Lucid Dreaming | Five years, still no lucid dream!

Since discovering the concept of LD over five years ago, I can count potential lucid dreams I've had on less than one hand, those that may qualify haven't corresponded to any technique I've tried, so I'm yet to find a 'way'.

Over the years, I have tried all the techniques I've come across, most for (I'd have thought) a substantial amount of time, as well as a few of the well-known programmes and 'key texts'. I've previously tried WILD, MILD, WBTB and a whole host of others, as well as some visualisation practices and listening to binaural beats. None have been so far successful. I have a feeling that once I crack a few, the rest will start to come more naturally, but I've just not managed to tap into that well of lucid dreams yet. I feel like my motivation is wavering. It's hard to get that back, and I worry that this lack of motivation may actually be further affecting my ability to LD.

These are some facts about my habits:
- I Try to keep consistent sleep pattern (generally 22:30/23:00-7:00).
- I definitely dream, and when really motivated can usually remember and record three dreams a night, average. I record in as much detail as I can (I have three Moleskine's full), so remembering dreams isn't an issue for me.
- I meditate regularly.

For the last few months, I've half-mindedly given up I think, just being at the mercy of my dreams. I'd love some help if anyone can. Perhaps if someone's been in the same situation and found something that works. Thanks!

via Lucid Dreaming - Dream Views - Attaining Lucidity http://ift.tt/2tKYLfS

The Shocking Lives of ISIS Brides

by Isabella

Here in the US, many are concerned about the threat of ISIS. We have called for stronger borders, harsher immigration policy and vetting, and supported Trump’s so-called “Muslim ban”, the temporary moratorium on travel from countries who have been known to fund and abed terrorists. And despite the cries of “islamophobia” “xenophobia” and “racism” from the left, millions of Americans voted in Donald Trump in large part for his harsh stand against Islam and his pledge to fight ISIS, at home and abroad.

And we are right to fear ISIS here at home. We have had our fair share of incidents in the US of terrorists that have been inspired by, and sworn allegiance to, ISIS. The Orlando nightclub shooter called 911 during his tragic rampage in which 49 people were killed and 58 injured. As the 911 operator tried to understand what was going on, 29-year-old Omar Mateen identified himself as a “Mujahideen”, “Islamic Soldier”, and “Soldier of God”, and pledged his allegiance to ISIS multiple times.

However, while our fear here at home for ISIS attacks might be valid, it is easy to forget just how much more real the threat of the violent militant islamic group is abroad. As is always the case with Islamic terrorism, the much larger threat exists in the countries they are dominating and terrorizing each day. And not only that, but the individual victims they coerce or enslave to satisfy their sick desires.

I’m talking about the women of ISIS, the often neglected victims of their terror quest across the Middle East. As we shall see, ISIS is not only planning and orchestrating terrorist attacks and brutal domination of several unstable regions in the Middle East, but they also deal in the trade of human flesh: women and girls who are tortured daily by these godless men, and all in the name of Allah.

You often hear it argued that the biggest victims of Islamic terrorism are other Muslims, and it is true that the victims of terror attacks often include those in different sects as the perpetrators. It is certainly true that many of their violence is aimed at other Muslims, but they also aim a great deal of their violence on the women they take into their group as well.

You will hear over and over again that ISIS and terrorism have nothing to do with Islam. That Islam means “peace”, and that the “real” muslims condemn the acts of ISIS. However, despite what moderate Muslims and their leftist defenders try to tell us, ISIS is in fact fundamentally inspired by the Quran and the Islamic sources. They are often referred to as “radical” or “extremist” but in reality, the term “fundamentalist” is far more apt for the brand of Islam that ISIS adheres to.

Islamic apologists and their allies often defend the Quranic views of women, claiming that Muhammad was a champion of women’s rights, and that true Islam and Sharia law treat women very well. Many Muslim women claim that the violent subjugation of women that exists in Islamic majority countries is simply the result of bad interpretations of the Islamic texts, and that Islam is really a religion that regards women as equal.

While it is true that there are moderate Muslims the world over who do not rape, pillage, and kill in the name of Allah, beat their wives, marry children, or punish rape victims, the reality is that the reason Muslims are often the target of Islamic terror attacks is that they are not properly adhering to the teachings of the Prophet of Islam, according to the terrorists. They believe it is their duty to wage war against the “unbelievers and the hypocrites”, meaning, those who do not practice Islam, and those who claim to, but are too liberal in their interpretation of the Islamic teachings.

So just how authentic are the beliefs of ISIS and their treatment of women to the Quranic teachings?

David Wood, an expert on Islam and passionate apologist against its teachings, shares in his video, “Top Ten Quran Verses for Understanding ISIS”, how very much in line with the teachings of Islam the conquest of ISIS is.

Among the ten verses that explain how very fundamental ISIS’ actions are to the Muslim faith, is the verse Sura 4:24, which sets the stage for ISIS’ treatment of women:

“Also (forbidden are) women already married, except those (captives and slaves) whom your right hands possess. Thus has Allah ordained for you.”

While there are certain codes of conduct that would protect the sanctity of marriage in Islam, it is not actually considered adultery to sleep with or take as a wife any woman who you have captured or taken as a slave, regardless of whether or not she is already married. This not only excuses a man from regarding any woman he has captured as another man’s wife, but also directly condones sex slavery.

Radical Muslim feminist Linda Sarsour might spend a suspicious amount of time praising the treatment of women under Sharia law, but a simple examination of some of the key verses pertaining to women in the Quran and Muslim sources depict and attitude toward women that is anything but feminist. Women are clearly seen as property, and ISIS is quite obviously inspired by this.

Speaking of Linda Sarsour, she also gained quite a bit of criticism for her attack of a woman who is a survivor of female genital mutilation, a common practice in Muslim majority countries. Her now famous angry tweet read:

Brigitte Gabriel is an outspoken critic of Islam, and Ayaan Hirsi Ali is a survivor of female genital mutilation, which she experienced in Somalia as a young girl.

Female genital mutilation is a cultural norm in Muslim-majority North African countries, but it has recently been revealed that it is far closer to home than one might think.

One of the biggest reasons Americans oppose mass Muslim immigration, is not Islamophobia or racism, but a fear that these migrants might be unable, and unwilling, to assimilate to our culture as other immigrants have done in the past. And this concern has become a reality in recent months, as we are discovering just how many Muslim girls are being subject to this barbaric practice of genital mutilation here in the US.

