I have been noticing a menacing face looking out at me from mottled patterns on my vinyl floor tiles in the bathroom for several months. The human mind naturally tries to make patterns out of chaos, so I tried to dismiss this as just a quirk. Finally, I took some photographs to see if other people can see what I see.

The first photo is straight out of the digital camera. I then tried adjusting the contrast and luminescence curves to bring out the details. I used MS Paint in the 3rd photo to outline what I am seeing. I see the exact same thing on at least 3 of my tiles.

To me, it looks like someone throwing a rock at me smoking a cigar.

I have heard of matricing and pareidolia, which are well-documented instincts in people to see faces and people in all kinds of random formations (like the face photographed on Mars or the cat's eyes on some cars). So this can be understood from a purely natural perspective. I do, however, wonder if malevolent forces can utilize such things to oppress and wear a person down out of spite, just because they can.


Wiki Link on Pareidolia [Link]

My other interests [Link]

Have You Seen My Doppelganger?

My wife had a weird experience on September 31, 2012. The day before I really wrestled within myself whether I was going on a trip to Orlando to attend a user group. I was tired from studying and the prospect of the traffic and tolls made me not want to take the trip. On the other hand, it was important exposure for my new career; so I got up early to go. My wife woke up just in time to see me off, and proceeded to fall asleep on the couch. She swears that an hour later (when I was 60 miles away) that she was awakened by the front door opening, and I sat at the foot of the couch, telling her I just could not bring myself to make the trip, and to go back to sleep. An hour later, she got up, and not seeing my brief case and computer, panicked and called my cellphone. She thought that she had seen a ghost (of me), fearing I had died in an accident. Funny thing was while I was on the highway, I did feel a lurch and a moment of dizziness, as if I would run into the ditch. Did she see my doppelganger?

wiki on doppelgangers [Link]

My other interests [Link]

Static Field Detector Basic Circuit

Here is a closeup of the basic static field detector. It is important to not breadboard this section; best sensitivity is obtained through open construction (as pictured). In the attached PICAXE code, I have a serial LCD display showing the actual ADC values rather than an alarm circuit, so I can see exactly what is going on with the detector.

Static Field Detector Circuit Diagram [Link]

My other interests [Link]

Static Field Detector for Sale

You can own a highly sensitive static field detector for paranormal activity.
After 6 months of continuous use of 3 prototypes I am highly confident in the design.
It was great fun laying out the PCBs and building these units (now dubbed SFD1): they are ready to ship.

User Manual [Link]

Updated Parts List [Link]

If you just want to get the PCB [Link]

The PICAXE Code [Link]

My other interests [Link]

Static field Detector gets a Professional PCB

I have been building a lot of microprocessor-based projects lately, and the most tedious part is all of the point-to-point wiring required. Cutting, stripping, tinning and soldering consumes hours. I have used on-line PCB fabricators before, but the cost has been high (like $250 for a few boards), so I was looking for another solution. The SparkFun Web site (from which I buy a lot of my parts) posted a service for permitting hobbyist to submit their designs in the un-used margins of commercial panels of production runs for a greatly reduced cost. They even provided a link to Eagle, a free (for personal/no commercial use) schematic capture and PCB layout software. The SparkFun site also has tutorials on using this SW to make your own Gerber files (the essential files to get your boards produced). You must follow their tutorials religiously, and download their SparkFun library, as I found numerous ways to screw up my design and have it rejected by the batch processor. 2 Days of effort finally yielded a design that did not violate CAD rules, and was accepted. The boards came to only $9.19 each.

 

http://batchpcb.com/index.php/Faq#what_are_the_pcb_rules	Will make your boards cheap!
http://www.sparkfun.com/tutorials/108	Must follow religiously!
http://www.cadsoftusa.com/downloads/	Download Eagle Schematic Capture/Layout
http://www.viewplot.com/info_files/vpl_download.html	Used to check your Gerbers
http://www.batchpcb.com/product_info.php?products_id=81452&check=fbee6c6fe66f57e15f9f3a0b5c50adb6	static field detector PCB for sale

My other interests [Link]

Silly EVP

On December 22, 2011, at 3:23AM, I recorded this EVP of a female voice saying, "silly". This voice is nothing like my wife's voice. I believe it was in response to my static field detector and other efforts to capture evidence on my 3AM visitations. When I began using the static field detector, it went off 3 times on 3 different nights, each during the 3AM hour 9and at no other times); then after this 'silly' EVP, it has not gone off again in several months. I think the spirit is avoiding the detector; but it certainly sounds benevolent. This leads me to believe that any technique will only work in a specific geography once or twice; after that the 'prey' (spirits, etc.) becomes wise to it and try to avoid detection. If more evidence is to be gathered; the element of surprise and a variety of methods is essential.

Utube video of EVP [Link]

Personal Log [Link]

My other interests [Link]

IR RADAR Gun

I had been intrigued with an IR analog distance sensor I saw in the Pololu catalog, so I thought I'd try it out as sort of an IR RADAR gun to permit me to walk around in the dark without running into things. It could also allow me to sit stationary and detect anything approaching my position. The PICAXE BASIC code simply produces a tone of increasing frequency as an object approaches. It works best if pointed slightly downward to an imaginary spot about 7 feet in front of you on the floor (the detection range is 5 feet). I can walk down a dark hallway swinging it from left to right and avoid the walls. This same sensor would work well as a stationary motion detector, like a pyro sensor.

Parts list [Link]

BASIC Code [Link]

Assembly Notes [Link]

My other interests [Link]