1 00:00:04,480 --> 00:00:12,400 Speaker 1: Welcome to tech Stuff, a production from iHeartRadio. Hey there, 2 00:00:12,400 --> 00:00:16,959 Speaker 1: and welcome to tech Stuff. I'm your host, your ghost 3 00:00:17,000 --> 00:00:21,599 Speaker 1: host Jonathan Strickland, an executive producer at iHeart Podcasts, And 4 00:00:21,720 --> 00:00:24,840 Speaker 1: how the tech are you? And as we creep ever 5 00:00:25,040 --> 00:00:30,920 Speaker 1: closer to that creepiest of days, Halloween, it's time for 6 00:00:31,320 --> 00:00:35,400 Speaker 1: another spooky episode of tech Stuff. Now. On Monday's episode, 7 00:00:35,440 --> 00:00:41,000 Speaker 1: I talked about how photography gave certain Charlatans a tool 8 00:00:41,280 --> 00:00:45,840 Speaker 1: to purposefully fool the grief stricken and the gullible into 9 00:00:45,840 --> 00:00:49,960 Speaker 1: believing they were sitting for photos with ghostly companions, when 10 00:00:50,080 --> 00:00:54,360 Speaker 1: in fact, those grieving people were really just victims of 11 00:00:54,400 --> 00:00:59,240 Speaker 1: photographic tricks like double exposures and superimposed negatives. Today, I 12 00:00:59,240 --> 00:01:02,160 Speaker 1: want to talk about a device that has no purpose 13 00:01:02,600 --> 00:01:06,319 Speaker 1: other than to supposedly detect the presence of ghosts. These 14 00:01:06,360 --> 00:01:10,279 Speaker 1: are called RM pods. Now. I made this joke on Monday, 15 00:01:10,280 --> 00:01:12,039 Speaker 1: but I'm gonna go ahead and make it again because 16 00:01:12,120 --> 00:01:15,240 Speaker 1: I was very sad to hear that RM pods are not, 17 00:01:15,800 --> 00:01:19,640 Speaker 1: in fact little relaxation capsules that you can just crawl 18 00:01:19,760 --> 00:01:22,760 Speaker 1: into and then listen to the band Ram sing about 19 00:01:22,760 --> 00:01:27,400 Speaker 1: shiny happy people and Andy Kaufman and such. Instead, rim 20 00:01:27,480 --> 00:01:31,720 Speaker 1: pods are devices that are meant to detect electromagnetic fluctuations, 21 00:01:32,040 --> 00:01:37,240 Speaker 1: which many in the paranormal biz believe indicates the presence 22 00:01:37,360 --> 00:01:41,680 Speaker 1: of other worldly spirits. Now I mentioned this in Monday's 23 00:01:41,680 --> 00:01:44,320 Speaker 1: episode as well, but once again, for the folks in 24 00:01:44,360 --> 00:01:47,640 Speaker 1: the back, that's not how science works. You don't go 25 00:01:47,800 --> 00:01:52,440 Speaker 1: hunting for effects and then invent causes for those effects. 26 00:01:52,760 --> 00:01:55,760 Speaker 1: That's the stuff of myth. It's like thinking back to 27 00:01:55,840 --> 00:01:59,720 Speaker 1: prehistoric days when humans wondered what the heck was causing thunder, 28 00:01:59,760 --> 00:02:01,400 Speaker 1: and the best they could come up with is that 29 00:02:01,440 --> 00:02:05,120 Speaker 1: some extremely powerful gods we're having a hissy fit of 30 00:02:05,200 --> 00:02:09,000 Speaker 1: one sort or another. It's akin to writing here, there 31 00:02:09,160 --> 00:02:13,080 Speaker 1: be dragons on a map, because you don't actually know 32 00:02:13,600 --> 00:02:16,280 Speaker 1: what is beyond a certain part of the map, and 33 00:02:16,360 --> 00:02:18,240 Speaker 1: so just to be on the safe side, you imagine 34 00:02:18,280 --> 00:02:20,880 Speaker 1: something really awful and maybe that way you don't actually 35 00:02:20,919 --> 00:02:23,359 Speaker 1: have to go out there and find out for sure. Now, 36 00:02:23,400 --> 00:02:26,639 Speaker 1: the proper way to go about this whole thing would 37 00:02:26,680 --> 00:02:30,480 Speaker 1: be to first find evidence of the existence of ghosts, 38 00:02:30,720 --> 00:02:34,800 Speaker 1: like something that shows that ghosts do in fact exist. 39 00:02:34,960 --> 00:02:40,079 Speaker 1: Then you observe these ghosts to figure out what the 40 00:02:40,080 --> 00:02:44,240 Speaker 1: heck they do, what are they capable of doing? You 41 00:02:44,280 --> 00:02:47,240 Speaker 1: don't look for weird phenomena and then say, well, I 42 00:02:47,240 --> 00:02:49,840 Speaker 1: don't know what caused this, so it must be ghosts. 43 00:02:50,240 --> 00:02:53,359 Speaker 1: I suppose paranormal investigators would argue that there's a long 44 00:02:53,480 --> 00:02:58,960 Speaker 1: history of associating ghosts with EMF fluctuations, But since ghosts 45 00:02:59,040 --> 00:03:02,359 Speaker 1: have never been proven to exist, let alone that they 46 00:03:02,639 --> 00:03:07,399 Speaker 1: can affect or manipulate electromagnetic fields, that doesn't really work 47 00:03:07,440 --> 00:03:09,640 Speaker 1: for me. You know, some people say, well, the living 48 00:03:09,680 --> 00:03:14,160 Speaker 1: can affect electromagnetic fields, so it stands to reason that 49 00:03:14,280 --> 00:03:18,280 Speaker 1: the spirits can as well, but that doesn't really track. 50 00:03:18,800 --> 00:03:24,280 Speaker 1: It doesn't matter how long we've associated ghosts with EMF fluctuations, 51 00:03:24,280 --> 00:03:27,120 Speaker 1: it's never actually been proven to be a thing. So 52 00:03:27,440 --> 00:03:31,760 Speaker 1: if I just associate I don't know, the sensation of 53 00:03:31,840 --> 00:03:35,280 Speaker 1: an upset stomach with the color blue, it doesn't mean 54 00:03:35,280 --> 00:03:38,240 Speaker 1: the color blue is causing my upset stomach, even if 55 00:03:38,280 --> 00:03:41,960 Speaker 1: I've associated it, like, until we've proven that the color 56 00:03:41,960 --> 00:03:46,360 Speaker 1: blue is doing it to me, it's just coincidence, And 57 00:03:46,400 --> 00:03:49,200 Speaker 1: in this case, it's coincidence between something that's real, that 58 00:03:49,400 --> 00:03:53,119 Speaker 1: is the fluctuations of electromagnetic fields, and something that has 59 00:03:53,160 --> 00:03:57,080 Speaker 1: not been established to be real, that is ghosts. But 60 00:03:57,160 --> 00:03:58,560 Speaker 1: now that we've got all that out of the way, 61 00:03:58,800 --> 00:04:03,120 Speaker 1: let's talk about ariods. And there hesitate to use this 62 00:04:03,160 --> 00:04:09,160 Speaker 1: word inventor Gary Galka. Now, first, Galka was highly motivated 63 00:04:09,520 --> 00:04:13,440 Speaker 1: to make devices that could potentially detect ghosts for a 64 00:04:13,560 --> 00:04:18,320 Speaker 1: real and tragic reason. And I don't want to downplay this. 65 00:04:18,320 --> 00:04:22,800 Speaker 1: This is horrible. Galka tragically lost his daughter, Melissa in 66 00:04:22,880 --> 00:04:26,080 Speaker 1: a car accident in September two thousand and four. She 67 00:04:26,279 --> 00:04:30,039 Speaker 1: was just seventeen years old, and I cannot even begin 68 00:04:30,160 --> 00:04:34,440 Speaker 1: to imagine the emotional and psychological impact that had both 69 00:04:34,480 --> 00:04:36,920 Speaker 1: on him and the rest of his family. He has 70 00:04:37,160 --> 00:04:41,000 Speaker 1: a wife and two other daughters, and that's just heartbreaking. 