[Merged]"Ghost" caught on convenience store camera?

[krelnik]

I think we all remember that fabulous debunk of the courthouse security camera ghosts (http://www.livescience.com/strangenews/070621_santafe_ghost.html) in Santa Fe that Ben did.

Well, here's another very similar one that turned up this week.

This time it's a blue cloud (http://www.local6.com/spotlight/14578641/detail.html) in a Parma, Ohio gas station. (Link includes video from the camera).

--Tim Farley

[Biscuit]

That is honestly one of the oddest things I have ever seen. I am certain it will be shown that the tape was tampered with. The color of the cloud looks so artificial and the movement looks like something from scooby-doo.

[krelnik]

One thing I note in the accounts: nobody ever clearly states that they saw it OTHER THAN on the security video. Shouldn't someone out by the pumps have seen it in person? That's why I drew the parallel with the Santa Fe case: I think the cause is probably very similar.

Another red flag: this TV station appears to be the only media outlet reporting on it so far.

--Tim Farley

[Lianad]

This EXACT same effect was debunked years ago on national TV. I can not remember the show, but basically the footage was from a security camera in a used car lot after hours, and this "ghost" that looked EXACTLY like the one in this blue cloud picture, would float around the cars and sway back and forth. Everyone was convinced it was a ghost, until some people with half a brain looked at the footage and recreated it, thus prompting the person who did it initially to come forward.

All it is is a little doll/napkin shaped like a doll/etc attached to fishing line, that is dangled or hung in front of the security camera. A slight breeze or nudge causes it to "sway" and since it is so close to the camera it remains out of focus and "ghostly".

Anyone with 5 minutes of time could recreate the same footage.

[Correa Neto]

Out-of-focus blue plastic bag hanging in front of the camera?

Nah, its too simple. Must be something else.

Its a non-corporeal alien, possibly a Thasian, since Organians are not very fond of leaving their planet. Can also be from the same race the "Companion entity" is. Hopefully its not a certain cloud-creature that feeds on red blood cells. Or the Zetar!

Better now, eh?

[krelnik]

This EXACT same effect was debunked years ago on national TV. I can not remember the show....

All it is is a little doll/napkin shaped like a doll/etc attached to fishing line, that is dangled or hung in front of the security camera. A slight breeze or nudge causes it to "sway" and since it is so close to the camera it remains out of focus and "ghostly".

Sounds like you are talking about the September 2002 sighting at Puckett's Auto Storage in Oklahoma City. Among other debunkings of this, there is one as a "bonus feature" on Disk 3 of the Season 1 set of Penn & Teller's Showtime program whose name is against forum rules.

If you google "Puckett ghost" you'll get plenty of hits on it.

--Tim Farley

ETA: There's another forum thread on that one too (http://forums.randi.org/showthread.php?t=77415). (With a Sylvia Browne connection to boot!)

[this charming man]

Could it be something on the camera lens?

[Hellbound]

I agree with the charming man, something on the lens.

The movement isn't right to match the "doll" hoax. It moves more like an insect. The blue color is odd, though...I'd suspect something to do with the camera or some sort of diffussion/scattering effect. Is it possible the camera had a blue LED light on it? The blue could be a reflection of that light from a bug.

It's definately something very out of focus and very close to the camera. (you never see it go behind anything in the picture, for example, nor is there any effect on anything..no shadow, no shading from light sources, no reaction from people int he film, etc). The movement makes me think bug. Doesn't explain the color, though, which seems the only odd part.

[LTC8K6]

It's obviously an insect crawling on the lens to me.

Can't see what the fuss is about, really.

[LTC8K6]

The blue cast could be from the type of lights, too.

[LTC8K6]

A quick Google finds quite a few blue or blue green insects.

[Alice Shortcake]

I agree - it's some sort of insect.

[Fnord]

It's obviously an insect crawling on the lens to me. Can't see what the fuss is about, really.

The blue cast could be from the type of lights, too.


I agree.

I work in the transportation industry. We have nearly 150 different locations with multiple cameras at each location. Each camera takes and transmits at least one complete frame per second; some take images in visible light, some in infrared.

We see phenomenon a lot, especially during the more "buggy" times of the year.

