Day: 09/03/2016

STEPHEN HAWKING’S APOCALYPSE WARNINGS DUBBEDALARMINT HAND-WRINGING BY THINK TANK

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As Stephen Hawking has once again warned the world that humanity’s self-destruction is nigh, the prominent physicist and some of his doomsday buddies were nominated for an award pegging them as modern-day Chicken Littles.

The award was the 2015 “Luddite Award,” given to Hawking and a group of 1,000 science and technology luminaries for their warning last year about the Terminator-style dangers of artificial intelligence and so-called “killer robots,” the Christian Science Monitor reported. Also on that list are Elon Musk and Steve Wozniak.

But Stephen’s more recent comments about humanity’s destruction weren’t the inspiration for this award. Hawking made those comments on January 7 while recording annual Reith Lectures for the BBC, the Associated Press reported.

In this terrifying apocalyptic prediction, Hawking suggests that humanity is headed for its catastrophic end in 1,000 to 10,000 years — and it’ll be all our fault. But there is a shred of hope because, by then, we’ll likely already have new homes on other planets.

“However, we will not establish self-sustaining colonies in space for at least the next hundred years, so we have to be very careful in this period. We are not going to stop making progress, or reverse it, so we have to recognize the dangers and control them. I’m an optimist, and I believe we can.”

So what will be our undoing, exactly? Not killer robots this time, but nuclear war, global warming, and genetically engineered viruses. Basically, Hawking contends that humanity’s newly-created technologies have birthed new ways we can kill ourselves en masse — either via a massive bomb, violent storms, or a virulent disease.

Of course, Stephen’s warnings aren’t new. The idea that man’s progression on Earth will ultimately spell his doom has been expounded by other people before and in other centuries.

“The vices of mankind are active and able ministers of depopulation. They are the precursors in the great army of destruction; and often finish the dreadful work themselves.”

That terrifying prediction was uttered by British economist and demographer Thomas Malthus — in 1798.

The letter that Stephen and his colleagues signed last year warned of a “great army of destruction” — artificial intelligence — leading to their nomination for the Luddite Award (the Luddites, by the way, protested the new technologies ushered in by the Industrial Revolution).

The letter, signed by Stephen Hawking and 1,000 researchers, experts, and business leaders, said artificial intelligence is feasible within the next few years, at which point these autonomous weapons will usher in the “third revolution in warfare, after gunpowder and nuclear arms.”

“If any major military power pushes ahead with AI weapon development, a global arms race is virtually inevitable, and the end point of this technological trajectory is obvious: autonomous weapons will become the Kalashnikovs of tomorrow.”

image: http://cdn.inquisitr.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/Terminator-670×388.jpgStephen Hawking nominated for unflattering award
The think tank that gives out the Luddite Award, Information Technology and Innovation Foundation (ITIF), wasn’t in the least bit impressed or cowed by these doomsday warnings, noting that such ideas are actually dangerous to the advancement of technologies that could ultimately prove very beneficial to mankind, the Independentreported.

According to Business Insider, the think tank put forth 10 nominees in December, and the general public picked the winner; Stephen Hawking and the AI apocalypse proponents earned 27 percent of the vote.

The ITIF called Hawking and his friends “alarmists” intent on “feverish hand-wringing,” as its president, Robert Atkinson, put it.

“It is deeply unfortunately that luminaries such as Elon Musk and Stephen Hawking have contributed to feverish hand-wringing about a looming artificial intelligence apocalypse. They are pioneers of science and technology. But they and others have done a disservice to the public – and have unquestionably given aid and comfort to an increasingly pervasive neo-Luddite impulse in society today – by demonising AI in the popular imagination.”

What do you think? Do Stephen Hawking’s warnings — about AI, global warming, or manmade epidemics — make you a little worried?

Top 5 Steps to Decalcify Your Pineal Gland

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How to Decalcify the Pineal Gland

In these times, our Pineal Glands are being activated by streams of inter-galactic vibratory communication streaming through the Sun and entering our energy bodies.

These communications awaken dormant strands of DNA, trigger dormant memories of life on other worlds and have the power to heal humanity of all sickness and disease.

Having a clean and open Pineal Gland enables us to understand and assimilate this intergalactic communication without fear. The Pineal Gland is also a channel for guidance from higher planes.

Hence, it is vibrationally advantageous at these times to have a Pineal Gland that is working effectively. A calcified Pineal Gland is a sure way to create entrapment in the 3D world.

Conscious awareness of DNA can bring about a healing on a level not yet understood by most of humanity or the medical mainstream (for they do not work in the interests of healing anyway).

One can scan DNA with one’s mind and locate rogue molecules that can lead to cancer. These can be removed or healed with our higher-dimensional energy bodies.

The discovery and activation of latent DNA spells the end of all human disease – for the dormant DNA is programmed to heal everything. Within the double helix structure, one can see other higher dimensional strands of DNA and buried within these dormant strands of light-based DNA, lies the Immortality Gene that renders death obsolete. Before one can attain these states – one must fix the Pineal Gland.

