Someone in my house makes a lot of noise in the morning, they get up before me and i can hear them through the walls. When they are doing this I feel very irritated and accuse them of decreasing my chances of lucid dreaming. But is there any basis to that?
If one is sleeping in a noisey environment might they maybe shut their awareness off intentionally so they can better fall asleep? Also the distraction inbetween dreams and sleep cycles, the ability to focus on intentions and dream memories?
I wonder sometimes if I had a perfect silent home to wake up into, how much easier it would be for me? I even have the idea to mb wake up early, so that i can nap in the afternoon when they are not here.
What do you guys think?
via Lucid Dreaming - Dream Views - Attaining Lucidity https://ift.tt/2v1sdgl
[Mr. Carlson] bought a Globe Scout Model 40A ham radio transmitter at a hamfest. The 40A was a grand old transmitter full of tubes, high voltage, and a giant transformer. It is really interesting to see how much things have changed over the years. The transmitter is huge but has comparatively few parts. You needed a crystal for the frequency you wanted to talk. There were two little modules that were precursors to hybrid circuits (which were precursors to ICs) that were often called PECs or couplates (not couplets) but other than those, it is all tubes and discrete components beautifully wired point-to-point.
The really surprising part, though, is the back panel. There’s a screw terminal to drive the coil of an external coaxial relay that has line voltage on it. There’s also a plug on the back with exposed terminals that has plate voltage on it which is considerable. In the 1950s, you assumed people operating equipment like this would be careful not to touch exposed high voltage.
[Mr Carlson] does a great job of walking through the schematic and, of course, also fires the radio up and looks at the output with a communication monitor. It has been a long time since we’ve loaded up a tube transmitter and watching it done while looking at the output was very nostalgic.
We were surprised the little transmitter only managed about 20 watts out. A single 6146 should be able to get to 50 watts, but perhaps the final is worn out. The ad to the right is from a 1957 issue of Popular Electronics is for a similar model and it claims 60 watts out. You should note that the $100 price didn’t include coils which you could buy for each band, nor did it include crystals, a microphone, or a key. A 1955 article referenced this exact model:
Globe Scout Model 40A: This is a general-purpose 50 watt c.w., 40 watt phone bandswitching transmitter, working on 10 through 160 meters. It is intended to fill the need for a compact unit in the low power field for either fixed station or mobile use. The unit contains six tubes,
including rectifier. It is crystal controlled, or can be driven by any external variable frequency oscillator (v.f.o.). Built-in antenna tuner permits use of any standard type antenna. For mobile use, a suitable dynamotor or vibrator power supply is connected through an auxiliary socket.
Dimensions are 8 x 16 x 8 inches. In kit form, $89.95; factory wired, $99.95.
Compact indeed. The power supply connection is the one on the back panel with the exposed high voltage. The radio already had its electrolytics replaced — a topic of hot contention lately. If you want to build your own tube-based AM transmitter, you might want to have soup for lunch.
There are a multitude of radio shields for the Arduino and similar platforms, but they so often only support one protocol, manufacturer, or frequency band. [Jan Gromeš] was vexed by this in a project he saw, so decided to create a shield capable of supporting multiple different types. And because more is so often better, he also gave it space for not one, but two different radio modules. He calls the resulting Swiss Army Knife of Arduino radio shields the Kite, and he’s shared everything needed for one on a hackaday.io page and a GitHub repository.
Supported so far are ESP8266 modules, HC-05 Bluetooth modules, RFM69 FSK/OOK modules, SX127x series LoRa modules including SX1272, SX1276 and SX1278, XBee modules (S2B), and he claims that more are in development. Since some of those operate in very similar frequency bands it would be interesting to note whether any adverse effects come from their use in close proximity. We suspect there won’t be because the protocols involved are designed to be resilient, but there is nothing like a real-world example to prove it.
With the incredibly low cost of software defined radio (SDR) hardware, and the often zero cost of related software, there’s never been a better time to get into the world of radio. If you’ve got $30 burning a hole in your pocket, you’re good to go. But as with any engrossing hobby that’s cheap to get into, you run the risk of going overboard eventually.
For example, if the radio gear inside your car approaches parity with the Kelly Blue Book value of said vehicle, you may have been bitten by the radio bug. In the video after the break, [Corrosive] gives us a tour of his antenna festooned Hyundai Accent, that features everything he needs to receive and analyze a multitude of analog and digital radio signals on the go.
He starts with the roof of the car, which is home to five whip antennas (not counting the one from the factory installed AM/FM radio) and two GPS receivers. The ones on the rear of the car feed down into the trunk, where a bank of Nooelec NESDR RTL-SDR receivers will live in a USB hub. He’s only got one installed for test purposes, but he’ll need more for everything he’s got planned. Also riding in the back is a BCD780XLT scanner, which he got cheap on eBay thanks to the fact it had a dead display.
Luckily, where [Corrosive] is going, he won’t need displays. The SDR receivers and the scanner are all controlled from the driver’s seat by way of a Windows 10 tablet. This runs the ProScan software that provides a virtual interface to the BCD780XLT, as well as various SDR interfaces. He’s also got Gpredict for tracking satellites and ADS-B programs like Virtual Radar.
The car’s head unit has been replaced by a rooted Android entertainment system which supports USB host mode. [Corrosive] says it isn’t hooked up yet, but in the future the head unit is going to get its own SDR receiver so he can run programs like RF Analyzer right in the dashboard. We’re willing to bet that this will be the only car in the world that has both a waterfall display and the “Check Engine” light on at the same time.
The only thing that keeps some humans from doing unspeakable things is the threat of punishment. If they get caught, they risk incarceration or other legal sanctions, as well as social sanctions of embarrassment and humiliation, and social rejection. They may fear punishment in the next life. This accountability stays the hand of many who embrace the evil at their core. Deterrence is limited, but should not be discounted entirely.
In our current society, inmates who have committed heinous crimes such as homicide with rape or mutilation of the victim, or child abuse resulting in death languish on death row for decades before they are punished by removal from this Earth. Repeat offenders get second, third, fourth, fifth chances, and all they learn is they can continue preying on others and contributing nothing to society and no one will stop them.
Even the social shame, rejection and shunning that once separated criminals from law abiding citizens has steadily eroded and deteriorated. It is no longer shameful to be a criminal. The habits of the lower class have infiltrated upward for the first time in history, as noted by British prison psychiatrist Theodore Dalrymple.
