Anyone using M2 SSDs in USB enclosures with their KPG experiencing erratic and inconsistent behavior? First, the drives simply wouldn't format until I plugged them into a PC and initialized them as MBR. And even then, some of them will mount and still not be able to be formatted by the Ki Pro, and some won't mount or be formatted at all. And then the ones that do mount, after an hour of recording, will suddenly shut down after losing their mount. All five drives had been initialized and formatted exFAT identically but the device randomly decides it doesn't like some of the drives while having no (well...fewer) problems with the others. It's infuriating for a unit that's marketed to work with "off-the-shelf" media. The SSDs are Samsung 980 Pro 1TB - way more than fast enough to support the write speeds required. Maybe the unit doesn't like the intermediary interface of the enclosure between it and the storage media?
Another odd behavior: the drives that don't successfully mount when plugged in heat up really fast, even when idle. The drives that do mount stay cool. It's bizarre.

I attended the first one, and it was bloody good, so let’s see if the sequel is any better.

SHOW RUNDOWN!
Pyro goes off, we’re coming to you live from Murrayfield Stadium, Edinburgh Scotland for the second annual Clash at the Castle! - On the kick-off Noam Dar won a 20-Man Over the top rope Battle Royal to earn a shot against Austin Theory’s United States Championship later tonight!
To begin tonight’s main card we have a hugely personal six-man tag team match!
Judgment Day VERSUS The OC!
After failing to gain the Intercontinental Championship the last time we were in the UK, Finn Bàlor was shunned by his brooding cohorts and eventually usurped by his former student, JD McDonagh. A down-on-his-luck Finn Bàlor nearly retired over this debarkle, but a couple of Good Brothers weren’t going to let that happen! With a new spark, and familiar enemy, Finn Bàlor, Karl Anderson & Doc Gallows are here for revenge!
Following that, the Divine Champion Chelsea Green defends her newly re-crested title!
Chelsea Green (c) VERSUS Asuka
The new champion was crowned only a few weeks prior to this event, when Green cashed in her Money in the Bank briefcase on the dominant and seemingly unstoppable Asuka! The former RAW Women’s Championship would finally gain a new identity as the Divine Championship exclusive to Friday Nights, and just as it did, it slipped out of Asuka’s grasp. As you can imagine, she is far from happy about that.
Proceeding that, Cody Rhodes meets a brand new foe in a match designed for the most violent among us: The Bull-Rope Match.
Cody Rhodes VERSUS Ilja Dragunov
Cody has gradually changed, something snapped in his mental state during his match with Brock Lesnar at Money in the Bank, like his desperation to be the hero in his story simply exposed that he is truly the villain. Doesn’t help that the crowd has once again turned on him. After cutting a near Homelander like promo in the ring, the recently debuted Ilja steps up. A bloody war at SummerSlam see’s Cody Rhodes come out on top, but both mens lust for more violence leads us here.
Next, a triple threat, but not just any triple threat, a tag team triple threat! And it’s for the Undisputed TagTeam Championships.
Pretty Deadly V Bate & Butch V Imperium (c)
With his partner now on the shelf, thanks to the champions and their gorgeous assailants, Butch has to dig deep into his past to find a way back into the title scene. Tyler Bate would become his golden ticket, and the two former British Strong Style members make it official and inject themselves into this match! Ruining the other two teams plan to get an easy pay day!
With that, we move onto the afore mentioned US Title match made on the kick-off.
Austin Theory (c) VERSUS Noam Dar
After that we have the Rhea Ripley’s World Title open challenge!
Rhea Ripley (c) VERSUS…Bianca Belair!
And now it is time for the semi main event and the conclusion of the greatest series of battles the Intercontinental Championship has ever seen.
Sheamus VERSUS Gunther (c)
To complete the trilogy, a year after their inaugural clash at the castle, Sheamus and Gunther battle it out in what Sheamus has gone on record stating will be his final match, not only for the title or with Gunther, but his final match ever if he is to fail again.
To conclude the show here in Scotland, a far meaner World Heavyweight Champion Drew McIntyre puts his title on the line, mirroring his conquest from this time last year.
Seth Rollins VERSUS Drew McIntyre (c)
Rollins loses his title at SummerSlam in Detroit to “The New” Drew McIntyre. After months of silence he had returned to Monday Nights with a new goal in mind, become World Champion. Opponent after opponent is laid out and eventually he becomes undeniable and Seth grants him a title match. Their SummerSlam encounter would end in less than 20 seconds, when Drew McIntyre’s new helping hand Paul Ellering makes his debut and distracts the champion. Claymore, and they were done. Will we see a repeat here?

SHOW RESULTS!
JD McDonagh, Damian Priest & Dominik Mysterio put down The OC, JD adding more salt to his former mentors wounds, winning the match with a 1916 onto a Dominik Mysterio’s metal chain behind the referees back.
Asuka is unable to topple Chelsea Green, who sets Sonya Deville on Asuka after the match, who had helped Green win both the title and this match.
Ilja Dragonuv out crazies the American Nightmare, using the Bull-Rope to pull Cody off of the top rope and into a stiff Torpedo Moskau! Dragunov gets his win back in another bloody affair.
Imperium manage to retain their Undisputed Tag Titles in a fast moving matchup. A quick European Bomb on Butch allows them to retain.
Austin Theory, thanks to some shenanigans, puts away Naom Dar with the ATL.
Rhea Ripley manages to escape a KOD and nail Bianca Belair in the back of the head with her Women’s World Title, causing a disqualification. However this does make Bianca the first person to have defeated Rhea in any capacity this year.
Sheamus finally accomplishes the one thing had yet to do in his WWE career and that’s become Intercontinental Champion. He knocks Gunther down with a Brogue and then forces him to tap with the Clover Leaf. Ending what should be by that the longest IC Title reign ever.
Seth Rollins fails to topple Drew McIntyre, but the match does go longer than 20 seconds. Paul Ellering is a huge factor, but he gets his ass kicked by Becky Lynch who makes a cameo after one too many Ellering interventions. Drew gets out of the way of a Seth Stomp and pushes him in an exposed corner. He then kicks him in the head and pins him to retain.

I've been looking at enclosures that people have built using off-the-shelf equipment. There are some great examples:

• Ikea platsa with 2 doors https://www.reddit.com/BambuLab/comments/13j0tio/attempt_at_silencing_this_thing_i_have_no/.
• Ikea platsa with 1 door https://www.reddit.com/3Dprinting/comments/rtujr3/enclosure_with_automatic_fire_extinguishe

I know about the "lack hack" but my main reason for wanting an enclosure is to reduce noise (my printer is in my house, I'm happily married and would like it to stay that way). I'm looking for a thicker, heavier material than acrylic. Most people who build an enclosure that uses more than acrylic reach for Ikea platsa system, which is not available in the USA.
What other storage or off-the-shelf equipment have people used for making an enclosure in the USA?
I bought one of these kids' wardrobes which I believe is roughly based on platsa https://www.ikea.com/us/en/p/smastad-uppfoera-wardrobe-white-pale-pink-with-4-drawers-s59430908/ but I don't love it. Ideally I would have one door up front instead of two (better sealing), however they don't sell a door like that which fits this unit. Also this wardrobe case doesn't have a ridgid board in the middle, instead it's a moveable one. The top cabinet also won't fit an X1C with an AMS on the top either (can't open the AMS lid all the way).
I'm experienced with woodworking and can make something custom, but starting from a production pre-made product seems easier and means I can (hopefully) learn from other's designs.
Have you built or bought something to enclose your printer with parts that can be sourced in the USA? If so, would you recommend it?

​
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JzxwHWZZGhA&t=1458s
Introduction
Sinéad Whelehan is a contact activist that I met in November of 2021 when she produced an online video interview with me for the “Beyond Being Human” website. At that time, she had been working with researcheauthor Grant Cameron for two years gaining experience as a researcher and interviewer. According to her brief bio on the “Beyond Being Human” webpage Sinéad is a lifelong experiencer of multiple forms of paranormal high strangeness “as well as being a lifelong spiritual practitioner.”
I subscribe to Jeff Mara’s Podcast and when I saw her picture appear as a guest on his YouTube channel, I wanted to hear what she had to say. My curiosity was piqued when I read the provocative title of the program “Alien Stands Next To Her AT CE-5 Event - ALIEN PHOTO.” The event that she described reminded me of an encounter that I had one night in the Santa Monica Mountains in 1993.
High Strangeness in Malibu Canyon
For six years back in the 1990s, I was a contact team leader for the CE-5 Initiative. Our group staged repeated Human Initiated Contact Events (HICE) in Southern California. During one outing the team was operating high up overlooking Malibu Canyon. While in deep meditation, I felt a strong pleasant pressure sensation in the middle of my chest. In retrospect, I imagine that my heart chakra was opening wide, because I was filled with a powerful peaceful loving feeling. After the meditation was over, my teammate, United Airlines Captain Joe Vallejo, told me the following:
He stated that at one point during the meditation he had slightly opened his eyes. There, standing directly in front of me, was a small “boxy” non-human being. Its rectangular form was only about two feet high, and it stood motionlessly less than twelve inches away from me. He reported that when he opened his eyes wide to get a better look, the rectangular form disappeared.
Sinéad ’s Photograph Obtained During Volunteer Contact Work
During the last 20 minutes of Jeff Mara’s interview Sinéad showed the photograph mentioned in the title of the program. The digital picture was taken during an Illinois CE-5 nighttime outing in 2021. According to Sinéad, it was light blasted to bring out the details not easily seen because the picture was taken at night. Aside from the light blasting, no other alterations of the photograph was reportedly made. Sinéad gives her description of the photograph during the interview as follows:
Sinéad Whelehan: This is a random photograph that was taken by a woman I didn't know, who was in the circle. Now you're seeing the very edge of the meditation circle…. Grant Cameron… was there with me…. So, my chair is on the other side of Grant.….And there's a little being right there. And here's the bright light coming out of my chest with these kinds of tendrils of light as well…
And then here's a really super-duper close-up version of the little being…
Jeff Mara: Would you say that that being is standing right next to your chair?
Sinéad Whelehan: Yes, yeah and I felt it there, you know, even during that experience… I was feeling them to my left … You can see where my body is… and here's the little being’s shoulder and there's the neck, it's head… the eye.. and there are other beings in the photograph as well.
Understandably because of the photograph that Sinéad presented, there has been considerable public interest in this Jeff Mara podcast. In just a few weeks, over 60,000 views of this interview have been tallied. In my opinion, however, Sinéad Whelehan’s personal story as described in this in-depth interview is of even greater significance than the photographic evidence she obtained. Sinéad’s journey into contact has involved her overcoming many personal challenges. Perhaps the most important one is the fact that she is nearly totally deaf and has required two major surgeries for cochlear implants.
The Making of a Contact Activist
In July of 2019, Sinéad experienced what she describes as a “massive awakening.” She explained the term “awakening” might not be the best term to use because for decades she previously had engaged in spiritual practices like meditation and yoga. Nonetheless, what happened to her in 2019 was likened to “being bonged on the head with the cosmic frying pan…” It happened as she was recovering from her second cochlear implant.
Sinéad suddenly sensed an overwhelmingly powerful presence in her room of multiple non-human entities who communicated with her telepathically. According to Sinéad, the beings were saying, “OK. It’s time! We’ve been with you all along. It’s now time. You have a job to do!!” And her mission was to spread the word that every one of us are cosmic beings. And we need to recognize our long-standing relationship with “the extraterrestrials.” This new sense of duty, however, was not without a downside.
For two decades Sinéad had a very responsible position as a public-school teacher in Canada. She worked in special education for elementary and high school students. Her profession gave her an opportunity to work with children, something she has always loved doing. In addition, her position provided her with a good income, job security and benefits. She found herself in a dilemma, how could she change her life in ways that were consistent with the radical paradigm shift that she was undergoing?
In the following section of this report Sinéad Whelehan reveals one of the most astounding contact events that I have ever come across. In my judgment, this vignette is an example of how UFO intelligences can manipulate spacetime. Sinéad describes her difficult personal situation and how her request for validation led to an astounding High Strangeness Event. (The following transcript has been edited by me for readability.)
“It's that feeling that experiencers often talk about. I just knew that it was ETs. I knew what they were telling me was real. And believe me, I had moments of doubting myself. Then, I would ask them for validation, and they would give me ridiculous validation that was absolutely undeniable.
An example is that I’m a teacher. This happened in the summer (of 2019). I had my “awakening” in July and about two weeks after the “big cosmic frying pan experience” happened. I had already been hired months before to mark government literacy tests. There are these booklets that are sent out to kids all over the country. In Canada they were sent out to kids in grade 6 to test their math and their literacy (skills).
So, I was hired to mark these booklets and score them. (This project was) to track the data for kids all over the country in terms of their literacy levels. This job was done in a massive warehouse. And there I was with all these tired teachers, you know, trudging in with big jugs of coffee. They were chugging down their coffee through the day and marking these booklets. It was just such dry work and in this big, huge empty warehouse. And, you know, we got cattle called back after breaks. It felt like such a massive juxtaposition to the vibration that I had experienced(with the ETs) just a short while before that I started to feel like,” Oh my God, I have gone crazy.”…
So, I started getting worried about myself. I went home one day… and I was very upset. I just started talking to them (the ETs) out loud. I'm not someone who grew up religious… I never prayed in my life, but I just started talking to them. I was sitting on the floor of my living room crying a little bit, really, really distressed, and stressed out. (I was) wondering if I was mentally well.) I asked them, if this (the continuous presence of ET beings in her life) is really true, “I need you to prove it to me. I need you to prove it to me in a way that is absolutely undeniable and unmistakable….”
So, then I felt this very warm soothing presence around me, and I relaxed. I felt better and I went to bed. Woke up the next day, drove to work. It started as usual… (What) we're supposed to do is just walk up to the front of the room where there's this massive floor to ceiling shelf. I grab a random stack of booklets, bring them back to our desk and start marking them… We're supposed to mark exactly the same question over and over again. So, each (student)answers the question differently. They are 10-11 years old. They're in grade 6 (and) supposed to be writing about “the Day I Became Famous.” It’s a creative writing challenge for them.
Astounding High Strangeness Event
On that day, for 45 minutes, from 9:00 o'clock until 9:45 every single booklet I opened had compositions about, ET 's, UFOs, flying cars, free energy, portals, “the earth is alive”, “the Galaxy is full of other beings” (What) I was reading … has nothing to do with the original prompt “The Day I Became Famous. Nothing to do with it! Here are these kids writing in pencil in 10- to 11-year-old child’s writing, “there’s a portal in my bedroom”, “I designed time travel”, “I made a time machine”, “the earth is alive and conscious; she knows what we're all doing to her”. “there are spaceships out there.” I mean I just couldn't believe it. I could not believe It!
We were not allowed to take breaks that early in the morning, but I just said I have to… I went to the washroom. I texted a bunch of friends of mine who I had met by that point in the community because immediately after my awakening I just started reaching out to people for help. I needed to understand what was going on. I connected with the lovely Kosta Makreas (who was recently interviewed on the Jeff Mara Podcast). Kosta was immediately there for me, to support me. I texted him and a couple of other people he had introduced me to… “I need you to tell me if this is real. Did this really just happen?” Meanwhile the hairs on the skin of my arms are standing straight up.
(There I am) in a stall in the bathroom furiously typing. They all wrote me back and said, “Yep this is what happens.” You know, this is exactly it! I mean how can you deny that is validation! Not to mention, when I came back from the bathroom, the rest of the booklets that were on my desk, I think there were three or four left, none of them had anything to do with it (the flying saucer themes). It was all back to the question (and for the rest of the day it was the original composition prompt question) “How I Became Famous” (The answers were what one might expect from 6th graders, things like) “because of YouTube.”
Discussion:
How were the non-human intelligences that contacted Sinéad able to stage such an extremely strange sequence of events? She asked for a clear sign that her contacts and communications were real and not the result of her being mentally imbalanced. The very next day the compositions written by 6th graders deviated from the assignment. Instead of writing “The Day I Became Famous”, they wrote about numerous themes associated with “ET contact.”
For two decades I have promoted what I call the Virtual Experience Model for flying saucer investigations. This theory outlines what I believe are illusory mechanisms of contact employed by UFO intelligences during interactions with people targeted for encounters. According to this proposed model, a Virtual Experience of the Third Kind (VE-3) is a false memory inserted into the consciousness of a contact experiencers by flying saucer intelligences. These “thought forms” might be so skillfully done that the false memories convince the experiencer that they represent recollections of actual events. Could Sinéad ’s recollection of this “high strangeness” be a false memory, a VE-3?
This is not a reasonable explanation because immediately after being confronted with the High Strangeness of children writing about what are called “anomalous phenomena”, she texted fellow contact activist Kosta Makreas. I spoke to him the day after I viewed the interview. Kosta recalled receiving the message from Sinéad and reassuring her with a reply akin to “Yep this is what happens.”
For decades, renowned UFO researcher Dr. Jacques Vallee has pointed out that the intelligences responsible for UFOs appear to be able to manipulate spacetime. In my opinion, a consensus is beginning to emerge among contact experiencers as well as UFO investigators that the High Strangeness events associated with UFOs are showing us that materialist science’s explanations as to the nature of reality are at best incomplete. If consciousness, and not mass/energy is the wellspring of creation, then the fundamental assumptions of academic mainstream science are plainly wrong.
Conclusion
If consciousness is primary, then perhaps our 4-D reality of spacetime is a kind of projection from some more fundamental realm that is pure consciousness. There has been much speculation in scientific circles that the Cosmos, and everything in it, is part of some simulation created by advanced intelligences. If this is true, then the alleged ETs might be able to enter our “reality” at will and alter the simulation, thereby staging the “inexplicable” events that we label “High Strangeness.” Sinéad ’s encountering a stack of “anomalous” handwritten 6th grade compositions could very well be an example of a personal simulation being altered by her “friends in high places.”
For blogs describing High Strangeness events, the following links are provided.
https://contactunderground.wordpress.com/2022/01/24/strange-visitors-that-only-wanted-to-talk-about-human-initiated-contact/
https://contactunderground.wordpress.com/2022/09/01/high-strangeness-galore-after-returning-from-a-ufo-investigation-in-the-volcanic-zone-joseph-burkes-md-2022/
https://contactunderground.wordpress.com/2021/11/11/when-ringing-in-the-ears-is-more-than-just-tinnitus/
Introduction to Healing Cases Chapter 6 of “Beyond UFOs” & Case 1 Hemorrhagic Shock in an ER Physician Following Dental Surgery
https://contactunderground.wordpress.com/2023/01/05/medical-healings-reported-by-uap-contact-experiencers/
https://contactunderground.wordpress.com/2023/01/09/case-study-2-alina-del-castillo-orb-reportedly-heals-probable-acute-bacterial-cellulitis/
https://contactunderground.wordpress.com/2023/01/13/two-dramatic-uap-healing-cases-in-a-retired-dea-special-agent/
https://contactunderground.wordpress.com/2023/01/29/case-7-reverend-michael-j-carter-reports-that-a-nordic-type-being-cured-a-blood-clot-in-his-leg/

