related_results_labels({"version":"1.0","encoding":"UTF-8","feed":{"xmlns":"http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom","xmlns$openSearch":"http://a9.com/-/spec/opensearchrss/1.0/","xmlns$georss":"http://www.georss.org/georss","id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2168219303449559049"},"updated":{"$t":"2009-12-08T16:45:17.487-07:00"},"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Buck's Ghosts and Hauntings"},"subtitle":{"type":"html","$t":""},"link":[{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#feed","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://bucksghosts.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/2168219303449559049/posts/default/-/science?alt\u003djson-in-script\u0026max-results\u003d5"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http://bucksghosts.blogspot.com/search/label/science"},{"rel":"hub","href":"http://pubsubhubbub.appspot.com/"},{"rel":"next","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/2168219303449559049/posts/default/-/science/-/science?alt\u003djson-in-script\u0026start-index\u003d6\u0026max-results\u003d5"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Buck"},"uri":{"$t":"http://www.blogger.com/profile/03195661861205323477"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"}}],"generator":{"version":"7.00","uri":"http://www.blogger.com","$t":"Blogger"},"openSearch$totalResults":{"$t":"13"},"openSearch$startIndex":{"$t":"1"},"openSearch$itemsPerPage":{"$t":"5"},"entry":[{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2168219303449559049.post-7542805306076024819"},"published":{"$t":"2009-07-14T02:43:00.006-07:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2009-07-14T03:37:00.307-07:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Scientific Research"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"amateur ghost hunters"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"science"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"The Age Old Science Vs. Hobby Debate"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003ca onblur\u003d\"try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}\" href\u003d\"http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_u48bOmgAyeY/Slxd02-MNmI/AAAAAAAAVQw/YjUzs9MuxOc/s1600-h/copperqueen.jpg\"\u003e\u003cimg style\u003d\"float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 262px; height: 320px;\" src\u003d\"http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_u48bOmgAyeY/Slxd02-MNmI/AAAAAAAAVQw/YjUzs9MuxOc/s320/copperqueen.jpg\" border\u003d\"0\" alt\u003d\"\" id\u003d\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5358260819354990178\" /\u003e\u003c/a\u003eTonight at dinner I had a chance to visit with my dear friend Sandy and another member of our former team. As we concluded the meal, Sandy and I began discussing the age old debate over ghost hunting as hobby and ghost hunting as science.\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003eThe reason my posts on this blog have been so infrequent over the past months can be summed up in the word \"disgust.\" I had/have become disgusted with the amateurishness of paranormal studies. I became tired of everyone who watches TV shows launching their own \"clone\" group that normally turned out to be little more than a fan club. I became disgusted with the bastardization of the word \"science\" and I became disillusioned by the childishness, competitiveness, and outright juvenile behavior of supposed adults who claimed to be \"scientists\" despite never having so much as taken a science class beyond high school.\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003eEverywhere I turned I came across hobbyists who pretended to be scientists. Worse, these people had no clue about the scientific process and thought that simply using whatever electronic device came to hand meant that \"science\" was somehow involved in their hobby. I got tired of hearing \u003ci\u003ead \u003c/i\u003e\u003ci\u003enauseum\u003c/i\u003e about science, science, science and when I asked to see their published data and conclusions all I found were random recordings of irrelevant \"readings\" that no one had ever bothered to study. In many cases, other than trying to impressively list \"atmospheric data\" and \"moon phases\" they didn't bother with much else. When I would ask why people bothered to note that data I was told all sorts of things like \"paranormal activity kicks up during full moon\" or \"high humidity (or low humidity) has been shown to affect paranormal phenomenon\" or \"sun spots and atmospheric disturbances are known to increase phenomenon.\" Yet, no one could seem to provide me with the actual study they had done (or anyone else of repute) to back up their claims. In other words, they were noting these things because of urban legends basically but had no idea how to quantify and qualify the data.