Olivia Tiedemann, Austin, TX
Nothing like talking to a girl while she's pointing a knife at you.
Greetings Sheepdogs,
The Bill of Rights
On December 15, 1791, the first 10 Amendments were ratified.
"For if Men are to be precluded from offering their Sentiments on a matter,
which may involve the most serious and alarming consequences, that can
invite the consideration of Mankind, reason is of no use to us; the freedom
of Speech may be taken away, and, dumb and silent we may be led, like sheep,
to the Slaughter."
-- George Washington
Address to the Officers of the Army
Saturday, March 15, 1783
---
"George Washington Resigns His Commission" by AH1Tom
---
I read a letter signed by several Colonels in the Continental Army asking
General George Washington to be the king, and pledging their support to him.
Washington responded to them, telling them that there would be no king, and
explaining to them what they were fighting for. You think this strange? Not so.
When I was in the Marine Corps, every Marine (even the officers) I spoke to,
freely admitted to me that they had never read the U.S. Constitution. So they
had no idea what they had sworn to uphold and defend against all enemies,
foreign and domestic. All they understood was "immediate obedience to order".
-- Jon Low
I got a report of a tragic incident due to Task Overload Confusion. I cannot
cite an open source news article because everyone is attempting to keep it out
of the news so as to avoid a riot (you can figure that one out for yourself). The
victim (good guy, is very pro-police and understands that it was a mistake without
malice).
Please teach your students to NEVER use any holster that requires using the
trigger finger to defeat the retention system.
"The Serpa Compendium" by Greg Ellifritz
Please teach your students to NEVER use Tasers. If your employer forces
you to carry and use Tasers, mount it on your belt on your support-side. Draw
it and use it with your support-side hand. (Do NOT cross draw with your firing-side
hand!) Much less likely to confuse your pistol with your Taser. This is what
many on the Mount Juliet, TN police department do.
Search "Taser pistol confusion" on YouTube.com.
Please teach your students to ALWAYS use their support side thumb to manipulate
the switches on their weapon mounted light. NEVER use their trigger finger to
manipulate the switches on their weapon mounted light. Lots of documented cases of
negligent discharges when the officer thought he was turning his light on or off
and fired the pistol. As Mas says in the video below, "startle response".
"Why you shouldn't search with a weapon-mounted light on a handgun"
by Massad Ayoob Critical Mas EP40
If you don't believe Task Overload Confusion or don't understand
Task Overload Confusion, PLEASE take Chuck Haggard's course.
You can avoid tragedy with a little training and practice.
I believe Chuck will be teaching Task Overload Confusion as a section of his classes at
27-29 March 2026 A.D. TacCon 2026, Dallas Pistol Club
and the
18-20 September 2026 A.D. Guardian Conference, OKC Gun Club
If not, ask him.
Table of Contents:
Software --
Prevention
Mindset
Situational Awareness
Safety
Training
Psychology
Practice
Intervention
Strategy
Tactics
Techniques
Postvention
Aftermath
Medical
Survival
Education
Legal
Instruction
Hardware --
Gear
Intelligence --
Signals Intelligence
Cryptology
Religion and Politics --
"No freeman shall ever be debarred the use of arms."
-- Thomas Jefferson
*************************************************************************
*************************************************************************
***** ***** ***** Prevention ***** ***** *****
Things you can do to avoid the lethal force incident.
“To those who have fought for it,
freedom has a flavor that the protected will never know.”
― P. McCree Thornton
Table of sections:
Mindset
Safety
Training
Psychology
Practice
*************************************************************************
------------------------------ Mindset and Attitude --------------------------------
Figuring out the correct way to think.
"I do not carry a pistol so that I may impose my will on others.
I carry a pistol so that others may not impose their will on me."
-- Tom Givens
"This 15 Year-Old Just Finished His PhD In Quantum Physics" by Sabine Hossenfelder
It's really important to allocate your time intelligently.
Yes, it may be possible to do things at any age. But certain stages of life are more
conducive to certain activities. So choose wisely what you do in each stage of your
life.
"Before all else, be armed." -- Nicolo Machiavelli
"The Stranger" by John Murphy
Hat tip to Greg Ellifritz.
"The line between everyday life and sudden violence is thinner than most realize."
-- Tim Larkin
"Are You Training for the Wrong Threat?
Understanding Primal Aggression vs. Cognitive Aggression"
by Inspector Chris Butler (ret.)
Hat tip to Greg Ellifritz.
"Training to See the Threat That Isn’t Shouting"
by Inspector Chris Butler (ret.)
Hat tip to Greg Ellifritz.
“The Man in the Arena”
by Theodore Roosevelt (1901-1909), 26th President of the United States
“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how
the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have
done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in
the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who
strives valiantly; who errs, who comes up short again and again,
because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who
does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms,
the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at
the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and
who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so
that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who
neither know victory nor defeat.”
There are armed-robbery / home-invasion gangs operating in Nashville, TN.
I hope they are not in your area, but they probably are. There are no news reports
because the politicians suppress the reporting, as it is bad for tourism. So the only
way citizens, as we, will know about such is by us telling all of our friends and relatives.
So, please spread the word.
A well spoken, well dressed, well groomed, individual will knock on your door.
He will try to talk his way into your abode. Do NOT open your door! Do NOT
unlock your door. If he fails to get you to let him in, he and his fellow gang members
(who had remained out of sight) will attempt to force entry. Retreat (your locked
door will give you time to do so), grab your gun, gather your loved ones, and
barricade in your safest room; or flee the abode.
I had to repel two such scum bags from my apartment in Nashville, TN on
12 December 2025 A.D. at 15:30. The knocking awoke me from a deep sleep.
I should have told the knocker to wait and would be there shortly. My only
excuse is that nobody every knocks on my door (I don't have many friends within
driving distance), except for the female friend who lives down stairs. So I opened
the door expecting to see her. I did have the presence of mind to only open a
couple of inches and to place my left foot to block the door. I also kept my left
hand out of sight behind my door. (Your enemy's imagination is one of your most
powerful tools. They teach that in Psychological Warfare classes (some U.S. Army
Psychological Warfare unit on Onizuka Air Station in Sunnyvale, CA). So I let them
imagine I had a gun in my left hand.) My front door opens into my apartment
and the hinges are on the left. So opening the door only allows me a view to the left.
The 20 to 25 year old Hispanic male tells me that he is from North American
Securities, they had mailed me a check, which I had endorsed and deposited.
I tell him that he is mistaken. He shows me a photo on his phone of the back of
a check and asks me if that is my signature. He refuses to hold it close enough
for me to see, to get me to extend my head forward to see the photo. I refuse to
do so, and tell him that that is not my signature. This conversation went on too
long, because he was well spoken and polite. But when I smelled and heard his
partner who was out of my sight to his left, my right, behind the wall. I immediately
closed and locked the door.
I then called 911. The 911 operator asked,
Did he threaten you? No.
Did you see any weapons? No.
Did he enter your apartment? No.
Well then there is nothing we can do.
Expecting the police to do anything is not really within the realm of reality, unless
you are seriously injured or dead.
It's hard to blame the Metro Nashville Police Department, because they are
so short staffed, because the politicians (including the upper ranks of the police
department) have made it so difficult to be a police officer in Nashville. The
District Attorney, Glenn Funk, prosecuted police officer Andrew Delke for 1st
degree murder, when Delke shot an armed suspect who had pointed his gun at
Delke, on the bizarre legal theory that premeditation can be done in an instant.
(Black Lives Matter funded Funk's campaign.) Delke took a plea deal because
every mock jury drawn from the Davidson County area convicted Delke. They
didn't care about the facts. All that mattered was that Delke was white and the
suspect was black. Sorry, that's the reality of Davidson County. You don't want
to live here.
A few hours later, a retired police officer (retirement job) called to ask for the
details and make a report. The Nashville Police report number is 2025-0746242.
He told me that they had received a lot of these reports. They only receive reports
form survivors, the criminal gangs don't leave witnesses. He confirmed that there
would be no news report, because it's not news as it happens all the time, and such
"news" is bad for tourism. His candor was surprising. I hope it doesn't cost him
his job. (Oh, right, he's retired. He doesn't have to play politics and kiss ass anymore.)
"Survival is a mindset, not a skill set."
-- Greg Shaffer
"Your gunfights will always be anomalies.
So are those of all the instructors you venerate.
It’s useful to keep those facts in mind."
-- Greg Ellifritz
“You need to have the capacity for danger. You need to be ‘dangerous’.
Yet, you need to learn how to not use it except when necessary.
And, that is not the same thing as being harmless.
There's nothing virtuous about harmlessness.
Harmless just means you’re ineffectual and useless.”
-- Jordan Peterson
‷If you look at someone bigger, faster, and stronger and immediately think,
‶I'm at a disadvantage″,
I have news for you: you are.
But that's only because you just put yourself there for no reason.
The truth is that anyone can do debilitating violence to anyone else.
Your size, your speed, your strength, your gender --
all the factors that untrained people think make the difference when it comes to violence --
all matter far less than your mindset and your intent.‴
-- Tim Larkin
"Have your affairs in order."
-- John Hearne
"An unarmed man can only flee from evil and
evil is not overcome by fleeing from it." -- Jeff Cooper
"Your life is as good as your mindset." -- Nicola Cavanis
"Safe gun handling and knowing how to operate the gun competently is one thing.
How to fight with the gun is a whole other plane of knowledge."
-- Tiger McKee
"Fairy tales do not tell children the dragons exist.
Children already know that dragons exist.
Fairy tales tell children the dragons can be killed."
-- G.K. Chesterton
---
"There Are Monsters Among Us, and That’s Why I Carry"
by Mitch Goerdt
https://www.concealedcarry.com/firearms-ownership/there-are-monsters-among-us-and-thats-why-i-carry/
‟If violent crime is to be curbed, it is only the intended victim who can do it.
The felon does not fear the police, and he fears neither judge nor jury.
Therefore what he must fear is his victim.”
It is high time for society to stop worrying about the criminal,
and to let the criminal start worrying about society.
And by "society" I mean you.
-- Col. Jeff Cooper, "Principles of Personal Defense"
"Be so focused on watering your grass that
you don't have time to check if someone else's is greener."