https://underground.contact/2023/05/25/uap-healing-case-10-a-15-year-old-jack-russell-with-heart-failure-arthritis-a-massive-stroke/

​
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JzxwHWZZGhA&t=1458s
Introduction
Sinéad Whelehan is a contact activist that I met in November of 2021 when she produced an online video interview with me for the “Beyond Being Human” website. At that time, she had been working with researcheauthor Grant Cameron for two years gaining experience as a researcher and interviewer. According to her brief bio on the “Beyond Being Human” webpage Sinéad is a lifelong experiencer of multiple forms of paranormal high strangeness “as well as being a lifelong spiritual practitioner.”
I subscribe to Jeff Mara’s Podcast and when I saw her picture appear as a guest on his YouTube channel, I wanted to hear what she had to say. My curiosity was piqued when I read the provocative title of the program “Alien Stands Next To Her AT CE-5 Event - ALIEN PHOTO.” The event that she described reminded me of an encounter that I had one night in the Santa Monica Mountains in 1993.
High Strangeness in Malibu Canyon
For six years back in the 1990s, I was a contact team leader for the CE-5 Initiative. Our group staged repeated Human Initiated Contact Events (HICE) in Southern California. During one outing the team was operating high up overlooking Malibu Canyon. While in deep meditation, I felt a strong pleasant pressure sensation in the middle of my chest. In retrospect, I imagine that my heart chakra was opening wide, because I was filled with a powerful peaceful loving feeling. After the meditation was over, my teammate, United Airlines Captain Joe Vallejo, told me the following:
He stated that at one point during the meditation he had slightly opened his eyes. There, standing directly in front of me, was a small “boxy” non-human being. Its rectangular form was only about two feet high, and it stood motionlessly less than twelve inches away from me. He reported that when he opened his eyes wide to get a better look, the rectangular form disappeared.
Sinéad ’s Photograph Obtained During Volunteer Contact Work
During the last 20 minutes of Jeff Mara’s interview Sinéad showed the photograph mentioned in the title of the program. The digital picture was taken during an Illinois CE-5 nighttime outing in 2021. According to Sinéad, it was light blasted to bring out the details not easily seen because the picture was taken at night. Aside from the light blasting, no other alterations of the photograph was reportedly made. Sinéad gives her description of the photograph during the interview as follows:
Sinéad Whelehan: This is a random photograph that was taken by a woman I didn't know, who was in the circle. Now you're seeing the very edge of the meditation circle…. Grant Cameron… was there with me…. So, my chair is on the other side of Grant.….And there's a little being right there. And here's the bright light coming out of my chest with these kinds of tendrils of light as well…
And then here's a really super-duper close-up version of the little being…
Jeff Mara: Would you say that that being is standing right next to your chair?
Sinéad Whelehan: Yes, yeah and I felt it there, you know, even during that experience… I was feeling them to my left … You can see where my body is… and here's the little being’s shoulder and there's the neck, it's head… the eye.. and there are other beings in the photograph as well.
Understandably because of the photograph that Sinéad presented, there has been considerable public interest in this Jeff Mara podcast. In just a few weeks, over 60,000 views of this interview have been tallied. In my opinion, however, Sinéad Whelehan’s personal story as described in this in-depth interview is of even greater significance than the photographic evidence she obtained. Sinéad’s journey into contact has involved her overcoming many personal challenges. Perhaps the most important one is the fact that she is nearly totally deaf and has required two major surgeries for cochlear implants.
The Making of a Contact Activist
In July of 2019, Sinéad experienced what she describes as a “massive awakening.” She explained the term “awakening” might not be the best term to use because for decades she previously had engaged in spiritual practices like meditation and yoga. Nonetheless, what happened to her in 2019 was likened to “being bonged on the head with the cosmic frying pan…” It happened as she was recovering from her second cochlear implant.
Sinéad suddenly sensed an overwhelmingly powerful presence in her room of multiple non-human entities who communicated with her telepathically. According to Sinéad, the beings were saying, “OK. It’s time! We’ve been with you all along. It’s now time. You have a job to do!!” And her mission was to spread the word that every one of us are cosmic beings. And we need to recognize our long-standing relationship with “the extraterrestrials.” This new sense of duty, however, was not without a downside.
For two decades Sinéad had a very responsible position as a public-school teacher in Canada. She worked in special education for elementary and high school students. Her profession gave her an opportunity to work with children, something she has always loved doing. In addition, her position provided her with a good income, job security and benefits. She found herself in a dilemma, how could she change her life in ways that were consistent with the radical paradigm shift that she was undergoing?
In the following section of this report Sinéad Whelehan reveals one of the most astounding contact events that I have ever come across. In my judgment, this vignette is an example of how UFO intelligences can manipulate spacetime. Sinéad describes her difficult personal situation and how her request for validation led to an astounding High Strangeness Event. (The following transcript has been edited by me for readability.)
“It's that feeling that experiencers often talk about. I just knew that it was ETs. I knew what they were telling me was real. And believe me, I had moments of doubting myself. Then, I would ask them for validation, and they would give me ridiculous validation that was absolutely undeniable.
An example is that I’m a teacher. This happened in the summer (of 2019). I had my “awakening” in July and about two weeks after the “big cosmic frying pan experience” happened. I had already been hired months before to mark government literacy tests. There are these booklets that are sent out to kids all over the country. In Canada they were sent out to kids in grade 6 to test their math and their literacy (skills).
So, I was hired to mark these booklets and score them. (This project was) to track the data for kids all over the country in terms of their literacy levels. This job was done in a massive warehouse. And there I was with all these tired teachers, you know, trudging in with big jugs of coffee. They were chugging down their coffee through the day and marking these booklets. It was just such dry work and in this big, huge empty warehouse. And, you know, we got cattle called back after breaks. It felt like such a massive juxtaposition to the vibration that I had experienced(with the ETs) just a short while before that I started to feel like,” Oh my God, I have gone crazy.”…
So, I started getting worried about myself. I went home one day… and I was very upset. I just started talking to them (the ETs) out loud. I'm not someone who grew up religious… I never prayed in my life, but I just started talking to them. I was sitting on the floor of my living room crying a little bit, really, really distressed, and stressed out. (I was) wondering if I was mentally well.) I asked them, if this (the continuous presence of ET beings in her life) is really true, “I need you to prove it to me. I need you to prove it to me in a way that is absolutely undeniable and unmistakable….”
So, then I felt this very warm soothing presence around me, and I relaxed. I felt better and I went to bed. Woke up the next day, drove to work. It started as usual… (What) we're supposed to do is just walk up to the front of the room where there's this massive floor to ceiling shelf. I grab a random stack of booklets, bring them back to our desk and start marking them… We're supposed to mark exactly the same question over and over again. So, each (student)answers the question differently. They are 10-11 years old. They're in grade 6 (and) supposed to be writing about “the Day I Became Famous.” It’s a creative writing challenge for them.
Astounding High Strangeness Event
On that day, for 45 minutes, from 9:00 o'clock until 9:45 every single booklet I opened had compositions about, ET 's, UFOs, flying cars, free energy, portals, “the earth is alive”, “the Galaxy is full of other beings” (What) I was reading … has nothing to do with the original prompt “The Day I Became Famous. Nothing to do with it! Here are these kids writing in pencil in 10- to 11-year-old child’s writing, “there’s a portal in my bedroom”, “I designed time travel”, “I made a time machine”, “the earth is alive and conscious; she knows what we're all doing to her”. “there are spaceships out there.” I mean I just couldn't believe it. I could not believe It!
We were not allowed to take breaks that early in the morning, but I just said I have to… I went to the washroom. I texted a bunch of friends of mine who I had met by that point in the community because immediately after my awakening I just started reaching out to people for help. I needed to understand what was going on. I connected with the lovely Kosta Makreas (who was recently interviewed on the Jeff Mara Podcast). Kosta was immediately there for me, to support me. I texted him and a couple of other people he had introduced me to… “I need you to tell me if this is real. Did this really just happen?” Meanwhile the hairs on the skin of my arms are standing straight up.
(There I am) in a stall in the bathroom furiously typing. They all wrote me back and said, “Yep this is what happens.” You know, this is exactly it! I mean how can you deny that is validation! Not to mention, when I came back from the bathroom, the rest of the booklets that were on my desk, I think there were three or four left, none of them had anything to do with it (the flying saucer themes). It was all back to the question (and for the rest of the day it was the original composition prompt question) “How I Became Famous” (The answers were what one might expect from 6th graders, things like) “because of YouTube.”
Discussion:
How were the non-human intelligences that contacted Sinéad able to stage such an extremely strange sequence of events? She asked for a clear sign that her contacts and communications were real and not the result of her being mentally imbalanced. The very next day the compositions written by 6th graders deviated from the assignment. Instead of writing “The Day I Became Famous”, they wrote about numerous themes associated with “ET contact.”
For two decades I have promoted what I call the Virtual Experience Model for flying saucer investigations. This theory outlines what I believe are illusory mechanisms of contact employed by UFO intelligences during interactions with people targeted for encounters. According to this proposed model, a Virtual Experience of the Third Kind (VE-3) is a false memory inserted into the consciousness of a contact experiencers by flying saucer intelligences. These “thought forms” might be so skillfully done that the false memories convince the experiencer that they represent recollections of actual events. Could Sinéad ’s recollection of this “high strangeness” be a false memory, a VE-3?
This is not a reasonable explanation because immediately after being confronted with the High Strangeness of children writing about what are called “anomalous phenomena”, she texted fellow contact activist Kosta Makreas. I spoke to him the day after I viewed the interview. Kosta recalled receiving the message from Sinéad and reassuring her with a reply akin to “Yep this is what happens.”
For decades, renowned UFO researcher Dr. Jacques Vallee has pointed out that the intelligences responsible for UFOs appear to be able to manipulate spacetime. In my opinion, a consensus is beginning to emerge among contact experiencers as well as UFO investigators that the High Strangeness events associated with UFOs are showing us that materialist science’s explanations as to the nature of reality are at best incomplete. If consciousness, and not mass/energy is the wellspring of creation, then the fundamental assumptions of academic mainstream science are plainly wrong.
Conclusion
If consciousness is primary, then perhaps our 4-D reality of spacetime is a kind of projection from some more fundamental realm that is pure consciousness. There has been much speculation in scientific circles that the Cosmos, and everything in it, is part of some simulation created by advanced intelligences. If this is true, then the alleged ETs might be able to enter our “reality” at will and alter the simulation, thereby staging the “inexplicable” events that we label “High Strangeness.” Sinéad ’s encountering a stack of “anomalous” handwritten 6th grade compositions could very well be an example of a personal simulation being altered by her “friends in high places.”
For blogs describing High Strangeness events, the following links are provided.
https://contactunderground.wordpress.com/2022/01/24/strange-visitors-that-only-wanted-to-talk-about-human-initiated-contact/
https://contactunderground.wordpress.com/2022/09/01/high-strangeness-galore-after-returning-from-a-ufo-investigation-in-the-volcanic-zone-joseph-burkes-md-2022/
https://contactunderground.wordpress.com/2021/11/11/when-ringing-in-the-ears-is-more-than-just-tinnitus/
Introduction to Healing Cases Chapter 6 of “Beyond UFOs” & Case 1 Hemorrhagic Shock in an ER Physician Following Dental Surgery
https://contactunderground.wordpress.com/2023/01/05/medical-healings-reported-by-uap-contact-experiencers/
https://contactunderground.wordpress.com/2023/01/09/case-study-2-alina-del-castillo-orb-reportedly-heals-probable-acute-bacterial-cellulitis/
https://contactunderground.wordpress.com/2023/01/13/two-dramatic-uap-healing-cases-in-a-retired-dea-special-agent/
https://contactunderground.wordpress.com/2023/01/29/case-7-reverend-michael-j-carter-reports-that-a-nordic-type-being-cured-a-blood-clot-in-his-leg/

