Monday, October 31, 2016
Lucid Dreaming | Question on FILD
So basically to fild, I set my alarm for about 4-5 hours after I fall asleep. When I wake up, I turn my alarm off and immedietaly go back to sleep while filding. Basically what happens everytime is I either fall asleep without dreaming at all or I can't sleep. I've been doing this for about two weeks now. Any pointers?
via Lucid Dreaming - Dream Views - Attaining Lucidity http://ift.tt/2fymXKT
Put That Amateur Radio License to Use on 915 MHz
Amateur radio enthusiasts in the US will be interested in Faraday, an open-source digital radio that runs on 915 MHz, which amateur radio enthusiasts may know better as the 33 cm band.
You can transmit on 915 MHz without a license (in the US), taking advantage of the Industrial, Scientific, and Medical (ISM) exemption. This means that there’s commodity hardware available for sending and receiving, which is a plus. But you can’t do so with any real power unless you have an amateur radio license. And that’s what makes Faraday interesting — it makes it very easy to transmit and receive digital data, with decent power and range, if you’re licensed. The band is currently under-utilized, so go nuts!
The hardware design and documentation is online, and so is the firmware. The founders of the project would like you to build out a big network of these devices, possibly meshing them together. Our only regret is that the 33 cm band is only really open for use in the US, both with a license and without. Of course, there’s very little the Faraday team can do about that.
We’re no strangers to digital-mode amateur radio around here. But if you’re an amateur who hasn’t played around with digital modes yet, this might be a good way to get your feet wet.
Thanks to [Daniel] for the tip!
Filed under: radio hacks
via radio hacks – Hackaday http://ift.tt/2fmqqgu
Sunday, October 30, 2016
Saturday, October 29, 2016
Friday, October 28, 2016
Thursday, October 27, 2016
Lucid Dreaming | is there a way to use this as a sign to become lucid??
Hi guys! So glad that I found this place!
So I have been prett much obsessed with the concept of lucid dreaming as well as astral projection.
For the past 2 weeks, I have been recording multiple dreams I have a night, every night. I also try to check my hands throughout the day as a reality check. However, I've been struggling to become lucid in my dreams. Sometimes I wake up, realize how obvious the signs in the dreams were and kinda beat myself up over not recognizing them in order to become lucid. For example, ever since I've been recording my dreams, I noticed that my mom who passed away 4 years ago often makes an appearance. However, she is alive in my dreams and the dreams seem normal, not emotional. I keep telling my brain that next time my mom is in my dreams, I will use that as a sign to become aware, but fail to do so every time. I even tried using dreamleaf supplements for the past 3 nights, and no luck with lucidity. Do you have any helpful tips that can help me make the connection while in a dram state? Thanks in advance!
So I have been prett much obsessed with the concept of lucid dreaming as well as astral projection.
For the past 2 weeks, I have been recording multiple dreams I have a night, every night. I also try to check my hands throughout the day as a reality check. However, I've been struggling to become lucid in my dreams. Sometimes I wake up, realize how obvious the signs in the dreams were and kinda beat myself up over not recognizing them in order to become lucid. For example, ever since I've been recording my dreams, I noticed that my mom who passed away 4 years ago often makes an appearance. However, she is alive in my dreams and the dreams seem normal, not emotional. I keep telling my brain that next time my mom is in my dreams, I will use that as a sign to become aware, but fail to do so every time. I even tried using dreamleaf supplements for the past 3 nights, and no luck with lucidity. Do you have any helpful tips that can help me make the connection while in a dram state? Thanks in advance!
via Lucid Dreaming - Dream Views - Attaining Lucidity http://ift.tt/2eItQ8V
Wednesday, October 26, 2016
Tuesday, October 25, 2016
Monday, October 24, 2016
Reasons You Should Stockpile Coffee
by Shannon
If you’re one of those folks, living in a nine-to-five world and just trying to make it through another day without falling asleep in random places, coffee is a blessing. Some people don’t function unless they’re on the second cup of coffee.
One fun fact about coffee is that it was associated with intellectual conversation in 17th century England. With just a penny back then, a person could have a cup of coffee which allegedly helped individuals flock together and form a mentally stimulating conversation.
In a situation, wherein survival may be your priority, a proper dose of alertness is just what you need to keep yourself aware of your environment and notice any potential threats. While coffee may not be part of the priority list, there are a few reasons why it’s a good idea to stockpile it when preparing for an emergency and critical situations.
HEALTH BENEFITS
The most important reason why it’s a good idea to stockpile coffee is its health benefits. Researchers have found that coffee can protect you from a number of fatal diseases such as type 2 diabetes, Parkinson’s, liver disease, cancer, and heart failure. Significant data published by researchers have found coffee actually has an inverse relationship with the aforementioned diseases. This means that the more cups of coffee you take, the fewer chances that your health will suffer.
Aside from the fact that coffee without add-ons has a very low-calorie count (two calories), it’s also a rich source of antioxidants that can prevent oxidation or the process in which your body experiences a chemical chain reaction that can eventually lead to damaged cells.
Other health risks that coffee protects you from includes Alzheimer’s, dementia and stroke. This is the bottom line: coffee can help you live longer, at least in the health department. However, it’s also important to note here that there’s a value in keeping everything in moderation. In general, anything that is more can prove to be dangerous instead of beneficial.
FASTER, STRONGER, SMARTER
Another thing that can prove that coffee can be useful in times of dangerous and critical emergencies and situations is its ability to improve mental and physical capacities. The main reason many people drink coffee is because it gives them higher levels of awareness. It helps ease them from being asleep to being completely awake. This means that the main target of coffee is the brain which helps improve memory, energy levels, vigilance, and cognitive functioning.
Because coffee’s main target is the nervous system, it helps your brain send signals throughout your body to perform many functions such as breaking down fats and converting it to energy that you can draw from. Aside from this, it also increases the fight or flight hormone in your body which increases reaction time and general physical performance.
When you find yourself in a situation wherein you have either stay and fight or leave and flee, these effects of coffee might be something you will greatly appreciate. It helps think of a quick way out while being aware of your surroundings thus reducing the risks that can endanger your chances of survival. Another scenario where coffee can be a big help is when you’re on night watch duty. You’re no use to the people you wish to protect if you’re anything less than alert and awake.
WATER-COFFEE RELATIONSHIP
One of the basic things that should be in your stockpile is clean water, if not water filters. Because primitive water filtering system includes rocks and different kinds of soil, it can make the end product less than desirable in its taste. But because primitive water filtering systems are not much of an option for most preppers, you may want to have an actual personal water filter on hand which gives clean and tasteless drinking water. In all scenarios, coffee can play a good part.
Because of the easily palpable taste of coffee, you can drink your water without offending your taste buds. It gives you added nutrients and it gives you a good reason to drink at least one cup of water in a day which can help prevent dehydration, even if you have water filters and the taste won’t be an issue.
As we know, contaminated water is filled with bacteria and pathogens that can render you weak and in the worst case scenario, dying. If you like a hot cup of coffee, then you’re in luck.
If you let the water boil for at least one minute, it will kill most bacteria that could have endangered your health including Cryptosporidium, Giardia, and other viruses.
BARTER MATERIAL
If you want something but can’t afford it, you can always barter. Coffee happens to be one of the most popular barter items in the world. Even now, coffee is the second most tradeable commodity, only defeated by oil. The reason for this is simple: raw coffee can be stored for a very long time without risking the loss of flavor.
In this sense, coffee can be your currency, especially when you need items such as food or medicine but have nothing to pay for it. Though it might hurt for you to part with your much-needed coffee, it’s always good to have a backup plan that can save you and your companions in times of need. The best way to barter coffee is to make sure that it is green coffee, also known as raw coffee. This is because coffee significantly loses its value once it has been roasted. However, this does not mean that you won’t find a way to barter in your instant coffee, especially to people who may not have the time or the tools to roast and grind it.
Coffee disappears fast from grocery shelves in times of crisis. To give you a general idea of coffee’s shelf life, ground coffee lasts 3-5 months, instant coffee can last between 2 and 20 years and whole bean coffee can last between 6 and 9 months. Unopened, of course.
Remember that the best way to store coffee is to put in the freezer. Also, like most spices coffee beans will last longer than roasted or powdered coffee.
UNUSUAL USES OF COFFEE
Coffee is also great for keeping your body temperature up, especially if you find yourself stranded in cold places. Holding a hot mug and letting the liquid warm up your insides can keep you from freezing to death.
Another thing that coffee is good for is how it can change the acidity of the soil. If you plan to have a portable garden with you or if you want to grow your own potatoes, you can pour coffee on the soil in to act as composting agent. Beyond this, you can add taste to your meat by rubbing the coffee and grilling it to give you a more wholesome meal.
