Dark Entries presents Julianne Regan (an English translation)

This interview written on23/12/2010 by Didier Becu appears in its original Flemish form on the Dark Entries website here:- http://www.darkentries.be/nl/interviews/?iid=365

Using Google Translate, Babelfish & Nicetranslator as well as my own logic and common sense I have produced what I hope is a fairly decent English translation for people who dont read Flemish.

..........................................................................................................................................................................

Since I've worked at Dark Entries, I have had the honour of interviewing many musicians who I looked up to, but this lady is special.

I do not know why but most of my heroes are men, but luckily I have two heroes in my life. One (Nico) is dead and the other is not gladly on the forefront and is not so fond of talking, but for Dark Entries she did it. Her name is Julianne Regan.

Even though she is modesty itself despite being awarded a title like goth icon, but the frontwoman of All About Eve (later Mice, Jules et Jim and now La Femme Verte) made many boys hearts beat faster and to this day I cherish their records next to The Sisters, The Fields and The Mission.

This but to tell you that Julianne had played a prodigious role role in musical life (and mine) and talked to us about what she was, what is and what she hopes for.

Dark Entries presents Julianne Regan.

Hi Julianne, you recently announced that you had enough of the music industry. Understandable, but in hindsight would you have done it all again to be where are you now?

I have left the music industry, simply because I am not the person for it. Some people love it for dinner in prestigious restaurants, for example, I do not .... I do not like the endless palaver about this and that. I also noticed that you are facing liars, egomaniacs compared to a decent human being to place nine idiots, or just questionable individuals. I think it's just not worth it...

But what I recently tried to do was simply to just say good-bye to the music. I noticed quite quickly that I could not, why I wanted to I do not know. ... I just think I only had to realize that you can have music without having to be confronted with that business. Should I start now I think I'd do it all again, simply because I was 19 and still that ridiculous self-belief would hold me and I would not be aware of evil in the music industry .

But I'd probably be smarter and sell my music on-line without having to do all the appearances and publicity with those terrible things that must be specific to the music industry ....

You were a journalist, Julianne. Weird because musicians hate journalists!

I tried to be a journalist. I went to college in London but after 6 months I gave up because I wanted to play in a rock'n'roll band . I've written a few reviews of performances, including some records and even a few articles but I was just too nice. I could not get it into my heart to write something negative about someone. Also, I soon noticed that when I interviewed a group I actually wanted to be a rock star.

I would have to add that I also know good journalists, and do not hate them all, there are some who are passionate and they are good at what they do ... I just hate the idiots.

I suppose you know Everett True, he was the editor of Melody Maker for years. He announced recently that journalism is dead because everyone on the net thinks they are a journalist....

It's just so fantastic, I think. It simply means that someone who has an opinion can put it on the net and we the readers, can decide whether we will read or not. Today it is no longer the journalists who extol or break groups; from the three major newspapers (NME, Melody Maker and Sounds) there is only left NME and they have lost all power. I think most people do not care about what the NME has to say any more. People are now forming their own opinions based on what others say in cyberspace.

Of course you also have the disadvantage that there are too many opinions, or people who think they know a lot about music and are spouting the greatest nonsense simply because they have a PC and Internet connection.

Julianne, you were one of the reigning goth icons. How does it feel in 2010?

Personally, I dont think I deserve the title of goth icon. When I hear that then I think people like Siouxsie, Nick Cave or Peter Murphy ...but not me. I made music with inspiration from goth, I have goth friends and I did things that were goth. ... But really in 2010, I am a middle aged woman wearing "normal" clothes and who leads a happy life and hopes that she obtains a diploma in 2012 graduating from university, to be something in the health sector.

When I was a young goth, I could never imagine that a time was coming when I was going to stop dyeing my hair or dress. ... The time has come (laughs).

All About Eve for me was a group for dreamers, people who felt a part of Mother Earth. ... Julianne least, I feel so when I listen to All About Eve.

Yes, I think you're right. I was a naive and innocent girl for a very long time. Admittedly, I felt so very happy with a rock 'n roll life but I felt attracted to things like space, nature or even the occult. There was indeed a lot of escapism which I frankly admit. As I grew older, it disappeared but now its back. I will always be the woman who gets a kick from staring at a big fat white moon. I think many people are so put together even if we get up early every morning to work so we can pay the rent.

They said that All About Eve were goth, and that is true but was it not a curse?
Take the wonderful album "Touched by Jesus", I think this album never had a chance because the media saw you as a goth band... ..

Goth is indeed both a blessing and a curse for us at the same time. Sure there were elements of goth interwoven in our music, but there were other things ... sometimes with us you had folk, blues, pop or heavy rock.

I remember very well that the American record society told us that they could not push us into a box, at one point they wanted the two of us make the new Fleetwood Mac!

I also think that the term goth is used more as time has progressed. Goth is a lot that are The Doors, Iggy Pop, Led Zeppelin, Bowie, Banshees, Cure, Dead Can Dance, Mission, Sisters, Garbage, Curve ... ..

There are many types of goth and the percentage is always different. Siouxsie & The Banshees are for example 50% goth and 50% hippy-funk.

What about Garbage? 20% goth, new wave 20%, 20% rock, 20% and 20% electro pop!
Goth is a complicated thing and regardless of the how twists and turns, it is not an exact science!

So yes, since All About Eve was seen as goth it also meant that many doors remained closed, but there were many open ... no, I'm not complaining.

After All About Eve you formed Mice with another great hero of mine (Bic Hayes). Such a brilliant group & you never got a chance.

It was indeed a pity that Mice was a flop. We made an album, I loved it and I'm still happy ...even though I regret that we never made a

second Mice CD. I thought at some point we were the ultimate line-up: Tim McTighe (brilliant pop writer, multi-musician, great bass player ... in fact Paul McCartney), Dominic Luckman the drummer of the Cardiacs was incredible ...

And yes, that Bic is without doubt one of the most intriguing musicians I've worked with ... a terribly creative person and simply a devil on the guitar. Those three were really brilliant people, real friends and people I love for all time. All for nothing. Sad.

You also made it difficult for yourself, Julianne ... then you were in Jules et Jim. Genius to use the word again, but unfortunately also a character who would not listen. Was that frustrating?

You should follow your own heart. It was an interesting experience: all the TV appearances, being on the radio, the record label that comes with their big bag of money, the overly fancy expensive studios, the limousine that came to my home to take me to the airport even when I begged them that I wanted to have a normal taxi.

And yes, they have managed to get my face on the cover of the weeklies, I even went on TV but if you reflect then there was time for the music but no spare time to yourself. Now I have time I want to occupy myself with my music but the other truth is that very few people left who will listen to me.

I know it's arrogant but when me and my friends are happy that is sufficient for me ... I need it but the fans make you. God, I hate that word "fans" so much. But it makes me happy and that's worth something....

I'm not sure you know Jo Casters, a Belgian musician. He told me that the problem in 2010 is that people will not listen ....

He's right. Jean-Marc (from The Weathermen and La Femme Verte) and I are much concerned about that and we are also forced to that conclusion. When I was younger you had to choose between music and sport and I chose music because I'm not really sporty.

But today they choose between music, computers, video games, DVD, Blue Ray, Pink Ray, Man Ray or whatever!

Music is no longer as important to people as it once was. I remember very well when a favorite group released an album then I went to the store to buy it and I played it day in and day out until I knew it, until that record had become a part of my DNA even though it was so that I just knew a song. Then you could hear no pieces on the net, you could not illegally download but the anticipation was immense.

In 2010, music has no value, not as far as the masses are concerned.

The person who will not listen to me there I'll do nothing to ....

Now you are back with La Femme Verte, Jean-Marc I suppose you would not really get?

Did you ask this question to Jean-Marc, he would certainly say that I am good at putting myself down. Whether I sing, record something, be part of La Femme Verte or whatever, I will always be somewhere in a pocket or another green light.

People who work with me know this all too well .... They are also only with such people that I want to cooperate. Jean-Marc knows me very well, I do not even know how he does without ..

Julianne being Julianne she opted for "Hurt" by Nine Inch Nails which had already been covered by the legendary Johnny Cash ....

My motto of some covers: "Do not be afraid of the singers or the songs".

Once look at a track from a fresh perspective and if you really want to put yourself there then I think you have nothing to fear.

