BladeRF 2.0 Micro is Smaller, More Powerful

When it was launched in 2013, the BladeRF was one of the most powerful of the new generation of Software Defined Radios. Now, Nuand, the producers of the BladeRF are looking to up the ante again with the BladeRF 2.0 Micro. This new version has a huge list of changes and improvements, including a more bad-ass FPGA processor and support for receiving and transmitting from 47 MHz all the way up to 6 GHz, with 2x MIMO support and an impressive 56 Mhz of bandwidth. It also retains backwards compatibility with the original BladeRF, meaning that any software written to support it (which most SDR packages do) will just work with the new device.

At the heart of the BladeRF 2.0 Micro is an Altera Cyclone V FPGA. Nuand are producing two versions of the Micro: the $480 xA4 uses the 49KLE Cyclone V FPGA, while the $720 XA9 is built around the 301KLE Cyclone V FPGA. The extra power of the xA9 lies in the larger amount of logic gates and elements on the FPGA, which means that the card can do more signal processing itself. That should make it easier to create stand-alone devices that process a signal and output the results. Nuand demonstrated this on the BladeRF by creating an ADS-B receiver that ran on the card itself, outputting the decoded airplane data to the USB port. The xA9 could do significantly more than this, and the possibilities are intriguing.

The new card is also, as the name suggests, smaller, measuring 2.5 by 4 inches, which would make it easier to integrate with devices like the Raspberry Pi, although it is still a little larger than the Pi.

The SDR marketplaces has changed a lot since 2013, with a profusion of cheap, open-source SDR receivers and transceivers like the LimeSDR and SDRPlay. These devices are cheaper than the BladeRF, and offer most of the same features. So, is there still a place in the market for a more powerful, more expensive device like the BladeRF 2.0 Micro? That, as they say, is up in the air.

via Radio Hacks – Hackaday https://ift.tt/2oogiFp

GSM Phone Network At EMF Camp Built on Raspberry Pi and LimeSDR

Lucid Dreaming | Next time you do a Reality Check...

Hello, and it's good to be back! That said, my first post is a recommendation for Reality Checks (RCs). Next time you do an RC, essentially make it a test of your lucidity in the waking world (WL), for which you will likely come to the conclusion you are still dreaming, for what did Poe say of all we see or seem? But a dream within a dream, my friend! ❤️ I suggest vocally (and/or internally) saying you're dreaming. About 20 a day is best, but not needed, for you should (in my opinion), only check when you're curious of your lucidity. This, inevitably leads to an extreme increase in RCs, compared to any other RC philosophy. Wish I could become lucid still, [in the truest sense] while dreaming (working on it), but last time I had a lucid dream, about a year ago (use to get 2-12 a night, some weeks long), it ended with me running across my WL bed, laying down, keeping my eyes open, only to have the dream world morph into WL, with my eyes still open, to which I did not sleep for days, or dream for a month, always experiencing a strange absence of sleep yoga each night (sleep yoga means the practice of lucid non-dreamimg sleep). I'm not your average lucid dreamer, let's just say that. Where I reside, life is like the Linklatter film Waking Life. Am I dead? Am I dreaming? Am I awake? Am I alive? Am Iucid? Probably all of the above, but it ain't CGI! 😂

via Lucid Dreaming - Dream Views - Attaining Lucidity https://ift.tt/2MEzu0b

The US-Israel Relationship

The United States and Israel are good friends. Israel is regarded as the most important ally the United States has in the Middle East.  The US has provided Israel with military and economic assistance, and we share intelligence.

The State of Israel

The State of Israel is a small nation about the size and somewhat similar to the shape of the states of Vermont or New Hampshire. The 2018 population of Israel is about 8.5 million. There are 20 major cities with populations ranging from over 880,000 (Jerusalem) to about 75,000 (Nazareth). The population consists of Jews, Christians, and Muslims, who more or less get along with each other and have learned to live in relative peace.

The cuisine is superb beyond words.  Food brings people together. In Jerusalem: A cookbook authors Yotam Ottolenghi and Sami Tamimi note that food is the common ground between people who are ideologically opposed, and maybe it can be a point of agreement and a bridge to peace.

The economy is currently very strong, and has grown steadily since Israel was established. Medical electronic devices, agricultural technology, telecommunications, computers, both hardware and software, and diamond cutting and polishing. Part of this is the result of a highly educated and skilled labor force. Israel has many R& D (Research and Development) centers to keep industries and technology on the cutting edge.

The military is very strong for its size, and very capable. As of 2018, Israel has 170,000 men and woman in their full time Army, air force, and navy. They have another 445,000 reservists. They have about 500 fixed wing fighter and attack aircraft, mostly American made F-16’s and F-15’s, and 12 of the new F-35’s. (Yes, I know that is a naval F-35 in the photo, I couldn’t find a stock photo of an Israeli F 35; give me a break readers).

The IDF (Israeli Defense Force) has over 2700 tanks, and over 10,000 armored vehicles, plus almost 1000 artillery pieces, and another 148 pieces of tube artillery (rockets). Their navy is very small, consisting of 35 small patrol boats and corvettes, and six submarines. The Israeli’s have proven to be formidable opponents on many occasions.

The current Prime Minister of Israel is Benjamin Netanyahu . He has had a remarkable career. He was born in Tel Aviv one year after the founding of the state of Israel, spent in teens years in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and went back to Israel at age 17 to join the Army.

He served in the Sayeret Matkal (General Staff Reconnaissance) special forces unit, and participated in the rescue of hostages from a hijacked plane in 1972. He came back to the US later that year, and attended MIT and in Boston. He later went on to work in the Israeli Embassy in Washington, and then served as the Israeli ambassador to the UN.

He served in the Israeli parliament, then was elected Prime Minister in 1996, a position he has been re-elected to the dare. His time residing, studying, and working in the US   gives him a unique perspective on the United States, our political system, and our culture.

The Holocaust and Reaction Formation

The Jewish people in Europe were almost wiped out by the Nazi’s. Three years after the end of the Second World War, with the help of the US and the UK, they formed a nation that became one of the most capable militaries in the Middle East.

This is an extreme pendulum swing. Reaction formation is a psychological response described by Sigmund Freud. When a person had been subjected to something which produces anxiety, stress, and trauma, they will go to great lengths to avoid a similar experience in the future. It is understandable that a people who were brought to the brink of extinction became assertive and at times aggressive. What else could be expected?

This was an entire culture that was traumatized, both directly and vicariously. People who have been in that dark place are going to say Never Again. All nations have the right to self-defense, and to not only survive, but prosper. Israel has been attacked and invaded a number of times since its establishment in 1949. They have enjoyed very little peace in the past 70 years. Major wars and conflicts include:

• 1946: Israel War of Independence

When the British Mandate of Palestine officially became Israel, there was a massive hostile response, both internally and by the neighboring Arab nations. Egypt Syria and Transjordan (now known as Jordan) attacked Israel. Israel was victorious at great cost, with about 6,000 killed and 15,000 wounded. Israel captured more territory, which included the West Bank and the Gaza strip, giving them a bit of a buffer zone against their enemies.

• 1967: The Six Day War

This was a brief but high intensity conflict in which Egypt, Syria, and Jordan attacked Israel. Military forces from Iraq, Kuwait, and Algeria were also involved.  Israel was decisively victorious and seized new territory.

• 1973: The Yom Kippur War

Egypt and Syria attacked Israel during the Jewish holiday of Yom Kippur, when much of the Israeli military was on leave.

• 1982: Lebanon invasion aka Operation Peace for Galilee

In retaliation for ongoing terrorist’s actions by the PLO (Palestine Liberation organization), Israel invaded neighboring Lebanon on June 6, 1982. Their intention was to destroy the infrastructure near the Israeli-Lebanon border from which terrorists operated. What was supposed to be a brief two day operation became more complex. Syria attempted to intervene. The Israeli’s destroyed 100 Syrian aircraft in the fighting.

• 2008: the Gaza War

In 2004, the terrorist group Hamas, based in Gaza made artillery and rocket attacks against Israel. They responded with air strikes and an invasion.