Hygiene is another thing that coffee can help you with. Several studies have found that if you put coffee grounds on your face and rub it, you can remove lots of dead skin which, at the very least, will help you feel fresh and clean.
FIGHT YOUR DEMONS
Aside from the physical ailments that coffee can protect you from, it can also aid in your fight against the worst enemy you can have in critical situations: yourself. In danger, alone and scared, you’re more than likely to lose hope and the will to move forward. Depression is a serious mental illness that most people fail to understand. It’s a vicious cycle that you don’t want to get caught up in. Luckily, coffee can help you.
It has been found to have the abilities to boost morale and enhancing your mood. By extension, it also reduces the risk of self-harm or suicide. This is important because if you’re alone, coffee might be the best thing that you have on hand as it can give you a few minutes to unwind and evaluate your situation while giving you the mental energy that you will need to face the day. On the other hand, if you’re trying to survive in groups, death can make or break you in a situation. In both scenarios, coffee plays an important role in giving you a sense of normalcy while at the same time giving some form of protection for your mental health.
While coffee may not be at the top of your priority list, you may still want to consider integrating it after you’ve managed to get all your basic need items together. Coffee has been proven to be beneficial in many areas such as gardening, health, hygiene, and bartering. It may not seem like much, but at the end of the day, coffee might just end up saving your life over and over again.
This is the bottom line: having a stockpile of coffee is a good idea even if you’re not an avid fan.
via ModernSurvivalOnline.com http://ift.tt/2dOThat
Sunday, October 23, 2016
Lucid Dreaming | A Combination Method for Lucid Dreaming
LD Combination Protocol
I have been practicing lucid dreaming for a few years now after a 10 year hiatus when I spontaneously had some spectacular LDs as a young teen. I struggle with having to wake up on a cold night to do a WBTB and as I am doing resistance strength training, I need a good nights sleep for recovery. As a result of these constraints, I have had to combine several different methods together to take advantage of any available time and circumstance.
The techniques I have listed here are not new by any stretch of the information and as Newton said, *"If I have been able to see this far, it is because I have stood on the shoulders of giants"*. People like LaBerge, Morley, CosmicIron and a multiple millennia of mystic traditions like Tibetan Dream Yoga, shamanic projections etc have and will continue to break new ground on the path of oneironautics. To them I am eternally grateful for confirming the fact that I was not going absolutely mental when my first LDs started.
Ok, now to the meat and potatoes. At the very least, if you do NOTHING else, there are 2 things that I think are absolutely critical to achieving and sustaining the practice of lucid dreaming.
1) Keeping a Dream Journal
If you cannot remember that you had a lucid dream, is it even worth having it in the first place? There is a word in the occult, the psychic veil. When you wake up from a dream, it is often like a veil is being slowly draped across the memory of the dream. At first, it is clear like a movie and within minutes or hours, you can only remember fragments, then you remember only that you had a dream but not the contents and finally, you actually completely forget that you even had a dream. Write your dreams down, even if it’s a few words that can anchor the memory. As part of my strength training, I take ZMA which is a combination of zinc, magnesium and Vitamin B6. B6 really helps my dream recall. If you are struggling at the start, consider taking the recommended dose twice a week before you fall asleep.
2) All Day Awareness
Despite what the name says, I myself cannot sustain complete all day awareness. What I do try to do is to remember to have moments of introspection throughout the day. The eventual aim is of course to be completely aware but god damn it’s so tiring. I can actually feel my mental strength fade if I try to hold awareness for too long. It’s quite weird how much of a day we actually spend in a mindless stupor, in a day dream. Try to spend at least a few minutes per hour taking the time to bring your mind back into your body. Listening, not just hearing, seeing, not just looking, being, not just feeling. Ask yourself and really question, if this is reality, or even better, consider yourself already in a dream and try to prove otherwise.
If you can do just the two of these things, you are well on the way to practicing lucid dreaming.
Now, what I actually actively do to achieve a lucid dream. There are a few brilliant methods out there that I chose to focus on, in order of my success, DEILD, SSILD, DILD, FILD, WILD.
In my case, with my limited time and resources, there is one concept I have found to be absolutely integral to my practice and that is proper sleep interruption. I know I was preaching that I need a good night’s sleep but I can definitely spare a few minutes in the later hours of the night for my practice.
Sleep Interruption Protocol
Everyone (as far as I know) sleeps in cycles and we go through roughly 4 or 5 cycles a night with some fluctuation from person to person. Each cycle lasts between 90 minutes to 120 minutes and consists of us going from our Beta waking state to Alpha, then down to Theta (for a while I think) then down to Delta, then up to Theta for a longer period then back to Alpha.
So in this cycle, we go from our waking consciousness of Beta/Alpha, down to Theta for a short period of time, then down to Delta or Slow Wave Sleep (SWS) which is where a lot of regenerative processes occur in the body, and then back to Theta. It is in this 2nd Theta where our dreaming mainly occurs.
In the first few cycles of sleep, it is theorised that the regenerative Delta waves dominate but in the later cycles, closer towards dawn, Theta/REM cycles dominate. Whether we realise it or not, most of the time, at the end of each cycle, we have micro-arousals. We might gain alpha consciousness for a few seconds, might even open our eyes, move around, readjust our sleeping cycle and then immediately begin a new cycle. What we are doing in this protocol is leveraging the average predictability of a sleep cycle and more importantly, how we can interrupt it effectively.
The problem that most beginners face in practicing lucid dreaming is ironically the act of relaxation. Who would have thought that something as simple as doing nothing effectively could be so difficult. But lets face it, it is. The number of WILDs I have messed up by losing my relaxation is in the high 20s. What the sleep interruption protocol does is that it inserts you, the user, right in the middle of a deeply relaxed state ready to drop into a dream. This is very very similar to a DEILD where you re-enter a dream upon waking from it but the key lies in timing.
For the next few days or weeks, try to observe your arousal patterns. You might (and this seems to be a trend with a lot of people) wake up at 4am or something similar to have to go to pee. Whatever the case might be, track your arousals and remember the main times. I wake up once at 2am and once again around 4am. When you have these times down, what you want to do is to set an alarm to wake up about 30 to 45 minutes prior to this automatic arousal time. So if I wake up at 4am naturally, I set an alarm to wake me up at about 3.30am.
Another important thing is HOW your alarm works. You cannot use a normal alarm clock or app where you have to actually move to wake up. You want to stay as immobile and relaxed as possible. There are several Android and iPhone apps that have alarms that will deactivate after a few seconds, this is what you want. In my case, since I sleep beside my wife, I can't have an alarm blaring at 4 in the morning. I bought a cheap fitness tracker watch off eBay (MiBand2) that comes with an app. The app sends an alarm to the watch in the form of vibrations which are perfect cause its enough to wake me but not my wife. There are plenty of cheap fitness trackers such as this and I think there is functionality on apple watches too. Otherwise, just put your phone underneath your pillow on vibrate or something.
Ok so you've been woken up, now what? Now you begin the protocol.
1) DEILD
Ok you've been woken up mid sleep, if you timed it right, you were smack bang in the middle of a dream. You should remember fragments of the dream as you wake up which is exactly what you want. Wait for the alarm to finish if it hasn't already, keep your eyes closed, its ok if you've moved around a little but you have to keep your awareness. This is where the ADA pays dividends. The gravity of sleep is going to be immense and that is a good thing. You are going to want to fall asleep but stay conscious at the same time. Sounds contradictory but sleep and loss of consciousness are not the same thing. Focus on your breathing, focus on a thought, throw in a MILD affirmation, or even better, focus on re-entering the dream you just left. It might sound like a big waste of time, re-entering the dream you just left but this time, you are going to be re-entering it consciously. If this all works, you are now in your very own LD. Look up the DEILD protocol for clarification.
2) SSILD
If your DEILD fails and you are now slightly TOO awake, you move on to SSILD. This technique is brilliant. I don't know why it works, but it has been oddly effective for me. At the VERY worst, it triggers a whole bunch of False Awakenings which can be leveraged to go lucid. Look up the protocol, it has recently received a lot of attention and I don't think it is worthwhile to repeat the entire process here. The beauty of the technique is that it is actually beneficial if you fall asleep after you run the cycle, heck it even maintains its usefulness if you fall asleep mid cycle as I have so often. The key here is to remain aware for as long as possible. Keep doing the cycles till you absolutely can't fight off sleep, then just go to bed. Going to bed is your absolute worst case scenario in which case you pop into an LD sometime during the rest of your sleep. The best case is that you trigger a WILD during the SSILD cycle and voila, you're in a LD.