Sure, there are still people who find a better version of Johnny Cash or just would prefer the original, but this is our cover and it should be judged on our merits. It is no problem as long as you believe the words that you sing or you feel connected to them.

Did you know the covers of La Femme Verte that were chosen?

Frankly, I have a terrible memory, so let me think ...

If I remember correctly, Jean-Marc and I have had songs that we like to hear from there and we have chosen a selection. I do not remember which ... except I will sing those that I love.

There is a lot of Belgian talent on that CD. I think of Sam Devos or what did you think of Raya's version of "Enjoy the silence"?

I also love what they have done and what Sophie has done with Dark Poem. I know that here in England all ignore what is not here.

Sure they are interested in the Americans and the Swedes were popular for a period in time ... I'm not talking about Abba, but more things like The Cardigans.

The United Kingdom believes today that they are important, I find that amusing ... such arrogance that they have!

It is scandalous that they do not look further than their noses and not even look in the gardens of their neighbors because in Belgium many beautiful flowers grow when they hear music!

I ask everyone, including my heroine. What is your favorite album of all time, Julianne?

Let me think, I will take one from my youth: "Waterloo Sunset" by The Kinks, this is a perfect pop song.

A special message?

If you still can read before the year is: Merry Christmas!

Many musical discoveries in 2011 and as Shakespeare said: 'If music be the food of love, play on "... In today's language, "Music feeds love, so do not stop playing it!" xxx

Julianne Regan wanted to tell us something, and we do everything for her.

Maybe you know The Cardiacs. This is a British band that more than twenty years prog rock with a gothic touch and made more than once was cited by John Peel as one of his favorites.

The founder of this great group, Tim Smith, was recently the victim of a heart attack but the musician could not pay his medical expenses and is living on the edge of poverty. One of his fellow musicians Bic Hayes (who was in Mice with Julianne) has recorded a CD where Julianne has worked with Tim and the intention is to assist in his medical costs. Info here:- http://www.thegenepool.co.uk/items/597.htm

Dark Entries owes plenty to Julianne Regan for this wonderful interview which might present a special light on this very powerful woman who captured the imagination of everyone who was involved in goth.

Also, I would strongly like to express my thanks to both Sam Devos and Jean-Marc Lederman who made it possible that I could take an interview with my hero. Thank you, guys!

23/12/2010, Didier Becu
English Translation 27/12/2010, Ray Daley

Loom Dawn walkthru

Using the walkthrough posted by Suicine on Escapegames24 I have added some screenshots & fixed the mistake of the switchboard switches. WALKTHROUGH created by Suicune @ Escapegames 24, screenshots by Brainisdead.
NOTE: the object of this game, is not only to escape but more importantly to restore complete light to the room!

1- everything is pitch black. navigate until you find a screen that is not completely black & click on the blinds to zoom in. pull on the green handle of the cord to open them. this will create your 1st weak source of light. zoom out.



2- turn left & click the area where the light from the window is shining down on. when zoomed in, you will see a KEY. take it then press the button on the other object thats in the shadows to turn on more lights. take a good look at these lights & memorize which are YELLOW (1 3 5 6), as it will be important later. zoom out.



3- zoom in on the new lit up area, you will see some numbers on the wall. the letters below it are not important, but MAKE SURE YOU NOTE THE NUMBERS EXACTLY AS SHOWN as they will be used soon & are not viewable when its time to use them!

526
764
381

once youve noted the numbers press the 7 & zoom out.

4- turn right. pressing that 7 has turned on a new light. zoom in on the phone. take the 1ST BATTERY from beside the phone. next, lift the receiver & press the button under it to trigger more lights. zoom out.

5- zoom in on the pink box below the phone. use your key on it to unlock it & reveal a blue sphere, which will roll away as soon as you touch it. now click on the box twice more to move it & reveal a hint with 5 numbers.



note these 5 numbers down below the 9 numbers you noted down earlier (they are used TOGETHER!) & zoom out.



6- click on the sphere that has rolled away to zoom in. click it once more while zoomed in to move it to the other side of the buttons. now, you will notice these buttons are pressable. there are 7 buttons - number seems familiar? apply the "code" from the 7 light panel in step 2 to solve these buttons (turn on buttons 1, 3, 5, and 6). when done, zoom out & turn left.

7- you will see that the 7 light panel on the floor has moved, revealing a keypad & the 9 numbers i told you to note down are no longer visible. click the keypad to zoom in & you will see you can press the 9 buttons to turn them purple. as the diagram under the pink box suggests, you need to press buttons 1, 7, 4, 3 & 2, to continue. but the catch is that they are not numbered 1-9, but instead mixed up!

so how to know which number is which? simple - apply the 9 numbers i told you to write down at the start! this makes the keypad read:

526
764
381
now just press 17432 according to that - or rather, if you dont wanna apply those numbers & wish to read the buttons as 1-9 instead, then press buttons 94672. when done correctly, a bright light will shine across the room & the 3rd wall will be explorable! zoom out.

8- turn right twice. click on the curtains to open them, letting yet more light into the room. click the desk to zoom in. click the computer to open it. click the screen to zoom in. you will see a diagram drawn on it, which represents the dialpad on the phone. memorize the path (1569832407green) & zoom out 3x.



9- go left back to the phone & enter the above code into it by pressing the appropriate numbers, incidently green is the left button. if done correctly, the numbers will slide to the left & disappear. zoom out.

10- turn left twice to face the 4th wall, which has now been lit by the magical phone number! click the device to zoom in, then click the white box on the lower left to open it. flick the switch inside & zoom out.

11- turn left, a new light has been activated near the ceiling, revealing a switchboard. zoom in & flick the bottom right switch so that it is matching all the others, then zoom out.



12- you will now see that to the left of the computer desk, a new light is shining. click it to zoom in. take the SECOND BATTERY. you may also plug in the cord, but its defective anyway & you cant take the plugged in light out yet either, but later you can. just zoom out after getting the battery.

13- click the desk again to zoom in, click the left drawer to open & insert your batteries into the device to activate it. close the drawer, and you will now see 4 symbols on the floor. memorize their order (5-point star, 6-point star, asterisk, 4-point star) & zoom out.



14- turn right & zoom back in on the wall safe. arrange the 4 colored buttons on the top as the floor code said (so it will be yellow red green blue). when done, hit the button in the middle to open the safe. obtain the FLOWER LIGHT & zoom out.

15- turn left, go back to the wall outlet (left of the desk) & plug in your flower light into the upper socket. this will really light up the area brightly & you can see that the cord i told you not to bother with isnt even connected to anything lol! the real computer cord, however, you will want to plug in. to do this, remove the smaller light from the lower socket (you can do it now since theres another light source). plug in the computer, and then click on the yellow bit of the light you just removed (its the bulb) to get the DRAWER KEY. zoom out.

16- zoom in on the desk yet again. use the new key on the right drawer & open it to get the RED DIAMOND.

17- click on the computer to zoom in (twice). now that its plugged in, you can hit the white button to the left to turn it on. click on unlock.exe & you will come face to face with the hardest puzzle in the entire game. here is a screenshot i made of the squares you have to turn black for it to work:

click start & let the animation run its course - when your character gets to the star, a robot will appear & "kill" him. a star will pop out & that is a new puzzle, but we cant solve it just yet. for now just zoom out 3 times.

18- turn right & zoom in on the wall safe again. put the red diamond into the new slot to trigger the mechanism. also, click & open the white box on the right this time (it wasnt open before the robot sequence on the computer). flick the red switch you see inside & note the numbers "060-", for they will matter in the next puzzle. zoom out when done.



19- turn left, zoom in on the switchboard (top right corner) again & see "-1734". zoom out, turn right twice & zoom in on the area where the window light is shining through. now that the 7 light panel has moved, you can see "-2619-" on the wall.



Lets put this 3 part code together, using the dashes to guide us: 060-2619-1734. looks like a phone number huh? then its obvious what to do next, zoom out.

20- turn right to return to the phone & zoom in to dial the above code of: 06026191734. hit the green button (bottom left) when all 11 numbers are input. "calling..." should now scroll across the LED. zoom out.

