Telepathy is the stuff of science fiction. But what if the dystopian futurists were on to something? What if our brains could directly interact with each other, bypassing the need for language? The idea isn't quite so far fetched, according to a recent University of Washington study in which researchers successfully replicated a direct brain-to-brain communication between two people.

In an initial demonstration a year ago, one of the researchers was able to send brain signals over the Internet in order to control the hand motions of another researcher. Now, in a more comprehensive study, the researchers repeatedly were able to transmit signals from one person’s brain via the Internet, and used these signals to control the hand motions of another person within a fraction of a second.

The study tested three pairs of participants (each with one sender and one receiver) who were seated in separate buildings on the Washington campus, roughly half a mile apart. They were unable to interact with one another, except for the link between their brains.

Watch the video below for a demonstration.

Here's what happens: One participant, the 'sender,' is hooked to an electroencephalography machine that reads his brain activity and sends electrical pulses via the Internet to the 'receiver,' who has a transcranial magnetic stimulation coil placed near the part of his brain that controls hand movements. With this technology, the sender can issue a command to move the hand of the receiver by simply thinking about the hand movement.

The sender, who is playing a computer game in which he has to defend a city by firing cannons, thinks about firing the cannon at various intervals throughout the game. The "Fire!" brain signal is sent over the Internet directly to the brain of the receiver, whose hand hits a touchpad that allows him to fire the cannon.

“The new study brings our brain-to-brain interfacing paradigm from an initial demonstration to something that is closer to a deliverable technology,” study co-author Andrea Stocco, a researcher at UW’s Institute for Learning & Brain Sciences, said in a university statement. “Now we have replicated our methods and know that they can work reliably with walk-in participants.”

The accuracy among the pairs ranged from 25 to 83 percent, with errors attributed primarily to the sender's failure to "accurately execute" the fire-command thought rather than the hardware.

The UW team has earned a $1 million grant to conduct further research on decoding and transmitting more complex brain processes, expanding the types of information that can be sent from one brain to another.

The researchers believe that there could one day be potential therapeutic applications for people with brain injuries or disorders.

"We believe that it would be worth exploring the idea that you can help the [brain's] recovery process by literally transmitting the waves of a healthy brain to the brain that has been damaged," Stocco said in a UW video.

Although the applications for brain health are far in the future, the research could be a big step towards treating people with brain damage, according to researcher Chantel Prat of the UW Institute for Learning & Brain Sciences.

"This paradigm offers a wide opportunity for developing protocols for interacting with or putting information into a human brain," Prat added in an email to the Huffington Post. "This technology could eventually be used to 'patch' what is missing or lost in a brain-damaged individual."

BOOM. Flashback: I slumped at my desk and reread my unsavoury email that I was about to send. High emotions clouded any hope for logic and justification levels became devastatingly impenetrable. Tempers between the two of us had finally reached boiling point, resulting in a breakdown of communication, and I was about to send a cutting message which would signal the end of a brilliant, but often fiery friendship.

Without hesitation; I pressed send. She responded with an equally as sharp reply and we terminated the friendship in undignified fashion.

Life felt a lot less beautiful.

The chapters that had been written in the previous years, were ripped up in a fickle blink of an eye.

The impending Facebook friend removal took place and it just felt wrong. So painfully and terribly wrong. I looked outside my office window and the cold, grey, rainy and miserable Newcastle weather seemed apt for the cruelty of the moment.

Days passed and I wondered if this really was the point of no return. Could I take back my words and eat humble pie? Maybe even bring myself to say the “S” word? Along with the many positives within the friendship, we constantly fought and rubbed one another up the wrong way, but this time it felt more serious, more sinister and sadly – it felt like a big mistake.

I have always been brutal with cutting people out of my life, when I feel like negative energy has naturally deemed them surplus to requirements. And I usually don’t give it a second thought as I feel like I have made the right choice. But not this time, this was just a big mess.

I don’t regret pressing send.

More on that later!

Good Stubborn Vs Bad Stubborn….

I’ve often been labelled as ‘stubborn’ by those who know me well and I used to wear it like a badge of honour. I now know that I was wrong to do so – well, at least 50% wrong. Good stubborn brings you positive things in life. Naysayers told me that I would never be able to travel the world indefinitely, whilst funding myself a few years ago and if it wasn’t for me being so stubborn – I wouldn’t be sitting on this plane right now and feeling excited about my next adventure. (It’s not that great though – I really need a wee, but the seatbelt sign is on). 

Good stubborn has been known to help paralysis victims to walk again when many experts told them that it wasn’t possible.

Sylvester Stallone’s good stubborn attitude helped him go from being to a jobless bum, to a Hollywood legend.

The ability to not allow external influences and opinions negatively interfere with your own reality is a good trait and one that should indeed be celebrated from within.

Bad stubborn, on the other hand is cancerous to your soul. It hurts those around you, makes you less likeable and most importantly – it hurts you. I know this only too well. I never ever used to say “sorry” when I knew I should be and when I had done something wrong. I somehow thought it made me a stronger person, when in fact it made me weaker.

I remember how I’d think to myself; “you know that you were wrong there, but you still wouldn’t admit it. Why are you such an arsehole, Anthony!?” Bad stubborn breeds self-loathing and stops you getting invited to dinner parties with chocolate cake for dessert. Why would you do that to yourself?!

Why I don’t regret pressing send…

Days turned into weeks, weeks turned into months and so on. During these years I had to deal with hearing from third party knowledge and spontaneous Facebook stalking (yeah, like you’ve never done it) about my old friend’s life. It cut like a knife to not know how she was and how life was treating her.

I even touched upon it in this post here, during my turmoil.

On several occasions I would click on her profile and compose a heartfelt message to her inbox. The content would always have the same message. Something like:

. This is so stupid and I miss you being in my life.

. I always thought we’d be mates until we are old and crinkly, and not being friends is sad and unecessary.

. I know we didn’t see eye to eye that day, but I’m truly sorry for what I said and if I could take it all back, I would fight 17 hungry Rotweiller’s and run naked around the Sistine chapel in order to do so. I’m truly sorry from my side with every fibre of my being. I hate that this has happened and what has become of us.

. If I die first; Ima come back and haunt your ass when you do the nasty.

I would always sign off with something like; “I totally understand if you don’t want to accept this, (translation: write back and love me, like I love you; you cold, callous bitch),and if you don’t reply. I know our bridges have been burnt and that this is a stab in the dark at best. Regardless, I love you and I am thankful that you were in my life, and I’m absolutely gutted that I don’t have the privilege to call you my friend anymore.”

I meant every word…yet I never pressed enter to send the email. Were the odds against me? Yes. But did I have anything to lose? Nope. But stubborn pride and the fear of rejection got the better of me on each occasion. It was a good few years for the ‘bad stubborn’ devil, as he licked his lips after another period of ‘success.’

I suffered in silence for years, sad in the knowledge that our own little ‘wolf pack’ had split for good.

Read more at http://manvsclock.com/are-you-good-stubborn-or-bad-stubborn-and-is-it-affecting-your-happiness/#dS1qWvIXA6Cmo6EO.99

BOOM. Second Flashback: Roughly two and a half years later and I’m sitting in my apartment in Bangkok. I open Facebook and I have a message from….yep, you guessed it. I wasn’t sure if I should open it in case there was some sort of ‘letter bomb’ Facebook application which I wasn’t aware of.

I opened up the email, not knowing what to expect and read the context of the message. My black little heart warmed up like fresh bread rising in the oven. It said how not being in each other’s life all this time is a massive waste etc and requested to draw a line under all the nonsense…pretty much everything I wanted to say. (She was the bigger man than I!)

It was without doubt my best moment of 2013 (and there have been enough for a lifetime). More emails were exchanged and a long overdue Skype chat commenced. It seemed that we had done a lot of growing up during our time apart. We had time for honest reflection on the demise of our friendship and had grown as individuals. As I always say; self-awareness is key.

Life felt a lot more beautiful.

I still don’t regret pressing ‘send’ on that fateful day. As painful as it was for both sides, the time (although two years was just torture) gave us an opportunity to become more spiritually aware and now the friendship is better than it ever was. Polished the good bits and got rid of the bad. 

Fred the stubborn frog. What an absolute tinker!

Moral of the story…

Good stubborn is something to be proud of. Bad stubborn is not. You always know when you’re being a dick. It’s easy to find acquaintances, but good friends are as hard to come by as an Asian girl not doing the ‘peace’ pose in a photograph. Do you cherish your friends as much as you cherish your romantic relationships? If not, then that’s a shame. Love is still love at the end of the day and you should do your best to surround yourself with it as much as possible.

To treat it with such contempt is a crime against yourself. Oh, and saying “sorry” doesn’t make you a wimp. It makes you self-aware and open to improvement. Ignorance is only bliss to losers. Say goodbye to bad stubborn and bask in your kind of good stubborn. Happy Monday. 

Song for the moment – “Nobody’s Perfect.” By Jessie J.

Notable Lyrics:

But I never meant to hurt you,

I know it’s time that I learned to,

Treat the people I love, like I wanna be loved,

This is a lesson learned.

