paranormal
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Pocket ghost detector may be as hard to find as its targets (update: details)
Let's get this out of the way: ghost detection is based on junk science. It's trying to prove something that's unprovable almost by definition, using theories that have little connection to the real world. But if you are going to chase phantoms, you might as well have the best technology at your disposal, right? GhostArk certainly thinks so. It's developing a pocketable ghost detector that supposedly has everything you need to track down supernatural beings, including an electromagnetic field meter, high-sensitivity microphones, radio frequency sweeping and sensors for both atmospheric pressure and temperature. Think of it as an audio recorder on steroids -- you can even add white noise to "bolster the spirits' strength." It's a clever concept, even if none of its findings would stand up under academic scrutiny.
Ghosts in the room? It's just your frazzled brain
You know that "chill" in the air that makes you feel as if someone -- or something -- is watching you, lurking behind your back? It's referred to as a "feeling of presence" (FoP for short), and surprise: It has nothing to do with paranormal encounters and everything to do with your brain. In fact, it can even be induced by a robot.
Snapshot: Paranormal
This is a Snapshot, a quick, un-scored review of a game we think you should know about. I have a problem with "found footage" horror movies. No matter how good they are, almost all of them end the same way. Whoever has the camera gets attacked by something, and the camera falls to the ground, inevitably on its side. Either you get a final glimpse of the pretend cinematographer as their life ebbs away, or you get to hear their off-screen cries of agony as some unseen terror eviscerates them. It's not that the device doesn't make sense (how else could it end, really?), it's just not a very satisfying way to wrap up a story. It's abrupt and disappointing and, at this point, trite. What indie horror game Paranormal has taught me, however, is that all of that changes when the camera is placed in your own virtual hands. The tired movie trope suddenly becomes interesting – and you can't yell at the idiot with the camera, because the idiot is you.
Engadget goes ghost hunting -- exploring the gadgetry of paranormal investigation (video)
The rendezvous point is as nondescript as these things come -- a giant convenience store off the side of the freeway, a big cardboard box out front, filled to the brim with pumpkins in anticipation of the upcoming holiday. Stacey Jones approaches us timidly at first, calling my name in our direction, as two of the crew members puff on cigarettes in the unseasonably frigid air. She'd apparently mistaken some other folks for us a moment earlier, a group of college students in hoodies and baseball caps, and is clearly a little embarrassed by the whole experience. It's the first and last time words like "timid" and "embarrassed" can be accurately applied to a middle-aged mother of an adult son who hunts ghosts for a living in central New York State. Group identified, she announces, "We'd better get going. It'll take about an hour to get there." Disappointing news, after the five it took to get to this roadside rest stop. But we nod and smile and get back in our respective cars. She's careful not to reveal the location until we arrive, for concerns of privacy. I've studied her a bit online. A self-described "ghost cop," YouTube is littered with videos of her leading camera crews through abandoned hospitals, in search of dead people apparently desperate to relate some bit of information to her. The location, however, isn't as classically horror movie as we'd imagined or hoped in the car ride up. It's quite idyllic, really -- a beautiful 100-year-old building off the side of the road, 200 yards from a truly stunning old church. Outside the front door, a small signboard advertises a monthly waffle breakfast. Decidedly more ominous are the two graveyards that flank the buildings, with tombstones dating back to the early 19th century, generations of farmers under the ground that may well outnumber residents in this sparsely populated locale. The weather, too, is doing its part to set the scene -- strange, gray clouds hanging low in impossible shapes. "The light," says one of the crew members, as we park and begin the unpacking process. "It's...oversaturated." Sounds seem to travel remarkably well in the cold, crisp, pre-storm air. I step across the road with the show producer, to gather b-roll of 150-year-old headstones, still able to hear every word that Stacey says, as she describes her entry into this strange and oft-maligned world, how her son became possessed by demonic forces on an investigation in a graveyard as a teenager. It's a story she'd recount for the Discovery Channel five years ago, coupled with basic cable dramatizations, portrayed by actors bearing slightly resemblances to their real world counterparts, if you're willing to afford them the advantage of a good squint.%Gallery-168911%
PSA: Pinball FX2 'Paranormal' table available now, free for a week
The brand new "Paranormal" table for Pinball FX2 is available now for free until November 2. Just download the table off the marketplace and you'll be all set for a flippering Kolchak: The Night Stalker-inspired pinball table. As always, the Pinball FX2 platform is also free, so this is a win/win proposition. After next Wednesday, the table will likely be 240 MSP ($3), but why pay tomorrow for what you can get for free today? Download link to Marketplace %Gallery-137598%
Wolfenstein trailer and images are occult-tastic
Straight from QuakeCon 2008 come some piping hot Wolfenstein goodies from the upcoming game, namely the trailer and a gallery of images. It might look like The Ghostbusters Meet Hitler, or the opening scene of the first Hellboy movie, but we're excited about the supernatural side of World War II. Thank you for that, Raiders of the Lost Ark.This is a lot more footage than what we saw at Activision's "Not An E3 Event" event earlier this month, and it looks like it has some potential. The paranormal parts look decent, but why does some of it make us think of Call of Duty... 1? Hopefully we'll get some better looks in the coming months ahead, culminating in some Halloweenalicious spooky soldiers.%Gallery-28821%
Viral blog takes girl to the broken lands
Viral ads are the hottest thing in advertising right now (see examples here and here). They try to spark your interest, so that you spread the site/idea/product around to a friend, like you would a disease (like how I caught this cold!). One reader, Mike Sutter, discovered a blog called "Honey for Tango" which focuses on a girl's encounter with the paranormal. This could haven been a convincing, and interesting viral blog, but unfortunately, it seems like the reveal happened too soon: her latest entry over-enthusiastically hypes the upcoming Dungeon Siege: Throne of Agony.The game itself looks interesting, but her obviously fictional blog does a poor job of getting me excited about the game. Also, I understand the game is releasing on Halloween, but in my opinion, the blog's focus on the supernatural doesn't seem to mesh well with the fantasy environment of the game.