21- turn right twice & you will see a flickering green light in the darkness as well as hearing ringing. click it to zoom it- it is a cell phone! click to open & again to zoom in on the screen. click the screen to receive the message & click the button on the screen to send it to the computer. zoom out twice.

22- zoom back in on the cell phone - the battery has died. however, you will see a color code. blue green yellow red. remember this for later & zoom out again.



23- you can go check the mail you sent to the computer (by turning left, clicking on the computer 3x, turning it on, clicking mail.exe & clicking the mail) but its not needed to solving the game & is just a pretty picture of the night sky, nothing more.



Instead, zoom in on the door that has now appeared next to the wall safe. you cant open it yet, but you can zoom above the handle to see 4 hearts. the colours on them match the code we saw on the cell phone, but they are in the wrong order & cant be rearranged here. instead, lets try searching for something else that has the same colours - zoom out.

24- the wall safe. the 4 buttons at the top have the exact same colours! go back to it (by zooming out twice then clicking on the safe) & rearrange the colors to match what you saw on the cell phone in step 22 (blue green yellow red). now zoom out, zoom in on the doo r& pull on the handle to open it!!!! then click on the outside light & you are OUT - congrats? no!... its not over yet!

INTERLUDE
------------------------------------------------
well, congrats on solving the 1st objective of the game, escaping. this game is long, so take a breather to enjoy the outdoor scenery. when done, mouse over the pink japanese characters at the bottom right & a text will appear. read the white text & you will see that, in order to see the true form of the room, you need to turn on the main lighting system. this is the ultimate goal in this game, not escaping :-P

when ready to continue your adventure, click where it says "go back to the room" to continue where you left off.
------------------------------------------------ End interlude

25- it is VERY easy to miss, but if you pay close attention to the 1st screen after returning inside you will see white markings at the very top of the doorway! (door must be open) click that area to zoom in & see a new clue. look familiar? its a reference to the switchboard! so from top left to bottom right: down, up, down, down, down, up - & then main switch down. remember this & zoom out 2x.



26- turn left & return to the switchboard. note, you can only move the buttons IF youve seen the clue above the doorway otherwise it wont work!!! anyway:

DUD
DDU

where D-down position & U-up position. then flick the master switch to the left into the down position. zoom out when done.

27- turn left twice. you will see that now the keypad on the wall has moved up, revealing a secret compartment! if youre wondering what to do here, pay close attention to the symbols in the 2 circular alcoves. blue circle and red diamond... i think we've seen these objects before! lets go back & find them. zoom out.

28- turn left, zoom in on the wall safe to remove & RECLAIM RED DIAMOND. zoom out.

29- turn right twice, zoom in on the glowing blue sphere at the floor & click it to obtain BLUE SPHERE, zoom out.

30- turn left, insert these 2 objects into the proper slots on the wall compartment. something will appear in the middle segment. its not too clear what to do next but this is a walkthrough so dont worry! zoom out.

31- turn left, zoom in on the cell phone again & you can now pick it up (only works after the shapes are in the wall). obtain CELL PHONE & turn right then plug it into the wall compartment where you put your shapes to recharge it! it will now show 12 squares but you need to find more clues to solve this puzzle so zoom out.

32- now if you recall, you might have seen bars consisting of 3 black/white segments scattered around the room. they are:

1- by flower light- top+middle are black
2- in left white box at the wall safe- bottom is black
3- by hearts above doorknob- middle is black
4- by phone- top+bottom are black

but what is the proper order for these 4 clues? zoom in on the computer desk to see some odd markings under the right side of the window. zoom in on those. we have found the order!!! it is: wall safe, flower light, telephone, door hearts. now return to the recharged cell phone by zooming out twice, going left twice & clicking the phone.



33- arranging the 4 bars by the order listed above gives us this code for the phone puzzle:-

OXXO
OXOX
XOXO

where X-black & O-white. enter that & a purple ray will shoot towards the door!

34- go back to the door & open it. click the purple object at the bottom - it is a doorstop! this allows you to leave the door without it shutting, allowing more light to shine into the room! zoom out & turn right twice. zoom in on the small window again & pull the blinds shut - you will see the answer to the star puzzle! zoom out.



35- turn right, zoom in & turn on the computer again. go back to unlock.exe. click the star to bring up the star puzzle, & solve it with the code you just saw. now the little guy is rejuvenated & gets some revenge on that mean robot! congrats, you have finallybeaten the computer game. on the "the end" screen, click the shining star near the top. the message "the night is over" will be displayed & the ENTIRE room will be FULLY lit now!!!

CONGRATULATIONS! you have solved a nice, long game. i wish they would make more like this one, it was beautiful, & challenging!

CLOSURE
you may now explore around the room & see what its like but theres nothing left to do. you can also go back outside, but there is nothing new there. seeing the true form of the room was the end of the game, congrats!

K.O.L.M Map (all areas & rooms numbered)

Converting an ISILO PDB Ebook

You'd think because its a PDB format something like Calibre would convert it. You'd be dead wrong.
Isilo is an encrypted format that only appears to be a PDB file.

Simply use iSilo for Windows and use 'Save As' to create yourself a TXT text file which you can then convert into any ebook format you like.

Apparently a lot of people are looking for a solution. This is it ;-)

Paranormal State The New Class S01E01

Before I get going on cutting this show into the awful pile it is its worth mentioning a few things.

The original "parent" show Paranormal State started out with students from Pennsylvania State University who were members of its Paranormal Research Society commonly referred to in the show as PRS.
You do have to wonder how terrible as students Ryan & his team were if they were STILL students after 5 years.

A&E have clearly decided Ryan & his team clearly aren't hitting their age demographic any more which is why I assume they have recruited a new team who are obviously a very mixed age group Apparently this team are all members of the Hoosier State Paranormal Research Team but the intro shows that some of them are also EMT's in Indiana.

The intro states John Tenney is an "experienced paranormal investigator" but I cant say as I have ever heard his name mentioned on any of the US paranormal shows I have ever seen and I have seen most of them.

Oddly enough even though the families children had been scratched by the entity they were sent to investigate they still started the investigation with all the kids in the house with them. Tenney makes a LOT of assumptions with no proof or actual facts, he also leads the group with his idea on what an EVP they caught said. You could hear nothing, they thought it said "Danielle" but Tenney got them thinking it said "Damn you".

Taking a leaf out of the Ghost Adventures tech book this group used what they called a Ghost Box, again this was done with all the family & kids present so its pretty clear this show is going for the person to person connection. Unlike Paranormal State theres no religious angle, no priests, no psychics or mediums - just plain investigating.

It'll be interesting to see exactly how this show develops over time and if its creation spells the end for PRS.

Doodle Devil devil Walk through

The following combos will complete the game 100/100 items, 11/11 groups. They are presented in order so you shouldnt get stuck unable to make anything. Stuff can be made in different ways but all these definately worked.

man+woman=life & sex,
light+life=Angel,
human+angel=prayer,
human+prayer=heavens & religion,
human+fire=corpse & suffering,
sin+corpse=murder,
sin+religion=heresy,
heresy+human=psychology & atheism,
beast+darkness=demon,
demon+man=soul & corpse,
human+human= friendship,
fire+water=steam,
fire+air=energy,
beast+human = werewolf,
demon+water= cthulhu,
Sin+Sin=Pride,
Human+Pride=Politician,
politician+pride=war,
earth+fire=lava,
demon+order=copyright,
apple+earth=seeds,
seeds+earth=tree,mushroom & grass,
corpse+life=zombie,
copyright+knowledge=money,
money+sin=greed & theft,
human+money=work,
Sin+Work=Sloth,
Sin+Greed=Envy,
Sin+Money=Theft,
Human+Greed=Gambling,
grass+fire=tobacco,
tobacco+human=diseases,
beast+water= fish,
cthulu+fire=wrath,
heresy+religion=sect,
tree+human=food,
sin+food=gluttony,
lava+water=steam & stone,
fire+stone=metal,
human+metal=weapon,
human+weapon=blood,
blood+human=vampire,
earth+knowledge=Oil,
human+stone=house,
demon+energy=magic,
magic+stone=egg,
magic+egg=dragon,
Sin+Weapon=Wrath,
woman+magic=witch,
man+magic=worm,
worm+egg=snake,
snake+beast=hydra,
dragon+hydra=sex,
money+sex=censored,
man+life=death,
Metal+Energy=Electricity,
electricity+air=radio wave,
Fire+Death=inferno,
Air+inferno=sulfur,
water+sulfur=acid,
acid+oil=TNT,
TNT+Metal=Bomb,
bomb+mushroom=Nuclear bomb,
beast+fire=ash
Metal+Work=Mechanism,
Mechanism+Demon=tv,
TV+Book=computer,
Computer+Computer= Internet,
mechanism+computer=robot,
Computer+Life=A.I.,
AI+Robot=Cyborg,
Oil+Mechanism=car,
radio wave+computer= cellphone,
Copyright+Human=lawyer,
beast plus disease=rat
seeds+energy=coffee,
Tobacco+Coffee=Poison,
rat+air=dove,
corpse+electricity=frankenstein

Ghost Hunters S06E23 Sloss Furnace

Please note this was NOT a review, the following was written in response to a review someone posted on the GH SyFy forum.

