If more of these go up in the next few decades and eventually become a mesh we’ll have much cheaper long distance telecom I think. Add to that even before cheaper telecom comes about, amateur radio operators will be able to communicate further with cheaper equipment, no matter what the weather or solar cycle is like. Cool stuff!

This thing probably weighs 4 pounds at most and is a cube not that much bigger than a coffee cup (excluding the antennas) at about 4 inches on each side and change (again excluding the antennas).

http://www.nasa.gov/directorates/spacetech/small_spacecraft/phonesat.html?

Given that weight, they can probably put them up there for ?$30,000 to $40,000. If they last as long as they say they do, that’s great. When the general public can start paying to put these up there, just think about the potential for disaster relief or a shared network of these things. I wonder how many it would take to create a network that would allow round-globe communication, even if that’s only for an hour or two every day. If I could get one that’d be stationary or pay for access to a network at a reasonable monthly fee for voice and another for a reasonable monthly fee to even relatively slow (think IBSN or older DSL) data I’d do it.

Now to see how they manage solar power for continuous use at higher levels than the current equipment

Cooler: Live audio, including audio around your area — I’d been to this site before, but a news station covering those 4 firemen taken hostage referenced using the RadioReference.com audio archives and played the audio on their news feed. Cool stuff. I just wish they had a least a historical spectrum analyzer so you could listen to earlier audio and not have to just sit there until something happens – though it’s cool to have a “free scanner” stream that covers major radio bands.

http://www.broadcastify.com/listen/?rl=rr

Technician is the first and lowest test.
General is the middle and second highest test.
Amateur Extra is the last and highest test.

The attached DOC files are the question pools that make up what questions that are used to make up the 40-ish question tests, in toto. There are several hundred questions for each license degree. So these are the question pools and the correct answers only.

Read through the questions for a particular degree, then take the practice test here: http://www.qrz.com/hamtest/ or another free practice test around the web. Score a 90 or so if you can. If not, read ‘em again and take that degree again. After doing so, move on to the next one. The testing dates vary locally and you find information for your local testing on the ARRL site. http://www.arrl.org/ Most places have the testing once or a few times a month and will cost $15 to have a go at all of the tests. The licensing testing doesn’t take a long time and it’s cheap and $15 whether you take just the technician test, two of the tests or all three. After that the FCC issues us each an ID after we pass one of the tests. You can pay a few bucks for a “vanity ID” if you like (though there’s not a whole lot available) and can get license plates with your ID on them for $5.

Technician License Class Question Pool with Correct Answers:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1BVigIzOz9i2hGk7NlccaHlnM99Et0RrinNcNrPs90TY/edit?usp=sharing

General License Class Question Pool with Correct Answers:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1MU5rXCfItXwFE3si2kCzxp-BunmbnjKGTtAUoxTrdsI/edit?usp=sharing

Amateur Extra License Class Question Pool with Correct Answers:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1_w9E4NaHXOUyvICwx7QgrjNE1EZMQ151Can4hg8uzgE/edit?usp=sharing

“The unreal is more powerful than the real, because nothing is as perfect as you can imagine it. Because it’s only intangible ideas, concepts, beliefs, fantasies that last. Stone crumbles. Wood rots. People, well, they die. But things as fragile as a thought, a dream, a legend, they can go on and on.”

-Chuck Palahniuk

“I do not concern myself with gods and spirits either good or evil nor do I serve any.”

-Lao Tzu

“Prohibit the taking of omens, and do away with superstitious doubts. Then, until death itself comes, no calamity need be feared.”

-Sun Tzu

It’s enough to say that an argument with someone who has religious beliefs is an unending thing. They believe what they want to believe. Accept it, move on and be good to one another. If someone think’s you’ve crossed their God, run like hell. Don’t offend people in desperate times, especially not in this manner because there’s no better way to anger someone than disparage their lifestyle and all that they live and work for. An even better reason is that we all come from varied backgrounds and if you’re willing to be tolerant and adapt to any situation, you may gain some great friends. You’ll find people that are less tolerant than I am and you may imagine that I hate religion and thus by extension resent or hate people who own a religion. I don’t, I just think it’s something that I have to humor and then get on with my life. You should too.

By extension of religion, I also mean political views, sexual orientation and ethics. Live and let live, don’t start fights and find allies in everyone. Many people espouse Christianity or Catholicism, Judaism or another religion but really aren’t educated about. You don’t have to be a scholar to know your religion. I find that those who are more aware of their religion are good people for other reasons beyond “being religious” or “God-fearing”. Put simply, I’d rather have friends that are good people. I’d rather have my children brought up by someone who knows what they’re about than someone un-educated without set ethics. Good people are good people, whether those ethics come from a religious moralistic viewpoint or from an atheistic and humanist logical source.

-Lao Tzu

“When the best leader’s work is done the people say, “We did it ourselves.””