The Pineal Gland is the seat of spiritual consciousness and is a gateway to other dimensions and levels of reality. When your Pineal Gland is working fully – your multi-dimensional vision will look something akin to this:

Anyone with a fully functioning Pineal Gland will be able to develop visionary abilities, travel to other dimensions, activate their Merkabah Vehicle, meet higher-dimensional beings, time travel, dream in amazing ways and accomplish all kinds of other spiritual feats as described in Keys to Immortality.

Pineal Gland Detoxification and Pineal Decalcification facilitates the awakening of dormant multi-dimensional consciousness in humans. It is a vital step on the road to healing if we wish to perceive the other dimensions that surround us and travel there with the astral body.

Various toxins widespread within humanity prevent our spiritual third eye from functioning effectively. A calcified Pineal Gland is akin to a piece of stone as opposed to a functioning and living organ capable of functioning as a spiritual transmitter for higher-dimensional communication.

Decalcification will happen naturally given the right conditions – although it can be assisted further with proper nutrition.

1. Avoid Tap Water

Tap Water is a major life destroying poison and should be treated as such. Calcification of the Pineal Gland occurs through the effects of fluoride – which is a highly toxic industrial waste product, which in its undiluted form can burn holes in concrete.

It is added to tap water under the guise of preventing tooth decay and this lie is understood when one looks at the effects of volcanic ash (containing high levels of fluoride) on animals.

Skeletal degradation and dental erosion is commonplace. Fluoride is also a neurological toxin and its intake can cause confusion, mental fogginess and deterioration of the neural pathways.

It renders one submissive, as one loses one’s clarity and mental acuity to the power of fluoride toxicity.

Fluoride is also highly carcinogenic (cancer-causing).

In that state of confusion, it is then very easy for other people or institutions with dubious agendas to control the individual, as they will not have the will-power to resist or even the clarity to realize they are being controlled. Fluoride also hides in toothpastes and dental flosses.

It is important to realize that a healthy diet free from refined sugars and high in alkalizing foods creates the optimum conditions for dental health – rendering fluoridation totally unnecessary.

Fluoride is challenging to remove from tap water and this toxin can also enter the skin through shower water making filtration absolutely necessary. It is also crucial to avoid drinking tap water and ingesting fluoride through the use of conventional dental products.

Ingesting microscopic amounts of tap water can dampen ones spiritual faculties for days at a time!

Naturally you want to be drinking from spring water. Be sure to check the pH of the water with a pH testing kit – anything under 6 is far too acidic.

Between 6.5 – 7.0 is perfect. Be aware that some bottled water can have a pH as low as 5. Drinking such acidic water is devastating to long term health.

Plastic bottles are also extremely toxic, especially when the plastic is not clear or the bottle is left in the sun.

I use Nalgene bottles for hiking and other outdoor use.

2. Remove the mercury fillings from one’s teeth safely by going to an established mercury-free dentist

They must use a cut and section approach to removal, use a dental dam and use a special ventilator during the procedure. Hot drilling of mercury fillings can do more harm than good.

Any ordinary dentist will have no hesitation to ‘hot drill’ the mercury and poison you further with the releasing of large amounts of mercury vapors (which are also released in hot weather and every time you drink hot fluids).

If you filling looks metallic – it is mercury and highly toxic. Do the full mercury detoxing protocols and nourish the body with super-foods as outlined in my Pineal Detoxing E-Book.

Mercury from amalgam fillings leaches into the body, poisoning the Pineal Gland and putting a serious dampener on one’s ability to travel multi-dimensionally.

Mercury is also found in almost all vaccinations in the form of methyl-mercury (Thimersal) which binds to the brain and is then very difficult to detox (albeit not impossible).

Be aware that taking medical vaccinations can cause irreparable damage to you or your child. Anyone with mercury toxicity may want to consider juicing fresh cilantro daily.

3. Avoid Chlorine

Chlorine is also a Pineal Gland Toxin also found in tap water and in siwmming pools. Each time you bath in a chlorinated swimming pool or take a shower, chlorine enters the skin through the pores and moves through the bloodstream. It then causes further calcification of the Pineal Gland.

The aforementioned toxins are the main things to avoid – the Pineal Gland Toxic Triangle as pictured below.

It is essential to avoid all three of these toxins at all costs and avoid ingesting even the smallest amounts of any of them. After avoiding further ingestion – one must then proceed to detox the body of all three.

 

4. Adopt the raw vegan diet

The raw vegan diet is full of nutrients and antioxidants as well as free of the other kinds of toxins (pesticides, additives, artificial sweeteners and the like) that also contribute to Pineal Gland toxicity.

The perfect diet for the Pineal Gland is one that contains plenty of green juice and/or green plants in their raw natural states. Chlorophyll cleanses blood – pushing toxins out of cells to be expelled by the body.