https://underground.contact/2023/05/25/uap-healing-case-10-a-15-year-old-jack-russell-with-heart-failure-arthritis-a-massive-stroke/

​
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JzxwHWZZGhA&t=1458s
Introduction
Sinéad Whelehan is a contact activist that I met in November of 2021 when she produced an online video interview with me for the “Beyond Being Human” website. At that time, she had been working with researcheauthor Grant Cameron for two years gaining experience as a researcher and interviewer. According to her brief bio on the “Beyond Being Human” webpage Sinéad is a lifelong experiencer of multiple forms of paranormal high strangeness “as well as being a lifelong spiritual practitioner.”
I subscribe to Jeff Mara’s Podcast and when I saw her picture appear as a guest on his YouTube channel, I wanted to hear what she had to say. My curiosity was piqued when I read the provocative title of the program “Alien Stands Next To Her AT CE-5 Event - ALIEN PHOTO.” The event that she described reminded me of an encounter that I had one night in the Santa Monica Mountains in 1993.
High Strangeness in Malibu Canyon
For six years back in the 1990s, I was a contact team leader for the CE-5 Initiative. Our group staged repeated Human Initiated Contact Events (HICE) in Southern California. During one outing the team was operating high up overlooking Malibu Canyon. While in deep meditation, I felt a strong pleasant pressure sensation in the middle of my chest. In retrospect, I imagine that my heart chakra was opening wide, because I was filled with a powerful peaceful loving feeling. After the meditation was over, my teammate, United Airlines Captain Joe Vallejo, told me the following:
He stated that at one point during the meditation he had slightly opened his eyes. There, standing directly in front of me, was a small “boxy” non-human being. Its rectangular form was only about two feet high, and it stood motionlessly less than twelve inches away from me. He reported that when he opened his eyes wide to get a better look, the rectangular form disappeared.
Sinéad ’s Photograph Obtained During Volunteer Contact Work
During the last 20 minutes of Jeff Mara’s interview Sinéad showed the photograph mentioned in the title of the program. The digital picture was taken during an Illinois CE-5 nighttime outing in 2021. According to Sinéad, it was light blasted to bring out the details not easily seen because the picture was taken at night. Aside from the light blasting, no other alterations of the photograph was reportedly made. Sinéad gives her description of the photograph during the interview as follows:
Sinéad Whelehan: This is a random photograph that was taken by a woman I didn't know, who was in the circle. Now you're seeing the very edge of the meditation circle…. Grant Cameron… was there with me…. So, my chair is on the other side of Grant.….And there's a little being right there. And here's the bright light coming out of my chest with these kinds of tendrils of light as well…
And then here's a really super-duper close-up version of the little being…
Jeff Mara: Would you say that that being is standing right next to your chair?
Sinéad Whelehan: Yes, yeah and I felt it there, you know, even during that experience… I was feeling them to my left … You can see where my body is… and here's the little being’s shoulder and there's the neck, it's head… the eye.. and there are other beings in the photograph as well.
Understandably because of the photograph that Sinéad presented, there has been considerable public interest in this Jeff Mara podcast. In just a few weeks, over 60,000 views of this interview have been tallied. In my opinion, however, Sinéad Whelehan’s personal story as described in this in-depth interview is of even greater significance than the photographic evidence she obtained. Sinéad’s journey into contact has involved her overcoming many personal challenges. Perhaps the most important one is the fact that she is nearly totally deaf and has required two major surgeries for cochlear implants.
The Making of a Contact Activist
In July of 2019, Sinéad experienced what she describes as a “massive awakening.” She explained the term “awakening” might not be the best term to use because for decades she previously had engaged in spiritual practices like meditation and yoga. Nonetheless, what happened to her in 2019 was likened to “being bonged on the head with the cosmic frying pan…” It happened as she was recovering from her second cochlear implant.
Sinéad suddenly sensed an overwhelmingly powerful presence in her room of multiple non-human entities who communicated with her telepathically. According to Sinéad, the beings were saying, “OK. It’s time! We’ve been with you all along. It’s now time. You have a job to do!!” And her mission was to spread the word that every one of us are cosmic beings. And we need to recognize our long-standing relationship with “the extraterrestrials.” This new sense of duty, however, was not without a downside.
For two decades Sinéad had a very responsible position as a public-school teacher in Canada. She worked in special education for elementary and high school students. Her profession gave her an opportunity to work with children, something she has always loved doing. In addition, her position provided her with a good income, job security and benefits. She found herself in a dilemma, how could she change her life in ways that were consistent with the radical paradigm shift that she was undergoing?
In the following section of this report Sinéad Whelehan reveals one of the most astounding contact events that I have ever come across. In my judgment, this vignette is an example of how UFO intelligences can manipulate spacetime. Sinéad describes her difficult personal situation and how her request for validation led to an astounding High Strangeness Event. (The following transcript has been edited by me for readability.)
“It's that feeling that experiencers often talk about. I just knew that it was ETs. I knew what they were telling me was real. And believe me, I had moments of doubting myself. Then, I would ask them for validation, and they would give me ridiculous validation that was absolutely undeniable.
An example is that I’m a teacher. This happened in the summer (of 2019). I had my “awakening” in July and about two weeks after the “big cosmic frying pan experience” happened. I had already been hired months before to mark government literacy tests. There are these booklets that are sent out to kids all over the country. In Canada they were sent out to kids in grade 6 to test their math and their literacy (skills).
So, I was hired to mark these booklets and score them. (This project was) to track the data for kids all over the country in terms of their literacy levels. This job was done in a massive warehouse. And there I was with all these tired teachers, you know, trudging in with big jugs of coffee. They were chugging down their coffee through the day and marking these booklets. It was just such dry work and in this big, huge empty warehouse. And, you know, we got cattle called back after breaks. It felt like such a massive juxtaposition to the vibration that I had experienced(with the ETs) just a short while before that I started to feel like,” Oh my God, I have gone crazy.”…
So, I started getting worried about myself. I went home one day… and I was very upset. I just started talking to them (the ETs) out loud. I'm not someone who grew up religious… I never prayed in my life, but I just started talking to them. I was sitting on the floor of my living room crying a little bit, really, really distressed, and stressed out. (I was) wondering if I was mentally well.) I asked them, if this (the continuous presence of ET beings in her life) is really true, “I need you to prove it to me. I need you to prove it to me in a way that is absolutely undeniable and unmistakable….”
So, then I felt this very warm soothing presence around me, and I relaxed. I felt better and I went to bed. Woke up the next day, drove to work. It started as usual… (What) we're supposed to do is just walk up to the front of the room where there's this massive floor to ceiling shelf. I grab a random stack of booklets, bring them back to our desk and start marking them… We're supposed to mark exactly the same question over and over again. So, each (student)answers the question differently. They are 10-11 years old. They're in grade 6 (and) supposed to be writing about “the Day I Became Famous.” It’s a creative writing challenge for them.
Astounding High Strangeness Event
On that day, for 45 minutes, from 9:00 o'clock until 9:45 every single booklet I opened had compositions about, ET 's, UFOs, flying cars, free energy, portals, “the earth is alive”, “the Galaxy is full of other beings” (What) I was reading … has nothing to do with the original prompt “The Day I Became Famous. Nothing to do with it! Here are these kids writing in pencil in 10- to 11-year-old child’s writing, “there’s a portal in my bedroom”, “I designed time travel”, “I made a time machine”, “the earth is alive and conscious; she knows what we're all doing to her”. “there are spaceships out there.” I mean I just couldn't believe it. I could not believe It!
We were not allowed to take breaks that early in the morning, but I just said I have to… I went to the washroom. I texted a bunch of friends of mine who I had met by that point in the community because immediately after my awakening I just started reaching out to people for help. I needed to understand what was going on. I connected with the lovely Kosta Makreas (who was recently interviewed on the Jeff Mara Podcast). Kosta was immediately there for me, to support me. I texted him and a couple of other people he had introduced me to… “I need you to tell me if this is real. Did this really just happen?” Meanwhile the hairs on the skin of my arms are standing straight up.
(There I am) in a stall in the bathroom furiously typing. They all wrote me back and said, “Yep this is what happens.” You know, this is exactly it! I mean how can you deny that is validation! Not to mention, when I came back from the bathroom, the rest of the booklets that were on my desk, I think there were three or four left, none of them had anything to do with it (the flying saucer themes). It was all back to the question (and for the rest of the day it was the original composition prompt question) “How I Became Famous” (The answers were what one might expect from 6th graders, things like) “because of YouTube.”
Discussion:
How were the non-human intelligences that contacted Sinéad able to stage such an extremely strange sequence of events? She asked for a clear sign that her contacts and communications were real and not the result of her being mentally imbalanced. The very next day the compositions written by 6th graders deviated from the assignment. Instead of writing “The Day I Became Famous”, they wrote about numerous themes associated with “ET contact.”
For two decades I have promoted what I call the Virtual Experience Model for flying saucer investigations. This theory outlines what I believe are illusory mechanisms of contact employed by UFO intelligences during interactions with people targeted for encounters. According to this proposed model, a Virtual Experience of the Third Kind (VE-3) is a false memory inserted into the consciousness of a contact experiencers by flying saucer intelligences. These “thought forms” might be so skillfully done that the false memories convince the experiencer that they represent recollections of actual events. Could Sinéad ’s recollection of this “high strangeness” be a false memory, a VE-3?
This is not a reasonable explanation because immediately after being confronted with the High Strangeness of children writing about what are called “anomalous phenomena”, she texted fellow contact activist Kosta Makreas. I spoke to him the day after I viewed the interview. Kosta recalled receiving the message from Sinéad and reassuring her with a reply akin to “Yep this is what happens.”
For decades, renowned UFO researcher Dr. Jacques Vallee has pointed out that the intelligences responsible for UFOs appear to be able to manipulate spacetime. In my opinion, a consensus is beginning to emerge among contact experiencers as well as UFO investigators that the High Strangeness events associated with UFOs are showing us that materialist science’s explanations as to the nature of reality are at best incomplete. If consciousness, and not mass/energy is the wellspring of creation, then the fundamental assumptions of academic mainstream science are plainly wrong.
Conclusion
If consciousness is primary, then perhaps our 4-D reality of spacetime is a kind of projection from some more fundamental realm that is pure consciousness. There has been much speculation in scientific circles that the Cosmos, and everything in it, is part of some simulation created by advanced intelligences. If this is true, then the alleged ETs might be able to enter our “reality” at will and alter the simulation, thereby staging the “inexplicable” events that we label “High Strangeness.” Sinéad ’s encountering a stack of “anomalous” handwritten 6th grade compositions could very well be an example of a personal simulation being altered by her “friends in high places.”
For blogs describing High Strangeness events, the following links are provided.
https://contactunderground.wordpress.com/2022/01/24/strange-visitors-that-only-wanted-to-talk-about-human-initiated-contact/
https://contactunderground.wordpress.com/2022/09/01/high-strangeness-galore-after-returning-from-a-ufo-investigation-in-the-volcanic-zone-joseph-burkes-md-2022/
https://contactunderground.wordpress.com/2021/11/11/when-ringing-in-the-ears-is-more-than-just-tinnitus/
Introduction to Healing Cases Chapter 6 of “Beyond UFOs” & Case 1 Hemorrhagic Shock in an ER Physician Following Dental Surgery
https://contactunderground.wordpress.com/2023/01/05/medical-healings-reported-by-uap-contact-experiencers/
https://contactunderground.wordpress.com/2023/01/09/case-study-2-alina-del-castillo-orb-reportedly-heals-probable-acute-bacterial-cellulitis/
https://contactunderground.wordpress.com/2023/01/13/two-dramatic-uap-healing-cases-in-a-retired-dea-special-agent/
https://contactunderground.wordpress.com/2023/01/29/case-7-reverend-michael-j-carter-reports-that-a-nordic-type-being-cured-a-blood-clot-in-his-leg/

