiling around each other. The contractions you see are the result of a single worm contracting and then stimulating all the others to do the same almost simultaneously, so it looks like a single big muscle contracting. Interesting video."

    This has been mentioned on all the other blogs that've posted this. Why no mention on El Reg?

  10. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    pulsating satanic blob monster

    <begin privacy mode>I live with one of those for three days every month.</end privacy mode>

  11. Charles Tsang
    Unhappy

    Calling International Rescue...!

    Did anyone else get a strange sense of deja vue watching the oversized water ripple?

    It would seem that the camera is mounted on some ROV (remote operated vehicle). I was thinking the panning was remarkably smooth....

    But after teh oversized water ripple, I expected a couple of "FAB Virgil!" soundbites and then to come across either the Mole or some new wonder machine transported by Thunderbirds 2.

    But alas, they've sold out to vision express or someone haven't they?

  12. Sarah Bee (Written by Reg staff)

    Re: pulsating satanic blob monster

    Ahahaahaahaah I see what you did there.

    People on the internet are funny.

  13. Anonymous Coward
    WTF?

    Hmmm...

    Is it just me, or does the image in the opening video frame resemble a close-up shot of a nipple?

  14. Anonymous Coward
    Flame

    Clone

    For a minute there I thought it was 'The Clone', and it was going to have started absorbing the locals. (As in the story by Theodore L. Thomas & Kate Wilhelm)

    I say we kill it with fire.

  15. Anonymous John
    Unhappy

    I for on welcome...........

    Er, no I don't. It's horrible.

  16. Bad Beaver
    Thumb Up

    Beautiful

    A million slimy worms,

    twitching in unison.

    Ah, the beauty.

  17. Bo Pedersen
    Thumb Up

    I await

    the imminent blockbuster movie tie in, its about time the blob had another outing :)

  18. Anonymous Coward
    Joke

    shuuuure

    Uh huh colony of worms indeed. It's a government conspiracy I tells ya'. They are covering up what it really is because they have made a pact with these creatures to use us as hosts for their invasion of the earth. Don't say you haven't been warned =P.

  19. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Re: pulsating satanic bee monster

    Ah, poor Covert North American Scum, you've incurred the wrath of The Moderatrix... alas, poor CNAS, a fate worse than death by a millions pulsating worms from Hell awaits.

    Good luck in your next turn on the great Cosmic Wheel of Life...

  20. Stu
    Alert

    Yuck

    No, send in the flamethrower special ops teams anyway.

    Thats horrific!

  21. Anonymous Coward
    Alien

    Well...

    I for one welcome our new Overlords...

  22. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Question

    Why does someone put a camera in the sewer in the first place?

  23. Anonymous Coward
    Boffin

    @Charles Tseng

    It is operated from an ROV. The 'robots', we refer them as tractors, can generally run about 1000' into the pipe and many have multiple cameras. Some of the newer models even have a 360° view as they roll down the pipe. They are used to inspect the pipes, find faults and map lateral lines in older systems where drawings aren't accurate.

    It is very common to find 'wildlife' inside the sewers, though most of the time, they're not much bigger than spiders and other insects. Occasionally salamanders can be found and the odd alligator if you're in the southern US.

  24. Anonymous Coward
    Pint

    @Covert North American Scum

    You win the 'mod trolling' prize! It's... a beer. Enjoy!

  25. Craig 32
    Alert

    Really Freaked Me Out

    As I was listening to Aphex Twin at the same time and its 'pulses' fitted straight in with a Heartbeat style noise in the background.

    Eep

  26. Ben Mathews

    Wow

    That;s some crazy shit... urm... almost literally.

    My main question though is what kinda robocams do they send down sewers that give that good picture quality? Please tell me they look like red dwarf scutters...

  27. Psychic Amish Admin
    Boffin

    @ Ben Mathews

    These robocams have high resolution cameras with ultra bright headlights on them. The heads are capable of rotating completely around without tangling their launch cables. There are some robocams that can fit through 6" pipe as well as some monsters designed for 48" and 60" pipe. High resolution is needed as they inspect seams and cracks so that the repair crew can come back later and repair the breaks.

