Video: The haunted swing!
posted at 1:22 pm on October 25, 2007 by Allahpundit
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Just a little something to tide you over while we regroup after lunch. Your debunking skillz haven’t failed us yet. Don’t let them fail us now. Click the image to watch.
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I think it is time you start believing in the spiritual realm of the world that can not be explained AP. Barring a major hoax or some computer graphics manipulation, that’s pretty spooky.
Since it is Halloween, I question the timing. But they say it’s been going on for 4 months.
ThackerAgency on October 25, 2007 at 1:27 PM
I can’t see any tension or bending of the chains to indicate a “ghost child” was pulling or pushing to make the swim go. So I would have to join the bandwagon and blame this on *echo* Global Warming too.
El Guapo on October 25, 2007 at 1:30 PM
Hmmmm , I know that strong magnets can be manufactured that are thin. Maybe, same magnetic pole positioned soft magnets in the seats?…. Who knows….I don’t buy into spooks and Area 51 type scenarios.
MNDavenotPC on October 25, 2007 at 1:32 PM
Perfectly reasoned explanation: All the aborted children in the world need some place to play!
IntheNet on October 25, 2007 at 1:32 PM
Very strange indeed. They said magnetic fields had been ruled out, which was my first thought. I’ve honestly no clue.
Speaking of global warming…
amerpundit on October 25, 2007 at 1:33 PM
has anyone tried digging up the ground underneath the swing yet?
i’m certain magnetic feilds have been “ruled out” only in the sense that they called a physics teacher and asked him over the phone if naturally occurring magnetic feilds can make one swing swing on it’s own.
the scam is that “paranormalists” use magnetic feild detectors as their main prop. so since they’re bing called on the scene….
jummy on October 25, 2007 at 1:34 PM
Who you gonna call? “Ghostbusters!”
WildBillK on October 25, 2007 at 1:34 PM
progressives are maggots, vultures, necrophiliacs, etc.. wherever there is greif, they’re there with their beaks wet with blood and a hard-on. they are too slimy with muck for shame to stick to them.
jummy on October 25, 2007 at 1:39 PM
It looks good, but why does the video start with a woman touching the swing? What was that all about?
Karl Rove, you magnificent bastard.
jihadwatcher on October 25, 2007 at 1:39 PM
Well, it’s definitely NOT a “ghost child,” for if it were, it would’ve fallen off the swing, cried uncontrollably for five minutes, resisted any consolation, thrown sand, then stormed off, throwing the other two swings as hard as he/she could.
Weight of Glory on October 25, 2007 at 1:39 PM
jummy After so many physics “professionals” forgot that the melting temp and failing temp of structural steel are two very different temperatures, and are trying to say there is no way the WTC could fall like that even though those live videos show they did, and now the global warming bandwagon being backed by so many scientific knee-jerkers, I lost all confidence in the world’s universities.
The only scientists, loose term, I trust now are Myth Busters!
El Guapo on October 25, 2007 at 1:40 PM
The Wind.
Until I see that swing get going and then stop dead, no gradual slowdown, then it has to be the wind.
VolMagic on October 25, 2007 at 1:41 PM
Vol, wouldn’t the wind push all three swings? But I agree, the video needs to show the swing starting from scratch, not with a touch of a woman as this video starts. That puts up a red flag.
However, the article says that the swing can go for days without stopping.
jihadwatcher on October 25, 2007 at 1:43 PM
VolMagic
If it was the wind, why was just the middle swim moving the most? In fact it was moving a good 90% more than the other two.
El Guapo on October 25, 2007 at 1:43 PM
i wish i worked in that shop.
jummy on October 25, 2007 at 1:43 PM
Can’t be a ghost… everyone knows that dogs can see ghosts, but the dog in the video went right by without putting up a fuss. ;-)
Watcher on October 25, 2007 at 1:44 PM
Judging by the way the the swing seat shifts and shakes sideways after the swing reaches the height of its rise, it is safe to surmise someone is pulling (yanking) a high-tensile string (like fishing line) to make the swing go. The line must be yanked with enough force to create slack in the line before the swing reaches its zenith so it doesn’t stop and hesitate at peak. The swing string is yanked hard and the slack causes the shaking (partial rotation) effect.
Furthermore, spectral creatures would need to be directly affected by gravitational pull to have the weight necessary to make the swing go like this. There is no evidence of the soft swing seat bearing any load. No load–no weight–no go. It’s just physics.