The Ongoing Palestinian Debate

This has been the greatest point of contention. American liberals are forever crying about this issue, even childishly refusing to use the name Israel, but instead calling the nation Occupied Palestine. Do people know how many times Israel has offered the Palestinians an olive branch, which they have slapped away?

See the videos below:

Why isn’t there a Palestinian State?

Why are there still Palestinian Refugees?

Israel: the World’s most moral Army

The connection between the United States & Israel

Our common cultural, political, and historical ties make for a solid relationship between our nations. We have a prominent Jewish population in the US, who are constitutionally guaranteed the right to practice their faith. American forces liberated Jews from Nazi death camps at the close of World War II. We are both democracies that value human rights. Both of our nations have felt the losses due to terrorism, and oppose Islamic extremism.

Relations during the Cold War

Throughout the Cold War, the Soviet Union was making incursions into the Middle East and North Africa through alliances with Syria, Egypt, Iraq and Libya. Israel was the major US ally in the Middle East which opposed communism and Soviet expansion. In 1989, the US received permission from Israel to store military supplies that could be accessed by US forces if there was a US-involved conflict in the Middle East, and could be used by Israeli forces in extemis, and with the permission of the US.

The Camp David accords.

US president Jimmy Carter brokered peace through a historic meeting between Israeli Prime minister Menachem Began and Egyptian President Anwar Sadat. Egypt and The site of Began and Sadat smiling, shaking hands, and embracing when the peace agreement was signed was remarkable given the level of hostility between the two nations.  Israel and Egypt have not been involved in any organized armed conflicts since this agreement. Anwar Sadat, who became a friend of the United States, was brutally assassinated in 1981 for his role in the peace process. There were those in the Arab world who saw him as a traitor instead of a peacemaker.

Current Status under the Trump Administration

President Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu have a warm relationship. For decades, the US has been the principle arms supplier to Israel. We are economic partners, we share intelligence, and US and Israeli forces have engaged in joint exercises.

Recognition of Jerusalem

A pivotal moment in US-Israeli relations occurred this year. The US embassy was moved from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem on May 14, 2018. This was considered highly significant, as Jerusalem is a disputed city, and the center of the world’s three major religions; Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.

In 1995, Congress enacted a law naming Jerusalem as the capital of Israel by 1999. Prior US presidents, including Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Barrack Hussein Obama have stated the capital of Israel should be Jerusalem. All have signed recurring waivers of the aforementioned law keeping Tel Aviv as the Official Israeli capital. . The United Nations General Disassembly voted to condemn the US recognition of Jerusalem. They said our recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital is null and void. Here are my thoughts on the UN resolution:

 Fuck the UN. They do not get to tell us what to do, nor do we need their approval. The US recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel is null and void? Fuck you. Your whole fucking organization is null and void so what is your point?

Given the amount of money we pour into this impotent bureaucracy, they need us more than we need them. So fuck your pathetic and impotent resolutions. President Trump told our UN Ambassador Niki Halley to note which nations voted in favor of the condemnation of the US for this move. They can kiss their foreign aid goodbye.  Fuck them too. (Am I a little cranky today?). I’m not done yet: feminists take note; Niki Halley is what a strong, beautiful and confident woman looks like, not a fucktard wearing a pink vagina hat and refusing to use a tampon because it is “too restrictive”.  Fuck off.

Conclusion

I must give serious consideration to switching to decaffeinated coffee.

Almost done. Most of the media outlets treat Israel as if it were the incarnation of evil. As I was researching sources for this article, I noted the almost unanimous negativity in the media toward Israel, Prime Minister Netanyahu, and the relationship between Mr. Netanyahu and President Trump. The Israelis are not perfect, and neither are we.

Both of our nations have made bad moves in the past, and could have done things better. But at what point to people let things go and move forward? Especially when the self-righteous outrage is fueled by inaccurate information?  What are the alternatives the left seeks? Can they even articulate them? For example, who would pay for slavery reparations?  If the liberals are serious about this, let them start. Give away 50% of your income to compensate people for a wrong done to their ancestors over 150 years ag.

By the way, was ended and corrected by white people. White republicans I would add. You are welcome. If I can be blamed for something I had nothing to do with, I might well take credit for something I had nothing to do with.

Liberals, who see themselves as so peaceful and tolerant, are among the most unforgiving and intolerant individuals. They tolerate ISIS, Radical Islamic extremists, Muslim treatment of women, MS-13, the governments of Iran and North Korea, and illegal aliens, and even pedophiles as of late.

Yet they focus their self-righteous anger and outrage on Republicans, Christians, carnivores, ICE (Immigration & Customs Enforcement) Israel, and anyone who voted for our current president.  OK, I am going to start ranting again. They want contemporary Americans to feel guilty about slavery, while no American living today has ever owned a slave or been a slave. I

have been accused of insensitivity (by a white girl) due to the previous statement, and that I couldn’t possibly understand what I was saying as I am a privileged white male. Well, I would really like to collect my white privilege and male privilege. Just tell me where to pick it up and where to sign. Because I do not feel too fucking privileged.

I have had to work extremely hard for what I have; nothing has been given to me but opportunities by key individuals at the right moment. By the way, my ancestors were persecuted and enslaved. The Irish were persecuted by the British, and were not well loved when they immigrated to the US.  Involuntary servitude, which is theoretically debt based and can be worked off, is just another name for slavery. I feel no animosity toward the British, not do I intend to try to collect reparations. It is long over and done with. However, I will accept kegs of bitter ale and wheels of sharp cheddar as compensation for past wrongs if they insist.

Liberals are intent on shoving their beliefs down the throats and up the asses of all, while practicing blind hypocrisy. Readers, think for yourselves. Be highly critical consumers of information.

via Modern Survival Online https://ift.tt/2LDQ7E1

5.56mm Ammo Comparison: M193 vs. M855 and Equivalents

by Chad

Two of the most common loads for stoking a rifle chambered in 5.56x45mm are M193 and M855 equivalent rounds. I say equivalent to describe them because both the M193 and M855 are military cartridges; any loads proclaiming to be the same on the commercial market are either copies, or very similar to those military loads, but not actual “mil-spec” ammo.

Huh? What does that mean? And what about the boxes of ammo we see with an ‘X’ in the designator, like Federal’s XM193? Is this stuff any good? And what’s the difference between M193 and M855 in the first place? Isn’t one a “penetrator” round? Like, armor piercing?

All this may seem pretty complicated depending on what you’ve heard, but in reality our sets of differences boil down to, essentially, markings on a box and then the physical differences between the cartridges themselves.

In this article I’ll explain what’s what when it comes to purchasing either type on the open market, and the differences in performance you can expect from them.

M193, XM193 and Equivalent Design and Performance

The M193 cartridge, and true equivalents, push a 55 grain, boat-tail, lead core FMJ bullet with a specified muzzle velocity of appx. 3,165 feet per second. Both primer and case mouth are chemically sealed against moisture infiltration, an important feature of military ammunition, or any ammo to be used in harsh conditions. The bullet is unmarked, nothing to see except the copper jacket.  First combat tested in Vietnam for the then-new M16 rifle in the early 1960’s, it was formally adopted in 1964. This served as the primary rounds for M16’s until the early 1980’s when the M855 was standardized according to a NATO agreement.

The M193 pushes a light, short exceedingly fast round designed when M16’s had barrels with much slower rifling rates of 1:12. While that was more than adequate to stabilize the M193, it proved inadequate for longer, heavier projectiles like the M855 and especially M856 tracer that came later. Today, all M16 and M4 variants have far faster 1:7 twist rates and many commercial AR variants have the same, or the commonly seen 1:9.

As far as performance is concerned, the M193 is capable of very good accuracy, and above a certain velocity threshold (broadly, about 2700fps, but err on the side of 2850fps +) may fragment severely inside a target, causing significant wounding. Disadvantages are it is a very poor performer through any kind of intermediate barrier, and sheds velocity quickly, resulting in reduced effectiveness at range.

Additionally, when the bullet fails to fragment, it has a reputation of producing only minimal wounds. Velocity is one of the key metrics for getting anything approaching consistent fragmentation, and even at ideal velocities it is not guaranteed.