If it moves, then it's an insect on the lens.

If it doesn't move, then it's just a piece of schmutz.

And yes, the type of lighting does affect the color of the image.

In this case, it's not a ghost, or an angel, or an extraterrestrial being - it's just an insect.

[Floyd312]

It's bigfoot.

[krelnik]

The blue cast could be from the type of lights, too.

Definitely. This is supposedly a Marathon station, and their logo colors are red, white and blue. So it could easily be a reflection from the decorations on the structure over the gas pumps that is causing the blue tinge.

Here's what one of those stations looks like (http://www.marathonpetroleum.com/stations/).

--Tim Farley

[Lianad]

I made my previous post before actually clicking play on the video and just seeing the still frame. I agree with others after watching it, it looks like an insect. In fact, at one point it looks to me like you can see wings of some sort flapping with a lot of motion blur.

[ConspiRaider]

I'm from Northeast Ohio originally, used to live in Parma for a time. I know where that intersection is. A couple miles west on Pleasant Valley Road is Tri-C (Cuyahoga Community College, West Campus), where I attended for a semester.

The good thing: People is a comin' to see it! Tourism! Gift shops! Shrines! Parmawood! MONEY!!!!!

[ToddH]

http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/offbeat/2007/11/14/lai.gas.ghost.woio

Riiiight. :rolleyes:

[LTC8K6]

http://forums.randi.org/showthread.php?t=98717

[wahrheit]

Those ghosts seem to have a really pathetic "life".

Ghost One: Hey, what have you been up to yesterday?

Ghost Two: Was hanging around the gas station. *picks his out of focus nose*

Ghost One: Wow, that is sooo cool. *yawn*

[ToddH]

Don't you guys know an angel when you see one? :)

[Santa666]

It has been a while since I have posted, but i was emailed this link and I am curious what the object in the video could be. I certainly do not believe it is a ghost, or spirit, or angel, or demon, but I would be interested in a suitable explanation for the person who sent it to me.


Any ideas?


http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/offbeat/2007/11/14/lai.gas.ghost.woio

[Yoink]

It has been a while since I have posted, but i was emailed this link and I am curious what the object in the video could be. I certainly do not believe it is a ghost, or spirit, or angel, or demon, but I would be interested in a suitable explanation for the person who sent it to me.


Any ideas?


http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/offbeat/2007/11/14/lai.gas.ghost.woio


It's so obviously a bug crawling on the lens of the camera that you have to wonder if everyone involved in this story doesn't have their tongue firmly in their cheek. That or their brains solidly in their nether regions.

[Yoink]

It has been a while since I have posted, but i was emailed this link and I am curious what the object in the video could be. I certainly do not believe it is a ghost, or spirit, or angel, or demon, but I would be interested in a suitable explanation for the person who sent it to me.


Any ideas?


http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/offbeat/2007/11/14/lai.gas.ghost.woio


It's so obviously a bug crawling on the lens of the camera that you have to wonder if everyone involved in this story doesn't have their tongue firmly in their cheek. That or their brains solidly in their nether regions.

[LibraryLady]

To me it looks like a blue grocery bag caught in the wind.

[Tirdun]

Boss: OK crew, we've got a haunted gas station, who gets the spot?

AL: Geeze, boss. I interviewed that haunted house family for Halloween, and last week I had to do the stupid cat show.

Beth: I did the cheese festival! Seriously, that's like three haunted gas stations worth of pathetic!

Carl: Oh, no... No way. I'm interviewing with mid Atlantic regional next month! Last thing I need is some haunted gas station on my piece list.

Dave: Is this national or local? I'll do a local spot, but I don't want my parents to see it.

ETC.

[Denver]

This EXACT same effect was debunked years ago on national TV. I can not remember the show, but basically the footage was from a security camera in a used car lot after hours, and this "ghost" that looked EXACTLY like the one in this blue cloud picture, would float around the cars and sway back and forth. Everyone was convinced it was a ghost, until some people with half a brain looked at the footage and recreated it, thus prompting the person who did it initially to come forward.

All it is is a little doll/napkin shaped like a doll/etc attached to fishing line, that is dangled or hung in front of the security camera. A slight breeze or nudge causes it to "sway" and since it is so close to the camera it remains out of focus and "ghostly".

