Check Out Our BRAINS
“If we knew what we were doing, it wouldn’t be called research, would it?”
– Albert Einstein
That quote was written on a big sign that I read when I went to work the first day on my current day job. Of course I like it because if good ol’ Albert sometimes gets confused then the rest of us should be cut some slack too.
I write software in my day job and I have wondered if I could bring those skills to the paranormal community in some way. I must admit the paranormal field is very interesting to me. It’s fun to read about, listen to people talk about it on podcasts, watch on TV whether it be reality or fiction. Of course some may say that it’s all fiction but we here at Spectral Review take an approach that we Humans really can’t say we have all the answers. Thanks to folks like Albert we do understand much about our physical universe but our feeling is what we know is less than what we don’t know.
I was very intrigued by an interview that was on KAPS Paranormal Radio in June. They had a gentleman on by the name of Bruce Halliday. The interview discussed the research people are doing on real time spirit communication. Shortly after we heard that interview we put together a primer on real time spirit communication.
There are several methods that researchers try to conduct real time spirit communication and one of them is by using a radio. The radio is “hacked” so it scans the frequencies at a high rate of speed. This has the effect of creating a sound made up of bits and fragments of radio noise and sounds which a spirit uses to form words.
I got to thinking that this same result could be done in software as there have been many computer devices that can tune FM radio.
Introducing the Box Research Achieved In Nifty Software (BRAINS) research project.
The BRAINS project will be a collection of software for the paranormal research community. The project is Free Software and is licensed under the GNU General Public License (GPL).
The goal is to write software that could be useful to people who are investigating the notion of “live spirit communication”. People have been actively pursuing this type of communication in the paranormal field for the last couple of years. These serious researchers are convinced that this communication is real. This first version of this software is the first step in giving those researchers another tool in their toolbox. I hope with their help we can make improvements and implement ideas from the community of RTSC researchers.
The project in this first release (0.5) consists of one application. This application is the “RS Hack Simulator”. The idea being to simulate the behavior of the four radio models made by Radio Shack that have been “hacked” to perform as a “ghost box” or a real time spirit communication box.
However instead of modifying one of these radio models, or getting the rare chance to get a “Frank’s Box” (or build one from scratch yourself), the software allows FM/AM tuner PC devices to be used as a “ghost box”. Many of these devices are supported and can be found on ebay for as little as $15. And you don’t have to void your warranty to use it as a ghost box. 
The goal of the project is to be cross-platform. What I mean by that is to have it run on anyone’s PC (Windows, Mac and Linux). The program is mostly written in Java so you need to have Java 6 (the latest version) installed on your computer.
However, this first release the software only runs on Linux. But don’t fret, we have a work around for Windows users. Mac users I’m sorry to say I don’t know how to support right now. The wonderful thing about Free Software is that the source code is open to everyone. People can freely use the software and add to the software as long as they share their changes with everyone. Perhaps people out there will want to join this project and help to get it to run natively on Windows and the Mac soon.
As I mentioned Windows users can still run the software as we created a “BRAINS Xubuntu Live CD”. Xubuntu is a Linux version written and supported by many people in the world. By leveraging their skill I have created this Live CD for Windows users. With this CD a researcher can boot their computer into Linux, run the BRAINS software and then when they are done they can boot back to Windows. Your Windows installation is totally ignored as the CD runs strictly in memory. You will need some permanent storage to install the BRAINS software and to store your recordings from your real time spirit communication sessions. A device like a USB thumb drive works well for this purpose.
Whether you are running Linux or not, you need the BRAINS installer program (small download). And if you are running Windows you need the BRAINS Xubuntu Live CD (big download) too.
First take a look at the BRAINS Xubuntu Live CD Install Guide as it shows you how to boot the CD into Linux and how to install the BRAINS software onto a USB Thumb Drive.
The previous guide included a link to the install program documentation but here are some screen shots of it.
The RS Hack Simulator software is pretty easy to use but we have a page with screen shots and tips on using it.