Consume wheatgrass and spirulina daily.

Karma aside – eating meat and dairy floods the system with heavy duty bovine, porcine and avian antibiotics, medications, growth enhancing hormones and all kinds of other substances incompatible with physical and spiritual health.

Many of these medications are laced with mercury and other toxins harmful to ones DNA.

5. Sort out the karma

It is not sufficient to decalcify the Pineal Gland and ignore inner emotional cleansing and/or self development.

Negative karma can ‘metaphysically calcify‘ a Pineal Gland and have the same effect as the Toxic Triangle. If after doing the detoxification – one is still not able to access the higher planes – one can look to unresolved karma as the blockage.

As the Pineal Chakra is above the Throat Chakra (the centre of truth, integrity and ethics) – opening the Pineal Gland has little value without a grounding in ethics. Thus anything connected with control dramas, cheating, lying, stealing, manipulation and the like all has to go.

One has to be free of lie energy if one is to develop any kind of deeper understanding. Opening the Pineal Gland prematurely without a stronger grounding in a life of integrity can cause lower astral interference and an ensuing karmic healing crisis.

Thus a strong life in ethics is essential before considering opening the Pineal Gland.

An ethical life involves being free from the tendency to cheat, control, manipulate or steal in all forms (both subtle and overt). It also calls for sexual and emotional responsibility and naturally the freedom from the karma of eating the flesh of animals.

Opening the Pineal Gland without a proper grounding in ethics and emotional stability can cause extreme lower astral interferences that can be detrimental to health and well-being.

Thus activating the Pineal Gland and exploring the other worlds must always be done in the context of living a strong and grounded spiritual life.

Outside of spiritual context Pineal Gland Activation will just invoke fear, confusion, lower astral interference and the potential for severe karmic healing crisis.

Opening the Pineal Gland for ‘kicks’ or from a state of karmic impurity is unwise and not recommended. Those who undergo the Pineal Gland Cleansing Protocols take full responsibility of the state of their lives.

The full process for spiritual awakening and integration is detailed in Keys to Immortality and includes full instruction for clearing attachments to lower astral entities.

Thus the emotional and karmic cleansing is just as important as the physical cleansing – if not more so – if one is to become fully spiritually integrated.

The purpose of Pineal Gland Decalcification is to dissolve the veils between the waking and the dream worlds and to ultimately achieve a state of Source Integration.

Those with active Pineal Glands can have an amazing dream life, leave their body often in the dream-time and start to perceive multi-dimensional reality.

Source Integration and the Dissolution of the Astral Veils enhances dreaming on many levels and enables on to have a full understanding of Spiritual Reality as depicted in diagram 4B below.

When you are Source Integrated you will understand what you see with the Pineal Gland open and with spiritual practice and a body free of toxins you will be able to enjoy a stronger connection with the Universe and Spiritual Reality.

How to Detox Your Pineal Gland – Fluoride, Mercury, & Consciousness

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Is there a natural herb or treatment to detox from fluoride, mercury, and pineal gland calcification?

The first intentional addition of fluoride in drinking water occurred in the early 1930′s in Nazi Germany. Marketing it as supposed helping children’s teeth, the actual sodium fluoride was to sterilize humans and force the masses into a calm docile state of submission and declining health-state. Control of the population through this manner was easily achievable.

Research chemist Charles Perkins was sent by the U.S. government to ascertain the truth on water fluoridation and found: “”The German chemists worked out a very ingenious and far-reaching plan of mass control that was submitted to and adopted by the German General Staff. This plan was to control the population of any given area through mass medication of drinking water supplies . . . In this scheme of mass control, ‘sodium fluoride’ occupied a prominent place. . . However, and I want to make this very definite, the real reason behind water fluoridation is not to benefit children’s teeth . . . The real purpose behind water fluoridation is to reduce the resistance of the masses to domination and control and loss of liberty . . . Repeated doses of infinitesimal amounts of fluorine will in time gradually reduce the individual’s power to resist domination by slowly poisoning and narco-tizing this area of the brain tissue, and make him submissive to the will of those who wish to govern him . . . I was told of this entire scheme by a German chemist who was an official of the great Farben chemical industries and was prominent in the Nazi movement at the time . . . I say this with all the earnestness and sincerity of a scientist who has spend nearly 20 years researching in chemistry, biochemistry, physiology, and pathology of fluorine . . . Any person who drinks artificially fluoridated water for a period of one year or more will never again be the same person, mentally or physically.”

Fluoride from water in our drinking water, food, and showers, enters our bloodstream and has a half-life of over 20 years, causing massive brain damage to unborn fetuses and gradually impairs IQ, as well as depressing cell growth rate. Most of the fluoride accumulates in the pineal gland which is the 2nd highest organ which receives blood-flow in the body.

