'Detecting Ghosts' With Your Mobile Phone?! by Chad Stambaugh

   New tools for investigating the paranormal pop up on a steady basis. Some are simply modified cameras, others detect vibrations, and there’s modified radios that scan radio waves hoping to communicate within the frequency of the white noise. Recent experimental equipment that generates random words based on the environmental influences are becoming more and more popular. There are stand-alone devices that also do more than generate words. The popularity of these random word generators have also found its way onto our mobile devices.

     I have started to see a trend in mobile device apps that “scan” a room and detect that a “ghost” is in the area displayed by a radar blip.  Perhaps you may also see random words when these blips appear or at other random times. These apps are slowly being used for investigations more than EMF detectors, audio recorders and video cameras. They come with the disclaimer: “for entertainment purposes only”, which is stated by the programmers before you download. For some reason, a lot of people put a lot of credibility into these types of apps and don’t question the validity of what is being shown on the screen. To be clear, this article is not about the stand-alone equipment (EMF detectors, Spirits Boxes, REM-Pods, Ovilus, digital audio recorders, etc.). This is about applications that you download onto your mobile device.

     How can an application that’s downloaded onto a eReader or cell phone detect spiritual energy and visually show its location? The only thing an eReader can do is connect to a WiFi connection and download eBooks, games, and other apps. In fact, there are no other sensors in an eReader that do anything else. Cell phones include technology such as proximity sensors, motion sensors, accelerometer and some may have a gyroscope or may be NFC-enabled. Accessories can be bought and plugged into a cell phone to read environmental changes such as EMF and temperature changes.  But, an application alone does not have the ability to determine these changes.

     When you download “ghost hunting” applications onto your mobile device, a prompt will appear asking for permission to access your GPS or location services. Why would this application need to have access to this information? Is it possible that the app is programmed to automatically assign words based on your current location from a master database?  Perhaps. There is also an idea that certain applications may use your microphone to record words, store them, and use them at a later time. My personal opinion is that these random word generators do not actually detect paranormal activity at all. A word generated by the app may be relevant to the location that you’re in, but I feel this is a symptomatic effect and causes the user or group of people to try and associate what is being said to match a certain story or idea that may be present with that location. I do not believe that an app can detect a ghost, however, other stand-alone devices that have electronic sensors can detect unknown fields of energy, temperature change, light and audio anomalies, etc.

     It is very simple to download an app on your cell phone, tablet or eReader. This is why I feel most people use this method of “investigating” instead of basic equipment because of its convenience and possible direct communication. Some people want to believe and communicate with people or loved ones that have passed. I feel these apps give false hope while also making your wallet a little bit lighter. If you do use these apps, I would suggest to use two mobile devices running the same app to see if you capture the same word(s). I have tried this many times and have been unsuccessful. These apps are just a novelty item to entertain, scare or amuse your friends. Contact the creators of these apps and ask how and why these apps work. The majority of these “ghost hunting” apps are developed by an development team that have no ties to the paranormal community and is intended solely for profit. If you receive an answer by the developer, please pass it along. I myself would love to hear their response.

     Our team tests and uses all types of experimental equipment, new and old.  The truth is, while investigating the paranormal, there is no exact science or proven tools. Be smart, use your best judgment, and if something seems too good to be true ... it usually is. Good luck on your search for the paranormal.

I Don't Always Go Out at Night ...

Paranormal Humor: Ghost Hunting...

Does Anyone Else Get This?

You Know You're a Ghost Hunter When...

 

I know this too well!

 

And yes, I know I said I'd start reframing from using the term "ghost hunter", but if I agree with the meme then I'll use it.

Should We Call It Ghost Hunting?

I was going to post this a few days ago, but got distracted. This is usually the norm for me everyday! Chris Loveday, who was last seen on the article Shock, Awe, and Possession, brought up a valid point in why we should not call it ghost hunting.

He said, in a nutshell, that why do we call it hunting? We're not hunting ghosts; most of us are trying to help spirits or clients. Hunting is where you're trying to catch and kill something. We're not doing that. It's like Chris said, "You wouldn't hunt someone's grandmother, would you?" Maybe some people, but for the most part---no.

Lately I thought of stop calling it ghost hunting, rather just call it what it is - Paranormal Investigating or ghost seeking. Ghost is another term I don't care for, only because ghosts are what you see in movies. Spirits are what we deal with. You can agree or disagree, that's just what I think. That and ghosts just kind of sounds cheesy.