The M193 was in fact subject to much complaint from users in the military who did not see any significant effect from shooting an enemy with it, or experienced very poor results after engaging through glass, brush or other obstructions. Most of these ballistic shortcomings would be addressed with the introduction of the M855 in 1982 (more on that in a minute), but this cartridge was one of the cornerstones that led to the 5.56mm’s reputation as a poor combat performer.

Nonetheless, the round and its clones are plentiful and popular today with civilian shooters, especially for close range training and practice and it will generally shoot stably and reliably from any 5.56mm gun, although best results are often experienced with slower twist barrels.

M855, XM855 and Equivalent Design and Performance

The M855 cartridge and true equivalents fire a 62 grain, boat tail, lead core bullet with a steel penetrator. Specified muzzle velocity is appx. 3,020 feet per second. The primer and case mouth are sealed like the M193. The bullet is marked with green paint on the tip, a distinctive identifier. First adopted by the U.S. Army in 1982 and intended for use in the M249 SAW in the wake of NATO standardization agreements, later development of the M16A2 (which featured a faster rifling twist) led to the M855 becoming the general purpose 5.56mm battlefield round.

The M855’s defining characteristic is that steel penetrator section just ahead of the lead core, designed to aid performance against hard targets. Note that while not a true armor piercing round, it was intended to work well against light armor of the day and other materials, and also enjoyed better performance at long ranges thanks to a superior ballistic coefficient compared to M193.

A quirk of the M855 is it is very long for its weight, longer than some 69 grain projectiles. It works just fine in 1:7 twist barrels, but there have been reports that it is not adequately stabilized by some 1:9 twist barrels, and certainly not by a 1:12 barrel. This is seen as a curiosity by some owing to the fact that common conception is a 1:9 twist barrel should handily stabilize projectile in the 62-69gr. range.

But in point of fact, a faster twist is needed to stabilize longer, not just heavier projectiles, where a slower twist will stabilize only shorter, lighter projectiles. This is speaking somewhat broadly, and precisely calculating optimal spin rate for stabilizing any given projectile is a mathematical tour-de-force, involving density, velocity, bearing surface of the bullet and so forth, but this simple explanation suffices for the M855.

As far as performance is concerned, the M855 is capable of good accuracy but has an edge at longer ranges over the M193. Where this round shines over the M193 is its more reliable fragmentation characteristics and improved performance through intermediate barriers. Light metal, brush and dense fabric will do little to disrupt the M855. Heavy masonry and automobile glass, as well as modern armor, will still greatly disrupt or defeat it, however. Remember, it is not a true AP round.

Velocities above appx. 2,800 fps will see the M855 regularly fragment in a target, though it has a reputation of sometimes fragmenting too late in its passage to produce good wounding effect. At any rate, testing and battlefield analysis has proven it to be a superior “all-purpose” round from most weapons compared to the M193. In service, it has been generally well liked by users, but is currently being replaced in military inventory by the M855A1, designed to offer the same trajectory as the M855, but even greater performance through barriers and improved wounding capability.

On the commercial market, the M855 equivalents are common since the BATF reversed their decision to classify the round as armor piercing in 2015. That announcement led to panic-induced rushes, hoarding of supply, and subsequent shortage. It is inexpensive, though usually not as cheap as M193 and commonly used for training and practice shooting.

Its popularity is curbed somewhat by ranges’ tendency to ban its use both indoors and out, thanks to the bullet’s propensity to chew up steel backstops and spark, sometimes starting a fire in dry conditions. All said, it is a fine general purpose cartridge even today, though outclassed by more modern loads.

M, XM: What’s the Difference?

Regarding real-deal military ammo, either M193 or M855 that was manufactured for military issue went straight to the military. Period. Anything you see on the commercial market marked M193/XM193 or M855/XM855 falls under one of two categories:

1.) XM-series ammo offered by Federal Cartridge, Winchester and Hornady is made by the Lake City Army Ammunition plant for those companies. All are generally high-quality, reliable loads. It is not truly “mil-spec,” but is made to closely mirror in both assembly and performance the military specification. If you are really hard-bent on “mil-spec” you can publicly source the military specifications for both M193 and M855 cartridges then give any of them a call to compare notes.

2.) Commercial ammo by other companies made to be close to M193 or M855 in performance, and sometimes assembly. The box may be marked “M193,” but, again, that does not mean it is the real deal. Some companies’ loads actually vary somewhat drastically on performance, especially velocity, so do your homework before assuming you’ll get specific results from it. Much of it is good, but some is not.

M193 Spec or M855 Spec – Which Should You Choose?

All around M855 is superior, though the M193 is capable of better effectiveness against soft targets in ideal circumstances. The M193 fares poorly against any kind of intermediate hard barrier compared to M855, but both are more than capable of piercing heavy fabric and soft armor with good effect. Both rounds are largely dependent on velocity for good performance, so longer barrels help in this regard, but the real determining factor for many will be the barrel’s twist rate.

If you are stuck using 1:12 barrels, forgo the M855 and similar rounds entirely. You might warrant a try, but be sure to test them at extended ranges, as sometimes destabilization of the round will not show itself at point-blank or close range. Destabilization is indicated by significant loss of accuracy after a certain distance and “keyholing,” an oblong bullet hole that indicates the bullet was sideways when it struck the target. If you have a 1:9 or 1:7 twist barrel, you should be good to go for either, but the 1:7 definitely favors the use of M855 and heavier loads.

Neither round is a top performer today, and not my first choice for defense (and shouldn’t be yours, either) but if you have laid in a good supply and practice with it regularly both will perform satisfactorily if you understand their respective limitations and how they behave fired from your rifle. If you are committing to one or the other, note that some magnified optics, like the Trijicon ACOG for instance, come in variants with reticles calibrated for the trajectory of a certain load, M855 being quite common.

Conclusion

Both of these legacy 5.56mm cartridges, rather their commercial clones, are ubiquitous, and still keeping thousands of rifles firing today. While neither is known for world-class performance, their low-cost, easy availability and consistency make them viable, popular choices for training and preparedness. So long as you understand how they will behave in your rifle, either will serve well for a general purpose load.

via Modern Survival Online https://ift.tt/2ws2RrS

Should You First Prep for Doomsday or for Emergencies?

by contributing author

Every person who is taking steps to improve their chances of survival in a crisis event usually starts with a specific vision of exactly what kind they are trying to defend against. Closer to the “event” end of the scale this will be things like serious rioting, a tornado, a car crash in a remote area or total blackout. At the other end of the scale we have regional, national or even global catastrophes such as a major pandemic, super-volcano eruption, complete collapse of society or more exotic, events like a gamma ray burst, major nuclear exchange or massive asteroid impact.

As someone who is serious about keeping yourself and your family safe, which set of occurrences is most worth our limited time and resources to defend against? Is it possible to prepare for both? Should I even waste my time “preparing” for an event so apocalyptic that it will in all likelihood result in the scouring of all life from the earth, or even the physical destruction of our lone, blue planet?

The answer is, frankly, yes and no. With a dash of common sense, realistic expectations and a clear vision of what you are actually trying to accomplish, you can be ready for anything.

Time to Get Serious

All of the following content in this article is my opinion. It is not the way to assess and analyze threats, only a way. Others may perceive various threats as more or less serious and plan accordingly. The basis of the information is from my own decision making processes and hierarchy of needs. I offer it freely in the hopes that it will help clear some myth, confusion and outright bunk away from the subject of general preparation or ‘disaster readiness’ if you prefer.

It is my opinion that an individual, small party or large group can effectively prepare for even regional catastrophes and improve their chances of survival, no doubt about it. Where I urge people to ground themselves is the simple fact that any regional, national or global catastrophe worthy of the name will, by nature, spell death for a significant, even enormous, percentage of the population affected by it no matter what you have managed to put in place. Tragic and unfair, but probably true.

Of course, with enough time to prepare, enough money, enough influence and access to enough resources, one can survive anything short of a planet-shattering kaboom, if only for a time. A bunker far below the earth’s crust, equipped with a nuclear reactor or geothermal powerplant, fully-fledged arcology and enough supplies to last hundreds of people for decades of even reckless consumption is technically possible, and may already exist somewhere.