Besides ratfish or skatefish liver oil which has been found to gradually help decalcify the pineal gland over time, the natural rootbark of Iboga has been shown to do wonders on the pineal gland and overall fluoride and mercury detoxification. At an Iboga treatment center, we have had several patients who have come for mercury poisoning specifically and many showing signs of toxic poisoning. Many of these people have said they feel disconnected from themselves without enough will or strength to break free. Some call this depersonalization disorder.

After two iboga treatments, the first of which is meant to detox the body of fluoride and other toxins including candida, herpes, and other viral and bacteria loads which “officially” are incurable, the second iboga journey is meant to take you on a psycho-spiritual journey to face yourself and clear your mind in an even greater way. Most people receive this experience in some form or another, but some may require additional treatment, especially if they do not surrender to the experience or have many years of toxic bodies and minds.

The miracles that are experienced with Iboga include having an inner silence that has been lost by many for a number of years. Resetting receptor sites on cells in your body and brain and resetting the mind of cellular memory and overstimulation from marketing, EMFs, and the world in general has an immense and empowering effect in only a few short days.

The shaman at an Iboga center I worked with, is a 10th generation Nganga from the jungles of Gabon who like most indigenous tribes, knows all about the third eye through spiritual experience, even though the Bwiti have been secluded from other tribes all over the world. Through the supplemental use of Moungouli, the secret recipe of the Pygmies, which is a paste made up of over 50 rare herbs, this paste is applied to your third eye during your second treatment to open up your third eye in as little as 15 seconds. Most people who are tapped by the shaman claim to see his finger with their eyes closed and some say it goes through their head and opens up their visionary sight.

This is because the pineal gland is not just a physical organ but is also the seat of the soul, which for many is locked. There has been specific programs put in place to keep this locked because without clear access to the soul, a human being is simply run by programs which are too powerful and too engrained to be broken free of. The movie the matrix is actually a powerful wake-up call to how most humans are being used. As sad as this may seem, it is a beautiful time to be alive because all these chemicals and false information is causing us to wake up faster and evolve with greater pressure.

If you are interested in learning more about detoxing your body and mind in our 8-9 day programs, contact us today and learn a powerful multi-dimensional treatment which has been used for centuries by the Bwiti and Pygmies of West Africa and is now available to the west in the traditional pure way for the first time.

Besides potentially decalcifying your pineal gland and detoxing your body in a large way, Iboga takes those who are ready to the spiritual world, in a way that is fully conscious, clear and direct. This allows you to be fully aware the entire time, gain the truth to your questions, and have no translation issue, enabling you to remember all or most of your insights in the spirit world without the boomerang effect of coming back where you started once the effects where off. Here is one example of the spiritual Iboga journey,  featured on the Joe Rogan Experience.

Watch the vido. URL:https://youtu.be/CTC_eeJj7zE

One Of The BIGGEST Secrets Kept From Humanity: The Pineal Gland!

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Humans are bestowed with a certain part of their brain known as the pineal gland or also known as our third eye. The reason as to why it is called pineal is for it’s shape, like a pine cone.

A tiny pine cone that is in charge of producing serotonin derivative melatonin that has to deal with our hormones that affect the modulation of sleep/wake patterns, including our seasonal functions.

This tiny pine cone can be found near the center of the brain in place between the two hemispheres.

The reason as to why higher up’s keep this information from people is so they do not find out the fullest potential that this part of us has.

The pineal gland is essentially the portal between the physical and spiritual world for humans. When activated, the sensation of euphoria and oneness fills the persons mind, giving them a sense of all knowing. One can achieve this activation through yoga, meditation and variety of other occult methods.

Once activated, that person is able to freely travel to other dimensions, or otherwise referred to as astral projection or remote viewing.

Through ancient methods and advance practices, one could even control the thoughts and actions of other people in the physical world.

All though this seems impossible, the former Soviet Union governments as well as various shadow organizations have been researching these effects for a really long time, keeping the information under lock from the public eye.

The reason we are unable to achieve this amazing feat within our brains is because of the amount of sodium fluoride we digest on a daily basis. The pineal gland absorbs most of the sodium fluoride that enters our bodies.

This essentially dumbs the pineal gland down by no longer being able to balance our hormonal processes in the body.

In fact, the United States water supply contains 90% of fluoride and other various components. Not even the water filters you buy at the super market are able to filter out fluoride.

One way to combat this is reverse osmosis or water distillation, water distillation being the cheaper option.

Not to claim ourselves as conspiracy theorists, but mainly our deep concern for the disconnect between our spirituality and reality all together.

Watch the video. URL:https://youtu.be/fNVoVfZ98kI

Decision to deny surgery to obese patients is like ‘racial discrimination’

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Bariatric surgeon Shaw Somers said move by local NHS in Vale of York amounts to discrimination because obesity is an illness

An overweight man sitting on the edge of a wall.
Anyone classified as obese – with a BMI of over 30 – will have to wait a year for surgery in the Vale of York.
The decision by an NHS body to restrict obese patients’ access to elective surgery until they lose weight is comparable with racial or religious discrimination, a surgeon has said.