    They actually collect a great deal of data during a session, and most good systems are tied into a GIS system. A great deal of technology goes into maintaining the sewer systems, our last truck cost us $250,000.

  28. Anonymous Coward
    Thumb Up

    @Anonymous Coward

    "Question - Why does someone put a camera in a sewer in the first place?"

    OK - if you're not an Engineer/Geek/Boffin move on to the next comment....

    We sticks em up sewers cause we likes to see what's in em!

    There are any number of reasons for CCTV'ing a sewer. There may have been a flooding incident locally - so is the sewer blocked? - in this case yes, with a slimy mass of Worm Overlords. I think Rentokill has it's work cut out for them there....

    Alternatively it could be this: the longer a sewer is in use, the greater the potential it may have suffered some form of damage - say leaking joints, partial collapse, cracks etc. So every water utility has a programme of works for surveying the smaller diameter sewers with ROVs mounted with cameras. The cameras measure the distance up the sewer whilst recording the condition. That way the Utilities can dig down at the exact location(s) to carry out the repair instead of digging up the whole street.

    Signed,

    Anonymous Civil Engineer working for anonymous Water Utility in the UK.

    <End of Engineer/Geek/Boffin entry>

  29. alien anthropologist
    Coat

    @AC 15:52

    > Hmmm... Is it just me, or does the image in the opening video frame resemble a

    > close-up shot of a nipple?

    A nipple!? Just where/what/how did you came to that conclusion.. er.. on second thought, we do NOT want to know.

    Oh yeah - and it just you mate. Definitely just you.

    (mine's the one with the airsick bags in the pocket)

  30. Deckchair

    @ AC 2nd July 2009 15:52 GMT

    See a doctor, quickly.

  31. Anonymous Coward
    FAIL

    Re : AC at 15:52 GMT

    Ummm.... Nipple.

    Your GF / SO / Partner / Wife is probably going to ask you a large number of questions about that remark.

  32. Michael H.F. Wilkinson Silver badge

    Reminds of panic caused by slime molds

    These movements were clearly too fast for a slime mold, but slime molds can (occassionally) form large mobile clumps. One very wet summer in the States, one slightly smaller than a football climbed a telephone pole (slowly). Interesting footage

  33. Dr Patrick J R Harkin

    Hello? Is that Samuel L Jackson?

    Hi, you don't know me, but I have a script I know you're gonna love. It's called "Worms in a Sewer", and it about... hello? hello? Mr jackson? Are you still there?

  34. Master Baker
    Grenade

    no title

    Are they edible? Could be a solution to third world hunger. I'd bet the Koreans would eat them. They eat anything. And the Thai's. They love cock*.

    *cockrel

  35. IcerG
    Welcome

    Half Life anybody ?

    Why do I suddenly get the urge for a game of Half Life ?

    Give it a crack with the crowbar to see what it does....

  36. Melonfish
    WTF?

    I reckon....

    Thats fantastic done with chips and gravy...

  37. E-ver
    Alien

    Eerie

    Geez that's disgusting...

    Aliens because...

    "I say we take off and nuke the entire site from orbit. It's the only way to be sure"

  38. storng.bare.durid

    E-ver

    You know, the more I think about it, the more I believe it's true.

    Premise: Us slackers that waste our time posting comments up here possibly are more alike than we'd care to imagine.

    I was about to post that quote verbatim, E-ver, only to see you beat me to it.

    And it's certainly not the first time I've seen someone beat me to, say a pun, or some other silly pop-culture reference.

    Aliens reference? done

    Lovecraftian gothic reference? done

  39. Bill Fresher

    @ Sarah Bee

    Out of interest... how much would someone have to pay you to eat the sewer blob?

    I'd do it for £250,000.

  40. VS272
    Happy

    Goody!

    I am so glad that I go to school within walking distance of Cameron Village...and I'm going to be working in water infrastructure one day. Maybe I can play with them!

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