Leavin’ on a Jet Plane…

We are heading to New Orleans. Beignets and ghost hunting! We hope to complete several trials while we are in “Naw-leens”.

EVP: Experimental Procedure

 

The experimental procedure:

·         Set up the Faraday cage.

·         Place one audio cable in CONT’s microphone jack.

·         Place one audio cable in VAR 2’s microphone jack.

·         Fill out basic information on your tracking sheet such as:

o    Recorder number and its variable group (CONT, VAR1, VAR2, VAR3).

o    Location, starting time, and starting atmospheric conditions.

·         Start all four recorders.

·         Place CONT and VAR 1 in the Faraday cage.

·         Place VAR 2 and VAR 3 in the same general area.

·         Conduct one or two 15 minute EVP session(s) with the fixed set of questions. Eventually I will figure out how to post the questions.  

·         Monitor the changes in barometric readings and/or temperature. SOLAR activity, Seismic

·         Read each question thirty seconds apart.

·         Conduct evidence review.

·         Record findings.

·         Repeat as often as possible across many locations where paranormal investigators claim to have captured EVPs.

 

Since two of our recorders will not have sound we will use a fixed set of questions. Each question will be spaced thirty seconds apart from the next. If we receive a response on the sound disabled recorders we will know the question! The thirty seconds will be used to record variations in atmospheric conditions (temperature, humidity, and barometric pressure), if any.

Remember the peanut butter and jelly sandwich game? How did we do?

Two weddings and a special event

 

We have not forgotten! Two weddings and a special event later, we retuned to the the experiment.

Whew!

EVP: Field Test Parameters Part 2

Experimental Groups

Control Group (CONT): This is the group where our variables (below) cannot affect the recorders.

• One recorder will have the microphone disabled; an audio cable will be plugged into the microphone jack.
• The recorder will be placed in a Faraday cage to prevent EMR.
• Here we have no sound waves and no EMR.
• Results here would imply that neither sound nor EMR affect the development of EVPs.

Variable groups are the groups that contain the things that we change for the experiment:

• Variable One (VAR 1): This is the condition where just sound waves can affect recorder.
• One recorder will have its microphone unaltered.
• It will be placed in the Faraday cage.
• Here we have sound waves and no EMR.
• Results here imply EVPs are created by sound and not EMR.
• Variable Two (VAR 2): This is the condition where just EMR can affect the recorder.
• One recorder will have the microphone disabled; an audio cable will be plugged into the microphone jack.
• The recorder will be set in the general area of the Faraday cage and not in it.
• Here we have EMR waves and no sound.
• Results here imply EVPs are created by EMR and not sound.
• Variable Three (VAR 3): This is the condition in which most EVPs are collected.
• The recorder will remain unaltered.
• The recorder will be set in the general area of the Faraday cage and not in it.

Which one will have EVPs? I am excited to see what kind of results we receive.

Constants are the factors which remain the same for each repeated trial for all levels of the independent variable.

• Model of recorder.
• Set of EVP questions.
• The settings on each recorder. Our Olympus Recorders were all set at:
• Mic Sensitivity: Conference
• Rec Mode: ST XQ (highest on this model)
• Low Cut Filter: Off
• VCVA: Off
• Noise Cancel: Off
• Noise Filter: Off
• The location. Various locations will be used, however all sites have paranormal investigators claiming to have captured EVPs. Sites that do not have a history of producing EVPs will not be used.

Next time I’ll cover our experimental procedures.

I’m having flash backs to middle school science class. Are you?

EVP: Field Test Experimental Parameters Part 1

From my middle school days, I remember the phrase “K.I.S.S.”, not the heavy metal glam band, but the warning to “Keep it Simple Stupid”. To that end, I am making this experiment as simple as possible. Before we go any farther, let’s get this out in the open.... We are not experimenting to prove if spirit voices can be caught on recording devices. Before we can fully tackle this assumption, we need to isolate how the EVPs are formed. Once we know the origin of EVPs we may be able to trace it back to the source. Got it? Good. Now let’s get on with the experiment. Here goes the experimental parameters for Field Test of EVP Origin. Independent variables or the factors that are purposely changed by the experimenter:

• Sound
• Electromagnetic Radiation (EMR) level

Dependent Variable or factor that responds to the changes in the independent variable; it is measured, counted, or observed objectively:

• EVP

Hypotheses are predictions about the outcome of the experiment:

·         Hypothesis 1:  If electromagnetic radiation (EMR) is taken out the equation and an EVP is captured the EVP was not created due to the effects of EMR.

·         Hypothesis 2:  If sound is taken out the equation is taken out the equation and an EVP is captured the EVP was not created due to the effects of sound.

