Free Republic

Neutrinos are having a moment. They’re speeding across Europe (just how fast is under review), they’re changing flavors in China and, now, they’re carrying rudimentary messages through bedrock in Illinois. A team of physicists encoded a short string of letters on a beam of neutrinos at Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory in Batavia, Ill., and sent the message to a detector more than a kilometer away. On the journey the neutrinos passed through 240 meters of solid rock, mostly shale. What was the word they transmitted in the preliminary demonstration? “Neutrino.” The experiment is described in a paper posted to the...

.........In 1995, Gingrich, then speaker of the House, wrote a memo for GOPAC, which trains Republican candidates, citing language as "a key mechanism of control used by a majority party." In his inimitable, insufferable fashion, he went on to say that his videotaped GOPAC courses had elicited a "plaintive plea: 'I wish I could speak like Newt.' "That takes years of practice. But we believe that you could have a significant impact on your campaign and the way you communicate if we help a little. That is why we have created this list of words and phrases,".. He went on...

What usually is a treasured opportunity for cross generational chit-chat became a silent car ride as a luminescent glow eerily lighted his facial features in the back seat. My grandson has mastered a hand-held electronic thinga-ma-jig which muted what had previously been a casual forum for conversations about life-in-the-now and even life-everlasting. No knock-knock jokes. No “Hey, look, a horse trailer and it has horses inside!” No seemingly insignificant queries such as, “Justin says there is no God. Is that true?” Where once we easily conversed about hurt feelings, roadside beggars, birthdays, bullies and the like, this day the unilateral...

20 or so people in there, half of them under 30 going for their technician. I was one of 2 in there to upgrade to general, and one showed up for the highest class, amateur extra. Anyways, I ask this kid (22-25yo) "Why are you getting into ham radio"? He matter-of-factly said, "For the upcoming zombie apocalypse". I laughed and half the room turned around, glad to proclaim the same, hell even bragging about it! A couple more admitted that they were embarrased to say that but essentially that is why they were there. I found out with a little...

Prayer stands as a key component of a Christian’s life. When a Christian prays they share their gratefulness, reverence, thoughts, concerns, and needs with the Eternal Father. Even non-Christians talk to God at times in their lives. However, prayer represents only one side of communication with God. Men need to let God talk. Unfortunately, the wide majority of the world refuses to give God the opportunity. If they would let Him talk, they would be much better equipped for the lives that they have been given.Those who give God the chance to talk to them learn: God created the heavens...

Remember Ronald Reagan the Great Communicator. In my opinion, he was a great leader, because he was a great communicator. I the GOP primaries, Newt Gingrich is by far the best speaker, orator, and communicator. Since he espouses the conservative values, methods and action plans that we mostly agree with and since he does give the best, most interesting and easy to listen to speeches, he has the potential to be the best candidate against Obama and to be the best president to help we Americans to clean up the mess made by the Obama administration. Also, Gingrich is not-only...

SOPA is legislation designed to regulate how digital communication is used. SOPA will be voted on this month.

A lot of preppers are talking about Ham radio as a communications system during and after an SHTF event. The ability to listen and even talk with people vast distances away in real time is powerful tool. For a very long time I’ve wanted to get an Amateur Radio license (“Ham”). For one reason or another I never undertook the study and the test. Until now. I have just passed my Technician’s license exam! (as of writing this) While it will still be a couple of weeks before I get my official station call sign, I’m very excited and already...

.....5. Rick Perry had the most publicized communication failure of the year with his brain freeze in remembering his third point in a very public setting. The Rule of Three is good, but you don’t want to say “There are three things…” in advance in a very public forum such as a Presidential Debate unless you know you will remember them. Or have them in your notes. So he could have topped the Worst list with that faux pax along with his early amateurish debate performances, marked by halting mannerisms, jerky style and hostile attacks. But he’s here in the...

The university hands down a new edict about punctuation -- but the world's grammar nerds will never back downGrammar lovers today were saddened, shocked, and mightily displeased at the news that the P.R. department of the University of Oxford has decided to drop the comma for which it is so justly famed. As GalleyCat reported, the university's new style guide advises writers, "As a general rule, do not use the serial/Oxford comma: so write 'a, b and c' not 'a, b, and c'." Cue the collective gasps of horror. The last time the nerd community was this cruelly betrayed, George...

ARRL Field Day Overview ARRL Field Day is the single most popular on-the-air event held annually in the US and Canada.  Each year over 35,000 amateurs gather with their clubs, friends or simply by themselves to operate. ARRL Field Day is not a fully adjudicated contest, which explains much of its popularity.  It is a time where many aspects of Amateur Radio come together to highlight our many roles. While some will treat it as a contest, most groups use the opportunity to practice their emergency response capabilities.  It is an excellent opportunity to demonstrate Amateur Radio to local elected community...