The Daily Wire wrote recently that the CDC reports shockingly that as many as 513,000 girls and women, primarily in New York, Washington D.C. and Minneapolis are at risk of being subjected to the practice of genital mutilation or cutting. They report that this is “wholly a result of rapid growth in the number of immigrants from FGM/C-practicing countries living in the United States.” And virtually all of the countries they referred to were Muslim-majority countries.

You might have already heard of the case of the Michigan doctor who is being tried for performing genital mutilation on several girls as young as six years old. Fortunately, despite maniacs like Linda Sarsour physically threatening those who speak out against this disgusting practice, this doctor has been caught and will hopefully be sentenced.

But overseas, ISIS is getting away with much worse.

It is no secret that ISIS has targeted Christian communities for their campaign of violence and terror, and they take women and girls as their booty after killing the men and boys.

In August of 2014, thousands of Yadizi women and girls were taken captive by ISIS in the Sinjar region of Iraq. Survivors recount the brutal murder of their male family members. According to a UN report, ISIS “”gathered all the males older than 10 years of age at the local school, took them outside the village by pick-up trucks, and shot them.” The women and girls met a different fate.

They were loaded up onto trucks like cattle, kept in small holding cells, forced to convert to Islam, violently and repeatedly raped, and sold and traded as slaves. Some were even adorned with price tags and sold in open-air markets, and taken as personal slaves by ISIS fighters.

ISIS, bolstered by their ideological support of this brutal practice, proudly boasted of their acts in this region on their various web outlets including the English website Dabiq. They shamelessly justified the violence as “established aspects of Sharia, because they view Yazidis as heretics who should face conversion or die.” While many moderate Muslims reject this practice of slavery as abhorrent to Islam, ISIS sternly warns them, “”One should remember that enslaving the families of the kuffar — the infidels — and taking their women as concubines is a firmly established aspect of the Shariah, or Islamic law,” They even now use this terrifying human bounty to lure young men in to join their ranks, promising them “wives” and money.

And they are correct to use Islam to justify this brutal practice, as we have seen; the Quran clearly condones it. Last year, Newsweek reports, they even went as far as to publish a pamphlet on the treatment of female slaves, reassuring their soldiers that it is “it is “permissible” to have sexual intercourse with, beat and trade non-Muslim slaves, including young girls.”

Despite the constant denial from Muslim apologists, Islam does not regard women as equal to men, and in several different ways, blatantly condones this kind of treatment towards them. And not only for sex slaves, but even legitimate wives.

David Wood has an extensive amount of material on this topic as well, including his video “Three Quran Verses Every Woman Should Know”. Perhaps one of the most striking is the verse Quran 2:223, which explains that “Your wives are a tilth for you; so go to your tilth when and how you please”, as well as Quran 4:34, which permits a husband to beat a rebellious wife until she is obedient.

Women, particularly wives and sex slaves, are also not considered to be in charge of their own bodies. Sura 23:5-6 says:

[Most certainly true believers] . . . guard their private parts scrupulously, except with regard to their wives and those who are legally in their possession, for in that case they shall not be blameworthy.

To be clear, these verses add up to a clearly condoned view towards rape, of both wives and sex slaves. It is permissible to engage in intercourse with your wife whenever you like, and Muhammad was also sure to instruct women that they must submit to their husband’s desires regardless of what else they were doing, as well, according to one of the Hadiths.

So one can only imagine what life is like for these poor girls who are treated as sex slaves or forced to wed the violent ISIS soldiers.

Some join up by their own will, however, as is the sad case of two Austrian teenagers who ran away from home to “fight for Allah”, according to the note they left for their parents.

The two girls, Sabina Selimovic and Samra Kesinovic, attracted media attention in 2014 when they left the comfort and safety of their native Austria to join ISIS’ efforts in Syria. They were both the children of Bosnian immigrants who had fled the Bosnian War in the 90’s. Bosnians are predominantly Muslim, and it is speculated that the girls became radicalized after reading about jihad on the internet, and through the preaching at the mosque they attended in Vienna.

The two managed to get from Vienna to Raqqa, Syria, and joined up with the jihadis they idolized. At first, they became poster girls for ISIS. They donned full burkas and rifles in photos on social media, bragging of their commitment to Allah.

Over time, though, reality hit. The girls eventually feared imprisonment if they returned to Austria, but eventually, they wanted to come home regardless. They had been married to Chechen fighters, but ended up being sex slaves to new recruits. A Tunisian women who was kept in the same house as the girls, recounted how they would be passed around “like presents”.

In September of 2014, Selimovic was killed in combat, and for several months, Kesinovic was “lost”. However, it eventually came out that she had been beaten to death with a hammer for trying to escape ISIS’ grip.

This sad story stands as a sobering analogy for the way Western liberals defend Islam and try to separate it from ISIS. ISIS is the fundamental teachings of Islam fully embodied, and the fate these Austrian teenagers met simply goes to show how futile it is to try to explain away the verses that clearly outline a violent and oppressive attitude towards women.

From the captured Christian sex slaves to these idealistic young girls who met such a tragic fate, it is clear that the life of an ISIS bride is a brutal one, and the terror ISIS is committing against girls and women everywhere simply must be stopped.

via Modern Survival Online http://ift.tt/2vROE5H

Serious DX: The Deep Space Network

RF Noise Floor Concerns From Both Sides Of The Atlantic

Our feed is full of stories about the RF noise floor today, and with good reason. The ARRL reports on the International Amateur Radio Union Region 1 president, [Don Beattie, G3BJ] warning that in densely populated parts of Europe there is a danger that parts of the RF spectrum have become so swamped with noise as to be rendered unusable, while on the other side of the Atlantic we have RadioWorld reporting on similar problems facing AM broadcasting in the USA.

At issue are the usual suspects, interference from poorly shielded or suppressed domestic electronic devices, VDSL broadband, power-over-Ethernet, solar and wind power systems, and a host of other RF-spewing electronics. The combined emissions from all these sources have raised the noise level at some frequencies to the point at which it conceals all but the strongest signals. Any radio amateur will tell you that a station in a rural location will be electrically much quieter than one in a city, it seems that this effect has now reached a crescendo.

In the RadioWorld article, the author [Tom F. King] and his collaborator [Jack Sellmeyer] detail a series of tests they performed on a selection of lighting products from a quality brand, bought at a local Home Depot store. They were gathering data for a submission to the FCC enquiry on the noise floor issue we reported on last year. What they found was unsurprising, significant emissions from all the products they tested. They make some stiff recommendations to the FCC and other bodies concerned with radio spectrum to get tough with offending devices, to stay on top of future developments, and for operators of AM stations to pursue sources of interference.