-- Nicola Cavanis
Excerpt from "Principles of Personal Defense" by Jeff Cooper --
George Patton told his officers,
"Don't worry about your flanks. Let the enemy worry about his flanks."
‟Fear is an instinct. Courage is a choice.”
-- Rear Admiral Joseph Kernan, U.S. Navy
*************************************************************************
------------------------------ Situational Awareness --------------------------------
How to avoid being taken by surprise.
"Many people don't realize that your awareness skills
are more important than your marksmanship skills.
Well, you can't shoot something you don't know is there,
or don't know it needs to be shot!" -- Tom Givens
"Jeff Cooper's Color Code exists to help you get your head
around the need to kill someone in the immediate future."
-- John Hearne
---
Jeff Cooper's Color Code of Mental Awareness
UNAWARE - of what's going on around you. (White)
AWARE - of who is around you and what they are doing. (Yellow)
ALERT - to a POTENTIAL threat and taking action to avoid the threat. (Orange)
ALARM - by a REAL threat and taking action to escape the threat,
which might include shooting to PREVENT the attack. (Red)
COMBAT - front sight, press. Shooting to STOP the attack. (Black)
The colors are meaningless, requiring a level of indirection.
So you should use meaningful words instead. So the student doesn't
have to decode the meaning of the color. Using insider jargon is WRONG!
"An officer may be forgiven for losing a battle,
but never for being taken by surprise."
-- Jeff Cooper
*************************************************************************
------------------------------ Safety --------------------------------
How to prevent the bad thing from happening in the first place.
How to avoid shooting yourself, friendlies, and innocent bystanders.
How to prevent unauthorized persons from using your guns.
Jeff Cooper′s Rules of Gun Safety
RULE I: ALL GUNS ARE ALWAYS LOADED.
RULE II: NEVER LET THE MUZZLE COVER ANYTHING
THAT YOU ARE NOT WILLING TO DESTROY.
RULE III: KEEP YOUR FINGER OFF THE TRIGGER
UNTIL YOUR SIGHTS ARE ON THE TARGET.
RULE IV: BE SURE OF YOUR TARGET.
---
RULE V: Maintain control of your gun. -- Stephen P. Wenger
Safety Rule 2.
Rachel Cook, Safety Rule 3
"The Shod Foot" by John Farnam
Excerpt:
"Smoothly drawing your concealed pistol and shooting accurately
while on the ground are critical skills, and ones that will prevent you
from being stomped to death!"
---
“Don’t be there” continues to be the best way to handle any dangerous situation.
“Get out of there” continues to be the second-best!
“The ‘moral high-ground’ gets real windy at night.”
-- Tommy Norris (played by Billy Bob Thornton) in the 2024 “Landman” TV series
John Farnam's rules to keep you out of trouble:
Don’t go to stupid places.
Don’t associate with stupid people.
Don’t do stupid things.
Have a “normal” appearance.
Be in bed by 10:00 PM (your own bed).
Don’t fail the attitude test.
This is why being in Chicago, much less living in Chicago, is a very bad idea.
It's not just the criminal, the bystanders did not help the victim. That is the
type of person that lives in Chicago. Why would anyone chose to live in a society
with such persons?
"Not allowing law-abiding citizens to carry guns on the pretext of public health
or safety makes as much sense not allowing sober people to drive cars in order to
protect them from drunk drivers."
-- Stephen P. Wenger
Husband vs. wife shopping.
"Safety is something that happens between your ears,
not something you hold in your hands."
-- Jeff Cooper
"The Pentagon Loves Warrior Talk —
So Why Are Our Troops Still Disarmed Targets? ~ VIDEO"
by John Farnam
"It's easier to stay out of trouble than to get out of trouble."
-- Claude Werner
"The Unarmed!" by John Farnam
The purpose of gun-free-zones is to create unarmed victims for armed criminals
to prey upon. To believe otherwise is self deception.
"You are not responsible for negative reactions to your boundaries."
-- Nicola Cavanis
This is why you must keep your pistol pointed in a safe direction when reloading.
"To preserve liberty, it is essential that the whole body of people always
possess arms and be taught alike, especially when young, how to use them."
-- Richard Henry Lee
"Gut feelings are guardian angels."
-- Nicola Cavanis
*************************************************************************
Tight calves, going to tear Achilles tendon, eventually. Better stretch.
*************************************************************************
------------------------------ Training --------------------------------
Figuring out the correct tasks to practice.
"Training Your Church Security Team Members" by Steve Moses
If the leadership of your church security team has canceled training, you've got
a real problem.
Can you identify yourself as a good guy? I now Joe Huertes has one of these,
Do you? I always carry one at church.
"Those motivated by a desire to improve their
gunfighting skills as opposed to a quest for trophies,
must be willing to bleed ego on the match results
to avoid shedding blood in combat."
-- Andy Stanford
"Lesson 2: Expert Review"
by Shawn Vincent
Excerpt:
". . . as John Farnam, president of Defensive Training International, says,
“Learning how to operate the machine is just a small part of training.” "
You need training because:
You don't know what you don't know.
Much of what you know is false.
It's good to the have the answers before the criminal tests you.
-- Claude Werner (paraphrased)
"It's Harder to Stop the Threat When Your Skills Aren't Sharp"
by Active Self Protection
"Without discrimination,
you're going to shoot the wrong person really fast."
-- Paul Howe
"2021 National Firearms Survey
Georgetown McDonough School of Business Research Paper No. 3887145"
by William English
Hat tip to Kevin Creighton and John J. Reenan.
Excerpt: (paraphrased)
". . . the bad guy runs away 81.9 percent of the time when a gun is shown."
[Of course, that means that about 18% of the time the bad guy continues to attack.
You need to be prepared for that. Otherwise, the bad guy will take your gun and
use it against you and your loved ones. The bad guy is not thinking, "I might get
shot." The bad guy is thinking, "Free gun!" -- Jon Low]
"If you’re not measuring your training,
what you’re doing is called playing."
-- Chris Sajnog
"In order to measure, we must be able to quantify."
-- Aaron Cowan
"The Backwards Brain Bicycle - Smarter Every Day 133"
by SmarterEveryDay
Hat tip to Chad Winkler.
When I was at 1st Radio Battalion we set up a motorcycle to do this. Lots of
crashes in the parking lot. No one could ride the motorcycle.
When I was teaching physics, we did this. No one could ride the bicycle.
When riding a normal bicycle, you must torque the handle bars clockwise
(attempt to turn the front wheel right) to make the bicycle to turn left. This
is obvious and natural to the bike rider, but this is not what the bike rider thinks
he's doing. Do you understand why?
[Example: If your pistol is zeroed at 3 yards and you are able to drill 5 bullets
through the same hole, try shooting a 8 inch diameter plate at 25 yards.
If you know what you're doing, you will aim at the bottom of the plate because
you understand that you point of impact will be high relative to your point of
of aim.
If you aim at the center of the plate, you'll miss ever shot over the top
of the plate.
If you don't understand the trajectory of your bullet, you will aim high at
12 o'clock on the plate because you know that gravity will pull your bullet down,
so you have to compensate for the longer range; and you will miss way over
the top of the plate.]
"When you're training to protect yourself and others, speed always comes last.
In the more than twenty-five years I've been training people in self-protection,
I've never heard from someone who used self-protection tools in the field and
felt like they suffered from a lack of speed at the moment of truth. In fact, I
usually hear the opposite: it's much more common to suffer from a lack of
accuracy or force."
-- Tim Larkin
"Training for a Gunfight: Military Analysis of 133 Firefights"
by Jacob Jackson
Hat tip to Greg Ellifritz.
Excerpt:
"I would recommend more drills with 3+ rounds per string of fire. We spend a
lot of time on up drills, and two round drills, but the data indicates that we are
likely to shoot more than this in the real world."
"In reality, we are training for an unknown event, against unknown threats,
by developing as many known skills as possible."
-- Jeff Gonzales
"Beyond Being an Average Shooter
Here’s why standard deviation matters in defensive shooting."
by Jeff Gonzales
---
In a close contact position, the ports will direct hot gas and burning powder
into your eyes and face. Never use a ported barrel in combat.
-- Jon Low
"Having a gun is important.
But knowing WHEN to use it is even more important."
-- Greg Ellifritz
"3 Shots In 3 Seconds: You've Got This WRONG" by Active Self Protection Extra
Note the data given (not LEOKA).
"Most deadly force encounters occur spontaneously, without warning and
at extremely close ranges. Realistically, you may not have the time or the
space to effectively draw, no matter how fast your drawstroke."
-- Jeff L. Gonzales
"Moving your feet while you pull the trigger" by Ben Stoeger
Muzzling no-shoot targets. (Which is aggravated assault with a firearm.)
Not leaning out around cover to keep as much of your body behind cover as possible.
(Which is an excellent way to get shot.)
This is NOT combat training (self-defense is combat). It's important to know the
difference and choose your training wisely.
Stoeger is teaching USPSA / IPSC shooting.
"There are three different areas, or disciplines,
in which the armed person must train.
These are mindset, gun handling, and marksmanship.
Each is equally important, and you must be at least
competent in all three areas."
-- Tom Givens
"The King and Queen of Handgun Stopping Power" by James Williams
"Competitive Shooting and the Tactical Shooter" by James Williams
"Gunfight Myths" by James Williams
Excerpt:
"Because believing in myths sets us up for unrealistic expectations.
Unrealistic expectations, when countered by hard, cold reality, lead to
cognitive dissonance. And cognitive dissonance in a life-or-death situation
leads to Brain Freeze and a Death Spiral."
"In psychology, we call it DENIAL."
"A mistake that makes you humble is better
than an achievement that makes you arrogant."
-- Nicola Cavanis
Shoot sooner, not faster. Matt Little.
“The secret of success is this.
Train like it means everything when it means nothing –
so you can fight like it means nothing when it means everything.”
-- Lofty Wiseman
"Tuning the Instrument
The Forgotten Middle of Cooper's Combat Triad"
by Jeff Boren
"Proper training ingrains the proper responses. Repetition is the mother of all skill.
With skill comes confidence. With confidence comes the ability to think under pressure
and make sound tactical decisions." -- Tom Givens
"Top 9 Lessons I Have Learned As A Professional Shooter"
by Michael Seeklander
Hat tip to Greg Ellifritz.
Excerpt:
"Having fun is not the goal.
