Crop Circles Demystified - Not Pi from the Sky

Crop circles have evolved from relatively plain shapes of the 1980s to the intricate, mathematical complexities reported at Waylands Smithy, Wiltshire, England by Linda Moulton Howe's Earthfiles this August 9th. Coincidentally, there have been vast improvements to the portability and connectivity of laptop computers in this same 25 year time span.

Perhaps you like to consider yourself open-minded about the source of such geometric oddities which mysteriously appear overnight in remote agriscapes. That is going to be tough for you to maintain in view of the hoax confessed in 1987, for the first crop circle, reported back in 1979. Here are the foremost claims and possibilities for crop circles, currently:

1 - Space alien origin-
Possible significance: attempts to communicate with Earthlings; space graffiti; equivalent of alien fraternity prank; alien experiment, with our reactions monitored and IQs guaged.
Why Not (because):
Attempt to teach / communicate with intelligent Earthlings (capitol lawns overlooked in daytime).
Space graffiti (symmetry and missing artists' tags indicate computer-generated).
Alien fraternity pranks, circle formations could be fraternity logos (but occur yearlong, not just during galactic Spring breaks).
Alien experiments to guage our intelligence (our reaction has always been the same- ignore, gawk, or take photos; pointless to continue such experiments for 25 years).

2 - Earth origin-
Possible significance: attempts to communicate drop zones to drug dealers; graffiti; fraternity pranks; university pyschology experiments; advertising for business development.
Why Not (because):
Aerial identification for drug drops (soil compression not found; drug residues only minimal).
Graffiti (symmetry and missing artists' tags indicate computer-generated).
Why (examples):
Psyhcology experiments (certainly needed; both federal grant money and immigrant landscapers are plentiful).
Fraternity pranks (yes, many additional hoaxes have been confessed since 1987).
Advertising, profit motivated: The WINNER!! (here are examples in the: tourism industry; education industry; the print publishing industry; and in the online subscription publishing industry).

Conclusion: Ignore crop circles unless one appears in your yard.