3) FILD
To be honest, I know FILDs work but I have had very little success with them. I use it here only becuase I know it works but by this time, if I have not had an LD, I am ready to throw in the towel for the night and FILD seems like a nice way to round if off with something productive. The FILD is simple, roll over into your normal most comfortable sleeping position. Following up from the SSILD, remember you want to fall asleep as fast as possible so don't let the FILD take too much of your time, if it works, it works, but the combination of SSILD and FILD at this point just makes sense. Tap
your index and middle finger lightly on the bed alternately.
4) The grand finale.
If by this point, you have not had an LD, its ok, it will take time but you are really maximising your chances by using all the techniques in the protocol. One absolutely KEY thing to do now is this. The next time you wake up, or the next time you see a person, humor yourself, do a reality check. Try to poke your finger through the palm of your other hand or try to breath through a pinched nose. I am not kidding you, but chances are, you are in a lucid dream.
Closing Notes
This protocol is by no means prescriptive. I think the DEILD and SSILD are in my opinion the most effective induction methods for this manner of working but if you have something that works better feel free to put it into the protocol and share your successes. The key things to this protocol are proper sleep interruption and maintenance of consciousness into the dream and of course, remembering that it actually happened. Feel free to ask any questions and I really hope that
this helps the busy working people out there that are trying to get lucid dreams. I do NOT do this every night as that would be way too taxing. Once or twice a week is good, maybe every weekend even. Once you start getting good at this protocol, you will find that you can use your natural arousals as an automatic entry point into dreams and it stops being so taxing. Every time you automatically wake up and find yourself having trouble sleeping, throw in a SSILD, its not difficult and at the very worse, you fall asleep.
A Plea
Once you manage to get into your LD and you get proficient at it, I have a request. At first you will be excited, copulate, fly, destroy worlds, create worlds whatever. In time, it will get boring. Then try to notice the actual dream around you. No sailor controls the sea. You may have thought that you were the be all and end all in your dream that you were the creator, but you merely provided the impetus. There is someone else there creating the details, controlling the flow, creating the physics of the world. You are being watched like a loving mother by your subconscious. It is a deep deep deep place. Get to know your subconscious, find out more about YOURSELF. Actually talk to your addictions, your phobias, your drives and motivations. You will come out a better person, a more powerful person.
Good luck oneironauts, see you on the inside.
I have been practicing lucid dreaming for a few years now after a 10 year hiatus when I spontaneously had some spectacular LDs as a young teen. I struggle with having to wake up on a cold night to do a WBTB and as I am doing resistance strength training, I need a good nights sleep for recovery. As a result of these constraints, I have had to combine several different methods together to take advantage of any available time and circumstance.
The techniques I have listed here are not new by any stretch of the information and as Newton said, *"If I have been able to see this far, it is because I have stood on the shoulders of giants"*. People like LaBerge, Morley, CosmicIron and a multiple millennia of mystic traditions like Tibetan Dream Yoga, shamanic projections etc have and will continue to break new ground on the path of oneironautics. To them I am eternally grateful for confirming the fact that I was not going absolutely mental when my first LDs started.
Ok, now to the meat and potatoes. At the very least, if you do NOTHING else, there are 2 things that I think are absolutely critical to achieving and sustaining the practice of lucid dreaming.
1) Keeping a Dream Journal
If you cannot remember that you had a lucid dream, is it even worth having it in the first place? There is a word in the occult, the psychic veil. When you wake up from a dream, it is often like a veil is being slowly draped across the memory of the dream. At first, it is clear like a movie and within minutes or hours, you can only remember fragments, then you remember only that you had a dream but not the contents and finally, you actually completely forget that you even had a dream. Write your dreams down, even if it’s a few words that can anchor the memory. As part of my strength training, I take ZMA which is a combination of zinc, magnesium and Vitamin B6. B6 really helps my dream recall. If you are struggling at the start, consider taking the recommended dose twice a week before you fall asleep.
2) All Day Awareness
Despite what the name says, I myself cannot sustain complete all day awareness. What I do try to do is to remember to have moments of introspection throughout the day. The eventual aim is of course to be completely aware but god damn it’s so tiring. I can actually feel my mental strength fade if I try to hold awareness for too long. It’s quite weird how much of a day we actually spend in a mindless stupor, in a day dream. Try to spend at least a few minutes per hour taking the time to bring your mind back into your body. Listening, not just hearing, seeing, not just looking, being, not just feeling. Ask yourself and really question, if this is reality, or even better, consider yourself already in a dream and try to prove otherwise.
If you can do just the two of these things, you are well on the way to practicing lucid dreaming.
Now, what I actually actively do to achieve a lucid dream. There are a few brilliant methods out there that I chose to focus on, in order of my success, DEILD, SSILD, DILD, FILD, WILD.
In my case, with my limited time and resources, there is one concept I have found to be absolutely integral to my practice and that is proper sleep interruption. I know I was preaching that I need a good night’s sleep but I can definitely spare a few minutes in the later hours of the night for my practice.
Sleep Interruption Protocol
Everyone (as far as I know) sleeps in cycles and we go through roughly 4 or 5 cycles a night with some fluctuation from person to person. Each cycle lasts between 90 minutes to 120 minutes and consists of us going from our Beta waking state to Alpha, then down to Theta (for a while I think) then down to Delta, then up to Theta for a longer period then back to Alpha.
So in this cycle, we go from our waking consciousness of Beta/Alpha, down to Theta for a short period of time, then down to Delta or Slow Wave Sleep (SWS) which is where a lot of regenerative processes occur in the body, and then back to Theta. It is in this 2nd Theta where our dreaming mainly occurs.
In the first few cycles of sleep, it is theorised that the regenerative Delta waves dominate but in the later cycles, closer towards dawn, Theta/REM cycles dominate. Whether we realise it or not, most of the time, at the end of each cycle, we have micro-arousals. We might gain alpha consciousness for a few seconds, might even open our eyes, move around, readjust our sleeping cycle and then immediately begin a new cycle. What we are doing in this protocol is leveraging the average predictability of a sleep cycle and more importantly, how we can interrupt it effectively.
The problem that most beginners face in practicing lucid dreaming is ironically the act of relaxation. Who would have thought that something as simple as doing nothing effectively could be so difficult. But lets face it, it is. The number of WILDs I have messed up by losing my relaxation is in the high 20s. What the sleep interruption protocol does is that it inserts you, the user, right in the middle of a deeply relaxed state ready to drop into a dream. This is very very similar to a DEILD where you re-enter a dream upon waking from it but the key lies in timing.
For the next few days or weeks, try to observe your arousal patterns. You might (and this seems to be a trend with a lot of people) wake up at 4am or something similar to have to go to pee. Whatever the case might be, track your arousals and remember the main times. I wake up once at 2am and once again around 4am. When you have these times down, what you want to do is to set an alarm to wake up about 30 to 45 minutes prior to this automatic arousal time. So if I wake up at 4am naturally, I set an alarm to wake me up at about 3.30am.
Another important thing is HOW your alarm works. You cannot use a normal alarm clock or app where you have to actually move to wake up. You want to stay as immobile and relaxed as possible. There are several Android and iPhone apps that have alarms that will deactivate after a few seconds, this is what you want. In my case, since I sleep beside my wife, I can't have an alarm blaring at 4 in the morning. I bought a cheap fitness tracker watch off eBay (MiBand2) that comes with an app. The app sends an alarm to the watch in the form of vibrations which are perfect cause its enough to wake me but not my wife. There are plenty of cheap fitness trackers such as this and I think there is functionality on apple watches too. Otherwise, just put your phone underneath your pillow on vibrate or something.
Ok so you've been woken up, now what? Now you begin the protocol.
1) DEILD
Ok you've been woken up mid sleep, if you timed it right, you were smack bang in the middle of a dream. You should remember fragments of the dream as you wake up which is exactly what you want. Wait for the alarm to finish if it hasn't already, keep your eyes closed, its ok if you've moved around a little but you have to keep your awareness. This is where the ADA pays dividends. The gravity of sleep is going to be immense and that is a good thing. You are going to want to fall asleep but stay conscious at the same time. Sounds contradictory but sleep and loss of consciousness are not the same thing. Focus on your breathing, focus on a thought, throw in a MILD affirmation, or even better, focus on re-entering the dream you just left. It might sound like a big waste of time, re-entering the dream you just left but this time, you are going to be re-entering it consciously. If this all works, you are now in your very own LD. Look up the DEILD protocol for clarification.
2) SSILD
If your DEILD fails and you are now slightly TOO awake, you move on to SSILD. This technique is brilliant. I don't know why it works, but it has been oddly effective for me. At the VERY worst, it triggers a whole bunch of False Awakenings which can be leveraged to go lucid. Look up the protocol, it has recently received a lot of attention and I don't think it is worthwhile to repeat the entire process here. The beauty of the technique is that it is actually beneficial if you fall asleep after you run the cycle, heck it even maintains its usefulness if you fall asleep mid cycle as I have so often. The key here is to remain aware for as long as possible. Keep doing the cycles till you absolutely can't fight off sleep, then just go to bed. Going to bed is your absolute worst case scenario in which case you pop into an LD sometime during the rest of your sleep. The best case is that you trigger a WILD during the SSILD cycle and voila, you're in a LD.