It could be that there is so much equipment contributing to the noise floor that this battle is lost, but it doesn’t have to be this way. Anyone who has had to prepare a product to pass a properly carried out EMC test will tell you that the requirements are stringent, and it is thus obvious that many manufacturers are shipping products unworthy of the certification they display. It is to be hoped that the authorities will begin to take it seriously before it becomes an order of magnitude worse.

Compliance label image, Moppet65535 [CC BY-SA 3.0].

Filed under: news, radio hacks

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19 Survival Uses for Plastic Bottles

by Ryan

I must say that it saddens me seeing what humans have done to our planet.  Any time you find a water source, you will likely find trash scattered along the shore.  Often times this trash is going to be plastic bottles.  It seems to be the most common item to be tossed aside, especially in water.  This littler is absolutely destroying our planet.

However, one man’s trash is another man’s treasure.  I cannot tell you how many times I have used garbage in the wild to get through survival situations.  Plastic bottles are one of the most common and most useful pieces of trash you will ever find for survival. I can assure you that we will show you enough uses for plastic bottles that you will think twice about walking past one in the wild.

#1. Boiling Water

Most people do not realize that you can boil water in a plastic bottle.  The key to this process is that the temperature of the water keeps the plastic from melting all the way through.  Simply build a fire and then construct a tripod above the fire.  Then suspend the plastic bottle of water to where the flames barely lick the bottom of the bottle. It is best to do this with the lid off so steam can escape from the bottle.  After a few minutes of boiling, the water is purified and ready to drink or ready to add elements to make tea.

#2. UV Purification

While not the most consistent way to purify water, this method does kill most of the pathogens that can make you sick.  Simply fill the clear plastic bottle with clean, preferably filtered water and cap it. Remove any label and lay the bottle in direct sunlight for at least six hours.  This should kill most of the pathogens so that the water is safer to drink.

#3. Water Filter

With a large plastic bottle, you can build your own water filter.  You need to cut off the bottom and layer gravel, sand, and charcoal.  You also need to put a layer of cloth at some point to remove debris.  The charcoal will draw out toxins and pathogens.  As the water passes through this filter, you will be left with drinkable water.

#4. Create a Float

Floats are any device that has enough buoyancy to float in water.  Any plastic bottle filled with air and sealed is a perfect float.  These are great for fishing or for fish traps.  If you have enough of them, they can even be used as personal floatation devices to help you traverse bodies of water.

#5. Dry Cache

Often in survival situations, you have supplies that cannot get wet.  These include fire-starting supplies, medical supplies, or dry food.  A plastic bottle with a lid is perfect for keeping supplies dry in a survival situation.

#6. Trip-Wire System

If you are on the run and expect people to be closing in on your location, you need a way to alert yourself if they get close.  By running cordage around your camp and attaching a plastic bottle with stones inside, you will hear any people that trip over that cordage.

#7. Lantern

You likely will have a flashlight with you in your bug out bag, but you may not have a lantern.  If you want to light a room, you will want more than just a flashlight.  By filling a plastic bottle with water and shining your flashlight into the bottle, you will radiate light in every direction.

#8. Firestarter

You can actually start a fire using a plastic bottle. If you fill the bottle with water, you can create a lens that magnifies sunlight on a specific focal point.  This will allow you to heat tinder to the point that it will flare up.  Please note that you will need strong, direct sunlight and super dry tinder for this to work.

#9. Cordage

You can cut any plastic bottle into thin strips to create cordage.  In fact, there are several designs of homemade devices that can make this process easier.  With only a knife and some patience, you can get dozens of feet of cordage from even one bottle.

#10. Bulletproofing

Just adding dirt to a plastic bottle can actually protect you from bullets better than bricks or cinder blocks. You can line your walls with these bottles or even strap them to your chest if you have no other option.

#11. Planting Veggies

You can use plastic bottles for planting veggies.  Just cut off the top and cut some holes in the bottom.  Add potting soil and plant your seeds.  If you already have potted vegetables and want to water them, you can use plastic bottles as well.  Just fill the bottle with water, punch a hole in the cap, and suspend it over your veggies.  This will give you a controlled drip for watering your garden.

#12. Fish Trap

You can use any plastic bottle to trap fish.  Cut the top off of the bottle just below the taper. Then invert the top so the spout faces inward.  Punch holes and use cordage to secure the top.   Then add bait to the inside of your trap and add a few stones to weigh it down.  Drop it in a pond or stream and come back later for your catch.  Feel free to cut open a wider spout to allow bigger fish to get into the trap.

#13. Solar Still

If you have a two Liter bottle, you can use it as a solar still.  Cut off the bottom, stuff the inside with green plants or place it over a water source.  Be sure that the sun is beating down on the bottle. Fold the bottom of the bottle back inside itself so that water running down the inside will catch at the fold.  Then come back periodically to collect your water.

#14. As a Funnel

It is easy to make a quick funnel with about any sized plastic bottle.  Just cut the bottle in half just below the taper and remove the lid.  The tapered end is now your funnel.

#15. Zero-Electricity Refrigeration

If you fill plastic bottles 80% full with water and then stack them in your freezer, they become a backup cooling system.  They can help keep items in your freezer cold after the power goes out.  They can also be moved to the refrigerator or to a separate cooler to accomplish the same thing with unfrozen foods.  These bottles can even be stacked in front of a large fan to create a makeshift air conditioner.

#16. Foot Protection

If you somehow find yourself stuck in the wild with no shoes, you will start to tear up your feet quickly.  With a couple two Liter bottles, you can quickly make a pair of makeshift sandals.  Flatten out the bottles and poke holes so you can fish cordage through the plastic.  Stand on the plastic and run the cordage around your toes, heel, and ankle to secure them in place.  You should be good to travel.

#17. Broom

You can actually clean up your area with a two Liter bottle if you make a few modifications.  First, cut off the bottom of the bottle and flatten out the rest.  Then use scissors or a knife to cut thin strips a few inches up the bottom of the bottle.  They should be just thick enough that they will not break.  Attach a handle to the spout and you have your broom.

#18. Warm Shower or Hand Wash

Find a plastic bottle of any size and paint it black.  You can also coat the outside with mud if that is your only option.  Fill it with water, cap it, and set it out in the sun for several hours.  You can test the warmth by putting your hand on the outside of the bottle.  Use cordage to suspend the bottle above you with the cap facing downwards.  Then just open the cap enough to get a trickle of water.  This should leave your hands free to wash up in the warm water that trickles down.