Think of what it will be like one day if we wake up one morning, turn on the television and find out the Internet and cell phone networks have been shut down due to a financial meldown or some other inconceivable event. Despite having formed "tea party" and similar groups all around the country, we find ourselves isolated and unable to mobilize anyone. With no way to communicate, millions would find comfort in the prospect of gathering somewhere with all those local patriots once again. But where do we meet? What day? What time? It is exactly THAT scenario that...

WITH a tin can, some copper wire and a few dollars’ worth of nuts, bolts and other hardware, a do-it-yourselfer can build a makeshift directional antenna. A mobile phone, souped-up with such an antenna, can talk to a network tower that is dozens of kilometres beyond its normal range (about 5km, or 3 miles). As Gregory Rehm, the author of an online assembly guide for such things, puts it, homemade antennae are “as cool as the other side of the pillow on a hot night”. Of late, however, such antennae have proved much more than simply cool. According to Jeff...

According to Republican strategist Frank Luntz, Bill Clinton won the presidency in 1992 "because he, more than any other political figure, understood what was happening in the country at that time, and had an innate ability to communicate it right back." Luntz analyzes this victory and others in his new book Win: The Key Principles to Take Your Business from Ordinary to Extraordinary As a longtime media strategist, Luntz has helped craft many sound bites and political phrases during his career, from "death tax" to the "Contract with America." In Win, Luntz argues that careful messaging is as essential to...

Just as the Egyptian government recently forced the Internet to go dark, U.S. officials could flip the switch if the Protecting Cyberspace as a National Asset legislation becomes law, say its critics. Proponents of the bill, which is expected to be reintroduced in the current session of Congress, dismiss the detractors as ill-informed - even naive. The ominously nicknamed Kill Switch bill is sure to be a flashpoint of discussion at ..." [snip] The debate is sure to intensify after the 0bama administration announced Tuesday a new policy on Internet freedom ..." . . . . . . . ....

So much for objectivity. One of the FCC stipulations of the Comcast – NBCU merger was the incorporation of non-profit journalism centers into NBC newsrooms. They are charged with maintaining and increasing local news coverage, the regulation based on the relationship between KNSD-TV and VoiceofSanDiego.org. KNSD airs the segments, but really can’t take all the credit for them. They are largely the work ofVoiceOfSanDiego.org, a local nonprofit journalism center that has been sharing news tips, co-producing and supplying content to the station for several years. [...] Under the terms of the FCC order approving Comcast’s takeover of NBCU, at least...

Seeing what has happened in Egypt and their ability to quickly shut down the internet got me to thinking about the possibility that at some time in the future OUR Government may try the same with us. Therefor I thought that to prepare for such an event should be planned by us (the citizens who would most likely to be effected as well as the people most likely to need alternatives to internet connections to stay in communications and keep upraised of events not being reported accurately (and intentionally). We would have to depend upon our telephones but that can...

— Africa can feed itself. And it can make the transition from hungry importer to self-sufficiency in a single generation.The startling assertions, in stark contrast with entrenched, gloomy perceptions of the continent, highlight a collection of studies published December 2 that present a clear prescription for transforming Sub-Saharan Africa's agriculture and, by doing so, its economy. The strategy calls on governments to make African agricultural expansion central to decision making about everything from transportation and communication infrastructure to post-secondary education and innovation investment.

When Barak Obama broke onto the scene to a firestorm of liberal adoration and a hyperventilating, awe-struck press, the world was rapt. They cried in heavenly bliss, “At last! At last we have the one! The black man who can lead all of America (and the world, to listen to them) to the Promised Land.” Well, at least most of the world. Some, however, were and remain unimpressed. We conservatives were not taken in by his lofty gaze-we knew it for arrogance, not vision. We were not beguiled when we heard his soaring words, we knew them for empty rhetoric,...

The U.S. Air Force has awarded Northrop Grumman Corporation a $14 million contract extension to integrate its Common Link Integration Processing (CLIP) system on B-1B and B-52 aircraft, providing aircrews with enhanced battlefield awareness, communications capabilities and weapons management. Under the 17-month contract extension, Northrop Grumman will support software integration, ground and flight tests, and Air Force and joint interoperability certifications. All 66 aircraft in the B-1 bomber fleet and 94 aircraft in the B-52 fleet will be CLIP enabled. CLIP is a software package that allows existing platforms without a tactical data link, as well as platforms with different...