Finally, if a ghost was truly capable of swinging like this, the fact the swing is swiveling at peak height would force the swing to continue to swing uncontrollably in circles, and causing it to fly unpredictably sideways–coliding with the other swings at odd intervals. This swing is constantly righting itself after a half-swivel.
Again, a string or series of strings. It will bring tourists to the town. Viva capitalism and freak shows.
Black Adam on October 25, 2007 at 1:46 PM
Global warming is causing the expansion of the earth’s soils and crust (heat expands matter), thus periodicaly releasing trapped methane and other combustible gases with in the earth’s crust. This theory will be proven when some poor smoker decides to light up in that area. And then George Bush and the war on terror will be the blame of the ensuing wild fire.
El Guapo on October 25, 2007 at 1:46 PM
Argentina? How much seismic activity does Argentina have?
*googling*
A decent amount.
angryoldfatman on October 25, 2007 at 1:47 PM
OK best shot without testing….
about a decade ago working in MFG we saw a creep (small rotation) in precision bearings from INA. It was terribly small but was noticed because the end assembly was robotics. After testing it turned out that the raceway of the bearing had an inconsistant heat treat and absorbed and retained temperature depending on the area of inconsistancy. This forced and/or allowed the ball elements to squeeze through the load zone in a “neat” way while in operation and at rest.
Assuming these are ibolts, any inconsistancy in mfg or the hardening process could cause a unique effect. Hanging a long chain from the bolt would exagerate the effect.
Perhaps an engineer out there could speak to this. That is my (lack of) brain power for the day…back to teh silly.
sunny on October 25, 2007 at 1:47 PM
Well clearly that’s a ghost. No human could possibly make it swing that way. (Paraphrasing Dr. Venkman from Ghostbusters)
greggish on October 25, 2007 at 1:47 PM
My guess is some college kid buried a magnetic field generating gizmo in the sand. I know the “academics” ruled that out but who were they—the teachers who were stuck with playground duty that day?
Notice how the outside swings move toward the center when the swing is starting up (when it takes the most energy). Later they don’t move as much, but that’s when the energy requirement is less.
What I’d like to see is what would happen to the outside swings if someone kept the center one from moving. My suspicion is that they’d still move toward the center.
jdpaz on October 25, 2007 at 1:49 PM
Black Adam I like your analysis better. It brings back fond childhood memories of accidents on the swing set from contests of “who can swing the highest”.
El Guapo on October 25, 2007 at 1:50 PM
Some kid should have gone over and grabbed the swing and said, “Hey, Casper, you’ve had your turn long enough!”
How come we can’t get a closer look at the top of the swing, by the way?
kiakjones on October 25, 2007 at 1:52 PM
My bet is that if you build an enclosure around the swing to keep the wind out the problem will go away.
FloatingRock on October 25, 2007 at 1:52 PM
May we assume for a moment that if they took the trouble to rule out magnetic fields they at least first checked for strings?
flipflop on October 25, 2007 at 1:53 PM
Ron Paul’s magical charisma is making the swing move. And the swing demands 9/11 truth!
lorien1973 on October 25, 2007 at 1:55 PM
Or ..
I, for one, welcome our new invisible swinging overlords.
lorien1973 on October 25, 2007 at 1:55 PM
BOOSH!
…since no one else has said it.
jummy on October 25, 2007 at 1:56 PM
The real question is; what -real- scientist took time out of his day to go to a playground and figure out why a swing was swinging. Who cares.
lorien1973 on October 25, 2007 at 1:56 PM
There was a little boy on the swing. You guys couldn’t see him?
nailinmyeye on October 25, 2007 at 1:57 PM
They are all in on it. It’s a group hoax.
Black Adam on October 25, 2007 at 1:57 PM
Here’s another red flag. A crowd has appeared before the swing starts up. Why? Were they told to expect a show? Obviously.
jihadwatcher on October 25, 2007 at 1:59 PM
Modifying the shape of the flexible seat would cause it to react differently to the wind as well.
In order for a magnetic field in the sand to affect the swing it would have to be extremely powerful.
