Since I'm coming fresh out of tradeshow season at work, I was curious if PPI has attended any paranormal conferences or tradeshows. I'm wondering about PPI attending, not necessarily exhibiting. Any conventions locally or anywhere in Southern California?
Why not attend AND exhibit? :)
We haven't attended any conventions for as long as I have been a member. But there was a Science Festival at Grossmont College that we did a presentation at. It wasn't a "paranormal" convention, per se, but it did give us an opportunity to present a lecture. We had half of a room that we filled with exhibits showing our equipment and papers discussing our methods. Quite a few people came to the exhibit and got to speak with us and answer questions. Miller set up a dark room with the night vision DVRs running as sort of an "Orb Petting Zoo" (the room was really really dusty). It was pretty cool.
Oh wow, that does sound awesome. I knew this even took place, but I have never heard any of the details. That sounds like a lot of fun, and hopefully we can have the opportunity to do it again sometime!!!
Quote from: PPI Damian on March 28, 2010, 01:31:31 AM
Since I'm coming fresh out of tradeshow season at work, I was curious if PPI has attended any paranormal conferences or tradeshows. I'm wondering about PPI attending, not necessarily exhibiting. Any conventions locally or anywhere in Southern California?
Yep. There is something coming up at the Queen Mary on April 30th and May 1st, called "Queen Con". I will track down the info and post it back here.
Okay...I got some info....um...i dunno if you really want to go to this. Looks....well, judge for yourself
http://www.rthereghosts.com/theparapublicist/id66.html
Yeah, I see what you're saying Tracy... this doesn't look like something I'd want to see. This seems more for fans of the supernatural. I'm looking for something more for investigators where we could compare practices and equipment and the like. Anyone know of gatherings like that?
Quote from: PPI Tracy on March 29, 2010, 03:31:17 PM
Quote from: PPI Damian on March 28, 2010, 01:31:31 AM
Since I'm coming fresh out of tradeshow season at work, I was curious if PPI has attended any paranormal conferences or tradeshows. I'm wondering about PPI attending, not necessarily exhibiting. Any conventions locally or anywhere in Southern California?
Yep. There is something coming up at the Queen Mary on April 30th and May 1st, called "Queen Con". I will track down the info and post it back here.
Okay...I got some info....um...i dunno if you really want to go to this. Looks....well, judge for yourself
http://www.rthereghosts.com/theparapublicist/id66.html
Hehe , thanks for the link. I needed a good giggle. :) How mean I am!
Im not saying anything negative about the people that are going to
be at this gig, but their advertising makes it come across as an incredibly cheesy event. ::|
Oh, Tracy, you are so right. (C'mon, you all knew I was going to jump on this one, right? ;))
Firstly, anything connected to the paranormal that formally has the word "con" attached to it has unabashed disdain for its paying customers. I mean, they don't even have to point to the fine print for the "caveat emptor"; it's right there in the big, bold print!!!!
Secondly, "Queen" Con??? Are you kidding me? I'd want a full-monty drag review on Saturday evening, and a brunch and book-signing with RuPaul on Sunday morning. This little light o' mine, I'm gonna let it shine, girlfriend.
Thirdly, the line-up of guests looks like a desperately third-tier parade of cliches. How long has Haunting Evidence been off the air, for cryin' out loud? And, how many ways can middle-aged men make themselves look like bounty hunters and Straight Edge band members, because ghost-hunting "Effin' rocks, dude!"? Have a little self-respect, guys.
Oh, and . . . wait . . . Yessssss, there they are: America's paranormal sweethearts, the Constantinos. Bringing you innovation, credibility, and sound authority to the gathering of EVPs as hard evidence of the afterlife. I don't mean to be crass, but the only thing that keeps straight mail audiences (and maybe a percentage of gay female audience members) from dismissing the two of them as a pair of boobs is, well, a pair of boobs!
And, finally, there's the Queen Mary, itself. I've been there three times now. I know some people can't get enough of it, but, to me, it's got that sad, threadbare feeling of one of those tourist attractions you visit on your way across country and, in an impulse decision, drive twelve miles off the main highway to spend ten minutes with your hand on your wallet whilst looking at poorly maintained papier-mache exhibits and another ten minutes in a gift shop passing over the same trinkets you recognize from half a dozen other similar pit-stops. ;D
All right, I'll step off of my snark-box. Seriously, though, I would love for us to attend some convention or conference together. That would be amazing. The James Randi Educational Foundation (http://www.randi.org/) hosts seminars and conventions. One of them used to be held in Las Vegas every June, but I'm not sure if that's still going on. Anyway, it's something I know I would love to attend someday. It would deffo be a road trip, though.