71 00:04:41,480 --> 00:04:44,680 Speaker 1: Just a reminder, like the guiding principles for tech stuff 72 00:04:44,720 --> 00:04:48,680 Speaker 1: I've always said are critical thinking and compassion. I do 73 00:04:49,080 --> 00:04:52,920 Speaker 1: suggest we use critical thinking when we examine the work 74 00:04:53,080 --> 00:04:56,760 Speaker 1: and claims of Galka, but we also show compassion because 75 00:04:57,160 --> 00:05:00,200 Speaker 1: that's a horrible loss. But according to Galka, he and 76 00:05:00,240 --> 00:05:05,000 Speaker 1: his family were experiencing unusual phenomena over the days, weeks, 77 00:05:05,040 --> 00:05:08,960 Speaker 1: and months following Melissa's death. Now, Galka owns a business 78 00:05:09,000 --> 00:05:14,000 Speaker 1: called DAS Distribution, which designs high tech measurement systems such 79 00:05:14,000 --> 00:05:19,000 Speaker 1: as non contact measurement devices, and Galka builds sensors and 80 00:05:19,120 --> 00:05:22,640 Speaker 1: instruments that could be incorporated into other technologies for a 81 00:05:22,680 --> 00:05:25,839 Speaker 1: wide array of industries. So think about devices that are 82 00:05:25,920 --> 00:05:29,600 Speaker 1: meant to detect stuff like humidity within a controlled environment, 83 00:05:29,800 --> 00:05:32,080 Speaker 1: like if you've ever been in a museum where they've 84 00:05:32,120 --> 00:05:35,640 Speaker 1: had humidity sensors that kind of thing, or devices that 85 00:05:35,680 --> 00:05:39,880 Speaker 1: are designed to detect defects or malfunctions and equipment and 86 00:05:39,960 --> 00:05:44,320 Speaker 1: processes or devices that aid in the precise measurement when 87 00:05:44,440 --> 00:05:47,520 Speaker 1: working in fields that have no wiggle room for ambiguity, 88 00:05:47,520 --> 00:05:51,080 Speaker 1: where you absolutely have to get measurements down to the 89 00:05:51,080 --> 00:05:54,080 Speaker 1: most precise unit you can. That's the kind of thing 90 00:05:54,120 --> 00:05:58,080 Speaker 1: that Galica worked in and Galka turned this ingenuity toward 91 00:05:58,160 --> 00:06:03,200 Speaker 1: developing different gadgets in tended to aid the average ghost hunter. 92 00:06:03,640 --> 00:06:07,120 Speaker 1: These include things like spirit boxes, which I've talked about before. 93 00:06:07,320 --> 00:06:10,560 Speaker 1: Your typical spirit box is essentially a radio. It's a 94 00:06:10,600 --> 00:06:15,960 Speaker 1: receiver and it's cycling through radio frequencies typically pretty quickly. 95 00:06:16,600 --> 00:06:20,320 Speaker 1: They can go slower, but the more modern ones that 96 00:06:20,400 --> 00:06:24,360 Speaker 1: get a little bit more traction these days go fast, 97 00:06:24,880 --> 00:06:27,599 Speaker 1: and the belief is that ghosts, through some means of 98 00:06:27,640 --> 00:06:32,200 Speaker 1: manipulating radio frequencies, can communicate through these kinds of devices. 99 00:06:32,400 --> 00:06:34,839 Speaker 1: But a gadget that has a lot of ghost hunting 100 00:06:34,880 --> 00:06:39,280 Speaker 1: types gravitating towards it over the last couple of decades 101 00:06:39,520 --> 00:06:43,880 Speaker 1: has been the mel meter, which is named after Galca's 102 00:06:44,000 --> 00:06:48,719 Speaker 1: daughter Melissa, and rim pods. So rim pods are kind 103 00:06:48,800 --> 00:06:50,960 Speaker 1: of a stripped down version of the mel meter, or 104 00:06:50,960 --> 00:06:53,560 Speaker 1: the mail meter is like an EMF meter that has 105 00:06:53,560 --> 00:06:55,840 Speaker 1: an rim pod built into it, at least the more 106 00:06:55,880 --> 00:06:59,120 Speaker 1: advanced mailmeters are. I'll talk about them later in the episode, 107 00:06:59,160 --> 00:07:02,160 Speaker 1: but let's start with the rm pods first and then 108 00:07:02,400 --> 00:07:05,960 Speaker 1: we'll get into what makes melmeter slightly different. So the 109 00:07:06,160 --> 00:07:10,240 Speaker 1: basic idea behind the rim pod is that it detects 110 00:07:10,280 --> 00:07:15,320 Speaker 1: disruptions in an electromagnetic field, which the pod itself generates. 111 00:07:15,640 --> 00:07:19,760 Speaker 1: So the pod creates an electromagnetic field and then essentially 112 00:07:19,840 --> 00:07:23,840 Speaker 1: keeps a weather eye on if anything interferes with that 113 00:07:24,120 --> 00:07:27,640 Speaker 1: electromagnetic field, which sounds pretty high tech, but it turns 114 00:07:27,680 --> 00:07:31,280 Speaker 1: out the basic electronics inside rim pods, at least inside 115 00:07:31,280 --> 00:07:34,760 Speaker 1: the original version anyway, is a hobbykit variation of what 116 00:07:34,840 --> 00:07:37,440 Speaker 1: you would find inside of theremin Now we know that 117 00:07:37,560 --> 00:07:41,920 Speaker 1: because in twenty nineteen, a skeptic and science enthusiast named 118 00:07:42,080 --> 00:07:46,080 Speaker 1: Kinney Biddle, who has written articles for The Skeptical Inquirer 119 00:07:46,200 --> 00:07:49,760 Speaker 1: over several years, he bought an RM pod and he 120 00:07:49,800 --> 00:07:52,280 Speaker 1: took it apart to see what makes it tick, and 121 00:07:52,320 --> 00:07:56,000 Speaker 1: you can read his full explanation at Skeptical Inquirer dot org. 122 00:07:56,520 --> 00:08:00,520 Speaker 1: His piece is titled ghost Hunting Gadgets the rim Pod. 123 00:08:00,800 --> 00:08:03,560 Speaker 1: But at the heart of the operation was a little 124 00:08:03,600 --> 00:08:07,040 Speaker 1: circuit called a junior Thereman. We'll talk about that in 125 00:08:07,160 --> 00:08:10,880 Speaker 1: just a moment. Now. I did an episode about Thereman's 126 00:08:11,160 --> 00:08:14,680 Speaker 1: way back in twenty eleven. Could Lord have been doing 127 00:08:14,720 --> 00:08:17,960 Speaker 1: this for a long time anyway? The Thereman is an 128 00:08:17,960 --> 00:08:22,480 Speaker 1: interesting musical instrument. It was invented in nineteen twenty eight 129 00:08:22,680 --> 00:08:26,400 Speaker 1: by a guy named Lev Turman, who had been changed 130 00:08:26,440 --> 00:08:30,600 Speaker 1: his name to Leon Thereman, and the device thus bears 131 00:08:30,800 --> 00:08:35,120 Speaker 1: his name. Interestingly, he didn't set out to make a 132 00:08:35,240 --> 00:08:38,720 Speaker 1: musical instrument to begin with. His actual goal was to 133 00:08:38,760 --> 00:08:43,120 Speaker 1: build a censor capable of detecting objects, kind of in 134 00:08:43,160 --> 00:08:48,200 Speaker 1: a way similar to how sonar works underwater. His methodology 135 00:08:48,200 --> 00:08:51,840 Speaker 1: didn't quite work out. It never could extend to a 136 00:08:51,880 --> 00:08:54,360 Speaker 1: point where it would be useful, Like if you did 137 00:08:54,440 --> 00:08:59,880 Speaker 1: detect an object with electromagnetic fluctuations, it would be when 138 00:08:59,880 --> 00:09:01,640 Speaker 1: the the object was close enough for you to kind 139 00:09:01,679 --> 00:09:04,800 Speaker 1: of see it and potentially touch it, so the meter 140 00:09:04,880 --> 00:09:08,840 Speaker 1: would not be of much use. However, he did figure 141 00:09:08,840 --> 00:09:12,080 Speaker 1: out a way to leverage this and create a musical 142 00:09:12,120 --> 00:09:15,040 Speaker 1: instrument that would require no contact. He thought of it 143 00:09:15,120 --> 00:09:18,199 Speaker 1: kind of like you would play this musical instrument as 144 00:09:18,240 --> 00:09:21,240 Speaker 1: if you were a conductor of an orchestra. Your hands 145 00:09:21,280 --> 00:09:23,679 Speaker 1: would never have to make contact with the instrument at all. 146 00:09:23,760 --> 00:09:28,000 Speaker 1: They would move around it and manipulate an electromagnetic field, 147 00:09:28,280 --> 00:09:31,080 Speaker 1: and then you would generate a sound through this instrument 148 00:09:31,120 --> 00:09:33,559 Speaker 1: that way. And it's not lost on me that nearly 149 00:09:33,600 --> 00:09:37,760 Speaker 1: a century later, Galica would essentially reverse this process of 150 00:09:38,200 --> 00:09:41,959 Speaker 1: turning a device meant to detect objects into a musical instrument, 151 00:09:42,000 --> 00:09:45,760 Speaker 1: and Galka would take a circuit meant to emulate a 152 00:09:45,840 --> 00:09:49,679 Speaker 1: musical instrument and turn it into a device that detects something, 153 00:09:49,720 --> 00:09:53,800 Speaker 1: not objects, but gigigos. Now, even if you've never seen 154 00:09:53,840 --> 00:09:56,480 Speaker 1: a thereman before, you've likely heard the noise it makes 155 00:09:56,480 --> 00:09:59,880 Speaker 1: this weird, warbly sound. You sometimes hear an old sign 156 00:10:00,080 --> 00:10:05,640 Speaker 1: fiction or horror films that whoaoo kind of stuff, very 157 00:10:05,720 --> 00:10:09,400 Speaker 1: warbly and unearthly. And your basic theramen is a box 158 00:10:09,440 --> 00:10:13,240 Speaker 1: that has two antenna extending from it. Typically one goes 159 00:10:13,440 --> 00:10:16,800 Speaker 1: vertical and one goes horizontal. And by positioning your hands 160 00:10:16,880 --> 00:10:19,920 Speaker 1: near the two antennas, you can cause the theramen to 161 00:10:20,000 --> 00:10:23,720 Speaker 1: create an electronic sound, and you can manipulate that electronic sound. 