Haunted Swing

[PPI Brian]

Found this article on the Ghost Hunters New Zealand website and had to share it. Be sure to watch the video of the swing in action:

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/article385529.ece

Pretty wild, eh?

[MichaelF (FPIE)]

First, Brian I wanted to say thank you for all the interesting stuff you turn up.  At work, I get free periods where I mess around on the computer, I get to see 20 times as much cool stuff as I would alone because I don't need to search for it, you find it for me.  Thanks man.

Now on the swing....  I find it super interesting.  First there seem to be lots of people around, even people just passing by, unless they are all in on it, it would make any type of trickery very hard.

One thing did jump out at me though that made me think it is a fraud.  Watch the other swings.  In the begining, all 3 are moving and swaying around, it's not until the center swing gets really moving that the others stop.  I have no clue how they would be doing it, but it almost looks like it's affecting all 3 swings until they get it "tuned" in.  I would love to do some digging under that sand....

Very intriguing though.

[ttjoon]

Okay.  This is my question.  What is laying in the sand right by the middle swing?  In the beginning on the video, it is laying just to the right of the swing in between that and the one on the right.  It is to the front of the swing set.  When the camera swings around, you can get another view of it.  I wonder if that has anything to do with it.  I just seems a little out of place, whatever it is. 

[johnny]

could it be someone may have planted some magnets underneath the swing set since it takes a while to begin and the air movement would set it off. Once momentum hits, it's like a pendulum, swinging a little more consistently  with each pass.  I see swings move all the time and those seats are darn big and parachute like... i have my doubts

[bellalaghoste]

magnets under the sand.  Cool never the less.

[PPI Brian]

I would sure like to check this swing out in person.    Since that's not possible, all I can do is speculate wildly.  The video is pretty shaky, and the resolution isn't very good either, so it makes any kind of serious review impossible.

I wonder if it has something to do with the mechanism the swing is attached to? Could be perfectly balanced like those perpetual motion machines they sell at the Ruben H. Fleet Science Center.

[CACPIR_Dave]

Air movement was the first thing that came to my ind.  But they said they ruled it out.
In the video, it does start with someone walking away from the swing.  Makes me go hmmm right there.

If I was there, I'd want to know what's around they playground.  My guess is it has to do with harmoniccs.  Maybe a piece of machinary nearby is creating sound vibrations that cause the swing to move?  Maybe an air current?

Remember that one brigde that collapsed as a result of harmonics?

[PPI Tim]

Cool video Brian M.
The article says that there was no wind or magnetic fields detected. 
When I first watched the video, I thought of the Tecoma Narrows Bridge but
it would have affected all the swings. If this video is faked, then it has to be
with a magnet.
One other thing,
What is the hell is a Boffin?
The article comments about the Boffins.
Do they mean Buffoons?