Chances are you aren’t one of the people who will be able to access it, or fund the construction of your own.

What Should I Do?

You must get comfortable with, or at least accept the idea that if one of these mega-disasters touches off near you with little or no warning, you will likely perish no matter what you have done. If you are on the fringe of such a disaster, or outside its immediate area of effect, that is when your preps will likely make the difference. On the other hand, small, localized incidents, accidents and natural disasters, while not always offering much more than their apocalyptic cousins in the way of warning, are significantly more survivable if you are not killed outright.

Common, even daily crises and disasters like muggings, murders, blackouts, floods, industrial accidents, motor vehicle crashes, heatstroke, earthquakes, gas leaks, dog bites, snake bites, serious illness, major chemical spills, trips, falls, choking and rioting are statistically far more likely to claim life or limb, or mandate speedy evacuation, than any world- or society-ending event.

Start taking stock of what you can actually start preparing for and making a difference about. Start analyzing threats based on their probability and severity. Using just these two metrics, you can start ranking various threats on an index and spending your time and money wisely to get the most “bang for your survival bucks.” Probability is the simple likelihood that a disaster will occur based on available data. Severity is my generic compound metric for how badly the event will affect life, both its likely death toll and destabilization of society. You’ll need to use your head and reason out a few things based on specifics.

For instance, and to clarify, a very high probability, but very low severity event would be something like a car wreck. They certainly occur almost constantly in the U.S., and almost everyone knows someone whose life was changed for the worse by a wreck. Car wrecks can claim a life in a blink; thousands of pounds of steel deforming and crumpling at high speeds will make a mockery of the human bodies within, maiming and killing with shocking ease.

But, no car wreck causes society to fold up and collapse: for everyone except the people immediately affected by it, life is unchanged. Hospitals and grocery stores stay open, the power does not go out, mobs will not turn up in the city square. The other point is that they are low severity because you can do much to influence the outcome and your chances in the aftermath: performance driving school, first aid and trauma training, and vehicle-carried first-aid kits are all examples of countermeasures that are effective at preventing or ameliorating harm from car crashes.

Now compare something like a large asteroid or comet strike. Vanishingly low probability, but dreadfully high severity, being regional to global in effect. If one of these strikes a population center, or near it, there will be untold deaths from the blast alone, which will be measured in tens of megatons and obliterate the area at ground zero. The End, and tough luck. Follow-on effects from debris in the atmosphere, fire, resulting loss of electricity and major medical services will result in many deaths by themselves. Climate changes will likely follow, an “Impact Winter”, affecting parts of or the entire globe. That is just the highlight reel.

How could one possibly truly prepare for that? Without devolving into an argument, it is my opinion that you really can’t; sure, you’ll survive the impact itself if you are on the other side of the continent or globe, but a large enough specimen giving our planet the Hard Goodbye will almost certainly eliminate most forms of life on Earth from secondary and tertiary effects. What you should be preparing for is anything that is life-threatening and likely to occur, doubly so for anything that is both likely and severe.

Also note that while there are differences between everyday mishaps or emergencies like car crashes, snake bites and blackouts and real, proper disasters like hurricanes, wildfires and chemical spills, you prepare for both in the same way: magnitude is the only difference. Even natural or man-made disasters are a far cry from real catastrophes like major meteor impacts, super-volcano eruptions and nuclear strikes. Where you must restrain yourself is in focusing on the big, scary, largely unsurvivable events at the exclusion of the far more likely “daily disasters” that will still kill or maim you. It is the unanticipated event that is often the most unforgiving.

Examples of Crisis Events, Rated

To make sure we are all on the same sheet of music when it comes to assessing various disasters, accidents and instances, here is my short list of common (and not so common) ones with corresponding Probability and Severity ratings with other situational notes that would influence my decision to prepare for them. Again, anything with a high probability merits immediate attention compared to one less-likely.

Note this list is not comprehensive by any stretch of the imagination. These examples are just to get you thinking the right way about various disasters and situations that you may have to face.

House Fire

Probability: High
Severity: Low
Notes: Over 300,000 residential fires in the U.S. every year. Small accidental fires can be stopped with a fire extinguisher before they grow; deaths from large fire can be prevented with family safety plan and practice. Minimal expenditure of time and resources can greatly reduce risk of loss or death from house fire.

 

Tornado

Probability: Low to High, depending on location
Severity: Low to Moderate, localized, depending on storm-affected area
Notes: May be significant seasonal threat depending on area of country lived in. Damage to buildings and social infrastructure may be light to devastating. Tornadoes may spawn with little warning but storm systems that produce them are almost always detectable early. Prioritize hardening of basement or installing subterranean shelter; ID shelter points along commute route, secure provisions for providing shelter and survival in aftermath of serious destruction.

 

Chemical Spill

Probability: Moderate to High, depending on locale and workplace

Severity: Low to Moderate, depending on specifics

Notes: Threat level varies depending on location. Areas with many chemical plants or refineries are at significantly greater risk, as are any places where chemical-car laden trains move through; trains derail. Spilled chemicals can pose direct threat to life depending on nature of agent. Contamination of water supplies is major threat.

Fires are common alongside accidents of this type, and may create windborne threat. Speedy evacuation may be required in all instances. Investigate efficacy of gas mask/respirator protective equipment and have multiple preplanned evacuation routes to flee affected areas.

 

Nuclear Exchange

Probability: Low

Severity: Very High to Extreme

Notes:

Today, the likelihood of a nuclear war between major powers is low, but the results of such an event will at the very least result in immense nationwide death and destruction. Society will never be the same and follow-on effects from radiation exposure, famine and loss or rationing of crucial services will result in countless deaths more.

Short-term survival prospects in immediate aftermath of strike may be good if far from ground zero, but special preparation must be taken with training and equipment to withstand and minimize radiation exposure. Escaping population centers prior to or after strikes will be paramount. May result in effective end of life on earth.

 

Artificial Intelligence Takeover

Probability: Low (we hope)

Severity: Moderate to Extreme

Notes: In the event that a truly autonomous, electronic super-intelligence is created, we have little idea what it might do or be capable of. An AI could very well devise countermeasures against what humans or other competing intelligences could do to stop it in such short timeframes that it is virtually invincible.

Its near-term probability modeling may be accurate enough to enable it to virtually predict the future. Its reaction to humanity, if hostile, could take the form of seizing and subverting or locking down all electronic networks and anything connected to them, including power grids, banking and information infrastructure, remote or autonomous weapons and more.

The far-reaching consequences of such an event are impossible to calculate. Aside from general provision and withdrawal from major population centers, one may only speculate at how to defend against this occurrence.

 

Based on our list above, the first three “mundane” but more likely threats require significantly less effort and investment of resources to prepare for than the last, apocalyptic two. They may not be “exciting,” but they will surely kill you if you treat them lightly, and kill the people you care about.

Considering how unlikely the last two are, especially a rogue AI turning against humanity, is it a waste of our time and effort to prepare for that specific threat? Not necessarily, but you may be overlooking critical, basic lifesaving skills in your quest to survive after the end.

Start Small and Focus on Skills

A common counter-argument from preppers who are attempting to plan and protect against a true catastrophe is that, by their logic, if you are able to survive the end of the world as we know it, you are able to survive countless lesser disasters and crises.

This is probably true when considering equipment and provisions, but not skills: My biggest criticism that I level against folks getting ready for “The Big One” is they often develop a fanatical, slavish devotion to amassing stuff while neglecting skills training for another day that never comes.

There will always be more bullets, beans, bandages, gasmasks backpacks, radios and so forth to buy, and the search for the perfect location for their subterranean bunker is endless. Meanwhile, they don’t know how to perform CPR, apply a tourniquet to stop an extremity bleed, competently use a gun or navigate with just a map and compass. This to me is the classic folly of missing the forest for the trees.

If you are neglecting fundamental skills and preps, you are wrong. Things like first aid and basic trauma care training, self-defense training with weapons or fists, stocking fire extinguishers at home and in vehicles and storing a supply of basic provisions; medicine, food and water to sustain yourself and family or group for 30 days. They are called fundamental for good reason- everything else grows and expands from this core!