162 00:10:23,920 --> 00:10:27,000 Speaker 1: If you move your hand closer to or further from 163 00:10:27,200 --> 00:10:31,360 Speaker 1: the vertical antenna, you affect the pitch. If you move 164 00:10:31,440 --> 00:10:35,240 Speaker 1: your hand closer to or further from the horizontal antenna, 165 00:10:35,520 --> 00:10:39,120 Speaker 1: you affect the volume. To get more technical, a theremin 166 00:10:39,240 --> 00:10:42,080 Speaker 1: has a pair of oscillators connected to a circuit to 167 00:10:42,240 --> 00:10:46,199 Speaker 1: affect the pitch, so the vertical antenna. Here, one oscillator 168 00:10:46,360 --> 00:10:49,760 Speaker 1: is variable and the other is set to a fixed value. 169 00:10:49,920 --> 00:10:53,080 Speaker 1: The fixed value oscillator produces radio waves at a stable 170 00:10:53,120 --> 00:10:57,200 Speaker 1: static frequency. The variable oscillator can, as the name suggests, 171 00:10:57,520 --> 00:11:01,080 Speaker 1: generate a variable radio frequency, and the two signals mix 172 00:11:01,120 --> 00:11:04,440 Speaker 1: in a process that's called heterodyning, in which one frequency's 173 00:11:04,520 --> 00:11:08,120 Speaker 1: value is subtracted from the other. Now, the volume antenna 174 00:11:08,360 --> 00:11:11,560 Speaker 1: is simpler. It uses a single oscillator to generate a 175 00:11:11,600 --> 00:11:14,600 Speaker 1: frequency that you disrupt by moving your hand closer to 176 00:11:14,720 --> 00:11:17,520 Speaker 1: or further from the connected antenna, and that signal then 177 00:11:17,600 --> 00:11:21,679 Speaker 1: goes to an amplifier and ultimately to speakers to create 178 00:11:21,720 --> 00:11:25,800 Speaker 1: the warbly effect that we hear. And Leon Therreman first 179 00:11:25,880 --> 00:11:29,440 Speaker 1: noticed that the human body could disrupt electromagnetic fields while 180 00:11:29,440 --> 00:11:32,120 Speaker 1: he was working with an oscillating circuit that was just 181 00:11:32,240 --> 00:11:34,880 Speaker 1: generating a radio frequency, and he saw that when he 182 00:11:34,960 --> 00:11:38,920 Speaker 1: moved into the electromagnetic field, the frequency that was produced 183 00:11:38,960 --> 00:11:42,720 Speaker 1: by this circuit changed. And as Kenny Biddle found, that 184 00:11:42,880 --> 00:11:45,640 Speaker 1: was the basic concept of the arium pod as well, 185 00:11:45,720 --> 00:11:48,640 Speaker 1: except that instead of a device designed to make music, 186 00:11:48,840 --> 00:11:51,720 Speaker 1: it's meant to indicate if some sort of ghost is nearby, 187 00:11:52,040 --> 00:11:54,400 Speaker 1: or at least if something is interfering with the antenna's 188 00:11:54,440 --> 00:11:58,760 Speaker 1: electromagnetic field, which is more accurate. So let's describe the 189 00:11:58,800 --> 00:12:01,640 Speaker 1: device as Biddle in countered it. When he took it apart. 190 00:12:02,160 --> 00:12:06,360 Speaker 1: His RM pod had an exterior made of PVC coupling, 191 00:12:06,640 --> 00:12:08,480 Speaker 1: so the kind of stuff that you can buy at 192 00:12:08,520 --> 00:12:11,840 Speaker 1: your average hardware store. It was cylindrical in shape with 193 00:12:11,920 --> 00:12:14,960 Speaker 1: an extendable antenna in the top of it, and it 194 00:12:15,000 --> 00:12:19,800 Speaker 1: also had four translucent rods extending from the top. These 195 00:12:19,840 --> 00:12:22,559 Speaker 1: he believed were made out of hot glue stick, and 196 00:12:22,760 --> 00:12:26,920 Speaker 1: filling the PVC coupling was resin with more hot glue stick, 197 00:12:26,920 --> 00:12:29,319 Speaker 1: apparently mixed in potentially to help cut down on the 198 00:12:29,360 --> 00:12:31,679 Speaker 1: amount of resin needed to fill the whole thing, and 199 00:12:31,720 --> 00:12:33,840 Speaker 1: the four ends of the glue stick stuck up out 200 00:12:33,840 --> 00:12:36,040 Speaker 1: of the resin, and at the base of those glue 201 00:12:36,040 --> 00:12:38,920 Speaker 1: sticks were LED lights, so the lights would shine up 202 00:12:39,080 --> 00:12:42,040 Speaker 1: through the length of the hot glue stick so that 203 00:12:42,080 --> 00:12:43,880 Speaker 1: you could see the light at the top of the 204 00:12:44,040 --> 00:12:48,760 Speaker 1: RM pod right, so kind of an inexpensive way of 205 00:12:48,800 --> 00:12:51,600 Speaker 1: making sure the LEDs would show through. There was also 206 00:12:51,640 --> 00:12:54,520 Speaker 1: a small speaker at the center of the top of 207 00:12:54,559 --> 00:12:57,520 Speaker 1: the RAM pod that would emit an electronic noise if 208 00:12:57,520 --> 00:13:01,280 Speaker 1: the electromagnetic field were disturbed. The antenna, speaker, and the 209 00:13:01,360 --> 00:13:05,520 Speaker 1: lights under the glu sticks all connected to a junior 210 00:13:05,600 --> 00:13:09,360 Speaker 1: thereman circuit, and this in turn connected to a battery, 211 00:13:09,480 --> 00:13:11,880 Speaker 1: a nine volt battery in this case, and the circuit 212 00:13:11,920 --> 00:13:15,320 Speaker 1: basically recreates the function of a theremin. According to Biddle, 213 00:13:16,000 --> 00:13:18,640 Speaker 1: the whole thing or the circuit at least the junior 214 00:13:18,679 --> 00:13:22,160 Speaker 1: Thereman circuit cost around twenty dollars. So the original rim 215 00:13:22,200 --> 00:13:26,000 Speaker 1: pod was essentially a junior Thereman with some LED lights 216 00:13:26,000 --> 00:13:28,520 Speaker 1: added to it. And if you get close to the 217 00:13:28,559 --> 00:13:31,640 Speaker 1: junior Thereman's antenna, which is Biddle described as just a 218 00:13:31,679 --> 00:13:35,080 Speaker 1: piece of wire, you interrupt the electromagnetic field that it 219 00:13:35,200 --> 00:13:37,240 Speaker 1: generates and you cause it to go woo woo ooo 220 00:13:37,480 --> 00:13:40,040 Speaker 1: or whatever. You would need to be about six inches 221 00:13:40,200 --> 00:13:42,840 Speaker 1: or closer in order to set it off. Now, presumably 222 00:13:43,120 --> 00:13:46,240 Speaker 1: the wire from the junior Thereman's circuit connected to the 223 00:13:46,320 --> 00:13:50,199 Speaker 1: extendable antenna that protruded from the top of the rim pod, 224 00:13:50,400 --> 00:13:52,559 Speaker 1: and of course the lights would light up as well 225 00:13:52,559 --> 00:13:55,640 Speaker 1: in case you didn't pick up on the electronic squeal. Okay, 226 00:13:56,160 --> 00:13:59,480 Speaker 1: more about the rim pods in just a second, but 227 00:13:59,640 --> 00:14:13,880 Speaker 1: first let's listen to some spook key advertisements. We're back. 228 00:14:14,240 --> 00:14:19,280 Speaker 1: So Kinnny Bindle, he takes this rim pod and he 229 00:14:19,320 --> 00:14:22,160 Speaker 1: takes it apart, and he looks at what makes it tick. 230 00:14:22,560 --> 00:14:25,720 Speaker 1: And one of the things that he kind of bulked 231 00:14:25,720 --> 00:14:28,520 Speaker 1: at was that if you took all these components separately, 232 00:14:28,920 --> 00:14:31,240 Speaker 1: they'd probably cost you, I'm going to say less than 233 00:14:31,280 --> 00:14:35,200 Speaker 1: thirty dollars. I mean the junior thereman's circuit was twenty bucks. 