Finally before using the BRAINS software, here is some info on using the sound mixer. Since the program is an audio program, you may have to set the audio mixer settings properly in case they are not set correctly by default.
Supported Hardware
I have gotten several PC devices to “work”. I put that in quotes because to me, having it work is to produce a sound that sounds like the radios that have been hacked that I have heard during podcasts and the like. These devices are actually TV tuners that also have an FM tuner on the device.
Hauppauge WinTV
Hauppauge WinTV PVR-150
Hauppauge WinTV PVR USB2
The first two devices are PCI (you have to open your computer) to install. The third is a USB device. More portable but it still needs to be plugged in to a power outlet. There are also the Hauppauge devices WinTV PVR250, WinTV PVR350 and the WinTV PVR500 which should work but I haven’t tested. They are all PCI devices.
The AM/FM Radio Shark and Radio Shark 2 are supported also. They don’t get the greatest reception though. I live in a small town so these might work better in a large city with lots of radio stations. They are USB devices and are very portable as they get power from the computer.
The bottom line is please before you buy something, contact us (or leave a comment here) with the model number so we can tell you if it will work. I’d hate to have someone buy an unsupported model as there are many and it’s easy to make that mistake. I bought all of these on ebay and I paid $15-$60 plus shipping.
I have a few extra of these devices lying around and would be happy to give them to you if you would be willing to test the software. Please contact us if you are interested.
Downloads
The BRAINS Installer Program (right click, save link as…). Whether you are running Linux or Windows you need this file.
BRAINS Xubuntu Live CD (right click, save link as…). You only need this if you have Windows.
The source code (tar gzip) (right click, save link as…) or as a zip file. (in case you want to hack on it or are just curious. It’s rough right now but things will smooth out and better documentation will follow. It’s written in Java with some C code to control (tuning etc) the radio devices.
If you are running Linux you will need Java 6 as I already mentioned, and the GStreamer programs and libraries. The Lame and Mad MP3, and Ogg packages are also needed if you are to record with the computer. Check your Linux distribution for installation.
If you are running Windows, the BRAINS Xubuntu Live CD has everything needed. It uses the Open Java 6 software.
Examples
As I stated previously, I’m a computer programmer not a paranormal investigator. I’ve only been on one ghost hunt and have evaluated traditional EVPs just that one time.
Bruce Halliday has been very helpful in evaluating the quality of the sweeps as I have sent him many test files.
However I have dabbled enough to get you some examples. Here is a sample sweep using the basic $15 WinTV PCI card.
That gives you an idea of the sweep. Remember you have control of how fast it sweeps so thats just one of the many settings.
We were curious if the people on the other side would advise us on the speed of the sweep of the radio. First a very raw recording:
Yeah thats hard to hear and probably a researcher would not say it’s a very good example. I think it says “sweep not faster” in response to my question. Here it is cleaned up with the extra radio sounds and dead space removed.
As mentioned before I first heard about this subject in an interview on KAPS by Bruce Halliday. So I asked the other side if they would state Mr Halliday’s name for validation. Again first a raw recording:
I think it says “we can, B Halli day. Bruce Halliday”. And now cleaned up with the extra radio sounds and dead space removed.
Please again if you have any questions about the software, leave a comment here or you can contact us. I’m looking forward to seeing results from researchers so I hope people are receptive to trying it out.
September 7th, 2008 at 6:02 am
Good stuff. Don’t have radio signals where I am here in Mexico. Will work with with your program. Say hello to my friend Bruce. Oh yea, tell those tech guides on the other side to come help me out please. Ron
September 7th, 2008 at 3:27 pm
Just wondering. Do you thik this concept would work with satellite radio? ron
September 7th, 2008 at 3:43 pm
To my knowledge there isn’t a satellite radio that can programmed/connected to the PC. Of course that doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist!
A reason it may not be likely is satellite radio is “locked” down pretty good. The media companies don’t like people being able to record normally let alone what we do to it by swiftly tuning the dial.
September 8th, 2008 at 4:40 pm
As I typed this there were about a million radio transmissions across the globe.