\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003eThis is where science and ghost hunting diverge. Ghost hunting is a fun hobby. Going to a supposedly \"haunted\" place at night is thrilling and interesting. For those of us who like history the thought of actually coming across a spirit of someone from the past is a very touching and almost spiritual (pardon the pun) experience. \u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003eYet, most people in this field refuse to acknowledge that deep down they do it because it is fun. Wary not to be seen as \"kooks\" they cloak their hobby in pseudo-scientific terms and call themselves \"skeptical.\" In the process they actually become kooky. They bastardize true science and make it very difficult for the academics who study the field seriously to gain any foothold in the scientific community. After all, if you hold a doctorate in physics and work alongside a person with a doctorate in psychology to try to uncover the source of paranormal activity and claims, it does not help you when rank amateurs are running around waving EMF meters and Geiger counters and claiming to \"find\" ghosts with them, yet never showing the first bit of substantial data.\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003eI used to look at the people who just enjoyed going to haunted places to experience things with a sense of bemusement. Yet, over time I have found they are at least honest. They understand that they want to have fun and enjoy a brush with the paranormal. Meanwhile, the \"scientifically based\" ghost hunters run around doing the same thing but pretending that their meters and other gadgets which are not designed to do what they use them for will get them some sort of proof that serious academics cannot find using better equipment and more exhaustive data analysis.\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003eI saw a great quote recently about the ghost hunters' use of gadgets meant for other things including the current \"sweetheart\" of the tech crowd: Thermal imaging: \"A thermometer is a wonderful tool, but if you're using it to measure barometric pressure it is completely useless.\"\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003eI believe that is the crux of my disillusionment with the \"scientific\" ghost hunting crowd. It is picking up any gadget without understanding it and then assuming each and every result is somehow paranormal. It becomes a case of every errant meter blip, every beep of a device, every twitch of a needle - no matter how natural - \"proving\" paranormal activity.  It is the desire to find a ghost, to experience the paranormal, without the conviction to just enjoy it as a hobby. \u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003eIn closing, I will eventually get back into this field. My interests have shifted far from electronic gadgets to looking at the psychology of hauntings and the haunted. In short, I no longer find the idea of \"capturing\" a ghost within some random readings on a gadget appealing but rather capturing the reason that people, even when frightened, dismiss the ordinary and seek instead the extraordinary.  If I were to study paranormal phenomena again it would be in those terms. Yet, I still enjoy creeping around a \"haunted place\" at night and exploring my own psychological reaction to the expectation of coming across the spirits of the past. But now I know that can be done without pretending it is hard science.\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv class\u003d\"blogger-post-footer\"\u003e\u003cimg width\u003d'1' height\u003d'1' src\u003d'https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/2168219303449559049-7542805306076024819?l\u003dbucksghosts.blogspot.com' alt\u003d'' /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://bucksghosts.blogspot.com/feeds/7542805306076024819/comments/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID\u003d2168219303449559049\u0026postID\u003d7542805306076024819\u0026isPopup\u003dtrue","title":"0 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/2168219303449559049/posts/default/7542805306076024819"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/2168219303449559049/posts/default/7542805306076024819"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http://bucksghosts.blogspot.com/2009/07/age-old-science-vs-hobby-debate.html","title":"The Age Old Science Vs. Hobby Debate"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Buck"},"uri":{"$t":"http://www.blogger.com/profile/03195661861205323477"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$extendedProperty":{"xmlns$gd":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005","name":"OpenSocialUserId","value":"02653328012866227494"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_u48bOmgAyeY/Slxd02-MNmI/AAAAAAAAVQw/YjUzs9MuxOc/s72-c/copperqueen.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"xmlns$thr":"http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0","$t":"0"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2168219303449559049.post-7271677429650260728"},"published":{"$t":"2008-12-15T13:40:00.006-07:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2008-12-15T14:12:34.271-07:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"paranormal unity"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"science"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Opinion"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"The Case Against \"Unity\""},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003cspan class\u003d\"zemanta-img\" style\u003d\"margin: 1em; float: left; display: block; width: 212px;\"\u003e\u003ca href\u003d\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Fight_Club_bar_of_soap.jpg\"\u003e\u003cimg src\u003d\"http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/f/f6/Fight_Club_bar_of_soap.jpg/202px-Fight_Club_bar_of_soap.jpg\" alt\u003d\"A pink bar of soap was conceived by the advert...