And I hate that I let you down,

and I feel so bad about it,

I guess karma comes back around,

cause now I’m the one whose hurting, yeah.

Read more at http://manvsclock.com/are-you-good-stubborn-or-bad-stubborn-and-is-it-affecting-your-happiness/#dS1qWvIXA6Cmo6EO.99

Benefits of Mindfulness

Practices for Improving Emotional and Physical Well-Being

It’s a busy world. You fold the laundry while keeping one eye on the kids and another on the television. You plan your day while listening to the radio and commuting to work, and then plan your weekend. But in the rush to accomplish necessary tasks, you may find yourself losing your connection with the present moment—missing out on what you’re doing and how you’re feeling. Did you notice whether you felt well-rested this morning or that forsythia is in bloom along your route to work?

Mindfulness is the practice of purposely focusing your attention on the present moment—and accepting it without judgment. Mindfulness is now being examined scientifically and has been found to be a key element in happiness.

Ancient roots, modern applications

The cultivation of mindfulness has roots in Buddhism, but most religions include some type of prayer or meditation technique that helps shift your thoughts away from your usual preoccupations toward an appreciation of the moment and a larger perspective on life.

Professor emeritus Jon Kabat-Zinn, founder and former director of the Stress Reduction Clinic at the University of Massachusetts Medical Center, helped to bring the practice of mindfulness meditation into mainstream medicine and demonstrated that practicing mindfulness can bring improvements in both physical and psychological symptoms as well as positive changes in health attitudes and behaviors.

Mindfulness improves well being

• Increasing your capacity for mindfulness supports many attitudes that contribute to a satisfied life.
• Being mindful makes it easier to savor the pleasures in life as they occur, helps you become fully engaged in activities, and creates a greater capacity to deal with adverse events.
• By focusing on the here and now, many people who practice mindfulness find that they are less likely to get caught up in worries about the future or regrets over the past, are less preoccupied with concerns about success and self-esteem, and are better able to form deep connections with others.

Mindfulness improves physical health

If greater well-being isn’t enough of an incentive, scientists have discovered the benefits of mindfulness techniques help improve physical health in a number of ways. Mindfulness can:

• help relieve stress
• treat heart disease
• lower blood pressure
• reduce chronic pain
• improve sleep
• alleviate gastrointestinal difficulties

Mindfulness improves mental health

In recent years, psychotherapists have turned to mindfulness meditation as an important element in the treatment of a number of problems, including:

• depression
• substance abuse
• eating disorders
• couples’ conflicts
• anxiety disorders
• obsessive-compulsive disorder

Some experts believe that mindfulness works, in part, by helping people to accept their experiences—including painful emotions—rather than react to them with aversion and avoidance.

It’s become increasingly common for mindfulness meditation to be combined with psychotherapy, especially cognitive behavioral therapy. This development makes good sense, since both meditation and cognitive behavioral therapy share the common goal of helping people gain perspective on irrational, maladaptive, and self-defeating thoughts.

Meditation and other practices that foster mindfulness

Mindfulness can be cultivated through mindfulness meditation, a systematic method of focusing your attention.

You can learn to meditate on your own, following instructions in books or on tape. However, you may benefit from the support of an instructor or group to answer questions and help you stay motivated. Look for someone using meditation in a way compatible with your beliefs and goals.

If you have a medical condition, you may prefer a medically oriented program that incorporates meditation. Ask your physician or hospital about local groups. Insurance companies increasingly cover the cost of meditation instruction.

Getting started on your own

Some types of meditation primarily involve concentration—repeating a phrase or focusing on the sensation of breathing, allowing the parade of thoughts that inevitably arise to come and go. Concentration meditation techniques, as well as other activities such as tai chi or yoga, can induce the well-known relaxation response, which is very valuable in reducing the body’s response to stress.

Mindfulness meditation builds upon concentration practices. Here’s how it works:

• Go with the flow. In mindfulness meditation, once you establish concentration, you observe the flow of inner thoughts, emotions, and bodily sensations without judging them as good or bad.
• Pay attention. You also notice external sensations such as sounds, sights, and touch that make up your moment-to-moment experience. The challenge is not to latch onto a particular idea, emotion, or sensation, or to get caught in thinking about the past or the future. Instead you watch what comes and goes in your mind, and discover which mental habits produce a feeling of well-being or suffering.
• Stay with it. At times, this process may not seem relaxing at all, but over time it provides a key to greater happiness and self-awareness as you become comfortable with a wider and wider range of your experiences.

Practice acceptance

Above all, mindfulness practice involves accepting whatever arises in your awareness at each moment. It involves being kind and forgiving toward yourself.

Some tips to keep in mind:

• Gently redirect. If your mind wanders into planning, daydream, or criticism, notice where it has gone and gently redirect it to sensations in the present.
• Try and try again. If you miss your intended meditation session, you simply start again.

By practicing accepting your experience during meditation, it becomes easier to accept whatever comes your way during the rest of your day.

Exercises to try on your own

If mindfulness meditation appeals to you, going to a class or listening to a meditation tape can be a good way to start. In the meantime, here are two mindfulness exercises you can try on your own.

Practicing mindfulness meditation

This exercise teaches basic mindfulness meditation.

1. Sit on a straight-backed chair or cross-legged on the floor.
2. Focus on an aspect of your breathing, such as the sensations of air flowing into your nostrils and out of your mouth, or your belly rising and falling as you inhale and exhale.
3. Once you’ve narrowed your concentration in this way, begin to widen your focus. Become aware of sounds, sensations, and your ideas.
4. Embrace and consider each thought or sensation without judging it good or bad. If your mind starts to race, return your focus to your breathing. Then expand your awareness again.

Learning to stay in the present

A less formal approach to mindfulness can also help you to stay in the present and fully participate in your life. You can choose any task or moment to practice informal mindfulness, whether you are eating, showering, walking, touching a partner, or playing with a child or grandchild. Attending to these points will help:

• Start by bringing your attention to the sensations in your body
• Breathe in through your nose, allowing the air downward into your lower belly. Let your abdomen expand fully.
• Now breathe out through your mouth
• Notice the sensations of each inhalation and exhalation
• Proceed with the task at hand slowly and with full deliberation
• Engage your senses fully. Notice each sight, touch, and sound so that you savor every sensation.

When you notice that your mind has wandered from the task at hand, gently bring your attention back to the sensations of the moment.

(This post has now been edited to Friends Only Comments due to aggressive negative influences. If you want to contribute something positive, or constructive, Please Friend Me!  We welcome your adition to the discussion)

Peacepink. ....

What does it mean? Its a kind of rose. Itc is used to represent who we chose to be as a group when we became a member. 

But, how does this affect our attitude when we act among one another? 

This varies. Ive seen a new member immediately put down the color, as it looked to him like a psych ward, with 'flowers all around.' I myself found the colors to be inviting and held the promise of a safe to share my experience.  And i did shafe, and found comfort. I also learned much over the years about technology and methodology.  Ive grown considerably. 

But, things have changed. It is trye tgst some of us have had disagreements,  even heated disagreements,  but  ever, NEVER....has there been a situation as we have now. We are allowing influences that are constant and highly aggressive to control how others view us. A few of us are trying to stand against thus influence,  but we get caught up in the garbage because noone wants to adress the issue head on, and lay blame where it belongs.

So, hiw are we viewed? As a CIA front site as the Slander Mill says? Is Anyone standing up against this paintjob?

How does our sister sight FFCHS view us when we allow our members to continually steer newcomers away from what they have to offer TIs? 

When one member openly admits to bashing whomever he chooses whyever he chooses,  and brags about making at least 25 blogs in 8 months committed to bashing those hes personlly labeled,  when he bashes Robert Duncan and other s who stand up fir us, then he is painting us Ugly!

We are Responsible For How We're Viewed!! Its time we've learned from our errors.....we know that disagreements arise, but viewing things objectivly and constructively,  we Grow and Create, and thus have  greater chance at succeeding against our enemy.

When we allow this form of extreme aggression to exist.....We are Choosing to become Bash-pink.

I would rather have peace-pink. What do you think??

“No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.” ~Eleanor Roosevelt

For years I lived an uneventful existence. I wasn’t happy. I wasn’t unhappy either. I was just sort of stuck.

I had a good career, earned lots of money, and I had great friends and a loving family. You would think that this doesn’t sound too bad, but I felt unfulfilled and unmotivated. I repeatedly lived each day like the one before.

I looked around me and saw that everybody within my own circle of friends, relatives, and immediate family were no different. They too seemed stuck. They seemed unmotivated—like they were living their lives on automatic pilot.

I began to question why this was. Why do so many people just accept this pattern as normal, as if this is the way it is supposed to be?

I read hundreds of books on philosophy, psychology, and spirituality. I continued with this for a couple of years until I gradually I began to see things with greater clarity. I began to wake up. Then one day, out of the blue it just hit me, like a ton of bricks.

The key to unlocking my prison door was not contained in any books I read (although they did help me somewhat). It was in my ability to accept what “is” in this moment. So I now I make that choice.

