When is a ghost, not a ghost ?, its a question we must have asked ourselves many-a-time.

Just because your senses might be telling you that something is not right through sound, touch or vision - it does not necessarily mean its correct. So many times people have been proved wrong over paranormal events by this.

Can you hear someone walking around your kitchen ?, could it be your cat ? or maybe the floorboards contracting with the central heating pipes below !.

Time for us to spill the beans on some of the most common misconceptions that can occur..

E.V.P's

E.V.P's or 'Electronic Voice Perception, has been around for a very long time. Scientists and Ghost groups throughout the world have all had the common goal in mind - to try and capture a spirit voice on a recordable source, which can then be analyzed properly, and used to prove to the world that spirits exist !.

Although as technology improves we have access to better equipment, it seems alot of the so called 'evidence' that has been caught so far - seems to be recorded on personal cassette recorders. These little devices are quite a favourite with ghost groups as they are cheap, portable can seem to be able to record results better than anything else can.

One Problem..

These CANNOT and SHOULD NOT BE TRUSTED !!!!

Recently a study took place that looked into using PCR (personal cassette recorders) for E.V.P's - this was their findings:

Why should you not use a PCR ?, this is the top three reasons..

3) Atmospheric conditions

Mostly all PCR's have inbuilt microphones, these are of a very poor quality. Infact it seems our old friend the wind has alot to do with ghostly groans and spooky noises. A slight breeze against the microphone can seem like a distant sigh.

2) Background Noise

Everyone in the room knows its recording, so what to you do ? - you whisper or speak softly !. The inbuilt microphone can only record noises over a certain noise level - suddenly you have a ghostly snippet of a word !. Nearby traffic or generators can also be very easily mistaken to be made out to be something they are not.

1) The Inner Workings

Hard to believe, but the number one reason that E.V.P's can be misinterpreted is down to the gears, cogs and motor inside the PCR !. Remember that the tape is moving at all times, Two small wheels are constantly pulling the magnetic tape from one wheel to another. Soo many ghostly moans and spooky voices can be put down to nothing more than a tight tape.

Now you might say that you have the recorder set to only record if it picks up a sound.. but that's just as bad ! - something as small as a passing fly or drip can start it recording.. then the imagination takes over..

Thats not to say everything that has been recorded on a PCR can be explained, but without anyway of knowing the conditions it was recorded in - its very hard to use it as true evidence.

As technology moves on, the PCR is slowly being replaced with digital equipment. We (the team) - use a MP3 recorder with an external microphone, which is recording throughout the whole of our 'Ghost Encounters'. Although it can be hard work listening to over 6 hours of playback, you are able to record your investigation without a lot of distractions you might find with a regular PCR. (It also makes time-referencing with the cameras very easyl !.)

Photography - ' EXIF '

EXIF, or Exchangeable Image File Format, that's a mouthfull to start off with - but what is it?

Well.. Have you ever looked at a digital picture and wondered if its been doctored?, No - I dont mean its been unwell, does the image look like its been tampered with? does that spook look a little too much like the living?? Or in my case.. Is that my Picture on your website??? - wouldnt it be nice if we could get some proof!

Well, you can. Did you know that most digital camera's record a lot more information on your picture than you could ever imagine. To the novice, it's just a picture - to the veteran, everything they will ever need to know about your picture is buried away, hidden inside your picture.

You have a pciture, but how can you get at the info? Depending on your version of windows - you could always RIGHTCLICK over the picture and select details. But this method still does not want to give you access to all of the data.. Next option, download Xnview - you can find this on the downloads section of this very website.

Select the picture in the main window, then EXIF in the bottom right tab - voila!. Everything you could ever think about is shown.Want to see when the image was originally taken? scroll down and find 'Date taken - Date Digitized'. Want to see what special fx filters the picture might have been taken with? scroll down to Mkernotes.

Suddenly that picture starts to give up all its little secrets!

What happens if the data is missing? Just about every digital camera that has come out on the market over the last5 years, will write some sort of EXIF data. If the picture is recent, and there is no data - just make sure you dont take it on its face value!

More info on Xnview in the downloads section.

Ghost Ships

Ever looked out over the sea, and seen something that resembles a ship of sorts ?, may people have !
Infact it seems that this type of paranormal event is being reported more and more. Could it be a ghostly gallon from the depths below ?, or is there a more rational answer as to what people have witnessed..

Most reported sightings seem to relate to the old style wooden ships, perhaps a tall ship or a 3 masked frigate. (used in the old days to transport goods for input/export). And nearly always include the detail that its glowing, or even on fire !. Add to that, that its witnessed right at the spot of an underwater wreck, you end up with quite a scary story - Hard to imagine right ?, but scientifically what you are witnessing is something quite natural.

Decomposing wrecks under the water will gradually let off gases, these include methane, nitrous oxide and hydrogen sulphide. The small bubbles of gas will try to float to the surface and pop, but on many occations will become stuck under an obstacle - gradually building up in size, until its ready to find a way up to the surface.

Fire !

As you can imagine these gases are highly flammable, it only takes a small spark or an unstable electrical atmosphere - such as an incoming storm, to set off a blaze on the surface of the water. Other symptoms can range from strange misty shapes or even an errie phosphorus glow.

Underwater Earthquakes

But how does this theory relate to sightings where there is no wreck ?. Small earthquakes are a daily occurrence under the ocean - partically along the fault lines. As you can guess..  underground gas pockets can escape from these ruptures.

St Elmo's Fire

Maybe the ship you are seeing is real, but how does that explain the strange eerie glow surrounding it ?. The answer is - St Elmo's Fire, This is quite a natural event that still occurs to ships on a regular basis even now. Bright blue/white in apperance, bolts of light can shoot out from sharply pointed structures such as masts or chimneys. (even the wings of aircraft !)

But what causes this ?, ready for this ?? - " Electro-luminescent corona discharge " - caused by the ionization of the air during thunderstorms inside of a strong electric field. Which in turn could even be triggered by the ship passing under a large unerground magnetic metal deposit. WOW !!