FloatingRock on October 25, 2007 at 1:59 PM
it could also be happening up top. i dunno. you guys debunk it. i’m going to lunch.
jummy on October 25, 2007 at 2:01 PM
I figured she was stopping the swing to show it start by itself. But that’s an assumption
Drtuddle on October 25, 2007 at 2:06 PM
I won’t consider it debunked until TAPS goes down there to investigate. No, sir.
reaganaut on October 25, 2007 at 2:07 PM
My guess is that mechanical resonance is at work. I’m sure everyone has seen footage of Galloping Gertie (the first Tacoma Narrows Bridge). Even small amounts of wind would set up a resonance frequency in the bridge, and it only took winds of 40 mph to cause the bridge to shake itself to pieces. Something similar is at work here, I’m sure.
Ha We on October 25, 2007 at 2:08 PM
sunny,
It seems the temperature and force exertions would be magnitudes different between the two cases. I do realize your point about additional links acting as a magnifier, but just napkin math would suggest to me a difference of temperature and force exertion/sq” in the neighborhood of 10-100x (and I’m assuming here the robotics you spoke of are not micro/miniature).
To eliminate wind as factor, a windscreen would need to be placed around the swing set.
To eliminate magnetism, meters would have to be brought in.
To eliminate group hoax participation (strings/cords, etc), someone reputable/trustworthy would need to be brought in.
I don’t believe this video can be debunked absent the above methods of elimination.
deesine on October 25, 2007 at 2:11 PM
Ha We, that can’t be it. Resonance only works on long objects that are made from rigid materials. The chain links are not physically connected to each other.
jihadwatcher on October 25, 2007 at 2:12 PM
Come on folks……..this is simple……..is magic!!!!!
Heh.
I think its a kid and someone with some video skills “removed” them. The swing looks to much like it does when my little ones are playing on them.
RobG on October 25, 2007 at 2:19 PM
Rob, I was going to say the opposite. The seat rotates. If it had weight in it, the seat would not rotate freely, like an empty swings does, it would swing back and forth much more true.
jihadwatcher on October 25, 2007 at 2:24 PM
Little servo motors in the pivot point where the chain connects to the cross bar.
flipflop on October 25, 2007 at 2:25 PM
Not a clue as to how it is happening but I know what they should call it.
The Obama swing!
Empty swing – empty suit – get it?
OBX Pete on October 25, 2007 at 2:31 PM
Another way to do it would be to put in actuators under the 4 legs of the swing set. They could be timed to keep the center one moving, with adjustments so that the outer ones don’t resonate.
Still it’s spooky to watch and think about a child ghost playing on a swing set. I’m reminded of a small church cemetary I saw in Massachusetts from around 1800 where in one area a bunch of small gravestones for kids who all died before 10 years old are grouped together.
pedestrian on October 25, 2007 at 2:35 PM
I go with a resonance wind combo. What I suggest is that the top support bar has lost or was never properly tempered and their may be a slight bow or flex either from manufacture defect or overloading beyond design limits say by an obese adult having used the swing. Any flex or bow would tend to magnify it’s effect on the middle swing and in fact the outer swings would counter the energy imparted to the center swing.
Take a laser alignment tool and shoot it down the upper support bar to observe if the bar remains stationary and rigid or if any torsion moment is evident.
CommentGuy on October 25, 2007 at 2:39 PM
What was the woman doing at the start of the video? Why was there no sound? The other two seats were moving, if only slightly, and the twisting of the center seat looked like it was being blown. I’d say fan directed at the center seat — and not all angles were not present even with the cameraman moved.
srhoades on October 25, 2007 at 2:48 PM
There was also some obvious cuts in the video
srhoades on October 25, 2007 at 2:48 PM
A. Group hoax
B. Ghost
After watching the video, I will content myself with either answer.
thejackal on October 25, 2007 at 3:08 PM
Well I’m part of a ghost hunters group that follows the ideas of TAPS (Try to DEBUNK it first before jumping to conclusions. about 9 out of 10 times we can prove that it’s often Normal stuff, such as a car’s headlights going through a window being the cause of orbs of light, Smells and sounds being just part of the house, or just being sensitive to High EMF fields)But with this well.
Non paranormal: a simple little magic trick, maybe some fishing lines, that woman there at the beginning and lack of sound has me thinking this is a hoax.