Your most basic preps and provisioning like a seven day water supply for your family, basic means of self-defense, and extra prescription meds in case of shortage protect against dehydration, human threat and illness or disease respectively no matter what instigates it; it may be a simple blackout from a week-long blizzard, or an EMP.

A tourniquet and the skills to apply it will help you prevent death from an extremity bleed if the cause is a gunshot or an industrial accident. When you take basic preparation for one kind of crisis, you are actually preparing for many others as well.

From these humble beginnings you are able to, and indeed should, increase your skills and knowledge as well as your material preparation: a 90 day supply of food, perhaps a rain catchment system, generator, backup guns and other weapons, advanced medical training and supplementary medicines.

Now start looking big picture. What is the most likely major threat for your area, and what specialized preps do you need to protect against it? Is it a large active or semi-active volcano? Do you live in an area prone to disastrous flooding? If living in or near a major military installation or urban area, is a terror attack or nuclear strike more likely than average? Should you look into discreetly acquiring a secondary dwelling you can retreat to?

You will not “outgrow” the fundamentals, but you can “outrun your headlights” in a rush to prepare for the apocalypse. Answer yourself honestly if you could save the day in these everyday emergencies: a relative choking on food; your child bleeding badly from their arm after being severely cut by broken glass; a mugger accosting you and a friend after you leave a late night movie screening; a tire needs changing or belt needs replacing on your vehicle when it breaks down far from home with no cell reception; you must keep warm outside in freezing cold and austere conditions; your home is in the path of an EF 4 tornado.

They are only a tiny sampling of survival skills, but if you answered no to several of these, chances are you need to get back to focusing on the basics before you are sorely tested for real.

Conclusion

Major catastrophes and apocalyptic scenarios are survivable, and we must be prepared for them, but not at the expense of learning the basic skills and acquiring simple equipment that is far more likely to be needed in our lifetimes. Common disasters are not exciting or mysterious, but they are deadly, and something as simple as a flood or hurricane can quickly end day to day life as you know it, and require a high degree of both skill and preparation to survive. Make sure you are planning for the likely while you prepare for The Big One.

Do you agree with the author’s premise? What is the most likely threat you face in your area? Which major catastrophe do you think is most likely to affect the nation, or the world? Let’s discuss it in the comments!

via Modern Survival Online https://ift.tt/2w4j9aW

Lucid Dreaming | Reality Checks != Reality Checks

So I recently had a discussion with Letaali on the Dreamviews Discord and thought I would share this.

Reality Checks != Reality Checks

When I say != (doesn't equal), I mean that I think not all reality checks should be treated as equal measures of reality or dream, and that the choice of reality check is not completely a matter of preference. A few different categories of reality checks seem to exist, and each of them can influence the efficiency of a certain reality check. I'll list what I came up with, and then I'll try to formulate some conclusion on what kind of reality checking is optimal.

Absolute vs. Relative

This difference is determined by the mechanism according to which a reality check works.

• Absolute reality checks rely on the physiology and biology of the body while asleep.
• Relative reality checks rely on beliefs, expectations, and schemata while dreaming.

The differences are that absolute reality checks are far more reliable (i.e. much less probable to generate false positives or false negatives) than relative reality checks. Relative ones can be obliterated with just one single false positive or false negative.
Therefore absolute reality checks are "better" than relative ones in this sense.
I only know of one absolute reality check, the nose pinch; all others are relative. The reason why the nose pinch works is that your nose is not affected by REM atonia (which allows you to breathe), but your hand is (which prevents your real body from pinching your real nose). On the other hand, a reality check such as trying to push your fingers through your palm relies on the fact that these constructs do not have physical properties in a dream, which doesn't prevent the reality check from possibly failing.
That is not to say that relative reality checks are not to be believed, they can be very efficient too. However, acknowledge that they can always fail, where absolute reality checks stay unharmed.

Positive vs. Negative

A different distinction is not about the efficiency of a reality check to determine if you're dreaming, but rather the efficiency of arriving from the direct, raw result of the check to your conclusion about whether or not you're dreaming. It is one that has to do with logic.

• Positive reality checks are those whose postulate is of the form: "if something is true, then I'm dreaming"
• Negative reality checks are those whose postulate is of the form: "if something is false, then I'm dreaming"

Positive reality checks are more straightforward. They are ever so slightly easier to correctly apply reasoning to in our dreams. After all, what you always wish for is a reality check to tell you that you're dreaming, not the other way around. With negative reality checks you don't need that additional factor of -1 to play with. Also, I have heard claims that "your mind doesn't understand negations", which could perhaps be a reason for some people to choose positive reality checks for sake of logical simplicity.
Therefore positive reality checks are "better" than negative ones in this case.
An example of a positive reality check could be the nose pinch; if you can breathe through your nose when it's plugged, you're dreaming. An example of a negative reality check could be finger counting; if the number of your fingers in one of your hands in at least one direction is unequal to 5, you're dreaming. Again, this is not to say that negative reality checks are less credible; they're perfectly fine. It's just a matter of messing up in your dreams less and preventing strange things from happening, such as yourself completely ignoring a positive result.
Also, a few reality checks can be worded in different ways making them positive or negative. For example, the tactile self-awareness reality check could be phrased positively as "if I feel ethereal, I'm dreaming" or negatively as "if I don't feel gravity, I'm dreaming".

Fast vs. Slow

Another distinction is made between reality checks defined by the time they take to execute. It's more of a continuum, but in general the differentiation goes a little like this:

• Slow reality checks are those that take typically 5-10 seconds to carry out (that's the time interval between questioning your reality and arriving at the result).
• Fast reality checks take no more than 1-3 seconds to carry out.

There are multiple reasons why fast reality checks are better than slow ones. First, they greatly diminish the chances of being pre-lucid in a dream and staying that way until the end. I had a few dreams where I successfully questioned if I was awake, but I didn't have time to arrive at a result given by reality checks. If I had known about fast reality checks, I wouldn't have had that problem. The second reason is that fast reality checks are much better and less exhausting to practice more frequently. The traditional quota is 10-20 per day. However, with fast reality checks you can easily reach up to 60 per day and beyond. Not only does this greatly increase your chance of actually carrying one out in your dreams, but it also makes it easier to keep them in the front of your mind in general, and it also doesn't give you an issue I've had when I wanted to do slow reality checks a little too often:

"Am I dreaming? Come on, I just did a reality check a minute ago, I know I'm not! Fine, I'll do it... *grumble*"

Examples of slow reality checks include the nose plug and finger counting. A fast reality check can be self-awareness or paying attention to detail around you. Some fast reality checks are so fast, you can skip the question part altogether. Whenever your prospective memory reminds you to perform the reality check, you can jump straight to the answer: I'm dreaming or I'm awake. This, hopefully, allows you to skip the pre-lucid part of your lucid dreams altogether and just jump right into lucidity!

Physical vs. Mental

Another distinction comes from the things you need to do in order to carry out a reality check.

• Physical reality checks require you to use some part of your body.
• Mental reality checks only require thought.

Again, it should be clear that mental reality checks are better for many reasons. First, they can be performed in public! Second, many of them can be performed while you're falling asleep without needing to open your eyes or completely dispel the process of falling asleep. Third, they are much less exhausting when performed frequently. And fourth, they can still be performed in dreams where you don't have a physical body, because you're an ethereal being or spectator.

So What?

In general, I think a more effective approach to reality checking would be to practice only one type of reality check that works very nicely for you, and using all other reality checks as a verification tool for when you suspect you're dreaming because your primary reality check gave you a positive result. I am currently using a form of tactile self-awareness as my main reality check and I am hitting really high numbers with it, expecting to go lucid from it very soon.

Sweet lucid dreams to you all!

via Lucid Dreaming - Dream Views - Attaining Lucidity https://ift.tt/2LdqppD

What Will You Do If WWVB Goes Silent?

