the best ghost photos ever.

About.com has gathered what they think are the best ghostly pictures ever taken.  There are definitely some classics in there!  I have to say though that I enjoy the super fake-y spirit photography of the Victorian era just as much as the "real" thing.

Here's my favorite from the bunch:

virginia rocks indeed.

A new exhibit on Virginia rockabilly culture goes up at the Virginia Historical Society on August 28th!  From their press release:

The exhibit explores the rise of rockabilly as a then-radical departure from established popular music and an early chapter in the phenomenon of youth rebellion, the place of rockabilly in the larger youth culture of the pre-Beatles era, and the demise of the genre in the early 1960s as the music and movie industries invested in the softer sound of "teen idols." It includes photographs, rare recordings, stage costumes, a jukebox, and musical instruments. 

avoid long lines! visit abadoned amusement parks.

I've always wanted to explore an abandoned amusement park.  I've hit up an abandoned Renaissance Faire before, and I can imagine that something on a way larger scale, like oh, say, Six Flags, would take that awesome experience and multiply it tenfold.  What a fantastic summer road trip the park featured in this WebUrbanist article would make.

and the Virginia abandoned places photography award goes to...

Flickr user "I threw a guitar at him!"  Thanks so much for letting us feature your work, and for having the courage and motivation to explore these amazing buildings.  STUNNING.

At Western State Hospital in Staunton.

At Western State Hospital in Staunton.

At the old Brandermill Inn.

At Eastern State Hospital in Williamsburg.

At Central State Hospital in Petersburg.

At Eastern State Hospital in Williamsburg.

At Central State Hospital in Petersburg.

orbs schmorbs.

According to this article from National Geographic, scientists have attributed the appearance of "ball lightning" (what those of us in the paranormal field usually call "orbs") to hallucinations caused by magnetic stimulation. Of course this doesn't mean that people don't really see the orbs.  It pretty much confirms that they ARE seeing the orbs, but that the orbs have more to do with magnetic charges than with ghostly activity.  This still doesn't explain why they always show up in pictures, though I've heard it's just dust particles.  Don't worry though, you know the purpose of the Midnight Society is never to spread unbelief.  None of these revelations change how entertaining the stories I've heard about being chased by orbs are.

In previous experiments, other scientists had exposed humans to strong, rapidly changing magnetic fields using a medical machine called a transcranial magnetic stimulator, or TMS. The machine's magnetic fields are powerful enough to induce electric currents in human brain cells without being harmful.

Focusing magnetic fields on the visual cortex of the brain caused the subjects to see luminous discs and lines. When the focus was moved around within the visual cortex, the subjects reported seeing the lights move.

In their paper, ... Peer and Kendl argue that magnetic fields made by lightning could have the same effect as TMS machines on nearby humans.