Anyone with 5 minutes of time could recreate the same footage.

Are you maybe thinking about the one in a wrecking yard:

http://www.rockymountainparanormal.com/puckett.htm

[Miss Whiplash]

I hear Drew Carey singing:

" Moon over Parma, bring us tourists tonight.

Make us big as Cleveland, with our convenience store fright.

We know it's a moth, but don't tell anyone.

Moon over Parma, tonight."

[jhammer]

It looks completely like a blue Walmart plastic bag being blown around in the wind to me - both the color, and the way it moves and floats. If not that then perhaps one of those blue paper towels that are found at every gas station to wipe your windows. I think I'd rule those two options out first before jumping to ghost or alien or some such nonsense.

[Yoink]

To me it looks like a blue grocery bag caught in the wind.
A grocery bag that stayed still for half an hour in mid-air would indeed be a paranormal phenomenon!

It's a BUG! It is blurry and out of focus because it is on the lens. Maybe you have to be someone who wears glasses to know that a bit of crap (or a bug) on your lenses looks exactly like that--blurry and semi-translucent?

[edteach]

I can not believe how stupid many of us are in this county. This so called ghost is clearly a bug of some sort you can tell by its movements. but people would rather think it is an angle, or a indian ghost or some such other clap trap. I see this and wonder how I can not rule the world. lol.

http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/offbeat/2007/11/14/lai.gas.ghost.woio

[kosai]

http://forums.randi.org/showthread.php?t=98776

[kosai]

I found a match for the color... now using the CSI image enchancement from TV it's become clear...

http://img217.imageshack.us/img217/545/ghostsz1.jpg
By travisjd (http://profile.imageshack.us/user/travisjd) at 2007-11-14

The ghost is Boo Berry.

[alfaniner]

<<<<<<<<< It Was Me!!!!!!!!!!!! Bwah-ha-ha-ha-haaaaaaaa!!!!!!!!!!

[Explorer]

I posted a thread some time ago relating a personal experience.

I was driving at about nine o clock on a very still clear morning towards a roundabout in Bournemouth, England. The roundabout was circled by trees, and as I pulled up on my approach, noticed that every tree had a fuzzy grey coloured tapering "pillar" cloud towering above it. At the base, I would estimate the diameter to be four to five feet, tapering to about two feet at the top. The height was around fifteen feet. As I drove off the roundabout, there were a few trees further down my turning that also displayed this phenomenon. I put this down to either some kind of local condensation effect producing a kind of foggy mist, but clearly with a distinctive shape, or tiny flying insects swarming. On my return the phenomenon had disappeared.

I have never seen anything like it before or again.

[Joppy]

I agree its a bug. The blob seems to be right in front of the camera. In the beginning of the cnn video, they show the side of the gas station. There is a sign with blue lights in the area where the camera might be. Then later when they showed images of the reporter through the camera, her clothes are purple. But when she is filmed by the cnn cameras, her clothes are red. So either the camera is crappy or there is some form of colored lights around where the camera is.

[Hellbound]

I agree its a bug. The blob seems to be right in front of the camera. In the beginning of the cnn video, they show the side of the gas station. There is a sign with blue lights in the area where the camera might be. Then later when they showed images of the reporter through the camera, her clothes are purple. But when she is filmed by the cnn cameras, her clothes are red. So either the camera is crappy or there is some form of colored lights around where the camera is.

Excellent!

This gives us confirmation fo the blueish tint caused by either the camera or the lighting in the area.

That gets rid fo that last little .1% doubt I had. Bug.

[Big Les]

You can see the blue lighting in the readout-windows of the petrol pumps. I think.

It certainly *moves* like an insect (a fly specifically), and seems to have little wingtip-like protuberances.

[Denver]

I would think a lot of these theories could be tested by the shop employees, just getting a ladder and some plastic bug or somesuch, put it up near the lens near the same time of day, and see if they get a similar fuzzy blue thing.

If, they were so inclined to test it, of course...

[Pile]

Keith Olbermann made fun of the video on his show last night. He said they found out what that was on camera: Booberry!