https://underground.contact/2023/05/25/uap-healing-case-10-a-15-year-old-jack-russell-with-heart-failure-arthritis-a-massive-stroke/

​
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JzxwHWZZGhA&t=1458s
Introduction
Sinéad Whelehan is a contact activist that I met in November of 2021 when she produced an online video interview with me for the “Beyond Being Human” website. At that time, she had been working with researcheauthor Grant Cameron for two years gaining experience as a researcher and interviewer. According to her brief bio on the “Beyond Being Human” webpage Sinéad is a lifelong experiencer of multiple forms of paranormal high strangeness “as well as being a lifelong spiritual practitioner.”
I subscribe to Jeff Mara’s Podcast and when I saw her picture appear as a guest on his YouTube channel, I wanted to hear what she had to say. My curiosity was piqued when I read the provocative title of the program “Alien Stands Next To Her AT CE-5 Event - ALIEN PHOTO.” The event that she described reminded me of an encounter that I had one night in the Santa Monica Mountains in 1993.
High Strangeness in Malibu Canyon
For six years back in the 1990s, I was a contact team leader for the CE-5 Initiative. Our group staged repeated Human Initiated Contact Events (HICE) in Southern California. During one outing the team was operating high up overlooking Malibu Canyon. While in deep meditation, I felt a strong pleasant pressure sensation in the middle of my chest. In retrospect, I imagine that my heart chakra was opening wide, because I was filled with a powerful peaceful loving feeling. After the meditation was over, my teammate, United Airlines Captain Joe Vallejo, told me the following:
He stated that at one point during the meditation he had slightly opened his eyes. There, standing directly in front of me, was a small “boxy” non-human being. Its rectangular form was only about two feet high, and it stood motionlessly less than twelve inches away from me. He reported that when he opened his eyes wide to get a better look, the rectangular form disappeared.
Sinéad ’s Photograph Obtained During Volunteer Contact Work
During the last 20 minutes of Jeff Mara’s interview Sinéad showed the photograph mentioned in the title of the program. The digital picture was taken during an Illinois CE-5 nighttime outing in 2021. According to Sinéad, it was light blasted to bring out the details not easily seen because the picture was taken at night. Aside from the light blasting, no other alterations of the photograph was reportedly made. Sinéad gives her description of the photograph during the interview as follows:
Sinéad Whelehan: This is a random photograph that was taken by a woman I didn't know, who was in the circle. Now you're seeing the very edge of the meditation circle…. Grant Cameron… was there with me…. So, my chair is on the other side of Grant.….And there's a little being right there. And here's the bright light coming out of my chest with these kinds of tendrils of light as well…
And then here's a really super-duper close-up version of the little being…
Jeff Mara: Would you say that that being is standing right next to your chair?
Sinéad Whelehan: Yes, yeah and I felt it there, you know, even during that experience… I was feeling them to my left … You can see where my body is… and here's the little being’s shoulder and there's the neck, it's head… the eye.. and there are other beings in the photograph as well.
Understandably because of the photograph that Sinéad presented, there has been considerable public interest in this Jeff Mara podcast. In just a few weeks, over 60,000 views of this interview have been tallied. In my opinion, however, Sinéad Whelehan’s personal story as described in this in-depth interview is of even greater significance than the photographic evidence she obtained. Sinéad’s journey into contact has involved her overcoming many personal challenges. Perhaps the most important one is the fact that she is nearly totally deaf and has required two major surgeries for cochlear implants.
The Making of a Contact Activist
In July of 2019, Sinéad experienced what she describes as a “massive awakening.” She explained the term “awakening” might not be the best term to use because for decades she previously had engaged in spiritual practices like meditation and yoga. Nonetheless, what happened to her in 2019 was likened to “being bonged on the head with the cosmic frying pan…” It happened as she was recovering from her second cochlear implant.
Sinéad suddenly sensed an overwhelmingly powerful presence in her room of multiple non-human entities who communicated with her telepathically. According to Sinéad, the beings were saying, “OK. It’s time! We’ve been with you all along. It’s now time. You have a job to do!!” And her mission was to spread the word that every one of us are cosmic beings. And we need to recognize our long-standing relationship with “the extraterrestrials.” This new sense of duty, however, was not without a downside.
For two decades Sinéad had a very responsible position as a public-school teacher in Canada. She worked in special education for elementary and high school students. Her profession gave her an opportunity to work with children, something she has always loved doing. In addition, her position provided her with a good income, job security and benefits. She found herself in a dilemma, how could she change her life in ways that were consistent with the radical paradigm shift that she was undergoing?
In the following section of this report Sinéad Whelehan reveals one of the most astounding contact events that I have ever come across. In my judgment, this vignette is an example of how UFO intelligences can manipulate spacetime. Sinéad describes her difficult personal situation and how her request for validation led to an astounding High Strangeness Event. (The following transcript has been edited by me for readability.)
“It's that feeling that experiencers often talk about. I just knew that it was ETs. I knew what they were telling me was real. And believe me, I had moments of doubting myself. Then, I would ask them for validation, and they would give me ridiculous validation that was absolutely undeniable.
An example is that I’m a teacher. This happened in the summer (of 2019). I had my “awakening” in July and about two weeks after the “big cosmic frying pan experience” happened. I had already been hired months before to mark government literacy tests. There are these booklets that are sent out to kids all over the country. In Canada they were sent out to kids in grade 6 to test their math and their literacy (skills).
So, I was hired to mark these booklets and score them. (This project was) to track the data for kids all over the country in terms of their literacy levels. This job was done in a massive warehouse. And there I was with all these tired teachers, you know, trudging in with big jugs of coffee. They were chugging down their coffee through the day and marking these booklets. It was just such dry work and in this big, huge empty warehouse. And, you know, we got cattle called back after breaks. It felt like such a massive juxtaposition to the vibration that I had experienced(with the ETs) just a short while before that I started to feel like,” Oh my God, I have gone crazy.”…
So, I started getting worried about myself. I went home one day… and I was very upset. I just started talking to them (the ETs) out loud. I'm not someone who grew up religious… I never prayed in my life, but I just started talking to them. I was sitting on the floor of my living room crying a little bit, really, really distressed, and stressed out. (I was) wondering if I was mentally well.) I asked them, if this (the continuous presence of ET beings in her life) is really true, “I need you to prove it to me. I need you to prove it to me in a way that is absolutely undeniable and unmistakable….”
So, then I felt this very warm soothing presence around me, and I relaxed. I felt better and I went to bed. Woke up the next day, drove to work. It started as usual… (What) we're supposed to do is just walk up to the front of the room where there's this massive floor to ceiling shelf. I grab a random stack of booklets, bring them back to our desk and start marking them… We're supposed to mark exactly the same question over and over again. So, each (student)answers the question differently. They are 10-11 years old. They're in grade 6 (and) supposed to be writing about “the Day I Became Famous.” It’s a creative writing challenge for them.
Astounding High Strangeness Event
On that day, for 45 minutes, from 9:00 o'clock until 9:45 every single booklet I opened had compositions about, ET 's, UFOs, flying cars, free energy, portals, “the earth is alive”, “the Galaxy is full of other beings” (What) I was reading … has nothing to do with the original prompt “The Day I Became Famous. Nothing to do with it! Here are these kids writing in pencil in 10- to 11-year-old child’s writing, “there’s a portal in my bedroom”, “I designed time travel”, “I made a time machine”, “the earth is alive and conscious; she knows what we're all doing to her”. “there are spaceships out there.” I mean I just couldn't believe it. I could not believe It!
We were not allowed to take breaks that early in the morning, but I just said I have to… I went to the washroom. I texted a bunch of friends of mine who I had met by that point in the community because immediately after my awakening I just started reaching out to people for help. I needed to understand what was going on. I connected with the lovely Kosta Makreas (who was recently interviewed on the Jeff Mara Podcast). Kosta was immediately there for me, to support me. I texted him and a couple of other people he had introduced me to… “I need you to tell me if this is real. Did this really just happen?” Meanwhile the hairs on the skin of my arms are standing straight up.
(There I am) in a stall in the bathroom furiously typing. They all wrote me back and said, “Yep this is what happens.” You know, this is exactly it! I mean how can you deny that is validation! Not to mention, when I came back from the bathroom, the rest of the booklets that were on my desk, I think there were three or four left, none of them had anything to do with it (the flying saucer themes). It was all back to the question (and for the rest of the day it was the original composition prompt question) “How I Became Famous” (The answers were what one might expect from 6th graders, things like) “because of YouTube.”
Discussion:
How were the non-human intelligences that contacted Sinéad able to stage such an extremely strange sequence of events? She asked for a clear sign that her contacts and communications were real and not the result of her being mentally imbalanced. The very next day the compositions written by 6th graders deviated from the assignment. Instead of writing “The Day I Became Famous”, they wrote about numerous themes associated with “ET contact.”
For two decades I have promoted what I call the Virtual Experience Model for flying saucer investigations. This theory outlines what I believe are illusory mechanisms of contact employed by UFO intelligences during interactions with people targeted for encounters. According to this proposed model, a Virtual Experience of the Third Kind (VE-3) is a false memory inserted into the consciousness of a contact experiencers by flying saucer intelligences. These “thought forms” might be so skillfully done that the false memories convince the experiencer that they represent recollections of actual events. Could Sinéad ’s recollection of this “high strangeness” be a false memory, a VE-3?
This is not a reasonable explanation because immediately after being confronted with the High Strangeness of children writing about what are called “anomalous phenomena”, she texted fellow contact activist Kosta Makreas. I spoke to him the day after I viewed the interview. Kosta recalled receiving the message from Sinéad and reassuring her with a reply akin to “Yep this is what happens.”
For decades, renowned UFO researcher Dr. Jacques Vallee has pointed out that the intelligences responsible for UFOs appear to be able to manipulate spacetime. In my opinion, a consensus is beginning to emerge among contact experiencers as well as UFO investigators that the High Strangeness events associated with UFOs are showing us that materialist science’s explanations as to the nature of reality are at best incomplete. If consciousness, and not mass/energy is the wellspring of creation, then the fundamental assumptions of academic mainstream science are plainly wrong.
Conclusion
If consciousness is primary, then perhaps our 4-D reality of spacetime is a kind of projection from some more fundamental realm that is pure consciousness. There has been much speculation in scientific circles that the Cosmos, and everything in it, is part of some simulation created by advanced intelligences. If this is true, then the alleged ETs might be able to enter our “reality” at will and alter the simulation, thereby staging the “inexplicable” events that we label “High Strangeness.” Sinéad ’s encountering a stack of “anomalous” handwritten 6th grade compositions could very well be an example of a personal simulation being altered by her “friends in high places.”
For blogs describing High Strangeness events, the following links are provided.
https://contactunderground.wordpress.com/2022/01/24/strange-visitors-that-only-wanted-to-talk-about-human-initiated-contact/
https://contactunderground.wordpress.com/2022/09/01/high-strangeness-galore-after-returning-from-a-ufo-investigation-in-the-volcanic-zone-joseph-burkes-md-2022/
https://contactunderground.wordpress.com/2021/11/11/when-ringing-in-the-ears-is-more-than-just-tinnitus/
Introduction to Healing Cases Chapter 6 of “Beyond UFOs” & Case 1 Hemorrhagic Shock in an ER Physician Following Dental Surgery
https://contactunderground.wordpress.com/2023/01/05/medical-healings-reported-by-uap-contact-experiencers/
https://contactunderground.wordpress.com/2023/01/09/case-study-2-alina-del-castillo-orb-reportedly-heals-probable-acute-bacterial-cellulitis/
https://contactunderground.wordpress.com/2023/01/13/two-dramatic-uap-healing-cases-in-a-retired-dea-special-agent/
https://contactunderground.wordpress.com/2023/01/29/case-7-reverend-michael-j-carter-reports-that-a-nordic-type-being-cured-a-blood-clot-in-his-leg/

https://underground.contact/2023/05/25/uap-healing-case-10-a-15-year-old-jack-russell-with-heart-failure-arthritis-a-massive-stroke/