234 00:14:35,440 --> 00:14:38,960 Speaker 1: I'm guessing that that was probably the most expensive component 235 00:14:39,400 --> 00:14:44,080 Speaker 1: in that device, So you're talking around. Let's be generous, 236 00:14:44,120 --> 00:14:46,560 Speaker 1: let's say forty dollars or less, but I think it's 237 00:14:46,560 --> 00:14:49,920 Speaker 1: probably less than thirty. Galka's company sold them at a 238 00:14:49,960 --> 00:14:54,160 Speaker 1: substantially higher price. So the current model, which is not 239 00:14:54,640 --> 00:14:57,880 Speaker 1: exactly the same thing that Biddle disassembled in twenty nineteen, 240 00:14:58,360 --> 00:15:02,400 Speaker 1: goes for about a one hundred and seventy dollars. Now 241 00:15:02,480 --> 00:15:07,520 Speaker 1: I should add that the current rim pod also includes 242 00:15:07,560 --> 00:15:10,880 Speaker 1: a temperature sensor in it, which was not in the 243 00:15:10,880 --> 00:15:16,080 Speaker 1: one that Biddle disassembled in twenty nineteen, and this temperature 244 00:15:16,160 --> 00:15:19,480 Speaker 1: sensor will alert you if the temperature around the pod 245 00:15:19,560 --> 00:15:23,440 Speaker 1: changes by plus or minus five degrees. But as I said, 246 00:15:23,440 --> 00:15:25,640 Speaker 1: the original rim pod didn't have a censor in it. 247 00:15:25,640 --> 00:15:27,720 Speaker 1: It was essentially a junior therem And kit with some 248 00:15:27,960 --> 00:15:30,760 Speaker 1: LED lights. So it was a novelty. In other words, 249 00:15:31,040 --> 00:15:34,400 Speaker 1: it was a novelty that had been repackaged and marketed 250 00:15:34,520 --> 00:15:37,400 Speaker 1: as a ghost hunting tool and then sold for a 251 00:15:37,440 --> 00:15:41,520 Speaker 1: heft markup. At least that's what Biddle found a piece 252 00:15:41,600 --> 00:15:45,360 Speaker 1: in NBC News back in twenty twelve mentioned that Galka's gadgets, 253 00:15:45,360 --> 00:15:48,240 Speaker 1: including but not limited to rim pods, had a range 254 00:15:48,280 --> 00:15:50,760 Speaker 1: of prices that went from seventy nine dollars on the 255 00:15:50,760 --> 00:15:53,040 Speaker 1: low end to a whopping three hundred and fifty bucks 256 00:15:53,080 --> 00:15:56,640 Speaker 1: on the high end. So this makes me very uncomfortable 257 00:15:57,080 --> 00:16:02,800 Speaker 1: because again, he didn't invent something new. He took existing 258 00:16:03,320 --> 00:16:07,520 Speaker 1: devices and combined them in a way that really, in 259 00:16:07,640 --> 00:16:11,000 Speaker 1: my opinion, was not transformative. Like you could have just 260 00:16:11,080 --> 00:16:13,880 Speaker 1: used the junior therem in circuit as is. You didn't 261 00:16:13,960 --> 00:16:17,480 Speaker 1: need the LED lights necessarily. I mean, you could connect 262 00:16:17,480 --> 00:16:20,480 Speaker 1: those two a circuit as well and power it and 263 00:16:20,760 --> 00:16:23,680 Speaker 1: get the same sort of result. But you could just 264 00:16:23,800 --> 00:16:26,680 Speaker 1: use the junior therem and circuit and listen for anything 265 00:16:26,680 --> 00:16:30,200 Speaker 1: that sets it off because it interferes with the field 266 00:16:30,760 --> 00:16:33,360 Speaker 1: that it generates, because that's essentially what the ram pod 267 00:16:33,440 --> 00:16:35,480 Speaker 1: is doing. That you could do that for like twenty 268 00:16:35,520 --> 00:16:38,320 Speaker 1: bucks plus whatever it costs you to buy a battery 269 00:16:38,360 --> 00:16:40,560 Speaker 1: for the darn thing, and then to have to pay 270 00:16:40,840 --> 00:16:43,400 Speaker 1: upwards of one hundred and seventy dollars for that kind 271 00:16:43,400 --> 00:16:48,200 Speaker 1: of thing seems a bit excessive in my opinion. Biddle 272 00:16:48,240 --> 00:16:51,520 Speaker 1: describes the way ghost hunters use this gadget. I'm actually 273 00:16:51,520 --> 00:16:55,520 Speaker 1: going to quote him directly here. Quote. When it comes 274 00:16:55,560 --> 00:16:59,520 Speaker 1: to ghost hunting, enthusiasts typically use the rim pod as 275 00:16:59,560 --> 00:17:03,120 Speaker 1: a spirit communication device. The device is placed in an 276 00:17:03,160 --> 00:17:08,280 Speaker 1: allegedly haunted location, room, hallway, staircase, et cetera, and ghost 277 00:17:08,359 --> 00:17:12,840 Speaker 1: hunters begin asking various questions. The ghosts are directed to 278 00:17:12,840 --> 00:17:16,520 Speaker 1: touch the device or make it light up. A positive 279 00:17:16,560 --> 00:17:19,520 Speaker 1: response occurs when the device lights up and makes noise, 280 00:17:19,800 --> 00:17:23,600 Speaker 1: and the spirits are thanked for their participation. End quote. 281 00:17:23,720 --> 00:17:26,200 Speaker 1: A little bit later on that same article, Biddle also 282 00:17:26,320 --> 00:17:30,639 Speaker 1: writes quote. In the event the ghost hunters receive no response, 283 00:17:30,680 --> 00:17:33,960 Speaker 1: the questions are often repeated multiple times, or the ghost 284 00:17:34,040 --> 00:17:38,120 Speaker 1: hunters move onto different questions until the device eventually lights up. 285 00:17:38,320 --> 00:17:41,680 Speaker 1: This is a similar method that to that used during 286 00:17:41,800 --> 00:17:47,080 Speaker 1: EVP Electronic voice phenomenon sessions, where ghost hunters are waiting 287 00:17:47,119 --> 00:17:50,679 Speaker 1: for a vocal response rather than hearing a tone played 288 00:17:50,720 --> 00:17:53,480 Speaker 1: along with some lights. If no response comes at all, 289 00:17:53,960 --> 00:17:57,080 Speaker 1: I often hear excuses such as the spirits don't want 290 00:17:57,080 --> 00:18:00,200 Speaker 1: to talk tonight, or it doesn't always work, but it 291 00:18:00,280 --> 00:18:03,879 Speaker 1: worked great last time. Quote. As Biddle points out, the 292 00:18:03,960 --> 00:18:08,280 Speaker 1: problem here is that there are plenty of opportunities for worldly, 293 00:18:08,800 --> 00:18:13,119 Speaker 1: mundane stuff to set off a device like an rim pod. 294 00:18:13,480 --> 00:18:17,920 Speaker 1: Not only has no one yet established the existence of ghosts, 295 00:18:18,000 --> 00:18:21,280 Speaker 1: let alone that they're capable of interacting with or manipulate 296 00:18:21,600 --> 00:18:26,640 Speaker 1: electromagnetic fields. We know for a fact there are plenty 297 00:18:26,880 --> 00:18:30,760 Speaker 1: of things that do interact with electromagnetic fields that are 298 00:18:30,800 --> 00:18:34,440 Speaker 1: not ghosts, you know, like cell phones or walkie talkies, 299 00:18:34,720 --> 00:18:38,920 Speaker 1: or even natural sources of radio waves. Biddle describes tests 300 00:18:39,040 --> 00:18:41,600 Speaker 1: in which he found rim pods to react to two 301 00:18:41,600 --> 00:18:44,719 Speaker 1: way radios from as far away as forty feet if 302 00:18:44,760 --> 00:18:48,200 Speaker 1: you were inside like indoors, or as far away as 303 00:18:48,240 --> 00:18:51,399 Speaker 1: twenty feet if you were outdoors. He even observed an 304 00:18:51,520 --> 00:18:54,240 Speaker 1: rim pod reacting when walkie talkies were used on the 305 00:18:54,280 --> 00:18:57,280 Speaker 1: floor above or below where the pod was. So if 306 00:18:57,320 --> 00:18:59,960 Speaker 1: someone's upstairs and