  Materials used:

• Four identical digital recorders each with a microphone jack.
  • We are using Olympus WS-500Ms.
  • For you sound engineers who care about such things Olympus USA states the Olympus WS-500Ms recorders contain compressor microphones.

Two Audio Cables to fit the microphone jack of your recorder.

• We used two (1) foot, 1/8” stereo male to stereo male cables.

One Faraday Cage.

• We are using the Science First (Sciencefirst.com), Faraday Cage SKU 615-3095, designed to block low level EMR.

Varied locations where paranormal investigators claim to have captured EVPs.

Fixed set of EVP questions.

A stop watch or other device for timing the questions.

A meter or meters to measure barometer, temperature and humidity levels

That’s enough for one day. We will continue with the parameters next time.

EVP: Peanut Butter and Jelly

 

Testing experimental procedures: We tried a couple of dry runs to work out the kinks in our experimental procedures.

A local cemetery, Fairhaven, served as our test spot.

To sort out our experimental procedures we played the peanut butter and jelly sandwich game.

 

Ever play the peanut butter and jelly sandwich game?

A basic communication exercise….provide Person A with a loaf of bread, a jar of jelly, a jar of peanut butter and a butter knife. Ask Person A to write a set of directions to make a peanut and butter jelly sandwich for Person B.

Person B has to follow the directions to the letter. If the instructions don’t say you can open the jar of jelly, then Person B cannot. If the instructions don’t say pick up the butter knife, then Person B cannot. It is a hilarious exercise in clear communication. Try it some time.

As you can see by the photo, when we followed the draft instructions to the letter, we ran into a few problems.

The revised procedures will come soon!

EVP: For Kicks and Giggles

Paranormal theories link paranormal events with changes in humidity, barometric pressure and/or changes in temperature, solar activity, seismic activity, as well as the phase of moon. Just for kicks and giggles, we will add these variables to our tracking. I will blow the dust off my statistics text and see if we can find any correlation to the formation of an EVP with changes in the above.

Before we go any farther, let’s take a look at causation versus correlation.

One of the errors I see most frequently in the press (yes, that includes paranormal TV) is confusion between causation and correlation. In theory, these are easy to tell apart. Causation is an action or occurrence can cause or produce an effect on another. A correlation implies a relationship between two or more things. This relationship can be in areas such as space or time. If one action causes another, then they are most certainly correlated. By the same token, just because two things occur together, such as same space or same time, does not mean that one caused the other, even if it seems to make sense.

Let’s take a rooster.

Day one: Rooster crows. The sun comes up.

Day two: Rooster crows. The sun comes up.

Day three: Rooster crows. The sun comes up.

Day four: Rooster crows. The sun comes up.

Day five: Rooster crows. The sun comes up.

Day six: The rooster dies before he crows. Will the sun still come up?

Yes, of course the sun will rise. The rooster’s crow is CORRELATED with the sun rise. The rooster’s crow was related to the sunrise in time. The rooster’s crow does not CAUSE the sun to rise.

I suspect that sport superstitions develop due to a similar misconception of correlation and causation. That lucky jersey is lucky because it was worn at the winning game (correlation)....somehow I don’t think there is any recorded case in which a jersey made the winning touchdown (causation).

Let’s keep the difference between causation and correlation fresh in our head as we move forward in paranormal investigation. Just because two things happen close together in time or space, does not mean that one causes the other.

Field Test of EVP Origin

Just about every paranormal investigator has attempted to capture Electronic Voice Phenomenon (EVP). I have not met many that think about how EVPs are possible. Before we go too far, let’s define EVP:

Electronic Voice Phenomena (EVP) are anomalous, intelligible speech produced in electronic devices. They may be heard as a real-time output but are more generally heard on review of a subsequent recording. No currently understood physical processes account for the existence of EVP. http://atransc.org/journal/evp_formation.htm

The theories surrounding EVPs are many and varied. To me the theories fall in three categories:

Sound waves

The thought here is that spirits manipulate sound. Whether it be by using air pressure, white noise or some other mechanism spirits manipulate sound. For a nice write up on what sound is check here.

Electromagnetic Radiation (EMR)

Proponents of this theory state that EVPs are created by invisible energy. EMR is all around us in the form of radio waves, microwaves, gamma waves and visible light. EMR comes from the sun, our televisions, cell towers and even our microwaves. Information on the EM spectrum can be found at this (and this) NASA page.

Other

Other theories exist such as: 1) Alien transmissions are being picked up. 2) Messages from other dimensions are being picked up. 3) Our own extra sensory perception [ESP] imprint EVPs on the recorder. 4) Ghosts are using ESP imprint EVPs on the recorder. I will exclude these possibilities from the current investigation question.