Quote from: PPI Karl on March 30, 2010, 12:54:55 PM
Oh, Tracy, you are so right. (C'mon, you all knew I was going to jump on this one, right? ;))
Firstly, anything connected to the paranormal that formally has the word "con" attached to it has unabashed disdain for its paying customers. I mean, they don't even have to point to the fine print for the "caveat emptor"; it's right there in the big, bold print!!!!
Secondly, "Queen" Con??? Are you kidding me? I'd want a full-monty drag review on Saturday evening, and a brunch and book-signing with RuPaul on Sunday morning. This little light o' mine, I'm gonna let it shine, girlfriend.
Thirdly, the line-up of guests looks like a desperately third-tier parade of cliches. How long has Haunting Evidence been off the air, for cryin' out loud? And, how many ways can middle-aged men make themselves look like bounty hunters and Straight Edge band members, because ghost-hunting "Effin' rocks, dude!"? Have a little self-respect, guys.
Oh, and . . . wait . . . Yessssss, there they are: America's paranormal sweethearts, the Constantinos. Bringing you innovation, credibility, and sound authority to the gathering of EVPs as hard evidence of the afterlife. I don't mean to be crass, but the only thing that keeps straight mail audiences (and maybe a percentage of gay female audience members) from dismissing the two of them as a pair of boobs is, well, a pair of boobs!
And, finally, there's the Queen Mary, itself. I've been there three times now. I know some people can't get enough of it, but, to me, it's got that sad, threadbare feeling of one of those tourist attractions you visit on your way across country and, in an impulse decision, drive twelve miles off the main highway to spend ten minutes with your hand on your wallet whilst looking at poorly maintained papier-mache exhibits and another ten minutes in a gift shop passing over the same trinkets you recognize from half a dozen other similar pit-stops. ;D
All right, I'll step off of my snark-box. Seriously, though, I would love for us to attend some convention or conference together. That would be amazing. The James Randi Educational Foundation (http://www.randi.org/) hosts seminars and conventions. One of them used to be held in Las Vegas every June, but I'm not sure if that's still going on. Anyway, it's something I know I would love to attend someday. It would deffo be a road trip, though.
Oh....My....GAWD! I....can't....breathe! :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D
I never thought I'd shoot coffee out of my nose, choke, and pee my pants all at the same time. This is either hilarious, or simply the fact that I am getting old and just can't hold liquids any longer. :D :D :D :D
I lost it too, when reading all this. Karl is such a Blast of fresh air laced with reason.
But why didn't they book Johnny Weir for the Queencon???
Aaaaw, poor Queen Mary. Heh
I love going there. Its my hide out spot with out having to
go too far. Me and my buddy Rene are always going there to chill and have a few drinks. :)~
We have a thing for ships i guess! ^__^
It is amazing that the Queen Mary is still afloat after the massive broadside it recieved from the battleship U.S.S. KARL SHERLOCK. The Queen Con is listing and taking on water.
SO!
Who wants to go? ;D
Is there any merit and legitimacy to the claims of paranormal activity aboard the ship? I can't remember who I heard it from but I remember something about "paranormal" audio being piped in to different rooms???
Quote from: PPI Damian on March 30, 2010, 09:52:16 PM
Is there any merit and legitimacy to the claims of paranormal activity aboard the ship? I can't remember who I heard it from but I remember something about "paranormal" audio being piped in to different rooms???
I don't begrudge an historical landmark like the Queen Mary from doing whatever it needs to do to stay afloat (or, in this case, securely anchored in cement). My first trip to the Queen was pretty cool and, as Shelly said, it
is especially fun to hang out in the Deco era bar and some parts of the ship are absolutely beautiful. (Actually, Shelly, that's one of my favorite memories--when PPI LA and PPI SD got together on the Queen Mary that night. :)) However, the money isn't coming in fast enough to rescue her, and there isn't enough of it to be used on maintaining the ship, so renovations have stopped and basic maintenance has come to a halt--sadly.
The ship opens up parts of its lower decks to local events, like dances and discos, and has a "Haunted Ship" attraction that it operates every year at Halloween, which is permanently on exhibit but not accessible to the public except in October. They festooned this area of the ship with fake spider webs, creepy mannequins in coffins, loads of seizure-inducing strobe lighting, and sound effects. One of those sound effects is of a young woman calling out for help in the distance, and, no surprise, she's one of the AVP that is frequently picked up on the audio recordings of paratourists who visit the haunted pool area of the ship, where the ghost of a young girl is said to be and where people are convinced that a vortex exists allowing ghosts and a host of phenomena cooked up out of people's psychosexual panic, guilt, and fear of retribution to sneak in, like an illegal border crossing. What's strange about the pool area is that it's so extremely echo-ey that the far away sound of a recorded voice cannot be traced to a source outside the room; it seems to wander inside the confines of the pool area, making the unwitting and the witless, alike, think they're tracking a voice from the dead. This is where I start to come to loggerheads with the people running the show at the Queen: to my mind, piping in this pre-recorded voice shows disdain for the people who have amply spent their money to participate in an activity that keeps the ship operating, and it also shows a degree of questionable morality in encouraging mortal angst, not unlike the way 19th spirit mediums would hide an accomplice with a tambourine in a chifforobe nearby to make clients think they were hearing unearthly sounds.