#19. Eye Protection

If you are doing work in the wild that sends debris flying such as flint knapping, you may want some eye protection.  For basic safety glasses, you can just cut out two circular pieces of clear plastic and use cordage to secure them over your eyes.  You can also use this same concept to make goggles for spearfishing.  On the bottom of two Liter bottles are plastic bumps that form a flat surface for the bottle to set upright.  You can cut and shape those bumps to fit over your eyes with a space for air.  To get a good seal, you will often need to add pieces of wood or rubber around the edges.  Then use cordage to secure everything in place.  Seeing underwater can be a huge advantage in a survival situation.

Final Word

As you can see, there are plenty of reasons that plastic bottles can help you survive in the wild. If you find yourself in a SHTF scenario, slow down and start to look around for resources that will help you.  Collect anything of value as you start to develop your survival plan.  You can always discard it again, but you may not have the strength to go back and get it later.

via Modern Survival Online http://ift.tt/2vnS40t

Paul Horowitz and the Search for Extra Terrestrial Intelligence

Lucid Dreaming | How to Increase Success Frequency?

So, I've been delving into lucid dreaming over the past four months or so, treating it like I treat any new skill I learn-- (mostly) daily practice with intent for improvement, research, logging my progress, etc. In the past three months, reading over my logs, I see that I have had between 4 and 6 lucid dreams per month, with July standing currently at 2.

One of my goals is to be able to intentionally go lucid every morning. I've been working with a combination of reality checks, daytime affirmations, WBTB, and mantras. Oh, and daily dream journaling. What I'd like to ask anyone who has achieved the ability to become lucid every time you want: will this routine be effective in increasing LD frequency if I stick with it? Or are there other exercises I can do to really ram home to my subconscious what I'm trying to do? I mean, I've been browsing around the internet and looking at various techniques, but which ones have some of you found are the MOST effective for creating habitual, intentional states of lucidity in a reliable manner?

via Lucid Dreaming - Dream Views - Attaining Lucidity http://ift.tt/2uw4aXd

EMP Survival 101

by Tara

All of our lives would be drastically impacted if either a man-made or natural EMP disaster happened.  It would not take weeks, or even months, to repair the power grid and all aspects of modern life, but years! If the vital piece of United States infrastructure goes down, we would awake in an entirely different version of America – one which most non-preppers would not be equipped to survive.

Not fully grasping what an electromagnetic pulse actually is and how it works, has played a substantial role in the development of the two most dangerous myths about EMPs.

What Exactly Is An EMP?

An EMP is a short, but very strong burst, of electromagnetic energy caused by a rapid and intense increase in charged particles in the ionosphere. The acceleration of particles can occur as the result of a solar storm, a nuclear bomb, or even due to a simple, yet strong, bolt of lightning.

Once the ionosphere experiences a particle surge, a wave of electrical currents emerges and shorts out all, modern equipment which needs electricity to function – including the transformers are necessary to make power grids all around the world, work.

An EMP disturbance has the capability to not only destroy sensitive electronic equipment, but can even burst power lines, down airplanes, and damage brick-and-mortar structures.

Scientists often refer to EMPs as a “transient electromagnetic disturbance.” The incidents can be natural disturbances due to solar flares or a man-made current used as part of a weapons system.

Depending upon the origin of the electromagnetic pulse, a man-made disturbance can stem from an electric, radiated, conducted electric current, or magnetic field. A nuclear EMP attack would be even more devastating than a solar EMP – or coronal mass ejection – CME.

Just like tornados and hurricanes, there is a classification system for electromagnetic pulses.

E1 – This is the briefest type of electromagnetic pulse disturbance. E1s usually last for barely a microsecond, but are incredibly powerful. The mother-of-all EMP incidents happens only when an electromagnetic pulse weapon has detonated or after a nuclear blast.

E2 – Although this type of an EMP forms more slowly than an E1 and lasts slightly longer, it can still be caused by a nuclear bomb or a weaponized electromagnetic pulse. Should a man-made attack occur, an E1 blast would likely happen first and then dissipate to, or be followed by, an E2 level incident. If this happens, the E2 level protection built into sensitive electronic equipment and the power grid would already be destroyed by the initial power of the attack. There is currently no protection against an E1 EMP disturbance.

E3 – The least powerful type of EMP can last hours or even or days. This type of electromagnetic pulse happens during fairly routine solar flares – the type that make our television sets go fuzzy for a while, especially during a summer storm.

EMP Myth #1

“It can’t happen here.”

Not only can an EMP event happen in America, it already has – multiple times! The first known such incident happened in 1859 and has been dubbed the Carrington Event when an earth-directed X-Class solar flare hit our planet on the first morning of September.

In 1859, the most advanced piece of technology was the telegram. Lines across the country were fried when an EMP disturbance caused by the solar flare happened. Telegram operators of the time reported the papers on their office desks suddenly burst into flames when shocking bolts of electricity flowed through the communications lines.

Astronomer Richard Carrington witnessed the devastating EMP unfold through the lens of his telescope. Carrington’s documentation of the electromagnetic pulse disturbance prompted the naming of the natural disaster after him.

In 1989, a solar flare hit Canada and caused a massive power outage that left about six million people in the dark. The electromagnetic pulse was so strong it even knocked out power grid transformers in New Jersey. According to NASA scientists, the Canadian solar flare only boasted about one-third of the strength of the Carrington Event solar flare.

In 1962, the Star Fish Prime test, conducted by the United States government occurred – and things did not go as planned. A 1.4 megaton nuclear warhead was launched over the Pacific Ocean.

The electromagnetic pulses caused by the warhead test were far stronger than the government scientists expected. Street lights almost 1,000 miles away in Hawaii were even damaged by the launch. The impact of the EMP caused by the nuclear test were so massive the government experts were unable to measure them accurately because the electromagnetic pulses were so strong they surpassed the power of the gauges they possessed.

The “Test 184” EMP incident was taking place in Russia at the same time as the Start Fish Prime test. Few specific details are known about the type of warhead used in the test by the former Soviet Union even to this day. But, the Russian warhead is believed to have been less powerful than the weapon launched in America.

During the Test 184, the nuclear warhead was launched 180 miles into the air over Kazakhstan. A 600-mile section of powerline that was shielded underground by three feet of dirt, was knocked out due to the test – and a multitude of diesel generators were damaged as well.

The Earth dodged a big bullet during the summer of 2012 when an X-Class Carrington Event size solar storm brewing in space just barely missed our orbit. The mainstream media barely, if at all, covered the near-miss disaster. A teachable moment was missed and allowed hundreds of millions of people to continue to walk about blissfully believing the “it can’t happen” myth.