Gang culture and thug culture has become mainstream. People who pay taxes, obey the law, cross at the corner with the light, and dress conservatively, are studious or who take care of their bodies are looked down on with contempt as squares, nerds, dorks, or other insults. These are all indicators of an increasingly degenerate society.
Now imagine a time and place without the at least semblance of the rule of law, and police authority to enforce laws, and courts to administer the law. This could be a nightmare scenario with nationwide societal breakdown and collapse, or it could be regional or local, as we have seen in various US cities after natural disasters, or when a president who is not well liked by “tolerant and peaceful” people gets elected.
Note that I am about to start blatantly stereotyping throughout this paper.
Predators
Someone running at you with an insane look in their eye, holding a baseball bat yelling I am going to kill you Mother F***ker is giving unambiguous messages through their words and body language that they intend to do you harm. Or maybe not. Maybe they just really want ta hug. Perhaps you should give them a chance. You wouldn’t want to stereotype would you? [Sarcasm Alert]
Sometimes the signs are not as clear, and are more ambiguous. Predators, especially the ones higher on the food chain, are more subtle. They wear social camouflage, attempting to appear harmless s in order to close distance with you and get inside your defenses. Others just give you a funny feeling. Something about them is off, but it is hard to say what.
There are adults who display a specific set of dysfunctional, maladaptive, and predatory personality traits. In the criminal justice professional literature, they are referred to as psychopaths or sociopaths. Some sources differentiate between the two, but they basically act the same. In the psychiatric and psychological professional literature, the same individuals are referred to as having Antisocial Personality Disorder. Their character traits are:
Consistent violation of the rights of others through assault, rape, violence, theft, manipulation, harassment, and abuse.
A lack of remorse about harming others
A superficial, camouflaging layer of charisma, and “niceness”
The ability to evaluate and analyze others at a glance
Manipulation, deception
Narcissism
Cruelty
Indifference to the harm they cause.
A complete lack of guilt, or shame
They are typically believed to be without empathy, though this is debatable. They may have empathy, but they use it to experience other people’s hurt and enjoy and savor it.
There is no medication or psychotherapy which can cure Antisocial personality Disorder. There is even very little available to manage their behavior. They must be incarcerated, supervised, and contained, as they cause great harm.
These are not people you want in your life. They are barely contained in a (relatively) stable society, so they would run free in the absence thereof. (There is one highly effective treatment for sociopaths, but it is controversial. An injection of a 180 grain copper-coated lead capsule into the medulla oblongata will produce cessation of all sociopathic behaviors).
Scavengers
Scavengers are a bit different from predators, though they can be both at different times. Scavengers are like predators, in that they are opportunists, but they are generally less aggressive. They are looking for an easier target than a predator, and take the leftovers after the predators have already been through. Scavengers are always looking for an open window, either literally or metaphorically.
Example:
In graduate school, I was leaving the computer lab about midnight, headed for my car. Man on a bicycle, who did not look like a student was riding through the campus. I made the mistake of looking at him.
He immediately smiled widely; steered toward me and said can you help me? No I can’t I replied, holding up my hand and getting in my car. He rode past with a hurt look. I had no idea who he was, what he wanted, or what his intentions were. Nor did I care to find out. Did I hurt his feelings Yes. Do I care? No.
Options and Methods
The best way to win is to not be there when the predator is. To do this, know their habits so you can avoid them, and know what camouflage they wear so you can recognize them
The Fight/Flight/Freeze response, and it how it protects us.
FFF is a hardwired response in our nervous systems. In response to a real or perceived threat, we will release adrenaline from our adrenal glands, sitting atop our kidneys. Adrenaline will make muscles work harder and longer, make you hyper alert and focused, more resistant to pain, and even constrict blood vessels close to the surface to minimize blood loss in the event of lacerations.
You are now prepared to face the threat and overcome it, flee from the threat and escape it, or don’t move so the threat can’t find you. FFF will occur when you become fully aware there is a clear and immediate threat to you safety; in other words you are in Condition Red. Before entering the FFF state, you will often get warning signs.
Listening to your intuition.
. A maxim in self-protection is:
If something feels wrong, it is wrong.
Never question your intuition. If someone or something feels wrong, get away from that person and out of the situation immediately. You can contemplate an analyze ans discuss it all you want later. Maybe you were wrong and made a fool of yourself, or embarrassed yourself; maybe you hurt someone else’s feelings. So what. Your safety is paramount over someone else feelings. The Gift of Fear by Gavin DeBecker is an excellent read. Debecker discusses how human beings have a very well developed sense of danger, which we deliberately choose to ignore
For more information on detecting potential threats, see the videos below:
Directly Threatening people
Beware of anyone gradually closing distance with you, making prolonged eye contact, or continuously glancing at you. These are also normal social behaviors engaged in by someone who wants to meet you, and begin the mutually consensual social connection and bonding process. This is how you meet friends, lovers, and mates. Predators and scavengers also use this social process to approach their victim and get inside their social defenses.
Creepy people
Creeps can be difficult to define, but they are someone who “induces an ambiguous threat response in you”. There is something about them which make your skin crawl, and puts you on edge, though they are not making an outright threat display. Something about them just makes you feel uneasy.
The man on the bike I mentioned above was an example of a creep. There was something off about him. Why would you approach a stranger for help on a bicycle at midnight in a parking lot? He looked…off. A little vacant, maybe under the influence of drugs, maybe mentally ill, maybe someone who spent a lot of time in isolation, or all the above. In any event his social skills were lacking, and I didn’t want to engage with him.
Creep’s warning signs are highly subjective. Some things to consider:
The way the walk
The way they dress; sloppy, slovenly, poor hygiene.
They are too quiet (though we Introverts often get labeled as creeps; we are such watching, listening and deep in thought).
Inappropriate affect
Persistent violation of boundaries
Ignoring social cues
An inappropriate sense of familiarity
Commenting on how they have “seen you around”
Charismatic people
A central feature of the sociopath is that they are nice. They smile, speak eloquently and articulately, make earnest eye contact, and are attractive. It is all a façade. It is not real. It is an act to entice you and get you to lower your guard. Beware of anyone who is a little too nice, too soon. I know this sounds cynical and misanthropic, and maybe a little paranoid. I think it is realistic.
Now what?