Also, you got to think, if you were a spirit you wouldn't want to be hunted when you just want help. People coming in and saying, "We're ghost hunters!" If you're a ghost then you will soon find out if you can go number 2 in the spirit realm! Joking aside, that's what I think and I'm going to TRY and refrain from calling it hunting from now on.

This also has to do with why I changed the Ghost Hunters Playlist to Paranormal Playlist, for those who did not notice that change.

Anyways, I didn't plan on this being a big opinion piece. Just wanted to say what's to be said and that's all. Hope your weekend was great, because tomorrow is the ever dreadful Monday. Take care.

Q&A with Scared Sheetless

*Authors Note: So originally I was going to have this as a Facebook exclusive, however, as some of you might know, not a lot of people are Facebook zombies. Some prefer to Tweet, Tout, and whatever. Is MySpace still around? Anyways, I've just decided to post this on here. It's a Question and Answer I did on my Facebook page. I figured, since I haven't posted anything paranormal or ghost hunting on here in awhile, I would give some people that benefit. So, here it is and enjoy.

Scared Sheetles Q&A:

Hello folks! I’m going to try and start doing exclusive columns on my Facebook page to try and make the experience better. If you have any questions, please send me some and I will make sure to answer them when I do another one of these. Some of these I have been asked and others I am basically asking myself; which is creepy, because it’s like I’m doing an interview with myself almost. On with the questions!

1.       How did you come up with the name Scared Sheetless?
Answer: To some people it will be like; ‘Really?’ to my personal friends it will be like ‘typical James.’ I’m a big fan of the movie ‘Beetlejuice’, more specifically the character. And the story goes that before they came up with the name of the movie, the director Tim Burton joked to the producers saying, “We should call it Scared Sheetless.” And he was horrified when the studio, Warner Bros., actually considered it. But they went with the name they got now and so that’s why I named it Scared Sheetless as homage to the movie I basically grew up watching. I had other names planned like Haunted Manor, but they just sounded so corny. I mean, where can you go wrong with a name like Scared Sheetless?

2.       What place do you want to investigate the most?
A. Waverly Hills Sanatorium. I just feel this connection to it for some odd reason. I’m a sucker for the creepy stories. The creepier it is, the more I’ll be interested in hearing about it, so that’s why. I’ve always had a thing for places like that.

3.       What investigation do you feel the most connected to?
A. Sugar Hill Inn, hands down. It’s just so random the events that happen there, but yet whoever or whatever is constructed them makes it seem so planned. Some areas you feel peaceful, while other areas you feel like something is watching you. The last investigation was surely the most intense. I mean you had all these emotions going through you; whether it was anger, sadness, intensity, or fear. It was quite the investigation.

4.       Do you write about every investigation you go to?
A. No. Only the ones we catch evidence at; or if the client asks me not to put this in the newspaper, then I will respect their wishes.

5.       Have you ever thought about leaving NEPI (Northeastern Paranormal Investigations) and creating your own group?
A. No. I know this sounds corny, but NEPI isn’t just my fellow investigators, they’ve actually became like another family to me. I mean, we just don’t meet up for investigations and that’s it. I’ve been to their houses just to hang out or have been invited to their children’s birthdays or graduation parties. So it’s more than just investigating. It’s a pretty close bond we all share with each other.

6.       How can you afford all this expensive equipment?
A. I’m stupid with my money. Plain and simple. I should have never gotten that debit card. The rest of the crew thinks I’m Mr. Money, but actually I’m not. I’m flat out broke most of the time, but when I have the money I spend it on either stupid stuff or equipment for the team.

7.       Have you ever thought about taking Scared Sheetless to the next level: TV?
A. I’ve fiddled with the idea of possibly just reading my articles in a microphone and having pictures of the places and posting it on Youtube or something. But I do not have a TV voice; I sound like a hick and I HATE it! But you got to go with the voice you got, but I don’t want to have that voice on Youtube, simply because I can’t listen to myself on audio. I get so annoyed with how I sound, because I sound like such a dummy, but in all reality I’m not. The voice doesn’t match the mind, put it that way. I’ve always thought it would be neat to tape the investigations we do and put the evidence on that and have like a NEPI show on Youtube. I just recently bought one of those Full Spectrum video recorders, so you may see that soon.

8.       Out of all of NEPI, who’s influenced you the most?
A. Everyone pretty much has, but I usually follow Anthony’s lead due to he’s the leader, mostly. They all have an expansive knowledge of the paranormal, so I learn from each and every one of them.