Buried on page 25 of the 2019 budget proposal for the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), under the heading “Fundamental Measurement, Quantum Science, and Measurement Dissemination”, there’s a short entry that has caused plenty of debate and even a fair deal of anger among those in the amateur radio scene:

NIST will discontinue the dissemination of the U.S. time and frequency via the NIST radio stations in Hawaii and Ft. Collins, CO. These radio stations transmit signals that are used to synchronize consumer electronic products like wall clocks, clock radios, and wristwatches, and may be used in other applications like appliances, cameras, and irrigation controllers.

The NIST stations in Hawaii and Colorado are the home of WWV, WWVH, and WWVB. The oldest of these stations, WWV, has been broadcasting in some form or another since 1920; making it the longest continually operating radio station in the United States. Yet in order to save approximately $6.3 million, these time and frequency standard stations are potentially on the chopping block.

What does that mean for those who don’t live and breathe radio? The loss of WWV and WWVH is probably a non-event for anyone outside of the amateur radio world. In fact, most people probably don’t know they even exist. Today they’re primarily used as frequency standards for calibration purposes, but in recent years have been largely supplanted by low-cost oscillators.

But WWVB on the other hand is used by millions of Americans every day. By NIST’s own estimates, over 50 million timepieces of some form or another automatically synchronize their time using the digital signal that’s been broadcast since 1963. Therein lies the debate: many simply don’t believe that NIST is going to shut down a service that’s still actively being used by so many average Americans.

The problem lies with the ambiguity of the statement. That the older and largely obsolete stations will be shuttered is really no surprise, but because the NIST budget doesn’t specifically state whether or not the more modern WWVB is also included, there’s room for interpretation. Especially since WWVB and WWV are both broadcast from Ft. Collins, Colorado.

What say the good readers of Hackaday? Do you think NIST is going to take down the relatively popular WWVB? Are you still using devices that sync to WWVB, or have they all moved over to pulling their time down over the Internet? If WWVB does go off the air, are you prepared to setup your own pirate time station?

[Thanks to AG6QR for the tip.]

via Radio Hacks – Hackaday https://ift.tt/2wiNYb0

Rewinding Live Radio

Critical Thinking in a Confused World

by Derrick Krane

I had a laptop sticker which stated you can’t co-exist with suicide bombers. I thought this was pretty much self-evident. I was working on the latest writing job at a café I frequent. The coffee is akin to old motor oil, in other words, it is superb, the young ladies who serve the coffee are beautiful and friendly, the Wi-Fi connection is reliable, and you can loiter there for hours to get work done.

But it also is a gathering place for liberals. A couple sitting across from me stared at me fixedly. On the way out, the woman said over her shoulder you can’t live with MOAB’s or Drones either. ) Note that these people have all the balls in the world on-line; less so in person). Anyhow, ummm… that’s the idea. I do not want terrorists living.

Then I thought about what she said, and looked up some information from a number of sources on drone strikes (most of which were done under the administration of the liberal hero Barrack Hussein Obama). Drones such as the Predator and its big brother, the Reaper took out terrorists with hellfire missiles.  They also took out civilians who may have not been connected to the terrorists and wanted nothing to do with politics, or live under fear and oppression in Taliban or Al-Qaeda held territory.

I concluded that our government, the decision makers who authorize drone strikes need to discriminate more between combatants and those who are in the way. Yes, I know it is easy for me to say this in the comfort of the aforementioned café, and I am not making complex and hard decisions about life and death, but we are supposed to be the good guys.

What this comes down to, is this woman, who held a belief system which was apparently the polar opposite of mine, made me think and question my beliefs, and explore. This is called dialectical thinking. It involves accepting and integrating contradictions and inconsistencies in the world and in your life into your belief system. It is about seeing the gray instead of only black and white. It seems like there is a predominance of black and white thinking, and consequences for failing to conform to this thinking. Examples:

• The left, in its very finite wisdom, wants to abolish ICE (Immigration & Customs Enforcement). This would be disastrous. Saner people want to rename, re-brand, and restructure Better. This is something to look at; maybe changes should be made in ICE.
• In a small New England city, F-35A Lightening II multi-role strike fighters are supposed to be arriving in 2019 to replace the aging F -16C Fighting Falcons. The libs have been going insane since this was announced in about 2012 because “they will be too noisy”.  F the 35, no F-35’s and so on. Saner heads are advocating basing C-130J Hercules Cargo aircraft  here instead. OK, maybe this is something to talk about. Mature adults are supposed to negotiate, not throw a tantrum when they don’t get their way.

Personally I love the sound of roaring turbofan engines, and I hope to get some good photos when the F-35’s arrive. See the vid below:

Norms & Roles

Norms are unwritten guidelines, rules, and standards which make our interactions with others more orderly and predictable. Roles are a position in society regulated by norms about how a person should act. Violation of these norms and roles will produce discomfort, both in ourselves and others.

Most people have traditionally conformed their behavior to norms and roles, most of the time, to avoid social rejection. We are living in a dangerous time. Social norms as basic as the concept of differences between man and woman are breaking down.

Too many people are accepting new doctrine without question. Even more frightening, free speech is being steadily eroded, and questioning doctrines is being punished. How has this breakdown of norms come about, and how can we understand it?

Conformity vs. Non-Conformity

Conformity has its positive and negative aspects:  It allows people to feel connected to one another promotes smooth social functioning, goal achievement, and cooperation But conformity also suppresses creative thinking and may encourage us to do things which are self-destructive or harmful to ourselves or others.

People who do not conform to the norms of a particular group are labeled as deviant. The group may try to educate them in the norms of the group, or try to punish them, in order to promote conformity. If this does not work, deviants may be removed from the group through shunning, termination of employment, or in extreme cases, incarceration or execution.

Traditional norms which have worked for decades, centuries, or even millennia are eroding, degrading, or being torn down. Roles have become confused. We are entering a state of anomie; which is a society without norms. Things are moving so fast, there is so much momentum in the information explosion in the internet, that we are bombarded with change and trends. Too many people are embracing these trends without any thought of the consequences.

Barriers to Critical thinking

• Information bias, aka Confirmation bias

Our beliefs are our most precious and cherished possessions. We tend to get very defensive when they are challenged, especially if we feel our grip on them is tenuous. We over-commit to one idea without adequately exploring others, or testing our beliefs for validity.

We tend to seek information that confirms our beliefs and avoid information which contradicts it. This is part of human nature; I do it, we have all done it. The ability to critically analyze is important to overcome this flaw in our decision making process and is part of being a good thinker.

• The Availability Heuristic

This is a social psychology concept which states that we tend to accept the information we are most frequently presented with as factual or valid. We are under an information onslaught these days. The media sets off avalanches of information which we are buried under. Digging your way out is an arduous task.

• The Google Bubble

Google is the dominant search engine in the world. Google tracks and records your searches, and over time. Google filters your searches to provide you with the information which you re most likely seeking, based on your past searches.

While this may make searching for information faster and more efficient; it also places you in a self-reinforcing information bubble. This means a vast amount of information will never reach you. This information, outside your bubble may contradict your beliefs.

• The Echo Chamber

This is a real life Google bubble. We tend to surround ourselves with people who have the same beliefs we have, which reinforces our belief system. Their words resonate with us. Wow I have always felt the same way, I have said that before. I have thought the same thing. This validates our point of view and strengthens our belief system.

The Result of this bombardment can be:

• Kool-Aid Drinking

In 1983, Rev. Jim Jones induced almost 1000 people to kill themselves by drinking a grape flavored soft drink (it was actually grape Flavor-Ade, a different brand name) laced with the sedatives Valium, Phenergan and Chloral Hydrate, and the poison cyanide.

Most obeyed. Those who did not were shot as they refused or attempted to flee. Those who were armed then willingly drank the poison, or shot themselves. Rev. Jones died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound. In the end, 909 men, women and children, and even babies were dead. Drinking the Koo-Aid has become an expression to indicate mindless obedience to doctrine, even to the point of self-destruction. Thinking for yourself instead of drinking the Kool-Aid.

• Lemmings and marching off the cliff

Lemmings are small blonde and black haired hamster –like rodents who live in Arctic regions. A myth is that they commit mass suicide by jumping off cliffs into the ocean. They don’t actually do that. But Lemmings have become synonymous with groupthink.