Here are 8 tips to help you make that choice:

1. Remember that you are powerful.

Most of the time we have no idea what we are supposed to be doing, or who we are supposed to be imitating. I say “imitating” because this is what we do: We conform to the external environment.

We play roles and cover up our true selves by identifying with “things” that end up defining who we think we are. I’m a doctor, a salesperson, a secretary, a lawyer; I’m sad, happy, lonely, or miserable. I’m angry, jealous, afraid, and I can’t help it—it’s who I am.

The truth is, though, we are none of those things. They are symptoms of the sleepwalking disease. You are more important than any label. We are not our professions. We are not our feelings. We are not our circumstances. We are not even our mind.

What we are is far greater, far superior, far more important, and far more mysterious than our conceptual mind tries to define. This is why we are far more powerful than we think we are.

2. Choose to embrace life.

Let go and embrace the moment, whether it contains an obstacle or an opportunity. Stop fussing over trivial matters and start focusing on what’s really important to you.

Don’t go through life expecting things to change. Life becomes hard and unfair when we decide to complain about things rather than trying to change them ourselves. Wake up to the truth that life is not a practice-run.

Be bold and courageous, and make decisions that benefit your growth. Put yourself on your imaginary death-bed and realize that time stands still for no one. Start as soon as possible to make any necessary changes you may need to.

Take the first step before more time gradually passes by while you stand still stagnating. Your choice. Your life. Your responsibility. Your power.

3. Realize that you get to control your reactions.

We create our outside reality by the thoughts and beliefs we maintain about life in general. What we believe in our inner world, we see in our outer world—not the other way around.

We all have problems, and we’re often tested by circumstances outside of our control. Even though you may not be in control of what’s going on outside of you, you most definitely can control your reaction to those situations.

We have the power because our inner world (cause) affects the influence we allow the outer world (effect) to have on us. So next time you hear somebody mention that you have great personal power, know they are 100% correct. You have more control than you think.

4. Know that no one is better qualified.

We place far too much emphasis on other people’s opinions about us, often to the exclusion of our own. This takes away from our own personal power. No matter what anybody says about you, it doesn’t hold any significance to who you truly are unless you identify or agree with them.

Stop identifying with other people’s opinions and become aware of how you see yourself. Nobody knows you better than you do. Never accept another person’s reality as your own. Always believe that you can achieve anything you put your mind to. And, most importantly, never let another person’s opinion of you affect what you believe about yourself.

5. Believe that you are more than enough.

If you have to compare yourself to someone else, let it be a person who is less fortunate, and let it be a lesson to learn just how abundant your life truly is. It’s just a matter of perspective.

You may find that you are not entirely grateful for what you possess. You may believe that you need more than you have right now to be happy. If this is the case, then you are absolutely right—you will need more, and you will continue to need more.

This cycle will perpetuate as long as your mind believes it to be true. If you focus on what you have, and not on what you lack, you will always have enough, because you will always be enough.

6. Love yourself.

You have arrived. Everything you need is right here. Cut out the distractions, open your eyes, and see that you already have everything in your possession to be happy, loved, and fulfilled.

It’s not out there. It never was out there. It’s in the same place it was since the day you were born. It’s just been covered up by all the external things you have identified with over the years.

Be yourself. Love yourself completely and accept everything that you are. You are beautiful. Believe it, and most importantly, remind yourself often.

7. Stay cool.

If someone cuts us off in traffic or skips the queue at our local cinema, we may feel our blood pressure begin to rise and feel the need to react in a negative manner. We get uptight with other people’s actions, and in the end we punish ourselves for their bad behavior.

We and up losing control over our own actions because of the way other people act. But we are responsible for our own action, regardless of how rude other people may act. If it’s hard to stay cool, remember: you are the one who loses in the end, if you lose the lesson.

8. Journey well.

We know life is about the journey and not the arrival. We don’t need to arrive if we accept that we are already here.

Be content with where you are today and don’t make the mistake of putting off being happy because you are waiting for the right moment to shine. Sometimes it takes a conscious effort to enjoy the journey.

Not everyone woke up this morning and not everyone will go to bed tonight. Life has no guarantees. Every minute you are living is a blessing that has to be experienced in the moment. It’s not always easy, but it’s alawys, your choice.

Hello All!

In case we haven't met,  I have been a TI for 12 years. Ive been through alot. One of the worst things I go through is sexual assault by use of the machine. Many of you know of what I speak. The enemy has the ability to control Any part of our bodies at any time. This is extremely difficult to deal with. The assault is real and often accompanied by taunts and such through v2k. 

I find that sharing helps me deal with it. What they do is extremely isolating. It cannot be picked up by a rape exam, so there is no physical sign, and thus no real empathy when telling those who dont get similarly assaulted. 

This is why im posting this blog. Because those of us who understand the horror can become aware of others so we can support each other. The greatest thing that pulls me through the ugliness of experiencing sexual assault is knowing that I'm not alone. Ive talked to others that go through it, both men and women. There is strength in numbers. 

I was looking for articles that help with surviving sexual assault. There are many, but none that really explains how to deal with our perspective.  I thought that I would list a few of the things that I personally deal with and some things ways that I handle them.

1) isolation. As a man, it was first very difficult to tell others what I went through. I found tgat when I did, responses varied. The first thing I noticed was tgat noone suggested authorities.  If tgey in any way thought it was real, the woukd be legaly liable to inform the authorities.  They dont do that. Then, you have people who take advantage.  I've told more than one male nurse what I was experiencing and was offered a come-on in return. I have also had both men and women accuse me of bringing it up for my own sexual gratification.  Thus is done by people who havent been treated in such a way,  and think the story of remote motor function manipulation is real, and not a method of suruptitious sexual conversation. Then there is the lack of desire to go around telling something that is so ugly.  Its judt very isolating. 

2) self blame. I at first was filled with self blame.  The enemy fostered this view through v2k input. I would go through my memories and my mistakes trying to find which of them were the cause of my situation. When they make you feel like you are to blame,  you become more isolated because you don't want to share what you supposedly caused.

3) shame. Because of self blame, and the intense negativity of the situation,  shame emerges. Humiliation is shames friend. The enemy is good at inflicting both. Often the sexual assault is accompanied by v2k that is highly degrading in nature. The ideas presented through v2k work to instill these negative feelings deep into your psyche.

4) anger/rage. I feel emothions build up quickly as the assault happens. I have rage at times that I internalize. I am not by nature violent toward others so my thoughts turn toward self violence. I get visions of sticking a knife into my thigh. I express the rage in a moan/cry that does not contain words. I have used intense physical excercise to help redirect energies.

5) fear. When they leave, I am already fearing that they. Will return. The violation itself in the way we experience it, can cause mistrust of reality in general.  This mistrust brings forth fear. When and how. And by who will the next assault be done by?? Not knowing is fearful.

These are a few things I experience. There are certainly others, and everyone is different.  I hope this helps.

Somd of tge wYs I deal with them are;

1) talking to someone! Seattle has a great crisis line. The volunteers most often will listen and try and give tools to deal with anxiety. They are a big help. I am going to a psychologist today for support for these issues. It is important that you get someone compatible with you. It really helps. I also get on peacepink to share.  Most members are supportive. As im going through the adsault, I remeber men and women that also go through the same hell.

2) distracting. This is something you hear of others doing mentally while they go through something they have no control over. It could also be called intentionally induced detachment.  Doing and thinking something that can take you away from the situation to any degree can help. I use imagination to detach.  I will imagine that im a space cowboy, like Han solo, and that im fighting for the future of humanity. As a Christian,  I usec to imagine that I was a prophet, being treated like prophets before me. At any rate,  regardless of your belief system,  faith does wonders with imagination.

There are other ways I deal. Heavy use of alcohol and at fimes other substances is useful to me as an individual in medicating the assault. It is not something I recommend.  But it works for me.

Here are some articles on surviving sexual assault.

http://www.k-state.edu/counseling/topics/relationships/rape.html

http://counseling.ucr.edu/hot-topics-students/Pages/SurvivingSexualAssault.aspx

In any case I would hope that we can deal empathetgecally with each other when it comes to this subject. Feel free to share in any Postitive fashion.

THANKS!

Researchers continue to explore the effects of positive thinking and optimism on health. Health benefits that positive thinking may provide include:

• Increased life span
• Lower rates of depression
• Lower levels of distress
• Greater resistance to the common cold
• Better psychological and physical well-being
• Reduced risk of death from cardiovascular disease
• Better coping skills during hardships and times of stress

dentifying negative thinking

Not sure if your self-talk is positive or negative? Here are some common forms of negative self-talk:

• Filtering. You magnify the negative aspects of a situation and filter out all of the positive ones. For example, you crhad a great day at work. You completed your tasks ahead of time and were complimented for doing a speedy and thorough job. That evening, you focus only on your plan to do even more tasks and forget about the compliments you received.
• Personalizing. When something bad occurs, you automatically blame yourself. For example, you hear that an evening out with friends is canceled, and you assume that the change in plans is because no one wanted to be around you.
• Catastrophizing. You automatically anticipate the worst. The drive-through coffee shop gets your order wrong and you automatically think that the rest of your day will be a disaster.
• Polarizing. You see things only as either good or bad. There is no middle ground. You feel that you have to be perfect or you're a total failure.