All that being said, I have picked up one or two interesting EVP from the three trips I've made to the Queen, but the sound pollution is so pervasive that it forces you to throw away virtually all of your evidence. I simply won't be going back there for anything but drinks in the bar with Shelly and with anyone else who wants to come. :D
That evening was so much fun. I enjoyed hanging out in the bar, watching Shelly cut a rug and Leslie make the cheesy Elvis lounge singer blush. Sneaking into the pool area? GUILTY AS CHARGED! I felt like we were The Breakfast Club, sneaking around trying to keep from getting caught. "Being bad feels pretty good". Anyway, we lasted about 20 minutes in the pool before the big bad man with the psuedo badge busted us. I felt so bad though because I had the whole investigation inked way before hand and then the Queen Mary management played dumb. No matter though. We had fun anyway and in spite of it. Jen, her hubby, Leslie and I snuck into one of the ballrooms around 2:00am. Did some evp work. Pretty fun. Ahhh....memories.
I would seriously go to this convention (sans PPI colors), approach these people, listen like a complete novice in the subject (with the dumb star-struck look on my face)to each one babble about their been-there's, seen-that's, and done-its, along with their "I-know-everything -there-is-to-know-about-paranormal", and then start slamming them with legitimate in-depth questions about paranormal investigation, theories, etc. and see how they react. I think that would be totally fun and worth my time. lol
Quote from: PPI Lillie on April 01, 2010, 02:03:20 PM
I would seriously go to this convention (sans PPI colors), approach these people, listen like a complete novice in the subject (with the dumb star-struck look on my face)to each one babble about their been-there's, seen-that's, and done-its, along with their "I-know-everything -there-is-to-know-about-paranormal", and then start slamming them with legitimate in-depth questions about paranormal investigation, theories, etc. and see how they react. I think that would be totally fun and worth my time. lol
(evil scooby laugh escapes my lungs) :D
Quote from: PPI Tracy on April 01, 2010, 06:20:24 PM
Quote from: PPI Lillie on April 01, 2010, 02:03:20 PM
I would seriously go to this convention (sans PPI colors), approach these people, listen like a complete novice in the subject (with the dumb star-struck look on my face)to each one babble about their been-there's, seen-that's, and done-its, along with their "I-know-everything -there-is-to-know-about-paranormal", and then start slamming them with legitimate in-depth questions about paranormal investigation, theories, etc. and see how they react. I think that would be totally fun and worth my time. lol
(evil scooby laugh escapes my lungs) :D
Go get 'em, Lillie. And, if you happen to see Darkness Dave, give him a big ol' smoochy kiss and tell 'im it's from Karl, who's waiting with Richard Simmons in his cabin and wearing a pair of his favorite footsie pajamas. Measure how long it takes him before he limps his wrist and lisps his way into some anti-gay cliche.
(Darkness Dave < or = Flaming Homophobic Asshole. >:[)
(http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d84/JohnCampanelli/south_park_-_cartman_fire_fart.jpg)
Quote from: PPI Karl on April 02, 2010, 03:19:09 PM
\
Go get 'em, Lillie. And, if you happen to see Darkness Dave, give him a big ol' smoochy kiss and tell 'im it's from Karl, who's waiting with Richard Simmons in his cabin and wearing a pair of his favorite footsie pajamas. Measure how long it takes him before he limps his wrist and lisps his way into some anti-gay cliche.
(Darkness Dave < or = Flaming Homophobic Asshole. >:[)
(http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d84/JohnCampanelli/south_park_-_cartman_fire_fart.jpg)
[/quote]
:o
OMG Karl!!!! LMAO!!! Now I am totally going to go!! Who wants to go with me?? I'm gonna go and find him!!! lol lol
YES!! I'm off that day!!!! lol lol Queen-Con, here I come!!! lol K, you guys have to give me some good questions to hit them all up with. lol ;D
DOH! Tickets are $150.00! Holy crap! That's a lot of babysitting money.
That's a little steep for me. If I want to spend the day seeing people who are flaming homophobic assholes that claim to be experts in their fields then I'll just go to work. It's free and they even give me money to do that (which, by the way, is the only reason I do it day after day after day after day after day after dayafter dayafter day.....
Quote from: PPI Jason on April 03, 2010, 12:53:34 AM
That's a little steep for me. If I want to spend the day seeing people who are flaming homophobic assholes that claim to be experts in their fields then I'll just go to work. It's free and they even give me money to do that (which, by the way, is the only reason I do it day after day after day after day after day after dayafter dayafter day.....
They don't pay enough to deal with small minded ignance. :(