I think it is a hardware issue: small patches of blue and red dots have appeared on my laptop screen. The dots are in organized patterns, but the places with the dots are seemingly random.
I noticed the problem after booting up an old video game on Steam (Arcanum: of Steamworks and Obscure Magika), but recently I have also had a drop in temperature in my room due to the installation of an A/C unit which could be a problem.
My laptop is an ASUS X515, stock off the shelf with no hardware modifications. I use it for at most four hours a day (Typically less), mostly using sites like Google Docs or Youtube. The most straining programs I run are older or indie video games, typically on low settings, and all of which run on Steam. I also only have a single drawing program from a reputable source, and the rest of my hard drive is simply full of JPEGs and PNGs.
If you have any questions, feel free to ask.

Out of all the religions, I do beleive from what I've learned that the Baha'i faith is the most compatiable pairing with agnostic beleifs. But how much is that exactly? Like, would any Baha'is be offended? I feel the need to explain myself, I will. I was raised catholic, but I started having doubts. Not even in the existence of a higher power, but the way the spiritual world was organized. Christianity doesn't reallly make that much sense. At least not compared to everything else out there. That wasn't the tipping point for me though. It was 2020. I saw the utter hate but also distrust of science propagated by christians. Pretty much all the vaccine/COVID deniers and racists were christian. I was already aware of Christians and other religious people persecuting or wanting to persecute LGBT+ people. I had been lead to beleive religion was hateful. and I declared myself atheist, just to show soverignty from the christian ideals of theocrats in the political scene. Upon strangers learning I was atheist, they would say something like "It takes as much or more faith to be an atheist as it does to be a christian". My rebuttal to that was always "Even if there is A god you still need to prove christianity's vision is correct. There's so much more out there. Judaism before you and Islam after. And that's just the abrahamic religions. (Before I knew about the Baha'i faith) . There's also Buddhism, Hinduism, Zoroastrianism, Jainism, Animist religions often found in indigenous people. And the way you might suggest your god is real because of unlikely events, many other religions have their own divinity-affirming events. That split rock in Arabia, the fact of individuals being lucky in extraordinary ways despite a lack of christian beleifs, etc." Then in early 2023, I found the Baha'i faith. I was curious, so I dug in my heels and educated myself on the Baha'i faith.
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So, here's my findings. A religion that doesn't tolerate, but CALLS for racial, gender, and wealth equality. CALLS to unite humanity, and perhaps even use a mutual language, directly pointing out Esperanto.(As an Esperanto speaker, this is very effort-affirming) Now look- I am well aware that Christianity and Islam both suggests that those with wealth should use some of it to aid the poor, but Islam has those other shortcomings and is being maintained by forceful governments, and Christians have largely forgotten about helping the poor, you barely see any such in the United States thanks to our unique individuality. In fact, despite churches being tax free, tithe is still a thing. And in many cases, it's not actually used for good causes. In fact, espicially at american megachurches, they might go to preachers pockets. One of them is literally halfway to being a billionare as a preacher. THAT is absurd. I don't know about Europe and Latin America, but I doubt it's THAT much better. It's almost as if the messages of Christianity and Islam as revealed to their respective prophets have stood past their lone shelf life, or are going rancid. As if opening up the way for something new. Than I learned about the Baha'i faith's concept of "Progressive Realevation". Again, one of my biggest doubts about religion in general is that there's still so many other religious beleifs around the world, and even if they have common beleifs, they have the tendency to denounce other religions as "false", leaving us not able to know if there is any true religion. But the Baha'i faith solves this by saying "They are all true, they were each created and sent down to man at diffrent times and different places to slowly educate man spiritually. I was looking for YouTube videos explaining the Baha'i faith, and one of them offered me an anology. It posed God as a teacher or school, and man as the students. Suggesting that God is teaching man a little bit at a time, slowly - because that is the way schools teach their students. You do not put a 1st grader into high school and expect them to learn high school material, and test on it sucessfully. Instead, you give them an easier start and progressively let them climb grades, slowly learning harder material and having harder tests to correspond. The lessons change in depth, detail, and theme with very grade. Your future lessons would not necessarily disprove your past lessons, but are surely more advanced amd so have to cover different areas. I'm still not convinced there is a god, but if there is, I beleive the Baha'i faith has the most accurate understanding of the way spirituality works in the context of the world and history. Regarding the previous points of Christianity and Islam not being able to stand on their own, I have this understanding that as the latest relevation of God, the Baha'i community is currently the truest to the principles of their faith. I think the biggest part of this is that it emphasizes religion as a consensual agreement/understanding. Children are not allowed to be deemed Baha'i until their consent at the age of spiritual maturity, and the religion is against prostelitizing. Baha'is clearly care much more about spreading their values than spreading their religion. Not to say the religion doesn't have problems, it's a shame about women not being able to serve in the Universal House of Justice. But I geniunely, geniunely like this religion as a concept and what it stands for. Currently I'm labelling myself as a "Baha'i agnostic." But is the label even ok? Like would I be seen as someone without loyalty, or would Baha'is generally approve of an agnostic sharing their beleifs? I'm not really asking to "join" the religion, because I'm aware that there is no more rite of passage than just sharing your information to join the community's information network. As someone who's called myself an atheist for the past 3 years, this is a notable shift...Again, I'm supposed to be pursuing an independent investigation of truth, but it's really nice to make use of the knowledge and opinions of over the people, as long as I contemplate with them as opposed to submitting to them. I have no more to say. Give me your opinions.

Clip 1 Ok, so basically I modified the AND by removing the wheel to reveal the output and I created a shelf for the output by joining 2 beams together. Maybe next time I will use the stand-up thingy to make a wall that I can put down just by hitting it. Clip 2 In the second clip we have a XOR gate. In the OR gate, if u input 1-0, 0-1 or 1-1, you will receive a positive output. However, with the XOR, you will only get positive output if ONLY one of the inputs is 0(1-0, 0-1). Clip 3 I realised that I could put a fan on one side of the shoot to push it to the other side and make a “clean” output by pushing the apples into a cart.
So, the adder works by mixing an AND to an XOR. The AND will give you the decimal( I don’t know if it is right but for example is 3 in number 1234) and the XOR will give you the unit. So, if we input 1-1 we will receive 1 from the AND and 0 from XOR, so 1-0 which is 10, and that is equal to 2 in binary. It works! Let me know if u have any tips.