Focusing on positive thinking

You can learn to turn negative thinking into positive thinking. The process is simple, but it does take time and practice — you're creating a new habit, after all. Here are some ways to think and behave in a more positive and optimistic way:

• Identify areas to change. If you want to become more optimistic and engage in more positive thinking, first identify areas of your life that you typically think negatively about, whether it's work, your daily commute or a relationship. You can start small by focusing on one area to approach in a more positive way.
• Check yourself. Periodically during the day, stop and evaluate what you're thinking. If you find that your thoughts are mainly negative, try to find a way to put a positive spin on them.
• Be open to humor. Give yourself permission to smile or laugh, especially during difficult times. Seek humor in everyday happenings. When you can laugh at life, you feel less stressed.
• Follow a healthy lifestyle. Exercise at least three times a week to positively affect mood and reduce stress. Follow a healthy diet to fuel your mind and body. And learn techniques to manage stress.
• Surround yourself with positive people. Make sure those in your life are positive, supportive people you can depend on to give helpful advice and feedback. Negative people may increase your stress level and make you doubt your ability to manage stress in healthy ways.
• Practice positive self-talk. Start by following one simple rule: Don't say anything to yourself that you wouldn't say to anyone else. Be gentle and encouraging with yourself. If a negative thought enters your mind, evaluate it rationally and respond with affirmations of what is good about you.

Here are some examples of negative self-talk and how you can apply a positive thinking twist to them:

Putting positive thinking into practice

Practicing positive thinking every day

If you tend to have a negative outlook, don't expect to become an optimist overnight. But with practice, eventually your self-talk will contain less self-criticism and more self-acceptance. You may also become less critical of the world around you.

When your state of mind is generally optimistic, you're better able to handle everyday stress in a more constructive way. That ability may contribute to the widely observed health benefits of positive thinking

http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-living/stress-management/in-depth/positive-thinking/art-20043950

ETH Researchers Develop a Thought-Controlled Genetic Interface

Swiss scientists achieve a remarkable mashup of optogenetics, synthetic biology, and brain control.

We’ve seen a lot of interesting experiments with EEG recently. Researchers have used these brain signals to fly a toy helicopter, make a rat’s tail twitch, operate a tablet computer, and get a paraplegic wearing an exoskeleton to kick a ball at the World Cup (see “World Cup Mind-Control Demo Faces Deadlines, Critics”).

Now Marc Folcher, Martin Fussenegger, and colleagues at the ETH Zurich, in Switzerland, have gone a step further. They used EEG to give human volunteers direct brain control over the activity of living cells, a technology they’re calling the world’s first-ever “mind-genetic interface.”

Using the interface they designed, the ETH team showed a human volunteer wearing an EEG cap could use his thoughts to trigger production of a particular protein, called SEAP, in human kidney cells growing in a petri dish. He could also turn on supplies of the cells that had been implanted under the skin of lab mice.

The research is interesting because it shows how futuristic brain implants might function, Folcher and company write in this week’s Nature Communications. Such devices, the ETH authors speculate, might sense a person’s feelings of pain (or perhaps oncoming epileptic seizure) and then automatically trigger brain cells to pump out a helpful biotech drug.  

To build their interface, the ETH team combined three technologies, each of which is exciting in its own right: brain-computer interfaces, synthetic biology, and optogenetics.

First, they engineered the kidney cells with bacterial DNA, creating what synthetic biologists like to call a “genetic switch”—a series of genes that, together, work to turn on production of a particular protein, in this case SEAP.  

To trigger this switch to the on position, the ETH gang used optogenetics, adding a gene from the purple bacteria Rhodobacter sphaeroides that produces a light-sensitive molecule. Now, when they used an LED light to shine some near-infrared light onto their cells, the switch flipped, and they immediately began making SEAP.

So far, so good. But to complete their cybernetic stunt, the scientists had volunteers don EEG caps—that’s an electrode covered cloth that picks up electrical waves from the brain. These waves can be roughly controlled by a person if they concentrate. In itself, EEG is nothing new—here’s a video of the Beatles’ John Lennon using EEG to control a musical instrument in the 1970s.

But the ETH team wanted to be the first to ever turn human thoughts into electrical pulses, then into light, and finally into proteins. They did it by having the volunteers use their brain waves to turn the LED light on, thereby triggering the cells to make the SEAP protein. In summary, say Folcher and company, “we designed a mind-genetic interface that uses brain waves to remotely control target gene transcription wirelessly.”

You might ask what the point is. One answer is that a lot of scientists right now are interested in next-generation brain implants. They are hoping to improve deep-brain stimulation, a medical technology widely used to stop the tremors of Parkinson’s disease. These brain implants stop tremors using a wire placed in a brain region called the thalamus. The patient turns it on and gets a fairly strong current of electricity, which immediately makes the tremors cease. It’s a technology that does wonders, even though no one is sure how it works.

Work has already started on tomorrow’s implants—and these may function just as the ETH team envisions. For instance, the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parksinson’s Research has been paying for research on how to replace the electrodes in deep-brain stimulators with fiber optics. Instead of electric shocks, it would send out pulses of light to control the neurons that don’t function right in Parkinson’s. 

Just as important to next-generation implants is the idea of direct brain control. Instead of the patient having to turn on their device on manually, a so-called “open loop” system, the goal is to close the loop with an implant that can read brain signals, and know when a tremor is starting. That way, the implant would react automatically when treatment is needed.

That means the ETH team’s crazy mind-DNA interface isn’t so crazy after all.

Why did the Mona Lisa become one of the most famous paintings of all time? That’s a question an incredible amount of people have asked themselves in the past. And one possible answer is this: because of her unique smile.

The smile is is the “the symbol that was rated with the highest positive emotional content” concludes scientist Andrew Newberg. And for me personally, I’ve been very reluctant before embracing smiling. Only a few years back, when one of my teachers told me: “Why don’t you smile more? Go learn how to do it!”, I started to research learn about the actual power of smiling.

I had a brief moment of disbelief that anyone can learn how to smile better. And yet, since then, for many years, I practiced smiling in the mirror and on many other occasions. That’s a fact I’ve often been a little embarrassed to admit, yet the research of this post confirms how powerful practicing a bit of smiling can be.

After recently discussing which words matter the most when we talk, digging into the facts of smiling was one of the most mentioned suggestions. So here we go:

The science of smiling: What happens to our brain when we smile 

Let’s say you experience a positive situation and you see a friend you haven’t met in a long time. This means that neuronal signals travel from the cortex of your brain to the brainstem (the oldest part of our brains). From there, the cranial muscle carries the signal further towards the smiling muscles in your face.

Sounds simple enough right?

And yet, that’s only where it starts. Once the smiling muscles in our face contract, there is a positive feedback loop that now goes back to the brain and reinforces our feeling of joy. To put more succinctly:

“Smiling stimulates our brain’s reward mechanisms in a way that even chocolate, a well-regarded pleasure-inducer, cannot match.”

Smiling then, seems to give us the same happiness that exercising inducesterms of how our brain responds. In short: our brain feels good and tells us to smile, we smile and tell our brain it feels good and so forth.

That’s why in a recent research scientists concluded “that smiling can be as stimulating as receiving up to 16,000 Pounds Sterling in cash.” Here is a brief description of the different muscles the cranial muscle activates in our face:

Real vs. Fake smiles – can we tell the difference?

Whenever we smile, there are 2 potential muscles we activate. The first one is the zygomaticus major and it controls the corners of your mouth. Whenever this muscle only is activated, it’s not actually a genuine smile. Scientists call this also the “social” smile. The second muscle, known to show sincerity is theobicularis occuli and it encircles our eye socket.

The true smile also called the duchenne smile, named after the famous scientist who first separated the “mouth corners”-only smile, from the “eye socket” one. Here is a comparison:

Our brain can in fact distinguish very easily between what’s real and what’s fake. In fact researcher Dr. Niedenthal argues there are 3 ways we can do so:

• Our brain compares the geometry of a person’s face to a standard smile
• We think about the situation and judge whether a smile is expected.
• Most importantly: We automatically mimic the smile, to feel ourselves whether it is fake or real. If it is real, our brain will activate the same areas from the smiler and we can identify it as a real one.

Niedenthal then experimented with how important it is to be able to mimic smiles and whether we could still tell the genuine smiles from the fake ones:

Dr. Niedenthal and her colleagues asked the students to place a pencil between their lips. This simple action engaged muscles that could otherwise produce a smile. Unable to mimic the faces they saw, the students had a much harder time telling which smiles were real and which were fake.

So the fact that we can’t try it for ourselves, leaves us almost unable to identify any smile as fake or real. Why is this so important though to know what and what doesn’t trigger us to understand smiling? Here are some more insights:

What smiling does to our health, success and feeling of happiness

Smiling can change our brain, through the powerful feedback loop we discussed above. And your brain keeps track of your smiles, kind of like a smile scorecard. It knows how often you’ve smiled and which overall emotional state you are in therefore.

