To me, the third debate “sightings” seem to be a good indication that it’s not anything insidious. After the widespread discussion about the bulge after the first debate, if it were some sort of cheat, it seems likely to me they’d have gone to much greater pains to make sure it never appeared again.
Any change in the image is “altering” it, by any normal everyday definition of the word “alter”. I think, though, that what the author was trying to say is that there was no information added to the image.
That ranch photo is quite interesting. President Bush is wearing only a T-shirt, yet the rectangular thing is still obviously there on his back, so any dismissive talk about seams, badly tailored shirts, or folds in the jacket is irrelevant. Likewise, I doubt he was getting secret radio prompts on how to drive his truck, or that he was wearing body armor under his T-shirt.
I don’t think it’s that unambiguous. What if the original photograph was taken through an orange filter and it was later color enhanced to bring it back to the natural tones. Which image is the altered one?
He was wearing a French suit? :eek:
Must have been one of those cheese eating surrender monkeys tied to his back 
“We still don’t know what the deal is what that thing in Bush’s back, but I tell you, if God has a sense of humor, it is something that can only be cured with stem cell research.” -Bill Maher
Georges de Paris has been an American citizen since 1969, and judging by the profile The New Yorker wrote on him, is partial to Republicans.
I have a TENS device, and
A: You don’t wear the device itself on your shoulder - it’s worn with a belt clip much like you’d wear a pager or cell phone. Or a wireless microphone. In a scenario where I wanted to look “extra good” I’d tuck it into an inner pocket in the suit jacket rather than having it hang off my belt.
B: The electrode pads and wires are quite thin and invisible under just about anything other than a tight T-shirt.
C: Wearing what looks like just one pad on the inner edge of each shoulder blade is odd. Really odd. Normally, you’d have the pads arranged vertically as the muscle groups typically targeted with a TENS do not go across the spine. Actually, having the circuits running side to side across the spine can cause more pain that you thought you were going to relieve.
Last-minute “tailoring” of a suit with gaffer’s tape is nothing new in the TV world or fashion photography, but for crying out loud, this guy’s the POTUS, and I’d like to think he’d have at least ONE suit that fits properly! It’s not like someone popped into the Oval Office and said “Hey, drop what you’re doing right now! We’re putting you on TV for a surprise debate in five minutes!”
As for the NASA scientist’s efforts, pick any JPEG you want and do a sharpen on it. In fairly short order, you’ll start seeing odd things appearing in the image that aren’t really there. Nothing against NASA - these guys put man on the moon with slide rules, but why is NASA getting involved with this in the first place?
As for a “cheating device” - huh? This isn’t *Jeopardy * or a spelling bee. Besides, 12 years ago, I had a set of “walkie talkies” that used in-ear speaker/mic buds. I’m sure the things have gotten smaller by now.
NASA is not involved. If you read the Salon article, you’ll see that it is a NASA scientist, working on his own time on his own computer, who produced the images.
Anyway, what about that picture of him in a T-shirt at his ranch? Gaffer’s tape again?
Could be a Holter monitor. Somebody commented in another thread that Bush looked like he might have had a mild stroke. Perhaps they’re monitoring his cardio.
With a Holter monitor, the electrode pads are placed on the chest, not the back.
Looks like his shoulder blade to me.
Dave Letterman said that we used to have another President with a lump, but, that one was in his pants.
Maybe the Prez paid a visit to Deneva.
The second one, of course. You have an original image, and another, different, image that is derived from it.
Yes, but the recorder can be placed anywhere.
Sure, but the second one is also a better reflection of reality.
As I have said I don’t have a strong opinion on this, I just don’t feel it’s as cut and dried as some claim.
And probably the last place you would put it would be hanging in the center of the upper back.
Maybe he just keeps forgetting to remove the coat hanger.