For the past year I've been spending a huge amount of time on learning how to learn starting with Barbara Oakley's famous coursera course of the same name, to ultralearning from Scott Young, to Make It Stick by Peter C Brown, and from there I looked at papers on how to learn as well as sites and articles for anything else. This post is only a smidgen of what I've found, but I hope it is enough information for you to get started and hopefully find research yourself that you can look up to! I will link some recommended sources in the comments of this post so you can start with if you want to start digging deeper. Introduction
Firstly, let's talk about why learning how to learn is so important. Many people approach learning as a chore, something they have to do to get good grades or advance in their career. But what if I told you that by mastering the science of learning, you can actually make learning more enjoyable and efficient?
To understand how to make learning easier and more effective, we need to dive into the science behind it. The brain is an incredibly complex device, with a million billion synapses where memories are stored. But how exactly do these memories get stored and retrieved? How the Brain Works
To gain a better understanding of how memories are formed and retrieved, it is essential to delve into the intricacies of neurons and synapses. Neurons, as the fundamental building blocks of the brain, play a crucial role in the process of memory formation and retention. Synapses, on the other hand, are the interconnecting bridges that allow neurons to communicate with each other. When we learn something new, electrical signals are transmitted through these synapses, which in turn produce neurotransmitters responsible for the storage of memories
However, the process of memory formation is not just about having more synapses. It is also about the manner in which they are connected to one another. Different areas of the brain are responsible for various aspects of learning and memory. The hippocampus and frontal cortex, for instance, are involved in analyzing perceptions and deciding what information to store, while the amygdala plays a vital role in integrating emotions and memory. It is through the complex interplay of these different neural regions that memories are formed, stored, and retrieved. How Memory Works
Memory is an intricate process that involves multiple stages. These stages are sensory, short-term, and long-term memory. Sensory memory is the first stage of memory that receives and processes fleeting impressions of your perceptions. It is responsible for holding raw information for a very short time, no more than a few seconds.
Short-term memory is the second stage of memory and is like a storage unit that holds about four chunks of information and lasts for 20-30 seconds. During this stage, the brain processes and stores the information currently in use, such as a phone number, an address, or a short message.
It is long-term memory that we tend to think of when we talk about memory. This stage is responsible for storing and retrieving information for an extended period. The long-term memory capacity is vast, and it is where the most important and meaningful memories are stored.
To move information from short-term to long-term memory, you need to use a technique called spaced repetition. This involves repeating what you're trying to retain over several days to strengthen the synaptic connections between neurons. However, it's not just about repetition - it's about encoding, storage, and retrieval processes. Encoding is the process of transforming information into a meaningful code that can be stored in memory, while storage is the process of retaining that information over time. Lastly, retrieval is the process of accessing stored information when needed. Common Misconceptions about Learning and Memory
There are a number of myths and misconceptions surrounding the processes of learning and memory that can unfortunately hinder one's progress. One common misconception is that intelligence is a fixed trait and that one's memory or learning abilities cannot be improved. However, the reality is that anyone can improve their memory and learning skills through deliberate and consistent practice.
Another popular myth is the belief that taking breaks during learning or studying is a waste of time. However, in truth, taking breaks is an essential component of effective learning. When you take a break, your brain's diffuse mode works in the background, creating new neural connections and allowing you to see things from different perspectives, leading to better and more comprehensive learning.
By understanding the science behind learning and memory, one can approach the process of learning with a more positive mindset and focus on utilizing effective strategies. With the right techniques, anyone can learn new information deeply and quickly, making the process of learning a more enjoyable and rewarding experience. In addition, there are many tools and resources available to help one improve their learning and memory abilities, including mind mapping, mnemonic devices, spaced repetition, and more. Techniques for Effective Learning
Now that we've busted some myths, it's time to explore some tried-and-true techniques for effective learning. These techniques involve taking advantage of the way our brains naturally process and store information. Let's dive in! Recall
Recall is an effective strategy for improving memory retention because it strengthens the synaptic connections between neurons. Essentially, when you actively retrieve information from memory, you are exercising your brain and making it easier to retrieve the information in the future. This technique can be thought of as lifting weights for your brain, and just like with physical exercise, consistent practice is key.
To effectively use recall in your study routine, start by actively testing yourself on the material you are trying to learn. For example, if you are studying for a history exam, try to recall important dates and events without looking at your notes. This will help to exercise the neural pathways associated with that information and make it easier to remember in the future. Another effective technique is to use flashcards, which allow you to actively retrieve information from memory and test yourself on specific concepts or terms.
The reason why recall is so effective for improving memory retention is because it strengthens the synaptic connections between neurons. When you repeatedly retrieve information from memory, you are essentially reinforcing the neural pathways associated with that information. This makes it easier to retrieve the information in the future, because the pathways have been strengthened and the information is easier to access.
In addition to recall, there are other strategies that can improve memory retention. Spaced repetition is one such strategy, which involves repeating what you're trying to retain over several days to strengthen synaptic connections. Chunking is another strategy, which involves piecing together bits of information through meaning and usage. This allows you to tie meaning to a concept or idea and make it more memorable. By incorporating these techniques into your study routine, you can optimize your learning and retain information more effectively. Spaced Repetition
Spaced repetition is a powerful technique that can be used to improve your ability to retain information. It involves repeating what you are trying to remember over several days to strengthen synaptic connections in your brain. The technique, much like watering a plant, requires the right amount of repetition at the right intervals to achieve optimal growth.
To effectively use spaced repetition, it is important to first create a schedule of when and how often to repeat the material. For example, if you are trying to memorize a list of vocabulary words in a foreign language, you might start by studying the words for a few minutes each day for a week. Then, you might repeat the list of words every other day for the next two weeks, and then once a week for the following month. This spaced repetition schedule allows for optimal growth of synaptic connections in your brain, improving your ability to retain the information.
Another example of spaced repetition in action is when learning to play a musical instrument. Instead of practicing for hours on end, it is often more effective to practice for shorter periods of time, with breaks in between to allow your brain to consolidate the new information. By spacing out your practice sessions and repeating the material over several days, you can improve your ability to retain the information and improve your overall skill level.
Spaced repetition works because it takes advantage of the brain's natural learning processes. When you learn something new, your brain creates new synapses between neurons to store the information. However, these synapses are relatively weak at first and can easily be forgotten. By repeating the material over several days, the synapses become stronger and more permanent, making it easier to recall the information later on. This technique also helps to prevent forgetting by refreshing the memory at regular intervals, further strengthening the synaptic connections in your brain. Interleaving
Interleaving is a highly effective technique for learning and practicing skills or concepts. It involves mixing up different types of problems or materials, which can help you to better retain and apply the information. The key to effective interleaving is to ensure that you are constantly switching between different types of problems or materials in a way that allows your brain to make new connections between ideas and to think in a more flexible and adaptable way. This can lead to deeper understanding and more efficient learning.
For example, if you are trying to learn a new language, you might start by practicing basic vocabulary and grammar rules. However, instead of simply repeating the same exercises over and over again, you could try interleaving different types of exercises, such as practicing vocabulary, grammar, and reading comprehension in quick succession. This would force your brain to constantly switch between different types of problems, which would help you to better retain and apply the information.
Another example of interleaving is in sports training. Instead of performing the same drills over and over again, athletes can benefit from mixing up their training routine. For instance, a basketball player might practice shooting, dribbling, and passing in quick succession, rather than focusing on a single skill for an extended period of time. This would force the player to adjust to different types of challenges and think in a more flexible and adaptable way, which would ultimately improve their overall performance.
The reason why interleaving is so effective is that it forces your brain to constantly switch between different types of problems, which helps to build new neural connections and reinforce existing ones. By constantly challenging your brain to adapt to new situations, you are training it to be more flexible and adaptable, which can lead to deeper understanding and more efficient learning. Additionally, interleaving can help to prevent boredom and keep you engaged in the learning process, which can ultimately lead to better overall outcomes. Mnemonics
Mnemonics are an effective memory aid that can help you remember information by creating associations between the information you want to remember and other things that you already know. This technique works because the brain is naturally wired to remember things that are meaningful and connected to other information.
One way to use mnemonics is to create a memorable sentence or acronym that represents a list of items. For example, to remember the colors of the rainbow in order, you can use the acronym ROYGBIV (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet). Another way to use mnemonics is to create a memorable image that represents a concept. For example, to remember the difference between weather and climate, you can imagine a man holding an umbrella (weather) while standing next to a tree (climate).
To use mnemonics effectively, it's important to create associations that are vivid, meaningful, and easy to remember. You should also try to use mnemonics in a way that makes sense to you personally. For example, if you have a strong association between a particular food and a memory, you can use that food in your mnemonic to help you remember the information.
Overall, mnemonics are a powerful tool that can help you remember information more effectively. By creating associations between new information and things you already know, you can improve your memory and recall more easily. Memory Palace
The Memory Palace technique is an excellent mnemonic strategy that can be utilized to improve memory. This technique involves creating a mental map of a familiar location, such as your home or workplace, and associating each item that you want to remember with a specific location in that place. By doing so, you can significantly improve your ability to remember things.
To effectively use this technique, start by selecting a location that you are familiar with and that has a specific structure, such as a house or a building. Next, imagine yourself walking through the location and identify specific objects or landmarks that stand out to you. For example, if you choose your apartment, you could associate the couch with the color red, the dining table with a vase of flowers, and the kitchen with the smell of coffee.
Once you have identified these landmarks, you can associate each item that you want to remember with a specific location in your mental map. For instance, if you want to remember a list of grocery items, you can associate each item with a specific location in your home. For example, you can associate apples with the fruit bowl on your kitchen counter, bread with the bread box on your kitchen shelf, and milk with the refrigerator in your kitchen. By doing so, when you need to recall the items, you can simply visualize your mental map of your home and recall the location of each item.
This technique is effective because it leverages the power of visualization and association. By associating each item with a specific location in your mental map, you create a visual and spatial representation of the information in your mind. This makes it easier for you to recall the information later because your brain has formed strong connections between the items and the locations. With practice, you can use this technique to remember even long lists of items, and impress your friends and colleagues with your newfound memory skills. Chunking
Chunking is a technique for memorizing information by grouping it into smaller chunks, making it easier to remember. For example, if you need to memorize a phone number, you might chunk it into three groups of numbers, like 555-123-4567. This makes it easier to remember because it's easier to remember three smaller chunks than one long string of digits.
Another example of chunking is breaking down a larger concept into smaller, more manageable pieces. For instance, if you're trying to learn a new programming language, you might start by breaking it down into smaller components, such as syntax, data types, and control structures. Once you've mastered these smaller chunks, you can start piecing them together to gain a better understanding of the language as a whole.
Chunking is effective because it makes it easier for the brain to process and store information. When information is presented in smaller, more manageable chunks, it's easier for the brain to process and remember. Additionally, chunking helps to create meaningful connections between pieces of information, making it easier to recall them later.
To effectively use chunking, it's important to give the task your undivided attention and then find the overall big picture and key ideas. You can perform a quick picture walk-through of your material, and anything that stands out is usually important. You should then provide context for your ideas and concepts to know when to use them. Finally, you want to tie auditory hooks to your memory by speaking about it out loud with self-explanation.
Overall, chunking is a powerful technique for learning and memorization because it makes information more manageable and easier to process. By breaking down larger concepts into smaller, more manageable chunks, you can make it easier for your brain to process and store information, making it easier to recall later on. Self-Explanation
Self-explanation is a powerful learning technique that can be used in a variety of contexts. One way to effectively use self-explanation is to ask "why" questions when encountering a new concept. For example, if you are learning about the concept of photosynthesis, you might ask yourself, "Why do plants need sunlight in order to produce energy?" By asking and answering these types of questions, you are actively engaging with the material and promoting the formation of new connections between ideas.
Another way to use self-explanation is to relate new concepts to what you already know. For example, if you are learning a new language and come across a new word, you might try to relate it to a word in your native language that has a similar meaning. This can help you remember the new word and also reinforce your understanding of the concept it represents.
Finally, self-explanation can be used to identify gaps in your understanding. For example, if you are reading a complex scientific article and come across a term or concept that you don't fully understand, you might try to explain it to yourself in your own words. If you can't explain it, that might be an indication that you need to go back and review the material or seek additional resources.
The reason why self-explanation is such an effective learning technique is that it encourages individuals to actively engage with the material and construct new knowledge by relating it to what they already know. By creating a dialogue with oneself, one is able to identify gaps in their understanding and clarify their thinking, leading to a more thorough and integrated understanding of the material. Essentially, self-explanation is like having a conversation with your own brain, which can be a powerful tool in the learning process. Elaborative Interrogation
Elaborative interrogation is a powerful technique that can help you improve your learning process by asking yourself "why" questions and trying to come up with a detailed explanation. This process can be thought of as trying to be a detective in your own mind, where you are constantly trying to uncover new clues and piece together the information you already have. Here are a few examples of how to effectively use this technique:

When studying history, ask yourself why certain events occurred and what factors led to them. Try to come up with a detailed explanation that takes into account all the relevant factors. When learning a new concept in science, ask yourself why it works the way it does, and try to come up with a detailed explanation that includes all the relevant principles and laws. When reading a novel, ask yourself why certain characters behave the way they do, and try to come up with a detailed explanation that considers their motivations and past experiences. 

This technique works because it forces you to engage with the material on a deeper level and make connections with other ideas. By asking yourself why something is true, you are actively processing the information and creating new neural connections. This process helps you to remember the information better and understand it more deeply. Furthermore, the process of elaborative interrogation helps to overcome illusions of understanding by exposing gaps in knowledge and highlighting areas that need further clarification.
Moreover, these techniques can make learning more effective and enjoyable. Whether you are trying to learn a new language, improve your math skills, or expand your knowledge, these techniques can help you achieve your goals. Not only do they allow you to think more critically and creatively, but they also stimulate your brain in new ways and encourage you to explore different perspectives and ideas.
So, if you haven't tried these techniques yet, give them a try! You might be surprised at how much they can improve your learning experience. Your brain will certainly thank you for it! Beating Procrastination
Procrastination is a fascinating phenomenon that affects all of us in some way or another. It's like a monster that lurks inside our brains, always ready to pounce when we need to get something done. When we're faced with a task that we don't want to do, our brain associates it with pain, discomfort and stress. It's like our brain is telling us that this task is going to be hard and that we're going to have to work really hard to get it done. This is because the prefrontal cortex, the part of the brain responsible for decision-making and cognitive control, is in charge of regulating behavior associated with goals. When faced with a difficult task, the prefrontal cortex sends signals to the amygdala, the part of the brain associated with emotion, to initiate a stress response. This stress response activates the release of cortisol, a hormone that is associated with the body's response to stress, and creates physical discomfort in our body. This discomfort is what we perceive as pain, and it's what makes procrastination so difficult to overcome.
To make matters worse, our brains are wired to seek pleasure and avoid pain. When we procrastinate, we turn to activities that give us immediate pleasure, like scrolling through social media or watching TV. These activities release dopamine, a neurotransmitter associated with pleasure and reward. Our brains then begin to associate procrastination with pleasure, making it even harder to overcome.
So, how can we beat procrastination?
To beat procrastination, it's important to understand the habit loop consisting of a cue, routine, reward, and belief. Once you have identified the cues and rewards that drive your procrastination habits, you can develop strategies to override them. For example, if the cue for procrastination is checking social media, you can remove the social media app from your phone or block it during certain times of the day. If the reward for procrastination is watching TV, you can reward yourself with an episode of your favorite show after completing a task.
This technique works because it helps to rewire the neural pathways associated with procrastination. By changing the cues and rewards, you can change the behavior associated with the habit. Additionally, by developing new habits and routines, you can strengthen the neural pathways associated with those behaviors, making them more automatic and easier to perform over time. With practice, you can learn to override the procrastination habit and develop more productive habits that help you achieve your goals.
The Pomodoro technique is a time management method that involves breaking work into 25-minute intervals, called "pomodoros," followed by a 5-minute break. After four pomodoros, take a longer break of around 15-30 minutes. However, it is important to note that you do not have to follow this exact timing and can adjust the intervals to fit your needs.
The Pomodoro technique works because it helps you stay focused and avoid distractions. By breaking work into manageable intervals, you are less likely to become overwhelmed or lose focus. Additionally, the breaks allow your brain to rest and recharge, making it easier to stay productive throughout the day.
To effectively use the Pomodoro technique, start by identifying the task you want to complete. Set a timer for 25 minutes and work on the task until the timer goes off. Take a 5-minute break, then repeat the process. After four pomodoros, take a longer break to recharge. It can also be helpful to track your progress and make adjustments as needed. If you find that 25-minute intervals are too long or too short, adjust the intervals to fit your needs.
Here are a few concrete examples of how to use the Pomodoro technique:

When studying for a test, break the material into manageable chunks and work on each chunk for 25 minutes at a time. When writing a paper, work on one section for 25 minutes, then take a break before moving on to the next section. When working on a project, break it down into smaller tasks and work on each task for 25 minutes at a time. 