\" style\u003d\"border: medium none ; display: block;\" height\u003d\"149\" width\u003d\"202\" /\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003cspan class\u003d\"zemanta-img-attribution\"\u003eImage via \u003ca href\u003d\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Fight_Club_bar_of_soap.jpg\"\u003eWikipedia\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003eIn my Google News Feed this morning I ran across \u003ca href\u003d\"http://whofortedblog.com/?p\u003d429\"\u003ean article at \u003cspan style\u003d\"font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;\"\u003eWho Forted News\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/a\u003e arguing against the idea of \"Paranormal Unity.\"\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eThis idea, that makes the rounds every so often, holds that all people working in the field of paranormal investigation and research should set aside their differences and vow to work together. I often think of it as the \"Rodney King Rule\" - \"Can't we just all get along?\"\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eWhile superficially it sounds nice when viewed more closely the concept is counterproductive. Paranormal Unity as espoused by Ryan Buell and others requires that all evidence and conclusions put forth by groups be viewed uncritically. In other words, no matter how poorly designed the experiment, no matter how fatuous the conclusion, no matter how obvious the fakery - no group or researcher should criticize or bring attention to those flaws. Everyone must simply accept the results without question and support those claims to the world at large.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eAs Tony Hart-Wilden points out in his commentary:\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cblockquote\u003eThe mainstream scientific communities aren’t all united in one method and theory, and it’s the diversity and the conflict that is created as a result, that has enabled some of their greatest advancements. It is \u003cem\u003e\u003cstrong\u003edisunity\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/em\u003e that pits one set of ideologies against another and gives each the incentive to attempt to prove their own beliefs, over that of someone else’s. The battles to prove germ theory, nuclear fusion, and evolution, were fought and won, not through mutual cooperation but through a war of words and technology backed up with evidence.\u003c/blockquote\u003eAmong many in the amateur world of paranormal investigaton there seems to be a fantasy that academic scientists all carry on very civilly with one another and they are careful never to espouse any dissenting opinion except in private.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eThis Pollyanna fantasy could not be further from the truth. ''You'd think that scientists would have a degree of saintliness that would be almost unbearable,'' said Dr. Leon Lederman, a Nobel Prize-winning physicist at the \u003ca href\u003d\"http://maps.google.com/maps?ll\u003d41.8319444444,-88.2572222222\u0026amp;spn\u003d0.01,0.01\u0026amp;q\u003d41.8319444444,-88.2572222222%20%28Fermilab%29\u0026amp;t\u003dh\" title\u003d\"Fermilab\" rel\u003d\"geolocation\" class\u003d\"zem_slink\"\u003eFermi National Accelerator Laboratory\u003c/a\u003e. ''It doesn't work that way. The competition goes on at all levels -- the international, the national, the institutional, and finally the guy across the hall.''\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eCertainly feuds among scientists have helped move along discovery and helped cut away bad ideas from those that eventually have proved true or viable. Many have been personal and others more ideological. Sometimes the two are hard to separate. In the 17th Century Newton and Hooke famously feuded for years over all sorts of subjects including the nature of color and the feud finally devolved into a personal animosity with Hooke accusing Newton of stealing his ideas about gravity.