Once a predator has been detected, your next move is the correct response. Briefly, your response can be as simple as withdrawal or retreat, or an aggressive counter-response. This is a discussion for another time, and is beyond the scope of this article. Start by learning how to detect them.
Conclusion
Don’t get paranoid, seeing threats where there are none. Situational awareness, and reading peoples intentions is an art, skill, and science. Like any endeavor it takes time and practice to become good at.
It’s easy to dismiss radio as little more than background noise while we drive. At worst you might even think it’s just another method for advertisers to peddle their wares. But in reality it’s a snapshot of the culture of a particular time and place; a record of what was in the news, what music was popular, what the weather was like, basically what life was like. If it was important enough to be worth the expense and complexity of broadcasting it on the radio, it’s probably worth keeping for future reference.
But radio is fleeting, a 24/7 stream of content that’s never exactly the same twice. Yet while we obsessively document music and video, nobody’s bothering to record radio. You can easily hop online and watch a TV show that originally aired 50 years ago, but good luck finding a recording of what your local radio station was broadcasting last week. All that information, that rich tapestry of life, is gone and there’s nothing we can do about it.
Or can we? At HOPE XIII, Thomas Witherspoon gave a talk called “Creating a Radio Time Machine: Software-Defined Radios and Time-Shifted Recordings”, an overview of the work he’s been doing recording and cataloging the broadcast radio spectrum. He demonstrated how anyone can use low cost SDR hardware to record, and later play back, whole chunks of the AM and shortwave bands. Rather than an audio file containing a single radio station, the method he describes allows you to interactively tune in to different stations and explore the airwaves as if it were live.
Modern Take on a Classic Technique
You might think that such radio trickery is a product of modern hardware and software, but in fact the methods Thomas and his group of radio archivists use have considerably more retro beginnings. As far back as the 1980’s DXers, radio hobbyists that look specifically for distant signals, found that if they connected the intermediate frequency (IF) output of their radio to a VCR they could capture whatever their antenna was picking up for later analysis. When the tape was played back through the antenna port of the radio, they could tune to individual frequencies and search for hard to hear signals.
Of course the utility of this method wasn’t limited to just weak signals. It allowed radio operators to do things that would otherwise be impossible, like going back and listening to different news broadcasts that were aired at the same time. A few DXers realized there was a potential historical value to such recordings, and some of these early tapes were saved and wound up becoming part of the collection Thomas has been building and offering up as a podcast.
The modern version of this technique replaces the AM or shortwave receiver with any one of a number of affordable SDR devices, and the VCR has become a piece of software that can dump the SDR’s output to a file. This file can then be loaded up in a compatible SDR interface program, such as HDSDR, in place of an actual radio.
Storing History
Thomas envisions a future where researchers will be able to sit down at a kiosk and browse through the radio broadcasts from a given time and place, the same way a microfilm machine is used to look at a newspaper from decades past. But while making these recordings is now cheaper and easier than ever before, there are still logistical issues that need to be solved before that can happen. Chief among them: how do you store it all?
Thomas mentions that a single day’s recording of the AM broadcast band will result in roughly 1 TB of data. Potentially some compression scheme could be developed which would scan the recordings to isolate the viable signals and delete the rest. Another approach would be a sort of ring buffer arrangement, where the system only retains the last few days of recordings unless the user commits them to long-term storage. If something deemed worthy of future study occurs, the ring buffer could be moved to permanent storage so the event as well as the preceding time could be preserved for historical purposes.
Until then, Thomas and his team will keep on recording during noteworthy events. As an example, they made extensive spectrum recordings during the 2016 US Presidential elections, believing it will be a moment future generations will likely want to have as much information on as possible.
[Kerry Wong] comes across the coolest hardware, and always manages to do something interesting with it. His widget du jour is an old demo board for a digital RF attenuator chip, which can pad a signal in discrete steps according to the settings of some DIP switches. [Kerry]’s goal: forget the finger switch-flipping and bring the attenuator under Arduino control.
As usual with his videos, [Kerry] gives us a great rundown on the theory behind the hardware he’s working with. The chip in question is an interesting beast, an HMC624LP4E from Hittite, a company that was rolled into Analog Devices in 2014. The now-obsolete device is a monolithic microwave integrated circuit (MMIC) built on a gallium arsenide substrate rather than silicon, and attenuates DC to 6-GHz signals in 64 steps down to -31.5 dBm. After a functional check of the board using the DIP switches, he whipped up a quick Arduino project to control the chip with its built-in serial interface. It’s just a prototype for now, but spinning the encoder is a lot handier than flipping switches, and once this is boxed up it’ll make a great addition to [Kerry]’s RF bench.
Power gels, aka energy gels are small packets of complex carbohydrate syrup, usually some combination of maltodextrin, brown rice syrup, honey, vitamins, minerals, amino acids, and flavorings. Though these are technically not power gels, I have also included packets of pureed fruits and veggies aka Baby food on this list. These packets are nutritious, have a long shelf life, don’t require refrigeration until they are opened, and are inexpensive. Fruit and veggie purees are available under different labeling and marketing as sports supplements, but they are really the same as baby food. The difference is the serving size, price and the packaging.
The purpose of power gels are a quick, easily digested, convenient source of energy, along with some caffeine, electrolytes, vitamins and minerals to provide a boost during endurance activities such as running, bicycling, rowing, hiking, cross country skiing, or snow shoeing. It is recommended to take one packet every 15 minutes with water during endurance training.
I always have a few in my EDC Bag, my office drawer, BoB, car, and at home in the pantry. I also like to use them as a substitute when I am craving something sweet without undoing my clean eating plan and I have also found them useful for relieving some of the misery of the flu. You can get creative and mix different flavors together into a squeeze container or stir them into oatmeal or other hot cereal, or put them in coffee, tea, or hot chocolate. They can also be used to top pancakes.
Here are my evaluations of some of the top brands.
Vanilla/Lemon cake frosting, a little too sweet, but with a flavor like Birthday cake, what did I expect? Overall, OK, not bad.
Gu
Vanilla bean
Maltodextrin
Toothpaste
Vanilla frosting taste, a little cloying. Good. This is one of three classic flavors (mandarin orange and tri-berry are the others) that have been around for 20 years of more. They used to be made with brown rice syrup, which tasted better IMO.
Raspberry jam flavor, way too sweet. As with all Clif shots, the packet has a litter leash. Yuck. Nasty. You will need to drink water afterward to get the sticky cloying feeling out of your mouth.