Overall, the Pomodoro technique is a simple but effective way to manage your time and stay focused on your work. Of course, you don’t have to follow 25/5 pomodoro. You can do 50/10, 45/15, etc. I wouldn’t recommend letting yourself study for more than one hour at a time however.
Journaling about your procrastination habits can help you identify triggers and develop strategies to overcome them. For example, if you find yourself procrastinating when faced with a difficult task, you could break it down into smaller, more manageable steps. By doing this, you can build momentum and gain a sense of accomplishment as you complete each step, which can help motivate you to continue working.
Time blocking is another effective technique for combating procrastination. To use this technique, you can break up your day into specific time slots and dedicate each slot to a specific task. For instance, you could block out two hours for writing a report, followed by a 30-minute break, then another two-hour block for responding to emails. This can help you stay focused and prevent distractions from derailing your progress. By scheduling specific tasks at specific times, you can create a sense of urgency and hold yourself accountable for completing them.
Both journaling and time blocking work by helping you stay organized and focused on your goals. By identifying the triggers that lead to procrastination and breaking your day into manageable tasks, you can avoid feeling overwhelmed and build the momentum you need to achieve your goals. Additionally, these techniques can help you develop a sense of control over your time and reduce the anxiety and stress that often accompany procrastination.
"Eat your frogs first" is a technique that involves tackling your most difficult or unpleasant task first thing in the morning when your willpower is at its strongest. This technique is effective because it helps to build momentum and make the rest of your day feel more manageable.
For example, if you have a project that you've been dreading, start your day by working on it for an hour or two. By doing so, you'll be able to make significant progress and feel a sense of accomplishment that will carry you through the rest of your day. Alternatively, if you have a difficult conversation that you've been putting off, schedule it for the beginning of your day when you're most alert and focused.
Another example of this technique in action is a writer who starts their day by writing their most challenging section first, such as the introduction or conclusion. By doing so, they build momentum and gain confidence that they can complete the rest of their work.
Overall, eating your frogs first is an effective technique because it helps you to break through procrastination and build momentum towards your goals. By tackling your most difficult or unpleasant task first, you'll be able to make progress and build confidence that will carry you through the rest of your day.
To effectively remove environmental triggers that lead to procrastination, you can take a few concrete steps. For example, if you find yourself constantly checking your phone when you should be studying, you can put your phone in another room or turn off notifications during your study sessions. Another example is to create a designated study space that is free from distractions, such as a library or a quiet room in your house. This can help you stay focused and avoid interruptions. Additionally, you can make your environment clean and organized by removing clutter and creating a clear workspace. This can help you feel more motivated and focused on your goals.
The reason this technique works is that it helps reduce the distractions that can lead to procrastination. By removing environmental triggers, you are creating an environment that is conducive to studying and learning. This can help you stay focused on your tasks and avoid the temptations that can derail your progress. Additionally, by creating a clean and organized workspace, you are signaling to your brain that it is time to focus and be productive. This can help you get into the right mindset for learning and studying.
In summary, beating procrastination is all about understanding the habit loop, pomodoro, identifying your triggers, and developing strategies to override them. By using techniques like journaling, time blocking, and eating your frogs first, you can stay focused and make progress towards your learning goals. So the next time you find yourself procrastinating, remember that you have the power to take control of your habits and achieve your dreams. Your brain will thank you for it! Lifestyle Choices That Improve Memory
Now that we've covered some techniques for learning more deeply and efficiently, let's talk about some lifestyle choices that can help improve your memory even further. These tips are designed to help you take care of your brain and optimize its performance, so that you can learn and remember more effectively. Exercise
Exercise has been shown to have numerous benefits for brain health and cognitive function, including improved memory. But how exactly does exercise help improve memory? One theory is that exercise increases blood flow and oxygen to the brain, which helps to nourish brain cells and promote the growth of new neurons. Additionally, exercise has been shown to increase the production of certain chemicals in the brain, such as brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), which is important for the growth and survival of neurons.
To effectively use exercise to improve memory, it's important to engage in cardiovascular exercise that gets your heart rate up and increases blood flow to the brain. This can include activities such as running, cycling, swimming, or brisk walking. It's also important to make exercise a regular part of your routine. Aim for at least 30 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise most days of the week.
Finally, it's important to stay motivated and make exercise a fun and enjoyable part of your routine. Find activities that you enjoy and that you look forward to, and try to make exercise a social activity by finding a workout buddy or joining a group fitness class. By making exercise a regular and enjoyable part of your routine, you can reap the many benefits it has to offer for both your body and your brain. Meditation
Meditation is a powerful tool for improving memory and cognitive function. This ancient practice has been used for centuries to help people calm their minds and improve their focus. Recent research has shown that meditation can actually change the structure of the brain, improving memory and attention span. To effectively use this technique, start by finding a quiet place where you won't be disturbed. Sit comfortably in a chair or on the floor, with your back straight and your eyes closed. Focus on your breath and try to clear your mind of all other thoughts. When your mind wanders, gently bring it back to your breath. Start with just a few minutes each day and gradually increase the time as you become more comfortable with the practice.
One reason why meditation can improve memory is that it helps reduce stress and anxiety, which are known to impair memory function. Additionally, meditation can increase the size of the hippocampus, the part of the brain that is critical for memory and learning. This can lead to better memory consolidation and recall.
To illustrate the effectiveness of meditation for memory improvement, a study conducted by researchers at the University of California, Santa Barbara found that participants who meditated for just 10 minutes a day for two weeks showed significant improvements in working memory and executive function compared to a control group. Another study published in the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease found that a mindfulness meditation program improved memory, attention, and cognitive flexibility in older adults with mild cognitive impairment.
In conclusion, meditation is a simple yet powerful technique for improving memory and cognitive function. By reducing stress and anxiety, increasing the size of the hippocampus, and improving memory consolidation and recall, meditation can help you reach your learning goals and achieve success. Brain-Boosting Foods
Eating certain foods can promote brain health and improve memory. For example, blueberries are high in antioxidants that protect brain cells from damage and inflammation, while salmon is rich in omega-3 fatty acids that support brain function and improve memory. Nuts, such as almonds and walnuts, contain vitamin E that helps prevent cognitive decline and enhance memory recall. Additionally, dark chocolate contains flavonoids that improve blood flow to the brain, which can boost cognitive function.
These brain-boosting foods work by providing essential nutrients that nourish the brain and promote the growth of new neurons. Antioxidants, for example, protect the brain from damage and inflammation caused by free radicals, which are unstable molecules that can damage cells. Omega-3 fatty acids, on the other hand, are important for brain function and can improve memory by supporting the growth of new neurons and enhancing communication between brain cells. Vitamin E acts as an antioxidant and can help prevent cognitive decline by protecting the brain from damage. Finally, flavonoids in dark chocolate can improve blood flow to the brain, which can boost cognitive function.
To effectively use this technique, it is important to incorporate brain-boosting foods into your diet regularly. Snack on a handful of almonds or blueberries, include salmon in your meals, and indulge in a square of dark chocolate every now and then. It is also important to maintain a balanced and healthy diet overall and to exercise regularly, as physical activity has been linked to improved brain function and memory. Sleep
Getting enough sleep is crucial for memory consolidation and cognitive function. To effectively use this technique, it's important to establish a regular sleep schedule and aim for 7-8 hours of sleep per night. Avoiding caffeine and screens before bedtime and creating a relaxing sleep environment can also help you fall asleep more easily.
One concrete example of how to incorporate this technique into your routine is to set a specific bedtime and wake-up time, and stick to it every day. This will help regulate your body's internal clock and make it easier to fall asleep and wake up at the same time each day. Another example is to avoid stimulating activities before bedtime, such as watching TV or using electronic devices, which can interfere with your ability to fall asleep.
The reason why sleep is so important for memory consolidation is that during sleep, the brain processes and consolidates memories, making it easier to remember what you've learned and make connections between different pieces of information. Additionally, getting enough sleep can improve cognitive function, including attention, problem-solving, and decision-making abilities. In contrast, not getting enough sleep can lead to fatigue, poor memory retention, and decreased cognitive function. Other Lifestyle Changes
Adding new activities to your routine can be a great way to improve your memory and cognitive function. In fact, there are numerous activities that can be beneficial for your brain health and cognitive abilities.
For example, playing chess is a popular activity that can help to improve your problem-solving skills and strategic thinking abilities. It is a game that requires you to think ahead and anticipate your opponent's moves, which can help to challenge your brain in new ways. Similarly, learning a new instrument can be a great way to challenge your brain and promote the growth of new neurons. It requires you to learn new skills, such as reading music, playing different chords, and developing your sense of rhythm. All of these skills can help to stimulate your brain and improve cognitive function.
In summary, by making some simple lifestyle changes, you can improve your memory and cognitive function. Exercise, meditation, brain-boosting foods, sleep, and other activities can all help to promote brain health and improve memory. So, take care of your brain, and it will take care of you!

So for the past year I've been spending a huge amount of time on learning how to learn starting with Barbara Oakley's famous coursera course of the same name, to ultralearning from Scott Young, to Make It Stick by Peter C Brown, and from there I looked at papers on how to learn as well as sites and articles for anything else. This post is only a smidgen of what I've found, but I hope it is enough information for you to get started and hopefully find research yourself that you can look up to! I will link some recommended sources in the comments of this post so you can start with if you want to start digging deeper.

Introduction

Are you struggling to learn new things effectively? Do you feel like you're not making progress despite putting in a lot of effort? Learning how to learn is a crucial skill that can help you overcome these challenges and achieve your goals. In this post, we'll discuss the science behind effective learning and memory, and explore various techniques and insights from books and sources to help you learn things deeply and quickly. Whether you're a student, professional, or anyone who wants to improve their learning skills, this post is for you. So let's dive in and learn how to learn!
First, let's talk about why learning how to learn is so important. Many people approach learning as a chore, something they have to do to get good grades or advance in their career. But what if I told you that by mastering the science of learning, you can actually make learning more enjoyable and efficient?
To understand how to make learning easier and more effective, we need to dive into the science behind it. The brain is an incredibly complex device, with a million billion synapses where memories are stored. But how exactly do these memories get stored and retrieved?

How the Brain Works

To gain a better understanding of how memories are formed and retrieved, it is essential to delve into the intricacies of neurons and synapses. Neurons, as the fundamental building blocks of the brain, play a crucial role in the process of memory formation and retention. Synapses, on the other hand, are the interconnecting bridges that allow neurons to communicate with each other. When we learn something new, electrical signals are transmitted through these synapses, which in turn produce neurotransmitters responsible for the storage of memories
However, the process of memory formation is not just about having more synapses. It is also about the manner in which they are connected to one another. Different areas of the brain are responsible for various aspects of learning and memory. The hippocampus and frontal cortex, for instance, are involved in analyzing perceptions and deciding what information to store, while the amygdala plays a vital role in integrating emotions and memory. It is through the complex interplay of these different neural regions that memories are formed, stored, and retrieved.

How Memory Works

Memory is an intricate process that involves multiple stages. These stages are sensory, short-term, and long-term memory. Sensory memory is the first stage of memory that receives and processes fleeting impressions of your perceptions. It is responsible for holding raw information for a very short time, no more than a few seconds.
Short-term memory is the second stage of memory and is like a storage unit that holds about four chunks of information and lasts for 20-30 seconds. During this stage, the brain processes and stores the information currently in use, such as a phone number, an address, or a short message.
It is long-term memory that we tend to think of when we talk about memory. This stage is responsible for storing and retrieving information for an extended period. The long-term memory capacity is vast, and it is where the most important and meaningful memories are stored.
To move information from short-term to long-term memory, you need to use a technique called spaced repetition. This involves repeating what you're trying to retain over several days to strengthen the synaptic connections between neurons. However, it's not just about repetition - it's about encoding, storage, and retrieval processes. Encoding is the process of transforming information into a meaningful code that can be stored in memory, while storage is the process of retaining that information over time. Lastly, retrieval is the process of accessing stored information when needed.

Common Misconceptions about Learning and Memory

There are a number of myths and misconceptions surrounding the processes of learning and memory that can unfortunately hinder one's progress. One common misconception is that intelligence is a fixed trait and that one's memory or learning abilities cannot be improved. However, the reality is that anyone can improve their memory and learning skills through deliberate and consistent practice.
Another popular myth is the belief that taking breaks during learning or studying is a waste of time. However, in truth, taking breaks is an essential component of effective learning. When you take a break, your brain's diffuse mode works in the background, creating new neural connections and allowing you to see things from different perspectives, leading to better and more comprehensive learning.
By understanding the science behind learning and memory, one can approach the process of learning with a more positive mindset and focus on utilizing effective strategies. With the right techniques, anyone can learn new information deeply and quickly, making the process of learning a more enjoyable and rewarding experience. In addition, there are many tools and resources available to help one improve their learning and memory abilities, including mind mapping, mnemonic devices, spaced repetition, and more.

Techniques for Effective Learning

Now that we've busted some myths, it's time to explore some tried-and-true techniques for effective learning. These techniques involve taking advantage of the way our brains naturally process and store information. Let's dive in!

Recall

Recall is an effective strategy for improving memory retention because it strengthens the synaptic connections between neurons. Essentially, when you actively retrieve information from memory, you are exercising your brain and making it easier to retrieve the information in the future. This technique can be thought of as lifting weights for your brain, and just like with physical exercise, consistent practice is key.
To effectively use recall in your study routine, start by actively testing yourself on the material you are trying to learn. For example, if you are studying for a history exam, try to recall important dates and events without looking at your notes. This will help to exercise the neural pathways associated with that information and make it easier to remember in the future. Another effective technique is to use flashcards, which allow you to actively retrieve information from memory and test yourself on specific concepts or terms.
The reason why recall is so effective for improving memory retention is because it strengthens the synaptic connections between neurons. When you repeatedly retrieve information from memory, you are essentially reinforcing the neural pathways associated with that information. This makes it easier to retrieve the information in the future, because the pathways have been strengthened and the information is easier to access.
In addition to recall, there are other strategies that can improve memory retention. Spaced repetition is one such strategy, which involves repeating what you're trying to retain over several days to strengthen synaptic connections. Chunking is another strategy, which involves piecing together bits of information through meaning and usage. This allows you to tie meaning to a concept or idea and make it more memorable. By incorporating these techniques into your study routine, you can optimize your learning and retain information more effectively.

Spaced Repetition

Spaced repetition is a powerful technique that can be used to improve your ability to retain information. It involves repeating what you are trying to remember over several days to strengthen synaptic connections in your brain. The technique, much like watering a plant, requires the right amount of repetition at the right intervals to achieve optimal growth.
To effectively use spaced repetition, it is important to first create a schedule of when and how often to repeat the material. For example, if you are trying to memorize a list of vocabulary words in a foreign language, you might start by studying the words for a few minutes each day for a week. Then, you might repeat the list of words every other day for the next two weeks, and then once a week for the following month. This spaced repetition schedule allows for optimal growth of synaptic connections in your brain, improving your ability to retain the information.
Another example of spaced repetition in action is when learning to play a musical instrument. Instead of practicing for hours on end, it is often more effective to practice for shorter periods of time, with breaks in between to allow your brain to consolidate the new information. By spacing out your practice sessions and repeating the material over several days, you can improve your ability to retain the information and improve your overall skill level.
Spaced repetition works because it takes advantage of the brain's natural learning processes. When you learn something new, your brain creates new synapses between neurons to store the information. However, these synapses are relatively weak at first and can easily be forgotten. By repeating the material over several days, the synapses become stronger and more permanent, making it easier to recall the information later on. This technique also helps to prevent forgetting by refreshing the memory at regular intervals, further strengthening the synaptic connections in your brain.

