Women’s EDC Everyday Carry – The Ultimate Guide

Lucid Dreaming | Losing the ability to lucid dream?

I used to be pretty good at lucid dreaming, but over time I seem to have lost it. At first I blamed the stress of losing a friend, then I blamed my depression which was actually the cause of losing the friend (I think he just decided I'm more trouble than I'm worth :crying:.), then I blamed the stress of losing my job and having a long search for another one... but by now I have accepted that my "friend" has turned his back, I have found a job and been secure in it for three years, and the only one of those things I blamed that still remains is my depression, which I'm getting treated for. So my question is why can't I have lucid dreams regularly? I had one last night, that was the first one I've had since forever. Has anyone had this difficulty and got through it? If you have, I'd really like to know how you did it. :huh2: TIA.

via Lucid Dreaming - Dream Views - Attaining Lucidity http://bit.ly/2V6ieFn

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RFID Payment Ring Made from Dissolved Credit Card

RFID payment systems are one of those things that the community seems to be divided on. Some only see the technology as a potential security liability, and will go a far as to disable the RFID chip in their card so that it can’t be read by a would-be attacker. Others think the ease and convenience of paying for goods by tapping their card or smartphone on the register more than makes up for the relatively remote risk of RFID sniffers. Given the time and effort [David Sikes] put into creating this contactless payment ring, we think it’s pretty clear which camp he’s in.

Alright, so the whole ring making part sounds easy enough, but how does one get an RFID chip that’s linked to their account? Easy. Just call the bank and ask them for one. Of course, they won’t just send you out a little RFID chip and antenna to mount in your hacked up project. (If only things were so simple!) But they will send you a new card if you tell them your old one is getting worn out and needs a replacement. All you have to do when it gets there is liberate the electronics without damaging them.

[David] found that an hour or so in an acetone bath was enough to dissolve the plastic and expose the epoxy-encased RFID chip, assuming you scrape the outer layers of the card off first. He notes that you can speed this part of the process up considerably if you know the exact placement and size of the RFID chip; that way you can cut out just the area you’re interested in rather than having to liquefy the whole card.

Once you have your chip, you just need to mount it into a ring. [David] has designed a 3D printable frame (if you’ve got a high-resolution SLA machine, that is) which accepts the chip and a new antenna made from a coil of 38 AWG magnet wire. With the components settled into the printed frame, its off to a silicone mold and the liberal application of epoxy resin to encapsulate the whole thing in a durable shell.

If a ring is not personal enough for you, then the next step is getting the RFID chip implanted directly into your hand. There are even folks at hacker cons who will do that sort of thing for you, if you’re squeamish.

via Radio Hacks – Hackaday http://bit.ly/2Zyk5RU

The $50 Ham: Dummy Loads

A DIY EMC Probe From Semi-Rigid Coax And An SDR

Do you have an EMC probe in your toolkit? Probably not, unless you’re in the business of electromagnetic compatibility testing or getting a product ready for the regulatory compliance process. Usually such probes are used in anechoic chambers and connected to sophisticated gear like spectrum analyzers – expensive stuff. But there are ways to probe the electromagnetic mysteries of your projects on the cheap, as this DIY EMC testing setup proves.

As with many projects, [dimtass]’ build was inspired by a video over on EEVblog, where [Dave] made a simple EMC probe from a length of semi-rigid coax cable. At $10, it’s a cheap solution, but lacking a spectrum analyzer like the one that [Dave] plugged his cheap probe into, [dimtass] went a different way. With the homemade probe plugged into an RTL-SDR dongle and SDR# running on a PC, [dimtass] was able to get a decent approximation of a spectrum analyzer, at least when tested against a 10-MHz oven-controlled crystal oscillator. It’s not the same thing as a dedicated spectrum analyzer – limited bandwidth, higher noise, and not calibrated – but it works well enough, and as [dimtass] points out, infinitely hackable through the SDR# API. The probe even works decently when plugged right into a DSO with the FFT function running.

Again, neither of these setups is a substitute for proper EMC testing, but it’ll probably do for the home gamer. If you want to check out the lengths the pros go through to make sure their products don’t spew signals, check out [Jenny]’s overview of the EMC testing process.

[via RTL-SDR.com]

via Radio Hacks – Hackaday http://bit.ly/2ZwifkB

How Redundancy can Save Your Life

by Charles

How many times have you heard this maxim in military and preparedness circles, “Two is one, and one is none”? That is the very distillation of the idea of redundancy as a virtue, and an acknowledgment that sometimes shit just happens; things break, get lost, get used up, wear out or rust away.