Chocolate and heavily creamed coffee. Not too sweet or cloying, good flavor balance. Very good. This one contains 50 mg of caffeine, about the same as 4 oz. of brewed coffee. I had the Chocolate cherry and Mocha together, and had no need for an AM coffee. Good energy without being wired.
Black coffee with maple syrup taste. Very simple ingredients: organic maple syrup and organic coffee .Very good. Robust and strong. Not for soy boys. I would also add this to hot chocolate, or a shot of brandy or bourbon for a cocktail.
In terms of prolonging endurance for physical and mental activity, only the gels containing caffeine seemed to do this.
How to Make Your Own Power Gel
An alternative is to make your own power gels by combining different ingredients in a squeeze bottle.
Maple syrup. This is the delicious boiled down concentrate of the sap of maple trees. It is available in different grades, which are different colors and flavor intensity. I prefer Grade B Dark Amber, (It used to be just called Grade B, but someone decided that sounded too negative, and the maple syrup might feel hurt by being put in second place. Fucking Political Correctness). Simple as it gets. Pour some genuine Vermont maple syrup into a squeeze bottle, and have a shot as needed. Don’t overdo it, as too much at once is a purgative. Add some instant coffee crystals and stir to dissolve. Maple syrup will keep for months at room temperature. It may grow a mold on the surface. It is still edible if you spoon out the mold and re-boil the syrup.
Peanut Butter Mix maple syrup or honey into peanut butter. Add molasses for a taste similar to Mary Janes or Bit-O- Honeys. PB has a room temperature life of months.
Honey, straight, or cut with molasses. Molasses will cut the sweetness of the honey so it is not overpowering. Many convenience stores and cafes have packets of honey available for coffee and tea. Most places will sell you a bunch of them, or if you are a customer, give them to you, especially if you are a regular and you tip well. You can also try different varieties of honey. Orange blossom is my favorite, though some people prefer the dark robust taste of buckwheat honey. Honey has a shelf life of millennia. You read that right. Honey will crystallize after a while, but it is still edible after about 3,000 years.
Molasses is derived from sugar cane or sugar beets. It is thick dark brown, strongly flavored sweet syrup. It is more nutritious than white sugar, as it contains iron, phosphorous, and potassium.
Agave syrup is from the agave cacti. I don’t use this personally, as any amount gives me GI (Gastro-Intestinal) upset. It is fine for most people.
Brown Rice syrup is obviously derived from brown rice. It is not as sweet as honey, and has a mildly nutty, pleasant taste. Use it straight, or mixed with flavoring such as lemon, orange or lime.
Malt syrup is derived from malted barley. It is less sweet than sugar, thick, light brown, and has a taste similar to molasses. Use it straight or straight up. Or mixed with flavoring such as lemon, orange or lime
Pureed fruit and vegetables are very nutritious but have a short shelf life. Use it the same day, or keep it refrigerated. You can run pretty much any combination you can think of through a food processor or blender, and add some liquid so it will blend.
Some combinations to try:
Pumpkin, apples and a dash of cinnamon.
Banana, splash of orange juice and a pinch of sea salt.
Beets, raspberries, strawberries
Sweet potatoes, a drizzle of maple syrup
Apples, pears, and a dash of cinnamon
Conclusion
Little foil packets or squeeze bottle of gel are convenient sources of carbohydrates, nutrients, and electrolytes, they taste good, have a lengthy shelf life, and are portable. Their flavor is a comforting morale booster, and they are a good substitute when you are craving a dessert but don’t want to disrupt your clean eating plan.
We’ll explain. Never being one to settle, [Andreas Spiess] needed a better antenna for his LoRa experiments. Looking for high gain and an omnidirectional pattern, he bought a commercial colinear antenna, which is a wire with precisely spaced loops that acts like a stack of dipoles. Sadly, in a head-to-head test [Andreas] found that the commercial antenna was no better than lower gain antennas in terms of range, and so he decided to roll his own.
Copper wire is a great material for antennas since it can be easily formed without special tools and it solders like a champ. But the stuff you get at the home center is nowhere near stiff enough for a free-standing vertical whip. This is where the Harley came in: [Andreas] used his Hog to stretch out the 1.75-mm diameter (a little bigger than #14 AWG) copper wire. Not only did the work-hardening stiffen the wire, it reduced its diameter to the 1.4 mm needed for the antenna design. His vector network analyzer told him that ground-plane elements and a little fiddling with the loop diameter were needed to get the antenna to resonate at 868 MHz, but in the end it looks like the antenna is on track to deliver 5-dBi of gain.
Of course there are plenty of other ways to stretch out a wire — you could just stretch it out with hanging weights, or even with a go-kart motor-powered winch if you’re ambitious. But if you’ve got a bike like that, why not flaunt it?
Radio waves are received on antennas, for which when the signal in question comes over a long distance a big reflector is needed. When the reception distance is literally astronomical, the reflector has to be pretty darn big. [The Thought Emporium] wants to pick up signals from distant satellites, the moon, and hopefully a pulsar. On the scale of home-built amateur radio, this will be a monstrous antenna. The video also follows the break.
In hacker fashion, the project is built on a budget, so all the parts are direct from a hardware store, and the tools are already in your toolbox or hackerspace. Electrical conduit, chicken wire, PVC pipes, wood blocks, and screws make up most of the structure so put away your crazy links to Chinese distributors unless you need an SDR. The form of the antenna is the crucial thing, and the shape is three perpendicular panels as seen in the image and video. The construction in the video is just a suggestion, but it doesn’t involve welding, so that opens it to even more amateurs.
Even if you are not trying to receive a pulsar’s signature, we have hacks galore for radios and antennas.
RF design isn’t always easy, especially at higher frequencies. Despite improvements in simulation tools, there’s still no substitute for prototyping and trying out different things. That wasn’t so bad when that meant nailing some nails in a piece of wood and wiring up discrete components. But at today’s microwave frequencies and with today’s IC packaging that simply doesn’t work. Solving this problem is what drives a company called X-Microwave. They have a standard grid pattern PCB for a wide range of RF circuits and accessories to tie them all together. Probably the best way to get a feel for the system is to watch the simple video below. There’s also a free simulator tool worth taking note of that you’ll see in a bit.