Performing well is. Some of you might argue this, but I have yet to meet a shooting
athlete who failed on a stage or at a match and actually thought failing was fun.
Some use it as their excuse for not shooting well, unfortunately. If this is you,
stop it."
". . . if you are at a level where you can shoot reasonably well, your subconscious
is executing the shooting skills. The conscious mind cannot process as fast as the
subconscious can. Trust that if you have done the work, the shooting will be slower
when you are the one shooting."
*************************************************************************
------------------------------ Psychology --------------------------------
"Be stronger than your strongest excuse."
-- Nicola Cavanis
"How to find yourself: understanding what you really want" by Orion Taraban
Do you understand why this is in the Training Section?
“Training deals not with an object,
but with the human spirit and human emotions.”
--Bruce Lee
"The journey north." by Orion Taraban, Psy.D.
Wednesday, December 3rd, 2025
I have done a fair share of backpacking in my life, including most of the
2650 mile-long Pacific Crest Trail that extends from Mexico to Canada.
And my time in the backcountry has taught me a good deal about life.
The wilderness forces you to slow down and pay attention, which allows
the book of nature to become emotionally and intuitively accessible.
One of the things I learned from hiking the Trail is that every single step
is important. Even though a single day might consist of 40,000 steps – and a
single section might consist of weeks of such days – if even one of these
steps is removed, then the entire expedition stops short. Not even one step
can be omitted. Every step – no matter how small – is essential to the
completion of the overarching journey.
[Never skip steps in your training. There are no short cuts. -- Jon Low]
It can sometimes feel – when attempting such a large endeavor – that
you're not making any progress toward your goal. However, as long as you
keep your feet moving in the right direction, you can't help but arrive in time.
Continue north, and you'll eventually reach Canada – guaranteed. This is
important to keep in mind when you're struggling with the grind of becoming.
This week's behavioral experiment:
How can you take one more step in the direction of your goal today? Do that.
Warmly,
Orion
"Train and practice so that you can stay in your rational mind,
and force your enemy into his emotional mind. The emotional
mind makes bad judgments which will allow you to win."
-- John Hearne
*************************************************************************
------------------------------ Conferences --------------------------------
Attending classes and conferences is required for growth.
Stagnation is complacency. Complacency kills. Even worse,
your complacency will kill your students.
"The supreme power in America cannot enforce unjust laws by the sword;
because the whole body of the people are armed, and constitute a force
superior to any bands of regular troops that can be, on any pretense,
raised in the United States."
-- Noah Webster
2A Freedom Fest, Free
9TH ANNUAL 2A FREEDOM FEST (2026)
February 21, 2026
9:30 am - 5:00 pm
7700 SE 129 Place, Summerfield, FL 34491 United States
Organizer: Kevin Sona
Email: kevins@2afreedomfestival.com
Rangemaster Tactical Conference, $639
TacCon26 is scheduled for
March 27-29, 2026
at the Dallas Pistol Club in Carrollton, Texas
Security Operations Summit 2026, $150.00
July 23-25, 2026 A.D.
With hands-on pre-event options on Wednesday, July 22nd!
Wednesday to Saturday, so as not to interfere with church on Sunday.
Southeast Christian Church
920 Blankenbaker Parkway
Louisville, KY 40243
Bullets & Bibles 2026 (The registration fee is a tax deductible charitable donation).
Friday, August 21, 2026 – Sunday, August 23, 2026
Hosted at Living Water Ranch, north of Manhattan, KS.
Food and lodging included in registration price.
The Guardian Conference, $700 early bird, $800
September 18th - 20th, 2026 in Oklahoma City, OK.
*************************************************************************
------------------------------ Classes --------------------------------
Attending classes and conferences is required to avoid teaching
obsolete material, and to ensure you are teaching best practices.
Shooting With Xray Vision – Instructor, $695.00
June 13-14, 2026
James Williams and Chuck Haggard.
Mead Hall Range.
Gunsite Academy
Classes,
Lee Weems
Massad Ayoob Group
Blog
West Coast Armory North
Active Response Training, Greg Ellifritz
Rangemaster Certified Instructors
Map of Rangemaster Certified Instructors
Dustin Salomon
KR Training
Kari Grayson
Citizens Safety Academy
Carry Trainer, Mickey Schuch
Paladin Training, Inc.
Citizen-Defender, John Murphy
Virginia Private Firearms Training (for private lessons), John Murphy
Defensive Training International, John Farnam
Rangemaster, Tom Givens
Trident Concepts, Jeff Gonzales
Apache Solutions, Tim Kelly
"Low Light One: Defensive Application In Compromised Lighting Conditions"
by Tim Kelly
Harris Combative Strategies, Randy Harris
Mead Hall Range & Tactics
Two Pillars Training, John Hearne
Classes,
YouTube.com channel
Mike Seeklander
NRA Instructors and their classes.
‟Training is NOT an event, but a process.
Training is the preparation FOR practice.”
-- Claude Werner
*************************************************************************
*************************************************************************
------------------------------ Practice --------------------------------
How to get proficient at that task.
"Remember, the day you plant the seed is not the day you earn the fruit."
-- Nicola Cavanis
"Skills Check: Harden The Diamond
Stretch the limits of your carry gear with this drill for the outdoor range."
by Steve Tarani
Excerpt:
". . . hard visual focus, sustainable grip, and precise trigger press."
"Your speed doesn't matter. Forward is forward."
-- Nicola Cavanis
"How We Practice
Make the best use of your time at the range."
by Sheriff Jim Wilson
Excerpt:
"It’s also a good idea to learn to really focus in during a short practice session,
get your work done, and then set it aside. In my view, that’s how you make the
most of those important practice sessions."
“Willingness is a state of mind. Readiness is a statement of fact!”
-- Lt. Gen. David M Shoup, USMC Commandant 1960-1963
"Today, Sunday, I shot the IDPA match at my gun club. It was chilly;
The Weather Channel said 41 degrees. Feels like 35 degrees. While this
isn’t Chicago cold, it was enough to make me decide to wear my winter
overcoat. I also wore a sweatshirt over my shirt. That was a good decision
and it gave me an opportunity to test myself in cold weather gear. Accessing
a concealed pistol under winter gear can be different than a shirt, vest, or
other concealment garment . . . "
-- Claude Werner
---
Wear gloves so your hands don't get numb. Don't take them off to shoot.
You won't have time to take them off in combat.
Chemical hand warmers make a world of difference. You can get some
at any hardware store. I also put them in my shoes, right under my arches.
-- Jon Low
"Remember, growing may feel like breaking at first."
-- Nicola Cavanis
This is really important!
"Why Games Teach Faster Than Drills—And How to Design Them
The reason your athletes forget everything on game day—
and the design shift that fixes it."
by Sam Elsner
Hat tip to Greg Ellifritz.
Excerpt:
Nobody taught us improv. Nobody gave us a framework for creative
problem-solving. Nobody drilled us on dialogue techniques.
The game demanded it. So we became it.
This is how learning actually works.
Not through instruction. Through immersion.
Not through repetition. Through problems worth solving.
Not through drills. Through games.
And if you’re a coach, this understanding changes everything about
how you design practice.
"You have to be lucky to win. And the more you practice, the luckier you get."
-- Col. Lones Wigger
Why practice?
“To each there comes in their lifetime a special moment
when they are figuratively tapped on the shoulder and
offered the chance to do a very special thing,
unique to them and fitted to their talents.
What a tragedy if that moment finds them unprepared or
unqualified for that which could have been their finest hour.”
-- Winston Churchill
"Good habits and skill beat luck every time."
-- Sheriff Jim Wilson
‶Practice is the small deposits you make over time,
so that in an emergency, you can make that big withdrawal.″
-- Chesley Burnett Sullenberger, III
Be careful what you practice.
Because you will do in combat whatever you have practiced,
no matter how ridiculous.
-- "Shooting in Self-Defense" by Sara Ahrens
"Why are the little things called little things?
They are everything."
-- Nicola Cavanis
"People rust faster than equipment."
-- John Hearne
*************************************************************************
*************************************************************************
***** ***** ***** Intervention ***** ***** *****
Suggestions on how to deal with the incident that you failed to avoid.
Table of sections:
Strategy
Tactics
Techniques
*************************************************************************
------------------------------ Strategy --------------------------------
Deciding on the end state and how to achieve it.
"You win gunfights by not getting shot."
-- John Holschen
"Never let fear decide your fate."
-- Nicola Cavanis
“How do you win a gunfight?
Don't be there.”
-- John Farnam
*************************************************************************
------------------------------ Tactics --------------------------------
Maneuver and fire in support of your strategy.
“When you’re in the dark, stay in the dark;
when you’re in the light, light up the dark.”
-- Stephen P. Wenger
"Weaponizing Fire" by Greg Ellifritz
"You brought a gun to the fight. That doesn’t mean it’s YOUR gun.
The gun belongs to whomever can keep it. Think about that before
intervening in other folks’ problems. When is the last time you practiced
your in-hand weapon retention skills?"
-- Greg Ellifritz
---
When was last time you practiced your in-holster weapon retention skills?
Have you taken a class to learn such techniques?
-- Jon Low
---
". . . if the assailant has a gun, it may actually be the easiest
gun for you to access, if you know how to take it from him."
-- Stephen P. Wenger
"WHERE DO WE SHOOT THEM?" by Suarez Tactics
“You are no more armed because you are wearing a pistol
than you are a musician because you own a guitar.”
from "Principles of Personal Defense" by Col. Jeff Cooper, USMC,
(1920 – 2006 A.D.)
Washington Gun Law
did a video on what to do if pulled from your car.
Better would have been, what to do to avoid getting pulled from your car.
Just drive away. Lock the doors. Roll up the windows.
Don't let the guys get close to you. Yes, as a matter of fact,
you can drive away. If you think you must have a conversation
with anyone who walks up to your car, you're WRONG!
You can drive up on the curb to get away. You can honk your
horn to move traffic around you to get away. A carjacking is a
lethal force attack (lots of documented cases where victims
die in the incident), so you are justified to use
lethal force, like running them over to get away.
". . . only shoot as fast as you can assess, and . . . assess after each shot,
both of which we should be training to do all the time anyway."
-- Ralph Mroz, "Street Focused Handgun Training"
Sometimes the good gals win.
