According to one perspective.. orbs are supposedly intelligent life in the form of being messengers. If you see an orb, you may likely get a message from it.
Another perspective on the orbs is that they are "etheric" beings that function as observers and healers.
http://www.bluestarservices.net/gal_fed/orb.html
I feel there are angels, then there are disincarnated spirits (ghosts). IMO, I think ghosts and spirits are pretty much the same thing. It is said that we are actually spirits experiencing the physical, rather than the way around. I think that is a cool way to see our existence as! Another IMO - Death is not the so called end we have to fear, but rather a transformation and change. One day, we will be spirits or we will incarnate again as human beings or ETs in other realms or at a future date in this realm when we choose to...
I have gotten orbs in my digital photos, and I did not mess with my photos. I have better integrity than that. I'll try to find them in my pc and post them sometime! There could be a number of reasons why these anamolies occur - speck of dirt, magnified shit, swamp gas, ball lighting, aurora borealis, northern lights, etc.. then so is the reason of being a sort of intelligence that exists in another realm, but is still preceived in this realm as ectoplasma or a wisp of gas. lol!
On a more fun note - in some old buildings of Gallaudet, they are supposedly haunted! Check out Ole Jim Gym (now Alumni house) - while I was a student for 4 years, I always get the feeling I am being watched (goosebumps). I am sensitive to certain energies, and I can see entities if I let myself. I would not prefer to, though, if it is not needed. I even once saw shapeless green energy in one of Ole Jim's windows, but I didnt get a malicious vibe from it. Chapel Hall is also another place already mentioned to be haunted. My buddies will know I am not prone to lying, and that I have all of my wits at my disposal to use. I just don't buy into too much conventional wisdom that makes up our society past and today. The future remains in question. It's great to be able to think for ourselves with much discernment. It's too bad that some insecure people have to make fun of others with beliefs or experiences that are strange to them, and that there are tremendous pressure to think or act just like others. Scary. **smile**
I recommend for any of you skeptics with a healthy dose of curiousity with these things to visit a famous haunted house... Borley Rectory in England, Raynham Hall (the Brown Lady), or some where else you know to be supposedly haunted near you.. bring a certified psychic with you, not a proven chattalan. I would accompany you if I were any closer. There are more ghost stories at
http://www.otherplane.com/stories/stoindex.htm that are from Australia, Canada, Italy, Singapore, UK, and US.
There is more info on the discarnated at
http://www.crystalinks.com/disincarnate.html
Or wherever you may choose to do your homework. google.com, ask.com, yahoo.com, library books, etc...