Before you get too excited, we’ll warn you that while this stuff is cheap if you need it, it isn’t an impulse buy. The baseboards and probes (the connectors) run from $150 to $300. You can get kits, too, but a bare-bones two-port system is going to start at about $550, which is about $100 off the component parts and includes some extras. Then you need less expensive parts to make the boxes around things if you need them. Oh. Then you also need the PCBs which are not cheap, either. Their prices vary widely as you’d expect, but — for example — we saw amplifiers as low as $80 and as high as nearly $1000. So a complete system could get pretty pricey.
However, if you really need to breadboard RF circuits in the microwave region — they claim the system can get up to 50 GHz — these prices are not unreasonable compared to what you are going to have to do otherwise.
Also, there is a free browser-based simulator you can experiment with which is quite powerful. You do need to register (and while the registration appeared to fail, it actually worked). The backend to the simulator is Genesys Spectrasys, so this is actually a cheap way to get limited access to a very powerful RF simulation tool. It took awhile to figure out, but you can populate the spectrum display at the bottom of the screen by right clicking on any black wire. You can pick behavior models which are ideal or modules that correspond to real-world X-Microwave modules. There’s also an online layout tool for planning your circuit layouts, but that’s not as exciting as the simulator.
This is one of those things that if you need it, it is affordable. If you don’t, then it is priced astronomically. However, it isn’t hard to imagine homebrewing something similar, especially if your frequency needs are more modest. We might suggest the RF Biscuit as a starting point. If you are just too cheap to go this route, you might look into foil tape. We’ve built entire transmitters and receivers using foil tape to create ad hoc “circuit boards.”
Thanks to [RoGeorge] for mentioning this system over on Hackaday.io.
When it comes time to learn about new gear, improve your skill set, or pick up some high quality reliable gear, only the best will do. Survival and prepping expos are great ways to do it all at once. No matter where you are in the country, you don’t want to miss these survival expos. Many long-standing survival expos have changed locations or shut down altogether in recent years. We scoured the Internet to find those that are still scheduled.
These expos are a great place to see all the latest advances in gear as well as meet and exchange ideas with likeminded people from all over your region. You’d be surprised at the new ideas, information, and skills you can gain from interacting with other people who are survival or prepping minded. In fact, sometimes the opportunity to meet and chat with other people in your region who are also prepping is one of the biggest benefits of attending a survival expo.
This is New England’s main show for wilderness and bush craft skills, adventure travel, and survival. Rescheduled from November, it includes workshops, skills training, and vendor demonstrations. Held on an outdoor programming venue with more than 22-acres including setups for vendors, bush craft village, base camp and onsite food trucks. It’s a family friend event and kids younger than 10 years of age get in free
Hosted by Oath Keepers with an excess of $1,000,000 in merchandise and products from vendors in the areas of survival food, camping, herbs, military surplus, natural healing, homesteading, prepping, tactical, preservation, firearms, and a monster truck show!
A free readiness expo with 16 speakers offered nonstop from 9:30am to 3:30pm. Free admission and free parking. Tour the University of Michigan Survival Flight Helicopter, Fire Trucks, Police Vehicles, and Livingston County Sheriff’s Dept Tactical Vehicle & Mobile Command Center. Focus is on products in the areas of water & food storage, solar panels, batteries, generators, power systems, water collection, purification and water storage, wind energy, self-defense training, freeze dried foods, survival gear, and more.
The largest event like this in the area. Over 15 educational presentations and seminars. The place to be for information and exhibits on survival gear, self-sustainability, off grid living, alternative energy, farming and more.
This is a 3-day expo event with a focus on emergency preparedness, self-reliance, agriculture, financial planning, and primitive skills. This is your chance to purchase supplies, gear, and learn new skills in a family friendly atmosphere.
Central United States Survival Expos You Don’t Want to Miss
More than 400 vendors with survival and prepper gear including knives, ammo, fishing, optics, and more. One stop shopping for weapons, survival, and outdoor vendors.
Hundreds of booths with preparedness and survival gear on display. Expert seminars held daily on topics related to preparing for natural disasters, long-term power outages, and more.
The 3rd annual Preparedness Expo is two days of classes on preparedness topics and includes displays and vendors. See website later this year for details and registration info.
Whether it’s a natural disaster, extended power outage or worse, the Greater Kansas City Survival Expo & Gun Show is designed with the serious prepper in mind. Vendors and experts available on topics such as solar power, tactical gear, bug out kits, long term food storage, and more.
Preparedness & Survival gear on display throughout hundreds of booths. Expert speakers daily on topics such as bug out kits, long term food storage, and tactical gear.
Focused on preparedness for a natural disaster or extended power outage. Hundreds of booths filled with gear for survival and preparedness. Daily expert speakers on topics such as solar power, long term food storage, tactical gear, bug out kits, and more.
Whether you attend just for one day or stay for the whole weekend, Prepper Camp has been hailed as one of the best immersion events you’ll ever attend. Attend scheduled seminars, interact with many of the best experts on survival, homesteading, and prepping. Bring your questions and come prepared to get hands on experience in a wide range of preparedness activities.
One of the largest survival and preparedness expos in the nation. The one stop place to learn it all including self-defense techniques, preparedness fundamentals, homesteading, alternative power, first aid and medical, even advanced training. PrepperCon includes panel discussions, Film & TV celebrity speakers, and more than 80 educational classes.
Coordinated by The National Self Reliance Project, the Self Reliance Expo, provides an interactive experience based on survival, preparedness, homesteading, and sustainability. For those looking for a more hands on expo experience, those who want to get back to basics, revive time-honored traditions, and embrace a simpler life, the self-reliance expo is the one to see.
No matter which part of the country you are in or what level of prepping you are currently at, you don’t want to miss these survival expos. Find the one nearest to you and start making plans to get there. Do you know about a survival expo that we didn’t list here? Share the details of your favorite survival expo in the comments below so we can update the list throughout the year.
A bandpass allows a certain electrical signal to pass while filtering out undesirable frequencies. In a speaker bandpass, the mid-range speaker doesn’t receive tones meant for the tweeter or woofer. Most of the time, this filtering is done with capacitors to remove low frequencies and inductors to remove high frequencies. In radio, the same concept applies except the frequencies are usually much higher. [The Thought Emporium] is concerned with signals above 300MHz and in this range, a unique type of filter becomes an option. The microstrip filter ignores the typical installation of passive components and uses the copper planes of an unetched circuit board as the elements.
