Howard Johnson Replication Tube Claim

[TinselKoala]

And why in the name of all that is unholy would anybody need a "view port" just there? Anybody can tell you that the most expensive machining operation is putting holes in things. They have to be located, the tooling installed, the workpiece clamped and backed, the edges deburred, etc.etc.
You don't put precisely located holes in something as "viewports" when you can just look around that something.

[nyctuber]

I have looked at video 6 over and over and do not see any fishing line. That hole on the wooden end it a view port. Does any one have an image grab of the fishing line in video 6 or is there a hi res video 6.

A view port?? He never used them for that and why would he....

There isn't any hi res video for that one. Look at the hi res video that is available then watch the same videos in low res. You have to know what to look for, the string is absolutely there in the first video at the times stated.

[nyctuber]

It first becomes visible @ 3:56. This is @ 3:57

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hpQA5c9guvE&fmt=18

[Psyclone]

Nothing said or shown so far convinces me that video #6 is "for real".
Nothing said or shown so far convinces me that video #6 is "a fake" either.

...the points made so far (on both sides of the arguement) could easily be explained otherwise, depending on whatever the actual 'truth' (whatever that is) of that video is.

IMO, it's just too difficult to draw convincing conclusions either way from that particular video (ie. odd accel curves, non-steady-cam filming with unopportune zooming, no matching hires video, etc).  I wouldn't characterize anything about this video as "absolute".

EDIT:
Note that I'm not saying (for example) that there is no 'evidence' of a string (if that's what you're trying to show/prove) - I could easily believe that what you're seeing is a string - but if there was in fact no string there, I could just as easily believe that it's just a compression artifact or something else.

Taken as a whole, if it IS actually a string, then explaining 'how' he managed to get it there (in this video) is tougher than the others (that actually show the rotor being lifted, etc).  Obviously I've seen Chris Angel and other magicians doing "seamingly" impossible feats (magic tricks) on TV, so I'm not saying it couldn't be done, just that it would imply more elaborate planning / slight-of-hand than the other vids.

Either way - I don't think the evidence shown so far is convincingly conclusive for either side of the argument.

[RunningBare]

I have to reiterate that I can also see the string, but as I already pointed out they are going to see what they want to see.
We are all capable of biased observation, we do not want to see what's before us because it goes against what we've believed then we will not look hard enough, and if we do see something suspicious we will explain it away as an artifact/apparition
Some of us can eventually get passed that bias, while others will continue to lie to themselves.
I have no problem with a person that lies to themselves, I have a problem when they pass that lie around.