Fact or Fiction: Ghost Detector Smartphone Apps

Do ghost detector apps really work?

I never thought I'd actually have to write this article, honestly...

There are a ton of free and paid ghost radar and communication apps out there for both Android and iPhone users, and are popular with paranormal enthusiasts, as well as anyone looking for a creepy-fun time.

Chris and I tested one out while at Kings Park Psychiatric Center, and based on our evidence, I can confidently say they are a load of CRAP.

Here's why:
1) I recorded clear EVP with my camera while the app said there were no ghosts in the area.
2) Your phone was not built to pick up these kinds of readings that the apps claim.

While yes, sometimes they have an uncanny ability to 'know' what's going on around you (GPS?), but just like a cold reader trying to pass off as a 'psychic', it's a series of hits and misses. People are naturally going to pay attention to the 'hits' and ignore the 'misses', and assume it's something otherworldly, because that's what they want to believe.

In our experience, the 'ghost' couldn't use the app to communicate, and instead used our traditional, well known method- speaking to my camera.

So don't believe the hype, and certainly don't waste your money. These apps can be fun to play with, but are anything but accurate.

[Guide To Choosing A Good Paranormal Investigative Team]

Fact or Fiction: Dowsing Rods

"I know very well that many scientists consider dowsing as they do astrology, as a type of ancient superstition. According to my conviction this is, unjustified. The dowsing rod is a simple instrument which shows the uncanny reaction of the human nervous system to certain factors which are unknown to us at this time."
 - Albert Einstein

The act of dowsing has been around for thousands of years, possibly originally developed for divination purposes, or fortunetelling. In the Middle Ages, people dowsed to find the truth during trials. Dowsing, as practiced today, is commonly used to find water, various metals, and many other things. Many paranormal investigators today like to use dowsing rods in their investigations.

But do they really work?

I don't know. Scientifically, it doesn't make sense. But it's strange how they seem to work. It could be possible, but I consider them unreliable due to a number of reasons, such as

• Environmental conditions. Even a slight wind could move the rods.
• People subconsciously tend to create an illusion of what they want to see. While you think you are holding the rods perfectly still and upright, you could actually be tipping them, causing them to move where you want them. 
• You cannot possibly hold the rods still while walking. 

While I'm sure you could convince a ghost to move the rods, are you sure you're not moving them even the slightest to get the answers you're looking for? 

I'm not saying they don't work, because I don't have proof that they do or don't, but I am saying that they are not reliable enough for investigative purposes. There are plenty of better methods out there.

[Guide To Choosing A Good Paranormal Investigative Team]

iPhone Vanishes From Seat in New Talbot Pub? - Not Likely.

This one is actually in the UK...

Recently there was a video posted on YouTube (I found it via this article, posted today) of a phone "disappearing" from a seat in the New Talbot Pub in West Midlands.

The video:



I don't think there is anything paranormal about this, and here's why:
Notice where the phone is resting- right on the edge of a padded seat, on a slight curve. Most likely, it received a call or a message which caused it to vibrate off the seat. And even if it did not vibrate, the kinetic energy (the potential) is there. It was due to fall regardless.

What do you think? Share your thoughts here, or get ahold of us via Facebook or Google+.

Fact or Fiction: Ghost Box

Since the 'Ghost Box' was created by Frank Sumption in 2002, it has become a growing trend in the paranormal field, and many claim they can use it to communicate with the spirit world.

The various forms of the 'Ghost Box', especially the popular 'Radio Shack Hack', are digital radios that are modified to constantly scan AM radio frequencies at a rate of over 200 stations per minute. This supposedly provides a 'white noise' medium through which spirits or extraterrestrials can communicate with us in real time.

I think this is a load of crap, and here's why:

As the receiver is scanning the AM frequencies, it is constantly picking up music, commercials, talk shows, and static noise. Also, CB radios, cell phones, etc. This cannot be classified as 'white noise'. It is a bunch of random words and sounds picked up during scanning.

Despite this, people still argue that they really are communicating with the dead, and psychology can disprove that. People hear what they want to hear, and this is called Pareidolia.

The 'Ghost Box' can be fun when used for entertainment purposes, but it is not reliable enough for investigations, and will result in lots of false 'evidence'. My recommendation is to leave it at home. Don't buy into the propaganda.

[Guide To Choosing A Good Paranormal Investigative Team]