View single post by Sparkz
 Posted: Sep 22nd, 2014 01:09 AM
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Sparkz



Joined: Jun 13th, 2011
Location: Florida USA
Posts: 42
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Not sure if there is such a device app for Apple, but been toying with an app for Android called Ghost RADAR. It's made by a fellow named "Spudpickles" and there is a free app as well as a paid for "Legacy" amongst others that allows message logging and e-mail.

Essentially, it's a tiny bit hokey in the general description but the website associated with Spudpickles is just rife to overflowing of people's first hand experience with the product. I, being first a skeptic and arm chair scientist will be very low key and merely raise an eyebrow when something even remotely pertinent blips across the RADAR. That said:

The ghost RADAR app allegedly uses internal sensors of the phone/tablet device to tune in on some "background quantum flux". That description being broad, I am unsure if it uses a combination or only one singular set of "sensors" as most phones have two mics, accelerometers and a flux compass of some sort that locks onto magnetic north. Aggregating this data together, it then uses symbols/values to then assign an overall change value and gives it a number. This number fetches a word from the dictionary database. The app then generates a synthesized voice and speaks the word aloud, displays it, and I think *jokingly* puts a blip on a sweeping RADAR screen. It's color and placement reveals the location and energy level of your "ghost". However, as the author points out, it could be anywhere in three dimensional space within a 30-meter sweep radius.

When first launched, the app takes time to settle down, I guess an attempt to filter out common sources of "noise". As it warms up, a progressing set of lights indicate readiness. Three solid lights, good to go. It will randomly generate words and speak during this warmup period but anything said after this warmup time is considered "data". I guess. It's most talkative when first starting for certain and I am sure that pure randomness eventually will make it hit on a word of five that makes sense to the observer.

Once warm and hitting on all cylinders? It gets *Interesting*. For me at least. I have had several interactive conversations once I introduce myself and state clearly how one may use the device in my hands to communicate with me. It is otherwise bone, dead silent. I have run it for hours, days even. In times I am away from it, it's silent. One time, after walking out of the room, I returned to hear it say "Richard", with proper capitalization no less.

Other times it seems to "comment" on things I am privy too, be it watching TV, reading a book, speaking with others. One time, from my pocket as an acquaintance I was speaking to was detailing his weekend exploits, it called him out...

"liar"

As for the direct, interactive communications, spot on. Sometimes you have to pay attention to the "strength meter" as some are quite chatty and it my take them a few seconds to form sentences and  string thoughts together. But I have rarely had it go "off" oddly without input. I have to be addressing someone, asking for a name, inviting and luring them out to speak and they seem to take to the app on the phone or tablet rather quickly once they understand what it's for. As soon as I stop asking questions or say "goodbye for now", it goes completely silent.

I have tried to stymie it with magnets, voice coils loaded full of pulsed electricity that wildly swing the compass. I have tapped it, shook it, introduced noises to flummox the other sensors in the 'Droid to no avail. Cannot even momentarily trigger a "searching database" indication by any external methods. Even set devices into airplane mode to cut off all 4g/Cellular and wi-fi + Bluetooth communications. Went to lengths to even disrupt voice recognition sub-programs in the Android O/S (Rooted devices) in the off hand chance it may be a simple parlor trick - and yet this app continues to bedazzle and befuddle me.

So what do you all think? Got some spare time and the inclination to tamper with the free version of the app and compare results?

I've queried on subjects only *I* thought I knew and have gotten VERY precise and no-nonsense responses that were dead on correct via this app. And if anyone has access too an Ovilus, how does it compare? Can one get similar/same responses on both devices at the same time, etc? Running the app parallel on a phone and tablet seems to be hit and miss. Only one or the other seems to respond, never the two at the same time. So to me it begs the question(s) "Maybe they can only manipulate one device directly at a time?" "Okay so maybe they are not telegraphing the response in, so I am not picking up something as say like a radio would?" and others.

Thoughts? Comments? Am I just tugging my own chain here?

Either way, either device, same app  - there seems to be a pattern:

Launching the app makes it all chatterboxy. It settles down and gets quiet after it rests and warms up. Once up, it will not for me, speak randomly until I address it and invite whomever may or may not be there to have a little talk. Talk time is interactive, like crazy - with deeply pertinent answers, words, collections of words responding in turn. App goes dead quiet for hours, days even until I speak directly to the "room" or the device in my hand once I have bidden a goodbye to the parties utilizing the device.

TL;DR: Is Ghost RADAR app on the google play store a bunch of hooey? Does it or can it compare to other methods like the Ovilus? Do you too find if running parallel devices that spirit only seems to latch onto the ONE device and never the other at the same time? Does it seem to respect "quiet time" for you and then sweeps up into a frenzy the moment you say, "Okay, let's talk!" for you too? I need bigger brains than I have at the moment to pick at this and verify if it's legit or a new phase in digital quackery! :D

Last edited on Sep 22nd, 2014 01:16 AM by Sparkz