3) FILD
To be honest, I know FILDs work but I have had very little success with them. I use it here only becuase I know it works but by this time, if I have not had an LD, I am ready to throw in the towel for the night and FILD seems like a nice way to round if off with something productive. The FILD is simple, roll over into your normal most comfortable sleeping position. Following up from the SSILD, remember you want to fall asleep as fast as possible so don't let the FILD take too much of your time, if it works, it works, but the combination of SSILD and FILD at this point just makes sense. Tap
your index and middle finger lightly on the bed alternately.
4) The grand finale.
If by this point, you have not had an LD, its ok, it will take time but you are really maximising your chances by using all the techniques in the protocol. One absolutely KEY thing to do now is this. The next time you wake up, or the next time you see a person, humor yourself, do a reality check. Try to poke your finger through the palm of your other hand or try to breath through a pinched nose. I am not kidding you, but chances are, you are in a lucid dream.
Closing Notes
This protocol is by no means prescriptive. I think the DEILD and SSILD are in my opinion the most effective induction methods for this manner of working but if you have something that works better feel free to put it into the protocol and share your successes. The key things to this protocol are proper sleep interruption and maintenance of consciousness into the dream and of course, remembering that it actually happened. Feel free to ask any questions and I really hope that
this helps the busy working people out there that are trying to get lucid dreams. I do NOT do this every night as that would be way too taxing. Once or twice a week is good, maybe every weekend even. Once you start getting good at this protocol, you will find that you can use your natural arousals as an automatic entry point into dreams and it stops being so taxing. Every time you automatically wake up and find yourself having trouble sleeping, throw in a SSILD, its not difficult and at the very worse, you fall asleep.
A Plea
Once you manage to get into your LD and you get proficient at it, I have a request. At first you will be excited, copulate, fly, destroy worlds, create worlds whatever. In time, it will get boring. Then try to notice the actual dream around you. No sailor controls the sea. You may have thought that you were the be all and end all in your dream that you were the creator, but you merely provided the impetus. There is someone else there creating the details, controlling the flow, creating the physics of the world. You are being watched like a loving mother by your subconscious. It is a deep deep deep place. Get to know your subconscious, find out more about YOURSELF. Actually talk to your addictions, your phobias, your drives and motivations. You will come out a better person, a more powerful person.
Good luck oneironauts, see you on the inside.
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Saturday, October 22, 2016
Friday, October 21, 2016
Thursday, October 20, 2016
Wednesday, October 19, 2016
Lucid Dreaming | Natural Lucid Dreamer
Hey everyone, i just wanted to share this to you and get some insight aswell from the most experienced ones here.
I learned about lucid dreaming few months ago, i followed up some techniques which worked sometimes at first but i ended up attaining lucidity naturaly in the end.
First, most important key points are:
-Believe that you can do it.Faith.You really have to want this to actually happen
-If it doesnt work right away, dont quit.Persistence and Patience.
If you work with these you propably make it easily.
By just programming myself to remember my dreams and be aware that dreams will come soon as a go to sleep i ended up attaning lucidity easily,and getting better day by day.Most of my lucids are starting from small stuff that i cant even remember, it just happens to know that i am dreaming.I use no techniques , rubbing hands etc to stay in the dream, it just got easy to be one with the enviroment when i realize that the dream fades.My consciousness within the dream is not much for now cause i had a long break, just started again but i can stay IN the dream for a very long time.Today was the longest ever.I had a sense of time when i was in, if felt like 30 minutes or more, to the point i got bored.The scenes changed alot of times, characters and content aswell without even realizing it.As i woke up i couldnt remember shit but i knew i was inside for a loooong time.
What do you guys think about that? Im no expert, i have just read alot when i started but now it seems i dont need anything to make it, i dont use dream journals.I just do what i said above.
I learned about lucid dreaming few months ago, i followed up some techniques which worked sometimes at first but i ended up attaining lucidity naturaly in the end.
First, most important key points are:
-Believe that you can do it.Faith.You really have to want this to actually happen
-If it doesnt work right away, dont quit.Persistence and Patience.
If you work with these you propably make it easily.
By just programming myself to remember my dreams and be aware that dreams will come soon as a go to sleep i ended up attaning lucidity easily,and getting better day by day.Most of my lucids are starting from small stuff that i cant even remember, it just happens to know that i am dreaming.I use no techniques , rubbing hands etc to stay in the dream, it just got easy to be one with the enviroment when i realize that the dream fades.My consciousness within the dream is not much for now cause i had a long break, just started again but i can stay IN the dream for a very long time.Today was the longest ever.I had a sense of time when i was in, if felt like 30 minutes or more, to the point i got bored.The scenes changed alot of times, characters and content aswell without even realizing it.As i woke up i couldnt remember shit but i knew i was inside for a loooong time.
What do you guys think about that? Im no expert, i have just read alot when i started but now it seems i dont need anything to make it, i dont use dream journals.I just do what i said above.
via Lucid Dreaming - Dream Views - Attaining Lucidity http://ift.tt/2eidCof
Tuesday, October 18, 2016
The BITX Transceiver Comes Of Age
There was a time when the idea of building your own single-sideband transceiver was too daunting for all but the most hardcore of amateur radio constructors. After all the process of creating SSB is complex enough in itself without adding the extra complexity of a receiver and the associated switching circuitry.
In 2003 an Indian radio amateur, [Ashhar Farhan], [VU2ESE] changed all that. His BitX SSB transceiver used a bidirectional amplifier design and readily available components such that it could be built by almost anyone using dead bug construction techniques for an extremely reasonable price.
Over the years since [Ashhar] first published his circuit, his design has been taken and enhanced, been presented in kit form, and extended to other bands by multiple other radio amateurs. Until now though it seems as though he himself has taken very little advantage of his work.
It is therefore with great interest that we note a new 40-meter BitX transceiver on the market from a company founded by the man himself. The transceiver itself is an Indian-assembled PCB with an updated circuit using a 12 MHz IF, varicap tuning, and large surface-mount components for easy modification. Just as with the original circuit, there is a full technical run-down of its operation should you wish to build one yourself. For a rather impressive $45 though you might wish to put down the soldering iron, it looks very much worth the wait for international postage.
We don’t often feature commercial product launches here on Hackaday, though we are besieged by people trying to persuade us to do so. So why this one? When the creator of a design that has been as significant as the BitX has been to its community of builders releases a new version it is newsworthy in itself, and if they are commercializing their work then they deserve that reward.
We’ve featured the BitX here in the past, with a rather impressive dead-bug build, and a look at a multiband version. We’re sure that this design thread has more to deliver, and look forward to more.
Thanks [WB9FLW] for the tip.
Filed under: radio hacks
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Lucid Dreaming | Daydreaming to speed up WILD
I have tried different ways to speed up the process of falling asleep when doing a WILD. I have found out that daydreaming is the best and fastest method for me. But there is a problem.
When daydreaming i get immersed and my body relaxes much more quickly, and the daydream almost form itself like im watching a movie or something. But then after a while it stops and i can´t get an interesting daydream going again.
Does anyone have any technique or tip on how to form interesting daydreams or is it more restricted by imagination? (Not to be confused with visulaization).
When daydreaming i get immersed and my body relaxes much more quickly, and the daydream almost form itself like im watching a movie or something. But then after a while it stops and i can´t get an interesting daydream going again.
Does anyone have any technique or tip on how to form interesting daydreams or is it more restricted by imagination? (Not to be confused with visulaization).
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Lucid Dreaming | Second lucid dream but almost no control
I have a few questions. I had my second lucid dream last night when getting of a train in pitch black darkness. I realized it was a dream and my entire dream view suddenly change. First a flash of white then I was somewhere else. I could not control a single thing but my hands. Also It took all of my focus to make the dream clear enough to look like real life. But every time I focused it it changed again.
Another thing is I'm having a hard time maintaining a first person point of view is that common? Also should I be aware of headphone sounds or feel Iike could move my actual body if I wanted to but decide to stay in dream? I just want a lil help. I did wbtb if that makes a difference.
Another thing is I'm having a hard time maintaining a first person point of view is that common? Also should I be aware of headphone sounds or feel Iike could move my actual body if I wanted to but decide to stay in dream? I just want a lil help. I did wbtb if that makes a difference.
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Homemade Survival Gear and Tools
by Shannon
Immediately after you find yourself in a dangerous situation, most people think first about how they’re going to defend and protect themselves. Often, the situation will give you little leeway and there’s an even smaller chance that you just happen to have the proper resources within reach. This is why having the basic knowledge and skills to make homemade resources is important.