"Superior judgment trumps superior skills." -- Dan Millican
"Real fights are short." -- Bruce Lee
"The shorter the fight, the less hurt you get."
-- John Holschen
"You often don't know where the bad guy is who is shooting at you."
-- Phillip Groff
“People shoot you because they see you.
They see you because you let them.
Don’t let them see you.”
-- Clint Smith
“Fortuitous outcomes reinforce poor tactics.”
-- Chuck Haggard
*************************************************************************
------------------------------ Techniques --------------------------------
Ways to execute a given task in support of your tactics,
especially when disabled or under stress.
“What’s the number one reason for reloading?
Missing the target!”
-- Claude Werner
"Master Weak-Hand Only Shooting
It doesn’t happen often, but those who are prepared will see their scores improve."
by Chris Christian
Excerpt:
"A different technique was used by Col. Jeff Cooper, who is often referred to
as the father of modern pistol craft. Not many know it, but Cooper was
right-hand/left-eye dominant. He shot with his right hand and simply turned
his head to the right to bring his dominant eye behind the sight. It’s clearly
visible in photos taken of him on the range. This simple head turn is quite
easy to do when shooting weak hand."
---
Not done in competitions, and not done in many classes, but I think essential,
is to be able to draw support-side-hand only. That's why I teach it in my classes.
The side to side transfer of the pistol from one hand into the other is not as
good as inserting the web between the thumb and index finger in between the
tang and the gripping hand, and then moving the gripping hand down off the grip.
-- Jon Low
"Grip first, then press."
-- Mike Seeklander
"Ayoob: Dangerous 1911 Mistakes I’ve Seen"
Hat tip to Greg Ellifritz.
"Use only that which works,
and take it from any place you can find it."
-- Bruce Lee
"The POM Pepper Spray Draw Stroke and Application" by Citizen-Defender
"Denn jedes Mal, wenn was geht, ist Platz für Neues.
Und wenn es gestern nicht sein soll, dann klappt es heut 🦋"
-- Nicola Cavanis
There are many techniques for doing any given task.
Search and experiment until you find one that you can perform reliably.
"The foundations of your grip are established
before you even draw the pistol from the holster."
-- Tanner Denton
"Ineffective and potentially dangerous, point shooting should be avoided
at all costs and aimed fire employed in any lethal-force scenario."
-- Massad Ayoob
"The secret is applying extreme force with the pinkies and
working your way up the rest of the digits."
-- Jeff L. Gonzales
"It's not daily increase but daily decrease - hack away at the inessentials!"
-- Bruce Lee
*************************************************************************
It's spaghetti.
*************************************************************************
*************************************************************************
***** ***** ***** Postvention ***** ***** *****
Suggestions on how to treat your wounds or the wounds of your loved ones.
Suggestions on how to avoid prosecution, conviction, and prison time.
Suggestions on how to avoid the civil law suit and judgment.
Table of Sections:
Aftermath
Medical
Survival
*************************************************************************
------------------------------ Aftermath --------------------------------
You must be alive to have these problems: criminal and civil liability.
In the right hand column, click on the link labeled "Self Defense Insurance".
Or, the link is,
Read this before you buy insurance. You need to make an informed decision.
The various policies are drastically different.
"You need to read the fine print." -- Massad Ayoob
“Your understanding and consent are not required
for someone to take your life, kill your loved ones,
and destroy all you hold dear.”
-- William Aprill
In the right hand column of this web page, click on "Never Talk To The Police"
or use the address,
“The true soldier fights not because he hates what is in front of him,
but because he loves what is behind him.”
― G.K. Chesterton
*************************************************************************
------------------------------ Medical --------------------------------
"If you prepare for the emergency,
the emergency ceases to exist!"
-- Sherman House
"Top 5 Must Have Items in EVERY Trauma Kit"
by Brian McLaughlin
Greg Ellifritz says to use light colored gloves, so you can see if it's blood or not.
Save the black gloves for cleaning your AR-15.
Tactical Emergency Casualty Care Course - NAEMT Certified, $495.00
Tracey Mendenhall | VP of Operations
(Life Saving Ninja)
DEFEND SYSTEMS
(615) 480-7758
“Your character is what you do when no one is looking.”
-- Thomas Jefferson
*************************************************************************
------------------------------ Survival --------------------------------
"If you stay fit, you do not have to get fit.
If you stay trained, you do not have to get trained.
If you stay prepared, you do not have to get prepared."
-- Robert Margulies
"Survival is a mindset, not a skill set."
-- Greg Shaffer
‟We don’t decide what is necessary to survive a
lethal force encounter initiated by someone else.
That person decides what’s necessary for us to survive.”
– William Aprill
"Survival is not based solely on technique. Survivability may hinge on the use
of the correct technique appropriate to the environment you are fighting in.
Oh, and yes, marksmanship is always valuable."
-- Clint Smith
*************************************************************************
*************************************************************************
***** ***** ***** Education ***** ***** *****
Table of contents:
Legal
Instruction
Gear
*************************************************************************
"Cogito, ergo armatum sum." (I think, therefore armed am I.)
-- John Farnam
"Media Bias:
How Often Do People Who are Legally Carrying a Concealed Handgun
Accidentally Shoot a Bystander? How about the Police?"
Women for Gun Rights Newsletter - November 2025
"Classic Book Review – Principles of Personal Defense" by Claude Werner
"Hesperia (Calif.) Attempted Home Invasion" by Claude Werner
Excerpt:
"Just because a criminal pees in his pants doesn't mean he's going to run away."
"25 Gunfighting Stats Learned From Convicted Cop Killers"
by Jacob Jackson (former Marine Corps intelligence officer)
Hat tip to Greg Ellifritz.
Primary source data,
Excerpts:
"As you might expect, the majority of the offenders reported regular drug and
alcohol use; however, approximately 40% reported no use. Likewise, a large
chunk of the 43 offenders reported gang affiliation, and approximately 10 of
those 43 were veterans of the US military."
"This lends some insight into why they are so willing to commit crime.
They are rarely caught for it."
"This offender is talking about murdering huge numbers of people with no
appreciable concern that this kind of behavior is not normal, because to him
it is normal."
"16 of 43 offenders had received weapons training"
"There is also good research showing that inexperienced shooters can point
shoot very accurately at close distances. Often times just as accurately as
trained marksmen."
"No criminal in this study used a holster."
Citizen-Defender, John Murphy
Blog posts,
Rangemaster Newsletter, Tom Givens
Active Self Protection, John Correia
"My Gun Culture" by Tom McHale
Quips, John Farnam
Active Response Training, Greg Ellifritz
The Tactical Professor, Claude Werner
American Handgunner Magazine
Tactical Science
International Association of Law Enforcement Firearms Instructors
Alien Gear blog
Shooting Classes Blog
"You will never get smarter or broaden your horizons
if you're unwilling to learn from others and read."
-- Becca Martin
*************************************************************************
------------------------------ Legal --------------------------------
"Red Flag" by John Farnam
“Laws are made for men of ordinary understanding and should, therefore,
be construed by the ordinary rules of common sense. Their meaning is not
to be sought for in metaphysical subtleties which may make anything mean
everything or nothing at pleasure.”
— Thomas Jefferson (1823)
"The One Memo That Made 200 DOJ Attorneys Immediately Resign | Harmeet Dhillon"
by State of Gold Podcast
“Is there no virtue among us? If there is not, we are without hope!
No form of government, existing nor theoretical, will keep us from harm.
To think that any government, in any form, will insure liberty and happiness
for a dishonorable population represents the height of self-deception.”
-- James Madison, 1788
"Shot in the Back 7 Times? The Viral Narrative That Misled Millions"
by Massad Ayoob - Facts and Firearms
"A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State,
the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed."
-- Second Amendment, Constitution of the United States of America
"Matthew Hoover Free from Prison"
by John Crump
If there was the slightest doubt in you mind that the ATF is corrupt and dishonest.
This is why we call for disbanding the ATF.
"Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people.
It is wholly inadequate for the governance of any other."
-- John Adams, October 11, 1798
"Should You Shoot? Self-Defense Tips You Don’t Know"
by Mike Boyle
Hat tip to Greg Ellifritz.
Excerpts:
"A punch to the face will certainly hurt quite a bit and may result in some
temporary disfigurement, but it does not qualify as serious bodily injury."
[This is FALSE. There are many documented cases where a single punch resulted
in death, due to the punch, due to falling down and hitting one's head, due to
incapacitation preventing the person from defending himself and his loved ones
from further attack, etc. -- Jon Low]
"The use of deadly force against persons engaged in property crimes is
universally considered to be unlawful."
[This is FALSE. Texas in particular. But other places around the world too.
Antarctica for example. Stealing a person's horse will result in them dying
in the wilderness. That's why horse stealing is a capital crime. Stealing a
person's food will result in them dying from starvation. Would you let
someone starve your children to death? -- Jon Low]
". . . you need to be able to articulate the totality of circumstances that led
you to believe the assailant had ability, opportunity and intent to inflict death
or serious bodily harm on you."
[This is FALSE. To know the assailant's intent would require you to be able
to read his mind. Which wouldn't be acceptable in any U.S. court of law.
-- Jon Low]
"Jeopardy: This has to do with the person’s intent."
[This is FALSE. Jeopardy has nothing to do with the assailant's intent. You
cannot know the assailant's intent, because you cannot read the assailant's
mind. Jeopardy has to do with the assailant's behavior. That is why you MUST
keep your mouth shut. Any competent defense attorney can create a statement for
you that correctly articulates the behaviors that you observed that created jeopardy.
(Even if you don't remember observing them. Remember high stress causes
false memories and amnesia.) You cannot. So keep your mouth shut and wait
for your attorney.
Any prosecutor will tell you that the primary evidence against the defendant
are his statements to the responding officers at the scene, including
"excited utterances". So keep your mouth shut.
-- Jon Low]
---
People who think they know everything irritate those of us who do. I would not
have said anything. But Greg cited the article. So I felt I had to say something.
"Firearms are second only to the constitution in importance,
they are the people's liberty's teeth." -- George Washington
"Most People Don’t Know This About Self-Defense Killings" by Massad Ayoob
---
That's why I teach in my classes that the conditional probability that the assailant
has a long violent criminal record is almost certain given that he attacked you in the
first place. Mugging is not a first offense. Shop lifting is a first offense. Violent
attacks on the person is indicative of an experienced criminal predator. He is an
experienced repeat offender because many judges have released him after multiple
convictions.
