Friday, April 9, 2010

The Way Ghost Hunting Should Be Done

I just watched a T.V. ghost hunters program where the leader of the group said that Orbs are made out of pure energy. He said it like it was a statement of fact. Number one, pure energy does not and cannot exist (except on Star Trek). Why do you think Spock was so fascinated by something that was pure energy? The reason was that Rodenberry (creator of Star Trek) researched his science and knew that Pure Energy was impossible. This group of ghost hunters probably watched that episode of Star Trek and took Spock’s comment as fact. How sad is that.

Also there is entirely too much talking during TV investigations. I guess it makes it more exciting but it is
getting old. If you are going to pick up good EVPs you need to shut up. When asking questions to an entity,
there should be only one person in the room, not two. This avoids the confusion for the ghost who is trying to
figure out if you are talking to them or the other three people you brought along with you.

I saw another television paranormal program where they were asking questions to the ghost of a 6-year-old child who died in the 1850s. Here is one of their questions: “If you are here can you please speak into this EVP device and indicate that you are present at this location.” That is not how a child talks. First of all there were no EVP devices around in the 1850s. Second, children do not use words and phrases like “indicate” or “present at this location.” If you want to speak with a child ghost you need to kneel down on the floor and speak to them as a child speaks. In the previous example, what should have been done is this:

The correct way to obtain EVPs from a child female ghost is this: Place an EVP recorder inside a doll with the
microphone well hidden but located in the head someplace. Then you can tell the child spirit “This doll’s name
is Amy, and she wants you to talk to her. She is very lonely. Would you like to talk to Amy?” Then leave the
doll in the room and quietly exist the home. If there is a ghost of a little girl in that house then you are going to
get some EVPs as the child ghost talks to the doll.

We have watched all of the programs on T.V. covering ghost hunters and paranormal investigations. They all
have one thing in common; they do not know what they are doing. For example, one show had two investigators
setting up a Tesla Coil. When the coil was activated, their EMF detectors went crazy and they associated it with
“spirits”. What they fail to understand is that Tesla coils basically render any kind of electronic instrumentation
meaningless. In other words, the meters go haywire.

Other programs show ghost hunters running around with AC EMF meters. These measure one thing, man-made
electricity and I’m pretty sure ghosts are not using AC. What these hunters should be using is DC EMF
meters.

The amount of time spent on a site is also critical. Most T.V. programs spend just several hours at a location but no more than one night. To obtain useable information you need to spend at least several days on site. Otherwise you are just wasting your time. The public is eventually going to get tired of Orbs and EVPs that only the Ghost Hunters can hear. It is time for Ghost Hunting to evolve to the next level and that is going to happen when people who have been trained in physics or electricity or engineering get involved. TAPS is a group of plumbers. As a result they will never advance beyond analyzing dust particles and squeaky doors. If you are a ghost hunter who has no technical background, go enroll in a basic physics class and don’t be afraid to ask questions. Physicists hate dealing with the paranormal, so ask your questions in pieces. Don’t come out and ask “Do Ghosts Exist?” Rather ask questions like, “what are neutrinos”, or “what is the difference between AC and DC electromagnetic waves? Look at ghost hunting as a physics problem and you will have much greater success.

2 comments:

  1. Glad to have found your work. I want more.

    I believe that I may have alot of the same views as you on the current state of paranormal investigations, and what needs to be done to take it to the next level.

    I was an electronics tech for the USAF for 7 years, and currently work for the oilfield industry, seismic tools to be exact. I have an interest in quantum physics, but no formal training. I am a skeptic about "ghosts", but it is seriously intriguing for me as well. I find myself watching these ghost shows and thinking, "Wha? Did he actually just say that?!?" My recent favorite moment has been a show about the "Ram's Inn" (I believe that was the name), in England, where EVP's were recorded, but none of the voices had English accents..... Also read about the use of equipment used to pick up vibrations.... Would love to see a show where that is used. I'm sure it would be interesting, with my background in seismic......

    Anyway, just wanted to introduce myself, and let you know that I'm reading, and enjoying so far!

    Rick

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  2. I am back! I am trying to get a new television series started and I have not had time to write. Rick is correct. There is some real garbage out there and even though England is probably the most haunted place on earth, it also produces some of the worst shows. I recently launched a campaign against the series Ghost Lab including papers, videos, etc. I don't know if it had an impact, but Ghost Lab has been cancelled (no third season.) Here is a good video to watch, it is called "Spooked - the ghosts of Waverly Sanitorium." The guys are not real smart, but it was made by a couple of film makers and they did an excellent job, plus that captured some interesting stuff. I know the name is stupid, but that's what it is. Feel free to respond, I will now be updating my blog weekly.

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