SinisterHerefordshire

Not my area geographically but big black cats are reported all over the place and the pattern is always the same - multiple sightings in a short window then nothing for months.

Yeah this keeps happening to me too. Started noticing it a few months back, always about 30-60 seconds before anything interesting shows up on the recorder.

I genuinely think we'll never have "proof" because proof implies objectivity, and the paranormal seems to operate on observer-dependent rules.

IT background is actually perfect for this - loads of the serious investigators use custom equipment now rather than off-the-shelf stuff.

You're asking the right questions but coming at it from a limited frame. Ancient peoples had thousands of years to observe patterns. Successive generations building on previous knowledge.