"Injustice in Tennessee" by Bill O'Reilly
These are the judges that people in Davidson County elect. That's why there are violent
criminals prowling out street. The judges release them, even after multiple convictions.
The media smears the victim my saying that she was a drug addict, which has no bearing
on being attacked, raped, and murdered.
"Bondi Beach terror attack"
by CAITLIN POWELL, ASHLEY NICKEL, CHARLOTTE KARP,
CANDACE SUTTON, LUCY MANLY, KARLEIGH SMITH,
and TITA SMITH
Gun-control will definitely get you killed. The purpose of gun-control is to create
unarmed victims for armed criminal to prey upon. To think that gun-control laws
serve any other purpose is self-deception.
*************************************************************************
------------------------------ Instruction --------------------------------
"Remember,
the students who require the extra effort
are the ones who need us the most!"
-- John Farnam
*************************************************************************
----- Instructors -----
“He who dares to teach must never cease to learn.”
-- Richard Henry Dana
This is really important!
"Why Games Teach Faster Than Drills—And How to Design Them
The reason your athletes forget everything on game day—
and the design shift that fixes it."
by Sam Elsner
Hat tip to Greg Ellifritz.
Excerpt:
Nobody taught us improv. Nobody gave us a framework for creative
problem-solving. Nobody drilled us on dialogue techniques.
The game demanded it. So we became it.
This is how learning actually works.
Not through instruction. Through immersion.
Not through repetition. Through problems worth solving.
Not through drills. Through games.
And if you’re a coach, this understanding changes everything about
how you design practice.
"Every time I teach a class,
I discover I don't know something."
-- Clint Smith
Be careful what you teach.
Because your students will do in combat
whatever you have trained them to do,
no matter how ridiculous.
-- "Shooting in Self-Defense" by Sara Ahrens
"You must teach skill sustainment as part of training."
-- John Hearne
"Your curriculum needs to be recent, relevant, and realistic."
-- Austin Killmer
"The limited time you spend with students may be the only training they ever receive!"
-- John Farnam
“The most valuable resource that all teachers have is each other.
Without collaboration, our growth is limited to our own perspectives.”
-- Robert John Meehan
“The student’s purpose is to expand their body of knowledge and social network.
The instructor’s purpose is to help the student achieve the student’s goals.”
-- Amy Schwartz
"A false path will always be tensely, angrily, violently defended by those
it has deceived, because who are so easily deceived are ever too arrogant to repent.”
-- Instructional axiom
Colonel Robert Lindsey to his fellow trainers:
"We are not God's gift to our students.
Our students are God's gift to us."
“Qui docet, discet.” (Who teaches, learns.)
-- American Society of Law Enforcement Trainers
************************************************************************
----- Students -----
“It may seem difficult at first but everything is difficult at first.”
-- Miyamota Mushashi
"It's better to be wrong than to be vague."
-- Freeman Dyson
“Train, Practice, Compete
are the key elements in the development of humans.”
-- John M. Buol, Jr.
"Keep in mind that this is some seriously next level material.
It is totally normal that the first time you see this stuff, you find
it confusing. You find it difficult to understand. So, confusion
should not discourage you. It does not represent any intellectual
failing on your part. Rather, keep in mind that it represents an
opportunity to get even smarter."
– Tim Roughgarden, Professor of Computer Science and other
stuff at Stanford University
"Try.
Try again.
Try once more.
Try differently.
Try again tomorrow.
Try and ask for help.
Try find someone who's done it.
Try to fix the problem.
Keep trying until you succeed."
-- Nicola Cavanis
*************************************************************************
----- Andragogy (as opposed to pedagogy) -----
"Growth is uncomfortable because you've never been there before."
-- Nicola Cavanis
This is really important!
"Why Games Teach Faster Than Drills—And How to Design Them
The reason your athletes forget everything on game day—
and the design shift that fixes it."
by Sam Elsner
Hat tip to Greg Ellifritz.
Excerpt:
Nobody taught us improv. Nobody gave us a framework for creative
problem-solving. Nobody drilled us on dialogue techniques.
The game demanded it. So we became it.
This is how learning actually works.
Not through instruction. Through immersion.
Not through repetition. Through problems worth solving.
Not through drills. Through games.
And if you’re a coach, this understanding changes everything about
how you design practice.
"Thinking is the hardest thing a person can do.
That's why so few people do it."
-- Henry Ford
‟An instructor should not expect any learning to
take place the first time new information is presented.”
-- ‶Building Shooters″ by Dustin Salomon
*************************************************************************
**************************************************************************
*************************************************************************
------------------------------ Gear --------------------------------
And the safe storage thereof.
“Your car is not a holster.”
-- Pat Rogers
"Fitting an Adjustable Gun" by SLG
Hat tip to Greg Ellifritz.
---
The girth of your grip is correct when the tip of your middle finger points back
toward you and the tip of your little finger does not point back toward you, when
you have a correct grip.
The pull length (distance between the deepest part of the backstrap and the front
face of the trigger when the slack is out of the trigger) is correct when the trigger
is in the center of your fingerprint, (Your trigger finger fingerprint will have a
whorl, loop, or arch. Place the center of the trigger in the center of your fingerprint.)
and your trigger finger is able to press the trigger straight to the rear, when the
slack is out of the trigger and you have a correct grip. That means no lateral
vector component of force. The trigger finger must be pressing the trigger
straight to the rear. If not, have a gunsmith move the trigger. Yes, as a matter of
fact the pull length can be adjusted. Trigger groups can be replaced. Triggers
can be moved. If the gunsmith tells you that it can't be done on your pistol, you
need to find a competent gunsmith. As with doctors, a second opinion (or third
or fourth) is always in order.
“Mission drives the gear train.”
-- Pat Rogers
"Detailed Glock Gen 6 Review From Outdoor Life" by Docent
---
"We Range Tested the New Glock Gen 6 Everyone Is Talking About"
by John B. Snow
---
"Undercut trigger guard", well this is nice to avoid Glock knuckle. Glad to see
they finally made this correction.
"And it is worth repeating that the Gen 3, Gen 4, and Gen 5 models will be
discontinued except for some military and L.E. orders. So you’ll need to look
to the used market at some point if you want one."
The purpose of a high capacity magazine is NOT to let you shoot more;
it is to let you reload less.
-- Tom Givens
"There are no dangerous weapons, only dangerous men."
-- Robert A. Heinlein
Ammo sources:
Unlimited Ammo
Target Sports USA
GunMag Warehouse
SGAmmo
If you know of any others, let me know.
*************************************************************************
*************************************************************************
***** ***** ***** Intelligence ***** ***** *****
Always cite open source.
The initial reports were completely wrong.
"The Real Truth Behind the Shooting of Two National Guardsmen in DC"
by Ward Carroll and Kevin Maurer
I am old enough to remember the U.S. betrayal of Czechoslovakia.
The U.S. promised to support them. They overthrew the Soviets. The
U.S. did nothing. Once the Soviets saw this, they moved in and summarily
executed the Czechoslovakian patriots. Because the U.S. presidents are
not honorable, because the American people do not elect honorable
persons to be president, because the American people are not honorable.
The Taliban knew who the U.S. loyalist were, because the Biden
administration gave the Taliban lists of our people and asked the Taliban
to allow our people to leave the country. Not only was Biden brain dead,
so were all of his subordinates.
"China’s Air Force Commander Dead — Inside PLA’s Growing Crisis"
by Lei's Real Talk
Fake news.
You would think the New York Times would fire the reporter. No, no, it's promotion time.
[Irish] Defence Forces Review 2025
"Why the M7 and 6.8x51mm are Bad Ideas: Welcome to my TED Talk"
by Forgotten Weapons
U.S. Army bureaucrats making bad decisions as usual.
When prone, you can't see a man standing up at 300 yards. So if they are prone
crawling around on the ground? I would say 50 yards in Hawaii. 200 yards in the
California deserts.
"Does The CIA Make People Disappear? CIA Spy Reveals" by LADbible Stories
Always cite open source.
The purpose of a spy is to betray trust. No moral compass. We were never spies.
We were spooks. We were honorable.
FaceBook.com post by Ken Berry --
I’m always yelling at you to pay attention to state politics.
It just occurred to me that maybe I should also tell you how to do that.
National politics feels exciting because it’s designed to be watched.
State politics matters more because it’s designed to be ignored.
Here is a state-level Tennessee primer that you can follow.
1. Find out who represents YOU in Nashville
Every Tennessean has:
• One State Representative
• One State Senator
Use the official Tennessee General Assembly tool:
Enter your home address.
Save their names, district numbers, and committee assignments.
Committees matter more than speeches.
2. Learn how to find bills before the legislature
All bills are listed here:
You can search by keyword, sponsor and/or committee.
Bills usually have a House version (HB) and a Senate version (SB).
Serious bills usually have both.
3. Learn how to read a bill
Do not rely on headlines or summaries alone (OFTEN misleading).
Underlined text is NEW law, Strikethrough text is law being REMOVED.
Always scroll to see which statute is being amended. That tells you who is
really affected.
4. Follow committees, not just votes
Most bills never reach a floor vote, they live or die in committee.
Committee schedules and calendars are here:
And nearly all committee meetings and floor sessions are video recorded.
You can watch exactly what was said and done here:
You can see:
• Who spoke
• Who stayed silent
• Who offered amendments
• How decisions were actually made
If you only watch floor votes or headlines, you miss most of the action.
5. Follow the money
Campaign finance reports are public in Tennessee.
Use the Tennessee Registry of Election Finance:
https://apps.tn.gov/tncamp/
Look up:
• Who donates
• When they donate
• Which industries cluster around certain committees
Money does not prove corruption. It reveals incentives.
If you spend 10 minutes a week doing just this,
state politics becomes clearer and more interesting than national cable news.
If you’re not paying attention locally, someone else is making decisions for you!!