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cblockquote\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe fight between Dr. Sandage and Dr. de Vaucouleurs involved the rate at which the cosmos is flying apart as a consequence of the Big Bang explosion. Their answers differed by a factor of two, with Dr. Sandage getting the lower value. Dr. Sandage eventually became so upset by the dispute that he skipped most scientific meetings. \u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBut Dr. John Huchra of the \u003ca href\u003d\"http://maps.google.com/maps?ll\u003d42.38146,-71.12837\u0026amp;spn\u003d0.01,0.01\u0026amp;q\u003d42.38146,-71.12837%20%28Harvard-Smithsonian%20Center%20for%20Astrophysics%29\u0026amp;t\u003dh\" title\u003d\"Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics\" rel\u003d\"geolocation\" class\u003d\"zem_slink\"\u003eHarvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics\u003c/a\u003e remembers that one verbal exchange between them, at a conference in Paris in 1976, helped spark his own interest in the field. ''They got up, and they were duking it out in front of the audience,'' Dr. Huchra said. \u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eDr. Huchra was later among the founders of a \u003ca href\u003d\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hubble_Space_Telescope\" title\u003d\"Hubble Space Telescope\" rel\u003d\"wikipedia\" class\u003d\"zem_slink\"\u003eHubble Space Telescope\u003c/a\u003e team, called the Key Project, that recently announced what some regard as the most reliable measurement yet of the expansion rate. But the number falls about midway between the original poles of the dispute and is still too high for Dr. Sandage. (\u003ca href\u003d\"http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res\u003d9505E5DA1E3DF937A2575AC0A96F958260\u0026amp;sec\u003d\u0026amp;spon\u003d\u0026amp;pagewanted\u003dall\"\u003eNew York Times\u003c/a\u003e)\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/blockquote\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c/p\u003eSo, certainly the idea that professional scientists work in a utopian academic world of mutual respect and cooperation becomes silly.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eHowever, dialogue can remain civil. I often disagree with friends in the field on certain subjects, yet we remain friendly and often the disputes lead to one or the other of us looking into ways to better support our viewpoint. If we all subscribed to \"paranormal unity\" where such dissent was banned or frowned upon, then we would accept each other's results without question and never discover flaws in logic or data collection or analysis. Thus, we would be much poorer.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eAfter all, if we buy into \"paranormal unity\" then the deeply flawed \"Ovilus\" would be standard fare for every group since Mr. Buell is a proponent. No groups would be allowed to analyze the data independently or proffer the opinion that the device gives false results or is ineffective. That certainly, would not advance the field of research.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e \u003cdiv style\u003d\"margin-top: 10px; height: 15px;\" class\u003d\"zemanta-pixie\"\u003e\u003ca class\u003d\"zemanta-pixie-a\" href\u003d\"http://reblog.zemanta.com/zemified/b9283cc6-9464-4564-9160-36981f41e867/\" title\u003d\"Zemified by Zemanta\"\u003e\u003cimg style\u003d\"border: medium none ; float: right;\" class\u003d\"zemanta-pixie-img\" src\u003d\"http://img.zemanta.com/reblog_e.png?x-id\u003db9283cc6-9464-4564-9160-36981f41e867\" alt\u003d\"Reblog this post [with Zemanta]\" /\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv class\u003d\"blogger-post-footer\"\u003e\u003cimg width\u003d'1' height\u003d'1' src\u003d'https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/2168219303449559049-7271677429650260728?l\u003dbucksghosts.blogspot.com' alt\u003d'' /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://bucksghosts.blogspot.com/feeds/7271677429650260728/comments/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID\u003d2168219303449559049\u0026postID\u003d7271677429650260728\u0026isPopup\u003dtrue","title":"2 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/2168219303449559049/posts/default/7271677429650260728"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/2168219303449559049/posts/default/7271677429650260728"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http://bucksghosts.blogspot.com/2008/12/case-against-unity.html","title":"The Case Against \"Unity\""}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Buck"},"uri":{"$t":"http://www.blogger.com/profile/03195661861205323477"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$extendedProperty":{"xmlns$gd":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005","name":"OpenSocialUserId","value":"02653328012866227494"}}],"thr$total":{"xmlns$thr":"http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0","$t":"2"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2168219303449559049.post-5756080556041687481"},"published":{"$t":"2008-11-04T03:55:00.001-07:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2008-11-04T03:55:58.961-07:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Scientific Research"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Ouija Boards"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"science"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Opinion"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Yes, but does it blink?"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href\u003d\"http://lh4.ggpht.com/_u48bOmgAyeY/SRAqODZ3AcI/AAAAAAAAEEk/Dv51MVCeuTo/s1600-h/ouija05-29-08%5B8%5D.jpg\"\u003e\u003cimg style\u003d\"border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 10px 0px 0px 5px; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px\" border\u003d\"0\" alt\u003d\"ouija05-29-08\" align\u003d\"right\" src\u003d\"http://lh3.ggpht.com/_u48bOmgAyeY/SRAqOSIJI-I/AAAAAAAAEEo/yQUv2UZrnw0/ouija05-29-08_thumb%5B6%5D.jpg?imgmax\u003d800\" width\u003d\"252\" height\u003d\"354\" /\u003e\u003c/a\u003e If you look to the right you will notice a new poll on the sidebar. The poll asks the question: Which of these can be used to communicate with ghosts?