Smiling reduces stress that your body and mind feel, almost similar to getting good sleep, according to recent studies. And smiling helps to generate more positive emotions within you. That’s why we often feel happier around children – they smile more. On average, they do so 400 times a day. Whilst happy people still smile 40-50 times a day, the average of us only does so 20 times.

Why does this matter? Smiling leads to decrease in the stress-induced hormones that negatively affect your physical and mental health, say the lateststudies:

• In the famous yearbook study, they tracked the lives of women who had the best smiles in yearbook photos compared to the rest. Women who smiled the most lived happier lives, happier marriages and had fewer setbacks. Here is a sample of the women from the observed yearbook. I let you guess who was successful and who wasn’t:

• The baseball card study also found a clear correlation between how big a smile someone made on a baseball card photo and how long they would live. The people who smiled the most turned out to live 7 years longer than those who didn’t.

Of course, the above only shows a correlation, and not a causation. And yet, I can’t help but agree that smiling breeds trust, makes you happier and helps you to live longer.

And most importantly, smiling can be learnt. Or to put more precisely, re-learnt. Most of us forget how to smile genuinely over time, as we adopt social smiles more and more. Here is a guide to get your genuine, duchenne smile back:

A 3 step guide to a better smile 

Imagine a situation of joy before an event:

One of the best ways to make your smile more genuine and real comes fromresearcher Andrew Newberg:

“We just asked a person, before they engage in a conversation with someone else, visualize someone they deeply love, or recall an event that brought them deep satisfaction and joy. It’s such an easy exercise, and we train people to do it in our workshops.”

Personally, I’ve tried to do the same experiment before a phone call or even before writing an email. I’ve found that people can always tell if you have a smile on your face, even if they don’t see you. I’ve even tracked how this improves response rates to emails I send for Buffer related feature suggestions or partnerships for example. That should most likely be another blogpost.

Practice smiling in front of the mirror

Here is something I’ve done for almost a few years in the morning: Stand in front of the mirror and smile. Practice to activate both your mouth corners and your eye sockets. You will know whenever your smile is genuine, because you will immediately feel happy and relaxed. The power of a smile, even practiced in the mirror is that it can invoke the emotion immediately.

Become comfortable with smiling

A lot of people (myself included!) see smiling as something that makes you weak. Personally, I’ve found that developing a better smile starts with being very comfortable to smile a lot. If in your head, you can imagine yourself going through the day and smiling lots to everyone and everything, that’s often when a happier life starts.

Yes, this might be just a small change in thinking. And yet, for me personally, that was the most important part to smile more every day.

Quick last fact: Women smile more than Men, here is why 

Here is something interesting. Researcher LaFrance concluded that, overall, women smile a lot more than men. This comes not just from the fact that they might be happier, but also, that socially, it is more acceptable for women to smile, she says. And it doesn’t stop there:

“In general women are more accurate than men in detecting what is really going on with someone by looking at their face and listening to their voice. Women are more likely to tell the difference between a felt and a fake smile.”

Some afe saying changing your name makes you a perp. Im not understanding this accusation.  Some creative people change clothes, hair styles,  hair colors, car models, i mean, some people change. SSolielmavis recognized this when she created a site with the ability to change names and profile pics. 

So, if you Ever want to change or modify your moniker or avitar or both,  don't let these,  " if you change your nane Youre bad" members intimidate you!

I found an article on inluences from others. Its a real good read, and gives points on dealing with negative influences. 

This article is about how people affect our lives.

As we go through life, we will meet many people, and some of them will make us change our mind, make us think about a new subject, or even make us look at the way we live our lives in a new way. These are the people who have an impact on the way we think and feel about the world, and their influence will last a lifetime.

People who have a positive impact on our lives are generally called role models, and they can be anybody, from any walk of life, who has some long-lasting positive effect. However, role models can be both positive and negative. A negative role model is someone who we would never want to be like, but who has some effect on our lives whether we like it or not. Hopefully, you've dealt with more positive than negative role models in your life, but in the real world, you need to be prepared to deal with the worst.

Regrettably, not every person you meet as you make your way through this world will be a positive influence on you. You may come from a broken home where neither parent was a role model you could look up to. You may have personality differences with your teachers. You may have ideological differences with your coach. You may have moral, ethical, or personal differences with your employers. These are the people who influence us most outside of our families, and they can have a big effect on us, both emotionally and spiritually.

Over the past few years someone dear to me has had to deal closely with a person who has been a negative role model. In fact, this person has been a negative influence to many people in every respect. I'd like to tell you a little bit about this type of person, who I'll simply call Negative P, and how you can deal with these people when you meet them and have to deal with them.

• Negative P is not a happy person. For Negative P, happy people are annoying because Negative P can only see the cup as half empty. Negative P can only make him/herself feel better by tearing other people down. Negative P is happy when you are feeling low because that makes Negative P feel better about him/herself.
• Negative P will climb over you to get to the top. In fact, Negative P will go out of their way to hurt you in their quest for themselves. Negative P will say cruel and hurtful things about you behind your back, but not to your face, because Negative P is a coward.
• Negative P is insecure. Deep in his/her heart, Negative P doesn't believe in him/herself, and so they will hurt you to temporarily make him/herself feel better than you.
• Negative P will use you. Negative P may say nice things to your face in order to get you to do something that Negative P wants, but the words are only empty air. Negative P is a liar, a cheat, and a willing thief. Beware of sharing your ideas with Negative P at school or in the workplace, because they will quickly be stolen.
• Negative P is jealous of you and your abilities. Negative P fails to recognize one simple fact about life: That he/she can only become truly better by bettering him/herself. If you are in a competition, you need to rise to the level of competition rather than trying to cheat your opponents. If you are in the workplace, you need to rise to the level of expertise of your co-workers rather than sabotaging their work. You know this, but Negative P will only try to bring you down instead. Don't let him/her do it.
• Negative P will play favorites. But be warned, you are only the favorite of this person because you have a skill they need and they are using you for it. Don't be blind to what they truly are - a user. Don't allow yourself to be used. And if you have to be used, for work, or school, or athletics, do it with your eyes wide open. Be prepared to be stabbed in the back without a moment's notice. For when Negative P is done with you, they will throw you away without a second thought.

Thankfully, most people like this are quickly figured out and generally avoided, but sometimes they are in a position of authority and you will have to deal with them. Here are a few strategies for dealing with people who may be a little or exactly like Negative P, and for dealing with the stress that they can cause you:

1. If at all possible, remove yourself from the situation where Negative P is in charge. If not…
2. Avoid them. Don't view this as being a wimp or cowardly. The less they see you, the less chance they have to try and hurt or demoralize you.
3. Remember that anything they say or do to you is because they are jealous, spiteful, small-minded, unhappy, and vindictive.
4. Document and gather evidence for all the cases where this person has done something unethical, immoral, or illegal, and when you have enough concrete evidence, turn it into the proper authorities. It's always best to have other people who will also back up your side of the story as well.
5. No matter what, remember that Negative P is jealous of you and insecure about him/herself. And believe in Karma, because what comes around always goes around.

Let's say, for example, that you are a collegiate athlete and Negative P is your coach. Your athletic ability is paying for your college education, so you don't want to quit. Your ability is also scoring points for your college team, so your coach doesn't want to kick you off. But the coach does his/her best to make life miserable for you. What do you do? You can quit, but then you lose your scholarship. You can transfer schools, but face it, it was tough enough leaving your high school friends, and starting over again at a new college is not the easiest thing to do.

The same goes for employment. You can quit, but then you won't have an income. And your boss keeps you because you are skilled at what you do but often makes work miserable for you. You can transfer jobs, but that's often stressful enough to make you stay and deal with your current employer, because at least you know how bad they can be.

So you have a dilemma. Sometimes, in the real world, you will have to suck in your gut and remember that what people say about you and do to you do not define you as a person. You can rise above their scorn, ridicule, and persecution, and be the better person you know you can be. Yes, it's tough, but life isn't easy.

You may also have to learn when to say when, and become acquainted with the notion of firing your employer, your teacher, or your coach! When you quit a situation like this, you are not a quitter!! You are getting rid of a negative influence and moving in the right direction! Good riddance! My hat is off to those of you who have gotten out of this sort of situation.

Cut the dead weight and move on with your life, because life is too short to deal with Negative P.

That brings me to my final point. All of us have to choose who you want to be. Our actions, our words, and our gestures will have long lasting effects on the people close to us, and even on those who we may not know:

Remember how bad you felt when the kid down the street made fun of you? Well, that was thirty years ago, and you still remember it, don't you?

Remember how happy you felt when your coach rubbed your head and told you, "Great job!"

Remember how bad you felt when your boss singled you out and ridiculed you in front of the company?

Remember what a thrill it is to make your parents proud?

All of us, at some point, are children, teachers, parents, bosses, and coaches. And all of us have an effect on other people's lives. Please try to make it a good one.

