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Posted: Wed Jul 02, 2008 12:16 am Post subject: The Ovilus
I'm a little behind the times but the handheld version of the paranormal puck had released. Simply called 'The Ovilus' I was wondering what people thought of it?
I'm probably going to pick it up and try it out around here and see what I can see.
For people who don't know what we're talking about, it is basically the next generation in ghost boxes. Instead of relying on radio waves to produce the speech sounds, it uses computerized speech segments in either full word or phoneme format.
Thanks to some other commitments on my time, I've only spent maybe an hour off and on using it so far. That's not including a recording session at the museum house where I plugged it into my recorder and let it run for a few hours. I think I accidentally pulled the connection to the recorder out, so I haven't rushed to listen to the recording of that yet. Offhand, I'm finding it harder to use than the ghostbox. However, I think that might just be a learning curve problem.
On my end, I'm having trouble making out what some of the computerized speech words are. And this is coming from a woman with a degree in Linguistics with some graduate level work in computerized speech analysis.
Here are some samples, so you can hear what I mean. The dictionary mode uses a vocabulary of 512 words. The phonetic mode uses 72 phonemes (the sounds in speech that are combined to form words). The combination mode uses all 512 full words and 72 phonemes. Each begins with the box announcing which mode it's in. In some cases, if I didn't know that already, I would have had no clue as to what it was saying.
I will have to contact the inventor, Bill Chappell, to see if I can get the list of words he used for this. That might help me figure out the more mysterious ones. They are supposed to be the most commonly used 512 words in the English language, but online lists of those vary quite a bit.
On Oscar's end, he's trying to figure out how to manipulate it. I did notice that when I made the samples this morning, the phonetic mode started off slowly, then sped up, like he was starting to get the hang of it. When I tired using the phonetic mode yesterday, I barely got anything out of it.
Early on, when using the dictionary mode, the words Remember, Relax, Rest, and Happy kept coming up. Granted, there are only 512 full words loaded into it, but that still seemed more than a little coincidental. I decided to give it one more try before I went to bed. This time, the message was a little more clear: "Remember Me, You, the Light, Happy, Happy". Awwwwwww. If that's not an Oscar message, I don't know what is. Yeah, OK, that would not convince skeptics one iota. However, as soon as it started, I could feel in my gut that it was meant as a message.
Unfortunately, I wasn't recording it at the time, but I'm sure I'll be getting more messages along those lines. I need to get some rechargeable 9 volt batteries! This burns through batteries pretty quick. I'm already on my second one and I've only used it for maybe 4 hours total. If it turns on and says "ready" but doesn't do anything else, it's time for a new battery.
If folks want more information on the Ovilus in general, Bill's site is www.digitaldowsing.com
I have been using the Ovilus and have been amazed on some of the responses and words that have come out of it. All pertaining to what I was doing or asking at the time.
I look forward to further research with the device and feel this is a move in the right direction.
I'm doing some tinkering with electronics right now I'm trying to work on a simplified EMF device that can be used for yes/no questions. (Green light for yes, red for no)
So I'm beginning to suspect something really doesn't want me to get involved with the paranormal. Actually I've been suspecting it for a long time now.
Through a mixup with Paypal (I should of paid more attention but I thought I actually got paypal to accept my new address) my Ovilus got shipped back to Digital dowsing in which he's away till oct 3rd.
This isn't his fault and more mine, but it's another long example of different things holding me back (maybe I'm holding my self back without knowing it)
So my ovilus came in it's an interesting device listening to the speech mode. Abbey or Chris when you first used this device did it get stuck on 5 words it kept repeating over and over for you guys?
I've barely had this a day and I'm already getting words that aren't in the dictionary of words. After talking to Bill he says it can create compound words I just don't know...
so far for words I've gotten that don't appear in the dictionary
Saxist (sexist?)
Tick (Tech?) (dick?) some of the words I'm having a hard time
understanding because of the digital voice.
Nut (Mutt?)
Samuel
Seth
Larry (marry?)
tophat??
I'm also getting alot of repeats on certain words.
The most common ones (so far) are demon, light, remember and violent.
some words that are coming through that could be nothing but I'm on the fence about:
Worry, Rest, Sit, Chair
were I've been using this is at my desk next to my bed (infact the ovlius sits on my bed) with a list of 512:1 words could be nothing.
So my ovilus came in it's an interesting device listening to the speech mode. Abbey or Chris when you first used this device did it get stuck on 5 words it kept repeating over and over for you guys?
It does seem to have favorite words that come up all the time. I don't think it was ever quite as extreme as only 5 words, though.
I've barely had this a day and I'm already getting words that aren't in the dictionary of words. After talking to Bill he says it can create compound words I just don't know...
so far for words I've gotten that don't appear in the dictionary
Saxist (sexist?)
Tick (Tech?) (dick?) some of the words I'm having a hard time
understanding because of the digital voice.
Yeah, that's one of my issues with it. The computerized speech can be difficult to make out. I am not sure than in some cases, the words people hear aren't a matter of audio rorschaching.
Quote:
Nut (Mutt?)
Samuel
Seth
Larry (marry?)
tophat??
One word that keeps coming up on mine that isn't on the list is "Carol" or possibly "Harold". I considered that it might be "error", but there is definitely a sound before the initial vowel and the end sounds like "l". My mother's name happens to be Carol, but she's still alive.
Quote:
I'm also getting alot of repeats on certain words.
The most common ones (so far) are demon, light, remember and violent.
My most common words are light, happy, remember, relax. I have a very easygoing ghost.
Quote:
some words that are coming through that could be nothing but I'm on the fence about:
Worry, Rest, Sit, Chair
were I've been using this is at my desk next to my bed (infact the ovlius sits on my bed) with a list of 512:1 words could be nothing.
In that case, you are lucky that it isn't saying sleeeeep, SLEEEEEEP!
The 512 word vocabulary is limited. I think I may have been better off getting the Puck instead. However, it is hard(er) for skeptics to be dismissive of it when it it kicking out words that it wasn't programmed to say.
I did an experiment with it a couple of weeks ago when I went to the local cemetery to help with the post-hurricane clean up. I left it running by one grave while I went off to saw saw fallen tree limbs. I came back for a break and noticed that it had stopped saying anything. When I commented on that fact, it said "Sorry". LOL! Unfortunately, that was the only thing I got from it of note that day.
I know a little history of this place, but only very minor. one word I get every so often (mostly near my bed) is Military. Now this has a double coincidence. The previous renter was a veteran soldier who has lost both of his legs. (this is setup for a handicapped apartment, including an elevator) The other odd thing about it is I'm trying to get into the military so...dunno.
I took my Ovilus on a series of investigations Saturday (5 in one day!). This is the first time it really blew me away. The guy using it at a large Civil War prisoner camp cemetery kept getting last names of men who were buried there. It wasn't in response to any particular questions, but the fact that he was getting them at all was impressive. He also got some words that weren't in the preprogrammed vocabulary list.
Later in the day, we were working with it at another site. I had done a session with it and decided I'd done enough. As I switched it off, I felt something firmly tap the knuckle of my thumb on the hand that was holding it. I immediately turned it back on and asked if the spirit had tapped my knuckle. The response was "thumb...did". I haven't had time to isolate that into a clip yet, but I'll post it when I do.
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