they're using the walkie talkie to chat 307 00:19:00,119 --> 00:19:02,840 Speaker 1: with someone, the rim pod could potentially pick that up 308 00:19:02,840 --> 00:19:05,560 Speaker 1: and go off, and you might not hear the person 309 00:19:05,640 --> 00:19:08,520 Speaker 1: upstairs talking, but you'll see the rim pod go off, 310 00:19:08,520 --> 00:19:12,960 Speaker 1: and you'll think, ah, ghosts. Often ghost hunting crews use 311 00:19:13,000 --> 00:19:15,320 Speaker 1: two way radios in order to stay in communication with 312 00:19:15,359 --> 00:19:17,600 Speaker 1: each other, or you know, someone could have a cell 313 00:19:17,600 --> 00:19:19,800 Speaker 1: phone on them and if they're sitting close enough to 314 00:19:19,840 --> 00:19:22,960 Speaker 1: the pod while the cell phone is connecting to the 315 00:19:23,040 --> 00:19:25,760 Speaker 1: closest tower to get updates, it could set off an 316 00:19:25,880 --> 00:19:29,040 Speaker 1: rim pod. So it's easy for an rim pod to 317 00:19:29,080 --> 00:19:31,840 Speaker 1: be set off either on purpose. Let's say that there's 318 00:19:31,840 --> 00:19:35,320 Speaker 1: someone who has an incentive to have the pod go off. 319 00:19:35,359 --> 00:19:38,040 Speaker 1: Maybe they're the host of a ghost hunting show and 320 00:19:38,040 --> 00:19:41,439 Speaker 1: they want the camera crew to capture some activity on 321 00:19:41,480 --> 00:19:45,639 Speaker 1: this rim pod. You know, maybe having a crew member 322 00:19:45,760 --> 00:19:48,600 Speaker 1: nearby just you know, casually have to use the two 323 00:19:48,640 --> 00:19:51,920 Speaker 1: way radio for something and whoa, hey, by coincidence, the 324 00:19:52,000 --> 00:19:54,479 Speaker 1: rim pod has gone off that looks good on camera. 325 00:19:54,800 --> 00:19:56,520 Speaker 1: Or it could just be done by accident, right. It 326 00:19:56,560 --> 00:20:00,000 Speaker 1: could be that you're sincerely looking for ghosts. You are 327 00:20:00,160 --> 00:20:04,280 Speaker 1: not trying to fool anyone. You're really just being as 328 00:20:04,280 --> 00:20:07,440 Speaker 1: straightforward as you can be. But because you're using two 329 00:20:07,440 --> 00:20:11,000 Speaker 1: way radios, you might accidentally set off the rim pod 330 00:20:11,040 --> 00:20:15,639 Speaker 1: and you have what you believe is a positive response, 331 00:20:15,640 --> 00:20:18,600 Speaker 1: when in turn, it really is a false positive. Biddle 332 00:20:18,680 --> 00:20:22,280 Speaker 1: laments the fact that ghost hunters rarely introduce controls to 333 00:20:22,359 --> 00:20:26,080 Speaker 1: eliminate outside interference with their equipment. This is I've found 334 00:20:26,119 --> 00:20:29,439 Speaker 1: to be true pretty much across the board, like some 335 00:20:29,760 --> 00:20:33,400 Speaker 1: ghost hunter types actually do try to use controls and 336 00:20:33,480 --> 00:20:38,720 Speaker 1: they get very lackluster response, like lackluster results, because as 337 00:20:38,720 --> 00:20:41,320 Speaker 1: it turns out, when you start to control for potential 338 00:20:41,920 --> 00:20:47,119 Speaker 1: interference that the existence of ghosts seems to just disappear. 339 00:20:47,400 --> 00:20:50,960 Speaker 1: So again, ghost hunters, I think are incentivized to not 340 00:20:51,200 --> 00:20:54,120 Speaker 1: use controls because if they do, then they don't get results. 341 00:20:54,520 --> 00:20:57,480 Speaker 1: So Biddle says, well, one way you could control for 342 00:20:57,560 --> 00:20:59,919 Speaker 1: this kind of thing is you could use a Farred 343 00:21:00,240 --> 00:21:04,680 Speaker 1: cage in order to isolate an rim pod from environmental interference, 344 00:21:05,080 --> 00:21:09,800 Speaker 1: and thus the POD's own electromagnetic field will remain untouched 345 00:21:10,240 --> 00:21:13,960 Speaker 1: by anything outside like two way radio traffic or cell 346 00:21:13,960 --> 00:21:17,280 Speaker 1: phones or whatever, and only something inside the cage would 347 00:21:17,280 --> 00:21:20,680 Speaker 1: affect the rim pod. So I figured, that's a great 348 00:21:20,680 --> 00:21:22,959 Speaker 1: excuse to talk about what a Faraday cage is and 349 00:21:23,000 --> 00:21:25,480 Speaker 1: how it works. And just as a side note, this 350 00:21:25,600 --> 00:21:28,679 Speaker 1: was kind of fun while I was researching Faraday cages 351 00:21:29,080 --> 00:21:31,600 Speaker 1: because you know, I know general how they work, but 352 00:21:31,640 --> 00:21:34,679 Speaker 1: I wanted to get a refresher. I found an article 353 00:21:34,680 --> 00:21:37,639 Speaker 1: on how stuff works, which is my old employer, and 354 00:21:37,680 --> 00:21:40,760 Speaker 1: I was delighted to see that my old co host 355 00:21:40,760 --> 00:21:44,520 Speaker 1: and editor had a byline on that article. That's Chris Pollette, 356 00:21:44,560 --> 00:21:47,439 Speaker 1: by the way, my original co host for tech Stuff, 357 00:21:47,640 --> 00:21:50,760 Speaker 1: And so that was just nice because I miss Chris. 358 00:21:50,880 --> 00:21:54,199 Speaker 1: He's great. I loved working with him, both as a 359 00:21:54,240 --> 00:21:57,680 Speaker 1: writer and as a podcaster. Anyway, the Faraday cage is 360 00:21:57,800 --> 00:22:01,119 Speaker 1: named after a guy named Michael Faraday Cage. Wait, no, 361 00:22:01,200 --> 00:22:04,280 Speaker 1: I'm sorry, just Michael Faraday. But the earliest experiments were 362 00:22:04,320 --> 00:22:10,760 Speaker 1: performed by one, let's see, Benjamin Franklin. So old Benji 363 00:22:11,480 --> 00:22:15,480 Speaker 1: was experimenting with electricity. You might recall that he did 364 00:22:15,480 --> 00:22:18,879 Speaker 1: that a bit. So he took a can that was 365 00:22:18,920 --> 00:22:22,760 Speaker 1: made of silver, and he electrified the can, and he 366 00:22:22,840 --> 00:22:27,320 Speaker 1: experimented with lowering a piece of uncharged cork that was 367 00:22:27,480 --> 00:22:31,439 Speaker 1: on a non conductive thread and lowered it into the 368 00:22:31,480 --> 00:22:34,120 Speaker 1: can and had it touched the bottom of the can. 369 00:22:34,280 --> 00:22:37,000 Speaker 1: And what he found to be strange is that if 370 00:22:37,000 --> 00:22:39,679 Speaker 1: he were to bring the cork near the outside of 371 00:22:39,720 --> 00:22:42,200 Speaker 1: the can, like if you were to dangle the cork 372 00:22:42,440 --> 00:22:46,560 Speaker 1: so that was next to the exterior surface of the can, 373 00:22:46,760 --> 00:22:50,080 Speaker 1: the cork would get attracted to the can. It would 374 00:22:50,080 --> 00:22:53,199 Speaker 1: become charged. It would pick up an electrostatic charge and 375 00:22:53,240 --> 00:22:56,159 Speaker 1: it would be attracted to the can surface. But when 376 00:22:56,200 --> 00:22:58,160 Speaker 1: he was doing this on the inside of the can, 377 00:22:58,280 --> 00:23:01,000 Speaker 1: that didn't happen. The cork did not appeared to become 378 00:23:01,119 --> 00:23:06,840 Speaker 1: electrostatically charged, and Franklin couldn't figure out why. He was stumped. 