Here is an article that describes how scientists have implanted memories in mice. We must wonder, and worry at what we are being subjected to by the enemy's abuse of technology.
http://www.smithsonianmag.com/innovation/meet-two-scientists-who-implanted-false-memory-mouse-180953045/

I am neing gang stalked daily. I live in a college community and the lacals are very active in taking part.. I don't want to go crazy so I take it one day at a time . Please someone tell me there's hope. I need to know t hatwe can stop this together.

Does any one ever record their communities, or whole cities repeating the same harassing phrases? I have. I have recordings of people walking down the stree, or in the iele over in a store that say confidence rroding sentences and phrases. As I have become more active, I have bee getting death threats. An artcicle I recently read said that the gang stalkers themselves are more programmed that the target. this causes the voice to skull they experience cause them to act in unison regardless of where I go in the city of Seattle. they believe whatever they hear and then feel justified in taking part in human rights violations. I don't now these people and they don't know me. Can recording of these kinds help in making a situation stop? I don't beleive anyone in Seattel will help. They are either giving in to programming, or they are afraid to speak out on my behalf.

Any suggestions?

Have you ever faced negative people before? Wait — who am I kidding? Of course you have! I know I have. Unless you live in a cocoon, all of us have probably encountered at least one or two negative person in our life. Negative people are everywhere, be it in our workplace, in social circles, or sometimes our family.

The challenge with dealing with negative people is that interactions with them tend to be draining. No matter what you say, they always have a negative opinion to offer. When something positive happens, they are quick to excuse that as a one-off or point out the black lining to the situation. When they have a problem, they prefer to victimize and complain, rather than work out a solution.

To negative people, life sucks.

While we sometimes associate critical people as negative people, I want to highlight that they’re not always the same. Critical people have a tendency to criticize, at times even insult, others. Critical people can be sarcastic and tactless, often stepping on people’s toes. On the other hand, negative people may not necessarily be critical toward others. What they carry is a pessimistic and self-defeatist attitude toward life.

Negative People as Energy Vampires

I like to refer to negative people as energy vampires. Two reasons why

1. Like vampires, negative people are incapable of generating positive energy. Hence they feed off the energy of others.
2. Vampires convert living beings into their kind because they feel lonely living in solitude. Similarly, negative people tend to drag people down into negativity too. After all, misery loves company.

Actually, all of us have a connection with the universe that brings us unlimited (positive) energy. Because negative people are blocked in their connection to this source, they are constantly in an energy deficit, which leads to them to drain others of their energy. The more negative people can even leave you with headaches or mild dizziness – these are your king/queen vampires.

On the other hand, positive people are in tune with their inner energy sources. Their energy flows outwards, spreading goodness and warmth to people around them. It’s like a fountain of overflowing water. :D This is why you feel upbeat and energetic when around positive people — they have a magnetic quality that draws people in automatically. Great leaders, iconic figures and some celebrities have this quality that allows them to attract large masses of people. When I was in my previous company, there were numerous leaders in the management who exuded such qualities – it was always liberating being around them.

My Encounter with Energy Vampires

Some of my past encounters with energy vampires have left me drained for a good part of the day. If I was dealing with a king or queen vampire, the aftereffects could spill over to the next day.

There was a notable period when I was 17 or 18 when I was exposed to a huge amount of negativity. I was in Junior College (JC) then. Because the JC I went to was regarded as one of the poorer performing ones in Singapore, many students who registered with the school did so because they had no other schools to go to, rather than because they wanted to be there. Hence, many of my schoolmates were constantly negative and disgruntled. Some firmly believed that their lives were destined for failure.

Even some of the teachers would enforce these failing beliefs on the students. These teachers were clearly not proud of being part of the school; I believed that some of them were sent to teach at here against their desire. They would sometimes draw comparisons with students in the top schools they used to teach in, lauding those students and indirectly putting us/our school down.

One of my teachers in particular was very skeptical and judgmental. She constantly encouraged my class to settle for mediocrity, because trying to strive for anything else would be setting ourselves up fordisappointment and failure. Of course, that was a load of bull and simply a projection of her own issues onto us, rather than a reflection of what we were capable of. If anyone had any dreams or goals, she would be quick to squash them, saying he/she was being impractical.

It’s one thing to hear such negative words from your peers; it’s another thing to hear them from teachers – the very people who are supposed to guide you and support you in life. Frankly, it was quite depressing. I remember feeling very shocked the first time I heard her telling us to settle for mediocrity. After that, I began to discount whatever that teacher said. I knew that something wasn’t right, and I wasn’t going to entertain such nonsense, undermining advice from anyone even if he/she was a teacher.

All in all, my JC was like a breeding ground for energy vampires. I was quite a positive person, so I would constantly try to uplift my friends. However, many times I felt like I was going up against a tidal wave. I found it hard to influence my friends with positive thinking, because many preferred to stick with their way of thought. It didn’t help that the jaded teachers would often offset my words with negative sweeping judgments about us and the school.

On a side note, I remember my then-principal was a really positive and passionate man who had great visions for the school. He was actually the reason why I decided to enter that particular JC, rather than others. I really respected him for his idealism and commitment. :D In retrospect, he probably faced huge difficulties in leading the school toward his visions.

How To Deal With Energy Vampires

While unpleasant, my experience with energy vampires have taught me how to deal with them. If you’re facing energy vampires today, here are eight helping points:

1. Ground Yourself

The first important step when facing energy vampires is to ground yourself. This means centering yourself such that you do not get easily affected or swayed by negative energies around you. Otherwise you can easily get sucked into the energy vampire’s vortex, no different from being sucked into a quick sand. You need to be properly grounded before you interact with an energy vampire.

To ground yourself, first imagine the essence of your soul amassing in the center of your body. Next, imagine this essence spreading throughout your body, to the point where it’s extending out through your feet, deep into the ground, in the form of thick, sturdy roots. The roots are extremely strong and they are anchoring you into the ground such that nothing can sway you. Think of yourself as a big and strong oak tree that’s firmly rooted in the ground.

2. Shield Yourself

The next step is to shield yourself. This is your second layer of protection, after grounding. A shield is like a bubble around you that separates you from the world; it’s an energy barrier which keeps out undesirable energy from entering your space. Like a real shield, your shield is a defense tool which protects you from aggressors or bad energy. It also helps to keep your (positive) energy in and prevents it from being sucked by a vampire. Read: How to Make a Energy Shield.

A shield is not permanent. The energy of the shield wears off over time, which decreases its protective ability. In the face of an energy vampire leeching your energy, the shield’s strength can deplete quickly. The more negative the vampire, the weaker the shield becomes. When your shield becomes fully depleted, it will cease to function. To avoid that from happening, re-enforce your shield once every few hours by repeating the energy shield exercise.

3. Hang Out in Groups of Three or More

It’s tricky to deal with an energy vampire on a one to one basis because all his/her negativity gets directed at you. On the other hand, if you are in a group of three or more, the vampire’s attention becomes divided between you and the other people. This way, you don’t have to bear the full brunt of the person’s pessimism.

Another plus point of hanging out in a group is that I get to observe and learn from how others deal with the vampire, which then gives me ideas on how to handle him/her. Since everyone has different way of thinking and handling people, I always learn something new from everyone.

4. Provide a Listening Ear

People are usually negative because of negative incidents that happened to them in the past — bad childhood stories. Sometimes their venting comes from repressing their grievances. Rather than disregard their viewpoints, provide a listening ear. Sometimes what people need aren’t solutions, but just someone to listen to and empathize with them. By letting them air their thoughts, it may help them to realize what they should do.

(If you have Personal Excellence Book Volume 2, check out 13 Tips To Be A Better Listener, one of the exclusive articles inside.)

5. Extend A Helping Hand

Is there anything you can help them with? Sometimes people complain as a way of crying for help. See if there’s anything you can do to support them. Ask them, “Is there anything I can do to help you?”. They may not show it, but deep down they’ll appreciate your emotional generosity.

6. Stick to Light Topics

Some energy vampires are triggered by certain topics. For example, a friend of mine sinks into a self-victimizing mode whenever we talk about his work. No matter what I say (or don’t say), he’ll keep complaining once we talk about work.

In the ideal world we want to help lift the person out of his/her negativity. But in cases where the negativity is too deeply rooted to tackle in a one-off conversation, or where the person has very staunch views on that topic, it may be better to let go and switch to a different topic to lighten the mood. Simple things like the latest movies, daily occurrences, common friends, and news stories make for light conversation. Keep the conversation to things that uplifts the person.

7. Reduce Contact

If none of the above works, the next step will be to reduce contact. Limit your contact as much as you can. If it’s a teammate whom you work with, then limit the communication to just work-related issues. If the energy vampire is a friend, then try to hang out with him/her less; if you have to, then hang out in groups of three or more (see Tip #3.)

8. Cut Them Away From Your Life

I’d like to share a quote by John Assaraf:

“I just do not hang around anybody that I don’t want to be with. Period. For me, that’s been a blessing, and I can stay positive. I hang around people who are happy, who are growing, who want to learn, who don’t mind saying sorry or thank you… and [are] having a fun time.”