EMP incidents caused by solar flares are believed to have been going on since the beginning of time. Nitrates found in ice cores in Greenland have convinced many scientists solar flares run in cycles – and that we are long overdue for a whopper.

If Mother Nature does not jettison us back to the Stone Age, or at least to an 1800s way of life, our fellow man is capable of doing it – and perhaps on an even more devastating scale. Multiple nations which have declared their hatred for our way of life possess the capability to launch nuclear weapons which could take down our power grid.

EMP Myth #2

“The government will fix it in a few days.”

Most people with this mindset have no clue about exactly what the government will have to fix after an EMP attack or natural electromagnetic pulse disaster – or even the true magnitude of the aftermath of such a monumental disaster.

The power would not just “go off” during a power grid failure caused by an EMP attack, it won’t come back on without extensive repair of parts that have been stored in an EMP proof manner, and the replacement of all the technological equipment used to operate the energy utility.

Virtually nothing is made in America anymore – power grid repair and replacement parts are no exception. If the EMP disturbance hits not only the United States, but Europe as well, garnering transformers to fix the power grid would be essentially impossible.

The government probably has some transformers tucked away (any maybe stored in an EMP-proof Faraday Cage) in a warehouse somewhere, but do you want to bet your life and the life of your family on it?

It took FEMA five days to deliver water to the Super Dome after Hurricane Katrina, and even then, did not bring enough to aid all the struggling victims of the natural disaster.

When Appalachia experienced a week-long power outage during a 105-degree heat wave six years ago, FEMA arrived on day three. Once again, they did not bring enough water – and the bags of ice delivered in non-refrigerated trucks were melting before hundreds of folks in a long line of cars even garnered a single bag.

Every item you possess or use as a part of your daily life that is attached to an electrical cord would be fried beyond repair after an EMP attack. Vehicles made after the 1970s would likely stop in their tracks and immediately and strand its occupants. Vintage vehicles might also fail, but could be repaired if the owner had stored spare parts.

Water would stop flowing out of your faucets and sanitary sewer systems would cease to function. Wells which run on electricity would also cease to work – unless and until the rural property owner crafted a manual water retrieval system that could be lowered down into the well.

Forget calling 911 for help, cellphones and landlines will no longer function either. A short-wave radio, if it was stored in a Faraday Cage, would be your most advanced means of communication after an EMP disaster.

Police officers, firefighters, and paramedics would only be able to roll to the copious amount of emergency scenes if their vehicles did not contain sensitive electrical components and could be repaired. The first responders would only be able to respond to the needs of their fellow citizens as long as their tanks remained filled by fuel they had stored – gas pumps run on electricity as well.

Airplanes, all 7,000 or so of them which typically fly in the sky above America at any given time, will crash to the ground and cause massive fires, after an EMP attack. The electromagnetic pulse will fry the computer flight and guidance systems both in the plane and inside the airport control tower.

Hospitals would only remain open until the gas in their emergency generators ran out – which would probably take just a few days to occur. Draining fuel from the many useless chunks of metal clogging the roadways will extend the ability of first responders and hospitals to remain in operation a little longer – but only if the local heroes get to the gas tanks of vehicles before the roving hordes of marauders.

Boats, tractor-trailers, and airplanes will cease to move goods as well. FEMA estimates grocery store shelves will be empty in three days – but in all reality, that will happen in mere hours.

What’s The Worst Mistake You Could Make After An EMP Attack?

The one place no one should want to be during or after any type of apocalyptic disaster, especially an EMT attack, is in a city. If you find yourself in a metropolitan area after an electromagnetic pulse incident, leave – immediately.

Do not wait for the government to fix what you thought could never happen. Do not wait for things to return to normal in a few days. It is just not going to happen. Know that right now. Things will only get worse, far worse, in the days, weeks, and months, after a power grid failure.

Leaving the city, even on foot, should be done during the immediate aftermath of the EMP attack when the populace is still stunned and trying to figure out what the heck is going on. We have all watched on television how quickly civil unrest occurs during a riot and, when people will find out what’s really happening and about the devastating long-term effects, there will be chaos.

Make no mistake about it folks, there will be riots, violent ones. Panicked people, both ones who were decent law-abiding citizens before the doomsday disaster and those with a rap sheet as long as your arm, will attack a seemingly weaker person over food, water, a warm dry place to sleep, and even for a pair of gloves or a warm coat.

Top 7 EMP Preparedness Areas To Master Now, Before The SHTF

1. Supermarkets – If you are not growing/raising and preserving your own groceries, you will starve. Stockpile both long-term storage food and heirloom seeds for family use and bartering.
2. Pharmacies – Anyone relying on prescription medications will not have a long life expectancy after an EMP attack. Stockpiling medications and natural alternatives is a must for individuals with a chronic or life-threatening health problem.
3. Energy – When the power grid fails, alternative energy sources must be used to keep warm, keep cool, cook, and to boil water after filtering it to make it safe to drink. Stockpile as much firewood, fire starters, and waterproof matches as possible and store it all properly so it does not get wet.
4. Transportation – If you cannot walk to where you need to go or ride a horse, of have an EMP-proof bugout vehicle, you won’t be traveling very far. Travel will not be safe during the perhaps months of civil unrest which will follow a SHTF mega disaster of this sort. Bugging in will enhance your chances of survival. Bug out only if essential and have a detailed plan in place about where you are going and alternative routes to get there – and practice traversing those routes.
5. Fire Departments – Fires will wreak havoc on our communities after an EMP disaster. People desperate to get warm and to have light will accidentally cause a plethora of blazes by using heat sources they are unfamiliar with and are not designed for indoor use – and no big red truck will be coming to save your home and family as it spreads. Stockpile firefighting basics – especially buckets to relay water to save your home, barn, and stores of food. Volunteer fire departments across the country are typically eager to welcome new recruits and even pay for their training and gear. Educate yourself now, and always practice your skills and cross-train others in your family and mutual assistance group.
6. Police Departments – The men and women in blue will surely do their best to help their respective communities, but they are only human and have loved ones to protect as well. Those who cannot protect themselves, their families, their home and food, will lose them all. Learn how to use and stockpile not only all legal firearms and ammunition, but bows, arrows, and reloading equipment as well. Take a gunsmith course or learn via free online videos how to properly clean and repair your firearm – a broken gun, or a dirty one which can misfire or hang fire, will not save a single life.
7. Medical Care – Learning advanced first aid and natural remedies – or forming/joining a mutual assistance group containing medical care professionals of some type will vastly enhance the chances of surviving an EMP attack. Homesteading and survival online and in-person training course are typically affordable and teach even first aid novices how to deal with routine medical emergencies. Preparedness expos, like the largest hands-on annual event in North Carolina known as Prepper Camp, often feature medical professional as presenters who delve far more deeply into advanced first aid and survival medicine techniques.

