On the second day of Convergence/Skepchicon, one event especially caught my eye – a talk titled “The Other Side: Ghost Hunting & Evidence Review” given by Dave Schrader, the host of Paranormal Radio. Almost immediately I was skeptical, as I have analyzed the claims & methods of various ghost hunters before and found them to be quite dubious. In addition, many of my skeptic colleagues cringed a bit when they heard his name and my mention of his talk. Thus, in the spirit of learning more for myself I attended his talk and took many notes – in the end, I was both a bit impressed with Dave but also quite disappointed. Read through my notes, which is a transcription of his talk, and please see my specific comments in italics. Also please make sure to read my closing question to Dave Schrader and his response…
The Other Side: Ghost Hunting & Evidence Review
How to investigate the Paranormal, from setting up a team to reviewing evidence. Presented by Dave Schrader, host of Paranormal Radio and author of The Other Side: A Teens Guide to Ghost Hunting and the Paranormal.
Dave is walking around handing out info TAPS, ghost hunting, and talking about a local [Minneapolis] show called Ghostbustin’ 911 (lolz).
How many people have ever gone on a ghost hunt before? [a few hands raise, including my own]
I’m going to show you a bizarre, demonic picture from a possible demonic haunting. The lady of the house claimed she was smelling weird smells like rotting meat or poop along with strange cries. While there I was taking photos and got a shot of a demonic, and here it is… [shows photo of a little kid in a costume – laughter]
Title: A Common Sense Look at Paranormal Investigating and Evidence Review…
The Skeptical Teacher 