The Vale of York clinical commissioning group (CCG) will make people wait for up to a year for treatment for non-life-threatening conditions such as hip and knee replacements if their body mass index is 30 or higher.

The group said it had taken the decision because it was the “best way of achieving maximum value from the limited resources available”.

Shaw Somers, a bariatric surgeon from Portsmouth, said the move was a logical step and could save money, but amounted to discrimination because obesity was an illness.

“They [the patients] are trying to lose weight in the vast majority of cases and to deny them treatment that they need on the basis of their weight, without then offering them effective help to help them lose weight is rather like discriminating [against] a segment of the population on the basis of their colour or religious persuasion,” he told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme.

“Just saying you can’t have surgery and there is no access to alternative treatments really doesn’t help anyone.”

Chris Hopson, the head of NHS Providers – which represents acute care, ambulance and community services – said the move amounted to “rationing care to save money”.

He told Today that the health service was being asked to deliver too much for the funding available. Rather than commissioning groups making “piecemeal decisions”, Hopson said there should be a national debate about the future of the UK’s healthcare system involving not only politicians, NHS leaders and clinicians – but the public as well, given that tax revenues funded it.

Demand for healthcare was “about to go through the roof” as baby boomers neared the end of their lives, he said. There had been a 6% increase in emergency admissions in the first quarter of this year.

The Royal College of Surgeons (RCS) said that it was a dangerous move that ranked among the “most severe the modern NHS has ever seen”.

She added: “As the true scale of financial pressure on NHS trusts has become clear over the summer, we are fast finding ourselves in a situation where CCGs are introducing draconian commissioning policies, often flouting Nice [National Institute for Health and Care Excellence] or other clinical guidance, in order to balance the books.

A spokesman for NHS England said: “Major surgery poses much higher risks for severely overweight patients who smoke. So local GP-led clinicalcommissioning groups are entirely right to ensure these patients first get support to lose weight and try and stop smoking before their hip or knee operation. Reducing obesity and cutting smoking not only benefits patients but saves the NHS and taxpayers millions of pounds.

“This does not and cannot mean blanket bans on particular patients such as smokers getting operations, which would be inconsistent with the NHS constitution.

“Vale of York CCG is currently under special measures legal direction, and NHS England is today asking it to review its proposed approach before it takes effect to ensure it is proportionate, clinically reasonable, and consistent with applicable national clinical guidelines.”

Why Brain-to-Brain Communication Is No Longer Unthinkable

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Exploring uncharted territory, neuroscientists are making strides with human subjects who can “talk” directly by using their minds.

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Telepathy, circa 23rd century: The Vulcan mind meld, accomplished by touching the temples with the fingertips, is an accepted technique for advancing the plot of a “Star Trek” episode with a minimum of dialogue, by sharing sensory impressions, memories and thoughts between nonhuman characters.

For nearly all of human history, only the five natural senses were known to serve as a way into the brain, and language and gesture as the channels out. Now researchers are breaching those boundaries of the mind, moving information in and out and across space and time, manipulating it and potentially enhancing it. This experiment and others have been a “demonstration to get the conversation started,” says researcher Rajesh Rao, who conducted it along with his colleague Andrea Stocco. The conversation, which will likely dominate neuroscience for much of this century, holds the promise of new technology that will dramatically affect how we treat dementia, stroke and spinal cord injuries. But it will also be about the ethics of powerful new tools to enhance thinking, and, ultimately, the very nature of consciousness and identity.

That new study grew out of Rao’s work in “brain-computer interfaces,” which process neural impulses into signals that can control external devices. Using an EEG to control a robot that can navigate a room and pick up objects—which Rao and his colleagues demonstrated as far back as 2008—may be commonplace someday for quadriplegics.

 

NASA just released a haunting video of Jupiter’s clouds

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NASA’s Juno spacecraft became the first ever to fly above and below Jupiter on Aug. 27, and at a breakneck speed of 130,000 mph.

Scientists say the images of the gas giant’s north and south poles – the first ever taken – are “like nothing we have seen or imagined before,” according to a statement about the mission that NASA released on Sept. 2.

jupiter aurora juno nasa

While we’re absolutely obsessed with these unprecedented views of the largest planet in the solar system, a huge part of the pinwheel-shaped spacecraft’s mission is to record data about unseen processes that are happening in and around Jupiter.Take, for example, Jupiter’s auroras.

NASA has managed to capture views of these particle storms in Jupiter’s clouds using the Hubble Space Telescope.

No spacecraft has manage to get as close to them as Juno, though, and record them with a suite of powerful instruments.

In addition to taking a fearsome-looking infrared image of a southern Jovian aurora with an instrument called JIRAM, Juno turned on at least seven other instruments to gather data.

