The Ghost Hunters and Gatherers

As you all know, I like the show Ghost Hunters (that link is very media heavy, note to SciFi, not everybody has broadband). It's fun, when it's about the group and the investigation, when it's about the struggle between them it's less fun. I like how they (used) to not just accept that there was activity and attempted to explain the stories and their own experiences with normal, everyday, happenings. Yes, I'm very glad they stopped looking for orbs.

While they're applying scientific equipment (notice, I just say the equipment, see later for reason), they aren't really applying scientific methodology (except Occam's Razor when debunking). Some of the things they accept as proof I think there are other explanations. Such as it was very interesting that as they moved to digital voice recorders, many of their EVPs disappeared until they started using white noise generation. Note to guys, just like the brain will make attempt to do pattern recognition visually, it'll also do that for the other senses. So it could be for the old tape recorders, there was what's called tape bleed through, even with so called "blanks" (for professional tape recording there are ways to prep tape before making recordings).

"Science" does involve investigation of events and phenomenon, so that part is good (although, one partial night of investigation, without doing some base line testing, isn't all that good, but hey, it's volunteers). The guys do, however, make hypotheses but then they never develop experiments to test them (such as spirits will drain energy from batteries or even the air - cold spots - to manifest, I guess the spirit world doesn't believe in AC wall current). Some, I can design experiments (such as, if you think there's activity, place car batteries or deep-cycle batteries in the room, more energy to manifest). Do intensive study of those places that you get good evidence (evp, emp, more cameras, etc) and repeat the experiments. Show actual correlation between what you're measuring and actual activity.

Anyway, if the show is what they say it is, there have been some very cool moments over the years. I still enjoy watching it (although the GH International not so much). It's about the only show I really make room for (and even now I'm blogging, doing council stuff, and some writing things - reading and critiquing other people's stuff). Laptops are great. But I also look at it as good entertainment.

So, do they use "scientific tools," well, they've got cool stuff. "Scientific methods," well partially (but not consistently or fully). "Scientific method," not so much. It is much better than other "ghost hunting" shows, which are basic stories about people freaking themselves out.