Tools of the Trade

It's been a while since I tackled this idea on the use of equipment during an investigation. Along the way I picked up some cool new gadgets that I wanted to share with you.

First off, let me start by saying that if you think in the lines of home security, you are not too far off base for finding great new ideas to use in the field of paranormal investigating.

What do I mean? Well, if you have an ADT or home alarm, this most likely uses infrared to see objects moving throughout your home. I have 2 motion sensors that light up if motion is picked up by the IR sensor. It's the basically same principal. Smart lighting works in the same fashion. There are even motion sensors out there that are audible as well. I have had mixed results with these sensors... sometimes pretty crazy stuff.

Another cool thing I noticed on a case recently was that a client claimed the door to the location was opening and closing by itself. In certain situations, a door alarm from Home Depot would be useful. You can set it for Alarm or Chime mode. It is about 9.5 db's, so it's pretty loud. In a secured location, this would be an extremely valuable tool to have in your equipment case.

Most people I know have animals. Dogs and cats are extremely sensitive to the intruders AND the paranormal. Pay attention to your furry friends, they may be letting on to things they sense than you may not be aware of.

One more item I wanted to discuss is the idea of using an outdoor IR motion activated camera inside a location. It's a pretty simple concept that I think a lot of investigators seem to pass by. All you need to do is set it up on a wall in a location with one of those 3M Command adhesive strips and you should be good to go for the night.

Sure. You could go for a DVR system with IR cameras wired(or wireless) throughout the location. This idea is a staple of most investigative teams in the field. But sometimes power is not an option. You could run a power generator, but that will be pretty noisy as well.

These battery powered options I listed may be a nice alternative that you could use with little to no hassle. Whatever methods you choose, just mindful and courteous to your spirit friends.

Protecting Your Business

I know what you may be asking... What is this post doing on this paranormal blog? As with anything business oriented, it is best to protect yourself and your endeavors as much as possible.

First off, let me say that there are many loop holes on the business end of the paranormal field. Protecting your name, services and personal assets need to be considered at all times. Am I just being paranoid? No. Absolutely not. I am just being cautious.

So, what can you do to protect your self? Well, are you on a paranormal team? Is your name trademarked? You may want to consider this ASAP. All it would take would be someone else to come along and do so. Once they get the trademark, they could request your refusal to use it. Like on services such as YouTube, Google, Amazon, Twitter, etc. Sure. You may be able to prove that you have been using the name for a while, but does that trump an official federal trademark?

Let's say you want to go with a trademark... Which one do you choose? Well, that is up to you really. You can file a domestic or international request. At the time of this post, the basics can range from around $300 to much higher.

The process to file a trademark is long and tedious. You have to stay on top of it at all times. It goes through a systematic order to get to what will help cover you. The ultimate goal I believe is a Registration Certificate. This allows you to sell services, merchandise with your name on it without someone infringing on you. This certificate is what will be requested of you if you decide someone else is using your name/logo without your permission.

What else can you do to protect yourself? Form an LLC. At the time of this post in the State of New Jersey, it costs around $125 to form one. Why is this important? This is put in place to protect your personal assets is case of a lawsuit. You do not need to put the "LLC" at the end of your name if you do not want to here in certain states I believe, but it will help cover you.

Another protective method is having release forms on hand. Forms that can be scalable under different circumstances. Are you doing an event? Have attendees sign the form. Conducting an investigation at a residence? The client needs to fill out and accept certain conditions.

The goal of this post is to show you that there are people out there that can hurt you financially or slander your name that you have laid claim to. Not everything I posted here will protect you 100%, but at least it's a start to covering your business.

DISCLAIMER: Please keep in mind also, I am not a lawyer. Note that this answer does not constitute legal advice, and should not be relied on.

Bigfoot.

Throughout time, man has been witness to many different encounters with unknown creatures. Yeti, lochness monster, chupacabra and many others. It would seem that biologists come forward on a daily basis with discovering new species. Whether it be a shark, centipede snake or the elusive Bigfoot.

Back about a month ago, I saw a report released by a team that they had indeed captured a Bigfoot. The code for it was "Daisy is in the box". I remember for weeks upon end I was watching a few of the Bigfoot evidence websites awaiting the findings of this so called capture. Sadly... it never came. Hoax? Most likely.

My question is this: What possesses someone(or Squatch group) to lay claim to something like this and not have the means to back it up? Why would they lie about finding a Bigfoot?

Fools. Idiotic fools. The only thing you do is just piss people off and make fools of yourselves. Your families must be real proud of you for doing that. Nice example you set for the kids also. Lying for 5 minutes of fame? That is seriously shallow.

Whether or not Big foot is real is yet to be truly determined. Many have supposedly seen him/her first hand. They have video, hair samples, footprint casts, photos and even audio of this mythical creature. Even police officers have stepped forward with claims that they to have witnessed these towering beasts first hand.

So, why hasn't anyone actually captured one yet? Are they THAT elusive? We see deer, elk, etc. all the time. They are elusive also, yes?

I seriously hope that people out there are not running around wearing costumes and deliberately trying to fool people. All it would take would to be in the wrong place at the wrong time with a hunter and his loaded rifle to solve that mystery real quick.

Who knows... Maybe one day we will get to see a real Bigfoot in captivity. If we ever get to that point, I would hope they would film him, photograph him, document him and then let him go back into the wild.