Hi all.  I've been thinking on this topic for some time.  I found this forum because of my own dissatisfaction with much of what I've seen on GH.  Ithought it might be good to – rather than all sing in harmony about our suspicions – discuss what could be done to alleviate them.

(A) "Disembodied Voices" -

(1) Ensure that no cell-phones, walkies, or other PLAYABLE audio devices are carried by anyone.  Seeing Grant with a digi-recorder WITH A SPEAKER BUILT IN is insane, especially given the current controversies.  Noone should carry anything capable of making any voice-like noises.

(B) "K2 stuff"

(1) As above, no cell phones, walkies, keyless-entry transmitters (car key or fob) or anything else capable of setting off the K2 is carried by anyone.

(2) "Flash once for no, twice for yes" – treating a no-flash as a negative response is patently absurd.

(C) "Missed Evidence"

(1) with their budget, Pilgrim/TAPS should be able to set up at least (2) stationary cameras in every area, thus covering everyone in the room.  There's just no excuse for not being able to see Grant to ensure he wasn't throwing coat hangers – all this would take would be (2) cheap infra-red cameras in opposite corners of each room. 

(2) The illumination could be provided by a cordless (battery-powered) IR in the middle of the ceiling, thus eliminating the "glare" objection.

(a) Funny, but this would also allow the use of "helmet cams" and eliminate the only sane objection to them as well.

(3) As others have said many times, the "lights out" thing never made sense to me.  Most activity occurs in well-lit areas, so why (other than upping the "scooby-doo spooky-factor) have everyone sitting in the dark?

Further, that we (the audience) can see so clearly leads to misunderstandings – it's easy to forget they are sitting in total darkness. 

(D) Contaminated evidence:  This one is complicated. 

(1) First, it should be obvious that everything should be shut down.  Seeing a computer – with speakers – running on tonight's show, in the same area where they claimed to hear "female laughter" was ridiculous.  Why was that even running?  If they're going "lights out" then why was all power not cut at the breaker box?  This would also help ensure no stray EMF.  Knowing there were live power circuits now shreds any and all EMF or K2 "evidence" they may have ever gathered.  Sweep the place when all circuits are on, looking for EMF "hot spots" that may debunk reported feelings or experiences, then cut all power to the building to ensure you're not polluting your results…  This would also help prevent hoaxing by hosts – at least they'd have to use battery-powered devices…

(2) It seems to me it would be simple to provide each person on site with a GPS recorder, which would keep track of exactly where everyone was at a given time.  This data could be easily combined, and then they could be sure that it wasn't a team-member or crew walking upstairs that created the "footsteps" they heard, or that "apparition" captured on the FLIR was not the sound-guy waiting down the hall.  Total cost around $100 per person.

(3) As noted above, noone should be allowed to carry any device capable of making sounds, or emitting any sort of radio or EMF energy.  Speakers should be removed from palm-corders, digi-audio recorders, etc. 

(4) A rule should be set and enforced that every vocal utterance be preceded by an ID of some sort – their name, a number – something to ID them.  If someone speaks they should say "THREE – did you hear that" or "Grant – DAMN it's cold!!"  This way, when evidence is being reviewed, it would be easy to know when it was a team-member speaking.

(5) All equipment should be time-synced, down to the second, immediately before each investigation.  This would enable surety that the FLIR footage and the other camera footage could be viewed side-by-side and no questions about whether they were shot at the same time.  This is not as hard as it seems – any decent watch will be accurate to less than a second over 12 hours – if everyone synced their watches then ensured the equipment matched when they set it up, it would add little time to their setup and yield tremendous benefit.  It would also be simple to double-check the FLIR or hand-cam when they picked it up, likewise to time-stamp any audio captured by stating the time on the recorder.

(6) Extraneous noises caused by crew should be identified on audio.  "I just tripped."  "Squeaky door hinge."  "Loose, squeaky floor board"…  Or the like.  This would keep "review" from labeling a squeaky floor as an EVP"…

I have more, but I am tired.  I welcome any input you may have!!

Thanks!!

DD

I guess I should have made more clear that my thought-process here is not "things TAPS should do…" but rather "what could be done to reduce or eliminate accusations of hoaxing."  Though I'd like to see TAPS do these things, I absolutely understand the thoughts about it being a TV show, etc…

Still, I would love to hear any more input anyone may have.  Who knows – maybe one of us will be the guy who gets the "truly skeptical" break and his own show??!!

As to the K2 stuff – IF:

a room has been searched for EMF,
all power is cut,
steps are taken to ensure that noone is carrying any sort of EMF or RFI emitter
A pattern has been established – as in "two for yes/one for no"
Repeated but reworded questions indicate the same response – if the answer is "yes" to one question, then reverse the wording of the question and get a "no" response…

I honestly can't imagine more compelling evidence than some of the stuff I have seen where the "spirit" seems to be clearly responding to questions.  I agree the current standards are too low, but if the standards above were followed??!!

If you disagree, would you please help me understand why?  I'm not here to argue about it, but rather truly want to understand your objection.  It's a learning process.

As to "modern day ouija board" – I sort of agre with you, to a point.  I understand the potential for fakery, but I've seen a ouija marker move – rapidly and repetitively to 4 separate points – with noone touching it.  This is one of the experiences that led me to be interested in the PN – seeking to understand what I saw.  There were no strings, no magnets, no nothing – just a group of 4 flipped-out 18-20 year-olds who (IMHO) were messing with things better left alone.  It's been 25 years and the hair on the back of my neck is standing up as I type this…  I've had nothing to do with such thing since, and never will. 

I get the "why would spirits play a game from Parker Brothers" view as I've seen posted elsewhere, but personally I don't believe the "material" is relevant – could just as easily be a piece of paper, a marker and a juice glass – it's the minds of the people and whatever they manage to "contact" IMHO.  I was without question POSITIVE that someone else was moving it, but the damn thing jumped hard enough that everyone recoiled and jerked their hands back in a defensive posture.  The planchette continued to jerk from point to point, all over the board, several times – repeatedly going from "U" to "NO" to "1" to "2" to "NO" then back to "U" and repeated several times until one of the other guys swept the whole thing onto the floor. U-NO-1-2-NO…U-NO-1-2…

"You don't want to know…"

Whatever it was, it was 100% correct.  I DIDN'T want to know.  I left that house immediately, and managed to force myself to go back the next day to get my few belongings.  I'd happily have slept on a park-bench but was never spending another night in that house.

Since then, given I've seen and experienced some other (though admittedly less convincing) stuff I can't explain, I've decided I DO want to know – which is why I am here.

Even if TAPS did all the things we suggest, unless they were stripped naked then dressed in scrubs provided by some trusted 3rd party with it being a TV show we'd still be in a position where you'd either have to trust them or discount everything as a hoax…  There really isn't any middle-ground.

With all that said, What could they reasonably do to allow you to accept K2 results as valid?

DD

The problem with a Faraday cage is that its design is to block EMF, which is exactly how the "spirit" is allegedly flashing the lights.  Might as well remove the batteries…

IMHO, it's fairly easy to discern whether something is "random" or not – one vid I've seen showed questions being asked in different ways, but consistently receiving the same "answer" – hard to chalk that up to
random interference though easily faked by someone with a walkie in their pocket…

This is where IMHO the strict protocol comes into play…

DD

Learjet- Thanks for the graphic on the EM fields. It's a real eye-opener (for me) as to what is going on around us. I mean, I've always known (or assumed), but it's fascinating to see it laid out in front of me.

How would you take a baseline reading in this?