-- Ken Berry
"CIA Spy Explains 'Vault 7' | John Kiriakou" by Julian Dorey Daily
The Dispatch
Strategy Page
"The Merge"
Breaking Defense
Intrigue
1440
29155
Global Recaps
Timber Sycamore
Ground News
*************************************************************************
***** ***** ***** Signals Intelligence,
Ground Electronic Warfare,
Cyber Security,
(sometimes Air Electronic Warfare too) ***** ***** *****
Always cite open source.
Layer 8 Security’s 12 Checks for a Safer Season
In a festive nod to the ‘12 Days of Christmas,’ our experts compiled 12 year-end
cybersecurity checks to help you ring in a safer 2026.
1. Ensure a Comprehensive Strategy
Security teams face unprecedented challenges. The expanding attack surface,
sophisticated AI-enhanced threats, operational complexities, regulatory demands,
and resource constraints all contribute to a reactive security posture that often
misses critical exposures.
2. Audit User Access
Review all employee, contractor, and vendor accounts to ensure access aligns
with job roles. Remove dormant or unnecessary accounts to reduce insider and
external threat risk.
3. Revisit Compliance Requirements
If you align with NIST CSF 2.0, CMMC, SOC 2, or other frameworks, review
your controls, close gaps, and update your SSP and POA&M. [I have no idea
what these acronyms stand for. -- Jon Low]
4. Update Your Incident Response Team
Make sure contact lists, roles, and recovery plans are current. If it’s been a while,
schedule a tabletop exercise for early next year.
5. Verify Log Monitoring and Alerting
Confirm that logs from critical systems are properly collected, retained, and
actively monitored.
6. Endpoint and Device Review
Verify all laptops, desktops, and mobile devices are encrypted, protected with
endpoint security, and fully managed. Retire outdated hardware that no longer
meets security standards.
7. Backup & Recovery Readiness
Run tests to ensure you can successfully restore from backups. Verify offline
or immutable backups exist to protect against ransomware.
8. Continuous Penetration Testing
Run internal and external scans to identify exploitable weaknesses.
Prioritize remediation based on severity and known exploited vulnerabilities.
9. Update Policies and Documentation
Ensure your information security policies, incident response plans, and
business continuity documentation reflect your current environment and risk profile.
10. Review Network Security Controls
Clean up outdated firewall rules, validate segmentation, and confirm VPN
settings align with current security best practices.
11. Refresh Security Awareness Training
Human error remains the #1 cause of breaches. A year-end phishing simulation
and training refresh keeps employees alert to modern threats.
12. Assess Third-Party Risk
Vendors often introduce hidden exposure. Reevaluate critical suppliers,
remove unused vendors, and confirm security expectations remain enforced.
"Solar Impact on Airbus Aircraft" by Docent
"Internet Failures" by Docent
Software bugs are prevalent. Who needs sabotage?
---
"Why Fighter Jets Ban 90% of C++ Features" by LaurieWired
I remember Ada. I was in on the ground floor.
Because Java sucks. Automatic garbage collection, so it will delete objects that
it has no reference to, even though the reference may be on a remote system. Can't
touch the hardware, must go through the virtual machine. That's why we always use
C or C++. (C++ is just a preprocessor for the C compiler.)
"Hacker Legend Barrett Brown Exposes the Cyber Industrial Complex |
VICE: Cyberwar | "
by Blueprint
"A free people ought not only be armed and disciplined,
but they should have sufficient arms and ammunition to maintain
a status of independence from any who might attempt to abuse them,
which would include their own government."
--George Washington
I love spaghetti. I recommend Barilla thin spaghetti number 3, cooked in boiling
water (I always add salt, pepper, and olive oil to the water) for 7 minutes. Drained,
and covered with Rao's vodka sauce. And, of course, a heavy sprinkling of 4C grated
parmesan cheese.
Always speak plainly of something else when passing messages. There are always
at least 7 levels to pass your message on: grammar (syntax, morphology, phonology,
etymology, semantic [meaning]), typography, lexical, etc. [The existence or absence
of your message, the date time group of your message (relative to when it was received
or intercepted), etc.] Limited only by your imagination.
"We find queer statements in our school grammars because their authors know
little about the English language." -- George O. Curme
For those of us who have studied the grammars of computer programming languages,
there are no queer statements.
If you cannot think on your feet, write it out before hand and read it to Bob.
Assume Eve is listening. Talking around a subject, as the Mafia was famous for,
is not a good idea. They were not highly educated nor highly intelligent persons.
The Russian criminal organizations are full of persons with graduate degrees in
relevant majors, no basket weaving. The American criminal organizations are
thriving, because the U.S. law enforcement bureaus are incompetent. They are
bureaucrats first, careerist second, lawmen third (if that). That's what happens
when any organization gets too big and too institutionalized. Institutional inertia
takes over. They fear change, because it might mean the elimination of their job.
Such is government. The private sector is always better.
Any elementary school child can write in complete sentences. We always write
in complete paragraphs. The standard unit of English prose is the paragraph.
Learn to do this quickly on your feet. The steganographers need the background
and the algorithm. You don't. You may not have the time. You won't have a secure
communications center. Such fix structures are easily attacked and compromised.
PFC: Sergeant, I think we are under crypto attack.
Sgt.: Relax. You just got out of crypto school. They got you all paranoid.
Everything is fine.
I bet you've heard this many times. Ever wonder why?
"How Linux Boots" by Joe Collins (EzeeLinux)
"Broken PC Toolkit" by Docent
"My “break glass” USB drive has everything to rescue a broken PC"
by Chifundo Kasiya
Breaking Defense has a weekly newsletter, "Networks & Digital Warfare" at
Crypto-Gram by Bruce Schneier
2600
*************************************************************************
*************************************************************************
***** ***** ***** Cryptology ***** ***** *****
Always cite open source.
Cryptosystems are considered "arms" by federal law, ITAR,
International Traffic in Arms Regulations. That means cryptosystems are
protected by the 2nd Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. Never let the
government infringe on your right to keep and bear cryptosystems, to
include home made cryptosystems, to include sharing cryptosystems with
others.
"Why Syncing Atomic Clocks is Virtually Impossible | Judah Levine on UTC"
"Arms discourage and keep the invader and plunderer in awe,
and preserve order in the world as well as property.
Horrid mischief would ensue were the law-abiding deprived of their use."
-- Thomas Paine
From "Computer Security and the Internet: Tools and Jewels (2e)", Chapter 3
by Paul C. van Oorschot
"A correct password does not ensure that whoever entered it is the authorized user.
That would require a guarantee that no one other than the authorized user could ever
possibly know, obtain, or guess the password—which is unrealistic."
. . .
Since guessing attacks exploit this, many systems impose password composition
policies with rules specifying minimum lengths (e.g., 8 or 10), and requiring
password characters from, e.g., three (or perhaps all) LUDS categories:
lowercase (L), uppercase (U), digits (D), special characters (S).
Such passwords are said to be “stronger”, but this term misleads in that such
increased “complexity” provides no more protection against capture attacks,
and improves outcomes (whether an attack succeeds or not) against only some
guessing attacks.
[Any restriction on the space reduces the cardinality of the space. But even worse,
the increased complexity makes the password more difficult for the human to
remember, forcing him write it down or to store it in some way, a vulnerability.
So anyone who makes such policies does not understand cryptology and is wrong.
-- Jon Low]
"Computer science has nothing to do with computers or science."
-- Donald Knuth
"Surprising emergent behavior of sorting algorithms"
by Michael Levin and Lex Fridman
Full podcast,
"Michael Levin: Hidden Reality of Alien Intelligence & Biological Life"
by Lex Fridman Podcast #486
"Premature optimization is the root of all evil."
-- Donald Knuth
"shape discovered!" by Stand-up Maths
"A convex polyhedron without Rupert’s property"
by Jakob Steininger and Sergey Yurkevich
A 3d shape that cannot pass through itself.
"Nothing in life is to be feared; it is only to be understood.
Life is not easy for any of us. But what of that?
We must have perseverance and above all confidence in ourselves.
We must believe that we are gifted for something,
and that this thing must be attained."
-- Marie Curie
Some of the stuff I learned from
"Lie Groups, Lie Algebras, and Some of Their Applications"
by Robert Gilmore (Lie is pronounced Lee.)
QA387.G54
ISBN 0-471-30179-5
"Lie groups found their way into physics even before the development of the
quantum theory. The were useful for the description of pseudo-Riemannian (locally)
homogeneous symmetric spaces, being used in particular in geometric theories of
gravitation. But Lie groups were virtually forced into physics by the development
of the modern quantum theory in 1925 - 1926. In this theory, physical observables
appear through their Hermitian matrix representations, whereas processes producing
transformations are described by their unitary or antiunitary matrix representations.
Operators that close under commutation belong to a finite dimensional Lie algebra;
transformation processes described by a finite number of continuous parameters
belong to a Lie group." Page v.
"Thus the Jahn-Teller effect and the Nilsson nucleus are but two aspects of the
same phenomenology." Page vii.
"I hope the cognoscenti will understand and appreciate these usages." Page x.
"Complex conjugation can be defined for quaternions just as for complex
numbers. Defining
(λ₀ + λ₁ + λ₂ + λ₃)* = (+λ₀ + -λ₁ + -λ₂ + -λ₃)
in direct analogy to
(1, i)* = (1, -i)." Page 4.
"An algebra with the antisymmetric multiplication defined by the commutation
relations
A ⃞ B = AB - BA, et al
is called a Lie algebra, provided this combinatorial operation also obeys
A ⃞ (B ⃞ C) = ( (A ⃞ B) ⃞ C ) + ( B ⃞ (A ⃞ C) ), the derivative property.
Where ⃞ is a vector multiplication (there are many well defined vector multiplications)
for instance (A ⃞ B)ᵢₖ = ∑ Aᵢⱼ Bⱼₖ , for j = 1 to n. Standard matrix multiplication.
" Page 10.
One type of element, zero operations -- set.
One type of element, one binary operation -- group.
One type of element, two binary operations -- ring, field, etc.
Two types of elements (scalars and vectors), two operations (scalar addition
and multiplication resulting in a scalar, scalar-vector multiplication resulting in a
vector, vector-vector addition, vector-vector multiplication resulting in a scalar,
vector-vector multiplication resulting in a vector, etc.) -- vector space.