A nice analogy is drawn in the video, which can also be seen after the break, where the copper shapes are compared to the music tuning forks they resemble. The elegance of these filters is their simplicity, repeatability, and reproducability. In the video, they are formed on a CNC mill but any reliable PCB manufacturing process should yield beautiful results. At the size these are made, it would be possible to fit these filters on a business card or a conference badge.
AntiFa, a portmanteau of Anti-Fascist, is an indigenous terrorist organization. They are described as loosely organized, without a central leadership. They have numerous independent cells throughout the United States, the UK, and Europe, with an apparent drop in/drop out membership. They are very angry people.
Their motto is Punch a Nazi. They sometimes seem unclear as to what they are so angry about, or their goals. They engage in cowardly attacks against conservatives when they have the advantage or surprise and numbers. The words I would use to describe them are confused, misguided, and deranged. Their behavior is that of terrorists. They seek to promote socio-political change which they don’t seem to fully understand, through unjustified violence toward people who are not even members of their proclaimed target group.
What is Fascism?
Fascism is a political ideology based on suppression of free speech and human rights. It is a Machiavellian system in which violent means of suppression of contrary points of view is justified as an end to produce an efficient and orderly society.
Fascism embodied by the Nazis was responsible for about fifty to eighty million people, or about 3% of the World population in the early 1940’s. This includes the attempted extermination of the Jewish people, whom at least six million of which died in Nazi death camps. This does not include those who suffered life changing injuries such as loss of limbs or disfigurement, the death of loved ones, displacement from their homes, in addition to collapse of governments and economic systems, and general human suffering on a massive scale.
Should Nazism and Fascism be opposed? Yes, definitely. But Antifa members seem to associate anyone who is conservative, Republican, and/or a Trump supporter with fascism. There is tiresome tirade of the left that President Trump is a racist, homophobic misogynist. Therefore, anyone who voted for him and supports him must be as well. There must be Resistance the Left says. I am unclear what the left are resisting.
A chance for peace on the Korean peninsula following an unprecedented meeting between a US president and a North Korean dictator.
The ongoing deportation of criminal illegal aliens who victimize Americans and the securing of our borders.
The lowest unemployment rates in decades, including the lowest for black Americans and women.
There are a few contrasts between Fascists and Republicans. Conservatives and Republicans are vilified by the leftist media, though we have done more for human rights, social justice, and peace and economic growth than they have ever accomplished.
Antifa’s Origins
The Antifa movement originated in Europe in the 1930’s and used violence to suppress Nazis. Similar actions were carried out by:
Imi Lichtenfield, the founder of Krav Maga, and other Jewish athletes protected their neighborhood against Nazi thugs. The modern corruption and perversion of Antifa is light years away from the goals of these men.
In the UK, the 1936 Cable Street battle was a street fight between Blackshirts, aka British Nazi’s, and a collection of Irish, Jews, Labor party members and (unfortunately) Communist party members.
These are examples of people actively fighting the spread of fascism. They were much clearer on their targets, e.g., Nazi’s. The modern degeneration and corruption of this concept is seen today.
Antifa Intentions
They are ostensibly fighting against the spread of fascist ideology. Their de facto intent is on shutting down free speech through violence. Here is something for the left to consider:
If people have an ideology which is toxic, wouldn’t you rather know about then drive them underground? And should you not get all the facts and make a just judgment as to whether or not someone’s belief system is hateful or oppressive, instead of operating on assumption and emotion?
They claim they want to protect their communities, and prevent the spread of fascism. They believe any means are justified, including violence. Videos of them display people who are so angry they cannot listen to reason, are not even sure what their intentions or goals are.
Identifying Antifa Members
They are both male and female (there are only two options for gender)
They tend to be under 30
They tend to be underweight, undernourished, and they back down and retreat when they are confronted directly.
They tend to wear all black, and hide their faces behind black bandanas or balaclavas
Their flag or insignia is a red pennant under a black flag, with a gray border black border, and gray slash through the flag and pennant. The word antifaschische appears on the top of the black border.
They are often armed with combination locks or padlocks tied to bandanas to use as a flail, OC (Oleoresin Capsicum) spray, knives, bricks, slingshots, and crowbars.
They are anarchists and leftists, from the same mold as the Occupy Wall Street crowd.
Antifa Activity
They appear at conservative speakers events and:
They harass people with shouted threats, email threats and
Their members and supporters include the former adjunct professor of Economics Michael Issacson at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, who tweeted how he was honored to be teaching future dead cops. Conservative speakers were cancelled due to threats of violence from Antifa.
What law enforcement is doing about Antifa
The short answer is not enough. The New Jersey Department of Homeland Security has identified Antifa as a terrorist organization. On several occasions, local PD have backed down from Antifa.
In Portland Oregon, Antifa shut down a republican event at the annual Rose festival by threatening violence toward Trump supporters. The Portland PD indicated they did not have enough manpower to assure security [horseshit] so the republicans were shut out of the event.
Antifa disrupted the appearance of Mila Yiannopoulus, a conservative speaker by rioting in Berkeley California. Local PD did not appear to take any action.
Conclusion
The Nazi regime was responsible for horrid beyond imagination suffering during the Second World War era. Fascism is a toxic political ideology which suppresses human rights. These ideologies should not be allowed to propagate. But do not include conservative republicans and trump supporters in the same category.
The ironic hypocrisy of the left is at work again’ liberals ( I am generally speaking here) are quick to say don’t stereotype, don’t judge the whole group by the actions of the most vocal and noticeable, don’t discriminate based on group identity, love don’t hate, and other platitudes. Yet they lump anyone on the right side of the political spectrum as fascists.
Antifa is a confused misguided and self-contradictory organization in that they are the very thing they are opposed to. They should not be underestimated. They are thugs who hurt people and damage property due to a twisted ideology.
Be aware of what is happening in your community and if these criminals are present in your area. Talk to local, state and federal law enforcement about what action they are taking, and write or call your representative. There is a petition to the white house with over 100, 000 signatures to designate Antifa as a terrorist organization.
Get the word out about Antifa and their intentions, through Blogs, Tweet and Facebook. Make people aware of whom they are. Do your homework and make accurate statements. Everything I have described here is from multiple sources I consulted, available by clicking on the hyperlinks. Don’t lower yourself to the same level as the unhinged left by making blatantly false claims, or repeating inaccurate information. Do not allow yourself to be silenced by anyone, especially these scum.
