Discussions about Afterlife Research, Survival Science, Near Death Experiences, Out of Body Experiences, Spirit Communication, Mediumship, Ghosts, Spirits, etc.
right - firstly csicop - you are welcome - there are several in that series ( all on you tube ) - and they had me in tears when i saw them first time - what IS it about a combination of farts and ghost hunters ??
ninja puppy - great answer to prof X - i will just add these shows are about a brand and about money - ( and the case of most haunted videoing nose hair - seemingly - weird ) - anyways they bare no relation to REAL investigations of allegedly haunted locations - which can ONLY be done properly by a combination of :
historical research into people and place
research into claim and motive if any ( motive - very important )
pre research - research
longitudinal study of the location AND the occupants /claimants
analysis and conclusion
report
you can NOT do proper research into a location in one visit with all the camera crews and other distractions - ghosts /spirits are not preforming seals and will not turn up to order - weather TAPS ,most haunted, paranormal state , whoever - like it or not !!
these types of TV "investigation " are for entertainment only " - and bare NO relation to the painstaking work needed to TRULY establish a claim of paranormal activity - some of the classic English hunting's such as the enfield poltergeist case and borley rectory took YEARS to research by teams of dedicated people - not fame motivated "celebrities " and fake ( and in some cases ,discredited ) , supposed psychics - in one visit
any ways just my opinion as always - and probably the reason i have not been called in on many cases ( oh yea i used to do investigations prior to loosing the wife - and would still do them if a GENUINE case that interested me came up ) - but chances of that now ?? - pretty much zero (though BS cases still 10 a penny )
regards to all
LIFE - just filling the bits between birth, death and taxes
Brett - As far as ghost hunting goes, I have unlimited access to some really cool (take that as claimed by many to have paranormal activity) places here in the United States (ok, make that a little island that is a claimed 4,000 year old Indian burial ground). I also have full access to a fully trained paranormal group (take that as me and one crazy friend who will try anything once) with all the latest, high tech toys (make that one K2 meter with removable thermometer, two cheapass $55, video cameras, one $35 digital voice recorder, (all mine) and a bunch of high end cameras that belong to the crazy friend). I also have unlimited access to major historic records (make that a quaint little local public library and an even smaller local museum with archives) to research the locations. Combine that with an ADA compliant (handicap access) tourist destination that has all of the above... and have I got a deal for you!
NinjaPuppy wrote:Brett - As far as ghost hunting goes, I have unlimited access to some really cool (take that as claimed by many to have paranormal activity) places here in the United States (ok, make that a little island that is a claimed 4,000 year old Indian burial ground). I also have full access to a fully trained paranormal group (take that as me and one crazy friend who will try anything once) with all the latest, high tech toys (make that one K2 meter with removable thermometer, two cheapass $55, video cameras, one $35 digital voice recorder, (all mine) and a bunch of high end cameras that belong to the crazy friend). I also have unlimited access to major historic records (make that a quaint little local public library and an even smaller local museum with archives) to research the locations. Combine that with an ADA compliant (handicap access) tourist destination that has all of the above... and have I got a deal for you!
hahaha great! any good story to share?
i can tell you, i often take cabs before going out on weekends and i am one of those guys that likes to talk to everybody i often ask the cabdrivers about the craziest experience they ever had while cabing ¨since they have seen it all¨ (flattery is always good to make people talk about themselves) and it is suprising, how many of them have a ghost story some of the stories are quite lame but some others, are quite creepy, quite cool
so np, any crazy story to share.. ?
For every person who reads this valuable book there are hundreds of naïve souls who would prefer to have their spines tingled by a sensational but worthless potboiler by some hack journalist of the paranormal. You who now read these sentences join a small but wiser minority. Martin Gaardner (Psychology of the Psychic)
No crazy stories to share, but perhaps plenty of stories with unusual content that may border on the paranormal.