\u003c/p\u003e  \u003cp\u003eMy thoughts in conducting this poll are to see if people's attitudes are swayed by electronic gadgets.\u003c/p\u003e  \u003cp\u003eAfter all, on paranormal entertainment television the latest rages are the K2 meter and the \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.digitaldowsing.com/Ovilus1.htm\"\u003e\u0026quot;Ovilus\u0026quot; device\u003c/a\u003e used on \u003cem\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eParanormal State\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/em\u003e. First, let me say that the name of that thing sounds more appropriate for a new women's birth control device than a paranormal gadget. Beyond that, though both devices have come into vogue as communication devices. \u003c/p\u003e  \u003cp\u003eThe K2 made an early appearance on \u003cem\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eGhost Hunters\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/em\u003e where they introduced it to the world at large and feigned skepticism despite the appearance of being able to ask questions and get responses from a spirit. \u003c/p\u003e  \u003cp\u003eThis year it has been all the rage on the show as they break it out in each episode and seem to have running dialogues with ghosts at times.\u003c/p\u003e  \u003cp\u003eBut, as \u003ca href\u003d\"http://pofile.blogspot.com/2008/11/paranormal-parlor-tricks.html\"\u003eMasterPo pointed out on another blog\u003c/a\u003e, what do we really know about the device? First, it's not designed to talk with ghosts. It's a quick screening tool used by electricians to detect EMF leaks in wiring. The \u0026quot;communication\u0026quot; belief came about because it has lights that flash when it detects a field. Suddenly, adherents of the \u0026quot;EMF fields are ghosts\u0026quot; mantra had something that was easy to watch and made for nice video and thrilling \u0026quot;a ha!\u0026quot; moments. \u003c/p\u003e  \u003cp\u003eYet, the very same questions asked of \u0026quot;ghosts\u0026quot; using the K2 are the very same questions once asked by investigators using a Ouija board. \u0026quot;Scientific\u0026quot; ghost hunters scoff at the use of a Ouija board in investigations citing the fact it is \u0026quot;easily manipulated\u0026quot; or from the more superstitious \u0026quot;opens a portal to the other side\u0026quot;. Yet, the K2 is also easily manipulated. The coin placed in the thumb press if insecure can cause the lights to flash. Setting it to near other pieces of equipment can cause it to flash. Walkie-Talkies and some radio interference can cause it to flash. The list goes on and on. This isn't even considering how easy it would be to rig one by simply replacing the EMF components with a receiver to activate the lights by remote.\u003c/p\u003e  \u003cp\u003e\u003ca href\u003d\"http://lh5.ggpht.com/_u48bOmgAyeY/SRAqO-4h47I/AAAAAAAAEEs/Q8FPK9yqOfA/s1600-h/ouija-guitar_6648_360x125%5B6%5D.jpg\"\u003e\u003cimg style\u003d\"border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px\" border\u003d\"0\" alt\u003d\"ouija-guitar_6648_360x125\" src\u003d\"http://lh6.ggpht.com/_u48bOmgAyeY/SRAqPZcUlZI/AAAAAAAAEEw/0ZffD6MjtXc/ouija-guitar_6648_360x125_thumb%5B4%5D.jpg?imgmax\u003d800\" width\u003d\"404\" height\u003d\"143\" /\u003e\u003c/a\u003e \u003c/p\u003e  \u003cp\u003eSo, why do \u0026quot;scientific\u0026quot; ghost hunters hitch their wagon to this little device? Simply put, it has lights and uses batteries. There really are few other reasons. As a truly scientific device it is worthless. After all, no investigator has ever proven a relationship between an EMF spike and a ghost. There are lots of \u0026quot;stories\u0026quot; out there but no conclusive studies showing a repeatable and verifiable relationship. \u003c/p\u003e  \u003cp\u003eAgain, this is one of those areas where \u0026quot;science\u0026quot; has come to mean \u0026quot;technology\u0026quot;. Those two words are not interchangeable. \u003c/p\u003e  \u003cp\u003eLet's look at this quote from a TV story on ghost hunters in Phoenix investigating yet another cemetery:\u003c/p\u003e  \u003cblockquote\u003e   \u003cp\u003eThe team uses an electromagnetic field meter, recording devices and a thermometer to look for paranormal activity.      \u003cbr /\u003e      \u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/p\u003e    \u003cp\u003e\u0026quot;People who have a psychic ability can feel it and sense it,\u0026quot; says ghost hunter Patricia Tate. \u0026quot;They sense something's just not right. For those who are only into the science of it you have a change in the temperature you have a change in the k-2 meter which is the electrical fields.