I must admit their reasoning is VERY questionable, all the bangs and taps were instantly assumed to be responses & therefore paranormal. Nothing to do with the fact its an old abandoned mostly open air Steel Works at night time (when metal would be cooling & contracting) and it was VERY windy so anything loose would bang and rattle.

As for K2 "conversations" being manipulated didn't I bust that a while back when I caught them shining the laser thermometer or flashlight at it to trigger it? No-one ever did confirm or deny if aiming that style of thermometer at a K2 sensor will cause the same effect as their "paranormal conversation". I note Amy is still trying to use the "flashlight method" as proof of the paranormal long after we have debunked it. Whats even worse is one of them "turned on" but it happened off camera when Amy was knelt right next to it. Nothing remotely suspicious there, is it?

And the usual complaint of bangs happening (in the tunnels) but none of the at least 3 cameras were pointing at it) Score yet ANOTHER point for helmetcams then. Even more annoying when Amy "sees something" and all we get when the slow Pilgrim dude pans round is retina burn off the IR illuminator from the bottom of the tunnel. And this children is why you DO NOT investigate in the dark. Most of the "evidence" presented was weak at best, it would have gotten you bawled out as a GHA cadet for even suggesting most of it had merit.

The shadow figure is just matrixing and the overlay they put on it is nothing like what that single still frame was as that looked like someone standing, its most likely the shadow of whoever was shooting that. I laughed that it was described as "great evidence". Jason "please dont cancel my show" Hawes, he needs money to keep his guesthouse running I guess.

Ghost Lab S02E04 Afterlife Sentence

I wasnt going to write a full review but I noted down a few things as I watched.

As far as the stuff at the prison goes, the EVPs were so quiet and too iffy. The young guy who recorded the banging, could have been anything and anyone so it has to be thrown out.

The investigation at the residence, both the "shadow men" were really easily debunkable.
The one on Brad cam was caused by him shining his torch around his vest, really easy to fake and even easier to explain.
The one the camera guy caught in the window I'd debunk any number of ways but a crane camera outside seems to be the most likely and logical reason for that shadow moving the way it moved where it was.

The fact it even pans up trying to move out of the camera guys shot makes me think crane camera even more.

Despite the heavy EMF source that they explained they insisted everything inside was paranormal.
So nothing to do with EMF hypersensitivity then? Its jumping to conclusions like that that stopped me writing full reviews.

XP file names change from black to blue?

It'll be because you did a disk cleanup and enabled disk compression. Those blue files are now compressed.

Shame Microsoft didnt think it was important to let you know that small pertinant fact. I thought it was a virus!

Newsgroup stats

RSPW Stats for me.

Total # of posts since joining (on 20th March 2005) until today (6th Nov 2010) = 1989

Ghost Hunters Halloween special 2010 reviewed

Buffalo Central Terminal - Buffalo, New York.

Tonights host is Josh Gates from Destination Truth & his co-host is Allison Scagliotti from Warehouse 13. "And for the 5th straight Halloween welcome to Ghost Hunters Live", well Josh you've been on air 15 seconds and you've already lied to us. Nice going! I guess TAPS have been reading my reviews (and my complaints) & have more than 2 people per van. Only 2 vans though, their very new and look extremely expensive.

Van 1 is carrying Jason Hawes, Grant Wilson, Amy Bruni & Barry Fitzgerald from GHI.
Van 2 is carrying Steve Gonsalves, Dave Tango, Kris Williams & Adam Berry (winner of GHA Season 2)

Hotspot walkthru, Steve gets to shake hands for a change. I dont recall the main TAPS team investigating here but the GHA cadets investigated on show 4 of Season 1 and found nothing at all.

Josh meets the special guests who are:-
Ben Hansen from Fact Or Faked (the former FBI agent)
Meaghan Rath from Being Human (a US remake of the BBC3 show)
Kofi Kingston from WWE Smackdown

Allison in the Interactive Centre.
Josh in Central Command for the camera walkthru, Jason officially announces Kris Williams will be joining GHI.

Jason & Grant in Tony Fedele's Apartment - Grant thinks he hears footsteps, Jason tags wind noise, Grant gets a thermal hit which is debunked as reflective wallpaper.

Barry, Kris & Ben on the 3rd Floor - Claims of seeing stuff during setup & in Fedele's Apartment also. Someone needs to tell Ben we dont require a running commentary. Cut back to J&G who ask for a noise & get one, too convenient. Grant is scared by a window. Grant think he saw movement at the end of the corridor, the "human" shape I thought I could see turned out to be a doorway (I think its about time some one invented a thermal camera with a zoom lens on it). We can hear a VERY loud generator, that'll be contaminating audio for the whole investigation then.

Steve, Tango & Kofi in the Trolley Lobby - Crunching through a LOT of debris, you'd think someone could have taken 5 minutes to run a broom through the areas where they thought they were going to be walking. It doesnt take a genius to figure out thats a good idea especially with the amount of glass it sounded like they were walking through underfoot. Steve shows he has zero clue about his or anyone elses personal safety by trying to access a clearly unsafe area. Steve thinks he hears a voice, they try to debunk it as an echo. Its not an echo. Kofi plugs Smackdown. Steve makes his 1st stupid bet to encourage Tango to do something dangerous. And these are the 2 guys charged with training future TAPS members?

Allison in the Interactive Centre with Amy, Jason & Grant - J&G tell us how stupid they are by continuing to investigate in the dark (demonstrating none of them have the common sense most folks are born with), Amy is on the live web chat.

Barry, Kris & Ben on the 1st Floor - Who not only have no clue we came back to them they have no clue we even left them in the 1st place. Please note Barrys graphic identified him as "GHI Lead Investigator" so I guess we now know who got promoted after Britt Griffiths got fired. Bens sticking with the running commentary, you'd think Barry would have told him better. The sound Barry can hear is the very loud generator I mentioned earlier, Kris cant understand Barrys Irish accent which doesnt bode well for their future investigations together.

Jason, Grant & Meaghan in the Main Concourse - They tried to use the K2 to have a conversation, nothing happened. Meaghan freaks out getting a K2 hit. Cut back to Barry, Kris & Ben doing something with a laser. Ben sees a light behind the camera, not very useful. Score another point for helmetcam. Lots of audio contamination from outside, I'm pretty sure that was Josh shouting for quiet.

Tango doing playback of audio evidence in one of the expensive vans then back to Allison with Amy in the Interactive Centre.

Barry, Kris & Ben on the 1st Floor - Barry asks for noises, anything would be drowned out by the stupid spooky incidental music. Again Barry asks for a noise but gets one this time.

Steve & Tango on the 3rd Floor - And we're also getting the audio from the previous location bleeding through, I guess Kofi got sent back to the showers.

Josh interviews Adam Berry winner of GHA season 2, clip of an upcoming episode with him in it from Sloss Furnace & we're told Meatloaf will be in it as well.

Jason, Grant & Meaghan in the Main Concourse - And their checking out the Ticket Booth & have the laser grid set up, Jason thinks he hears a scuffing noise like footsteps. Meaghan definately wins the 5th Wheel award as well the winner of the World Boredest Person expression.

I got about 14 mins into part 2 and lost the will to live. Here endeth the review. If anything happened after this I really dont care.
Kinda makes me wish I hadn't bothered.

I guess at least we got confirmation of Kris joining GHI and Barry becoming GHI leader anyway.