As far as I can tell, there are few if no studies to support or refute any of above theories. As of this post none of the researchers I contacted--who claimed to have researched the origins of EVP or the relationship of EMR to EVP—have responded to my query. I am scratching my head as to what results, if any, they actually found. I’ll let you know if I hear differently.

So I wonder:

What is the origin of EVPs? Can spirits speak in a sound range we cannot hear without technology? Sound is a mechanical wave and can only be produced physically. Ghosts don’t have mouths, voice boxes, lungs or tongues (all involved in making sound). Also, since EVPs are often unheard until playback and ghosts don’t have voice boxes, part of me doubts if EVPs are created by sound at all. Can spirit voices be on an energy frequency that we cannot detect without technology? With so much EMR around us, are we missing out on possible spirit communication? (Thanks to Ghost Lab Radio Podcast for getting me thinking about this.)

Technorati Tags: blonde,evp,ghost,ghost hunter,haunted,investigate,paranormal,paranormal investigator,spirit,supernatural

EVP: Meet the Field Test Team

 

Dar Dar: The Hot Paranormal Investigator

Dar Dar has been working with EVPS for more than six years. She’s developed a keen ear for the things that do not fit the rest of the audio. Often mistaken for Roseanne Barr, Darlene brings humor to any situation.

 

   

 

Heather: The Blond(e) on IR©

Heather worked as a technical and developmental trainer for longer than she’d care to admit. With two Master degrees so far she expects to continue to be a lifelong learner. She’d rather be stuck with a dull pin over and over again than sit through a musical.

 

 

 

 

Daniel: Research Assistant

Daniel, our 15 year old research assistant, has a love for science and eye for detail.  He has always been interested in ghosts. Daniel provides an added layer of review each step of the way.  

 

 

Technorati Tags: blond,ghost,investigator,spirit,EVP,supernatural,paranormal,ghost hunter,orb,assumptions,psience,recorder

EVP: Coming Together!

First a big thank you to my friend, Kathy, for my new little Blonde on IR© mascot.  She’s awesome!

 

 

Oh, I am excited that the EVP experiment is coming together. I should have it up and running in two weeks. I am waiting for my new Faraday cage (the old one is too beat up to ensure reliable results) and the last recorder to arrive.  The next step is a dry run to test the experimental procedures and work out any obstacles.

 

In the mean time I am brainstorming the next project. I have an inkling of an idea how to test paranormal photography. It will be several months before I can afford to pull this idea together.

 

It is my hope that others will copy the experiment and see if they can replicate our results. If so we will be one step closer to tackling the assumption that spirit voices can be captured on audio.

 

I would love to hear from anyone else conducting experiments. What are you doing? How are you doing it? What are the results?

Assumptions: My Rant

Assumptions in paranormal research

I noticed that the majority of paranormal research, especially as it is portrayed on television, follows an assumption based investigation model.  Any fourth grader can tell you what happens when you assume...

Here are a few (overly simplified) assumptions:

• Spikes EMF readings detect ghostly activity.
• Drops in temperature readings detect ghostly activity.
• Mediums can contact ghosts.
• Ghosts are (or were) people too.
• We call out in EVP sessions because ghosts can hear us.
• Ghostly voices can be captured on modern recording equipment.
• Baseline readings measure what is normal without “activity”.
• We love full spectrum photography because activity in the IR and UV ranges is paranormal as opposed to normal.
• Battery drain….

Many take “ass-outta-you-and-me” things a step further:

Knocks on the wall that have no physical explanation must be caused by a ghost—even when no one saw the ghost knock on the wall (assumption 1). That wall-knocking ghost is a dead person (assumption 2).  A former owner of the home died in the home. Therefore, that dead person is the former owner of the home (assumption 3).  That former owner was murdered in the room in which the knocking takes place and is therefore the cause of the knocking (assumption 4).

Really?

Really?

OK so I have exaggerated a little. I just ask you pay attention to the next television show that you watch or the next investigation that you conduct.

Did you assume? Bet you did. Did you acknowledge the assumption before formulating a conclusion? Bet you didn’t.  I know am guilty of it. Is it any wonder paranormal research has made little headway over the years while using the assumption based model.

Guess that makes us figuratively Blond(e) on IR©.

What I need to do right now (and I would love if you do the same) is take a step back and test as many assumptions that means will allow.

I will start with origins of Electronic Voice Phenomenon (EVPs).  If we can isolate how EVPs are created, we may be able to trace it back to its source.

And yes, I am a blonde.

Blond(e) on IR©, Blond(e) in IR©, Blond on IR©, Blond in IR©, Blonde on IR©, Blonde in IR©