\u0026quot; \u003c/p\u003e \u003c/blockquote\u003e  \u003cp\u003eHere, my point is made clearly although Ms. Tate, misses it. The devices she uses are not \u0026quot;scientific\u0026quot; they are just technological. A psychic's \u0026quot;impressions\u0026quot; rarely can be verified. Certainly, at times using a combination of lab studies and field work a slight deviation from normal guessing can be shown, but \u0026quot;scientific\u0026quot; teams usually prefer to rely on technology. Yet, were the very instruments mentioned in the quote all to show some slight anomalies, would it be scientific?\u003c/p\u003e  \u003cp\u003eNo, it would be interesting. To be scientific those readings would have to be correlated over years of study and research. Tests and experiments would have to be developed to try to understand what causes the variations. Laboratory or control testing would have to be undertaken to help better understand the foibles of the tools as well as their use in controlled circumstances. \u003c/p\u003e  \u003cp\u003eLet me be also crystal clear that when I say readings must be correlated over years of study and research I do not mean that three years from now someone is sitting around telling stories about EMF spikes they got from memory. I mean charting every single base reading, every single anomaly and then doing comparative and interpretive studies using statistics and looking at various variables.\u003c/p\u003e  \u003cp\u003eUnderstanding that bells, buttons, and flashing lights do not make a team \u0026quot;scientific\u0026quot; would go far in helping the fledgling groups understand that of all the dozens of pieces of equipment listed on any page of a group's website, the most important will always be their brains.\u003c/p\u003e  \u003cdiv class\u003d\"blogger-post-footer\"\u003e\u003cimg width\u003d'1' height\u003d'1' src\u003d'https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/2168219303449559049-5756080556041687481?l\u003dbucksghosts.blogspot.com' alt\u003d'' /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://bucksghosts.blogspot.com/feeds/5756080556041687481/comments/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID\u003d2168219303449559049\u0026postID\u003d5756080556041687481\u0026isPopup\u003dtrue","title":"4 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/2168219303449559049/posts/default/5756080556041687481"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/2168219303449559049/posts/default/5756080556041687481"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http://bucksghosts.blogspot.com/2008/11/yes-but-does-it-blink.html","title":"Yes, but does it blink?"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Buck"},"uri":{"$t":"http://www.blogger.com/profile/03195661861205323477"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$extendedProperty":{"xmlns$gd":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005","name":"OpenSocialUserId","value":"02653328012866227494"}}],"thr$total":{"xmlns$thr":"http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0","$t":"4"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2168219303449559049.post-268293349448283006"},"published":{"$t":"2008-11-02T13:17:00.000-07:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2008-11-02T13:20:17.286-07:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Scientific Research"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"psychology"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"science"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"More or Less Skeptical?"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003cp\u003eWhat happens as we investigate more and more? Do we tend to become more accepting of paranormal phenomena and claims of haunting? Do we get jaded and more dismissive?\u003c/p\u003e  \u003cp\u003eNo one, to my knowledge, has ever asked that question and backed it up with hard information. \u003c/p\u003e  \u003cp\u003eIn my case, I think (note: think) I have become more skeptical. Since I have nothing to measure this against but memory I can't state that as fact. Yet, thinking back a few years, I was much more open to many claims of phenomena. At one point I even believed the line about orbs quite a while back. \u003c/p\u003e  \u003cp\u003eWhen I began actually investigating, I seemed to be a bit more eager to accept unusual events as paranormal. Now, it is hard to get me to budge off my \u0026quot;I don't know.\u0026quot; platform. \u003c/p\u003e  \u003cp\u003eYet, how could we measure whether people are more or less skeptical as they go along? Would there be an overall trend or would it strictly be a case by case evolution with some going one way and some another?\u003c/p\u003e  \u003cp\u003eWhat would be the point the technology folks would ask. The point, quite simply would be to help us understand the evolution of belief in real world situations. What happens to the \u0026quot;they'll believe anything\u0026quot; argument if we see that people become more skeptical and critical as they spend time in the field? What happens if we learn that people become more accepting of paranormal ideas as they work? Could it explain why older groups sometimes find so much more activity? Could the former explain why some older groups find much less?