[wahrheit]

Keith Olbermann made fun of the video on his show last night. He said they found out what that was on camera: Booberry!

Hey Pile, this is your first post here! Welcome to the forum. :)

The Olbermann stuff is usually available somewhere to view online, let's see if someone uploads this segment.

[MG1962]

No I think the anchor man covered it nicely - Didn't I see this on an episode of Star Trek

[Tim4848]

Did I read some where that this ghost is in the same state with me. All I need now is BrainGate and Lisa Williams and the rest is history.

[Bell]

Saw this from the corner of my eye on CNN last night. I immediatly thought 'plastic bag' but bug sounds plausible as well. Since I don't believe in ghosts, and even less in ghost video's, I didn't really pay attention, but iirc the video showed one person walking from his car to the shop. Why didn't he notice the 'ghost'? Aren't ghost supposed to go "Boo-hoo-hoo!" at people nearby??

[ninjamessiah]

I agree its a bug. The blob seems to be right in front of the camera. In the beginning of the cnn video, they show the side of the gas station. There is a sign with blue lights in the area where the camera might be. Then later when they showed images of the reporter through the camera, her clothes are purple. But when she is filmed by the cnn cameras, her clothes are red. So either the camera is crappy or there is some form of colored lights around where the camera is.

THIS is why I come to the JREF forums.

"[no one can see it outside]because of all the research proving that ghosts emit electromagnetic radiation that is either above or below that which humans can see."[sic]
-Youtube user :rolleyes:

[Frankenstyle]

Looking at the weather history for Parma on that day shows a high of 46, and a low of 35. That’s a little on the cold side for most insects to be out. However, I would be interested to know what kind of bags the gas station uses. That shade of blue matches the bags used at a number of locations where I live. These bags tend to be very thin, and have perforated “knock outs” to form the handle. These bits of plastic are very light, and have the annoying tendency to blow around inside the car, and end up stuck to the glass. I assume either from static or the same vacuum effect that holds on removable window decorations.

With a window slightly open, or the defrost on, the bits of plastic tend to “skitter” about on the glass, very much like the magnificent Ohio angel seems to flit about on the breeze while stuck to a protective Plexiglas cover mounted just in front of the camera.

Or it could be a Unicorn.

[ninjamessiah]

Looking at the weather history for Parma on that day shows a high of 46, and a low of 35. That’s a little on the cold side for most insects to be out. However, I would be interested to know what kind of bags the gas station uses. That shade of blue matches the bags used at a number of locations where I live. These bags tend to be very thin, and have perforated “knock outs” to form the handle. These bits of plastic are very light, and have the annoying tendency to blow around inside the car, and end up stuck to the glass. I assume either from static or the same vacuum effect that holds on removable window decorations.

With a window slightly open, or the defrost on, the bits of plastic tend to “skitter” about on the glass, very much like the magnificent Ohio angel seems to flit about on the breeze while stuck to a protective Plexiglas cover mounted just in front of the camera.

Or it could be a Unicorn.

I'm not too far from Ohio and it's been unseasonably warm here this year. Usually we'd have snow by the end of Oct but it's only skimmed the mid 30's once so far. Could still be a bug.

However, I second the notion that it is a Unicorn.

[Tim4848]

This possibility gives me new hope for getting some out of body afterlife measured with GPS. This would help people who want more privacy in the future.

Brings a whole new meeting to wild thing, you make my heart sing, you make everything about my topic groovy.

This is ground control to medium Lisa, my sensor down can you hear me major anybody, time has flew, but you really know what we must do, because if the magnetic field changes direction, all might be lost for a time, but a new sensor might help that as well, if we plan for that problem as well.

Will the Earth field only change or will it all change through out the universe, and is this because we are stretching our lack of how strong energy can be, either we accept a wing and a prayer has some has been trained through out life, or we try it my way and see what happens at the patient level first, and make sure we have built our confidence in that situation first.

Make this training more than just a thinking thing, but an ability change with what you have been given.

I for one would like to try something with this topic, how about you?

[ToddH]

This possibility gives me new hope for getting some out of body afterlife measured with GPS. This would help people who want more privacy in the future.

Brings a whole new meeting to wild thing, you make my heart sing, you make everything about my topic groovy.