NASA then turned this invisible information into animated video with sound, the space agency wrote in a YouTube video description:

“Thirteen hours of radio emissions from Jupiter’s intense auroras are presented here, both visually and in sound. The data was collected when the spacecraft made its first orbital pass of the gas giant on Aug 27, 2016, with all spacecraft instruments turned on. The frequency range of these signals is from 7 to 140 kilohertz. Radio astronomers call these ‘kilometric emissions’ because their wavelengths are about a kilometer long.”

Watch and listen to the very eerie result below (the audio starts at about 0:26).

And if you’re into other hidden visual spectacles, gaze at this incredible animated movie of Jupiter’s aurora, which the JIRAM instrument also recorded.

Watch the video. URL:https://youtu.be/i9TtSCkoERw

Forget Software—Now Hackers Are Exploiting Physics

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PRACTICALLY EVERY WORD we use to describe a computer is a metaphor. “File,” “window,” even “memory” all stand in for collections of ones and zeros that are themselves representations of an impossibly complex maze of wires, transistors and the electrons moving through them. But when hackers go beyond those abstractions of computer systems and attack their actual underlying physics, the metaphors break.

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Over the last year and a half, security researchers have been doing exactly that: honing hacking techniques that break through the metaphor to the actual machine, exploiting the unexpected behavior not of operating systems or applications, but of computing hardware itself—in some cases targeting the actual electricity that comprises bits of data in computer memory. And at the Usenix security conference earlier this month, two teams of researchers presented attacks they developed that bring that new kind of hack closer to becoming a practical threat.

Breaking Assumptions
Both of those new attacks use a technique Google researchers first demonstrated last March called “Rowhammer.” The trick works by running a program on the target computer, which repeatedly overwrites a certain row of transistors in its DRAM flash memory, “hammering” it until a rare glitch occurs: Electric charge leaks from the hammered row of transistors into an adjacent row. The leaked charge then causes a certain bit in that adjacent row of the computer’s memory to flip from one to zero or vice versa. That bit flip gives you access to a privileged level of the computer’s operating system.

It’s messy. And mind-bending. And it works.

Rowhammer and similar attacks could require both hardware and software makers to rethink defenses based on purely digital models. “Computers, like all technologies really, are built in layers that make assumptions of one another. Think of a car, assuming its wheels roll and absorb shocks, and don’t melt into goop when they get wet,” says security researcher Dan Kaminsky, who found a fundamental flaw in the Internet’s domain name system in 2008. “What’s interesting about networked technology is the fact that those assumptions can be attacked.”
Last year, Thomas Dullien (one of the inventors of the technique, perhaps better known by his hacker handle Halvar Flake) and his fellow Google researchers showed that they could use electricity leakage to flip crucial bits in the DRAM memory of a set of laptops, the first proof that charge leakage could be predictable and exploitable. Researchers in Austria and France followed up a few months later to show the attack could be enabled by javascript code running in a browser.

Those variations on Rowhammer, along with the newest ones presented at Usenix, show that the hacker world is increasingly focused on techniques that break those fundamental assumptions of computing. “Rowhammer is just scratching the surface,” says Dullien. “This has the potential to be a gigantic field of research.”

Making Rowhammer Practical and Specific
The latest attacks take Rowhammer in a new direction, applying it to cloud computing services and enterprise workstations rather than consumer PCs. One attack by a group of Ohio State researchers used the technique to hack Xen, the software used to partition computing resources on cloud servers into isolated “virtual machines” rented to customers. The hack breaks out of those virtual machines to control deeper levels of the server.

A second paper by Dutch and Belgian researchers achieves a similar effect, and also shows a new way to use Rowhammer more reliably. It exploits a feature called “memory de-duplication” that combines identical parts of virtual machines’ memory into a single place in the memory of a physical computer. On the Dell workstation the researchers tested, they could write data into the memory of a virtual machine and then use that data to locate and “hammer” the physical transistors underlying not just those bits of data, but the identical bits on someone else’s virtual machine running on the same computer.

The trick, which the researchers call “Flip Feng Shui,” allowed the group to pull off highly targeted hacks, like sabotaging an encryption key so that they could later decrypt a target’s secrets. “It’s less like a flamethrower and more like a sniper rifle,” says Ben Gras, one of the researchers at the University of Vrije who came up with it.1

A New Level of Stealth
Rowhammer is far from the only new hacking technique that exploits computers’ physical properties. Proof-of-concept malware shown off by Israeli researchers over the summer, for instance, uses the sound of computers’ cooling fans or hard drive motors to transmit stolen data as audio. Another group of Israelis showed last year they could use just $300 of handheld equipment to extract encryption keys from a computer by monitoring the radio emissions leaked by its processor’s power use.

The result is an ultra-stealthy physical sabotage technique that’s virtually impossible to detect with digital security measures.
But as with Rowhammer, the most disturbing physical hacks are microscopic. University of Michigan researchers have been able to build a secret backdoor into a single cell—a collection of transistors less than a thousandth of the width of a human hair—among billions on a modern microchip. When a hacker who knows about the backdoor’s existence runs a certain program, it causes that cell to pick up charge from nearby transistors and induce a certain bit to flip, just as in the Rowhammer attacks. The result is an ultra-stealthy physical sabotage technique that’s virtually impossible to detect with digital security measures. “It’s operating outside of the Matrix,” says Matthew Hicks, one of the Michigan researchers, who described the technique to WIRED in June.