\u003c/p\u003e  \u003cp\u003eOf course, the only way to test this would be to have completely green investigators and administer one of the tests before they began truly working with a group. Then another could be administered after 6 months and another at 1 year and compare the results. What happened during that time? Did their attitudes shift or remain the same? Which particular attitudes underwent shifts?\u003c/p\u003e  \u003cp\u003eJust one more of those thoughts flitting about my head lately and one that I hope someone will be able to study one day.\u0026#160; Maybe, I will be in a position to at some point.\u003c/p\u003e  \u003cdiv class\u003d\"blogger-post-footer\"\u003e\u003cimg width\u003d'1' height\u003d'1' src\u003d'https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/2168219303449559049-268293349448283006?l\u003dbucksghosts.blogspot.com' alt\u003d'' /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://bucksghosts.blogspot.com/feeds/268293349448283006/comments/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID\u003d2168219303449559049\u0026postID\u003d268293349448283006\u0026isPopup\u003dtrue","title":"3 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/2168219303449559049/posts/default/268293349448283006"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/2168219303449559049/posts/default/268293349448283006"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http://bucksghosts.blogspot.com/2008/11/more-or-less-skeptical.html","title":"More or Less Skeptical?"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Buck"},"uri":{"$t":"http://www.blogger.com/profile/03195661861205323477"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$extendedProperty":{"xmlns$gd":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005","name":"OpenSocialUserId","value":"02653328012866227494"}}],"thr$total":{"xmlns$thr":"http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0","$t":"3"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2168219303449559049.post-5080724391496849038"},"published":{"$t":"2008-10-31T13:02:00.000-07:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2008-11-02T08:01:46.746-07:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"science"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"parapsychology"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Opinion"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Some Thoughts On Scientific Teams"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003cp\u003eWhat is a \u0026quot;scientific\u0026quot; investigation team? The popular definition coined by \u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eGhost Hunters\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/strong\u003e Jason Hawes and Grant Wilson is one that seeks to look for natural causes first and paranormal causes only when natural explanations cannot be ruled out.\u003c/p\u003e  \u003cp\u003e\u003ca href\u003d\"http://lh6.ggpht.com/_u48bOmgAyeY/SQtlVshs8gI/AAAAAAAAD38/NHpg5OCKSMQ/s1600-h/investigator%5B5%5D.jpg\"\u003e\u003cimg style\u003d\"border-right-width: 0px; margin: 10px 5px 0px 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px\" border\u003d\"0\" alt\u003d\"investigator\" align\u003d\"left\" src\u003d\"http://lh5.ggpht.com/_u48bOmgAyeY/SQtlWCQ1UkI/AAAAAAAAD4A/iSpg14pqlbs/investigator_thumb%5B3%5D.jpg?imgmax\u003d800\" width\u003d\"160\" height\u003d\"244\" /\u003e\u003c/a\u003e Yet, is this truly \u0026quot;scientific\u0026quot; or just a flip in the normal methodology employed for over 100 years in paranormal research? \u003c/p\u003e  \u003cp\u003eSome people seem to define \u0026quot;scientific\u0026quot; investigation as using as many electronic gadgets and gimmicks as possible. But is this \u0026quot;scientific\u0026quot; or just \u0026quot;technology heavy\u0026quot; investigation? After all, throughout history investigators and ghost hunters have used the latest gadgets in their work.\u003c/p\u003e  \u003cp\u003eTo me, \u0026quot;scientific\u0026quot; means being neutral in our outlook and strenuous in your data collection and analysis over a period of time. Many teams today use the \u0026quot;investigate and forget\u0026quot; paradigm. In this system the team investigates and location and makes a determination: Haunted or Not Haunted. Then immediately following the TV style \u0026quot;reveal\u0026quot; the investigation is promptly forgotten. Never again are the results compared with other investigations and never again (usually) is the site reinvestigated to correlate the initial data with later information. This is especially true of \u0026quot;Not Haunted\u0026quot; locations.\u003c/p\u003e  \u003cp\u003eToday, using the TV model the general approach in paranormal investigation is to visit a site once. If nothing is found a determination is made and the site promptly forgotten. If something is found a group might go back to a site again but even that can be a rarity if they have many cases pending.\u003c/p\u003e  \u003cp\u003eSo, how is this scientific? Science calls for testing and retesting of subjects to verify results. Once, therefore, could never be enough if the ruler of science is used. It would take multiple investigations with data being correlated over time to use the ruler of science to measure the validity of an investigation.