Tag: Videos

New and Old Podcasts Ahead!

Though we’re in the midst of travelling right now – in Texas for another week or two, after a year in Maine – I’m restoring almost all of my old ghost-related podcasts… to YouTube.

Yes, all ~100 of them. It’s a big project and the trial-and-error phase – testing software – has been daunting… but successful! (Well, more or less. I mean, some of those old podcasts had so-so sound quality, at best.)

First, I wanted to test a few microphones. (I own far too many.) That’s why I reviewed the new Living for the Dead series.

After that, my first major test of the actual podcast workflow was to record the opening chapters in my book, The Mandela Effect: A History….

Yes, that book is free to read in Kindle, but – since so many people comment (favorably) about my audios – I also wanted to record the initial chapters. So, those start here:

Next, I’ll be adding past podcasts to my ghost hunting YouTube channel ( https://www.youtube.com/c/FionaBroome ).

Preparing for that, I tested an old Halloween-related podcast, about one of America’s most famous ghosts, Ocean-Born Mary.

And this one:

Remember, these are among my early efforts.

Basically, I’m taking my old Libsyn-hosted audios (2012 – 2019), and turning them into YouTube podcasts… which mean they have to be in video format. (I know; that’s a bit weird.)

And then there are transcripts to compile and edit, and so on.

In other words: Don’t expect dozens & dozens of podcasts, overnight. Especially since we’re about to leave Texas for Florida, and then it’s the holiday season.

And then… well, in 2024, Ireland may be on our itinerary. (We’re like that. We love to visit cool places with interesting landscapes and histories. And maybe a few ghost stories.)

So that’s the news, why I’ll be posting podcasts intermittently, and why I may not even be online very much – off and on – through the end of 2023.

“Living for the Dead” on Hulu – Why it Matters to Me

To be honest, I’d almost given up on ghost hunting TV shows. Even some of the shows that I’d liked (kinda-sorta) when they first aired… Too many have become self-parodies.

And, to be even more blunt, some of the cast who’ve signed deals for their own shows…? They have my sympathy. Often, between the “unscripted” directions they’re given and how the shows are edited… yikes.

But, as a fan of “Queer Eye,” I couldn’t not take a peek at “Living for the Dead,” just in case it was different. I wanted to see what kind of spin those producers might bring to ghost hunting.

I was astonished. In a good way.

As I see it, there are two kinds of ghost hunting.

One variety is what you see most often on TV: People (mostly men) portrayed as “everyday guys,” go looking for ghosts. They rely heavily on ghost hunting equipment, and seem unprepared for anything truly startling.

I understand how that appeals to the viewing audience. Anyone watching the show might think, “Cool! I can do that, too!”

And so they do.

And then they’re disappointed.

Or find themselves in a dangerous situation, physically or spiritually.

Or both. (Deep sigh.)

The other kind of ghost hunting is what I do: I visit sites with interesting histories and the potential for ghostly energy, perhaps intriguing “residual energy,” if not actual ghosts.

People like me rely on their senses (five or six), and only use ghost hunting equipment to check for anomalies that might explain the “weird vibes” of the site.

High EMF from bad wiring in a building…?  That can make anyone uneasy.

Add some infrasound, and people can have a genuinely terrifying experience.

People like me aspire to a rich experience at each “haunted” site, feeling a connection with history.

That’s the opposite of the “Dude, run!” version of ghost hunting, where people seem to want “a good scare.”

… Of course, those two different kinds of ghost hunting aren’t always distinct. There can be plenty of overlap in that Venn diagram.

Anyway…

Here’s my review, as a YouTube video. (I apologize for the audio quality. With seasonal allergies, my voice isn’t as reliable or consistent as I’d like, but I wanted to share this review as quickly as possible.)

And, if you’ve watched that TV series, I hope you’ll share your opinions in comments, below. (I’ll admit to watching a couple of the episodes twice. When they’re good – or fun, or both – they’re definitely worth a second glance.0