Ghost Lab S02E03 Lizzie Borden reviewed

Again with the pre-credits spoilers? Did we already not decide those were a bad idea? Brad & Barry are spending the night in the Lizzie Borden House, the Lab will arrive tomorrow. One of the brothers claims he heard something shutting. During the info on the house we discover the Liz Borden rhyme is actually complete garbage and that she only hit her mother (actually her step-mother so even that part is untrue) 19 times. Not 40 as claimed in the poem. She only hit her father 11 times, nowhere near the 41 the rhyme claims. It also appears she was never proven to actually be the killer. What ever happened to "Innocent until proven guilty"?

It appears they are still being stupid about the whole point of the RT EVP Recorder, if its not being monitored in real time as well what is the point of even using it?

The Lizzie Borden House - Fall River, Massachusetts.
With absolutely no thanks to the Discovery Channel for failing to even inform us where the location was, I had to Google. Unless its not Brad & Barry investigating the location just take it as read.

Guest Bedroom - They start off with pretty intense provoking both verbally & with rather graphic projections of the murder scenes, whatever it was they reacted to I never heard over the incidental soundtrack, Brad also claims to have been kicked (he's holding his ribs so that would have been one pretty high kick). To non-Americans a Charley Horse is just your basic involuntary muscle spasm, back in the Lab they play back an EVP recorded at 20 Hertz (so right on the limit of human hearing) they claim is saying "I am not through with you". Some sounds that may be words can be made out but its just too quiet to say what they are.

There are 2 EMF spikes that coincide with the 2 pieces of activity in the room.

Back in the Guest Bedroom - Barry goes in first on his own, their intention is to do "Good Cop, Bad Cop" to provoke Andrew Borden, Lizzies father. Barry goes up back into aggressive provocation mode when Barry feels like he wasnt getting anywhere.

Night 2 with Jeff the trial lawyer brought in as a kind of Era Cues style experiment in the stepmothers room, Brad does hard provoking as usual then they move to the sitting room where Andrew was murdered. Brad provokes hard again & they think they can hear someone walking up the stairs. Back in the Lab Steve Hock presents an EVP recorded at 170 Hertz saying "You got that right" in answer to the question "Did she kill you for the money?".

Stone's Public House - Ashland, Massachusetts.
An actually graphic denoting the location would be handy Discovery Channel, again I had to use Google.

Bar - Nothing happens.

Room 22 - They are investigating as a train comes past, like thats not going to ruin any kind of audio recorded then. Once the train passes they are asking if the girls spirit plays in the halls outside the rooms then Brad freaks out & takes off after what turns out to be absolutely nothing. The difference between him doing it & Britt Griffiths doing it is Barry is actually wearing a headcam which captures everything in his eyeline which is sadly nothing. Brad thinks he saw a shadow walk into the wall. Playback in the Lab has Brad creaming himself as Barry says "I didnt see BLEEP!". Steve Harris confirms he sees the figure which I think is nothing more than a case of matrixing to be honest, the eye seeing what it wants to see.

Matrixing or not?
All I have done here is trace around what appears to be the outlines of the figure, this was a screengrab of the closeup before they added on the enhancement

Night 2, Katy on the 3rd Floor in Room 22 - Alone, again? At least this time they've only left her in a room where a child died, not where an aggressive male spirit was known to be. Unlike Hill View Manor. Katy is sharing the room with the bloodstained dress of Mary, the child spirit killed on the train tracks. Nothing happens so Katy is replaced.

Room 22 - By the Hair Bear Bunch! They take the dress outside & hang it on the porch as a train passes. Barry then thinks he sees movement at a 2nd floor window but the house is confirmed as empty, re-entering the house they find nothing in that room & there are no cameras covering the window in question. The Kings Of Impatience bail to check evidence back at the Lab where Brad finds an EVP recorded at 140 Hertz they claim is saying "Where are you?" but I think its a young female voice calling for her Mommy but its an excellent piece of evidence.

For what its worth this will also be my final Ghost Lab review, admittedly they didnt try to fake on this show but theres just not much worth saying about this show.

Ghost Hunters S06E20 The Oldest House In Georgia

Old Ulster County Jail - Kingston, New York

Jason & Grant in the 1st Floor Cells, Female Section - Right away they're hearing all kinds of stuff including "footsteps on sand" according to Grant, Jason enters a cell & says he thinks the sound is coming from an airvent high in the cell wall. The metal door they hear inside the cell must be discounted with the Pilgrim crew filming from outside the cell into it allowing them to be doing literally ANYTHING behind the camera. They split up & find nothing, Grant makes an unintentional funny when he says "theres no-one else in here, right?", no Grant. Just you. And Jason. And the camera guy. And the sound guy. And god alone knows who else.

Amy & Kris in the 2nd Floor Utility Corridor - Kris freaks out about something brushing against her arm, it cant be verified as she'd already started going crazy before the camera panned up off the floor. Score another point for helmetcams. Kris also freaks out again claiming the strap of her top was tugged. I can flatly state nothing moved as the camera was on her the whole time, just a case of an overactive imagination. Back on the cell block Kris freaks out a 3rd time after claiming something touched her arm. Girly, if you are going to offer your arm and ask to be grabbed then dont be shocked when it happens.

Steve & Tango in the 1st Floor Cells, Female Section - Steve sat in a cell while Tango sat on a bench directly outside it. Tango reveals his inner narcisist. Tango asks for a bang saying they'll leave if it happens then he claims to hear "a popping sound" which I never heard. He even indicates a 2nd sound claiming it was "a little louder" when there was nothing at all happening, when they ask for a 3rd noise you do hear something metal hitting metal off camera. Thats the ONLY sound you hear of the 3 Tango claimed. Because Bert & Ernie are too stupid they have to stick to their word & leave the area just as activity is happening. Talk about asking the wrong questions.

Amy & Kris in the 3rd Floor Housing Unit - Amy claims she sees movement which Kris starts to walk towards (with nothing in her hands, no flashlight, no camera, no dvr, NOTHING), we do hear a muffled thud that Kris says "sounded like chains". So chains sound like a sack hitting concrete? They claimed to hear other sounds which left them wandering around by the cells & Amy suggests they split up. Kris sees something in Tier E, shes unable to locate or debunk it. She hears movement and J&G claim to hear the same thing 1 floor directly below them. I'm unsure as to exactly why Grant says not to chase it, isnt that the entire reason they are there?

Jason & Grant in the 2nd Floor Cells Tiers A & B - Grant claims he hears a very Scooby Doo type moan, I could only hear them walking. I didnt hear his reported footsteps either. Nor did I hear the door Jason claimed had opened.

Analysis - Tango plays what he claims is a male voice Kris & Amy caught on video, all I hear is someone very heavy sitting down or shifting their weight on a chair. I couldnt hear ANYTHING when he played the "unpleasant" sound.

The Reveal - Really this should be Jason & Grant saying "Nothing happened" but lets see how much they make up & how far they reach to pass off evidence. Jason presents the clips of Kris freaking out after her "being touched" incidents, she just looks stupid reacting to nothing at all. Audio of Kris & Amy , you cant hear anything at all in the background like they claim. The playback waveform is totally flat so its impossible but the sheriff plays along like he's heard something. Audio playback of J&G on E & F Tier, you hear 2 thuds but its useless as evidence as you have no context for it. Audio of Kris & Amy on the 3rd Floor, you can hear something - possibly an exhale. Its utterly useless as evidence. J&G play audio caught on the 1st Floor, if anyone alive can hear 2 males engaged in conversation then you have better hearing than me. I can't hear anything at all. "We caught some great evidence", a whole lot of nothing is great evidence? No wonder this show is so bad if one of the producers thinks this.

Antebellum Plantation - Stone Mountain, Georgia.
After no handshake at the prison Steve isnt a pariah here at least.

Jason & Grant in the Thornton House - They react to whats obviously the floor, they even query if it is. There are plenty more thuds which do sound a decent distance away, once Grant goes to the top of the stairs Jason has a bad case of overactive imagination hearing "a slight wind with a voice in it" and no it didnt sound like out of a horror film, it sounded dumb & hokey. Just like you in fact. Grant claims he hears speech which Jason confirms as "two syllables", they must both have super hearing as there was nothing at all. Grant asks if its Margaret and theres a knock, as the camera is on him it would have been easy for Jason or any of his crew guys to fake that.