When the stakes are highest and lives or mission success on the line, the idea of equipment failure or exhaustion of some essential supply spelling doom is hard to stomach.

Your hedge against this fate is simple redundancy, the idea that anything important enough to carry must be carried in duplicate to ensure it will be available for use. Beyond simple material supply, though, redundancy as a watchword is valuable for contingency planning also.

All preppers should make allowances for redundancy if they want to failsafe their supplies and plans. In today’s article, we are looking at redundancy as a way to bolster your survival strategies where it counts.

Redundancy: Insurance against Mishap and Mayhem

Redundancy is a concept that goes far beyond having a spare flashlight or battery. Redundancy is even a biological strategy! Take for instance our eyes, plural. Two.

Yes, both in tandem allow us and other predatory animals binocular vision, but they also allow the loss of one and the retention of vision. Same with ears, and fingers, and toes. The lesson: you can lose one (or a couple) and maintain passable functionality.

Redundancy gives you the ability to sink some damage, however horrible it might be, without utter ruination. Life with only one eye is harder, but you can still see. The loss of one finger on a hand does not make the hand useless.

Redundancy alone, in light of replacement, is the only thing that prevents loss or destruction from truly becoming disabling. Airplanes, space shuttles and other technological marvels operating on the precipice of the performance curve all make use of redundant systems.

The same goes for our supplies, as preppers. Anything that we positively, absolutely must have, we should have in duplicate, even triplicate. While I do and sure would like to have two of everything I own, I don’t necessarily need to; not everything I have is important enough to warrant the investment of money and space. Some things definitely are, at any price.

No matter how careful you are, how sturdy your gear or how strict your rules for use, you can depend on using up, losing or breaking something you were counting on when in the midst of a crisis event.

This depends on the severity and nature of the event, of course, but the stress and chaos of a true SHTF moment will often see flesh and gear put to a severe test.

If you do not want to trust to luck, or the ever-dastardly Mr. Murphy of Murphy’s Law fame, you’ll need insurance. The kind of insurance that only redundancy can provide.

What Do We Need Two (or More) Of?

Ask any prepper that question and they’ll give you a different answer from their fellows. The real answer is, as always, it depends. It depends on your plan, abilities and objectives. Note that redundancy is not just simple duplication: if we are talking about redundancy what we are really aiming for is capability.

A flashlight can provide light, but so can fire, or a chemlight. A fire provides warmth, but so does a sleeping bag, blanket or other insulating item. An axe can chop, but so can a heavy knife. And so on and so on.

Careful thought and analysis of what capability you absolutely, positively must have before deciding on how to make it redundant is essential to ensure you do not get bogged down with twice as much weight. That being said, for some things, you will straight-up want to carry a spare, accept no substitutes.

Planning is another thing we should make redundant. I need at least two ways to accomplish every major objective. If I plan to leave town by taking the Smallville Hwy. and crossing the Green River Bridge, what will I do if the bridge is out or hard-closed? What will I do if my destination BOL is compromised or destroyed? What will I do… You get the point.

Redundancy prevents hard-locking, mentally and physically. If I lose or use a tourniquet (an item you definitely want to have spares of, by the way) and need another, now, it is no problem if I have one on hand. If I don’t, well, now I am playing a stupid game trying to fashion one from my belt or some such bullshit.

If I come upon the previously mentioned bridge, and it is out, or roadblocked, if I have my redundant backup plan, I am rerouting and on my way in short order. If that plan goes bad, I have my contingency plan, a third layer of redundancy. If that plan goes bad… Okay, I’ll stop but I trust you are taking my drift here.

Some things that are high-value-to-weight you may want to consider having “hard” duplicates of due to their difficulty in improvising 1-to-1 replacements for:

• Pistol – I like a tiny, light .22 autoloader or revolver with a half brick of ammo. Easy to carry, easy to store, and while not a badass cartridge, adequate for close-range game-getting, and will still severely wound another surly human. I usually keep one in my emergency survival kit.

• Medical Supplies – Gauze, tourniquets, meds, all of these things can be improvised, but this costs precious time, and their efficacy goes way down. Accept no substitutes for high-quality medical supplies and drugs!

• Batteries –If you need batteries, you need spare batteries.

