Blogs

WE'RE BACK!

October 2025 lilbrary presentations return for another season of lively multi-media presentatioins on "ghost hunting" with from a skeptical viewpoint, including high-tech pseudoscience, skeptical inquiry, critical and thinking pitfalls like cognitive biases. Free admission and open to the pubic. Note: Portions of this presentation may not be suitable for very young audiences.

When and where?

Oct. 21, 6-8pm

Kensington Branch Library

4121 Adams Ave, San Diego, CA 92116

Oct. 28, 5:30-7:30pm

Paradise Hills Branch Library

5922 Rancho Hills Dr, San Diego, CA 92139

honoring the heroes of

skeptical inquiry

Cold Spots (a.k.a. Chills): An environmental anomaly marked by a sudden and focused drop in temperature is commonly referred to as a "cold spot," but warm spots are also recorded. Paranormal enthusiasts theorize that "spirits" draw energy from the environment in order to manifest themselves, and that a drop in temperature is the "footprint" of a spirit trying to manifest. Consequently, investigators use thermocouples (thermometers) and thermal images to track the movement and, in some cases, the shape of these thermal anomalies in hopes that they are monitoring an entity.

click for team bios

Geiger Counters in Paranormal Investigations

The idea of documenting environmental fluctuations at alleged haunted locations dates back to at least the 1930's, when serious paranormal investigators like Harry Price began applying the principals of scientific method to spontaneous paranormal investigations in the field. Price standardized the practice of environmental monitoring during his famous investigation of Borley Rectory, and his methodologies proved so compelling they are still used in the field today.

PPI Podcast #4: Critical Thinking (2009)

Part 3 of PPI's presentation: Science and Beyond - An Educated Look at Ghost Hunting, is entitled Critical Thinking and Logic. Presented by PPI President and Co-Director Karl Sherlock.

Recorded March 21, 2009 at Grossmont College, El Cajon, California

Length: 00:17:04