9.       Have you ever been to an investigation where you thought your life is in danger? (Spirit or client wise).
A. Interesting question. I haven’t felt like I was in danger, but I did feel weird. There was this investigation in Lisbon where I thought the client was just…not right. I understand that this person lost a loved one, but this person needed help. Actually last I heard, this person was sent to a home to be taken care of, so I guess my gut feeling was right. But she (I’m getting sick of writing this person) would just snap at us. She would grab our equipment out of our hands and be like, “See! He’s right here!” And it wasn’t even doing anything. She yelled at us if we told her something she didn’t want to hear. “Don’t you guys know what you’re doing?” She would say in a manner that we didn’t. We do, thank you very much. But she just needed some help and I guess they are giving it to her.

10.   Last question: What’s your favorite Ghost hunting show?
A. Ghost Adventures is the only one I watch. Not because I’m a crazed fan or anything, it’s just I like the raw feeling of the show. I know Ghost Hunters has that feeling too, but for some reason I just don’t like that show. I just get the feeling that the Ghost Adventures crew is more serious about finding the evidence while Ghost Hunters is more into making money off of it. BUT to you Ghost Hunters fans who are fuming in your seats now, I could be wrong about them. I’m just going by what I feel, but I know I can be wrong sometimes. I could be wrong about them. That and I really don’t watch any paranormal shows, not even Ghost Adventures anymore. I have 14 unwatched episodes on my DVR, so it just goes to show my need for it. I’d rather be there seeing it for myself basically.

Well, that’s it for the first ever Scared Sheetless Q&A! Hope you enjoyed it. Like I said, if you have any questions, just shoot me a private message on here and I will make sure to answer them the next time I do this. Good day!

Keep Calm...

Sounds like a plan...

D.I.Y. Ghost Hunting-The Investigation Part 2: X Marks the Haunts

Do It Yourself Ghost Hunting Vol. 4
The Investigation Part 2 - X Marks the Haunts

Location, location, location. It is important to know the residence inside and out, up and down. Why's that, you may ask? Because if, say for example, a disembodied voice was heard in the bedroom, you don't want to be in the hallway where nothing has happened. Your first bet is to start inside the rooms where all the action has occurred.

Does this work all the time? No. I recall this one time when we were at a residence in one of the back roads in Bethlehem, the client said that they always saw this little girl in the kitchen. Granted, we had stuff happening around that area, but not in the kitchen itself. It just goes to show you that investigations can be unpredictable when you think there's loads of action happening in this room and then nothing happens at all.

Like with NEPI, we have DVR surveillance equipment where we can have four infrared cameras capturing what's happening at all times, even if we're not in that room. This is a good investment for those serious investigators who want to cover all basis. But to put them in just some random room isn't ideal. The best you can do is to put them in rooms where activity has happened. This is why asking the client for a tour of the house and the rooms where the activity happens is the way to go.
DVR equipment can run you into the $400-thousands of dollars in price range, so they are very expensive. But not to worry, there's always ways around this. Not having the best equipment doesn't mean you're hopeless and you're not going to get anything. You just need to improvise. You can do this by having your video recorder, putting it on a tripod and leave it there to record. Another idea is if you're a hunter or you have a friend who hunts, some have these cameras that they set out in the woods that takes pictures as something is going by with motion sensors. They take both daytime and night vision shots, so they seem perfect for ghost hunting. These are actually a new fad in the paranormal now ever since Zak Bagans used one in a few episodes of Ghost Adventures on Travel Channel. You can buy these on Amazon, but they can also get pricey. Word of advice though, always bring extra memory cards (can be found at your local Staples) and batteries, because spirits are said to drain these fast for energy.

That does it for another Do It Yourself Ghost Hunting on Scared Sheetless. Thanks for reading and until next time, keep it scary.

The Gray House

The Gray HouseLisbon, NH
With Special Guest NEPI

(Please Note: Do NOT email me or NEPI asking where this location is. I can understand looking for a midnight fright, but we need to protect the clients privacy. I mean, honestly, who wants strangers snooping at their house?)

Typical houses could bore someone, they just look like every other house on the block, but sometimes, you get that typical house that isn't so ordinary inside. Case in point is the Gray House located on one of the many back roads in Lisbon. When Nancy Fortin, one of the co founders of NEPI, was a caretaker at the house, NEPI was able to use this house as sort of a training area: test out new equipment, try new techniques, kind of like the way my garage is now (will write on that one at a later time). The Gray House was a perfect spot to hone NEPI's skills, because the best part is that the house is very much active with ghostly activity.

