Moore and the group approach each job skeptically and with the expectation they will not find any concrete proof. For starters, he said, probability is against him. The activity is usually intermittent at best and his crew will have to be in the right place at the right time with the right equipment to document it.

"Frankly, hard evidence is extremely hard to come by ...," Moore said. "And unless you get it yourself, with Photoshop and digital photography readily available, it is difficult to believe it is true."

Moore has taken intriguing photographs of orbs, which have to be particularly scrutinized because there are dozens of reasons for them to occur on a photograph. Once he had a computer shut off at the precise time he introduced himself to what may or may not be watching and willing to communicate. He smelled a sweet scent for no apparent reason.

"In this field it is difficult to get anything that will knock your socks off as proof positive," said Moore, who holds a graduate degree in psychology and education. "We have a high standard of what constitutes credible evidence."

Moore, who has conducted about six investigations, holds down a full time state job and does not charge for his services. His pool of volunteers come from a variety of backgrounds and work with Moore when their real lives allow.

Generally an investigation starts when a client contacts Moore via e-mail and answers preliminary questions. A phone conversation follows, then an interview if warranted. If the client seems credible, Moore will take photos of the "hot-spots," and develop a floor plan to set up his more sophisticated surveillance equipment which include infrared video cameras and digital recorders.

Once the initial data is collected, Moore and his team painstakingly pour over each photo, each frame of video taken and each second of video recorded. If they come up with anything significant or anomalous they contact the client and turn over anything they find.

"We look for cases that have frequent activity and credible witnesses," Moore said. "We are going to sort out the cemetery stories. We will not be wasting our time tramping around a cemetery."

Moore, who has read extensively on paranormal activity and frequently gives lectures on the topic, said there are three theories to explain paranormal activity. The first, most common, is that there are dead souls hanging out who for some reason did not move on to the next existence; the second is that there is slippage between this dimension and another; and the third is a person has an innate characteristic that helps these things appear, of the poltergeist phenomenon.

This is cache, read story here