• Brainwashing

We are all subjected to brainwashing on a regular basis. The most effective form of brainwashing is when you don’t even realize it is happening. Advertisers work hard to change our emotions, the way we think, how we perceive things, and our behavioral choices.

The mainstream media influences our emotions, thoughts, perception, and behavior. The media is not there to educate or inform but to influence decision making. Look at a news broadcast from the mid-1980’s, or earlier, compared with a contemporary news report. The difference is striking. Facts were reported; the audience drew their own conclusion, and made their own decisions. Today, we are taught how to think and what we can say.

The steps of brainwashing are:

1. Select a target
2. Isolate the target
3. Foster dependence in the target by attacking self esteem
4. Erase the individuality of the target
5. Devalue those outside the group
6. Saturate with doctrine and repetition of messages
7. Punish and reward to modify behavior
8. Make suggestions, then demands
9. Use for own ends as desired

Break the Bubble: Becoming a Critical Thinker

I teach part time at a college. In every course, I emphasize critical thinking. Therefore, I was aghast to hear this from a student halfway through the semester. She was horrified at a YouTube video she saw of cola being poured over a raw pork chop and worms emerging. This is a YouTube prank that has been circulating for years:

There are even parodies of someone dumping a can of cola over a pork chop, an obvious cut away, and then gummy worms are scattered all over it in the next scene. That someone would believe whatever they see on a YouTube without question distresses me after lengthy and repeated discussions about critical thinking.

1. Assume nothing, question everything
2. Check multiple sources, looking for overall consistent answers. A basic premise of statistics is that reliability is increased by taking repeated measure.
3. Look at information which contradicts and challenges your belief system

It starts in the education system. Young people are not being taught science, statistics and probability, and critical thinking. Instead, they are exposed to social justice indoctrination, and critical thinking is actively suppressed.

Young people graduate high school without an understanding of basic scientific principles, economics, literature, history, or how to function in the adult world. I have heard the outcome of this among licensed mental health professionals that I work with, who have no grasp of statistics, probability, science, or analytical and critical thinking.

But ask most of them about some social justice issue and they are experts. Mental health professionals and educators are bombarded with social justice rhetoric of increasing toxicity. This is done at the exclusion of how to actually do your job. A colleague was complaining that interns do not have basic skills and theoretical knowledge; he has to teach them the basics they should have learned in undergraduate, and definitely should have learned in graduate school.

If you dare questions these social justice doctrines, at best, will be isolated from and shunned by your peers, (I have few friends in the mental health profession, and none I can think of in Academia, but many in Corrections) at worst terminated (this has happened once, and been threatened twice), and your life threatened along with the life of your family (not so far, but waiting for it).

I have long said you can hold any opinion you want, as long as it is the right one. Deviate from the current political doctrine, and you are a heretic, and can become unemployable. I got out of clinic life and into private practice years ago as I could not tolerate the bullshit from the left majority any longer.

The last straw was when we received an email telling us not to say Merry Christmas as we might offend someone who did not celebrate Christmas. Are you kidding? Fuck yourself.

And are you ready for this one: We were told by the same source not to use the term’s “clean” or “dirty” in reference to the results of a patients drug toxicology screen. We had to day positive or negative. I guess this was so the urine wouldn’t feel badly about itself. This place was, and still is a dog and pony show which has focused on social justice matters to the exclusion of patient care. No wonder people are screwed up, when the caregivers are more out of touch with reality than the patients.

• Avoiding Lather, Rinse, Repeat Thinking

If you are a young person who is college bound, or attending college, think carefully about what you are being taught. Here are some thoughts on academia and brainwashing in the videos below:

1. Don’t believe everything you are told; Be skeptical
2. Think for yourself, and question trends. Just because everyone is doing it, does that mean it is a great idea? Remember what Lemmings supposedly do, and What Jim Jones’ followers actually did?
3. Digest instead of regurgitating information

• The 10^th man

“ After several disasters that NO ONE thought could happen, the Council decided that if a vote was unanimous against a possible outcome, one member would act as if it was ABSOLUTELY going to happen, and trying to prevent it. This way, if they have a Crisis, one man is prepared for it, and assumes directorship of the council for the duration of the crisis”

The Tenth Man Doctrine:

“If ten people are in a room, and nine agree on how to interpret and respond to a Situation, the tenth man must disagree. His duty is to find the best possible argument for why the decision of the group is flawed”

-World War Z

Before making changes in your life — think like the tenth man. Try to find evidence to disprove your ideas If you find evidence against the idea, it’s worth waiting before making any drastic changes. Do what researchers call rejecting the null hypothesis: Assume you are wrong, and try to prove yourself wrong.

“Whenever you’re presented with a new claim, especially a strange one that seems improbable, the burden of proof is on the person making the new claim”

• Devil’s Advocate

The Devil’s advocate

This is another form of testing the null hypothesis, or trying to prove yourself wrong. This is about internally challenging your own beliefs, distressing though it may be, and challenging the beliefs of those around you for the common good.

‘“The Vatican used to have the Devil’s Advocate. During canonization, which is Part of the selection of people for elevation to sainthood, somebody is selected to play Devil’s Advocate. Their job is to cast doubt on the person’s character. They also try to prove that the miracles required for canonization are Fraudulent and so on”

Conclusion

The cost of mindless obedience and abdication of one’s free will was written in blood in the 20th century:

• Six million, (by a conservative estimate) Jews, were killed under the rule of Adolph Hitler and a followers who obeyed him without question.
• 15-30 million more Russian Jews and political dissidents were killed in the Soviet Union under Josef Stalin.
• Three million political dissidents, intellectuals, the educated, the literate, and the nearor far-sighted in Cambodia by Pol Pot.
• 300,000 political dissidents in Uganda by Idi Amin Dada

The consequences of unregulated group-think can be catastrophic. It seems we are drawing closer and closer to it every day. Push back.

via Modern Survival Online https://ift.tt/2MXmSgP

When Every Last Nanoamp Matters

Radio Antenna Mismatching: VSWR Explained

If you have ever operated any sort of transmitting equipment, you’ve probably heard about matching an antenna to the transmitter and using the right co-ax cable. Having everything match — for example, at 50 or 75 ohms — allows the most power to get to the antenna and out into the airwaves. Even for receiving this is important, but you generally don’t hear about it as much for receivers. But here’s a question: if a 100-watt transmitter feeds a mismatched antenna and only delivers 50 watts, where did the other 50 watts go? [ElectronicsNotes] has a multi-part blog entry that explains what happens on a mismatched transmission line, including an in-depth look at voltage standing wave ratio or VSWR.

We liked the very clean graphics showing how different load mismatches affect the transmission line. We also liked how he tackled return loss and reflection coefficient.

There was a time when driving a ham radio transmitter into a bad load could damage the radio. But if the radio can survive it, the effect isn’t as bad as you might think. The post points out that feedline loss is often more significant. However, the problem with modern radios is that when they detect high VSWR, they will often reduce power drastically to prevent damage. That is often the cause of poor performance more so than the actual loss of power through the VSWR mechanism. On the other hand, it is better than burning up final transistors the way older radios did.

Measuring VSWR without a transmitter is a bit trickier. A network analyzer can do it. While that used to be a pretty exotic piece of gear, it has become much more common lately.

via Radio Hacks – Hackaday https://ift.tt/2BmrADB

Getting An RF Low-Pass Filter Right

Overview of the Ruger LC9

photo above [CC BY-SA 3.0 ], via Wikimedia Commons

by Charles

Sturm, Ruger and Co. is popularly known for producing American-made quality, typically overbuilt guns at modest prices. One thing they were not known for at least until the late aughts was small, lightweight pistols. The LCP, introduced in 2008, was happily received by a market hungry for ultra-light pocket pistols, and became a best seller.

The trending popularity of pocket and deep carry guns continues today, but in the past several years we have seen shooters back away from the .380 ACP and other diminutive cartridges in favor of single stack 9mms, a class of pistol that has not exactly been the talk of the shooting sphere since the 1980’s.

This shift in consumer desire was quickly capitalized on by Ruger, and showcased another trait they are known for: quickly adapting to what consumers want and need. In 2011, Ruger debuted the LC9, a gun that resembled the tiny LCP, only scaled up somewhat and chambered in 9mm.

