Technical Forteana

[Anonymous]

Though they play an integral role in many fortean accounts, do you all think fortean accounts revolving around technology should be given a lesser degree of intrest by forteanists? I mean, in cases such as IHTM's "sneezing speakers" these episodes could be attributed to a technological anomaly.
Thanks.

 

[Pete Younger]

Not sure what your suggesting, do you mean that some things that appear to have a technological explanation may have a more Fortean explanation?

 

[Anonymous]

I mean, to recount a brief tale I recently submitted to IHTM:
It was a quiet winter day. The phone rang. Thinking it was my mother who calls daily, I decided I didn't want to speak to her. My answering machine picks up after four rings. After two rings, exactly, the caller hung up. About fifteen minutes later, I recieve a pag from my dad. He said he called two minutes ago, and the line was busy. Wondering if perhaps someone'd muss'd up the answering machine's settings, I ran upstairs to find the phone off the hook. If I'd recieved a call fifteen minutes ago, it wasn't off the hook then. the wondows were closed, I'd been alone in the house, and have no pets.

Would you attribute this to random technological arbitrations, or is it truly fortean?
Thank you.

 

[Anonymous]

Did you have any pets in the house? Sorry to ask but you don't say, I can't assume you don't.

Lutz

 

[Anonymous]

If I'd recieved a call fifteen minutes ago, it wasn't off the hook then. the wondows were closed, I'd been alone in the house, and have no pets.

Now, now, pay attention class.

 

[Anonymous]

Sorry I meant alien pets wot can walk through walls and stuff!

(Can I edit my last post?)

Lutz running off to hide in the darkness

 

[Anonymous]

if you so desire...

 

[Anonymous]

I mean, to recount a brief tale I recently submitted to IHTM:
It was a quiet winter day. The phone rang. Thinking it was my mother who calls daily, I decided I didn't want to speak to her. My answering machine picks up after four rings. After two rings, exactly, the caller hung up [...]

we've been getting that too, here... it rings, rings twice and cuts out... we've caught it, there's noise coming thru, but no speech... the pattern seems to be, it rings twice, cuts out, and five minutes later rings again... this continues for maybe a half hour, then stays quiet for maybe another few hours, and starts again... it may well be a glitch somewhere in the system... as an aside, afew years ago there was a thing* where, once we had spoken with someone over the phone, and hung up, their phone would automatically ring ours back... became a little disconcerting when we found ourselves being called up by answering machines... but it seemed to go away after awhile (shrugs)


*note excellent vocabulary skills

 

[chris_in_LA]

Though they play an integral role in many fortean accounts, do you all think fortean accounts revolving around technology should be given a lesser degree of intrest by forteanists?

I think people probably would find it easy to dismiss an unexplainable occurrence that involved something like a phone or computer or television, just because there are so few that really know that much about how they work inside.

Something like a strange dream or weird sight in the sky involves the familiar, so it really makes you wonder- it sticks out as an anomaly. The way a complicated machine or computer works is mostly a big mystery to begin with!

 

[Anonymous]

Phones (boring explanation!)

Some time ago my house phone was playing up - ringing a couple of times and then stopping e.t.c.
I removed the extension flex and bought a new hand set, but neither made any difference, so I eventually called in the (cable) engineers. It turned out that plain old-fashioned "damp " was causing problems.The socket (which is at skirting board level, in the hall ) was replaced, and I`ve had no more troubles.

MsT

 

[Anonymous]

In school, we have a math, science & technology course. The name? MST.
And even though we aren't phonologists, can anyone explain my occurence? I can't.
Thanks,

 

[Anonymous]

a friend of mine had an odd answering mechine once.. she lives in an ex-mortuary which some find creepy!..it was one of them digital ones and would on ocasion seem to dial out and play its message to people we asume to people she phoned but then we were the only ones who would tell arnt we!.. It was very odd and another mechine she put in later didnt do it....odd very odd... i sort of atributed it to a recycled chip, they recycle control chips and they may be a bit odd sometimes i rekon.