.: Northrop Grumman Corporation has begun flight testing the new computing hardware and communications infrastructure that will eventually allow the B-2 stealth bomber to send and receive battlefield information by satellite more than 100 times faster than today. Since Sept. 1, the company has conducted a series of test flights using a B-2 test aircraft stationed at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif. The flight test program is part of Increment 1 of the U.S. Air Force's B-2 extremely high frequency (EHF) satellite communications program. Northrop Grumman is the Air Force's prime contractor for the B-2 Spirit, the flagship of the...

Why does your freedom matter to you? This may seem like a silly question, with self-evident answers. But part of the reason why freedom continues to be eroded in America is that for many people, it is something that is abstract, unseen, and is taken very much for granted... even while it slips away. In a struggle between the more tangible and the less tangible, the tangible has the distinct advantage. If we want to turn the tide and begin to increase freedom in America, we need to make our freedom, and what it means to each of us individually,...

SNIPPET: "ARRL Field Day is June 26-27, 2010 ARRL Field Day is the largest on-the-air operating event in Amateur Radio. It draws tens of thousands to the airwaves each year, bringing new and experienced hams together for a weekend of fun!" SNIPPET: "ARRL Field Day Overview ARRL Field Day is the single most popular on-the-air event held annually in the US and Canada. Each year over 35,000 amateurs gather with their clubs, friends or simply by themselves to operate. ARRL Field Day is not a fully adjudicated contest, which explains much of its popularity. It is a time where many...

Airmen from the 566th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron completed work on extending the service life of the first of 16 Navy E-6B Mercury aircraft June 15. The E-6Bs are flown by members of the Strategic Communications Wing ONE, whose primary mission is airborne communication with Navy submarines. It also serves as an airborne command post for U.S. Strategic Command. Officials said the maintenance process had its share of ups and downs as the first aircraft warranted more attention than usual, but mechanics don't anticipate that to be the case for the remaining 15 aircraft. "We really aggressively pursued and accomplished success...

In the event that the catastrophe takes place which we all are thinking about and talking about in these days under this regime, whether it be a global financial shut-down (see this scenario: http://www.grandpappy.info/honehour.htm), a military strike somewhere, or some such dire event unleashes sudden freeze-up of our society: How do citizens communicate? CB? Short wave? Our lifeblood is communication. What are our options to maintain this link to patriots across the country?

This is pretty scary stuff. The Federal government is ready to seize control of private company networks in order to "protect" us in the event of a hacker attack.

Every now and again someone raises a stern warning about the amount of space junk orbiting Earth. Those warnings are usually met with general indifference, as very few of us own satellites or travel regularly to low Earth orbit. But the DoD's assessment of the space junk problem finds that perhaps we should be paying attention: space junk has reached a critical tipping point that could result in a cataclysmic chain reaction that brings everyday life on Earth to a grinding halt. Our reliance on satellites goes beyond the obvious. We depend on them for television signals, the evening weather...

The US Air Force is moving forward with a major new upgrade for the half-century-old Boeing B-52H fleet, focused on replacing the bomber's radar, which is roughly 30 years old. The Northrop Grumman APQ-166 strategic radar is nearing the end of its useful life and will be replaced on 76 B-52Hs, the USAF says in a request for information issued to industry. The new system will perform all of the mission functions now performed by the APQ-166 mechanically scanned array, but provide "new and enhanced capabilities", the air force says. Although active electronically scanned array (AESA) technology is now available...

The Iranian-sponsored Hizbullah was said to have blocked the flow of information on military deployment in Lebanon. A retired U.S. Army general said Hizbullah has been monitoring and preventing communications between Lebanon and the outside world, particularly regarding the arrival of advanced weapons. The general, Paul Vallely, said Hizbullah has sought to keep secret the flow of conventional and nonconventional weapons received from Iran in 2010. "The Internet has been locked down, very tightly controlled," Vallely said. "Anyone associated with any Israeli will be assassinated." The retired U.S. general, an author and military analyst for the U.S.-based Fox News, said...

Israel's military has determined that Syria was producing its first solid-fuel rockets. Officials said the military and intelligence community said the regime of President Bashar Assad has been producing and deploying a variant of an Iranian long-range rocket. They identified the Iranian rocket as the Fateh-110, developed by Teheran nearly a decade ago and supplied to several countries as well as the Iranian-sponsored Hizbullah. "This certainly enhances the military capability of Syria from what it was even five years ago," an official said. Syria has taken the Fateh-110 and developed an enhanced variant. Officials said the upgraded weapon, termed M-600,...