Despite claiming "that came from the room right behind me" Jason then walks into a completely different room. Would that be to allow the Pilgrim Crew member time to vacate that room then? When he eventually does enter the room he mentioned through a side door its obviously empty. Noisy Pilgrim guy had been given plenty of time to bail. Jason hears noises above him which the cameras try to debunk by showing Grant still sitting at the top of the stairs (do Pilgrim not know we've heard of the term Pickup Shot?), when Grant eventually enters the room theres nothing there.

Steve & Tango in Slave Cabin #1 - Steve reacts to something (off camera) then Tango asks "did that chair move?" (also off camera but it wasnt moving at all when they changed shots), Steve overly freaking out at just about everything freaked out Tango who suggested they bail (Isn't this the kind of behaviour Brian Harnois got sacked for?), they were claiming they could hear hissing but neither guy left. Epic fail on Professionalism from the tutors of GHA.

Jason & Grant in the Barn - which lasts for all of about 3 seconds once Jason thinks he sees a light elsewhere so they go check it out. Look Ma, I got me that ADHD as bad as those Klinge Brothers!

Jason & Grant in the Carriage House - They are unable to replicate or debunk the cause of the light Jason saw.

Analysis - Video of a voice Steve & Tango caught in the Slave Cabin.

The Reveal - Jason mentions the mystery light from the Carriage House, video of 1 light tap they claim is 3 bangs in the Thornton House, Grant mentions hearing the name Margaret but theres nothing presented on tape. Guys you know the rules as well as we do, if its not on tape you can NOT present it to the client. Video of the noise made behind Jason that I believe was a crew member, the fact he didnt walk right into the room to check renders it useless and open to being faked.

The audio of Steve & Tango in the Slave Cabin is nothing more than someone inhaling before beginning a sentance, totally debunked and very poor if they are presenting that as actual paranormal evidence - It certainly doesnt sound like "Hey you" and you wont hear that until its suggested to you. Jason manages to totally queer the presentation of the next bit of audio by motioning to the client exactly when she's supposed to hear the sound, you can hear something but Jason just ruined its chance of being evidence by signalling it like that.

As far as my Ghost Hunters reviews go I think this is going to be the last one, you can only rag on stupid people so many times before it becomes meaningless which it has done. I may possibly review the Halloween show, we'll cross that bridge when we reach it. Its been fun doing these and I hope you've enjoyed reading them.

Right now in terms of Paranormal shows there is plenty to watch, Ghost Hunters (currently awful), Ghost Adventures (mildly bad), Ghost Lab (dire now they've decided they need to fake in every show), Paranormal State (still sticking with their overly religious approach), Fact or Faked: Paranormal Files and the return of My Ghost Story. If you can't find something you like watching amongst that lot then you must be Yvette Fielding.

Be well and have a happy Halloween.

RAF dates

Attested 17th April 1990
Started Swinderby 18th April 1990
Left Swinderby June 13th 1990
Posted RAF Hereford June 17th 1990
1 week on Poole Flight,
Started P&A Course 25th June 1990.
Completed 20 week course 9th November 1990
1 week guard duty,
Posted RAF High Wycombe 19th November 1990

Ghost Lab S02E02 The Betrayal reviewed

Again with the weird preview of the show then the credits run, I must say I am not a fan of this new format idea. I really dont need you spoilering the entire show before I even get to see it, whats the point? It ruins any kind of suspense level you might aim for especially with the stupid overly used incidental music.

Hill View Manor - New Castle, Pennsylvania.

Only days after Ghost Adventures did it for the second time on the Travel Channel? I think this is a really bad case of not checking what the competition are doing, if I'd been doing the show schedule I would have at least checked where Ghost Adventures & Ghost Hunters had been in the last 3 weeks and not aired anywhere if it was the same place. Airing this so close to the Ghost Adventures show just makes Discovery look like a complete bunch of amateurs who couldn't schedule the sun to come up if it were morning.

Katy in the Basement - Where according to this weeks Ghost Adventures the worst & most active spirit is. And the 2 fat Texans are leaving a slim petite woman on her own. Real Gentlemen, aint they?

Barry & Brad in Room 105 - Where nothing more active than a mentally handicapped paraplegic woman is said to be, Barry thinks he's getting touched on his arms. After another insanely short EVP session they move elsewhere. No patience at all what so ever. Katy reports (by radio) she heard what sounded like fingernails scratching the wall by her head. A door closes right in front of her, we dont get a whole shot of the door so it has to be discounted as she has a camera crew with her and they already made a point of no longer using the "nothing is faked" disclaimer message any more.

Katy says "no-one was around it" but when you see how much of the door wasn't in the shot as it shut you can see how easily it could have been faked, both the brothers try to debunk it then they go back to the Lab. Brad & Barry cream themselves over the footage & Katy points out she didnt shoot the whole door so its too easy to fake.

Night 2, Brad on the 3rd Floor Nurses Station - With Molly, a former nurses assistant who had worked at Hillview for over 20 years, she was brought in as an Era Cues experiment. At time index 16:09 to 16:12 watch something small & low to the ground move from out of the corridor behind Brad going in a straight line until it passes the camera. It happens JUST before Molly asks if Mary Virginia remembers her.

After the EVP Molly leaves & Brad comes in to join him and immediately goes off in pursuit of a shadow man, unlike Britt Griffiths on Ghost Hunters Barry is at least wearing a headcam which will have captured whatever he was looking at. See Britt, when you see something and chase it make sure you carry recording equipment so you dont look like the complete chump you always do. When Brad checks Barrys camera is turns out there was a loose wire so he caught nothing. Chump alert!

Back in the Lab they review the EVP tape & find something recorded at 10 Hertz which you can make out as "Hello" & it sounds female for sure. The following day its played back to Molly who cant confirm it as Mary Virginia. The door closing footage is played back for Candy (the caretaker), but I am stunned that no-one picked up on the moving object during the EVP with Molly.

Fort Niagra - Youngstown, New York.

The Klinge brothers are jumping at shadows during the hotspot walkthrough in broad daylight so heaven knows how jumpy they will be when it gets dark.

Brad & Barry in the Basement, Cory & Katy in the Officers Dining Hall - Both teams do EVPs and it makes a change that Katy isnt alone for the first time in her Ghost Lab tv career.

Brad & Barry in the Chapel - I told you these 2 have ADHD, they cant stay in a location for longer than a few minutes. I reckon its the same reason why Barry Klinge has so many repressed anger issues too. They had started off in the Basement at 12:25am and are here now at 1:22am so they didnt even spend an hour in the Basement. As they try provoking Cory & Katy think its gotten colder where they are.

Brad & Barry in the 2nd Floor Corridor - Seriously? Do they have ants in their pants? Are they just THAT incapable of staying in 1 location for any real period of time? Brad is provoking again and thinks he hears something (impossible to confirm due to incidental music). Back in the Lab they review the EVP where they claim the recording made at 15 Hertz says "We did not do this" but you cant hear any kind of words at all, its just noise. So they are sticking with awful quality EVP audio then. Brad uses the words "weak" and "whisper" to describe this EVP. So even he thinks its rubbish quality then.

Brad & Barry with Matt Anderson in the Vestibule - Matt was recruited for his ability to translate into French to encourage Non-English speaking spirits to communicate. Barry tries to perpetrate the worst fake ever by throwing his light over the room and claimed it had been knocked out of his hand, the director had made sure they were shooting from his headcam at the time to ensure both his hands were not visible in the shot. Back in the Lab they do playback of what I will now be calling Light Gate then they play audio caught recorded at 18 Hertz which they claim is saying "a betrayal of France" in French.

Ghost Lab S02E01 Dead Will Rise Again

I must admit I honestly did not expect this show to get picked up for a second season after the harsh savaging I gave it reviewing when the first 13 shows. The last review for this show was written on Wed 13th Dec 2009 and today is Wed 27th Oct 2010 so the show has been off the air over 10 months now. Well now its back, sadly not from outer space where it would have been much better off so we will see if the format has improved and if any of the complaints I made about season 1 have been addressed in any shape or form.