-Lao Tzu

“Don’t tell people how to do things, tell them what to do and let them surprise you with their results.”

-George S. Patton

“We herd sheep, we drive cattle, and we lead people. Lead me, follow me, or get out of my way.”

-George S. Patton

“The skillful employer of men will employ the wise man, the brave man, the covetous man, and the stupid man.”

-Sun Tzu

Leading isn’t macho-ism. It’s not being in charge, being in control of others and the situation, owning your situation or delegating tasks. It’s not being the person with the biggest gun or more firepower and it’s definitely not telling others that you know what to do better than they do, even if you do. That’s about all I have to say on it. Just remember that people work better when doing what they love, what they’re good at and what they want to do than they do when they’re ordered to do something. I’m sure there’s a middle ground somewhere in there caused by people not understanding the gravity of their situation, but what it boils down to is that delegation and letting someone get the job done will work better. Micromanaging and generally being a hard-ass doesn’t engender loyalty no matter how good your ideas are.

“Never allow someone to be your priority while allowing yourself to be their option”

-Anonymous

“He who controls others may be powerful, but he who has mastered himself is mightier still.”

-Lao Tzu

I’ve already mentioned this once when I wrote about how valuable life is, but it bears repeating. Making sure you decide who you need in your life is important. This is multiplied beyond belief in a survival situation. You can’t exactly abandon someone because you don’t like them if you’re stranded on the side of the road 100 miles from the nearest town and phone of course. But, you can prepare in advance who will be joining you if your situation changes for the worse and you need to retreat from where you are to get by.

Don’t take this the wrong way, but your friends are likely people who won’t be good for you to take along with you. Emotional ties are there of course and it may be hard, but family comes first. Now, some of us have friends who are as close as family or who can offer valuable skills to your mutual survival but it still will pay to weigh your options. I’d take my cousin, a medical practitioner of unknown ability to me over a friend of mine who is a doctor any day of the week because I know him and can trust him beyond belief and I know he wouldn’t let me down in a situation where it was a situation where if he left me it would improve his chances for survival. No matter what you think about friends, that’s what they are, just friends.

Also, no offense, but what James Wesley Rawles (author of the novels Patriots and Survivors) and Thomas Sherry (The Deep Winter Trilogy) write in their survivalist fiction books is great content and a good way to pick up on survival situations by context in deeply involved novels. However, what it isn’t is realistic. When it comes down to it, I don’t believe anyone who values life, honor, ethics and or a moral code should have a problem helping people a little (though not with money) in everyday situations where they can help. However, in a situation that’s questionable as to your own survival or when dealing with people you don’t know intimately it’s unrealistic to offer help to strangers. While working in a group with family or close friends is one thing, “Christian Charity”, especially in a disaster or emergency is not a smart route. For that matter, the European Union and China invading us through the Northeastern United States is fiction at best and not to mention poor fiction. I’m not going to describe some of the predatory situations you may find yourself in or someone who might be a drain on resources you and your family may need, but you can do the math. If there isn’t a situation where there is no law, make yourself visible to authorities. If you’re in a situation where you feel in danger, make yourself scarce and don’t be visible.

If you looked in your refrigerator, freezer, pantries and closets right now, would you have enough food to survive for three months if there was no power or water? How about two months? Would there be enough for your entire family? How about your entire family plus another family? Do you think that if you and your family were starving if you would steal bread? A stupid question, but where’s the bread going to come from? What if there was no grocery store or market to steal from? Would you steal from your neighbor? Would you steal from a store? Would you steal from a stranger? Who isn’t prepared for that? Most people? Would most people steal from you if they and their children are starving? I’ve mentioned this before, but this bears repeating as it’s an important subject to mull over. Ultimately, people should and will make their own decisions based upon research and how they feel about it.

“There has never been a protracted war from which a country has benefited.”

-Sun Tzu

“Flee an enemy who knows your weakness.”

-Pierre Corneille

“In prehistoric times, mankind often had only two choices in crisis situations: fight or flee. In modern times, humor offers us a third alternative; fight, flee – or laugh. “

-Robert Orben

“Battle cries. We make the swift retreat.
Paradise. It don’t come cheap.
Square up to fight. Like dynamite.”
-Lyrics from the song, “Aqualung” by Morcheeba

I personally believe we have every right to defend ourselves. Apparently, so do laws around the world because no one is culpable if they fail to defend you. Though some courageous people will put themselves in front of you, most of those that will do this are family, people who habitually attempt to protect those weaker themselves and believe it is just to do so, or friends.