Paranormal: Possible haunting, from the way it sounds, I’d say it’s a Residual style haunting if it’s the case (Residual hauntings are those that are kind of like a recording of an event, it just keeps playing it over and over again)
Still Untill Someone is willing to explain the lack of sound and why that woman is there in the beginning, I’m going to look at that “Haunted” swing with a skeptics eye
Razgriez on October 25, 2007 at 3:11 PM
The reason for my statement was because of an example we had in our back yard.
I had built for my wife a rigid pipe arrangement for hanging some of her potted plants that she was starting prior to transplanting into the ground. One spring she had a bunch of addition plants due to a landscaping change she wanted to do.
To make room for the additional plants I constructed a temporary expansion out of PVC I had available rather than make another permanent steel pipe structure since I did not want to by more pipe just for that purpose of a temporary nature and would use what was available.
What occurred was that when my wife watered the plants you would see a similar effect to that in the film. Plants hanging from the PVC would put extra weight on the PVC just enough to cause a slight bowing due to the extra weight of the water in the pots. This started a swinging motion to the pots that did not occur on the ones hung from the steel structure. The plants would swing independent of the wind until the moisture dried out and then they would return to a stationary hanging mode until the next watering.
CommentGuy on October 25, 2007 at 3:19 PM
Add should add the PVC would bow and spring back to provide energy for the motion of the plants.
CommentGuy on October 25, 2007 at 3:20 PM
Small magnets right up at the very top of the chain might be able to gradually induce the swing to move but I think it would take a lot longer than what we see in the video. Rare earth type magnets might work but only over a small range of swinging motion because they just aren’t very powerful. Electric magnets, which can be pulsed, could be more powerful and swing the swing faster and in longer arcs, but again, to influence the chain up at the top the chain would have to be stiffened to affect the swinging motion so quickly.
If the magnetic field were employed lower down the chain it could induce swinging faster, but it would probably visibly affect the chain, again, unless it were stiffened. Assuming the chain has not been modified, I don’t think the swinging is a result of a magnetic field unless it is massive. It would have to affect the whole chain or at least somewhere near the bottom, most likely the seat.
I haven’t been a kid for a long time but I could almost swear that I’ve seen this same affect before.
FloatingRock on October 25, 2007 at 3:54 PM
Oh man this is freaky. I guess there was a little retarded kid named jeremy who used to swing on that swing all day long. He got sick and died in his bed but his last words were that he wanted to swing there one last time. I think its Jeremy.
Zetterson on October 25, 2007 at 4:39 PM
This already happened or will happen…it is a crossing of dimensions.
tomas on October 25, 2007 at 4:42 PM
Apparently the ghost swing was stolen and sold in an online auction.
http://articulo.mercadolibre.com.ar/MLA-29934715-hamaca-firmat-hamaca-fantasmal-_JM
LOL! A whole $45!
Anyways, the replacement for the stolen swing does the same trick.
http://www.infobae.com/notas/nota.php?Idx=334281&IdxSeccion=1
HollyAho on October 25, 2007 at 5:01 PM
Is this a Chris Angel video?
spmat on October 25, 2007 at 5:14 PM
The answer, my friends, is blowin’ in the wind…
(It ain’t Puff the Magic Dragon)
landlines on October 25, 2007 at 5:41 PM
The motion looks to me – because it swings side to side first – that there are opposite sided magnets in the swing and the one next to it.
It’s a mechanical sort of build up to the swinging. Not like someone is making it happen.
tickleddragon on October 25, 2007 at 6:18 PM
HERE is a different video, with sound. It’s obviously very windy, and the outer two swings have much more movement in them than in the other video. I’d say wind is the unseen specter at work here.
Tuning Spork on October 25, 2007 at 6:31 PM
Where did I leave that perpetual motion machine, somewhere next to my 100 mpg carb I think….
serenity on October 25, 2007 at 6:44 PM
Resonance? some source vibration?
Weebork on October 25, 2007 at 7:26 PM
I am willing to bet, now that i’ve watched the video provided by Tuning Spork, that it could be wind. The simplest way to verify would be to block the wind and/or see if the swings still move under no wind.
I rule out the magnets because its too easily measurable and the magnets needed to produce such a repulsive force would be very strong and commercially expensive.
If they still move under no wind and magnets have been ruled out, then my guess is resonance with some vibration coming from the ground. (Perhaps from one of the secret underground bases we evil conservatives love to build so often.)