• Socks, Underwear, etc. – Your underclothes will be the first casualties to muck, sweat and effluvial grime. Left unwashed, you will be dealing with some heinous, show-stopping skin conditions. A spare pair will help reduce this onset and definitely make you feel better.

• Fire Starters – Lighter, matches, ferro rod. All of these and more have a place in your kit. The importance of fire in austere survival situations cannot be understated. The more ways you have to reliably start a fire the better.

• Water Purification – This is vital. You must have more than one way to produce clean drinking water. A filter is your primary, no question, but your secondary should be a stand-alone and supplementary method, like purifier tablets, bleach, iodine, etc.

• Knife – Most of you that carry a knife plus some kind of multi-tool are likely covered, but if you do not, make sure you have some type of backup knife in your kit, as high-quality blades are difficult to replicate. This is an item also highly likely to be handed off to someone else, so have a spare.

• Compass – If you use a larger lensatic or field compass, or a GPS, go on and supplement that with a backup button compass. Tiny, unobtrusive and able to be stashed anywhere, you may not get the precision you need for long marches, but basic direction finding will help keep you from becoming horribly lost. Suunto makes a good one.

• Dust Mask – Good to have for keeping the worst of dust and small airborne particulate out of your lungs. These do get used up, so you had better have spares handy. Fashioning an impromptu mask from a bandana or cloth does not come close. The latest versions of the N95 pack down flat for painless storage.

Redundancy Planning Made Simple

You can backup all essential plans and items this way by writing. It. Down! Don’t trust this stuff to memory, especially procedural plans for loved ones and group members.

If you plan a series of rendezvous points for the group to meet at if separated before or during a crisis, write it down for them (and you!) If you have a plan for relaying messages, or leaving notes or instructions for someone, make two, and make sure all concerned parties know what they entail.

Likewise, write down all of the items in your BOB or survival stash. Now slowly go through the list, line by line, and think about what the outcome would be if you were suddenly deprived of anyone of these items in the course of your survival plan. If the story takes a severe turn for the worst, even tragedy, you need redundancy in that department.

Some very expensive items might be impractical or impossible to duplicate depending on your situation, i.e. a vehicle, multiple rifles, expensive electronics or other gear etc. If this is the case, remember, you are concerned with capability, with achieving an outcome using the same or different means!

A vehicle means escape; could you hike or bike out? A rifle means security, and perhaps wild game; could you make do with a handgun, crossbow or other less expensive weapon? If you keep your thinking solution and outcome oriented, you will not get so hung up on the notion that you have to clone every single thing you have.

Redundancy is about having multiple ways to accomplish the same thing.

Conclusion

The building-in of redundancy in to your survival planning and procurement is one of the smartest, most valuable things you can do to start ensuring your success.

Redundancy does not mean duplication, although duplication is one way to attain redundant function. Redundancy ensures that the loss of one module or your plan, be it orders or items, will not significantly derail the whole show. Redundancy is extra work up front, but it makes for an easy day when things are for real.

via Modern Survival Online http://bit.ly/2UDltPw

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Lucid Dreaming | Was it my first lucid dream?

Hello dreamers,

I think I had my first lucid dream last night, but I'm not quite sure. (3rd attempt)

In the two days before, I didn't do my RC's well, (I have only briefly checked if I can push my finger through the palm of my hand or not, without really asking myself if it is a dream or not) and kept sleeping after my alarm went off (WBTB). My dreams have become clearer and have gone from an average of 1 a week to 3-4 a night, so i guess my dream journal is working. (Unfortunately, I can't imagine how clear a dream can be.)


The day before my first lucid dream, I changed my reality checks. While doing it, I really imagined that something unnatural was going to happen, and I was more preoccupied with the question of whether I was dreaming or being in reality.
I went to bed at about 12am and woke up by my alarm at 6. Until then I had no important dreams. I was then about 30 minutes awake.I went back to sleep then but couldnt concentrate. Got up at 7:40. Then I fell asleep again. Around 11am I had a dream where I was in a kind of classroom/train compartment and I had some strange lesson (in this situation I didn't question the lesson). I really don't remember doubting anything and doing an RC because of that. (it somehow felt like I did the reality check while falling asleep in real life and took it with me into the dream) In hindsight I think that the dream in the classroom/train compartment went over to my final supposed lucid dream while i was doing my RC (which was in another classroom).