The beauty and advantage of knowing how to make several things such as weapons and gear are that you have as many of them as you can make. This suggests an unlimited armory. Depending on your skills, you may even manage to make quality gear and weapons that can last longer than those you normally buy from a store.
To help you gain a basic understanding of this skill, here are a few homemade survival gear and tools that you can make on your own.
HOMEMADE KNIFE
The knife is one of the most basic survival weapons that you should have in critical situations. Having something to help you protect yourself will help lessen your worries. A knife in hand gives you the advantage of not being completely helpless and vulnerable. While some people may have gotten the chance to visit a reputable store and purchase a good knife, you may not have gotten around to that yet.
But worry not. Here’s a quick list of tips on how to make your own knife from scratch:
- Virtually anything that has or can have a sharp point can be made into a knife. Bones, shells, aluminum, steel, and carbon are just some of those materials. Pick a kind of blade that will suit your current situation. The goal is to make a knife that can perform its basic functions such as puncturing or slicing. You need to reach a compromise between an object that will make a good sharp knife but still withstand considerable pressure and resistance.
- One of the few things that can fulfill the requirements above is stone. While it’s true that it may take some time to make, the result is usually sturdier and sharper than anything you want to use.
- The caveman knife or the knife that’s made from smashing rocks together gets its name because of the materials you will need. It does not require any money but it will demand a lot of strength and effort. Do not settle for anything less than a knife that works perfectly.
- Picking a handle for your knife is a lot easier compared to the first few things you have to do. The only thing that you’re going to want to make sure of is that it fits in your hand. Handles can be potentially dangerous if you choose your materials haphazardly. Find a handle that can hold your blade in place while at the same fit in your hand comfortably and without causing any injury.
- Tie everything together with a rope that is as sturdy the as the whole knife itself. Never overestimate the ability of the rope you’re going to use to hold everything together. One can argue that this part is what makes the knife worth using.
HOMEMADE TELESCOPE
Being able to see the general condition of a place that is meters away from you is a handy ability. It allows you to determine if there’s anything dangerous nearby without actually going to where you think the danger might be. On that note, it’s an advantage to have a telescope on hand for anyone who would like to survive dangerous situations such as being stranded on an unknown land.
Fortunately, this is another thing that you don’t have to spend your money on, especially if you’re not picky. Here’s how to make one:
The general guidelines for making your own telescope is to first know your lenses. Every kind serves a different purpose. Choose a lens that will help you the most in your situation and something that you’re comfortable with. Second, be mindful of the length. Assess your emergency kit and choose the size of your telescope accordingly. A squashed telescope is not good for anything and you will most likely need both hands in a survival situation which means that you can’t hold your telescope forever.
HOMEMADE DIAPERS
Probably one of the things that most people forget about surviving in the wilderness is the fact that you may not have time to create your own toilet. In some situations, you may not even have the luxury of time to squat and pee or take a dump because you’re on the run from something or someone who could harm you. This is where homemade diapers come in handy.
If you’re trying to survive with your family, then your kids will have needs too and they might not have the patience to wait until the appropriate time to relieve themselves. If you’re traveling, sometimes you can’t afford to take a stopover. In the same situation, even parents can wear their own diapers to help tide them over at least until they’re a considerable distance away from anything or anyone dangerous.
Because supermarkets will almost certainly be the first place that will get looted in the case of a disaster, you might not get the chance to buy and stockpile diapers. But there’s good news. You can make your own diapers from minimal materials.
For those who have a sewing machine on hand, check this out for detailed instructions on how to make cloth diapers:
If you have to make one quick, this is how you can go about doing just that:
HOMEMADE COMPASS
Another thing survival tool that can come in handy is a compass. Having one means that you can at least have a general knowledge of where you’re at and where you should go. It helps you navigate through the woods and even in open water.
Like the knife, telescope, and diapers, you don’t need to spend money on a compass. All you need is a plastic bowl filled with water, cork, magnet, and a needle. It might seem a little dubious but this video explains why it’s pretty reliable:
This is one of the times when you can trust Mother Earth and all its elements not to lead you and your family astray.
HOMEMADE HOLSTER
Common sense dictates that you should never put your gun between the waistband of your pants and your skin. There’s a possibility that it might go off and you will end up with an unnecessary injury that you could have prevented from happening if you had a holster. This common rule also applies to knives and just about any kind of weapon.
Why not just put them in the bug out bag? You never know when you might need your weapon. The last thing that you want to happen to you is to be unprepared for a fight simply because your weapon is in your bag. In that situation, you might not have enough time to open the bag and grab it. This is why knowing how to make your own holster comes in handy.
Not only does it cost less, it also gives you the freedom to calculate the sizes you see fit and at the same time, make sure that it has quality. The only disadvantage is that it’s time-consuming. Regardless, it’s still worth it.
Here’s how you can make your own leather holster either for your knife or for your gun: http://ift.tt/2edf0tH
HOMEMADE BAG
As you keep forging through the unknown in an effort to survive, you will accumulate a lot of things that you think may come in handy. Anything sharp, something that can function as a container, water bottles or even game from your hunt will have to be set aside. At the same time, you have to think about how fast you can gather your stuff and flee if you have to.
Having an extra bag has its benefits. A bag made out recycled plastic bottles it sturdier than ordinary cotton and best of all, it’s waterproof. It’s the perfect thing to have when you need to keep important things from getting wet or damaged. It also plays to your advantage because you’re likely to encounter water bottles in a lot of public places. You just need to know what to with them.
Here’s how: http://ift.tt/2dKE4EP
- The number of plastic bottles that you need will depend on how long you need the bag to be. The best and balanced number is three bottles. Make sure that they’re at least the same size even if they’re not the same brand.
- Cut the top of the bottles.
- Take one bottle and cut two lines (width should be the same as the bottom of the bottle) on both sides. Don’t remove the strip as it will serve as the connecting agent of your bag.
- For the other two bottles, cut two line on one side with the width approximately the same as the strips on the first bottle.
- Punch holes through the sides of the bottles that you cut through. Be careful not to punch the holes too closely or too far apart.
- Join the bottles by tying a rope through the holes and wrapping the bottom of the bag in tape. At the topmost holes of the left and right bottles, tie a rope to make a handle.
HOMEMADE SLEEPING BAG
In order to survive critical situations, we not only have to gather food and find water, we also have to have a shelter wherein we can sleep through the night. Sleep is important because it’s the only time that your body and brain can have the time they need to rest and recharge. Without sleep, we compromise many things such as alertness, awareness, physical abilities and reaction times. That one-second delay before you realize there’s danger may be just what it takes to kill you.
For sleep to be effective, you will have to be as comfortable as possible even if you’re laying down on the ground. You will also need warmth to keep your body temperature regulated as you take your much-needed rest. A lightweight sleeping bag must be in your survival gear and tools if you wish to survive longer.
Here’s how to make one at home: http://ift.tt/2edk7dd:
- Start by choosing what material your sleeping bag is going to be made from. It can be a quilt or cloth or anything that is lightweight but still give you the amount of warmth that you will need. Remember that the most practical sleeping bags are those that you can carry around without it being in the way or being too heavy.
- Decide whether you want to have a hooded or non-hooded sleeping bag. The only difference in the process of making is that you’re going to have to sew together the hood and the rest of the sleeping bag.
- Lie down in the material you chose and make sure that you have enough space for most of your preferred sleeping positions. But be careful not to create too much space as that will take away the warmth.
- The best way to ensure that you have the right size is to make a cutout pattern so you don’t have to lie in it every time you finish making it. It also helps you give it definite measurements that will come in handy if you have to readjust and resize your sleeping bag material.
- Every time you sew through the fabric, make sure that you fold it so it doesn’t fray. This includes the process when you make the two ends of the fabric meet by sewing in a zipper.
- After you’ve made your sleeping bag, you can attach Velcro over the sleeping bag to give your another set of security measure in case the zipper breaks.
- Don’t forget to make a foot pocket to complete your sleeping bag. The process is general the same and it would really help if you found a material that you can split into parts so that the sleeping bag is more or less consistent in terms of fabric.
There are many other survival gear and tools that you should have in case of emergencies. Most people will panic because of the absence of some of those tools. But if there’s anything about survival that we should remember, it’s that it goes perfectly with creativity. You can make just about anything from everything and all you need is time, effort and innovation.