Faraday Cages

In 1836 English scientist Michael Faraday invented a cage that could be used as shield from electromagnetic pulses. The electrical charge runs on and around the surface metal of a Faraday Cage and prevents the surge from harming the devices inside.

While many preppers use metal trash cans with tight-fitting lids as Faraday cages because they are relatively cheap and sturdy, metal fencing material or metal mesh sold at your local hardware store can be used as well – or a metal pet/livestock cage.

The denser the metal on the cage, the more protected the electronic devices inside will be – another reason why metal trash cans are often used as Faraday cages. The electronics inside the cage cannot be permitted to touch either each other or the metal cage itself.

Line the inner wall of the trash can or cage with cardboard and place a layer (two is better) or cardboard between each row of electronic devices when stacking them inside the cage. To test a Faraday cage, put our cellphone inside and the call the number. If it rings, the cage is not thick enough or insulated enough to prevent damage to the device.

Will a Faraday cage save electronics during an E1 disturbance? We won’t know if the cage can withstand such a substantial electromagnetic surge – but laboratory simulations appear to indicate it could.

EMP-Proof Bugout Vehicles

One of my prepping mentors, the “Survivalist Gardener,” Rick Austin, just finished building an amazing EMP-proof truck. Although Rick and his wife, Survivor Jane, left their lucrative careers in the city for the homesteading way of life and created the ultimate prepper retreat in the mountains of Appalachia, they could still use their monster of a survival truck as a bugout vehicle if forced to leave their sustainable homestead during a doomsday disaster.

The Austin’s turned the military version of a diesel powered 1984 Chevy Blazer (M1009) with a military trailer into an EMP-proof bugout vehicle that will can get them pretty much anywhere they need to go – while most of the rest of the world remains on foot.

“Basically, any EMP proof vehicle [or bug out vehicle/ TEOTWAWKI vehicle] would have to have no electronics, as an EMP could fry any chips, computers, etc., thus rendering the vehicle into a giant paper weight. My Land Rover Discovery II, for example, has electronics throughout and everything goes through a mother board that can easily be fried.  So even though it is a great all time four-wheel drive vehicle and can get through tough terrain, it would be absolutely useless after an EMP,” Rick Austin said.

Rick is right, his Land Rover would never start again, no matter how many times you tried to jump it. The popular model SUV would forever be stuck in park. Many folks probably think their gear shifter is simply a mechanical lever, but in most modern vehicles, it is not. As Austin pointed out, the shifter is not linked to the gear box – transmission, at all.

Sure, you could manually move the gear shifter so the indicator tab physically sits underneath the “R,” or “D,” but you are still not going to go anywhere. Austin explained that moving the lever only moves an electrical contact so the vehicle’s computer learns what gear the actuate.

“So, with no electronics, you can’t even get the vehicle into neutral to roll it downhill and jump start it,” Rick added. “Any bug out vehicle should have a lot of capacity to carry your family and your stuff, and ought to be 4-wheel drive, so it can get you through bad weather, and into places where you may have to go off road to avoid bad situations, traffic jams, and bad people.”

When deciding to embark on such a massive EMP preparedness project, pay keen attention to the type of fuel the vehicle requires in order to function. Gasoline will go bad after about 12 months. Pouring stabilizer into storage containers helps, but does not extend the life of the gasoline for extensive long-term use. Austin notes gas can be scavenged after a SHTF disaster, but aptly added that gasoline will also eventually become too old to use and turn what was intended to be a TEOTWAWKI vehicle into a “giant paper weight.”

Diesel fuel will maintain its usable properties far better than gasoline. A EMP-proof bugout vehicle with a diesel engine can run on a myriad of alternative fuels. Rick and Jane Austin’s truck can easily run on either kerosene, vegetable oil, or a host of other alternative forms of fuels already being used in diesel engines around the world.

During the vehicle selection process, do your homework about available parts as well. Parts for Ford and Chevy models appear to be the most readily available – at an affordable price, from dealers. The older the vehicle the more difficult, and expensive, it may be to find parts. Do not buy any vehicle older than 1990 – or risk being saddled with an immobile bugout vehicle after an EMP fries its sensitive electronics.

Size definitely matters when choosing what type of truck or SUV to prep for an EMP bugout vehicle. It must be large enough to carry not only your beloveds, but also spare tires, hand tools, shovels, primitive camping equipment, cooking equipment, medical supplies – basically everything you need to survive because if you are fleeing your home after an electromagnetic pulse attack, you are probably never coming back!

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Flush Out Car Thieves with a Key Fob Jammer Locator

We all do it — park our cars, thumb the lock button on the key fob, and trust that our ride will be there when we get back. But there could be evildoers lurking in that parking lot, preventing you from locking up by using a powerful RF jammer. If you want to be sure your car is safe, you might want to scan the lot with a Raspberry Pi and SDR jammer range finder.

Inspired by a recent post featuring a simple jammer detector, [mikeh69] decide to build something that would provide more directional information. His jammer locator consists of an SDR dongle and a Raspberry Pi. The SDR is set to listen to the band used by key fobs for the continuous, strong emissions you’d expect from a jammer, and the Pi generates a tone that varies relative to signal strength. In theory you could walk through a parking lot until you get the strongest signal and locate the bad guys. We can’t say we’d recommend confronting anyone based on this information, but at least you’d know your car is at risk.

We’d venture a guess that a directional antenna would make the search much easier than the whip shown. In that case, brushing up on Yagi-Uda antenna basics might be a good idea.

Filed under: car hacks, radio hacks

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Hackaday Prize Entry: Open Narrowband RF Transceiver

Rescuing A Proprietary Battery Pack With A Cell From A Camera

If you have an older handheld battery-powered device, you may be fighting a diminishing battery capacity as its lithium-ion cells reach the end of their life. And if you are like [Fox D’Gamma], whose device is an Alinco DJ-C7 handheld transceiver, you face the complete lack of availability of replacement battery packs. All is not lost though, because as he explains in the video below the break, he noticed that a digital camera battery uses a very similar-sized cell, and was able to graft the camera battery into the shell of the Alinco pack.