In the new dream I was still trying to push my finger into the palm of my hand (it looked like my fingers were trying to come out on the other side of my hand). Automatically I remembered that I (I'm not sure if I really remembered myself) should continue to perform RC's. I covered my nose, could breathe. Then I checked the time. After the last check I immediately got up and walked to the front desk where a girl was sitting. I screamed "HEY!". (I thought I'd check if anyone was paying attention to me) She turned to me looking realllly scared :cackle:. I turned around and there stood a girl. Immediately I thought to myself (as I said, now I doubt that I have done all this myself) I should lift her off the ground with telekinesis and intuitively I used my hands for it. (like in movies) She flew around in the air without any problems and waved her arms and feet around. I wanted to get out of the room so I just threw the girl to the middle of the classroom and ran out (it felt like I couldn't enjoy the moment and was under stress) Maybe I didn't want to believe I made it inside that dream? In front of the classroom I saw a window and wanted to fly straight out, but then I was distracted by a woman who walked behind me. I shouted: "stop", whereupon she held very briefly and then went on again. Then I remember that I thought to myself "shes going to stop" and she stopped. Right after that I looked out of the window and wanted to fly away, but then I woke up.

I wonder now whether I really controlled my dream, or whether I really dreamed it or just imagined it after i woke up :chuckle:, or whether I simply dreamed of having a lucid dream. When I got up I definitely thought i've done it (I've never really had such "meaningful" dreams and where there is such cool stuff).

1) How do you feel the day after? Do you know 100% that it was you? Do you still see everything crystal clear in your memory?
2) Why did I do the reality checks just like that.. And then why did they seem to have a value? What do you think? Is there a method where you think about your RC's while falling asleep?

Right now I'm using nothing but WBTB, binaural beats and a standard mantra.

3) Can you recommend a certain method to me? That night, I was apparently only able to do that by luck...
4) Can I remember in a lucid dream what i've planned in reality? Do I have my "mind" there?

Sorry for the length, and for my english!

via Lucid Dreaming - Dream Views - Attaining Lucidity http://bit.ly/2XAQ6Hr

Lucid Dreaming | Quite baffled to what happned? regarding questionable SP.

Last night I attempted a WILD. Everything was going well. I got a very strong roll-over urge for quite some time. Eventually I entered a state in which it felt my body was vibrating. Almost like a phone. It seemed that I forgot my body was even their, almost as if I disconnected from it. I'd assume this was just a hypnagogic state. I let it pass by. I had more roll-over signals etc. With more vibrations. This time my breathing was affected. It's almost as if each breath was short . Similar to asthma. I've heard about this, and how it can be SP. So I opened my eyes to see if it was SP. I didn't have any hallucinations. Demons etc.. I knew i mustn't be in SP. So I went back to the vibrations and let them happen. After a while I tried to move my arms with my mind to see if I've entered a lucid dream without realising it. Didn't happen. After that I gave up and went to sleep normally.

My main question is. After reading all that. Was I in SP. And if I was or wasn't. What should I have done?

Kind Regards

Eric.

via Lucid Dreaming - Dream Views - Attaining Lucidity http://bit.ly/2VeUxtO

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Lucid Dreaming | Tips for doing Wild

What are your tips for doing WILD?

via Lucid Dreaming - Dream Views - Attaining Lucidity http://bit.ly/2IrEsen

Lucid Dreaming | I think I was almost lucid

I woke up in the middle of the night and wanted to write some notes about the dream I had just had, but I didn't open my eyes and I only imagined or dreamed of writing, even though I thought I actually did it, and while I felt my hand almost physically taking the pen I kept seeing dream scenes.
At some point I realized what was happening and that I was somewhere between dream and reality, I could feel my body in the bed but in my mind I kept seeing pieces of dream.
but this moment lasted little, I turned around and I fell asleep again, maybe if I was able to maintain a little more of that lucidity I would be able to get back into the dream and become lucid.
I will try to do it again tonight hoping to succeed, when I woke up I felt very close to success.

via Lucid Dreaming - Dream Views - Attaining Lucidity http://bit.ly/2PbBuuW

Piezoelectric Antennas For Very, Very Low Frequencies

If you want to talk about antennas, the amateur radio community has you covered, with one glaring exception. Very low frequency and Extremely Low Frequency radio isn’t practiced very much, ultimately because it’s impractical and you simply can’t transmit much information when your carrier frequency is measured in tens of Hertz. There is more information on Extremely Low Frequency radio in Michael Crichton’s Sphere than there is in the normal parts of the Internet. Now there might be an easier way to play with VLF radiation, thanks to developers at the National Accelerator Laboratory. They’ve developed a piezoelectric transmitter for very long wavelengths.

