Electronic voice phenomenon
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:''The pun in the pseudoscience box above is unintentional.'' | :''The pun in the pseudoscience box above is unintentional.'' | ||
| − | :''Not to be confused with the machine used by Stephen Hawking.'' | + | :''Not to be confused with the machine used by [[Stephen Hawking]].'' |
'''Electronic voice phenomenon''', or '''EVP''', or most hilariously "Instrumental Transcommunication", refers to the belief that spirits can communicate from "beyond" on electronic audio recording equipment. Practitioners often set up a recording device in a room where it is thought that ghosts reside. The practitioner then asks various questions while recording. Later the tape is analyzed both forward and backwards, searching the "white noise" for anything that might sound like a sentence or word. | '''Electronic voice phenomenon''', or '''EVP''', or most hilariously "Instrumental Transcommunication", refers to the belief that spirits can communicate from "beyond" on electronic audio recording equipment. Practitioners often set up a recording device in a room where it is thought that ghosts reside. The practitioner then asks various questions while recording. Later the tape is analyzed both forward and backwards, searching the "white noise" for anything that might sound like a sentence or word. | ||
Revision as of 05:56, 1 August 2009
This topic is a pseudoscience, and is not accepted by the scientific community as a valid discipline.
Although it may use scientific terminology, it does not use scientific methodology.
Remember: just because it sounds right doesn't mean it's actually right.
- The pun in the pseudoscience box above is unintentional.
- Not to be confused with the machine used by Stephen Hawking.
Electronic voice phenomenon, or EVP, or most hilariously "Instrumental Transcommunication", refers to the belief that spirits can communicate from "beyond" on electronic audio recording equipment. Practitioners often set up a recording device in a room where it is thought that ghosts reside. The practitioner then asks various questions while recording. Later the tape is analyzed both forward and backwards, searching the "white noise" for anything that might sound like a sentence or word.
This may seem familiar to anyone as a child that ever played the game of finding animals in the shapes of clouds. Humans are pattern recognition machines and it is no surprise that in hours and hours of white noise people can find what they hear as voices. The recordings are never anything more complex then one sentence or two very short sentences, and are often just single words. Usually in order to "hear" it, you must first be told what it says. This gets into the power of suggestion.
It is used fairly prominently in the Ghosthunters comedy television show. They show quite clearly, depending on your level of gullibility, that it is amazingly true or what a bucket of moldy tripe it is. This tripe has also been featured on Coast to Coast AM.
Sample woo
- "The experimenter’s excitement in trying a new detection device or recording technique may be the source of improved EVP collection. As the new approach becomes “normal operating procedure,” the improvements generally fade back to a more “normal” Quality and Quantity (QQ) of EVP collection. This suggests that it is important for the experimenter to maintain piqued interest during experiments. This is also one of the reasons it is speculated that the experimenter is an integral part of the recording circuit. The experimenter is apparently supplying the necessary psi energy to enable a nonphysical to physical transfer of energy."[1]
- "Digital voice recorders are recommended for transform EVP. Less expensive models produce more internal noise which is useful for voice formation. High quality units will probably require added background noise. A computer can also be used, but will probably require added noise."[2]
Footnotes
- ↑ Pure woo, baby, from here at WikiSynergy.
- ↑ Yes, they actually recommend mucking up your fidelity in order to "better" hallucinate that you are hearing voices.