\u003c/p\u003e  \u003cp\u003eLikewise, groups using EMF meters, camera, recorders, and other electronic tools use the word \u0026quot;scientific\u0026quot; with abandon. Very seldom do groups analyze not just their tools but themselves. \u003c/p\u003e  \u003cp\u003eMost investigators will tell you they are \u0026quot;open minded\u0026quot; but what does this mean? In many cases it means \u0026quot;I am a believer but I don't want to state that outright.\u0026quot; This, at least, has been my personal experience. After all, open minded would actually be someone who simply didn't know either way. They would be \u0026quot;open\u0026quot; to the possibility that paranormal phenomena existed but just as open to the idea that it doesn't. They should feel no stress either way.\u003c/p\u003e  \u003cp\u003eAnd there's the rub. We don't really know what the innate prejudices are that groups carry within themselves. That is, in my mind, one of the most important pieces of information to have. After all, a believer will often desire proof of the paranormal and unconsciously misinterpret something to underscore that belief. Likewise, someone who is a hard core disbeliever might misinterpret something in order to simply deny that it could be paranormal in nature. \u003c/p\u003e  \u003cp\u003eLet's look at two examples using the most frequent \u0026quot;evidence\u0026quot; gathered by paranormal groups. \u003c/p\u003e  \u003cp\u003eIn our example we have an investigator who has caught a sound on their recorder. They play it and think it says \u0026quot;who\u0026quot; in a drawn out way. They play it over and over assuring themselves they are correct. They play it for others who don't hear anything but a slight breathy noise until they point out what it says. Then, they too, can hear the \u0026quot;voice\u0026quot;.\u0026#160; They pronounce the sound as a ghostly communication and an EVP.\u003c/p\u003e  \u003cp\u003eNow, let's assume that we have a similar situation except this time we have an investigator who catches a very clear and audible response to the question: \u0026quot;What is your name?\u0026quot; The answer returns on the recording \u0026quot;I'm Mary.\u0026quot; This recording is now played for the hard core skeptic and disbeliever who pronounces it as \u0026quot;radio interference\u0026quot; out of hand and dismisses it. When pressed on how the radio interference happened he is unable to provide any concrete data on the frequency of the recorder picking up stray signals. He simply makes the pronouncement and dismisses it as coincidence.\u003c/p\u003e  \u003cp\u003eWho in these examples is correct? It's impossible to tell because neither has actually provided any supporting work to shore up their assumptions. What's more is that we would see that based upon their personal prejudices they are much more likely to make a pronouncement that fits their personal belief system.\u003c/p\u003e  \u003cp\u003eIs there a way to check for inherent prejudices within groups? Certainly, tests exist that can do this and have been used in parapsychological studies for some time.\u003c/p\u003e  \u003cp\u003eTherefore, I am suggesting that a study be undertaken of groups who hold themselves out as \u0026quot;scientific\u0026quot; and see how both as individuals and as a group they line up using such a system. \u003c/p\u003e  \u003cp\u003eAre the people reviewing data true believers and more likely to interpret things as paranormal without supporting facts? Are they disbelievers and more likely interpret things as natural without supporting facts? Does the group as a whole exhibit an over all tendency in one direction or another? \u003c/p\u003e  \u003cp\u003eAfter all, despite the popularity of the word \u0026quot;scientific\u0026quot; in TV shows, if we are to do this seriously and not as entertainment we should make use not only of gadgets but also psychological studies and common sense.\u003c/p\u003e  \u003cdiv class\u003d\"blogger-post-footer\"\u003e\u003cimg width\u003d'1' height\u003d'1' src\u003d'https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/2168219303449559049-5080724391496849038?l\u003dbucksghosts.blogspot.com' alt\u003d'' /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://bucksghosts.blogspot.com/feeds/5080724391496849038/comments/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID\u003d2168219303449559049\u0026postID\u003d5080724391496849038\u0026isPopup\u003dtrue","title":"4 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/2168219303449559049/posts/default/5080724391496849038"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/2168219303449559049/posts/default/5080724391496849038"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http://bucksghosts.blogspot.com/2008/10/some-thoughts-on-scientific-teams.html","title":"Some Thoughts On Scientific Teams"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Buck"},"uri":{"$t":"http://www.blogger.com/profile/03195661861205323477"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$extendedProperty":{"xmlns$gd":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005","name":"OpenSocialUserId","value":"02653328012866227494"}}],"thr$total":{"xmlns$thr":"http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0","$t":"4"}}]}});