Three types of elements (scalars, vectors, matrices; 0th, 1st, and 2nd rank tensors)
two or more operations (scalar addition and multiplication resulting in a scalar,
scalar-vector multiplication resulting in a vector, vector-vector addition,
vector-vector multiplication resulting in a scalar, vector-vector multiplication
resulting in a vector, matrix addition and multiplication, etc.) -- algebra.
Page 10.
The exponential of an element in a vector space on which a Lie algebra structure
is defined is an element of some group. Defining
EXP(X) ≡ ∑ ( Xⁿ / n! ), for n = 0 to ∞
Every n × n unitary matrix can be written as
U = EXP(i H)
where H is an n × n Hermitian matrix: Hᵢⱼ = Hⱼᵢ* , Hⱼᵢ* = the conjugate of the transpose of H,
hᵢⱼ = (hⱼᵢ)*.
Page 16.
Do number systems of any given dimension exist? No. The dimension must be a
power of 2. Why?
[ "Why Don’t Numbers Exist in 3D or 5D? The Surprising Truth About Dimensions"
by Math Travel
Method of construction [ iⱼ , iₖ ] = -2δⱼₖ .
Division ring, ax + b = 0 ꞊> x is unique.
Associativity, (ab)c = a(bc).
Commutivity, ab = ba.
Real -- R, dimension = 2⁰ = 1,
Yes, Division ring? Yes., Associativity? Yes., Commutivity? Yes.
(First continuous system in the sense that the number line has no missing numbers.
Not complete system, missing √(-1). )
Complex -- C = R + (i₁ R), dimension = 2¹ = 2,
Division ring? Yes. , Associativity? Yes. , Commutivity? Yes.
(First complete system in the sense that every operation produces a result in the system.)
Quaternion -- Q = C + (i₂ C), dimension = 2² = 4,
Division ring? Yes. , Associativity? Yes. , Commutivity? No.
Cayley (Octonion) -- H = Q + (i₃ Q), dimension = 2³ = 8,
Division ring? Yes. , Associativity? No. , Commutivity? No.
Sedenions -- J = H + (i₄ H), dimension = 2⁴ = 16,
Division ring? No. , Associativity? No. , Commutivity? No.
Pathions -- K = J + (i₅ J), dimension = 2⁵ = 32,
Division ring? No. , Associativity? No. , Commutivity? No.
[Ya, there are names for higher dimensional number systems. Check out
But they are not very useful, because they don't have the desired mathematical
properties to make them useful. -- Jon Low]
.
.
.
Page 18.
[Note that the elements of these number systems are scalars. These scalars
are then used as the elements in tensors:
0th rank tensor = scalar
1st rank tensor = vector (of arbitrary dimension, perhaps infinite)
2nd rank tensor = matrix (of arbitrary order, perhaps infinite)
3rd rank tensor = 3d matrix (used in gravitation, General Relativity Theory)
Yes, there are many number systems that precede the Real number system,
but they are not continuous and so not within the realm of Lie groups. Lie groups
are continuous.
-- Jon Low]
"The process of going into a coordinate system in which the metric has a canonical
form has a great deal of physical content. The transformation of coordinates from a
real symmetric metric gᵧᵨ(p) at space-time point p to the canonical form
gᵧᵨ =
matrix
1 0 0 0
0 1 0 0
0 0 1 0
0 0 0 -c²
at p is physically the process of going from an arbitrary local coordinate system around p
to a coordinate system that is free falling with respect to the local gravitational field,
within the framework of the general theory of relativity."
Page 41.
"Nonlocal metrics are called form factors and have been used in the quantum theory."
For the original motivation for discussing such nonlocal metrics in the quantum theory,
see
"The electromagnetic shift of energy levels" by H. A. Bethe,
Phys. Rev. 72, 339-341 (1947).
For further discussions of form factors, see
"Introduction to the Theory of Quantized Fields" by N. N. Bogoliubov and D. V. Shirkov,
Interscience, New York, 1959.
Page 43.
"The starting point for Sophus Lie's study of continuous groups was a study of
partial differential equations."
. . .
". . . interpret transformations as changes of bases, rather than as mappings of a space
into or onto itself. This is the "passive" interpretation. Under certain conditions, the
"active" and "passive" interpretations are physically equivalent. The precise circumstances
under which this equivalence occurs is governed by the 'principle of equivalence'. It
is this principle which puts physical content into the mathematical manipulations of
group theoretic calculations."
Page 66.
[The principle of equivalence, as in inertial mass = gravitational mass, inertial
acceleration = gravitational acceleration, etc. -- Jon Low]
"Definition. A Lie group is the connected component of a continuous group in
which the composition function φ is analytic on its domain of definition.
Actually, the requirement for analyticity of φ is unnecessarily stringent;
it may be dropped (Hilbert's fifth problem).
Lie groups of transformations and local Lie groups are defined in an analogous manner."
Page 77.
"Lie's three theorems provide a mechanism for constructing the Lie algebra associated
with any Lie group. They also characterize the properties of a Lie algebra.
The converse of Lie's three theorems do the opposite: they supply a mechanism
for associating a Lie group with any finite-dimensional Lie algebra. The correspondence
is not 1-1; many different Lie groups may have the same Lie algebra. There is, however,
a 1-1 correspondence between Lie algebras and simply connected Lie groups. All
other Lie groups possessing the same algebra can be obtained from this simply connected
group in a straightforward way, as factor groups of discrete invariant subgroups.
Finally, Taylor's theorem allows for the construction of a canonical analytic structure
function φ(β, α) from the Lie algebra.
These seven theorems - the three theorems of Lie and their converses, and Taylor's
theorem - provide an essential equivalence between Lie groups and Lie algebras."
Page 87.
". . . many of the differential equations of mathematical physics are expressions
of the Casimir invariant of some Lie group in a particular representation and,
moreover, that all the standard special functions of mathematical physics are
simply related to matrix elements in the representations of a few of the simplest
Lie groups. It is safe to say that Lie group theory provides a unifying viewpoint
for the study of 'all' the special functions and 'all' their properties."
Page 100.
The usual connection between spin and statistics is made by showing that:
1. Bose-Einstein statistics for half-integral spin particles is incompatible with the
positive definiteness of the T₄₄ component of the stress-energy-momentum tensor.
2. Fermi-Dirac statistics for integral spin particles is incompatible with causality.
See,
"The connection between spin and statistics", by W. Pauli,
Phys. Rev. 58, 716 - 722 (1940).
Page 146.
The 'universal enveloping algebra' of an underlying Lie algebra is an
infinite-dimensional associative algebra formed by taking the collection
of all possible products of generators of a Lie algebra, taken in all possible
orders.
Page 492.
{I write this stuff for you. I already know this stuff. My pistol students don't
care about this stuff. Only you cyrpto heads. They didn't mention it in the movie,
"Charlie Wilson's War", but crypto was essential, as it always is. [Well, the CIA
weapons expert mentioned it in passing.] Don't let the enemy beat you because
they know math that you don't. That would be embarrassing to explain when you
get to heaven.}
Consider, "Topological Groups" by L. S. Pontrjagin.
"Groups and Other Algebraic Systems" by A. I. Malˊcev
[I only wanted to state the part at the end, but am copying the whole subsection
for context, for those not conversant with Lie algebras. -- Jon Low]
'The structure of algebras.' By what has been said, every associative algebra A
can be isomorphically represented by matrices of a certain order. The aggregate
of matrices that correspond in this representation to the quantities of A is itself
an algebra, but only part of the algebra of all matrices of the given order. If a
certain part of the quantities of an algebra is itself an algebra, then it is called
a subalgebra of the given algebra. We can therefore say that every associative
algebra is isomorphic to a certain subalgebra of matrices.
Although this result is of interest in principle, since it reduces the problem of
finding all algebras to that of finding all possible subalgebras of matrix algebras,
it does not give a direct answer to the question of the structure of algebras. The
first general answer to this question was given at the end of the last century in
the works of F. E. Molin (1861 - 1941 A.D.), Professor at the University of Dorpat
(Tartu), who taught at the Polytechnic Institute at Tomsk around 1900.
An algebra is called 'simple' if it does not contain any two-sided ideals other
than the zero ideal and the whole algebra. Molin proved that every simple associative
algebra of rank 2 or more over the field of complex numbers is isomorphic to
the algebra of all matrices of a suitable order over this [complex number] field.
An arbitrary system of elements of an algebra A (in particular the algebra A
itself or an ideal or a subalgebra of it) is called 'nilpotent' if there exists a natural
number s such that the sᵗʰ power of any element of the system is equal to zero.
Every associative algebra has the unique maximal two-sided nilpotent ideal which
is called the radical of the algebra. An algebra whose radical is equal to zero
is called 'semisimple'. It can be shown that every semisimple algebra splits into
a sum of a special kind of simple algebra; in virtue of this, the study of semisimple
algebras reduces entirely to that of simple ones. Finally, an algebra A is called
a 'division' algebra if every equation of the form ax = b (a ≠ 0) has a solution
[for x] in A. [Where a, b ∈ A.]
The structure of simple algebras over the field of complex numbers is completely
described by the theorem of Molin mentioned earlier. But if the ground field P is
arbitrary, then the following more general theorem of Wedderburn holds:
"Every simple algebra of rank 2 or more over a field P is isomorphic to the algebra
of all matrices of suitable order with elements from a certain division algebra over
the same field P."
Thus, Wedderburn's theorem reduces the problem of finding simple algebras over
a given field P to that of finding division algebras over P. Over the field of complex
numbers there exists only one division algebra, the field of complex numbers itself.
Hence it follows by Wedderburn's theorem that all simple algebras over the field
of complex numbers are isomorphic to an algebra of matrices over the same field,
i.e., Molin's theorem.
Over the field of real numbers there exists only three associative division algebras:
the field of real numbers itself, the field of complex numbers, and the algebra of
quaternions. The proof of this statement is not very easy, and we shall not dwell
on it here. By Wedderburn's theorem this implies that every simple algebra over
the field of real numbers is isomorphic to the algebra of matrices of a suitable order
either over the field of real numbers or over the field of complex numbers or over
the quaternion algebra.
.
.
.
Stuff I learned from "Non-Euclidean Geometry" by A.D. Aleksandrov in
"Matematika, ee soderzhanie metody i znachenie", 1963 A.D.