Obama Lashes Out at New Media & iPods… Even Though He Gave the Queen One Last Year Posted by Jim Hoft on Sunday, May 9, 2010, 3:33 PM Spoken like a true tyrant… Barack Obama lashed out at (conservative) talk radio, (conservative) blogs, cable news (FOX), and new gadgets today during his commencement speech to graduates at Virginia’s Hampton University. He lambasted iPods, iPads Xboxes and PlayStations even though he gave the Queen one last year loaded with his favorite show tunes. Barack Obama gave the Queen of England an iPod last year. Suddenly, it’s a distraction. What he was...

Northrop Grumman Corporation technicians here have begun installing the first set of hardware for a B-2 stealth bomber upgrade that will eventually allow the jet to send and receive battlefield information up to 100 times faster than its current satellite communications system. The work is being done as part of Increment 1 of the U.S. Air Force's B-2 extremely high frequency (EHF) satellite communications program. Northrop Grumman is the Air Force's prime contractor for the B-2 Spirit, the flagship of the nation's long range strike arsenal, and one of the world's most survivable aircraft systems. The B-2 is the only...

This capability allows F-16 pilots to communicate using four geosynchronous satellites 22,300 miles above the equator. F-16 pilots can now converse beyond the line of sight to command and control agencies in Iraq. Previously, pilots were relied on line of sight radio capability to communicate. With that, a straight line between the transmitting and receiving end was needed for successful communication, and it was limited by range, mountains and other obstructions. Now with the satellite communication system high above the earth, the line of sight is no longer an issue. "The new capability allows us to communicate with joint-terminal air...

White House officials are retooling the administration's communications strategy to produce faster responses to political adversaries, a more disciplined focus on President Obama's call for "change" in Washington and an increasingly selective use of the president's time. The messaging adjustments are the result of an end-of-the-year analysis in which White House advisers said the president's communications team had not taken the initiative often enough and had allowed drawn-out debates in Congress, and relentless criticism by Republicans, to drown out his message. "It was clear that too often we didn't have the ball -- Congress had the ball in terms of...

This video reminds me of a joke I heard about a husband who was looking through the paper when he came upon a study that said women use more words than men? Well there was a married man who read in a magazine that, "Men use about 7000 words per day, but women use 20,000". Excited to prove to his wife that he had been right all along when he accused her of talking too much, he showed her the study results. The wife thought for a while, then finally she said to her husband, "It's because we have to...

White House honchos and others use the term “communication failure” to explain the inability of Congress to pass healthcare legislation and other key parts of President Obama’s agenda. Such reasoning assumes the bills deserve passage in their current forms. That, however, is another topic. This week’s topic looks at why, from a communication standpoint, some of politics’ brightest operatives failed to present a comprehensible message. To do this, we start with the basic communication model taught in high school: Message => Sender => Medium => Receiver Interpretation of the message and feedback complete the process. Any glitch along the way...

"Of all the talents bestowed upon men, none is so precious as the gift of oratory . . . Abandoned by his party, betrayed by his friends, stripped of his offices, whoever can command this power is still formidable." - Winston S. Churchill "(I) won a nickname, 'The Great Communicator.' But I never thought it was my style or the words I used that made a difference: It was the content. I wasn't a great communicator, but I communicated great things." – Ronald Reagan "Don't tell me words don't matter! 'I have a dream'-- just words? 'We hold these truths...

This day was certain to come; what’s a bit surprising is how quickly it came. The Obama administration now has a “communication problem.” According to the Hill newspaper: The other misstep that has bogged down the administration on health care specifically is Obama’s inability to communicate effectively to the American people, [Professor Paul] Light said. While it is shocking to consider that Obama is anything less than one of the best communicators in modern political history, when it comes to health care, he simply has not been able to make the sell to people who do have health insurance. And...

Iraqi National Police Lt. Hayhav works in the 6th Squadron, 9th Cavalry Regiment Tactical Operations Center at Forward Operating Base Sykes, recently. He assists with the flow of information between the Iraqi National Police and U.S. forces. Photo by Pfc. Jared Sollars, 145th Mobile Pubilc Affairs Detachment. MOSUL — Iraqi Security Force officers were recently brought into the Tactical Operations Centers (TOC) of the 3rd Heavy Brigade Combat Team to act as liaison officers. The Iraqis act as a direct line of communication between the 3rd HBCT unit and their own Iraqi parent unit. This increase in communications not only...

When's the last time the Government of Israel made a decision that really and truly made you proud? This week's This Hyphenated Life column is dedicated to just such a moment. While Bibi's speech to the Arab world in Cairo last month might have done it for some, in most cases, this bloated government is not a source of inspiration. Yet, I had such a 'wow, that's terrific' reaction after hearing that Michael Oren was appointed as Israel's next ambassador to the United States. Rather than just echo the initial reactions, let's both provide perspective and look forward. Not only...