Cracking open the Alinco pack, he was rewarded with the rectangular Li-Ion cell and two PCBs, one for the connector and another for the battery management circuitry. By comparison the camera battery had a much smaller battery management PCB, and it fit neatly into the space vacated by the Alinco cell once those covers had been removed. A fiddly soldering job to attach the connector PCB, and he was rewarded with a working Alinco pack and an unexpected bonus when he found out that the transceiver was a dual band model.

Along the way he’s at pains to point out the safety aspects of handling Li-Ion cells, and to ensure that the polarity of the cell is correct. It’s also worth our reminding readers that these packs must always be accompanied by their battery management circuitry. The result though is pleasing: a redundant piece of equipment made obsolete by a proprietary battery, given a new lease on life.

This isn’t the first battery replacement we’ve shown you featuring old devices. But beware, if you try it you could end up as a Fail Of The Week.

Thanks [Corrosive] for the tip.

Filed under: radio hacks

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Old Rabbit Ears Optimized for Weather Satellite Downlink

Communicating with a satellite seems like something that should take a lot of equipment. A fancy antenna and racks full of receivers, filters, and amplifiers would seem to be the entry-level suite of gear. But listening to a weather satellite with an old pair of rabbit ears and an SDR dongle? That’s a thing too.

There was a time when a pair of rabbit ears accompanied every new TV. Those days are gone, but [Thomas Cholakov (N1SPY)] managed to find one of the old TV dipoles in his garage, complete with 300-ohm twinlead and spade connectors. He put it to work listening to a NOAA weather satellite on 137 MHz by configuring it in a horizontal V-dipole arrangement. The antenna legs are spread about 120° apart and adjusted to about 20.5 inches (52 cm) length each. The length makes the antenna resonant at the right frequency, the vee shape makes the radiation pattern nearly circular, and the horizontal polarization excludes signals from the nearby FM broadcast band and directs the pattern skyward. [Thomas] doesn’t mention how he matched the antenna’s impedance to the SDR, but there appears to be some sort of balun in the video below. The satellite signal is decoded and displayed in real time with surprisingly good results.

Itching to listen to satellites but don’t have any rabbit ears? No problem — just go find a cooking pot and get to it.

Filed under: misc hacks, radio hacks

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Horns Across America: The AT&T Long Lines Network

At Last, (Almost) A Cellphone With No Batteries!

If you are tired of constantly having to worry about the state of the battery in your mobile phone, then maybe help is at hand courtesy of the University of Washington. They are reporting the first-ever battery free cell phone, able to make calls by scavenging ambient power. An impressive achievement, and one about which we’d all like to know more.

On closer examination though, the story is revealed as not quite what it claims to be. It’s still a very impressive achievement, but instead of a cell phone with which you can make calls through the public cell network, it’s more of a remote handset for a custom base station through which it can place Skype calls. Sadly the paper itself is hidden behind a journal publisher’s paywall, so we’re left to poke underneath the research group’s slightly baffling decision to use the word “Cellphone” for something that plainly isn’t, and the university PR department’s dumbing-down for the masses. Aren’t peer reviewers supposed to catch misleading descriptions as well as dodgy science?

In radio terms, it’s an analog AM two-way radio that uses a backscatter transmission technique of applying the modulation as switching to an absorbing antenna tuned to the RF source whose ambient energy is being utilized. This modulates the ambient field within the range of the device, and resulting modulated field can be received and demodulated like any other radio signal. It’s a simplex device, in that you can’t listen and talk at the same time. Other ambient power used by the circuitry is harvested by rectifying received RF and through capturing ambient light on a set of photodiodes. There is a short video explaining the system, which we’ve placed below the break.

It is unfortunate that the detail of this story has been obscured, and that the paper itself remains behind a paywall. The issue of open-access academic journal publishing is probably beyond the scope of this Hackaday article (though if you know who Aaron Swartz was and why he is no longer with us then it should be of interest to you), but it’s safe to say this would be a more positive write-up from the University of Washington’s perspective had they provided more real information and less dumbing-down. If you are interested in backscatter transmission though it’s a subject we’ve covered before, take a look at this FM broadcast transmitter using it.

Via Hacker News.

Filed under: radio hacks

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Gun Cleaning 101 – Clean Your Guns the Right Way

by Frank

Did you know that every time you fire your gun, a small amount of carbon, copper, lead and plastic residue is left in the chamber and barrel? If you don’t take the time to clean your gun after firing it, this residue (known as fouling) can build up over time and eventually have a devastating effect on your gun and effect its reliability.

There aren’t any rules for when to clean your gun. Each gun is different and each type of ammunition is different as well, making it impossible to make standard gun cleaning rules. However, over the years I’ve picked up a few tips from hunters, gunsmiths, retired law enforcement and military.

Gun Cleaning Kits and Solvents

Before you can begin cleaning your firearms, you’re going to need the right tools. Generally, the least expensive option for people with a few different guns is a simple universal gun cleaning kit and a good bottle of solvent. Purchasing all the tools separately will cost you a bit more money. Currently, many of the best gun cleaning kits on the market are very inexpensive.

Cleaning Rods:

The most important tool in your kit is going to be the gun cleaning rod. This tool is used to attach brushes, jags, and mops. You want your cleaning rod to be made of a soft material such as brass. A material that’s harder than the barrel of your gun can easily scratch the inside of the barrel.

 Cleaning Brushes:

Brushes come in a wide variety of different materials and sizes. The bronze brush is the best choice for a good deep cleaning. They will remove the majority of carbon buildup without damaging the inside of your gun. A nylon brush comes after the bronze brush to clean up anything left behind.

Jags & Loops:

After you’re done with the cleaning brushes it’s time to make everything shine. A cotton cleaning patch is placed on the tip of the jag and used in a similar manner as the brush. A drop of cleaning solvent on the patch will remove anything left behind by the brushes.

Cleaning Toothbrushes:

These brushes look just like a toothbrush, but the bristles are made of hardened steel, bronze, or nylon. Use these to get into all the nooks and crannies.

Gun Cleaning Solvent:

Without a good gun cleaning solvent you’ll have a tough time getting your gun clean. You can either opt to use an all one in CLP or use separate bore cleaners, lubricants, and protectors.

How Often Should You Clean Your Gun?

The answer to this question is different for every person that you ask. A good friend of mine, who’s been in law enforcement for 20 years, told me that you should thoroughly clean your gun after every time you go to the range. This means disassembling it and breaking out the gun cleaning kit and cleaning solvents.  Carbon and copper buildup in the barrel of your gun will impact the velocity and accuracy of the bullet over time. If you’re in law enforcement, then your life depends on having a clean and reliable firearm.