My concerns were as follows:-
Tombstone Shadow man, any admission of error or apology?
Constantly jumping to conclusions.
Thinking everything is paranormal.
Awful quality EVP's.

This review will be posted on the Syfy forum for Ghost Hunters, the Ghost Lab forum & on my blog.

Gettysburg.

Barry & Brad on the battle field - They're hearing stuff pretty much right away, theres no way to confirm their "cannon shot" but it seems Discovery ARE going to persist with the stupid incindental music that drowned out any chance of hearing it. And then the credits run? WEIRD way of starting of an episode and a new season.

Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.

I have to report that the disclaimer stating nothing is altered or faked is no longer being used at the start of episodes. In other words its open season for faking. We actually get a very rapid introduction to some of the Every Day Paranormal members (which is a darn sight more than they got in season 1, I had to Google each team members identity back then).

The Fairfield Inn - Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.

The Klinge Brothers do their initial walkthrough in a very different way from Ghost Hunters or Ghost Adventures. They are both normally toured through the location hotspots with the client telling them the claims. Here the Klinge brothers are going through alone with Steve Hock relaying the claims via radio from the Ghost Lab parked outside. Brad does a further briefing with the clients during the daytime checking more claims. Another difference is the Klinge Brothers dont do their investigations in complete darkness, there are always small light sources either set up or being carried.

Brad & Barry in the General J.E.B. Stuart Room - They start out doing an EVP then ask for activity on demand stating "theres a lot of noise, we have to know thats you" but that cant be confirmed due to Discovery & their incidental soundtrack. Showing they still suffer from ADHD they spend less than a minute in this location before deciding to move. Barry manages to sit still for the grand total of 37 seconds (trust me, I counted!) which must be an all time record for shortest time spent investigating a single location. FWIW Barry, if you went on GHA you'd be sent home having failed on the aspect of PATIENCE!

Barry in the Patrick Henry Room - Barry does an EVP in here on his own. Brad hears movement outside his room, with 2 heavy Texans plus camera crews for each of them it has to be discounted. Barry goes out to the landing have a look, theres no-one there. No shock at all. Steve reports nothing caught on camera so they go back to the Lab.

A shadow figure is found on a photograph in the 1757 Suite (probably taken during the baseline checks), it could not be conclusively recreated or debunked. They return to try out a new piece of equipment, the RTEVP Recorder or Real Time EVP recorder which relays data directly to the Lab to allow EVP's to be monitored in real time as they are recorded.

Barry & Brad in the 1757 Suite - They separate again to do an EVP, Barry claims he gets a response which when played back in the Lab (pretty much defeating the point of real time monitoring) says "Private John Riley" but its at 15 Hertz so 5 Hertz under the limit of human hearing, the playback is clearly heavily electronically processed to make it audible though. A historian does find record of an SJ Riley but his body was never found. This audio is played for the clients but they can only understand the whole thing after being told what it said.

Jennie Wade House - Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.

Brad & Barry in the Basement, Katy in the Attic Bedroom (2nd Floor) - Katy gets spooked by "footsteps" that turns out to be nothing but you can hear how much the floors of the attic react when people move across them. Barry & Brad give up on their EVP (after all of about a minute if that) to go check her (have you boys not taken your Ritalin today?). Back in the Lab she plays back movement but with a camera crew with her it has to be discounted.

Farnsworth House - Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.
Brad & Barry have hired 2 Civil War recreators to pretend to be snipers for an Era Cues experiment, Steve Harris is with them playing sounds of gunfire while they run through the actions without actually firing.

Jennie Wade House - Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.
Katy on the ground floor, Brad & Barry in the Attic - Brad & Barry hear what sounds like a female moaning in pain, with Katy in the house it cant be used sorry. If thaey had chosen ANY other member of the team they might have been able to use that sound. One of the brothers feels movement then Katy asks the exact same thing, they think its footsteps. Back in the Lab they replay audio of movement on the wooden floors, with 3 different camera crews in the house sadly its useless as evidence. Playback of the whimper from Barrys camera audio & an EVP recorded at 18 Hertz which sounds female, like talking & crying.

Ghost Hunters S06E19 The Chopping Block reviewed

Bissman Building - Mansfield, Ohio

I guess 3 vans is now going to be the Ghost Hunters standard convey, Van 1 is Jason & Grant, Van 2 is Kris & Amy, Van 3 AKA the tech truck is Steve & Tango. The standard travel pattern seems to be that Jason, Amy & Steve always drive without fail, I dont think I have EVER seen Grant, Tango or Kris driving to the best of my memory. The team are met by Britt & KJ at the location and yet again for the 3rd investigation in a row Steve wasn't introduced to the client nor was he allowed to shake hands.

Is there something medically wrong with Steve or has he fallen so incredibly badly out of favour that he's getting this kind of treatment in front of clients? Although I note Steve did get to shake hands at the end of the hotspot walkthrough. Very odd. And again I can confirm Jason has stopped making his "get digital recorders to cameras" statement so it seems my reviews HAVE made a difference thank you very much Brandy Green!

Britt & KJ in the Basement - The moon must be blue (again), J&G aren't first into the location so it seems another of my constant moans is being addressed again. Dont get used to seeing Britt on tv, he made a rather foolish & bigotted sounding statement on a radio show which got him fired from TAPS so he won't be doing GHI although it sounds like he was already filming. Distinct lack of stuff happening but KJ thought someone tugged his shirt, it didnt really help that the Pilgrim camera guy was panning around AND defocussed his lens at that exact moment.

Jason & Grant on the 3rd Floor - I did hear the distant sound that made Grant ask "What was that?" (but the stupid incidental music ALMOST drowned it out so its well past time to quit with that annoying stuff. It doesnt heighten or build suspense, it merely annoys & drowns out possible evidence. It also makes claims of faking easier to perpetrate) but I certainly didnt hear any "male voice" it just sounded like someone or something moving WAY off in the distance. Almost like it was outside in fact. I certainly didnt hear the "male voice" Jason reacted to (again, due to the incidental soundtrack being too loud). I have to discount the next sound they reacted to as it started exactly as Jason started walking & stopped when he stopped. Again these 2 split up (are they not getting on with each other any more as this is happening more often now?) so anything captured alone has to be discounted to due cross contamination.

So Grants footsteps are thrown out (as Jason was moving at the same time), Britt & KJ claim they can also hear footsteps one floor down.

Steve & Tango in the Basement - Shadows by the window are debunked as KJ causing cross contamination from outside the building so the claims of shadows in that area can be dismissed as there is a sidewalk right outside the windows.

Amy & Kris in the 1st Floor Offices - Amy thinks she heard a door move which cant be confirmed due to her being off camera at the time & the incidental music would have drowned out any such quiet sound (so score yet another point for helmetcams & another point for the removal of incidental music).

Jason & Grant in the Garage - Pilgrim were doing a bad job cutting film by making it look like J&G are either right next to Kriss & Amy as their investigating or so close as to be hot on their heels & looking like they need to be close by as backup. Jason makes an extremely vague report "something just banged into something", at least TRY to sound like you care any more. Grant thinks someone is on the balcony (note at that point he never says if he hears or sees anything, he's just extremely vague as well) & Jason hears something "scurry" but I heard nothing. Grant does later state he's hearing sounds from the balcony (were you too lazy to say that right off or hadn't you decided what claims you were going to invent at that point?). Jason thinks he sees something standing off camera (no shock there) which is then gone.

Its amazing how in less than 3 minutes these 2 have had more experiences than the entire team up to this point in the investigation. We get you are the guys who founded TAPS but trust me you've seen & heard NOTHING, dont feel you have to be inventing stuff every 30 seconds to make the show look interesting. Google "The Boy Who Cried Wolf", you might understand why you are getting such bad ratings this season.

Coming back from the break Grant thinks he sees something peeking out of a doorway directly in front of him, please note it happens as he is sitting down so he is almost certainly seeing his own reflection. Very annoying when Grant states "both of us saw figure standing there", Jason said no such thing (or least not on camera anyway) so dont be speaking for him or putting words into his own mouth. Its flippant statements like that that make us mistrust you all the more Grant Wilson. If Jason saw something I want to hear HIM say it.