ISBN-13: 978-0-486-40916-0
ISBN-10: 0-486-40916-3
QA.36.M2913
". . . according to the theory of [general] relativity, near a body of large mass
the ratio of the length of a circle to the “genuine” radius is all the same somewhat
different from 2π and, in fact, the following approximate formula holds for the
ratio of the length of the equator of a homogeneous sphere-shaped body and its
radius:
(length of circumference / radius) = 2π (1 - kM / 3Rc²) ,
where M = mass of the body in metric tons,
R = radius of the body in kilometers,
c = 300,000 km/sec the speed of light, and
k = 66.6 × 10⁻¹⁸ the gravitational constant
. . . on the surface of the sun this ratio differs from 2π by 0.000004 and on
the surface of the companion of Sirus, whose average density is 50,000 times
that of water, the deviation reaches 0.00014."
‷What's the point, Staff?‴
The real world ain't the same as mathematics. We are operating in the real world.
You won't find numbers like 0.000004 and 0.00014 in the open source for things in
our field. (Too many secrets.) But you can figure them out. They are significant.
---
"Functional Analysis" by I. M. Gel′fand
"It is convenient to write the characteristic oscillations of the system in the
complex form u(x)e⁻ⁱᵞᵗ, where in the absence of friction the number γ is real and in
the presence of friction γ is complex."
In mechanics, the friction is anything that changes kinetic energy to heat and
hence slows the system.
In electronics, the friction is usually thought of as the resistance / reactance.
But in our world the friction is anything that slows our system in space-time,
i.e. anything that slows our clock relative the other clocks in our network.
The carriers oscillate and can change frequency. The signals never change frequency.
According to Prof. Neil Frazer, nothing can change the frequency of a signal. (If you
could, you'd have causality problems. And we can't have that.)
"The problem of the oscillations of a system with dissipation of energy again
leads to a problem on eigenvalues, but this time not for self-adjoint operators.
A characteristic feature here is the presence of complex eigenvalues indicative
of damping of the free oscillations.
Using a method of the theory of operators in conjunction with methods of the
theory of analytic functions M. V. Keldyš investigated this class of problems in
1950 - 1951 and proved for it the completeness of the system of eigenfunctions."
It's often a literature search, not a research problem.
---
"In quantum mechanics, the state of the system is given in its mathematical
description by a vector in Hilbert space. Such quantities as energy, impulse,
and moment of momentum are investigated by means of self-adjoint operators.
For example, the possible energy levels of an electron in an atom are computed
as eigenvalues of the energy operator. The differences of these eigenvalues give
the frequencies of the emitted quantum of light and thus define the structure of
the radiation spectrum of the given substance. The corresponding states of the
electron are here described as eigenfunctions of the energy operator."
---
"Groups and Other Algebraic Systems" by A. I. Malˊcev
"P. S. Novikov has recently proved the remarkable theorem that it is impossible
to indicate any single regular process (more accurately, any so-called normal algorithm)
by means of which it would always be possible to tell whether two given systems of
defining relations for one and the same set of generators define one and the same
group or not. This theorem compels us to doubt the existence of any uniform general
method to decide the equivalence of knots given by their plane projections."
For those of you using knots as the 'hard problem' basis for your cryptosystems,
I would say you are safe for now, as long as there is no easy way to lift your
3-dimensional knot into a 4-dimensional space. Knots only exist in 3-dimensional
space. They all fall apart in higher dimensional spaces. Quaternions work in
4-dimensional space. Be careful.
"All that we don't know is astonishing.
Even more astonishing is what passes for knowing."
-- Philip Roth
"The Curves that Break Encryption" by Another Roof (Ray Perlner)
"The 8-Year Battle Royale that Saved Encryption" by Another Roof
"Another Roof"
"Never memorize anything. Rather, study it until it becomes obvious."
-- Norman Christ
I was going to give you some random numbers, but perhaps easier would be to
get some digits of Pi.
4132604721
The 4991ˢᵗ to the 5000ᵗʰ digits of Pi, from the 11ᵗʰ iteration of
x[n+1] = ( x[n]^(0.5) + x[n]^(-0.5) ) / 2, where x[0] = 2^(0.5)
y[n+1] = ( ( y[n] * x[n]^(0.5) ) + ( x[n]^(-0.5) ) ) / (y[n] + 1), where y[1] = 2^(0.25)
π[n] = ( π[n - 1] * (x[n] + 1) ) / (y[n] + 1), where π[0] = 2 + 2^(0.5)
where
^ is exponentiation
= is assignment
* is multiplication
/ is division
Do you recognize the Arithmetic-Geometric Mean Iteration of Gauss, Lagrange,
and Legendre?
From "Pi and the AGM"by Jonathan M. Borwein and Peter B. Borwein. 1987 A.D.
QA241.B774
ISBN: 0-471-83138-7
"We are so used to thinking in terms of the 'progress' of science that it is hard
for us to remember that certain matters were better understood one hundred years ago."
-- R. Hermann
from the introduction to "Development of Mathematics in the 19th Century"
by Felix Klein, 1928 A.D.
[Always try the literature search first, before attempting a research project.
You're going to look awfully foolish reinventing the wheel. You must be diplomatic,
because you can make others look foolish.
When I was working at Lockheed Martin, Advanced Technology Laboratories,
I did a literature search (I was very good at such, having done many in graduate school.).
I delivered my results to my manager. I was immediately fired. I didn't know that they
had already allocated tens of millions of dollars of man-hours and super computer time
to the research project. They would happily work on a problem that had been solved
half a century ago. Oh, you paid for it. It was funded with NSF (National Science
Foundation) grants and DARPA (Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency) grants.
-- Jon Low]
"You don't have to memorize theorems.
Because you can always derive them from first principles."
-- Sven Hartman
"Strong Axioms of Infinity - Numberphile" by Numberphile2 (Asaf Karagila)
"The Strange Limit of Frictionless Motion" by The Action Lab
"Password Complexity is a Lie – Here’s What Actually Keeps You Safe" by Rob Braxman
"Handbook of Applied Cryptography"
by Alfred J. Menezes, Paul C. van Oorschot and Scott A. Vanstone
"Computer Security and the Internet:
Tools and Jewels from Malware to Bitcoin", Second Edition
by Paul C. van Oorschot
ISBN: 978-3-030-83410-4 (hardcopy), 978-3-030-83411-1 (eBook)
"An Introduction to Error Correcting Codes with Applications"
by Scott A. Vanstone , Paul C. Oorschot
Research and Publications (P. Van Oorschot)
Alfred J. Menezes
Scott A. Vanstone
*************************************************************************
*************************************************************************
***** ***** ***** Religion and Politics ***** ***** *****
"The truth does not change according to our ability to stomach it."
-- Mary Flannery O'Connor
We “Oppressors” by John Farnam
Excerpt:
"How dreadful are the curses which Mohammedanism lays on its votaries!
Besides the requiem, fanatical frenzy, there is this fearful, fatalistic apathy.
Improvident habits, slovenly systems of agriculture, sluggish methods of
commerce, and insecurity of property exist wherever the followers of The Prophet
rule or live. A degraded sensualism deprives this life of its grace and refinement;
next, its dignity and sanctity. The fact that, under Mohammedan law, every woman
must belong to some man as his absolute property, child, wife, or concubine, must
delay the final extinction of slavery until the faith of Islam has ceased to be a great
power among men.
Individual Moslems may show splendid qualities, but the influence of the
religion paralyzes social development in all who follow it. No stronger retrograde
force exists in the world. Far from declining, Mohammedanism is a belligerent,
violently-evangelistic faith. Western Civilization might yet fall before it, as fell
the civilization of ancient Rome.”
-- Winston Churchill
It's a national security issue. Don't you know.
Comedy is only funny if it is true.
"So, Barack and Bubba Were Hangin’ Out" by Larry Elder
"Nobody Dares to Say This About Barack Obama!" - Victor Davis Hanson
"History teaches us that history teaches us nothing." -- James Bachmann
Taxes.
The purpose of war is not to die for your country.
The purpose of war is to ensure that the other guy dies for his country.
—George S. Patton
Illegal is still illegal.
“You can’t truly call yourself ‘peaceful’ unless you are capable of great violence.
If you’re not capable of violence, you’re not peaceful, you’re harmless.
Important distinction.”
-- Stef Starkgaryen
If money wouldn't change your path, you're on the right path.
"We should not forget that the spark which ignited the American Revolution
was caused by the British attempt to confiscate the firearms of the colonists."
-- Patrick Henry
Propaganda is strong with this one.
The British gave up their guns . . .
FBI Director Kash Patel answers questions form Mr. Jordan, Chairman.
***************************** Begin Psychology ***********************
"The ring test: love and business" by Orion Taraban
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AA2RmmkhK3I
Marriage is not about love. It's a business contract.
Bright shiny object.
Monique Marvez
Men are interested in things. Women are interested in people.
To retire is to expire.
Here's the uncomfortable truth: Friendship isn't something that happens to you.
It's something you build - with intention, consistency, and yes, a little beautiful
awkwardness . . .
01. Become a friend before seeking friendship
Be the person who shows up first. Who remembers details. Who creates the group chat.
The magnetic pull of someone actively giving friendship is irresistible.
02. Embrace the beautiful awkward
That moment when you suggest coffee with someone new? The silence after asking
a slightly deeper question? The wondering if you're "doing this right?" That's not
friendship failing, that's friendship forming.
03. Repetition trumps perfection
Research shows meaningful connections form after approximately 50 hours of
shared time. The quality of that time matters less than you think. Showing up
again and again—even imperfectly—builds more trust than one perfect deep
conversation.
04. Create structure
The most "natural" friendships often have invisible scaffolding. Regular dinners.
Sunday brunch. Shared rituals. When you remove the "should we get together
sometime?" question, real connection has room to form.
-- Time Left
***************************** End Psychology ************************
"I hate it when I'm trying to eat a salad and
it falls in the trash and I have to eat a taco instead."
-- Nicola Cavanis
Speech given at the University of Western Australia.
11 things you learn too late in life.
"The candid Amanda Seyfried speaks" by CBS Sunday Morning
Do you understand? Why was this published? What are the goals? (of the producers,
the people on camera are just actors)
Brennah Gaston
Lauren
Semper Fidelis,
Jonathan D. Low
Email: Jon_Low@yahoo.com
Radio: KI4SDN
Hunting for mushrooms
Found some
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