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Monday, October 17, 2016
Lucid Dreaming | not imagining my own dream scene
This is going to sound a bit strange( i think) but ive been trying to LD for around 2 weeks now using the FILD and had a couple of goes at WILD. Ive done a lot of reading up about RC'ing self awareness, dream recall etc. Ive even been meditatiing every day. But the thing im struggling with is i really dont know what i want to do in my LD. Ive read a few times about picturing my dream scene and what i would do if i become lucid but i just honestly dont know. I want to just watch and feel what its like but be aware that im dreaming. I just enjoy dreaming. Even more when its a vvid dream. But im really struggling to decide what i want to do. I just want to get there i suppose and see where it takes me. I hope this makes sense. Any help or ideas would be greatly appreciated.
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Sunday, October 16, 2016
Saturday, October 15, 2016
A Lot Of WiFi Power, A Yagi, And A Sniper’s ‘Scope
Do you remember the early days of consumer wireless networking, a time of open access points with default SSIDs, manufacturer default passwords, Pringle can antennas, and wardriving? Fortunately out-of-the-box device security has moved on in the last couple of decades, but there was a time when most WiFi networks were an open book to any passer-by with a WiFi-equipped laptop or PDA.
The more sophisticated wardrivers used directional antennas, the simplest of which was the abovementioned Pringle can, in which the snack container was repurposed as a resonant horn antenna with a single radiator mounted on an N socket poking through its side. If you were more sophisticated you might have used a Yagi array (a higher-frequency version of the antenna you would use to receive TV signals). But these were high-precision items that were expensive, or rather tricky to build if you made one yourself.
In recent years the price of commercial WiFi Yagi arrays has dropped, and they have become a common sight used for stretching WiFi range. [TacticalNinja] has other ideas, and has used a particularly long one paired with a high-power WiFi card and amplifier as a wardriver’s kit par excellence, complete with a sniper’s ‘scope for aiming.
The antenna was a cheap Chinese item, which arrived with very poor performance indeed. It turned out that its driven element was misaligned and shorted by a too-long screw, and its cable was rather long with a suspect balun. Modifying it for element alignment and a balun-less short feeder improved its performance no end. He quotes the figures for his set-up as 4000mW of RF output power into a 25dBi Yagi, or 61dBm effective radiated power. This equates to the definitely-illegal equivalent of an over 1250W point source, which sounds very impressive but somehow we doubt that the quoted figures will be achieved in reality. Claimed manufacturer antenna gain figures are rarely trustworthy.
This is something of an exercise in how much you can push into a WiFi antenna, and his comparison with a rifle is very apt. Imagine it as the equivalent of an AR-15 modified with every bell and whistle the gun store can sell its owner, it may look impressively tricked-out but does it shoot any better than the stock rifle in the hands of an expert? As any radio amateur will tell you: a contact can only be made if communication can be heard in both directions, and we’re left wondering whether some of that extra power is wasted as even with the Yagi the WiFi receiver will be unlikely to hear the reply from a network responding at great distance using the stock legal antenna and power. Still, it does have an air of wardriver chic about it, and we’re certain it has the potential for a lot of long-distance WiFi fun within its receiving range.
This isn’t the first wardriving rifle we’ve featured, but unlike this one you could probably carry it past a policeman without attracting attention.
Filed under: radio hacks
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Friday, October 14, 2016
Lucid Dreaming | AURORA - Finally arrived!!
Hi all, I finally have my Aurora headband!
As I only try to enter lucid dreams by DEILD ( using an alarm ) I knew that Aurora would be ideal. I put it on when I went to bed and before I knew it the lights were flashing, I kept still and within seconds felt powerful vibrations, rolled out and into a lucid dream. After my lucid, I got up for real and checked the time. The lucid dream was within 2 hours of me going to bed and as we know that the first REM period is quite short, proved that the REM tracking in the headband is very accurate. Its also really comfortable to wear .... excited that finally a EILD device has been invented that has REM tracking ( bye bye Remee ) and is comfortable ( bye bye RemDreamer / Novadreamer ) and is an absolute ideal tool to perform an easy DEILD :)
As I only try to enter lucid dreams by DEILD ( using an alarm ) I knew that Aurora would be ideal. I put it on when I went to bed and before I knew it the lights were flashing, I kept still and within seconds felt powerful vibrations, rolled out and into a lucid dream. After my lucid, I got up for real and checked the time. The lucid dream was within 2 hours of me going to bed and as we know that the first REM period is quite short, proved that the REM tracking in the headband is very accurate. Its also really comfortable to wear .... excited that finally a EILD device has been invented that has REM tracking ( bye bye Remee ) and is comfortable ( bye bye RemDreamer / Novadreamer ) and is an absolute ideal tool to perform an easy DEILD :)
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Thursday, October 13, 2016
Wednesday, October 12, 2016
Tuesday, October 11, 2016
Monday, October 10, 2016
Lucid Dreaming | How to stop feeling apprehensive and uncontrollable thoughts?
I have been Lucid Dreaming on and off for several years and recently have come across another hurdle. At first, I labeled it as fear, but then as I thought about it some more apprehension or trepidation seemed to fit better. I think this feeling surfaced when I learned exactly how important your thinking is when it comes to Lucid Dreaming. Whatever I am thinking manifests itself. Good and bad. So for some reason when a situation arises where I feel as though I'm not in control, my thoughts wander into dark places. For example, say I'm swimming on the ocean floor and it gets a bit dark (as expected). This small annoying voice in the back of my mind says "Oh sh*t, what if a giant crustacean appears and tries to snap me in half." And poof it happens. My paranoid mind always tries to picture the worst thing that happens. Even if I were to take a walk in a park, an image of a bear racing towards me from behind the trees would probably flash in my mind.
No matter how hard I try to move through these thoughts and brush them aside, they always end up manifesting. It becomes a self fulfilling prophecy.
Because of this, this feeling that I'm not in control of my own thoughts, I've lost my original vigor to lucid dream. I used to think about it as a journey of exploring all the great places I wanted to go in my imagination, but now it's become more about avoiding bad thoughts.
No matter how hard I try to move through these thoughts and brush them aside, they always end up manifesting. It becomes a self fulfilling prophecy.
Because of this, this feeling that I'm not in control of my own thoughts, I've lost my original vigor to lucid dream. I used to think about it as a journey of exploring all the great places I wanted to go in my imagination, but now it's become more about avoiding bad thoughts.
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Sunday, October 9, 2016
How to Stockpile for your Motorcycle
by Megan
When properly modified as a bug out vehicle, a motorcycle can get you over terrain that only a handful of vehicles can traverse. It can also get you over some rough territory that would give a lot of “regular” trucks pause. The key thing things when stockpiling your motorcycle as a bug out vehicle are realistic confidence about what type of terrain it can and cannot handle and careful storage of the supplies you will need to reach your destination.
The off-road capability of a motorcycle is a huge advantage during a bug out situation because it’s very likely that the best maintained, main roads will be blocked with traffic. A motorcycle lets you get around traffic, dodge debris, and even use smaller less maintained roadways or even trails to get to your bug out destination. A motorcycle lets you confidently plan to utilize railroad beds, power line easements, and logging roads if need be as alternative routes to get out of dodge. This means having the right bike can literally save your life.
While the versatility of a motorcycle for travel is a huge advantage, storage is more limited than in a car, SUV, or truck, for obvious reasons. But once you know how to stockpile your motorcycle for a bug out situation, there’s no reason you can’t have everything you need to survive three days to a week or even longer. All it takes is some knowledge about what kind of motorcycle luggage is available and what to pack where so you experience the least impact on handling and balance of your bike.
Vulnerability Planning
When it comes to stockpiling supplies for a motorcycle bug out one of the first things that must be addressed is vulnerability. By virtue of the fact that a motorcycle is not a covered vehicle, your supplies can be negatively affected by weather conditions, thieves, or even minor accidents. Keep these three factors in mind when modifying your motorcycle and storing your supplies. If you plan ahead to combat these vulnerabilities, your motorcycle, supplies, and you stand a better chance against the unexpected.
Crash Protection
One of the biggest dangers when riding a motorcycle even in peaceful times are unexpected crashes with other vehicles. And when traversing rougher terrain, injuries from unseen debris flying up and damaging your bike and/or you as the rider is always a possibility. Both of these dangers will be even more prevalent while riding a motorcycle during a bug out situation.
Bleeding, infection, or broken bones from debris or a crash will only compound your problems unnecessarily, so make sure you, your bike, and your stockpile are well-protected. With that goal in mind, there are definitely some aftermarket motorcycle parts you will want to carefully consider to truly customize your bike to suit your needs and the rougher SHTF terrain.
Weather Conditions
The second factor to consider is weather. On a motorcycle, at least some waterproof storage is crucial and more is probably better. The ability to keep your bug out supplies dry during a rain storm or while crossing a stream, or riding through shallow flood waters, keeps your supplies intact and could just save your life.
Keep in mind there is a critical difference between waterproof and water resistant. Storage that is water resistant is great, but it doesn’t guarantee dry supplies. Canvas and leather bags are likely water resistant. Some bags will come with storm covers but don’t assume these will upgrade your bags to full-on waterproof without actually testing it out.