Unless you live in a cave, you’ve probably heard at a little about the thirteen people — mostly children — trapped in the Tham Luang Nang Non cave in Thailand. What you may have missed, though, is the hacker/ham radio connection. The British Cave Rescue Council (BCRC) was asked for their expert help. [Rick Stanton], [John Volanthen] and [Rob Harper] answered the call. They were equipped with HeyPhones. The HeyPhone is a 17-year-old design from [John Hey, G3TDZ]. Sadly, [G3TDZ] is now a silent key (ham radio parlance for deceased) so he didn’t get to see his design play a role in this high-profile rescue, although it has apparently been a part of many others in the past.
The HeyPhone is actually considered obsolete but is still in service with some teams. The radio uses USB (upper sideband, not universal serial bus) at 87 kHz. The low frequency can penetrate deep into the ground using either induction loop antennas like the older Molephone, or — more commonly — with electrodes injecting RF energy directly into the ground.
You can find a very detailed article about the radio from 2001 if you want more details. The system is somewhat dated, but apparently works well and that’s what counts.
What we find interesting is that in today’s world, people take wireless communications for granted and don’t realize that cell phones don’t work underground or in the face of widespread disasters. We would imagine most Hacakday readers know how cell phone towers use “cellular reuse” to support more than a handful of phones. Ask some non-technical friend if they know how a cell phone works and you’ll be surprised how few people understand this. Ham radio operators and hackers are vital to building and deploying specialized radio systems in times of disaster or — in this case — where people need rescuing from an odd environment.
We were glad to see a nod to some hacker gear in the popular press. But we almost wish there had been more reporting on the volunteer divers and their hacked radio gear.
Never make it easy for the bad guys. If anyone ever wants to assault you, rob you, rape you or kill you, it should be the hardest thing they have ever done in their life. Always make the bad guys work for it. Becoming Hard to Kill has become an internet meme attributed to Tim Kennedy.
Young men and older men for that matter should see him as a role model. UFC fighter, Army Ranger, entrepreneur, and family man, he should inspire men as to what they can accomplish. The emphasis on this article is about becoming physically resistant to harm.
Detecting and avoiding trouble, and not starting trouble should be the emphasis and your first plan. Then comes the next step, which is hardening and strengthening your mind and body to escape, or withstand or do violence to the greatest degree possible. I want to present a multi-dimensional approach to personal safety, with this article focusing on becoming a hard target.
Awareness of your surroundings and potential threats
Deterrence through presenting yourself as a unattractive target
Avoidance: The conscious decision to avoid a threat, even if it means swallowing pride and ego.
Being able to escape a threat by fleeing. There is no shame in this. Sometimes it is the smartest move.
Being able to give or a take a beating if it comes down to it when all of the above fail.
This includes injury prevention, and disease and illness prevention
It’s No Fun Being a Victim
It’s a cold world we live in. Those who are weak will be victimized. This is not my cynical world view, but rather an objective observation of reality and history. Those who are both strong and predatory exploit and use those who are weaker, on both the individual and international level. A basic tenet of Victimology; the study of crime victims; is the very politically incorrect theory that victims nearly always precipitate their own victimization, or contribute in at least some small way to being victimized. Examples include:
Making large cash withdrawal from an ATM, and then walking down the street counting it. You will be an easy target for a mugger
Buying or selling drugs. You will be robbed, beaten or murdered at some point. It is inevitable; it is only a question of when and how severe.
Being an unfaithful lover. People lose all sense of reason when someone they are intimate with steps out on them, or if they even perceive this is happening as per the hyperlinked story.
A drunken young woman going to a man’s room. Alcohol and hormones = bad situations.
The timid, skinny high school freshman who shows fear or hesitation to the bullies.
This is not victim blaming. The offender is always responsible for their actions. But there is no need to leave yourself wide open to aggression, or to walk into high risk situations. This is about making victims responsible for their safety and making a predator’s job harder.
People victimize themselves by choosing to associate with violent and unstable individuals, or by entering into and staying in abusive relationships. There is another perspective on victimization. We victimize ourselves with a poor diet, lack of exercise, and not enough rest, smoking, or by abusing drugs or alcohol. This also includes heart disease and diabetes, and increased incidence of colds and flu, and injury.
Avoidance of Violence
Gray Man
This is not a contradiction, but rather an alternative to a deterrence appearance. Blend in. Don’t draw attention to yourself. There is power in anonymity. The gray man theory is about hiding yourself and your abilities so you don’t become a target. Someone swaggering around in Tacti-Cool gear while grocery shopping is going to draw attention. If an active shooter or terrorist is scoping an area, you may look like a good first target. There is also an even greater risk you will look like a douchebag, particularly if you have never been in the military or law enforcement. If you want a good laugh, click here for a link to a satirical forum thread on the Mall-ninja, aka the Tacti-Douche.
Timing & Location
Twenty years ago, what I am about to say would be paranoid, but the world has changed. Consider avoiding busy times in supermarkets, Big-box stores, and malls, and avoid crowds and large gatherings as much as possible Active shooters and terrorism is a reality. Densely packed people are a target. I know how this sounds, and this action must be balanced with how it could impact your quality of life. If you are in a densely packed area, it is especially important to work on good situational awareness. Know the exits, escape routes, location of cover and concealment, and have a plan beforehand if things get hectic.
Prevention of Violence through Discipline
Awareness, avoidance, and de-escalation are critical skills every adult should have. Ideally these skills should be introduced and practiced from childhood on. While this information is critical, it is not the emphasis of this particular article. For a look at developing these skills see:
Self-control, showing respect, good manners, and learning how to compromise and negotiate are valuable skills. Part of not being a victim is being assertive rather than submissive. It does not mean going to the opposite extreme a becoming a rude, obnoxious, swaggering loudmouth. It is amazing to me how some people will blatantly disrespect others without any concern of immediate consequences. Here some things I have seen:
You got a real pretty mouth from a young punk sitting at an outdoor café, to a man walking down the sidewalk that had been contorting his face as he tried digging something out of his teeth.
Green on the back, neon green on the back from an idiot singing this as he was walking behind a runner wearing two-tone black and fluorescent green gear.
What’s up tiny? From a cocky, grinning, thug to a 250 lb. bodybuilder who must have outweighed him by a hundred pounds.
