It doesn't matter much to me how people make crop circles.

What? I'm only supposed to talk about things of vital importance?

I suppose how people make crop circles has about as much practical significance as the "magesteria of science" or the other threads. The thing that stimulated my interest in the last few posts is trying to figure out whether the people advocating the simplicity of the board and ropes method really have any practical experience in laying out figures in the field. Or are they just ivory tower theorists, armchair geometers, etc. - visions that stimulate me to argue with them. They might be entirely correct that ropes and boards are easier (and they might be secret crop circle makers). I'd like to understand why ropes and boards are superior to GPS.

I think this depends on rather specific details. How high is the crop. Can you drag the ropes over the ground? What is the relative accuracy of GPS? The only article that I've read about making a complicated crop circle with boards and ropes said that it was done in the daytime over two days. It didn't convince me that using boards and ropes was simple. Since the author refered to the participating crop circle making group as if it were well known and established, it did suggest to me that the tools of the trade might be influenced by tradition.

Another way to understand my motivation: I've stopped watching television entirely, so now I waste my time on the internet!

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