Martin High will focus on teaching English Painfully aware that Martin High School likely will fail federal standards for the sixth year in a row, LISD officials say they will redouble their efforts to teach English to a hard-core group of students who are not learning the language of their adopted country. "We need to speak as much English as possible," said Severita Sanchez, Laredo Independent School District's executive director of compliance and accountability. "(Freshmen) are coming in with a very weak English foundation. The comprehension is not there." According to LISD, the federally mandated restructuring plan at Martin High...

Ever since reading the years-long trials and tribulations of Nebraska's greatest writer, Mari Sandoz (ca. 1893-1967), who could never sell her stories the the eastern establishment elitist publishing houses because they feared her "Nebraska Sandhills English" was too alien, I've sort of been wondering if Nebraska Sandhills English is, really, any different from Florida English or New Jersey English or Montana English or Long Island English. Of course, being deaf, I have a different perspective on language, than do hearing people. One is free to disagree with me, but I'm not coming up with any significant differences. I'll bet even...

With the ever encroaching Fedgov looking in and trying to control our personal lives, I'm looking for way that Americans can still communicate privately. I understand that any answers given on this public forum, may alert the various gov agencies to a new work-around. I'm hoping someone can provide a fool proof answer even on this public board. Internet e-mail and forums are easily compromised (ISP's easliy traceable); phone conversations, well, we all know about taps; Ham radio can be intercepted; CB radio the same. And no, face to face comms and devised codes are not the answer I'm looking...

Clarice Feldman Tom Maguire vivisects Congressman Paul Ryan's Texas sidestep on the AIG bonuses today: Wisconsin Rep. Paul Ryan, the top Republican on the budget committee, said Thursday he would have voted against the 90 percent tax increase if he had known that legal scholars would deem it unconstitutional. "Now, that I know - which I didn't at the time - that this is unconstitutional, I wouldn't have voted the same way," Ryan said during a taping of C-SPAN's "Newsmakers" on Thursday - the show is set to air on Sunday. POLITICO was one of the participants in the Ryan...

A little boy looks up after receiving a toy car at the Abbas Hospital March 12. Photo by Sgt. 1st Class Joe Thompson. FORWARD OPERATING BASE DELTA — In an effort to provide sustainable health projects in the Wasit province and maintain a clear line of communication, local Iraqi doctors met with the medical team from the 41st Fires Brigade at the Al Abbas Hospital March 12. The visit was part of Operation Gunner Med, a joint medical civil-military operation between the Wasit Director General of Health and the 41st Fires Brigade, designed to restore the medical capacity in Wasit...

Surviving in the new Globalist World.

BAGHDAD, Feb. 10, 2009 – Because communication on the battlefield is essential, a small group of soldiers here dedicates itself to ensuring Multinational Division Baghdad soldiers of the 1st Infantry Division’s 2nd Heavy Brigade Combat Team can talk to one another when it counts. Army Spc. Giselle King prepares a force-tracking monitor on a vehicle at Camp Liberty, Iraq, Feb. 7, 2009. U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Brian Tierce  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. Army Spc. Giselle King, an Indianapolis native who serves in the brigade’s Special Troops Battalion, focuses much of her time ensuring the communication readiness...

Naaman went to his master and told him what the girl from Israel had said. "By all means, go,” the king of Aram replied. I will send a letter to the king of Israel. So Naaman left, taking with him 10 talents of silver, 6000 shekels of gold and 10 sets of clothing. The letter that he took to the king of Israel read: "With this letter I am sending my servant Naaman to you so that you may cure him of his leprosy." As soon as the king of Israel read the letter, he tore his robes and said,...

Mobile broadband users in Stockholm will soon be able to surf the internet on a new high speed 4G network, following the signing of a deal between Ericsson and TeliaSonera. The order from Finnish-Swedish telecom provider TeliaSonera marks the first commercial deployment of Ericsson’s Long Term Evolution (LTE) network technology and will provide mobile internet users with data speeds up to ten times faster than those offered on current networks. "LTE brings the highest possible performance and network capacity, which is needed to meet the needs of the fast growing group of mobile broadband users around the world,” said Ericsson’s...

Washington, DC -- Barack Obama told voters during the presidential election that he wanted to work with both sides of the abortion debate to reduce the number of abortions. Yet, over the weekend, he picked a top staffer for one of the biggest pro-abortion groups to become his communications director. The selection of Ellen Moran, the executive director of Emily's List, to become the White House communications director makes it clear that the only agenda Obama plans to communicate as president is more abortions.