Steve & Tango on the 4th Floor - I'm not exactly sure why Steve is taking an EMF base reading so late into the investigation, isnt that a very basic thing he should be doing during the hotspot walkthru? Have I just caught TAPS out in yet another basic rookie procedure? It seems the EMF spike is around the area of the elevator. You have to wonder how many of the other teams EVP's these 2 were contaminating with their stupid loud tapping. I assume the noise Tango reacted was the loud exhale (I'm guessing one of the Pilgrim guys got too near the condenser mic).

Britt & KJ on the 3rd Floor - I'm not sure what they reacted to, I could hear what sounded like dragging several times but Britt says "water dripping", I have noted Britt yet again doesnt seem to like carrying a camera as this week all he appears to have are a flashlight, the walkie talkie and an EMF meter. Was he that self assured in his getting the GHI lead job he no longer felt he needed to carry any kind of useful recording equipment? KJ reports movement (moments after he himself had just stopped walking so it was probably the floor settling), nothing is caught on the thermal (if Britt had been carrying a night vision camera as corroboration it might have helped their cause greatly as KJ was getting ZILCH on the thermal). KJ states they were seeing movement but nothing was showing on the night vision cameras so a case of matrixing or wishful thinking more likely.

Yet again Britt became the Brian Harnois Experience, chasing after something (or nothing) with nothing more than a walkie talkie, exactly what did he think he was going to record with that? Its not like this is an isolated incident either so I think I count myself lucky he has been fired, his ineptitude is beyond epic status now. Britt makes various statements which can all be discounted & ignored as personal experiences due to having nothing on tape of film. Rule #1, if its not on tape or film it DID NOT HAPPEN! He then compounds his massive howler by then stating "I wanna get something documented on tape", how do you intend to do that if you never carry a camera or recorder Britt? Does he know how much of an idiot & rank amateur he sounds like at that point? GHA cadets were sent home for MUCH less than this and yet here is a guy who was picked to be leader of GHI making GIGANTIC rookie howlers.

Personally I think Britt was WAY overdue his firing and it should have been from a cannon into the sun.

Amy & Kris in the Basement - They both report whispering which cant be confirm because (shock of shocks) the stupid incidental sound effects. AGAIN. How many more times are we going to have to tell Pilgrim about this before they pay 1 iota of attention? Same thing reported again cant be confirmed for the same reason. This is just getting dull now. Note:- The "whispering" was said to be coming from the windows near the street level. Outside contamination no doubt, throw it out. In fact when they are asking to "knock real loud for us" you even seeing people walking past another window on the street so anything they are hearing is almost certainly from outside. A sump pump frightens them, much hilarity ensues - NOT.

The Analysis - Steve plays footage of footsteps - my main issue he doesnt state which floor it is or who else is in the building at that point so its got to be thrown out, footage of an orb - again we're not told where it is other than "Camera 2" (please note that during the camera review Steve doesnt refer to ANY of the cameras by their numbers) but its thrown out as dust, audio of a noise below Kris & Amy (again we're left to guess their location when it was recorded).

The Reveal - Frankly as far as I am concerned theres nothing to reveal, lets see what the "experts" think shall we? A brief discussion about shadows, Grant cites his personal experience in the Garage (where he mistakes his own reflection for something paranormal), shadows from the Basement are debunked, audio caught by Kris & Amy from the 2nd Floor (which wasnt shown on camera) which sounds like a heavy door slamming in my opinion, extremely rubbish audio of Grants footsteps that I still say were Jason or his camera crew in the other room, audio of a voice caught by J&G in the garage - its great that the waveform where they claim the audio happens is a complete flatline so its seems like yet again the client was prebriefed as to what he was supposed to be hearing. Audio of footsteps near a static camera on the 1st Floor, with people in both the Basement AND 2nd Floor its something you have to throw out as possible cross contamination.

Not a great show this week, but its been worse than this which means (you hope) it can only improve.

On a side note it appears we now have to sign into Blogger separately so if you want to use it you have to sign into Google then Blogger and it appears you have to sign into Blogger EVERY time which is as annoying as hell. I wonder when they changed this as you used to be able to log into Google which allowed Blogger access as well.

Whats with the double logins required?

Ghost Hunters S06E18 Time To Get Touched reviewed

Thurber House - Columbus, Ohio

Oh no, Shaggy & Scooby are BACK! I guess GHA is all done shooting as the TAPS resident idiots have returned to the fold, Steve & Tango are back on the team. Sadly. And guess what, my complaints paid off! Jason has stopped saying his pointless & stupid statement about getting digital recorders to cameras. It seems that insulting someones intelligence does work then.

Jason & Grant in the Dining Room - Some actual debunking was done, I was surprised they didnt try to run up the stairs to compare & contrast the 2 different sounds. As far the clock popping open I'm not going to read anything into it, they were fiddling with it earler and it JUST happened to pop open as the Pilgrim camera guy had just gone past it? Fake? You decide. Please note the clock pops open off camera so any of the rest of the crew could have easily interfered with it & the camera mans "Oh my god" reaction sounds really underwhelmed & totally contrived. Whilst debunking Grant pretty much confirms the fakery when he said "It takes a good amount of force" so it was done by a human then.

Kris & Amy in The Parlor - I heard something that caused them to go upstairs.

Steve & Tango in the Dining Room - No clue what "movement" Steve reacted to, all I could was the clock ticking & the stupid incidental music & effect track. I certainly didnt hear the "shuffling" Tango reacted to either. I did note Tango fiddling with the "static" dvr camera they had placed on the table to monitor the clock, I wonder what he was doing to it?

Amy & Kris in the Gift Shop - I didn't hear the "popping sound", kinda hard to heard ANYTHING over the stupid incidental music it was THAT loud.

Analysis - Steve plays Tangos "Shuffling" which just sounds like one of the camera crew shifting his bodyweight on the wooden floor. Short playback of the clock footage.

The Reveal - They explain the debunk of the footsteps on the stairs, playback of Tangos "shuffling" which sounds even more like one of the crew moving, footage of the clock - amazingly the camera guy isnt actually very close to it. No-one is touching it but it looks VERY staged especially combined with the camera guys awful "reaction" acting. Its hard to explain but I'm sure given enough time it can be proved to be the fake it appears to come off as.

Canfield Casino - Saratoga Springs, New York

I did note on both investigations when meeting the client neither time was Steve allowed to introduce himself or shake the clients hand. Is he in the doghouse?

Jason & Grant on the 3rd Floor, Walworth Mansion - Grant finds a weird EMF reading by a wall then we hear a thud off camera (very convenient), which when they enter the room they suspect it came from sounds exactly like J&G walking on the wooden floor. Grant claims he heard a male voice then we got another thud. Grant shows he does know how to tag "that creak was me" but that "creak" sounded exactly like the previous 2 thuds so the sound is pretty much busted as human. I am still trying to decide if Jason stamped his foot seconds before he claimed to hear that final loud thud he described as feeling the floor move.

Steve & Tango on the 3rd Floor, Red Bedroom - After moving out of the room Tango thinks he hears chimes (I heard a couple of thuds which was probably just them or the crew but no attempts were made to tag any of them). As Steve plays around with the DVR he asks Tango if he tapped him, its great that Steve has so little trust in Tango.

Kris & Amy on the 3rd Floor, Walworth Exhibit - Kris cant make any claims about her hair as it happened off camera so has to be discounted, if its not on tape so it didnt happen. You know the golden rule girls.

Analysis - Steve getting tapped footage, playback of the voices J&G claimed to hear.

The Reveal - Grant explains the weird EMF reading, audio of the voices J&G claimed to hear (frankly the sounds are so quiet they could be anything), audio of the lamp chimes which you can bearly hear caught by Steve & Tango, video of Steves bad acting pretending he is being tapped. This is stupid, its just footage of one guy reacting to nothing. They also played the footage of Kris adjusting her hair, another stupid bit of tape of someone reacting to nothing at all.

These 2 investigations have got to have been 2 of the worst shows ever to have been aired by the Ghost Hunters franchise. I am starting to think they just want to make themselves look purposely bad or stupid. Surely no-one who has been in the paranormal field this long is this inept? With this kind of thing happening pretty much every week now you have to wonder how much longer Pilgrim will continue to fund the show or how much longer Syfy will continue to air it.

Even when shows are truly awful there will still be die hard fans sticking by them but when the show only has 8 people a week left watching it what will be the point of it any more?