The LC9 today is available in a variety of smart variants to cover most shooter’s desires, and is an economical choice for a full-power deep concealment or backup pistol. In this article, we will examine the pistols pertinent design characteristics as well as its strengths and flaws.

Design Characteristics

The LC9 is a polymer framed, hammer fired, double action-only pistol utilizing conventional short recoil action. Caliber is 9mm Para., and is fed from 7 round magazines that fit flush or use an optional extension for a pinky hold, or 9 round extended magazines.

The pistol is packed with safety features, including a manual safety, magazine disconnect safety, integral locking system and loaded chamber indicator that is tactile and visually observable.  The magazine disconnect safety prevents the gun from being fired when the magazine is removed from the magazine well, and is a love it or leave it feature among most users.

The trigger pull is consistent, though long, and has no second strike capability; the pistol must be cocked to arm the trigger, and so any failure to fire must be treated with remedial action.

The grip is textured on front and backstraps as well as about ¾ of the way up each side for better purchase. A slide release is on the left side of the frame. The magazine release button is typically placed for easy activation by a right handed shooter. The manual safety placed at the rear on the left side of the gun is smartly designed with up being on safe and down for fire.

Sights are a big improvement over the diminutive speedbumps on its LCP cousin, being replaceable, and drift adjustable 3-dot in configuration. Slide serrations are only at the rear and are well executed, allowing decent grip while not being too aggressive, facilitating the intended use of this pistol for pocket or deep carry.

Disassembly is a minor trick compared to larger guns, requiring a takedown pin to be lined up with a relief cut on the left side of the slide for the purpose. Once this is done, the pin is pushed out using a small tool or the included key for the locking system.

The greatest strength of the LC9 series guns are its compactness and leanness: weighing in at only a hair over 17 ounces, measuring approximately 6 inches long, 4 ½ inches tall and less than a inch wide at its widest point, the LC9 will handily carry in a pocket or on the ankle.

Issues

The LC9 is regarded as a generally good pistol mechanically, though one with snappy recoil common to all such handguns in this category. Of more concern is the trigger and magazine follower. The trigger, while mechanically adequate, is very long, even for a DA gun, and is not too nice. The long pull combined with a mushy stacking and uncertain break on such a small, lightweight gun does not contribute to shooter confidence and makes wringing all the accuracy from the pistol that it might deliver challenging.

The other point of concern is the magazine follower. The mags are decent, and reliable with the exception of the plastic follower commonly deforming under the load of a tough slide lock spring. This deformation will keep the slide lock from interacting with the follower and thus locking the slide open on the last round fired. Often this deformation is substantial enough to introduce enough friction to keep the magazine from dropping free when the mag release is pressed, necessitating the stripping of the mag from the well. This author has personally encountered the issue on two LC9 pistols, one of them the new striker fired variant.

Neither issue is a showstopper, but one should carefully inspect their followers for signs of deformation and contact Ruger should it occur. Regarding the trigger, only regimen of deliberate practice will see you attain consistent accuracy with this little gun.

Another point of concern for some is the presence of a keyed locking system, ala S&W guns with the dreaded “Hillary Hole.” This keyed apparatus allows one to render the entire gun inoperable with one turn. The elephant in the room of course is the susceptibility of the system to inadvertent activation from recoil, breakage, neglect or wear.

I have not been able to find any instance where this has occurred on an LC9, but that exact event has occurred on more than a few S&W revolvers and other guns with similar systems.

Variants and Upgrades

Once again quick to respond to user complaints, Ruger released the LC9 in a few new variants after the initial reception of the original. The LC9s, “s” for striker, sees the hammer fired action replaced with the common striker fired action. The trigger, while still long in travel, is significantly improved, with a lighter pull and more defined break.

The LC9s also omits the mechanical loaded chamber indicator on top of the pistol and replaces it with a small port to allow visual inspection of the chamber for a loaded round without retracting the slide. Considering any merit of the hammer fired semi-auto is squandered on a double action-only mechanism, the improved and still consistent pull of the striker upgrade makes a lot of sense on this gun. Overall, the additional simplifications on the LC9s like removal of the internal locking system are changes that work out for the better in this author’s opinion.

In a sort of backwards or lateral “upgrade” Ruger released the LC380, an LC9 in all essential features and identical size only chambered in .380 ACP for those who want a cartridge with a little less bite in the same size class. The LC380 utilizes the same Browning-type short recoil action as the LC9, which is a perk among .380’s in this size class: many are blowback operated, which is known for producing a sharp recoil impulse. The LC380 recoils mildly compared to both its competition and bigger brother.

The .380 is a mildly contentious choice of caliber, but is overall an adequate round for self-defense. It makes more sense if viewed as the upper-end of performance among smaller cartridges, especially when mated to a smaller gun. The LC380 is a great choice for folks that want a pistol in this class that recoils less and is easier to operate. Note that the LC380 is not a striker fired variant and is DAO like its progenitor, complete with long, middling trigger and internal locking system. As of this writing, the LC380 has no other variant.

The EC9s is a budget model of the LC9s, featuring wider slide serrations to reduce machining time as well as integral, read non-replaceable, plain sights. The gun retains all of the other positive characteristics of the LC9s and helps drive down the price of this already affordable pistol even more. As a no frills concealment or backup piece, this version is hard to beat in its price range.

All of the LC9 variants have factory models on offer with the current (and hopefully faddish) array of eyeball-melting colorful “camo” and solid finishes. If you positively, absolutely must have your LC9 be a reflection of your special inner truth, Ruger can likely accommodate.

Author’s Opinion

I am a fan of Ruger firearms all around and especially in their price point, and believe them superior to most others in their market category. The LC9 will though obviously be compared to several more expensive competitor’s guns; the Smith and Wesson Shield, Glock 43 and Walther PPS and CCP. For raw shootability, the other guns have inarguably superior triggers, and the quality of the trigger is even more important on these small, light, defensive guns.

However, for its intended role and considering the likely scenario the LC9 will be used in, it will make little difference. If the shooter has practiced with the LC9, the trigger is manageable for close range work, and the LC9s is all around much closer to parity with its competitors. Single-stack subcompact 9mm’s are currently back in vogue, but there are not too many quality options in the mid-tier price point.

The LC9s is a significant bump over the standard LC9 thanks to the striker fired action. This action as mentioned above seriously improves the trigger, which is what I perceive as the LCP’s biggest flaw aside from the intermittent reports of bad magazine followers.

The LC9 manages something of a coup here by being favorably comparable to other offerings and doing so at a lower price point. If you are on a budget, the Ruger comes equipped with good, useable sights, intelligently placed controls and is about as slick and snag free as you can make a pistol of this type while retaining decent sights.

Aside from trigger woes, shooting the LC9 and variants is surprisingly manageable. Recoil is on the sharp side, especially with heavier loads, but nothing to waste ink on. It is not a pistol you probably want to shoot all day, but an average practice session won’t chew your hands up too bad. Reloads are easily accomplished despite the slight form factor of both the guns and magazines.

I am not a fan of internal locking systems in the least, for reasons I detailed above. Suffering a frozen or inoperable action because of a vital part breaking is one thing. Suffering it because a completely unnecessary feel-good locking system has been shoe-horned into a pistol action for the dubious benefit of the uninitiated is quite another.

Sure, either instance will leave you completely screwed in a fight, but the locking system is added risk for no appreciable benefit as far as I am concerned. Safe storage of a pistol with the intent of keeping unauthorized users from using the gun is better accomplished through use of a secure locking container. A loose gun can be handily and simply rendered unusable through use of a cable lock. Both methods do not introduce another internal failure point.

The LC9 series is a solid pistol and the best contender at its price on the market presently.

Conclusion

The renaissance of light, slim single stack 9mm’s is showing no signs of slowing down, especially as appendix and pocket carry are currently the paradigm among carry advocates. Possessing desirable traits in abundance, Ruger’s LC9 series stands out as a solid performer and excellent value in a market with only a handful of modern choices.

If you are looking to get your EDC rig as lean as possible, give the Ruger a chance.

via Modern Survival Online https://ift.tt/2MNPiK8