This kind of exploitation of hardware means that no software update can help. Researchers have identified one countermeasure to Rowhammer’s memory charge leakage: a feature of DRAM called “error-correcting code” constantly corrects abnormal levels of charge in any particular transistor. More widely implementing that feature in computer memory could head off current implementations of the Rowhammer attack.

But Dullien warns that DRAM is just one potential target. “Lots of things—chips, hard disks, whatever—are designed to be OK in the average case but probably not when they’re given adversarial input,” he says. “We don’t know where the next broken piece of hardware will show up. But that’s why everyone’s so excited about researching this more.” Computer scientists may soon find their machines aren’t just vulnerable in ways they haven’t considered, but in ways their digital models don’t even allow them to imagine.

7 Things to Help You Feel Better During Tough Times

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7 Things to Help You Feel Better During Tough Times“Tough times don’t last, but tough people do. And I’ve been through some tough times, and I know a lot of people can recall tough times, and maybe are going through some tough times right now, but they don’t last.” ~ Alonzo Mourning

I have been through some really tough times in my life. I have been through times whereby I have been so miserable, it felt like I just want to curl up and rot in a hole somewhere. Looking back, I realized of course that I have made myself miserable. But at the time when you are so miserable, it was as if you can’t control it. It’s like there’s something within you that just keeps pulling you into more and more misery. That’s when you have to make a conscious choice and observe your thoughts and emotions. And then you will start to see what are the thoughts floating around in your mind that’s making you feel miserable.

“The primary cause of unhappiness is never the situation but your thoughts about it.” ~ Eckhart Tolle.

Anyway, I have learnt some really great things that I want to share with you which will help you feel better during tough times.

1. Let go of the need to “fix” yourself.

Realize that you are not a problem that needs fixing. That’s different from saying that there is a problem in my life that I need to find a solution for. But when you identify yourself as a problem or that you are broken or that there’s something wrong with you, you feel shitty about yourself. Just by saying to yourself and recognizing that you are not broken and that it’s just a case of you having this problem in your life, you will feel better about yourself. And then it’s about you taking steps to find a solution to this problem.

2. Let go of the past. 

I know you have heard this a hundred times before but I’m going to say it again. let go of the past! Why are you doing that to yourself? When you dwell in the past, you make yourself a victim. Dwelling on what should have been or what shouldn’t have been or what might have been. A neat trick that I use is to force myself to look around at my surroundings. Suppose I’m sitting on my balcony looking at the beautiful trees in front of me, I will say to myself: “Look it’s not real, that doesn’t exist anymore.” Whatever is the problem from the past that’s haunting me. Instead, I will focus on looking at the beautiful trees.

3. Let go of worry.

It is quite common for many people to worry about the future. Because the future is uncertain and most people fear uncertainty so they worry about the future. You just have to give up your need to know about what happens tomorrow.

4. Let go of the need for perfection.

Embrace both sides of life. Know that we live in a world of duality. There is no success without failure. There is no happiness without sadness. There is no high without low. So, you might as well embrace both sides of life. It will help you feel a lot better when you can see that there are both sides to life and you accept it when the low comes. Because with acceptance comes inner peace.

5. Let go of judgments. Be gentle with yourself.

“I’m a bad mom.” “My life is miserable.” “I haven’t achieved anything in my life yet.” “I’m not pretty enough.” “I’m not good enough.” All these are you judging yourself and your life. Every time you catch yourself judging yourself or your life, just say to yourself: “I don’t need that.”

6. Let go of the need to compare yourself with others.

Let go of the heartbreaking cruelty of comparing and competing with others. Realize that you are on your own path and that the other person has his/her own path. Even when the other person has a better life than you or does better than you is not going to take anything away from your path. Your path is your path.

7. Let go of expectations.

“I should be married with 2 kids by now.” “I should be successful by now.” When you let go of such expectations of yourself, you will feel a lot better. And let go of future expectations of yourself. You can still set goals but let go of the attachment to these goals. Because there is no guarantee that you will achieve these goals. So, in the event that you don’t achieve your goal, you won’t set yourself up for a massive disappointment.

 

9 Ways to Let Go of Your Past and Start Over

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“This is life. Things get taken away. You will learn to start over many times — or you will be useless.” ~ Mitch Albom,

When life knocks you down, it’s virtually impossible to start over. Instead, we want to nurse our wounds and cry in our misery. We want to quit our jobs, travel the world, find a Brazilian lover, start a blog…

While I may or may not have done some of these things from the book Eat, Pray, Love, my divorce was rock bottom in my life. Life had looked so promising until it all came to a to a crashing halt.