September 9th, 2008 at 10:36 am
To paraphrase The Boss: “This is Radio nowhere . . . is there anybody not alive out there?”
September 10th, 2008 at 2:05 pm
But what are the odds of getting a correct direct response to a question? Better odds on winning the lottery.
September 10th, 2008 at 6:09 pm
Tommy:
I think the odds are pretty good. If I’m on my cell and I get cross-talk from some putz asking if I’m the ghost of Joe Blow, I’m gonna answer.
Wouldnt you?
September 10th, 2008 at 7:30 pm
Resume:
How about odds on this (from recording a radio scan)
Question: Tell me what I have in my hand
Answer: Dolphin Statute
Correct Answer
How odd?
September 11th, 2008 at 7:34 am
How anectdotal
September 12th, 2008 at 1:10 pm
Coincedently, there’s an applicant for the JREF prize claiming to produce EVPs on demand, real-time. But the applicant can’t understand that producing such things doesn’t make them paranormal, and he can’t come up with a suitable objective protocol with which to test this.
September 12th, 2008 at 2:20 pm
I don’t see how the JREF prize is “winnable”. As you point out, an experimenter cannot control all the “players” in the test.
For example, Randy is on Earth sitting at his keyboard. I’m at my keyboard in the spirit world. Randy sends me an instant message:
“Hey dude, show us a sign of your presence.”
I respond:
“How’s it going there in the physical world?”
Great. Lets go get James Randy’s money:
“Hey dude, show us a sign of your presence.”
Silence. Turned out I didn’t pay my Internet bill and got disconnected for a while.
Its a silly example but you can’t “scientifically” prove something exists when you cannot prove that the world that it dwells even exists.
Perhaps when this is figured out mathematically
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theory_of_everything
you would have something to build on. Unfortunately people like Newton and Einstein are not born everyday.
Until then, all we have to work with is the current tools we have that measure our environment. Which when used by humans their resulting data will be always in question as they can only be interpreted subjectively.
Sometimes I think skeptics don’t even want people to look at the paranormal or to even try to use these tools to find data.
I work on project BRAINS because I want to improve these tools and the collection of data. Yes for these Humans who want to pursue this data in this imperfect way. A way that will never satisfy the skeptics.
September 12th, 2008 at 2:24 pm
You mean Remie over at JREF isn’t just taking the applicant’s word for it?
Just what you’d expect from someone looking for the truth rather than reinforcing one’s fantasies.
September 12th, 2008 at 2:38 pm
One of the best dodges I hear from “fans” of the paranormal is that one of its properties is that it isn’t replicable, thus not objectively testable.
It’s shy.
This is a crock, a tautology.
Square root of 4 is 2, every time. Water is two atoms hydrogen, one oxygen. Every time. Ghosts are . . ?
“Energy.”
C’mon, do better. At least have a credible thesis statement.
September 12th, 2008 at 2:53 pm
DJB:
You speak of Einstein, but what of his protege, Richard Feynman. Have you read what he had to say about things like the “paranormal?”
Try his lecture titled “Symmetry of a Physical System” and what it might say about this stuff, should you care to apply it.
Another genius Carl Sagan had much to say about this as well. Try “Demon-Haunted World.”
September 12th, 2008 at 3:44 pm
Resume:
Feynman once referred to pseudoscience as “cargo-cult science” saying it lacked in any kind of scientific integrity.
Paranormal fans often quote Quantam Mechanics as one explanation for their beloved “discipline” yet ignore that Feynman, the master of Quantum theory, found their ideas daft.
And Sagan who was very much interested in Extra-
Terrestrial life, had no use for pseudoscientist eithe.
September 12th, 2008 at 4:23 pm
Randy:
Thanks for the summary. Now I don’t need to read the books.
Yes many people think parapsychology is a pseudoscience. And that fact is a better reason for thinking the prize is not winnable, than what I came up with.
But no matter. I’m working on project BRAINS because people are interested in parapsychology. I find the subject interesting and fun. And I didn’t write it to win any prize or to get rich.