Some residents who stayed at the house (which at the time was a house to rent) said they would see ghostly faces looking out the window, the cellar door opening by itself, and a lady in white has also been seen. A tragedy of any sorts has never been uncovered or revealed to NEPI prior to their investigations there. But they have had a few unique memories at the house:

-One such experience is a favorite among Anthony Ardolino, co founder/lead investigator of NEPI, to tell: one investigation, the power got knocked out, so the place was pitch black. They were up in the master bedroom, doing an EVP and Pendelum Session, when something told Anthony to look up. He sensed that something/someone was in the doorway as he looked at that direction, a car went by and it's headlights illuminated what looked to be a white figure standing in the doorway. Anthony, upon natural human instinct, did what he likes to call "The Scooby-Doo Reaction" where his feet was moving, but he was NOT.

-Another experience happened to Nancy when the cellar door kept on opening by itself. Every investigator, whether a amateur or a pro, should always try to debunk any evidence like this. Doors can open by themselves whether because of a slight breeze or maybe even the residence isn't leveled enough. But when they tried debunking this by closing the door, the door was latched tightly to the point where it wouldn't open by itself.

-Some EVPs, or Electronic Voice Phenomena ("Ghost Voices"), have been recorded in the house a few times. One such EVP was when they asked if they minded them being in there and they got a "No" back as a response. They seem to enjoy company, at least.

You can live in a typical, American house, but sometimes it's the typical ones that are the most suspicious. If you have a haunted residence, give NEPI a call at 444-7142 and we will gladly (and for FREE) come in and investigate your place. Don't be shy, we love the business!

D.I.Y. Ghost Hunting-Volume 3: The Investigation-Part 1: The Technique Behind EVP

Do It Yourself Ghost Hunting-Volume 3: The Investigation-Part 1The Technique Behind E.V.P.

Last time we talked about how to go about getting your first investigation going. It’s not a guarantee, but it’s something to try. Now, you’re at your first investigation and the sun is going down, there is a full moon, and a wolf just howled outside…Okay, I’m setting up something for a horror movie, but the anticipation is just as close to it. Don’t fear, because ghost hunting is an exercise to face fear and find the reality within that supposed fear.

Your first investigation is about to take place, you’ve taken out the equipment; you got your digital camera, your digital audio recorder (if you bought the analog…you poor thing), and maybe you bought some other equipment like a K-II or something, but let’s just say you got the camera and the audio recorder just for the sake of this article (Within the next few weeks I‘ll make sure to do more articles on the equipment we use and how to use it). What to do now?

Lights out.

If you’re afraid of the dark, then well, you probably got to get over it real quick for an investigation. I’ll be real with you, when I got into this I wasn’t too fond of the dark myself. Not that I need a night light, because of the fear some boogie man is going to come out and get me, it’s just I’ve never been fond of the dark. I had to get over it real quick if I wanted to be in NEPI. Is there some sort of rule that ghosts are going to only come out if the lights are off? Let me put it the way Anthony Ardolino, the co-founder of NEPI, said on our last investigation, “We do it, because that’s what they do on TV.” So, is there some sort of rule to have the lights out? No. But we’ll have the lights out for this tutorial.

Flashlights, remember them, they are your friends, your eyes in the night. Cherish them, keep them close, keep your finger ready to turn them on, but also keep your finger ready to start what we call an E.V.P. session. I did an article about E.V.P.’s a little while ago, so here’s a brief description of what E.V.P.’s are intended for in ghost hunting from that article:

“EVP stands for Electronic Voice Phenomena and it’s probably the most important tool to ghost hunting. How does EVPs work you may ask? The basics of this question is that whichever proposed haunted location you are at, you ask the spirit questions. Simple questions: “What’s your name?”, “Why are you here?”, “What’s your favorite color?”, “Are you trapped here?”, “Do you need help to cross over?” All these questions, some may seem ridiculous yes, but any question may get a possible answer.”

Now, one thing I didn’t touch base on in that article (which you can view, cheap plug I know, on my website: scaredsheetlessncn.blogspot.com) is that ghosts are said to talk in a different frequency than us. Spirits, according to experts, talk in what is known as the white noise frequency. Humans can’t hear it, but audio equipment seems to pick it up very well. Are the questions above the ones you should ask? Yes, but not right away.

You see, I’m starting to sense that maybe one of the reasons why we are not getting great answers from these spirits is because that some investigators forget this one important detail: they are spirits, yes, but what makes a spirit? A former citizen of the living. At one time they were alive, they had working organs, they could think, they could talk to another living person, their hearts beat, their lungs inhaled and exhaled. They were one of us. Now, they are passed on as denizens of the afterlife and one of the poor mistakes that some investigators make is that they seem to treat them like side-show acts at a circus.