9 Ways to Let Go of Your Past and Start Over

1. Let go of the pain.

It’s easy to nurse our pain and hold onto it for much longer than necessary. I held onto my pain over my ex-wife for years. The pain was known and familiar. Being alone wasn’t known and familiar, but ultimately I realized that to move on, I had to let go of the pain.

Feel the intense feelings that overcome your body and spirit. Cry as much as you need to. Feel as much as you want to and experience the intensity of the pain. Talk to a counselor or friend who can help you unload the feelings of guilt, shame and anger. Write down the heavy feelings so they are off your chest.

Emotional pain is a like a heavy anchor that weighs you down. You can gain your momentum again only when you lessen its grip on you.

2. Let go of anger.

While almost all of our emotions are manageable, the toughest one to deal with is anger. You’ll want to blame and hold responsible all the people who contributed to your suffering. You will walk around with unresolved pain and a burning sensation of injustice.

What they say is true: you can’t move on until you forgive. The burning anger in your heart burns only within; it doesn’t affect the people you’re angry at. So, being angry at others only makes you more unhappy and miserable. Don’t let the people who contributed to your downfall continue hurting you. Forgive them no matter how terrible the trespass. Breathe a sigh of relief and welcome in peace again.

3. Let go of grudges.

In a breakup or divorce, you want to hold everyone responsible and accountable. There are a lot of grudges to go around; there are many people who slighted you and many who let you down. You’ll want to blame your ex, your in-laws, your friends, your mutual pet who now lives with her.

Step away from grudges and, for the sake of your life, seek understanding. Try to see each person who wronged you in the best light. Instead of silent wishes that karma run over each perpetrator, whisper silent prayers of forgiveness.

Say, “I forgive you, I let go of you from my life and I wish you well. I thank you for the lessons you have taught me and for contributing to my growth.”

4. Let go of what was.

Like TiVo or the replay button on the television, you can continue watching the past over and over. It’s a lovely exercise that makes you feel warm and fuzzy until you realize you’ve wasted years of your life holding onto the past.

You can stop living in your past by becoming aware of every time you daydream about happier days gone by. Remember – it likely wasn’t that happy. We have a tendency to hold onto the good stuff and let go of the hellish memories.

Catch yourself each time you do it and bring yourself back to what you were doing today. Immerse yourself in whatever activity you’re engaged in right now. Practice mindfulness so you’re no longer living in a time that doesn’t exist anymore.

5. Let go of expectations.

Expectations are the silent killers of happiness and life. Don’t you wish that everything worked out exactly as you imagined it? Don’t you miss all the wonderful possibilities of what could have been?

You can spend a lifetime thinking about how good things could have been and how they didn’t turn out as you’d hoped. Then again, you could wake up 15 years later and realize that you should have ditched the expectations and practiced acceptance.

Instead of feeling sad about how things didn’t work out, practice being grateful for how things did turn out.

Don’t play society’s games and don’t let outside forces measure you. True happiness comes from within: from your being able to accept life’s twists and turns.

6. Let go of comparisons.

Often, it’s not life’s circumstances that make us feel bad, but our own life in comparison to those of everyone else we know.

We are a culture that uses our friends and neighbors as a measuring rod for our own personal success. Personal success doesn’t mean doing what others are doing; it’s figuring out what you want and doing that.

Don’t measure success by where you need to be at this point in your life; measure success by being able to do what you want and living a life that’s true to you. Don’t let society be the measuring rod; go within and pursue your heart’s desires.

7.  Let go of attacking yourself.

It’s one of the easiest things to do when our life falls apart – we want to blame, scold and attack ourselves. Our families did this to us when we were children, and now we do it to ourselves naturally.

Your attacking yourself is not going to help the situation. Instead of tearing yourself down and blaming yourself, give yourself some credit for knowing how to get out of the situation you’re in. You have the creativity, resilience and ability to move forward. You’ve done this before.

Remind yourself that you’re worthy, able and smart enough to get through this situation. You may have made mistakes that landed you here, but you’re smart enough to learn from those mistakes and not repeat them in the future.

8. Let go of hopelessness.

You can view the world through two pairs of lenses. One pair of lenses – the one we pick up most often – is gloom and doom. Everything is falling apart and your life is over. The other pair of lenses is the sense that this setback – even though it’s a serious one – is simply preparing you for something greater.

In this setback is something good. In this setback is a message and a lesson for you to learn. This setback is going to turn your life’s low point into your high point.

You’re not going to fall further (as you’re fearing); instead, you’re going to rise higher. You know what they say – what goes down must come up!

9. Let go of feeling helpless.

Instead of curling up in our beds or crawling into the wall and disappearing from the world, why not take some time to rest, reflect and refresh?

You can overcome feelings of helplessness by checking in with yourself and thinking about the life you want. You can rebuild from the ground up and create the life you have been craving.

When life falls apart, know that you have the creativity and freedom to design a more intentional life. Take the small steps. Make the internal shifts and work toward a new and improved life for yourself.