Waterproof means impervious to water, which means your supplies stay dry even in a heavy rain or if you ride through puddles or a shallow creek. Dry bags are designed to be waterproof and can be used inside Aluminum saddlebags or top boxes to create a completely waterproof storage area for supplies. Waterproof storage is perfect for food, first aid supplies, matches, electronics, and flares.
Security
Store valuable supplies that you cannot afford to lose in a motorcycle luggage bag that locks to your bike and has a lock on the bag itself. This provides double protection against theft. Lockable motorcycle luggage such as side cases and top boxes are hard shell and typically lock closed and also lock to the bike for increased security.
Thieves will have to break or pick the lock or steal your entire bike to get your supplies. Luggage that mounts using Velcro, magnets, or straps are not as secure as thieves can just cut the straps or cut open the bag and make off with your supplies which in a post-SHTF situation can be fatal for you. Reserve these soft-shell storage areas for supplies that won’t spell certain death if they are stolen or damaged.
Motorcycle Luggage Options
- Panniers, also known as Saddlebags or Side Cases
- Tail bag or Sissy bag
- Handlebar or Fork bags
- Top case or Top Box
- Fender Bags
- Stash Bag
Bag Construction and Mounting
Bags are typically soft-shell, semi-rigid, or hard-shell and can be made of various materials including most commonly fabric, leather, canvas, hard plastic, or aluminum. You will find soft-shell bags generally less expensive than hard-shell cases. Soft shell options typically attach using Velcro straps, harnesses, or magnets whereas hard shell boxes may require the installation of an external mounting stand, brackets, or frame. If given a choice, select bags with a quick release option in case you need to leave your bike and carry your gear.
What Goes Where?
There are multiple places to stockpile supplies on a motorcycle so once you plan to overcome the vulnerabilities we discussed, what you put where is largely a matter of rider preference. Large, heavy, or bulkier supplies, such as tents, tarps, or sleeping bags, should be stored lower on the bike in saddlebags or side cases and closer to the center of gravity to minimize the impact on handling and balance.
Food should primarily be stored in waterproof side cases or top boxes unless it’s packaging somehow is waterproof and crush resistant in which case smaller items can be stored in multiple fork bags in various locations.
Water be careful trying to carry too much water as it gets heavy quickly and weight can throw off the balance and handling of your bike which is dangerous and can lead to injury. Your best bet is to use a hydration pack such as the American Kargo Turbo 3.0L or the Ogio 100 OZ Reservoir, both available along with others for sale on the Bike Bandit website. If your bug out trip is long, consider several caches along your route with extra water and other supplies.
Frequently Accessed Items
Items such as your ID, wallet or money, cell phone, insurance information, other keys, at least one bottle of water and some eat on the go snacks in a tank bag. These usually attach to the gas tank of the bike using straps or even magnets and it is easily accessible even while riding. Some may even have a transparent slot or pouch for a GPS or map. The bag typically covers the gas cap so it must be removed any time you gas up. Get in the habit of removing it and taking it with you if you leave your bike as tank bags typically don’t lock shut and are more vulnerable to theft.
Tools & Spare Parts
The critical mission for any motorcycle rider when bugging out is to keep moving for as long as possible. Just about anyone can admit that a moving target is harder to hit than a stationary one. And when it comes to bugging out, staying ahead of the “pack” or traffic is definitely a key factor to staying alive and keeping your supplies.
So with the goal of maintaining your motorcycle in good operating condition for as long as possible, stockpile and pack the tools you need to perform maintenance or spare parts that may break or wear out and need to be repaired. Keep in mind that during a bug out you may ride faster and longer than “normal” and this can mean parts will wear or break more frequently. The following modifications can help enhance off-road capability:
- Suspension upgrade
- Taller Stance
- Chain drive over belt drive
- Tires—knobby are better
- Protective headlight grill
- Custom engine guard
- Lighter Frame
- Larger fuel tank
Any tools or spare parts that won’t succumb to water or vibration can be stored in fabric or canvas fender bags on the front or rear of your bike. Consider strapping several extra Rotopax Fuel packs to your bike to increase your range. Stockpile duplicate tools in different locations on your bike if possible just in case one fender bag tears or is shaken free during an intense period of riding.
Weapons
One of the most secure places for your gun is on your person, perhaps in a shoulder holster while riding. During SHTF you will likely want to keep at least one firearm accessible from a riding position in case you meet trouble. If you do need to disarm for some reason or possibly store additional guns and ammo on your bike, consider one of the locking panniers or purchase a small hard shell lock box that will attach securely to your bike with a locking cable through the frame.
EDC Essentials
When riding a motorcycle, do not underestimate the importance of your EDC essentials. Carry these on your person ideally. If you absolutely need more carrying space, consider a waist pouch or backpack that you can wear while riding or a sissy bag that you can quickly detach from your bike and wear if you must make a run for it on foot. You’ll want to have your first aid supplies and any survival medicine reference materials included in this backpack so that if you are separated from your bike and hurt you can treat your injuries.
Choose your motorcycle luggage options with thought to planning for vulnerabilities and when storing your supplies be sure to consider how weight, balance, and handling of your bike might be impacted. Make sure you practice riding over different types of terrain you might encounter while bugging out so you thoroughly understand how your bike will respond in different scenarios. With advanced planning and some patience, you can modify and stockpile your motorcycle with everything you need to get from your home to your bug out location and beyond if need be.
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Lucid Dreaming | Help with mindfullness
This is so frackin hard!! I'm trying to maintain breath awareness and awareness of thoughts during the day (as it helps with WILD) but its almost impossible. I can maintain it for maybe 30 seconds and then I forget. I'll remember around 10-15 minutes later and the process will start again!
I'm really motivated to do this, and determined not to give up. Will it get any easier over time?
I'm really motivated to do this, and determined not to give up. Will it get any easier over time?
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Saturday, October 8, 2016
Friday, October 7, 2016
Do You Prepare in Fear?
by Mira
That may seem like a weird question to some, but in actuality it’s an extremely valid one. What motivates you to prepare for a collapse? I’ve always been conscious of the need to prepare myself for the unexpected.
Living in the South, we always had to be ready for a tornado outbreak, so we planned accordingly, but it wasn’t until September 11, did I realize that I really needed to put more thought into my disaster and crisis plans. Fear of the uncertainty propelled my desire to be a better prepared person, but I did so haphazardly simply because I was afraid, and my prepping was unsuccessful because of it.
After 9-11, the number of people preparing for another terrorist attack skyrocketed. All of a sudden, our home soil wasn’t safe anymore. A number of websites sprung up after the attack on America. There were many good ones, and sadly to say there were a lot of bad websites that looked and sounded good, but overall was just there to extort money from fearful citizens. The common theme was preparedness and being ready for the next one. It was a crazy time and fear ruled over many.
Fear is a powerful emotion. Fear will cause you to do things you wouldn’t ever think you would do in a million years. Fear will also cause you to forget things that are second nature. And unfortunately, money hungry people prey upon this with websites and blogs that incite the fear of the unknown inside of you and then exploit that fear to get you to buy their products.
How do you prevent yourself from becoming a victim of fear mongering sites and businesses? Simply put, you need to know why you are preparing in the first place.
Do you have a family whose welfare you are in charge of? Or are you single and wanting to make sure that when SHTF you are one of the first to survive? Whatever your reason you must have it clearly in view. It’s okay to be afraid of an unknown future crisis event, whether it been a devastating EMP blast, or an all-out civil war. Fear is natural.
Prepare with a Purpose
If you have been just preparing on the fly for a while with no real plan or purpose, it’s time to stop now and reorganize. If not, you’ll find yourself being tossed about when you hear of crisis level events going on all over the world. Fear will continue to reign unless you make a good plan.
Planning according to your own individual situation is vitally important. Fear should not be the reason motivating your desire to prep. A good reason to start prepping could be something as simple as preserving your life and those with you.
Another good reason to prepare is to make sure that when the next crisis happens, you’ll be able to provide for your household and also anyone else that may need your expertise (ex. Medical, EMT, or any other trade.)
Can You Prep and Enjoy Your Life at the Same Time?
The answer to that question is YES. Some people perceive preppers and the prepping lifestyle as fanatical, but it’s not like that at all. With television shows like National Geographic’s Doomsday Preppers, the lifestyle has come into the limelight. When researching for this article, a simple poll was taken on the opinions of the general public about the prepping lifestyle.
A majority of those asked, didn’t really know anything about it. And those who had been exposed to it, didn’t have a good opinion of it. One person even stated that preppers seem to: “Miss out on life preparing for the end of the world.” – F. Childs, Atlanta, Georgia.