You want to try to approach them like they are one of us, because if you go in there like some people, “How’d you die? Were you murdered?” These are sensitive questions that you should not start out with. You should try to form a bond with the spirit. Try to talk to them like they are one of you. Start off with introducing yourself and maybe asking what the spirits name is. On one of my previous articles I said that me, my cousin, and a friend of his did an EVP session in the upstairs of our garage and he asked what the spirit’s name was and we got an answer(“Michael or Mikayla.” We‘re still debating on that one). That’s because my cousin formed a bond with this spirit. It’s like my two cousins from down state New Hampshire who have their own ghost hunting quests in a cemetery in Concord and they’ve formed a bond with this spirit child.

Forming a bond with a spirit may sound crazy, but it does get results, and I’ve always gone by the old saying, “Treat others the way you want to be treated…unless they are demons, then you call a priest.” But you won’t bump into them on your first ghost hunt? Or will you? Well, good luck! There will be more Do Your Own Ghost Hunt’s tutorials as time progresses, but take these hints, clues, and guidelines as a way to get started. Thanks for reading. This has been another Scared Sheetless, happy haunting and keep it scary!

James Paradie is a paranormal columnist as well as a paranormal investigator who has been seen in such newspapers as the Northcountry News, Littleton Record, the White Mountain Shopper, and the Trendy Times. His stories can also been seen on paranormalnews.com and mostlyghosts.com where he is a regular contributor.

Do It Yourself Ghost Hunting: Volume 1-Getting Started

Do It Yourself Ghost Hunting: Volume 1-Getting Started

Ghost hunting is generally not something hard to get into, and can be relatively cheap. Beginners basically need a few items to get under way and you can find them anywhere, including your home. The most important item would be a standard digital camera. Now, you don’t need to go all out and buy an expensive camera like a Canon PowerShot, most pictures that have evidence are from cameras that you can buy at any department store for a relatively cheap price.

The second important item would be an audio recorder. I started out with a basic analog recorder that took cassette tapes. It was alright at first, I got no solid evidence from it, but it got the job done…until it got very annoying. Changing cassettes happened about every half an hour and just got to be a pain in the butt. I now have a Olympus digital recorder which cost about forty dollars at Staples. Most pricier than an analog, but not as much of a pain. Just leave it on and see if you can catch some voices from the grave!

You don’t need to go online and buy stuff like dowsing rods or pendulums or anything like that, but what you need is a few people to go along with you. Sure, you can do ghost hunting by yourself, but if you catch real evidence and you try telling people, they are going to think you’re making this up. But if you bring more than just yourself and more than one person saw or heard something you did, then your story has more credibility. But who to bring though? Obviously you want to bring others who have some sort of belief in ghosts. Because if something does happen then you have witnesses, and also they can bring their own equipment as well. There’s been some cases where we’ll have two audio recorders going on at once and they’ll catch two completely different results or one will catch something and another, running right next to it, will catch nothing at all. Cameras are the same way. When we were doing the investigation in Bethlehem where Nicole caught the picture of the blue mist behind Nancy on the stairs, I was taking photos as well, but where she caught something, I caught nothing on my camera. It’s very tricky, so this is where more people are better than one.

Okay, you got your people, you got your camera, you got your audio recorder, what’s next? The ghosts! Now, you just need a haunted location. Graveyards a good way to start and get practice, but you just don’t want to waltz into a graveyard at night ghost hunting. Most likely the police won’t like that. The best thing to do is to check with whoever takes care of the cemetery and then go and check with the local authorities and let them know when you’re doing the investigation and how long you will be. Most of the time, they are very understanding. This is of course due to today, everyone and their brother is a ghost hunter of some sorts, and there’s groups everywhere across America now, but back say twenty years ago, they’d look at you like you were insane. It’s probably even safe to say that twenty years ago I wouldn’t even be able to write for the newspapers that I do! (Course that would make me three years old though.)

What I’d like to do is get some amateur ghost hunting stories from my fellow readers and post a few of these stories on some future editions of Scared Sheetless. Have you ever gone ghost hunting or have ghost stories of your own? Just email me at scaredsheetlessncn@hotmail.com and let me know if you have and your story could be right on here! Within the next few weeks I’ll be doing more Do It Yourself Ghost Hunting tips for those who would like to get into it. (You’re crazy, but I like that).

Until next time, this has been another Scared Sheetless. Happy haunting and keep it scary!

James Paradie is a paranormal columnist as well as a paranormal investigator who has been seen in such newspapers as the Northcountry News, Littleton Record, the White Mountain Shopper, and the Trendy Times. His stories can also been seen on paranormalnews.com and mostlyghosts.com where he is a regular contributor.