The history of this place runs deep. First there were the native indians, then plenty of those explorers who went out looking for new lands to conquer who wound up stopping here on their way to who knows where, who bought with them their diseases that killed the local population off. That left a blank canvas for a few skirmishes between some overacheievers with low expectations of their abilities for world domination, so they started small with an island and worked their way up to deserted stretches of US coastline, before giving it a try with a place with an actual established population. Then in moved those looking for the typical American dream of a nice place to settle in and use as a stop over port where they could kick back, relax and hide from the law. Now it's just a quiet little place where everybody knows everybody. The people here live in beautiful old, historic homes and operate local businesses with plenty of stories to tell from a day gone by but not forgotten.
ha ha great NP - yea well of course we do have a few quite old places here too - trouble is since the "most daunted" craze set in - they have all realised that there is a few quid ( or a few hundred) quid to be made from the wannabe overnight type groups - and have closed the avenue to serious research ( no money in it - as those of use who TRY to do things properly - refuse to " PAY TO PLAY " ) also of course they don't want proper research done with a VERY good chance of the researcher coming to the conclusion that there IS nothing there or its a "motive job " as it would ruin their money making scheme ( scam ?? )
hence if one approaches them - its no way hosay !! - but then as one who does not GO looking for jobs , i don't do that anyway , preferring to wait till the owners become fed up with the "shit and giggles " brigade or actually WANT proper research - sadly this is about as rare a phenomena as a converted skeptic
however i have had a few cases - who contacted me - simply because of my known policy of confidentiality - ( i don't plaster stuff all over the net etc ** ) and have actually had the local papers comment they where impressed with my stance on research and "down to earth " approach - but of late its all gone very quite down this way ( the bubble has burst now ) - oh the local motive driven "we are the best round here and want to be the best in the UK " group still carries on with their "charity " investigations etc - but real cases ?? - yea right
anyways - unfortunately my days |( nights ) of standing round in drafty and damp buildings are over ( damned arthritis and other health issues ) - so it would have to be something pretty special to stir my stumps now - but i have enough to keep me occupied and interested - ( looking into EVP/ITC - to see what if any basis there is for this phenomena ) which i can do in the comfort of my home
but what ever - good luck with your efforts
** ( i have long had an avowed policy of NOT putting client info on the net as some people with possibly genuine concerns don't want the world and their dog knowing their business , which is fair enough - personal experiences ,which do not compromise this policy excepted of course )
LIFE - just filling the bits between birth, death and taxes
NinjaPuppy wrote:No problem at all. Since there are no current 'scientific' methods established for this sort of thing, I applaud them for trying just about anything that might pick up any evidence to show their findings. I do have a problem with their lack of control over the production crew.
Thanks for the response. I think I have a better understanding of the critique of GH. I'd add that I agree with you about the lack of control over their production crew, which is why I like the Ghost Adventures 3-man crew lock-down approach.
The gist of the critique, it seems, is about scientific rigor and whether their evidence meets a very high standard of proof. Clearly, they don't. And I definitely see a difference in approach from the earlier shows and the current shows.
NinjaPuppy wrote:No problem at all. Since there are no current 'scientific' methods established for this sort of thing, I applaud them for trying just about anything that might pick up any evidence to show their findings. I do have a problem with their lack of control over the production crew.
Thanks for the response. I think I have a better understanding of the critique of GH. I'd add that I agree with you about the lack of control over their production crew, which is why I like the Ghost Adventures 3-man crew lock-down approach.
The gist of the critique, it seems, is about scientific rigor and whether their evidence meets a very high standard of proof. Clearly, they don't. And I definitely see a difference in approach from the earlier shows and the current shows.
That is one of the reasons that I am looking forward to the "Ghost Adventures" live show on 10/30. GA still has more than just the three of them on site as you can see in some episodes someone filming outside the location, as a curator or owner unlocks those doors but it appears minimal. I'm sure that the live show will require many more production crew members milling around as I am assuming that there are some (SAG?) Union rules about this sort of thing in TV land.
) - anyways they bare no relation to REAL investigations of allegedly haunted locations - which can ONLY be done properly by a combination of :