This is ground control to medium Lisa, my sensor down can you hear me major anybody, time has flew, but you really know what we must do, because if the magnetic field changes direction, all might be lost for a time, but a new sensor might help that as well, if we plan for that problem as well.

Will the Earth field only change or will it all change through out the universe, and is this because we are stretching our lack of how strong energy can be, either we accept a wing and a prayer has some has been trained through out life, or we try it my way and see what happens at the patient level first, and make sure we have built our confidence in that situation first.

Make this training more than just a thinking thing, but an ability change with what you have been given.

I for one would like to try something with this topic, how about you?

Huh?

[krelnik]

Just to put a capper on this thread for future visitors, there's been some excellent skeptical investigations of this in the past couple of weeks. The Skeptics Guide to the Universe discussed it in episode #122 (http://www.theskepticsguide.org/skepticsguide/podcastinfo.asp?pid=122) the week of November 20th. They challenged their listeners in Ohio to go investigate the gas station and send in photos of the camera, etc.

The listeners really stepped up to the plate, and as Rebecca reports at her blog (http://skepchick.org/blog/?p=779), one did a YouTube video that investigates the whole thing. It includes a recreation, comparison with other "bug on lens" ghost sightings, and photos from the scene of the crime. Really nice work.

To save you a click or two, here's the result:

RlNynxlZflc
Good job, AnswersInSkepticism (http://www.youtube.com/user/AnswersInSkepticism)!

--Tim Farley

[ninjamessiah]

Thanks krelnik for the vid link! This one is totally outed.
(I still think it's a unicorn)

[PBTree]

If we worked on the premise of a previous thread that showed (approximately) how many people have died over the past x thousand years, there would be so many ghosts running around that the chap in the shop wouldn't be able to see the petrol pumps because of the ghostly crowd, let alone bugs.

[Normal Dude]

(I still think it's a unicorn)

A pink, but only partially invisible unicorn.

[theMark]

Hi,

i've toyed around with those tiny cameras quite a lot, and i'd like to suggest another source of illumination that would explain the uniform "glow" of the object on the lens.

Most of those CCD cameras made for surveillance purposes have a built-in source of infrared light that is either always on, or does switch on below a certain threshold of ambient lighting. These IR LED's are usually in a circle around or in two columns to the left and right of the lens. They tend to give the picture a monochrome, greenish look. Seeing that the camera isn't exactly up to any trustworthy color rendition, i'd suggest the uniform lighting of the silverfish is due to the intense IR he receives from the camera itself. (This would also apply to the spider "ghost" video).

Just my 2c, of course.

theMark

[baron]

I think it's the spirit of a silverfish
http://www.bodley.ox.ac.uk/dept/preservation/training/pests/images/silverfish3.jpg

[Apathia]

Oh my Godzilla! Where's Mothra?
Giant spider attacks space shuttle!
http://www.metro.co.uk/weird/article.html?in_article_id=79334&in_page_id=2

[wahrheit]

Tarantula (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Tarantula_1955.jpg) is still alive :eek:

[krelnik]

JeffWagg pointed out that someone else has done an absolutely awesome "debunk" of this. Check out this video by CaptainDisillusion, it is hilarious. Content warning, there's a little bit of salty language in this, words that would be ******* if I wrote them here.

xyR_WHEmO_4
The rest of this guy's stuff is good too:
http://www.youtube.com/user/CaptainDisillusion

[biostudent]

edit: doh, old thread! (and sadly it took forever to edit this)

[devnull]

Edit: Ignore me :)

[Brattus]

So there is no possible way it could be the ghost of a bug? Maybe an angel in bug form? Maybe it's the ghost of an angel in bug form?

[Whiplash]

We live in a time now where you can no longer accept *any* video evidence on face value, of anything at all, because of what can be done with digital trickery, etc.

It truly is a new golden age for Woo.

[bethanythemartian]

We live in a time now where you can no longer accept *any* video evidence on face value, of anything at all, because of what can be done with digital trickery, etc.

It truly is a new golden age for Woo.

Particularly because so many vulnerable people give video evidence so much credence. If you put it on the news, people believe it. No matter what. *sigh*