Instead of pushing pixies through an antenna, this antenna uses a rod-shaped crystal of lithium niobate, a piezoelectric material. An AC voltage is applied to the rod makes it vibrate, and this triggers an oscillating electric current flow that’s emitted as VLF radiation. The key is that it’s these soundwaves bouncing around that define the resonant frequency, and the speed of sound in lithium niobate is a lot slower than the speed of light, but they’re translated into electric signals because of its piezoelectricity. For contrast, if this were a wire quarter-wave antenna it would be tens of kilometers long.

The application for this sort of antenna is ideally for where regular radio doesn’t work. Radio doesn’t work underwater, but nuclear subs trail an antenna out of the back to receive messages using Extremely Low Frequency radio. A walkie talkie doesn’t work in a mine, and this could potentially be used there. There is a patent for this piezoelectric antenna, so if anyone knows of a source of lithium niobate, put a link in the comments.

We’ve seen this trick before to make small antennas even smaller, but this is the first time we’ve seen it used in the VLF band, where it’s arguably even more impressive.

via Radio Hacks – Hackaday http://bit.ly/2GjE6TG

How to be a Gray Man Step by Step

Lucid Dreaming | Gravity RC 90 day test.

Day 1: I was doing it for around about 5 minutes per hour, I was surprised how effortless it was to do it, maybe this was due to me having some experience with other awareness methods. In total I must be done it for around 1 hour. Which is great for the first day.

I had a headache when going to sleep and feeling pretty ill so I didn’t recall any dreams upon waking up.

Today’s goal is push the time limit upto to 6 minutes. Adding One minute each day. I spoke to hukif and he recommends to start off small and slowly extend the time each day. If anyone wants to join me in this test, feel free to post your results down below.

via Lucid Dreaming - Dream Views - Attaining Lucidity http://bit.ly/2IvvJa3

The $50 Ham: Checking Out the Local Repeater Scene

Lucid Dreaming | Prospective Memory Training

Hi everyone,

So I'm just starting up again and began reading EWOLD once more.
In regards to the part about prospective memory training as an exercise for MILD I have a question.

Do you keep hitting the targets throughout the day or only at the first instance they occur?

Here's an example from the book;
So, if your target is, “The next time I hear a
dog bark, “ when you hear this next, note it and do a state test. You are aiming to
notice the target once – the next time it happens.

The part were it says, the next time it happens confuses me a little. Do I notice it once during the day or do I perform a state check every time I notice it?

I'm guessing the latter is most effective if I want these triggers to carry over in my dream but am still curious if I'm missing something or not understanding correctly.

via Lucid Dreaming - Dream Views - Attaining Lucidity http://bit.ly/2UsW5AL

Lucid Dreaming | Help with Gravity RC while on computer

Hey guys I've been practicing Hukif's GRC and I have some difficulty maintaining it especially when I'm on the computer, phone, or reading books of sorts.

Basically any activity that is physically not so active, but mentally so.

It's easy when I'm physically moving, because the gravity and the focus of weight shifts constantly. And if you are physically or mentally inactive, like meditation or on bed, you can easily redirect your mind's focus. However, when you don't move very much and are on the computer, phone, or books, it's harder to discern it, and it's much easier to get distracted.


I think this also applies not only to GRC but also mindfulness/ADA practices too.


Did anyone overcome similar difficulties?

via Lucid Dreaming - Dream Views - Attaining Lucidity http://bit.ly/2Z0bvLz

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Lucid Dreaming | I have a problem

hello everyone,

I don't know if this is the right section but anyway; sometimes I spontaneously wake up in the middle of the night after a dream, so when this happens I try to perform a technique like MILD, WILD or other stuff but when I do it gets really hard to fall back asleep and I end up lying in my bed for hours.
It's really frustrating because when I get up in the morning I'm tired, obviously the technique I tried didn't work and I can't remember any dream.

I dont know why this happens, maybe I'm doing something wrong, do you have any suggestion or had the same problem?

via Lucid Dreaming - Dream Views - Attaining Lucidity https://ift.tt/2FEggS0

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