My view on fighting is that you shouldn’t do it intentionally. If you do end up in a physical fight, whether without or with weapons my best advice is to stave off your attacker, push them back and then attempt to escape while preventing them from attacking you. Going after a fight or seeking to prolong an encounter are both foolish. Taking on someone when you know you can win is sound in theory and practice. That’s not really a fight, though. If caught in a situation where you are attacked, training will help you know how to react with muscle memory and you’ll be better mentally prepared to face an opponent which gives you an edge. However no matter what, people tend to react to a situation with struggling and fighting. Being prepared for a situation and able to defend one’s self is something as vital as knowing how to eat. Too many people lead sheltered lives up until the moment that a situation arises where they can’t protect themselves because of that sheltering. Some people are afraid of ensuring their children can defend themselves because they don’t wish their children to hurt themselves and others around them. This makes life too easy on their children and they don’t grow to become adept or even accustomed to something that is important in life.

Fighting can be as complex as rocket science. One rule of thumb is that you should never fight alone if you can avoid it, whether versus one opponent or many. Another rule of thumb that I keep in mind is that whether your potential opponent is going to be armed or not, you should be. For those jurisdictions or individuals not allowed to carry firearms, there are tons of “non-lethal” weapons that one can carry in many jurisdictions. If it’s not banned, I emphatically suggest getting your concealed handgun license and carrying a firearm. Too many situations happen to people where they are victimized by other people and they could have defended themselves capably or at least had a chance at defending themself with a firearm.

Though it’s not an expression that may be accepted by many, if you have a daughter you’ve probably given this thought more consideration than not. Everyone who cares about the wellbeing of themselves and those they care about should defend themselves. I’m amazed by how many people go through life, even after being a victim or robbery or some type of assault simply shrug it off and tell themselves it won’t happen again. Even more that have not ever been in a situation where they may have needed to defend themselves wander through life, blindly believing that it will not happen to them for whatever reason. Nowhere in our world is a safe place and whether it’s an animal or human that might attack you, even in your own home. The crime maps I’ve and real estate web sites that I listed before may give you a good idea of what crimes take place where. Initially when doing my research, I was amazed to find that what I’d been muttering as justification for being armed was true. Somewhere in my mind I had been clinging to the belief that I was safe where I live. There aren’t any major cities where the entire city is safe and you’d probably be surprised to find how many places are relatively unsafe.

Be aware of where you are, what you’re capable of and don’t adopt strategies to living that are counter to your own survival and the defense of those that you care about. Personally, I suggest a large caliber semiautomatic pistol for concealed carry and second a pistol, shotgun, carbine or assault rifle for a complete home defense solution. Most likely, what you will have at hand when you need it will be enough as long as you ensure that it will be there. It’s not likely you’ll need to use an assault rifle for the advantages it offers as a gun unless you live in a rural area, but in place of a shotgun, carbine or handgun they’ll work just fine in many situations. I won’t go into alarms and alert systems, but I also suggest having alarms for when you leave your home, a safe or safes too heavy for an individual to move and bolted down and a home surveillance system with online backup.

“A human being should be able to change a diaper, plan an invasion, butcher a hog, conn a ship, design a building, write a sonnet, balance accounts, build a wall, set a bone, comfort the dying, take orders, give orders, cooperate, act alone, solve equations, analyze a new problem, pitch manure, program a computer, cook a tasty meal, fight efficiently, die gallantly. Specialization is for insects.”

-Robert A. Heinlein

I sometimes don’t know where people get the concepts of what they think is practical. I’m pretty satisfied with that list of what Robert Heinlein says about what human beings should be able to do but I also think it’s good to note that it’s what healthy people are capable of doing, not just one of five, but all of them. All of those things are what our knowing how to live in our cultures are all about. They’re not limited to skills you can do alone and they’re all practical, or would be if you are out in the world living.

Picking up skills is important. Being able to change a tire in your car and navigate with a compass are equally important. That’s just two tiny examples of a fraction of skills that a human being should have. These are techniques that humans have created over the lifetime of our species and there should be shame and loss of respect for someone who says that they’re useless now because we’ve moved into a new age. If anyone tells you something remotely like that, they’re selfishly omitting the rest of the world and living in denial. Sometimes you talk to people about science fiction stuff and even in the wildest imagination of those who have a real grasp of what it might be like to live in space on another planet, never is there no pitching of manure for farming, no cooking, no building of walls or changing of diapers or their future counterparts.

These are things that we can learn and base new things off of, but there will still be people performing practical actions or designing machines to do them for them, even in the places the future will take us. Many of us hear from older generations sometimes that “you young folks don’t know nothing about nothing”. It’s quite true more often than not these days. How many of your friends could start a fire with two sticks, as in knows they can because they’ve done it? How many of the people that you know have written a sonnet? Can they all cook a good meal? Can they all fight efficiently to defend themselves or others? There are so many gaps in important things these days that without a lifeline to a supermarket or fast food restaurant, many would die.

Learn skills that will benefit you in your life and pass them on to your friends, family and children. Sometime down the line it may make a difference or cause them to appreciate the world and their life for what they have a bit more. That’s never a bad thing.