I just don’t get it. Running your mouth to a complete stranger is a good way to get a beating; or even more. Don’t be that guy. Always let the other guy be the asshole. Show others respect and you will avoid many potential conflicts. This applies to everyday life, and even more so if our civilized (?) society takes a sideways turn.
On a more positive note, I have noticed what seems to be a growing trend in my area of New England. When you are at a stoplight, if you look at someone in a car next to you, they give you a nod, instead of ignoring you or giving you the WTF are you lookin’ at look. I got it and returned it twice today. Try it. This simple display of respect can go a long way.
The Physical Training Plan
This program does not include defensive tactics or fighting skills; that is a completely different and much more complex discussion for another time. This is about getting your body ready for anything including defensive tactics training. The principals herein are to combine movements which employ multiple muscle groups working in concert.
Bodybuilding is not the end goal. You will not be focused on aesthetics although a more aesthetically pleasing form will result, but performance. Bodybuilding is great; I have done it for years. Your body is treated like a canvass or slab of marble and you will transform it into a work of living art. It is a very worthwhile endeavor.
Of course you will become stronger. But bodybuilding is in one dimension; it is mostly about making muscles larger and more symmetrical and defined. There are many isolation movements in bodybuilding, such as preacher curls or chest flyes, which emphasize making individual muscles larger, but do not promote total body strength, or potential summation of force by learning to use multiple muscle groups together. As I have gotten older, I have come to value strength training over body building, and added other dimensions to training to be better-rounded and better prepared for whatever life bring your way
Functional training
If you are over 40, or have not trained in more than six months, or have a pre-existing injury or medical condition, consult your physician before beginning any physical training program
I would also recommend getting formal instruction through a qualified personal trainer. See the hyperlinks at the bottom of this article for some other resources to get you started.
A functional training program is about using muscles in concert, to generate maximum force, being able to move with speed and agility, and maintaining flexibility, while having a hard insulating layer of muscle. Your routine should include and emphasize:
Deadlifts so you can pick up something heavy from the ground.
See the Video below. You may have to work your way up to this [Sarcasm Alert]
Frog squat to be able to squat down and straighten up without grabbing anything for support
Burpees, possibly the most efficient way to develop total body strength, cardiovascular capacity, explosive movement, and muscle endurance.
Thrusters; a great compound movement for pushing weight overhead.
Pullups and dips to push and to pull yourself up and over an obstacle or to climb, and for general upper body strength.
Develop grip strength so when you grab something or someone it stays grabbed
Tire flipping to engage multiple muscle groups and just to feel badass.
Bench press to develop upper body strength.
Sprinting and stair climbing to get out of harm’s way fast or get somewhere to help someone fast.
Distance running and walking for overall endurance, fat control, and general fitness.
Crunches for a strong care which will help you with everything else on this list.
Eating & Hydration
We Americans eat large amounts of the wrong food. I am guilty of this as well. Living in a northern part of the US, with long cold winters, and short days (the 3rd week of December, it is dark here by 5:00 PM ). It just makes it too easy to hibernate and eat apple pies, pumpkin pies, chocolate cake, and chocolate chip cookies, Tarte au Sucre, and cream filled donuts.
These foods are very satisfying in terms of taste and mouth feel , which is the creamy sensation from the load of fats contained These foods are delicious and I love eating them in large quantities. They are also calories dense, and nutrient poor. They are laden with saturated fats, which are the worst kinds as they promote arterial clogging.
They are loaded with sodium which causes water retention and can raise blood pressure in susceptible individuals. They are packed with refined white sugar, which can beat up your pancreas and decrease insulin sensitivity so that your cells no longer respond to insulin and you get adult onset diabetes. America is suffering from an epidemic of obesity accompanied by heart disease, diabetes, and certain cancers associated with obesity.
We are also not healthy at any weight. Fat is ugly and unhealthy. That does not mean I hate fat people. (I can hear the hate comments now). I am currently one of them after a winter of sloth and gluttony, and am now working to compensate with twice a day workouts and a strict clean eating plan. I recognize obesity as a health problem, and a public health issue. Let’s define what compassion really is. Is it kinder to fat people to assure them they are beautiful at any weight, or to encourage weight loss and healthy habits to maintain weight?
Some options for healthy eating include:
The Mediterranean diet and The Paleo diet, both of which focus on clean eating, and avoiding processed foods. Triathlete and former Iron Man winner Mark Allen recommends only shopping from the perimeter of a supermarket. This will allow you to avoid most processed foods heavily laden with the Unhealthy Triad of added sodium, refined sugar and saturated fat, as well as excessive preservatives, and artificial colors flavorings.
Hydration
Drink water. Then drink more water. After that, have some water. Water is good for you. It helps with regulation of body temperature, facilitates fat metabolism, helps maintain good bowel function, keeps your skin smoother, helps your muscles work more efficiently, and much more. I prefer room temperature water as I find it easier to drink in large amounts.
Carry a water bottle and sip all day, refilling it as needed. Try some different bottled waters until you discover your favorites. Two of my favorites are Evian for a flat water and Gerolsteiner for a sparkling water. I find they are worth the price. Disregard the tiresome you need eight glasses of water a day crap. How much water you need is dependent on your body weight, your gender (there are just two options BTW) activity level and ambient temperature. See the link below for a hydration calculator.
Rest & Recovery
Don’t overdo it and over train to the point of injury or burnout. You need days off to recover and for your muscles to grow. You will release HGH (Human Growth Hormone) from your pituitary gland while you sleep so injuries can heal and muscles can grow. A day off does not mean sitting and doing nothing. Get outside for an easy, slow walk or bike ride, kick a soccer ball or throw a football; do something where you are moving your body.
Firearms
It is much more difficult to victimize someone who is armed, despite any physical disparity, or difference in fighting skills. Jocko Willink, retired navy SEAL and commander of Seal team Three is a man who knows a thing or two about self-protection. He advocates carrying a firearm for protection. See one of his videos on this topic below.
Get a gun, any required license or permit in your area, and training which covers at least gun safety, marksmanship, self-defense law in your jurisdiction, safe gun storage and transport, and maintenance. Decide on (as much as one can) your willingness to engage an active shooter, terrorist, or other criminal intent on killing you or others.
Get lots of ammo; locate a shooting range, and practice, practice, practice. Read good sources on firearms, and watch good videos on firearms, but so not rely exclusively on self- training. Reading and videos are supplements to live training; not a substitute for it.
Conclusion
Don’t be anyone’s victim. Start by making yourself a hard target.