379 00:23:07,160 --> 00:23:09,480 Speaker 1: He actually wrote to a friend of his that maybe 380 00:23:09,520 --> 00:23:11,760 Speaker 1: someone else would figure it out, because he could not 381 00:23:12,000 --> 00:23:15,159 Speaker 1: understand why it would work on the outside but not 382 00:23:15,240 --> 00:23:19,600 Speaker 1: the inside. Well decades later, Michael Faraday's experiments led him 383 00:23:19,640 --> 00:23:24,359 Speaker 1: to observe that if one created a metallic cage or 384 00:23:24,359 --> 00:23:26,719 Speaker 1: a container of some sort, like if you made a 385 00:23:26,920 --> 00:23:32,240 Speaker 1: mesh of metallic material and you electrified the mesh, it 386 00:23:32,280 --> 00:23:35,680 Speaker 1: actually would electrify the exterior surface. The charge would only 387 00:23:35,680 --> 00:23:37,520 Speaker 1: be on the outer surface of the cage, not the 388 00:23:37,520 --> 00:23:40,480 Speaker 1: inside of the cage. So essentially you had created a 389 00:23:40,600 --> 00:23:45,080 Speaker 1: hollow conductor. All the conductivity happened on the outside, but 390 00:23:45,119 --> 00:23:48,760 Speaker 1: not the inside. And he even created a very large 391 00:23:48,800 --> 00:23:51,919 Speaker 1: experiment in which he lined in entire room's walls with 392 00:23:52,000 --> 00:23:55,800 Speaker 1: metallic foil. He electrified the foil, and he used a 393 00:23:55,880 --> 00:23:59,800 Speaker 1: very sensitive instrument designed to detect electrical charges on the 394 00:24:00,160 --> 00:24:02,919 Speaker 1: side of the room and found no electrical charge on 395 00:24:02,960 --> 00:24:06,560 Speaker 1: the inside, just on the exterior surface of this foil. 396 00:24:06,840 --> 00:24:10,320 Speaker 1: Now beyond that, his later observation showed that within a 397 00:24:10,359 --> 00:24:15,840 Speaker 1: Faraday cage, electromagnetic radiation also doesn't penetrate. So if you 398 00:24:15,880 --> 00:24:18,920 Speaker 1: were to put your cell phone inside of Faraday cage, 399 00:24:19,000 --> 00:24:21,760 Speaker 1: your cell phone would not receive any notifications or get 400 00:24:21,800 --> 00:24:24,880 Speaker 1: any updates. The cell phone would just be isolated from 401 00:24:24,880 --> 00:24:28,200 Speaker 1: the outside world, at least in terms of electromagnetic radiation. 402 00:24:28,600 --> 00:24:31,520 Speaker 1: And so if you place an rim pod inside of 403 00:24:31,560 --> 00:24:34,520 Speaker 1: Faraday cage, that would ensure it would not be affected 404 00:24:34,560 --> 00:24:38,240 Speaker 1: by stuff like two way radio communication or other external 405 00:24:38,280 --> 00:24:43,040 Speaker 1: sources of electromagnetic radiation. So presumably a ghost would be 406 00:24:43,040 --> 00:24:46,080 Speaker 1: able to get its spectral hands on an rim pod 407 00:24:46,560 --> 00:24:49,879 Speaker 1: by passing through the cage, like we assume that ghosts 408 00:24:49,880 --> 00:24:53,440 Speaker 1: are able to pass through materials. And yet the one 409 00:24:53,520 --> 00:24:56,840 Speaker 1: time Biddle talked about observing a team using a Faraday 410 00:24:56,840 --> 00:24:59,920 Speaker 1: cage as a means of a control the rim pod, 411 00:25:00,000 --> 00:25:03,280 Speaker 1: it didn't go off at all. So that seems to 412 00:25:03,320 --> 00:25:07,880 Speaker 1: indicate that the Faraday cage, once it eliminated the sources 413 00:25:07,920 --> 00:25:12,000 Speaker 1: of external interference, it also eliminated the possibility that there 414 00:25:12,080 --> 00:25:14,879 Speaker 1: was a ghost there. Now, I suppose you could argue 415 00:25:15,160 --> 00:25:19,520 Speaker 1: that ghosts, due to their as yet unestablished relationship with 416 00:25:19,560 --> 00:25:23,639 Speaker 1: electromagnetic radiation, are somehow bound to the physical laws that 417 00:25:23,720 --> 00:25:26,880 Speaker 1: all other stuff obeys. But since we haven't proven ghosts 418 00:25:27,000 --> 00:25:30,719 Speaker 1: even exist, it seems silly to make that argument, just 419 00:25:30,800 --> 00:25:33,080 Speaker 1: as it seems silly to argue that they could manipulate 420 00:25:33,080 --> 00:25:37,000 Speaker 1: electromagnetic radiation in the first place, Like by what logic 421 00:25:38,200 --> 00:25:39,960 Speaker 1: if you say, well, well, of course the ghosts didn't 422 00:25:39,960 --> 00:25:43,480 Speaker 1: affect the rim pod. It was shielded by a Faraday cage, 423 00:25:43,480 --> 00:25:46,600 Speaker 1: and the ghosts can't pass through. Why in fact, while 424 00:25:46,640 --> 00:25:49,440 Speaker 1: we get to it, why could it affect the EMF 425 00:25:49,960 --> 00:25:53,720 Speaker 1: the electromagnetic field in the first place? Anyway, While Galka 426 00:25:53,720 --> 00:25:56,399 Speaker 1: created the first ram pod, I refused to use the 427 00:25:56,400 --> 00:25:59,240 Speaker 1: word invented because, as bid Old demonstrated, it was really 428 00:25:59,320 --> 00:26:02,399 Speaker 1: a theremin's with some lights added to it. Well. Others 429 00:26:02,400 --> 00:26:06,160 Speaker 1: have since created variations on the rim pod. They still 430 00:26:06,200 --> 00:26:09,199 Speaker 1: call them rim pods in most cases, but they're not 431 00:26:09,240 --> 00:26:14,080 Speaker 1: all made by Galka's company. Some are made by other companies. 432 00:26:14,480 --> 00:26:17,720 Speaker 1: One that I found personally really upsetting was from a 433 00:26:17,720 --> 00:26:21,600 Speaker 1: company called spirit Shack. It's a UK company. They market 434 00:26:21,720 --> 00:26:25,359 Speaker 1: a Teddy Bear with rim pods built in so the 435 00:26:25,400 --> 00:26:29,439 Speaker 1: bear's pause illuminate when it detects a fluctuation in the 436 00:26:29,480 --> 00:26:33,440 Speaker 1: electromagnetic field. And it's meant to be a device used 437 00:26:33,480 --> 00:26:37,040 Speaker 1: to communicate with the ghosts of children, which absolutely turns 438 00:26:37,119 --> 00:26:41,400 Speaker 1: my stomach because I feel this is device that exploits 439 00:26:41,480 --> 00:26:45,080 Speaker 1: the profound grief of a family in a way that's 440 00:26:45,119 --> 00:26:47,719 Speaker 1: really disturbing, and it's hard to reconcile the fact that 441 00:26:47,760 --> 00:26:50,920 Speaker 1: a company makes money off of this thing, right, it's 442 00:26:50,920 --> 00:26:53,639 Speaker 1: not just that, Like I understand the need or the 443 00:26:53,720 --> 00:26:58,159 Speaker 1: desire to be able to reconnect with a lost child, 444 00:26:58,400 --> 00:27:03,640 Speaker 1: like that is understandable. You know, that is a profound grief. 445 00:27:03,960 --> 00:27:06,800 Speaker 1: What I don't understand is a company that makes a 446 00:27:06,880 --> 00:27:12,000 Speaker 1: gadget that has no proven utility for this specific purpose 447 00:27:12,359 --> 00:27:15,960 Speaker 1: and they're selling it to people for the Or you're 448 00:27:16,000 --> 00:27:20,960 Speaker 1: a ghost hunter who's exploiting a family that is going 449 00:27:21,000 --> 00:27:24,640 Speaker 1: through this kind of grief. Maybe you sincerely believe you're 450 00:27:24,920 --> 00:27:28,800 Speaker 1: actually trying to help reach closure or get a reconnection 451 00:27:28,960 --> 00:27:33,280 Speaker 1: or whatever, but to me, it just comes across as opportunistic. 452 00:27:33,680 --> 00:27:37,600 Speaker 1: In the worst of circumstances, anyway, we're going to take 453 00:27:37,640 --> 00:27:39,920 Speaker 1: another quick break. When we come back, I'm going to 454 00:27:39,960 --> 00:27:43,199 Speaker 1: talk about the mel meter, which, at least in some 455 00:27:43,400 --> 00:27:46,359 Speaker 1: versions of the mal meter, is like an arim pod 456 00:27:46,520 --> 00:27:49,720 Speaker 1: on steroids. We'll chat more about that after we take 457 00:27:49,760 --> 00:28:02,359 Speaker 1: this quick break. Hey, we're back to talk about the 458 00:28:02,400 --> 00:28:08,560 Speaker 1: mel meter, named after Melissa Galka, the daughter who tragically 459 00:28:08,560 --> 00:28:10,880 Speaker 1: passed away in two thousand and four in a car accident. 460 00:28:11,440 --> 00:28:15,080 Speaker 1: And the mail meter incorporates some of the same tech 461 00:28:15,119 --> 00:28:18,840 Speaker 1: as rim pods, at least in some versions of the malmeter. 