Is this something that you feel will happen if you start making prepping an important part of your life? Do you think that you’ll have to stop living and enjoying life in order to properly prep for a coming disaster or collapse? If so, it’s natural to feel that way. But you really don’t have to change your life all too much in order to be a successful prepper.
Make Simple Adjustments to Your Lifestyle
What kind of adjustments can you make in your life? You don’t have to do anything suddenly drastic like selling your 4-bedroom home and building a survival bunker in the woods. Everything you need to do, can be done slowly and on a daily basis.
There are several things you could do:
- Make a Prepping Budget – First and foremost, before you take on any project you must first budget it and see how much money and resources you have to work with. This budget should include all of your current income from all sources and all of your expenses. Leaving anything out would not give you an accurate picture of what you have to work with.
- Create an Emergency Prepping Fund – It helps if this fund is an actual box or empty jar. Any money you save, get back in change, or find laying around the house, should go into the fund box.
- Create a List and an Agenda – This should be a list of the ideas/ways you plan to adjust your life while prepping on a daily basis, and an agenda of how you’re going to put those ideas/ways into action.
- Start Using Cash Only – This may be one of the hardest, if not the hardest thing to do for some people. Take all your credit cards with high interest rates and either cut them up or put them all into an envelope. With your budget that you create, you’ll be able to guestimate how much cash will be needed for the week.
- Bargain shop and use coupons – Shopping for bargains and using coupons takes some getting used to. It does take time to search out where the best deals are in town on items for your emergency food supply, but it’s well worth the adjustment. Connect with others in your area who are couponers and ask them to teach you how to benefit mostly from combining coupons and bargain sales. A lot of times you can get dozens of items for the pantry for just a few dollars.
- Dine out less, or Stop all together – This may be hard for some to do, because dining out can be viewed as a reward for working hard all week. But when you cut back on the amount of times you dine out, the money you save can go towards stocking up on the items that you need.
- Say “No” to a Car Note – If you have a massive car note, you can understand the strain that it puts on your wallet. Consider giving up the note, and paying cash for an efficient car. You might also want to consider walking, taking public transit, or even riding a bike so you’ll have more funds to allocate towards your prepping fund.
- Buy in Bulk – When combined with bargain shopping and couponing, you save an extremely large amount of cash and get more product for your money. The cash you save and/or the change you get back should go into the emergency prepping fund. Bulk membership stores like SAMs Club or Costco often have great deals on items.
- Give Up Other “Luxuries” – You may have enjoyed stopping by the local Starbucks once a week and ordering a Grande caramel macchiato, but once you start interweaving prepping with your daily routine, luxuries like this have to go. This warm beverage cost about the same price as a 5lb bag of rice. Instead of the $5 cup of coffee, buy the 5lb bag of rice for your pantry. Very painful now, but you’ll be glad you did later.
Hopefully by now, you feel more confident about your ability to prep successfully. Prepping doesn’t have to be a scary adventure. If fear got you started on prepping, allow knowledge about what you’re prepping for to propel you forward. It may be painful to give up some of the things that you now enjoy in life in order to prep for a future crisis but it’s worth the sacrifice.
If you keep your eyes simple and cut back little by little every day, you will be thankful you did when the SHTF. The naysayers say that it’ll never happen, but we all know it will. A knowledgeable prepper is a surviving prepper. When the next crisis or the inevitable collapse happens, you’ll be sheltering in place thankful that you decided to make a conscious effort to prep the right way.
When that times comes, you’ll see some of you neighbors scrambling and scrounging for supplies. But you’ll be fine where you are, because you made the necessary changes and sacrifices in order to work prepping into your everyday life. It may have been uncomfortable but it was doable. And it made the difference in whether or not you would be prepared for that moment. Push fear aside and be ready when the SHTF. Happy prepping!
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Thursday, October 6, 2016
Lucid Dreaming | About WBTB
I tried a WBTB combine with WILD and had a success the first night. I was up for about 30 minutes on this site reading through threads then went to bed, repeted mantra etc. It worked so i like to keep doing it, but would it be enough to just be up for a couple of minutes instead of half an hour? Or would it not be enough?
What are your thoughts?
What are your thoughts?
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Wednesday, October 5, 2016
Lucid Dreaming | Let's get back to work.
So as some of you know that I already have a post about "Practicing MILD for 21 days" and got some success, I wanted to create another one. I was scare to workout because of time and scare that I won't continue or quit, but I must go one day or never.
Practicing MILD for 21 days.
This is my resolution for 21 days(3 weeks); I will practice MILD for 21 days(or more?).
Here are the steps:
1.Wake-up at 4 o'clock in the morning.
2.Focus my intent.
Repeat like a mantra: "I'm dreaming".
3.See myself becoming lucid.
While repeating like a mantra, I see myself becoming lucid.
I will pose a review of the 21 days everyday.
Of cause if you want to join, you're free.
Practicing MILD for 21 days.
This is my resolution for 21 days(3 weeks); I will practice MILD for 21 days(or more?).
Here are the steps:
1.Wake-up at 4 o'clock in the morning.
2.Focus my intent.
Repeat like a mantra: "I'm dreaming".
3.See myself becoming lucid.
While repeating like a mantra, I see myself becoming lucid.
I will pose a review of the 21 days everyday.
Of cause if you want to join, you're free.
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Transmitting Analog TV, Digitally
If you want to really understand a technology, and if you’re like us, you’ll need to re-build it yourself. It’s one thing to say that you understand (analog) broadcast TV by reading up on Wikipedia, or even by looking at scope traces. But when you’ve written a flow graph that successfully transmits a test image to a normal TV using just a software-defined radio, you can pretty easily say that you’ve mastered the topic.
Hackaday has another hacker who’s interested in broadcasting to dinosaur TVs: [CNLohr]. Check out his virtuoso builds for the ATtiny and for the ESP8266.
(Yes, the headline image is one of his earlier trials with black and white from Wikipedia — we just like the look.)
Filed under: misc hacks, radio hacks
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Tuesday, October 4, 2016
Monday, October 3, 2016
Lucid Dreaming | SSILD Tips
Hi there, I'm a new forum user!
Yesterday, I attempted an SSILD and it kinda worked (FA), but one big problem I had is that after doing my cycles, I simply could not go back to sleep. In the SSILD tutorial, it says the faster you go to sleep the better. Any tips? Usually I can go to sleep really quickly, but it took like 30 minutes and it was really frustrating.
Yesterday, I attempted an SSILD and it kinda worked (FA), but one big problem I had is that after doing my cycles, I simply could not go back to sleep. In the SSILD tutorial, it says the faster you go to sleep the better. Any tips? Usually I can go to sleep really quickly, but it took like 30 minutes and it was really frustrating.
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Sunday, October 2, 2016
Lucid Dreaming | Sleep paralysis?
Hello guys, I am new to lucid dreaming as I only learned what it was about a week ago and have been trying techniques since then (mostly FILD with no luck yet). Yesterday though, I decided to try to use sleep paralysis to get me in a lucid dream. I got an app called Lucid Dreamer on my phone and it has an option called Paralyzer. What it does is beeps every however many seconds you want for however many minutes you want to help keep your mind awake. I went to bed at about 10 pm and made it beep every 30 secs for 20 minutes. I lay on my back and tried not to move. Soon I felt my body relax and ALMOST go numb. After 20 minutes the beeping stopped, but I still felt awake. I tried to keep my mind awake by focusing on the place I wanted to end up in in my dream. Suddenly I felt a wave of heat and tingling go up from my toes. My heart started to beat extremely fast and loud and my breathing got irregullar. I was hearing some noises like when a cat walks on your desk and and moves things about (my cat was locked in another room at the time so it couldnt have been him). I didn't feel any pressure on my chest though and When I got my breathing under control I didn't dare to try and move in case I wake my body up. A few moments later i literally felt like I was being catapulted through a portal into space (and i saw it in my mind too). I didn't feel my bed under me and I really felt like I was floating for a second or two. That was the point where I didn't really know what to do. I turned on my side and it all disapeared.
My question is: Was that really sleep paralysis? As I said I did it right after I went to bed so it definitely wasn't during the REM phase so I dont know if it is even possible to do it when you go to bed. And also do you think that whole being catapulted into space thing might have been the transition into a lucid dream? And finally, if that was the start of a lucid dream what should i do to keep it going?
Any help is appreciated and thanks in advance. Also, sorry for the long post :P
My question is: Was that really sleep paralysis? As I said I did it right after I went to bed so it definitely wasn't during the REM phase so I dont know if it is even possible to do it when you go to bed. And also do you think that whole being catapulted into space thing might have been the transition into a lucid dream? And finally, if that was the start of a lucid dream what should i do to keep it going?
Any help is appreciated and thanks in advance. Also, sorry for the long post :P
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Saturday, October 1, 2016
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