Weebork on October 25, 2007 at 7:33 PM
And in a short time we will be told that the image of Jesus or the Virgin Mary appears in the seat.
Helloyawl on October 25, 2007 at 7:34 PM
Weebork, I’m thinking that the vibration is coming from the upper bar. Hard to tell for sure, but it looks like the swing set is made of plastic, not steel.
The movement of the swings in the wind is probably adding to the bar’s own vibrations from the wind, and all the energy of that resonance gets transferred to the center swing which is, of course, connected to the portion of the bar that would be resonating the most.
Tuning Spork on October 25, 2007 at 7:51 PM
Why are you all concerned about a swing set when this poor bloke’s toilet is haunted?
thedecider on October 25, 2007 at 11:39 PM
The video from Tuning Spork above does seem to indicate the wind.
I agree with Ha We that it’s like Galloping Gertie. The swing DOES have a resonance. It’s the frequency of the swing’s swing!
It’s probably not relevant, but the swings are connected by the playset frame. Coupled oscillators. There’s a story about two wall pendulum clocks that would always eventually synchronize their pendulums. Nobody could understand it until they found the vibrations between them were being transmitted via the wall.
JimC on October 26, 2007 at 2:03 AM
The metro.co.uk video strongly suggests wind. The sound makes it obvious how consistent and strong the wind is, and at the -1:10 mark of the video there’s a kite in the background, almost hitting the ground, and there is definitely a strong, steady wind holding it.
However, there’s no chance that the wind is that consistent for a four day period, or over a four month timeframe.
In the first video, the middle seat appears to be noticably different from the outer two, but in the metro video they all look identical.
Magnetism is not viable. The size and strength of magnets required to generate the amount of movement shown would require a significant power source, and a rare-earth magnet powerful enough to do that without electromotive force would be too big to hide anywhere nearby. Buried in the sand wouldn’t work, to be strong enough to oscillate one seat at that distance, it would drive the other two strongly as well, though in different directions.
Resonance wouldn’t generate motion of this amplitude in anything but a rigid structure, and chain links are anything but rigid.
Without a much closer and better look at the attachment points for the chains to know for sure, it might be possible to rig a small, oscillating motor that moves one chain’s eyebolt. Such a movement would start out tiny, but the movement itself would provide positive feedback for increasing amplitude, as long as the oscillating period matched the swing rate of the seat. This would come close to fitting the observed behavior, in that each oscillation leads with one side of the seat, and the same side each time. Such a device could be remote controlled from distances similar to an RC plane or car.
Freelancer on October 26, 2007 at 2:13 AM
Here’s a video where it’s the outer seat swinging. Not even sure it’s the same swingset, although it’s definitely the same model.
Just to further confuse the issue.
Freelancer on October 26, 2007 at 2:22 AM
Failing physics alert perhaps but …
Someone is right next to the swings then leaves at the beginning of the video. Perhaps there was a little push and momentum/inertia fueled by the force graviy did the rest. The chain link on top was oiled to provide as little friction as possible to allow acceleration. Eventually the oil is used up and friction will take over to start the deceleration.
hadsil on October 26, 2007 at 3:29 AM
Freelancer,
I saw the same video.
Perhaps someone from Popular Mechanics can, finally show, up and show us the way…?
Tuning Spork on October 26, 2007 at 4:00 AM
And we need an Edit button that will allow us to appropriatly place our commas, too.
Oh, wait. That’s what preview’s for.
Nevermind.
Tuning Spork on October 26, 2007 at 4:05 AM
Ten days straight? That “ghost” really is easily amused.
p40tiger on October 26, 2007 at 4:29 AM
Magnetic fields and wind could be ruled out with a simple setup. Put a wind shield around the swing set. To rule out magnetic fields, a sheet of white paper on the ground, covered with iron filings. Any magnetic field would affect the filings. Pulsed magnetic fields could be detected by a “mist” of iron filings dropped over the white paper, monitored in high speed video or by a laser sighting device.
Harmonic resonance could be the “ghost,” to detect that, a vibration transducer (acoustic pickup for a guitar) could be attached to the top bar and the vibrations viewed on an oscilliscope.
A sensitive torque meter, attached to the swing itself, could determine the amount of force being exerted upon the seat. The result of that readout could be indicative of the power that is causing the event.
Other than that… call Ghostbusters.
Texas Nick 77 on October 26, 2007 at 11:37 AM
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