462 00:28:18,960 --> 00:28:23,000 Speaker 1: There are you know, different levels of malmeter. The malmeter 463 00:28:23,160 --> 00:28:26,879 Speaker 1: typically has more metaphorical bells and whistles than the rim 464 00:28:26,920 --> 00:28:31,600 Speaker 1: pod does. The very basic malmeter sells for ninety nine dollars, 465 00:28:31,600 --> 00:28:34,560 Speaker 1: so it's actually less expensive than the rim pod and 466 00:28:34,640 --> 00:28:38,800 Speaker 1: it quote measures EMF and ambient temperatures end quote. So 467 00:28:39,320 --> 00:28:43,680 Speaker 1: it's you know, similar to modern rim pods in that 468 00:28:43,760 --> 00:28:47,920 Speaker 1: it does deal with electromagnetic fields, but in this case 469 00:28:47,960 --> 00:28:50,920 Speaker 1: it's a meter, not just a detector. The rim pod 470 00:28:51,480 --> 00:28:55,960 Speaker 1: just makes a noise and generates lights when something interferes 471 00:28:56,000 --> 00:29:02,360 Speaker 1: with its electromagnetic field. The mal meter measure electromagnetic fields. Oh, 472 00:29:02,400 --> 00:29:05,280 Speaker 1: it's also got a high intensity red flashlight built into it, 473 00:29:05,360 --> 00:29:08,880 Speaker 1: as well as the thermo couple or sensor that detects 474 00:29:08,920 --> 00:29:12,800 Speaker 1: temperature changes. So the coupler actually plugs into the top 475 00:29:12,840 --> 00:29:15,640 Speaker 1: of the device. You can unplug it if you want to. 476 00:29:16,840 --> 00:29:20,200 Speaker 1: That's particularly important if you want to preserve battery life 477 00:29:20,200 --> 00:29:24,520 Speaker 1: because the sensor does put an extra strain on the battery, 478 00:29:24,640 --> 00:29:27,840 Speaker 1: as does the backlight for the display of the EMF meter, 479 00:29:28,240 --> 00:29:30,920 Speaker 1: So if you're in a brightly lit area, you probably 480 00:29:30,960 --> 00:29:32,800 Speaker 1: would want to turn the back light off or else 481 00:29:33,080 --> 00:29:35,880 Speaker 1: you just be chewing through batteries faster than you need 482 00:29:35,920 --> 00:29:40,360 Speaker 1: to be. The advanced melmeters also have an rim pod 483 00:29:40,440 --> 00:29:44,120 Speaker 1: built into them, so they'll have an antenna that extends 484 00:29:44,160 --> 00:29:46,960 Speaker 1: from the melmeter. Not all melmeters do. Some of them 485 00:29:47,000 --> 00:29:49,920 Speaker 1: just have the little thermo couple sensor, which looks like 486 00:29:49,920 --> 00:29:53,680 Speaker 1: an antenna, it's not. It's a temperature sensor. And then 487 00:29:53,800 --> 00:29:57,160 Speaker 1: the more advanced ones have an extendable antenna because they 488 00:29:57,160 --> 00:29:59,720 Speaker 1: have an rim pod, so they generate their own electromagnetic 489 00:29:59,720 --> 00:30:03,480 Speaker 1: field and they will light up and make noise if 490 00:30:03,520 --> 00:30:05,920 Speaker 1: something comes close to it, just like just like a 491 00:30:06,000 --> 00:30:10,240 Speaker 1: junior thereman circuit wood that's connected to LED lights anyway, 492 00:30:10,720 --> 00:30:14,760 Speaker 1: So the one I looked at that was the Top 493 00:30:14,800 --> 00:30:17,760 Speaker 1: of the Line even had a laser projector, so it 494 00:30:17,800 --> 00:30:20,400 Speaker 1: projects laser dots so you can keep an eye out 495 00:30:20,400 --> 00:30:23,200 Speaker 1: for anything that moves between the mailmeter and whatever surface 496 00:30:23,200 --> 00:30:25,720 Speaker 1: you're pointing it at. Apparently, the top of the line 497 00:30:25,720 --> 00:30:29,200 Speaker 1: model also has an expansion slot so that you can 498 00:30:29,600 --> 00:30:33,000 Speaker 1: potentially boost your mailmeters capabilities with whatever it is the 499 00:30:33,040 --> 00:30:35,840 Speaker 1: company comes up with next, presuming that whatever it comes 500 00:30:35,920 --> 00:30:38,640 Speaker 1: up with next is actually compatible with the rest of 501 00:30:38,680 --> 00:30:41,400 Speaker 1: the circuitry in the mail meter that you're using now. 502 00:30:41,440 --> 00:30:44,320 Speaker 1: In my opinion, the mail meter is another example of 503 00:30:44,360 --> 00:30:48,920 Speaker 1: a gadget that just repackages already existing technologies such as 504 00:30:48,960 --> 00:30:52,920 Speaker 1: EMF meters. So EMF meters can be used by folks 505 00:30:52,960 --> 00:30:56,840 Speaker 1: like electricians and stuff if they're looking for faulty wiring 506 00:30:56,880 --> 00:30:59,440 Speaker 1: in a house or whatever. Most electricians are using things 507 00:30:59,480 --> 00:31:04,360 Speaker 1: like voltme and stuff are multimeters that plug into outlets. 508 00:31:04,720 --> 00:31:08,720 Speaker 1: There are some no contact meters that electricians will use. 509 00:31:08,760 --> 00:31:11,880 Speaker 1: Typically they're using those in environments where it would be 510 00:31:12,000 --> 00:31:16,720 Speaker 1: dangerous to make contact. So you're like, like high voltage situations, 511 00:31:16,720 --> 00:31:19,960 Speaker 1: that kind of thing, danger danger high voltage. That's for 512 00:31:20,040 --> 00:31:23,240 Speaker 1: my friend Shay the EMF meters that you typically see 513 00:31:23,240 --> 00:31:26,920 Speaker 1: in ghost hunting. I don't know how how widespread they 514 00:31:26,960 --> 00:31:31,560 Speaker 1: are for electricians, but I do know that they're not 515 00:31:31,920 --> 00:31:34,880 Speaker 1: nearly as expensive as the ones that are marketed for 516 00:31:34,960 --> 00:31:39,520 Speaker 1: ghost hunting. Again, ghost hunters are highly motivated because they're 517 00:31:39,720 --> 00:31:43,800 Speaker 1: seeking out stuff that is unsupported, and that I think 518 00:31:43,920 --> 00:31:47,520 Speaker 1: adds to the motivation to actually go out there and 519 00:31:47,600 --> 00:31:51,560 Speaker 1: find something right, and so they will spend more money 520 00:31:52,080 --> 00:31:57,040 Speaker 1: on devices that aren't necessarily worth the cost. So the 521 00:31:57,120 --> 00:32:00,600 Speaker 1: EMF meters and mail meters, I can't speak to the quality. 522 00:32:00,640 --> 00:32:03,400 Speaker 1: They might be very good. I don't know, but a 523 00:32:03,440 --> 00:32:08,200 Speaker 1: basic digital EMF meter costs between thirty and forty dollars. 524 00:32:08,440 --> 00:32:11,040 Speaker 1: That's a basic one. They do go up from there. 525 00:32:12,160 --> 00:32:14,960 Speaker 1: You can also get analog ones, but those are less expensive. 526 00:32:15,480 --> 00:32:18,960 Speaker 1: The Mel eight seven zero four R seven to one 527 00:32:19,200 --> 00:32:23,800 Speaker 1: premiere model of Mel meter is priced at three hundred 528 00:32:23,840 --> 00:32:25,960 Speaker 1: and twenty nine dollars that you can pick it up 529 00:32:26,000 --> 00:32:28,320 Speaker 1: on sale for just two hundred and seventy five bucks 530 00:32:28,440 --> 00:32:31,400 Speaker 1: as of the time I'm recording this two hundred and 531 00:32:31,440 --> 00:32:34,640 Speaker 1: seventy five dollars. Keep in mind, the basic EMF meters 532 00:32:34,680 --> 00:32:37,720 Speaker 1: are thirty to forty dollars. Now, to be fair, the 533 00:32:37,760 --> 00:32:40,840 Speaker 1: top of the line mailmeter also has that laser projector 534 00:32:41,280 --> 00:32:44,120 Speaker 1: and the ram pod capabilities built into it, so it's 535 00:32:44,160 --> 00:32:47,440 Speaker 1: more than just an EMF meter, But I don't think 536 00:32:47,480 --> 00:32:51,720 Speaker 1: it's a multi axis EMF meter. It might be, but 537 00:32:51,760 --> 00:32:55,200 Speaker 1: I don't think it is. In a separate article, Biddle 538 00:32:55,360 --> 00:32:57,920 Speaker 1: wrote about a ghost hunting team using a basic mail 539 00:32:58,000 --> 00:33:01,440 Speaker 1: meter that was a single act says EMF meter. So 540 00:33:01,600 --> 00:33:05,560 Speaker 1: what do I mean by that? Well, electromagnetic fields are 541 00:33:05,800 --> 00:33:09,600 Speaker 1: three dimensional things, right, they exist within three dimensions. But 542 00:33:09,840 --> 00:33:15,520 Speaker 1: EMF sensors often only measure along one axis one direction, 543 00:33:15,680 --> 00:33:19,120 Speaker 1: so in order to get a full reading, you would 544 00:33:19,160 --> 00:33:24,200 Speaker 1: actually need to change the orientation of the meter in 545 00:33:24,320 --> 00:33:27,920 Speaker 1: order to measure along three separate axes to get an 546 00:33:28,000 --> 00:33:31,720 Speaker 1: accurate reading. So think of it like you have the 547 00:33:32,080 --> 00:33:36,800 Speaker 1: meter set horizontally to measure along one axis, you turn 548 00:33:36,880 --> 00:33:40,600 Speaker 1: it ninety degrees so that you measure along a second axis, 549 00:33:40,640 --> 00:33:43,320 Speaker 1: and then you turn it vertical to measure along a 550 00:33:43,400 --> 00:33:47,560 Speaker 1: third axis. There are EMF meters out there that can 551 00:33:47,600 --> 00:33:52,120 Speaker 1: measure along all three axes simultaneously, and they are the 552 00:33:52,160 --> 00:33:55,280 Speaker 1: more expensive ones. So if the malmeter in fact is 553 00:33:55,320 --> 00:33:59,600 Speaker 1: a multi axis EMF meter that would explain at least 554 00:33:59,600 --> 00:34:05,280 Speaker 1: in part the price. But Biddle seems to suggest at 555 00:34:05,360 --> 00:34:08,439 Speaker 1: least the malmeter that he observed was a single access meter. 556 00:34:08,840 --> 00:34:11,240 Speaker 1: I don't know if the more advanced ones are as well, 557 00:34:11,640 --> 00:34:14,480 Speaker 1: but you know, if they are single access, then that 558 00:34:14,480 --> 00:34:19,080 Speaker 1: that markup is even more impressive. I'll say the ghost 559 00:34:19,160 --> 00:34:22,600 Speaker 1: hunting trend, I'm guessing has boosted sales of various radio 560 00:34:22,640 --> 00:34:26,320 Speaker 1: frequency and EMF detectors more than any of the mundane 561 00:34:26,400 --> 00:34:29,680 Speaker 1: use cases for those technologies. So I guess that's good 562 00:34:29,719 --> 00:34:33,280 Speaker 1: news for the electronics companies out there that make these things. 563 00:34:33,600 --> 00:34:36,799 Speaker 1: But I still maintain that it's largely it's a waste 564 00:34:36,840 --> 00:34:40,439 Speaker 1: of time. It's a misuse of technology. The only way 565 00:34:40,520 --> 00:34:44,400 Speaker 1: to get results is to either use the technology in 566 00:34:44,440 --> 00:34:50,960 Speaker 1: ways that are improper or with improper controls to eliminate 567 00:34:51,600 --> 00:34:57,360 Speaker 1: other explanations besides the supernatural. And what it largely does 568 00:34:57,480 --> 00:35:02,920 Speaker 1: is that it contributes to ignorance, specifically ignorance as with 569 00:35:02,960 --> 00:35:05,719 Speaker 1: regards to what technology does and what it can do. 570 00:35:06,120 --> 00:35:10,680 Speaker 1: And I think that's what I object to second most most, 571 00:35:11,200 --> 00:35:14,200 Speaker 1: the thing I object to most is the manipulation of 572 00:35:14,280 --> 00:35:18,040 Speaker 1: people's emotions. You know, people who are experiencing loss, And 573 00:35:18,480 --> 00:35:22,280 Speaker 1: I do think it's valuable for people to find sources 574 00:35:22,280 --> 00:35:26,239 Speaker 1: of comfort and to find ways to process grief so 575 00:35:26,280 --> 00:35:29,720 Speaker 1: that they can continue on with their lives while still 576 00:35:29,880 --> 00:35:32,680 Speaker 1: honoring those who were part of their lives before. I 577 00:35:32,719 --> 00:35:36,400 Speaker 1: think that's really important. I do not believe that most 578 00:35:36,440 --> 00:35:40,880 Speaker 1: of the ghost hunting stuff that goes on provides that 579 00:35:41,040 --> 00:35:45,280 Speaker 1: level of comfort. I worry that it exacerbates a problem 580 00:35:45,520 --> 00:35:48,279 Speaker 1: and makes it worse. Those are the two prongs I 581 00:35:48,280 --> 00:35:51,200 Speaker 1: mean again, critical thinking and compassion. Those are the two 582 00:35:51,440 --> 00:35:54,680 Speaker 1: guiding principles for this show. If we use critical thinking, 583 00:35:55,080 --> 00:35:59,560 Speaker 1: we have to say if ghosts exist, we haven't proven it. 584 00:36:00,000 --> 00:36:03,799 Speaker 1: And the processes that people are using in order to 585 00:36:03,920 --> 00:36:07,239 Speaker 1: hunt for ghosts are unproven to even be connected to 586 00:36:07,280 --> 00:36:10,319 Speaker 1: ghosts in the first place. So it's putting the cart 587 00:36:10,360 --> 00:36:13,640 Speaker 1: before the horse. And if we're doing this and it's 588 00:36:13,680 --> 00:36:17,400 Speaker 1: all folly and in the process we're hurting people emotionally 589 00:36:17,400 --> 00:36:20,359 Speaker 1: and psychologically who are trying to deal with grief, then 590 00:36:20,400 --> 00:36:23,480 Speaker 1: we would actively be making the world worse, and in 591 00:36:23,520 --> 00:36:26,880 Speaker 1: my opinion, the world we don't need to help with that. 592 00:36:27,680 --> 00:36:30,840 Speaker 1: We can do better than that. We can take actions 593 00:36:31,160 --> 00:36:34,320 Speaker 1: that make the world a better place now. Maybe someday 594 00:36:34,360 --> 00:36:38,600 Speaker 1: in the future someone will establish the existence of ghosts 595 00:36:38,640 --> 00:36:42,160 Speaker 1: in a way that is undeniable, and if that does happen, 596 00:36:42,280 --> 00:36:45,600 Speaker 1: I will certainly change my tune. I have always maintained 597 00:36:45,640 --> 00:36:48,920 Speaker 1: I'm not a denier. I'm a skeptic, but I'm a 598 00:36:48,960 --> 00:36:52,440 Speaker 1: skeptic who has a very very high bar when it 599 00:36:52,480 --> 00:36:56,799 Speaker 1: comes to proving that something supernatural exists, and so far 600 00:36:57,239 --> 00:37:00,759 Speaker 1: no one has met it. But it's not possible to 601 00:37:00,880 --> 00:37:05,080 Speaker 1: meet it, just hasn't happened. In the meantime, I do 602 00:37:05,160 --> 00:37:07,800 Speaker 1: hope all of you out there who are looking forward 603 00:37:07,800 --> 00:37:11,800 Speaker 1: to Halloween have a wonderful time. I hope all the 604 00:37:11,880 --> 00:37:14,359 Speaker 1: trick or trading goes great, the parties are fun, that 605 00:37:14,400 --> 00:37:18,640 Speaker 1: you're safe and happy, and have all the appropriate level 606 00:37:18,719 --> 00:37:22,440 Speaker 1: of scares that aren't related to like anything truly scary. 607 00:37:23,120 --> 00:37:26,440 Speaker 1: I hope that all comes true for y'all. I certainly 608 00:37:26,480 --> 00:37:31,799 Speaker 1: love Halloween. I love ghost stories. I love movies about ghosts. 609 00:37:32,200 --> 00:37:34,319 Speaker 1: I just think of them kind of similar to the 610 00:37:34,320 --> 00:37:37,239 Speaker 1: way I think about fairy tales. I really enjoy them, 611 00:37:37,520 --> 00:37:42,680 Speaker 1: but I don't believe them anyway. Take care, happy Halloween, 612 00:37:43,040 --> 00:37:52,520 Speaker 1: and I'll talk to you again. Really soon. Tech Stuff 613 00:37:52,600 --> 00:37:57,120 Speaker 1: is an iHeartRadio production. For more podcasts from iHeartRadio, visit 614 00:37:57,160 --> 00:38:01,320 Speaker 1: the iHeartRadio app Apple Podcasts you listen to your favorite 615 00:38:01,360 --> 00:38:01,680 Speaker 1: shows