The general consensus is that you should at least use a bore snake to do a quick clean after you fire your gun. You can take a bore snake to the range and use it there to clean your gun in only a couple of minutes.

What Happens if you Don’t Clean your Gun?

Many people can disagree about how often to clean their gun, but there’s no doubt that not cleaning your gun is a very bad idea. Everyone knows that rust can cause some serious damage and eat away the metal. If you plan to store your guns for longer periods of time, there are a few preventative measures you should take.

If you have guns in a safe they should be taken out at least once a year for a good deep clean, even if you haven’t used it. Over time, your firearms will gather dust and can accumulate moisture, which can lead to rust. Once a year, you should take them out to inspect them for any signs of this, as well as apply a good gun grease to prevent dust and moisture buildup from occurring.

Cleaning Your Guns Too Often?

Similar to not cleaning your gun enough, over cleaning your firearms can also damage them. For the most part it’s not easy to over clean your guns and I know people that do a deep clean after every time they fire with no adverse die effects. The only downside is that you will be spending a bit more money on cleaning solvents and broken brushes.

Most people agree that it’s a good idea to clean your gun after each visit to the range. Either with a bore snake or a cleaning kit depending on the type of firearm. Most people, including myself, find it very enjoyable and relaxing to take apart their guns are clean them.

Cleaning a New Gun

If you just purchased a new gun you’ll want clean anything that might be on it. Often times the gun may have been sitting on a display shelf for a long time. Companies tend to put grease and a rust inhibitor on all their new guns. Most guns won’t function well if you leave this rust inhibitor on.

It’s a good idea to put these solvents on new guns because they may be sitting on the shelves for a long time, exposed to weathering. However, before you fire your gun for the first time, you need to make sure that all traces of grease and other solvents have been removed.

Gun Cleaning Tips

The first rule to gun cleaning is to always make sure the chamber is empty and there’s no magazine. Double or triple check this step! Visually inspect to make sure that there’s nothing inside your firearm before cleaning it. Keep your gun unloaded until you’re ready to fire it. If you’re storing it away then there’s no need for it to be loaded. If it’s for home protection then you should keep it loaded.

Before you begin, you should always clean your guns in a room where nobody’s going to bother you. Keep the door locked! The last thing you want is for a child to come in your room.  Always clean from the chamber to the muzzle to prevent damaging the barrel. Cleaning towards the end of the barrel protects the muzzle and will help to keep debris out of the chamber.

Using a gun vise is a great way to keep your firearm secure. A regular vise is not a good idea because it can scratch the sensitive components of your firearms. A gun vise has padded clamps and allows you to rotate your firearms. Most gun vises also include an accessory tray which is designed to hold all your cleaning supplies and gun parts.

Use a generous amount of gun cleaning solvent on your cleaning patches. Use your cleaning jag to push it down the barrel to remove anything left over from the brush. I like to let sit for about 5-10 minutes and let the cleaning solvent soak into everything, this makes it much easier to clean.

Take a bronze cleaning brush of the proper size and run up and down the inside of the barrel several times. You can then use a nylon brush and repeat this process, followed by a jag and cleaning patch. Be sure not to put CLP on your cleaning patch on your finishing pass. An excess amount of cleaning solvent inside the barrel is not desirable.

The action of the firearms is generally cleaned with a bronze toothbrush and cotton swabs with long handles. Spray a little CLP on the tip of the cotton swabs and target any fingerprints, which can cause excess oil which will lead to rust.  When your firearm is free of marks and you’re done cleaning it, it’s time to put it away for storage. A good gun safe if the best place to store your gun.

Always be sure to put a little bit of gun grease on your gun to prevent dust from building up. If you don’t have children, then you can store your guns in a closet or box but it’s still a good idea to use grease.

Regular Gun Maintenance

Properly taking the time to maintain and care for your firearms is very wise. They are a big investment and you want them to perform as they should. Often times I see many people neglecting their cleaning responsibilities and just throw them in s safe after firing and they say they’ll get around to it when they have the time.  Moisture and carbon buildup can easily lead to rust. If you’re not taking good care of your gun, then it’s not going to take care of you. You need to treat it like a machine. If a machine is not properly cleaned and maintained on a regular basis it will break down and stop functioning properly.

Conclusion

Whether you’ve just decided to purchase a firearm or have owned guns for years, it’s important to clean them properly. There’s no rulebook when it comes to gun cleaning. It’s up to you to learn from other with experience to avoid common mistakes and accidents.  Hopefully, you’ve learned a thing or two from this brief guide and have become inspired to take more time to care for your firearms.

There’s a wealth of knowledge out there, with great video guides on youtube that you can watch for free. Take the time to learn as much as you can about your firearms, care for them and if you’re good to your guns, they’ll be good to you.

About the Author  Frank is a firearms collector, gunsmith, and hunter. He runs the Gun Cleaning HQ along with his wife, where you can learn everything about properly cleaning and maintaining your firearms and read reviews on the latest gun maintenance products.

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Lucid Dreaming | Help with getting lucid from dream characters and locations

I have been journaling every morning for about 6 months, and have a good idea of the dream characters and locations that keep appearing in my dreams. The trouble is that I have not been able to become lucid when they appear. I do MILD before going to sleep "I will recognize my dream characters and dream locations the next time I dream" and variations on that, but no luck so far.

If you had a similar issue and were able to breakthrough, please share some great tips that will help me get over this hump. Thanks!

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“Alexa, what plane is that?”

We’ve all probably done it — gazed up at a passing jetliner and wondered where it was going and what adventures its passengers were embarked upon. While the latter is hard to answer, the former just got a bit easier: just ask Alexa what the plane is.

Granted, [Nick Sypteras]’s Echo Dot isn’t quite omniscient enough to know exactly what plane you’re looking at. His system benefits from the constraints offered by the window of his Boston apartment — from the video below, we’d guess somewhere in Beacon Hill or the West End — that offers a view of the approach to Logan Airport. An RTL-SDR dongle receives the ADS-B transmissions from all aircraft in the vicinity, and a Raspberry Pi does a lookup, picks the closest plane, and scrapes the departure and arrival airports from FlightRadar24. Alexa does the rest, but we have to confess that hearing “Boeing seven hundred eighty-seven” rather than “seven eighty-seven” would drive us nuts.

If you don’t have the limited view of an airport approach that makes [Nick]’s hack workable, maybe a plane-spotting robot camera would work better for you.

[via RTL-SDR.com]

Filed under: misc hacks, radio hacks

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