When all else fails, the last step is to cut them away. Here are 12 signs it’s time to move on from a relationship (while this article is written in the context of romantic relationships, they also apply for friendships/other relationships), and another one on Why I Parted Ways With My Best Friend of 10 Years.

While cutting the person (especially if he/she is a friend) may seem drastic, bear in mind that not everyone is going to be compatible with you in your life journey, and it’s up to you to decide who you want to be with. Ultimately, you are the average of the five people you are with. By spending precious time around energy vampires, you’ll naturally become negative too, which I’m sure isn’t what you want.

Now that you have learned how to deal with negative people, think about the people you face daily. Do you face any energy vampires? Who are they? What can you do to better deal with them in the future?

If you live with negative (angry) people, this piece will help: What to Do When You Live with Angry People: 7 Gentle Tips

Get the manifesto version of this article: [Manifesto] How To Deal With Energy Vampires

Ready for a mind-bending news story that will forever change your perception of life? Quantum physicists in Israel have successfully entangled two photons that don’t exist at the same time. They create one photon and measure its polarization, destroying it — they then create another photon, and though it never coexisted with the first, it always has the exact opposite polarization, proving they’re entangled.

Don’t worry if you have a little trouble trying to bend your head around this: Quantum mechanics, almost by definition, is completely different from our own perceptions and experiences, which are governed by classical mechanics. Believe it or not, quantum mechanics actually has no problem with the behavior demonstrated by the Israeli physicists — entanglement was never a tangible, physical property, and this experiment is a perfect example of why it’s sometimes very naive to boil quantum ideas into classical analogies.

Entanglement is a state where the state of two quantum particles (photons, for example) are intrinsically and absolutely linked. Quantum particles, due a principle called quantum superposition, exist in every theoretically possible state at the same time. A photon, for example, spins horizontally and vertically (different polarizations) at the same time. When you measure a quantum particle, though, it fixes on a single state. With entanglement, when you measure one half of the entangled pair, the other half instantly assumes the exact opposite state. If you measure one photon and it’s vertically polarized, its entangled sibling will be horizontally polarized.

Quantum entanglement, between photons that never coexist [Image credit: Science]

As for how the Israelis entangled two photons that never coexist, the technique is rather complex. They start by producing two photons (1 & 2) and entangling them. The first photon (1) is immediately measured, destroying it and fixing the state of the second photon (2). Now a second pair of entangled photons (3 & 4) is created. They then use a technique called “projection measurement” to entangle 2 and 3 — which, by association, entangles 1 and 4. Even though photons 1 and 4 never coexisted, they know the state of 4 is the exact opposite of 1.

As we’ve covered before, entanglement seems to occur instantly, even if the particles are on opposite ends of the universe. This experiment shows how entanglement exists through time, as well as space — or, in scientific terms, the non-locality of quantum mechanics in spacetime.

Does this experiment have any implications, beyond its use as a sublime example of the weirdness of quantum mechanics? As always with quantum entanglement, there is a possibility that “projection measurement” could be used in quantum networks. Instead of waiting for one half of the entangled pair to arrive at its destination (along a normal fiber optic network), this two-pair approach would allow the sender to manipulate his photon instantly. As Anton Zeilinger, a quantum physicist not involved with the study, tells Science: “This sort of thing opens up people’s minds and suddenly somebody has an idea to use it in quantum computing or something.”

This Is How America’s Spies Could Detect Lying in the Future
Polygraph-based lie detection technology remains the standard method of deceit spotting in the government. MRI-based lie detection systems are better, so long as you can get the person you are evaluating over to a huge neural imager and can afford $2,600 per scan. But what the national security community has long wanted is lie detection system that works in the field, can be deployed anywhere and can spot deceit on site and immediately, a polygraph encoded in software.
Patrick Tucker is technology editor for Defense One. He’s also the author of The Naked Future: What Happens in a World That Anticipates Your Every Move? (Current, 2014). Previously, Tucker was deputy editor for The Futurist, where he served for nine years. Tucker's writing on emerging technology ... Full Bio
In February, the Intelligence Advanced Research Projects Activity (IARPA) announced a rather unique competition called INSTINCT, which stands for Investigating Novel Statistical Techniques to Identify Neurophysiological Correlates of Trustworthiness. The goal was to develop “innovative algorithms that can use data from one participant to accurately predict whether their partner will make trusting decisions and/or act in a trustworthy manner.”

On Thursday, the agency announced the winner of the contest, a project called JEDI MIND, which stands for Joint Estimation of Deception Intent via Multisource Integration of Neuropsychological Descriminators. The creators of the winning algorithm, Troy Lau and Scott Kuzdeba with BAE Systems, found that their system could predict trustworthiness 15 percent better than average (baseline analysis).

According to IARPA, the researchers “found that someone’s heart rate and reaction time were among the most useful signals for predicting how likely their partner was to keep a promise.” The methodology of the experiments has not yet been released.

“Knowing who can be trusted is essential for everyday interactions and is especially vital for many Intelligence Community (IC) missions and organizations. Improving this capability to know whom to trust could have profound benefits for the IC, as well as for society in general,” Adam Russell, IARPA program manager said in a statement.

How might the government’s lie-detecting software robots benefit society? Stopping people from lying about whether they’ve come in contact with Ebola is an obvious one but there are others.

A quick look at the military’s efforts to quantify truthiness in recent years offers some clues about where the research is headed.

A Brief History of the Government’s Lie Detecting Computer Research

Probably no researcher has been more important in a computational approach to trust than Paul Ekman, creator of one of the world’s foremost experiments on lie detection, specifically how deception reveals itself through facial expression. Ekman’s work has shown that with just a bit of training a person can learn to spot active deceit with 90 percent accuracy simply by observing certain visual and auditory cues — wide and fearful eyes and fidgeting, primarily — and do so in just 30 seconds. If you are a TSA agent and have to screen hundreds of passengers at a busy airport, 30 seconds is about as much time as you can take to decide if you want to pull a suspicious person out of line or let her go get on a plane.

While Ekman’s lie detection methods worked well in sit-down interviews, they weren’t designed to be used on people waiting in a line. It was a capacity that the government wanted and so the DARPA Rapid Checkpoint Screening Program was launched in 2005 to take some of Ekman’s findings and automate violent intent detection, thus making it objective. In other words, the goal was to develop a machine to anticipate whether or not someone might be a risk to the safety of a plane.

The biometric detection of lies could involve a number of methods. Today, we know that someone who hesitates while texting is a bit more likely to be lying to you than someone who answers back right away, according to a 2013 study from researchers at Brigham Young University. Your voice can also reveal clue to “fraudulent behavior” in a ways that are hard to detect with the naked ear, but can be detected algorithmically.

We know that someone who hesitates while texting is a bit more likely to be lying to you than someone who answers back right away.
However, the most promising is thermal image analysis for anxiety. If you look at the heat coming off someone’s face with a thermal camera you can see large hot spots in the area around the eyes (the periorbital region.) This indicates activity in the sympathetic/adrenergic nervous system, which is a sign of fear. Someone at a checkpoint with hot eyes is someone who is probably nervous about something. The hope of people in the lie detection business like Chatham, Ekman and Willis is that very sensitive sensors placed a couple of inches away from a subject’s face would provide a reliable cue.

Unfortunately implementing such a system in an airport setting proved unworkable in 2006, when the TSA began to experiment with live screeners who were being taught to examine people’s facial expressions, mannerisms and so on for signs of lying as part of a program called SPOT (Screening Passengers by Observational Techniques). When a police officer trained in “behavior detection” harassed King Downing, an ACLU coordinator who is black, a lawsuit followed. As Downing’s lawyer John Reinstein told The New York Times, “There is a significant prospect this security method is going to be applied in a discriminatory manner. It introduces into the screening system a number of highly subjective elements left to the discretion of the individual officer.”

Later, the Government Accountability Office would tell Congress that the TSA had “deployed its behavior detection program nationwide before first determining whether there was a scientifically valid basis for the program.”

DARPA’s Larry Willis defended the program before Congress, noting that “a high-risk traveler is nine times more likely to be identified using Operational SPOT versus random screening.”

Today’s computerized lie detectors in airports take the form of Embodied Avatar Kiosks that watch eye dilation and other factors to discern whether passengers are being truthful or deceitful. No, the kiosk isn’t going to do a cavity search, but it can summon an agent if it robotically determines you’re just a bit too shifty to be allowed on a plane without an interview.

The announcement gets us closer to a day when computers can detect truth and trustworthiness better than thought possible. That could be an important breakthrough for a variety of reasons, not the least of which, helping intelligence professionals develop better lie detection techniques when no computer is around.

The announcement gets us closer to a day when computers can detect truth and trustworthiness better than thought possible.
“We’re delighted with Lau and Kuzdeba’s insight into the data,” Russell said. “Their performance under the rigorous evaluation process of the INSTINCT Challenge provides additional evidence in support of one of the TRUST program’s basic hypotheses: that the self’s own, often non-conscious signals – if they can be detected and leveraged appropriately – may provide additional valuable information in trying to anticipate the intentions of others.”

What would this look like?

Imagine that you are asked to make a promise. It’s one you do not intend to keep but you say ‘yes’ anyway, after a moment’s hesitation. Your pulse rises in a way that causes your cheeks to feel warm. This is not noticeable to anyone — but a computer analyzing your neural, physiological, and behavioral signals has determined what you already know, you’re lying.
http://www.defenseone.com/technology/2014/10/how-americas-spies-could-detect-lying-future/96245/?oref=d-river

this article discusses how unclassified sources are creating programs that are clones of us. It may be very similar to what we experience when they use programs that mimic people we know through v2k. They may create a digital clone profram that they created directly from monitoring the individual. 

Talking to your digital twin could one day be like looking in the mirror.

“When you and I die, our kids aren’t going to go to our tombstones, they’re going to fire up our digital twins and talk to them,” says John Smart, futurist and founder of the Acceleration Studies Foundation. Smart uses many names for the technology he predicts — digital twin, cyber-self, personal agent — but the concept stays the same: a computer-based version of you. (Video)

Using various strategies for gathering and organizing your data, digital twins will mirror peoples’ interests and values. They’ll “input user writings and archived email, realtime wearable smartphones (lifelogs), and verbal feedback to allow increasingly intelligent and productive guidance of the user’s purchases, learning, communication, feedback, and even voting activities,” Smart writes. They’ll displace much of today’s information overload from regular people to their cyber-selves.

And one day, Smart theorizes, these digital twins will hold conversations and have faces that mimic human emotion. “They will become increasingly like us and extensions of us,” Smart says.

The concept might sound far-fetched. But consider that people often turn to a deceased friend or family member’s Facebook wall to grieve. People already form relationships with each other’s online presences. As computer science advances, the connection will only improve and strengthen — even with identities that aren’t real people.

“Where we’re headed is creating this world in which you feel you have this thing out there looking after your values,” Smart says.

For digital twins to reach their full potential, however, they require two important developments: “good conversational interfaces and semantic maps,” Smart explains.

Conversational Interfaces (CI)

Ron Kaplan, a data scientist in Silicon Valley, already chronicled the necessity of CI for Wired last year. In his words, simply scheduling a flight could require 18 different clicks or taps on 10 different screens. “What we need to do now is be able to talk with our devices,” he wrote.

Smart couldn’t agree more. “With technology, we want things that enable us to use as much of our brains as possible at one time,” he adds.

For example, with a single, spoken sentence, you could tell your personal agent you feel sick. It could reference your calendar or emails to determine when to make a doctor’s appointment. And when you arrive, you might not even need to fill out forms. Your personal agent would have looked at your hospital records and healthcare information for you — and then later relayed the outcome of any tests taken during your visit.

While no company boasts such comprehensive abilities yet, many have started to implement similar technologies. Right now, Apple has Siri. Microsoft has Cortana. And in the summer of 2014, a program named “Eugene Goostman,” imitating a Ukrainian teen, passed the Turing Test (with some healthy skepticism).

Smart, however, places great emphasis on an earlier cognitive machine: IBM’s Watson, which the company claims “literally gets smarter.” Watson’s performance on Jeopardy against champion Ken Jennings, shown below, convinced many skeptics of the emergence and optimization of CI

Vocal technologies like Siri, Cortana, and Watson already rely on semantic maps, tools that represent relationships in data, especially language. And companies constantly improve them. For example, a late 2013 Google update brought pronouns to the table — and Smart’s wife, for one, quickly noticed a difference.

Walking in downtown Mountain View, his wife pulled out her phone, and as a test, asked Google, “Who is the President of the United States?” Naturally, her phone responded: “Barack Obama.”

Next, Smart’s wife inquired: “Who is his wife?”

Phone: “Michelle Obama.”

Smart’s wife: “Where was she born?”

Phone: “Chicago, Illinois.”

Not only did Smart’s wife engage in conversation with her phone, it understood words like “he” and “she” — pronouns that refer to an antecedent earlier in the conversation. ”Now, you don’t have to specify every little detail,” Smart explains. “Because the computer has some memory of previous exchanges and uses that as context.”

Once we create “decent maps of human emotion,” Smart adds, digital twins will even have faces to help them communicate. They’ll smile or furrow their brows to show whether they understand or not.

“But the next step is something I call a ‘valuecosm,’” Smart explains.

The ‘Valuecosm’

A valuecosm doesn’t just, for example, analyze all your emails and formulate a record of your interests and values. It allows a personal agent to interact in your stead based on this information.

“You’re reaching for a can of tuna at a grocery store in 2030,” Smart envisions.  ”And your bracelet gives a green arrow to move your hand a few inches to the left, from Bumble Bee to Chicken of the Sea or whatever.”

You’d previously told your personal agent to watch for foods with high mercury levels or companies that over-fish the oceans. So this wearable piece of technology, imprinted with a digital version of your values, informed you which product to choose based on that.

“And then, back in your car, your digital twin directs you to the gas station that’s most in line with your environmental values,” Smart adds. A valuecosm not only uses information in a human way, it’s flexible, too. You can review your settings and change them manually.

“You’ll be having a conversation with your [personal] agent, and you say, ‘I want more of this or this plus something else,’” Smart explains. “You know, I care more about social justice so make that area bigger.”

To make this technology the most usable and effective though, your digital twin will have to pull your information from various places, with your permission — not push its functions onto you.

“People who have started using Google alerts, they’ve moved themselves toward a more pull-based view of the internet,” Smart says.

In truth, the concept started as a way to improve advertising. For example, internet cookies monitor your online activity, allowing companies to match their advertisements to your interests. But instead of a company “pushing” their products or ideas onto you and trying to create demand, with pull-based marketing, you give permission for access to your information, and the advertising follows.

“Instead of a filter, it’s more like a magnet,” Smart explains. That idea, however, could lead to even less online privacy.

The Future Of Privacy

The uncertain status of online privacy already bothers the general public. People criticize companies like Google and Amazon that only pull their information from what’s available. But with digital twins, we’ll have to give full permission for companies to access our online identities to optimize our use of the technology.

“You know, I’d like to have control of my healthcare or financial information in my own little internet locker,” Smart admits. “But that kind of thinking is first generation. You can’t accomplish much by having control of your own data.”

Big-name companies using algorithms and predictive analytics can probably best host our personal agents. As long as people feel they have strong control over the technology, privacy will come secondary, in Smart’s opinion.

“People who are thinking that you can control your own identity aren’t thinking about the problem right,” he says. “The future of personal control isn’t control of data. The future that we care about is control of an algorithmic interface of your identity.”

For comparison, Smart mentions domestication. Humanity didn’t engineer the brains of cats and dogs. We simply chose the ones more amenable to us and bred them. “We’ll do the same to our advanced AIs, whose brains we won’t be designing, but rather teaching, like a small child,” Smart explains.

And as Smart predicts, all these technologies, required to make fully functional personal agents possible, are only about five years away.

http://www.impactlab.net/2014/09/25/we-could-all-have-digital-twins-that-make-decisions-for-us-within-5-years/

This is an excerpt from the article; 

Three Ps

One of the most difficult aspects of change is the need to make a day-to-day, hour-to-hour, and minute-to-minute commitment to change (Every time you miss an opportunity for change, you further ingrain your old obstacles). A helpful reminder of this necessity is what I call the Three Ps.

The first P, patience, is a constant reminder that change takes time and that if you maintain your commitment, you have a good chance to make the changes you want long lasting.

The second P, persistence, means you must keep vigilant and, as the saying goes, "keep on keeping on" in your journey to change.

The third P, perseverance, refers to your ability to overcome setbacks and maintain your motivation and confidence in the face of periodic failures and disappointment

21
inShare

I have had the most amazing privelage of meeting online, the worlds first fully lobotomized,  upper percentage mensa member,  right here on peacepink! !!

First, let me post some things about a lobotomy. Heres a few paragraphs from wkipedia:

The lobotomy procedure could have severe negative effects on a patient's personality and ability to function independently.^[131] Lobotomy patients often show a marked reduction in initiative and inhibition.^[132] They may also exhibit difficulty putting themselves in the position of others because of decreased cognition and detachment from society.^[133]

Immediately following surgery patients were often stuporous, confused, and incontinent. Some developed an enormous appetite and gained considerable weight. Seizures were another common complication of surgery. Emphasis was put on the training of patients in the weeks and months following surgery.^[134]

(Youll notice this next paragraph and how it points out the childish personality that a lobotomy creates in the patient)

Freeman coined the term "surgically induced childhood" and used it constantly to refer the results of lobotomy. The operation left people with an "infantile personality"; a period of maturation would then, according to Freeman, lead to recovery. In an unpublished memoir he described how the "personality of the patient was changed in some way in the hope of rendering him more amenable to the social pressures under which he is supposed to exist." He described one 29 year old woman as being, following lobotomy, a "smiling, lazy and satisfactory patient with the personality of an oyster" who couldn't remember Freeman's name and endlessly poured coffee from an empty pot. When her parents had difficulty dealing with her behaviour, Freeman advised a system of rewards (ice-cream) and punishment (smacks)

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lobotomy

Interesting isnt it. Now lets look at what mensa is:

Membership requirementEdit