Interleaving

Interleaving is a highly effective technique for learning and practicing skills or concepts. It involves mixing up different types of problems or materials, which can help you to better retain and apply the information. The key to effective interleaving is to ensure that you are constantly switching between different types of problems or materials in a way that allows your brain to make new connections between ideas and to think in a more flexible and adaptable way. This can lead to deeper understanding and more efficient learning.
For example, if you are trying to learn a new language, you might start by practicing basic vocabulary and grammar rules. However, instead of simply repeating the same exercises over and over again, you could try interleaving different types of exercises, such as practicing vocabulary, grammar, and reading comprehension in quick succession. This would force your brain to constantly switch between different types of problems, which would help you to better retain and apply the information.
Another example of interleaving is in sports training. Instead of performing the same drills over and over again, athletes can benefit from mixing up their training routine. For instance, a basketball player might practice shooting, dribbling, and passing in quick succession, rather than focusing on a single skill for an extended period of time. This would force the player to adjust to different types of challenges and think in a more flexible and adaptable way, which would ultimately improve their overall performance.
The reason why interleaving is so effective is that it forces your brain to constantly switch between different types of problems, which helps to build new neural connections and reinforce existing ones. By constantly challenging your brain to adapt to new situations, you are training it to be more flexible and adaptable, which can lead to deeper understanding and more efficient learning. Additionally, interleaving can help to prevent boredom and keep you engaged in the learning process, which can ultimately lead to better overall outcomes.

Mnemonics

Mnemonics are an effective memory aid that can help you remember information by creating associations between the information you want to remember and other things that you already know. This technique works because the brain is naturally wired to remember things that are meaningful and connected to other information.
One way to use mnemonics is to create a memorable sentence or acronym that represents a list of items. For example, to remember the colors of the rainbow in order, you can use the acronym ROYGBIV (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet). Another way to use mnemonics is to create a memorable image that represents a concept. For example, to remember the difference between weather and climate, you can imagine a man holding an umbrella (weather) while standing next to a tree (climate).
To use mnemonics effectively, it's important to create associations that are vivid, meaningful, and easy to remember. You should also try to use mnemonics in a way that makes sense to you personally. For example, if you have a strong association between a particular food and a memory, you can use that food in your mnemonic to help you remember the information.
Overall, mnemonics are a powerful tool that can help you remember information more effectively. By creating associations between new information and things you already know, you can improve your memory and recall more easily.

Memory Palace

The Memory Palace technique is an excellent mnemonic strategy that can be utilized to improve memory. This technique involves creating a mental map of a familiar location, such as your home or workplace, and associating each item that you want to remember with a specific location in that place. By doing so, you can significantly improve your ability to remember things.
To effectively use this technique, start by selecting a location that you are familiar with and that has a specific structure, such as a house or a building. Next, imagine yourself walking through the location and identify specific objects or landmarks that stand out to you. For example, if you choose your apartment, you could associate the couch with the color red, the dining table with a vase of flowers, and the kitchen with the smell of coffee.
Once you have identified these landmarks, you can associate each item that you want to remember with a specific location in your mental map. For instance, if you want to remember a list of grocery items, you can associate each item with a specific location in your home. For example, you can associate apples with the fruit bowl on your kitchen counter, bread with the bread box on your kitchen shelf, and milk with the refrigerator in your kitchen. By doing so, when you need to recall the items, you can simply visualize your mental map of your home and recall the location of each item.
This technique is effective because it leverages the power of visualization and association. By associating each item with a specific location in your mental map, you create a visual and spatial representation of the information in your mind. This makes it easier for you to recall the information later because your brain has formed strong connections between the items and the locations. With practice, you can use this technique to remember even long lists of items, and impress your friends and colleagues with your newfound memory skills.

Chunking

Chunking is a technique for memorizing information by grouping it into smaller chunks, making it easier to remember. For example, if you need to memorize a phone number, you might chunk it into three groups of numbers, like 555-123-4567. This makes it easier to remember because it's easier to remember three smaller chunks than one long string of digits.
Another example of chunking is breaking down a larger concept into smaller, more manageable pieces. For instance, if you're trying to learn a new programming language, you might start by breaking it down into smaller components, such as syntax, data types, and control structures. Once you've mastered these smaller chunks, you can start piecing them together to gain a better understanding of the language as a whole.
Chunking is effective because it makes it easier for the brain to process and store information. When information is presented in smaller, more manageable chunks, it's easier for the brain to process and remember. Additionally, chunking helps to create meaningful connections between pieces of information, making it easier to recall them later.
To effectively use chunking, it's important to give the task your undivided attention and then find the overall big picture and key ideas. You can perform a quick picture walk-through of your material, and anything that stands out is usually important. You should then provide context for your ideas and concepts to know when to use them. Finally, you want to tie auditory hooks to your memory by speaking about it out loud with self-explanation.
Overall, chunking is a powerful technique for learning and memorization because it makes information more manageable and easier to process. By breaking down larger concepts into smaller, more manageable chunks, you can make it easier for your brain to process and store information, making it easier to recall later on.

Self-Explanation

Self-explanation is a powerful learning technique that can be used in a variety of contexts. One way to effectively use self-explanation is to ask "why" questions when encountering a new concept. For example, if you are learning about the concept of photosynthesis, you might ask yourself, "Why do plants need sunlight in order to produce energy?" By asking and answering these types of questions, you are actively engaging with the material and promoting the formation of new connections between ideas.
Another way to use self-explanation is to relate new concepts to what you already know. For example, if you are learning a new language and come across a new word, you might try to relate it to a word in your native language that has a similar meaning. This can help you remember the new word and also reinforce your understanding of the concept it represents.
Finally, self-explanation can be used to identify gaps in your understanding. For example, if you are reading a complex scientific article and come across a term or concept that you don't fully understand, you might try to explain it to yourself in your own words. If you can't explain it, that might be an indication that you need to go back and review the material or seek additional resources.
The reason why self-explanation is such an effective learning technique is that it encourages individuals to actively engage with the material and construct new knowledge by relating it to what they already know. By creating a dialogue with oneself, one is able to identify gaps in their understanding and clarify their thinking, leading to a more thorough and integrated understanding of the material. Essentially, self-explanation is like having a conversation with your own brain, which can be a powerful tool in the learning process.

Elaborative Interrogation

Elaborative interrogation is a powerful technique that can help you improve your learning process by asking yourself "why" questions and trying to come up with a detailed explanation. This process can be thought of as trying to be a detective in your own mind, where you are constantly trying to uncover new clues and piece together the information you already have. Here are a few examples of how to effectively use this technique:
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• When studying history, ask yourself why certain events occurred and what factors led to them. Try to come up with a detailed explanation that takes into account all the relevant factors.
• When learning a new concept in science, ask yourself why it works the way it does, and try to come up with a detailed explanation that includes all the relevant principles and laws.
• When reading a novel, ask yourself why certain characters behave the way they do, and try to come up with a detailed explanation that considers their motivations and past experiences.

This technique works because it forces you to engage with the material on a deeper level and make connections with other ideas. By asking yourself why something is true, you are actively processing the information and creating new neural connections. This process helps you to remember the information better and understand it more deeply. Furthermore, the process of elaborative interrogation helps to overcome illusions of understanding by exposing gaps in knowledge and highlighting areas that need further clarification.
Moreover, these techniques can make learning more effective and enjoyable. Whether you are trying to learn a new language, improve your math skills, or expand your knowledge, these techniques can help you achieve your goals. Not only do they allow you to think more critically and creatively, but they also stimulate your brain in new ways and encourage you to explore different perspectives and ideas.
So, if you haven't tried these techniques yet, give them a try! You might be surprised at how much they can improve your learning experience. Your brain will certainly thank you for it!

Beating Procrastination

Procrastination is a fascinating phenomenon that affects all of us in some way or another. It's like a monster that lurks inside our brains, always ready to pounce when we need to get something done. When we're faced with a task that we don't want to do, our brain associates it with pain, discomfort and stress. It's like our brain is telling us that this task is going to be hard and that we're going to have to work really hard to get it done. This is because the prefrontal cortex, the part of the brain responsible for decision-making and cognitive control, is in charge of regulating behavior associated with goals. When faced with a difficult task, the prefrontal cortex sends signals to the amygdala, the part of the brain associated with emotion, to initiate a stress response. This stress response activates the release of cortisol, a hormone that is associated with the body's response to stress, and creates physical discomfort in our body. This discomfort is what we perceive as pain, and it's what makes procrastination so difficult to overcome.
To make matters worse, our brains are wired to seek pleasure and avoid pain. When we procrastinate, we turn to activities that give us immediate pleasure, like scrolling through social media or watching TV. These activities release dopamine, a neurotransmitter associated with pleasure and reward. Our brains then begin to associate procrastination with pleasure, making it even harder to overcome.
So, how can we beat procrastination?
To beat procrastination, it's important to understand the habit loop consisting of a cue, routine, reward, and belief. Once you have identified the cues and rewards that drive your procrastination habits, you can develop strategies to override them. For example, if the cue for procrastination is checking social media, you can remove the social media app from your phone or block it during certain times of the day. If the reward for procrastination is watching TV, you can reward yourself with an episode of your favorite show after completing a task.
This technique works because it helps to rewire the neural pathways associated with procrastination. By changing the cues and rewards, you can change the behavior associated with the habit. Additionally, by developing new habits and routines, you can strengthen the neural pathways associated with those behaviors, making them more automatic and easier to perform over time. With practice, you can learn to override the procrastination habit and develop more productive habits that help you achieve your goals.
The Pomodoro technique is a time management method that involves breaking work into 25-minute intervals, called "pomodoros," followed by a 5-minute break. After four pomodoros, take a longer break of around 15-30 minutes. However, it is important to note that you do not have to follow this exact timing and can adjust the intervals to fit your needs.
The Pomodoro technique works because it helps you stay focused and avoid distractions. By breaking work into manageable intervals, you are less likely to become overwhelmed or lose focus. Additionally, the breaks allow your brain to rest and recharge, making it easier to stay productive throughout the day.
To effectively use the Pomodoro technique, start by identifying the task you want to complete. Set a timer for 25 minutes and work on the task until the timer goes off. Take a 5-minute break, then repeat the process. After four pomodoros, take a longer break to recharge. It can also be helpful to track your progress and make adjustments as needed. If you find that 25-minute intervals are too long or too short, adjust the intervals to fit your needs.
Here are a few concrete examples of how to use the Pomodoro technique:
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• When studying for a test, break the material into manageable chunks and work on each chunk for 25 minutes at a time.
• When writing a paper, work on one section for 25 minutes, then take a break before moving on to the next section.
• When working on a project, break it down into smaller tasks and work on each task for 25 minutes at a time.

Overall, the Pomodoro technique is a simple but effective way to manage your time and stay focused on your work. Of course, you don’t have to follow 25/5 pomodoro. You can do 50/10, 45/15, etc. I wouldn’t recommend letting yourself study for more than one hour at a time however.
Journaling about your procrastination habits can help you identify triggers and develop strategies to overcome them. For example, if you find yourself procrastinating when faced with a difficult task, you could break it down into smaller, more manageable steps. By doing this, you can build momentum and gain a sense of accomplishment as you complete each step, which can help motivate you to continue working.
Time blocking is another effective technique for combating procrastination. To use this technique, you can break up your day into specific time slots and dedicate each slot to a specific task. For instance, you could block out two hours for writing a report, followed by a 30-minute break, then another two-hour block for responding to emails. This can help you stay focused and prevent distractions from derailing your progress. By scheduling specific tasks at specific times, you can create a sense of urgency and hold yourself accountable for completing them.
Both journaling and time blocking work by helping you stay organized and focused on your goals. By identifying the triggers that lead to procrastination and breaking your day into manageable tasks, you can avoid feeling overwhelmed and build the momentum you need to achieve your goals. Additionally, these techniques can help you develop a sense of control over your time and reduce the anxiety and stress that often accompany procrastination.
"Eat your frogs first" is a technique that involves tackling your most difficult or unpleasant task first thing in the morning when your willpower is at its strongest. This technique is effective because it helps to build momentum and make the rest of your day feel more manageable.
For example, if you have a project that you've been dreading, start your day by working on it for an hour or two. By doing so, you'll be able to make significant progress and feel a sense of accomplishment that will carry you through the rest of your day. Alternatively, if you have a difficult conversation that you've been putting off, schedule it for the beginning of your day when you're most alert and focused.
Another example of this technique in action is a writer who starts their day by writing their most challenging section first, such as the introduction or conclusion. By doing so, they build momentum and gain confidence that they can complete the rest of their work.
Overall, eating your frogs first is an effective technique because it helps you to break through procrastination and build momentum towards your goals. By tackling your most difficult or unpleasant task first, you'll be able to make progress and build confidence that will carry you through the rest of your day.
To effectively remove environmental triggers that lead to procrastination, you can take a few concrete steps. For example, if you find yourself constantly checking your phone when you should be studying, you can put your phone in another room or turn off notifications during your study sessions. Another example is to create a designated study space that is free from distractions, such as a library or a quiet room in your house. This can help you stay focused and avoid interruptions. Additionally, you can make your environment clean and organized by removing clutter and creating a clear workspace. This can help you feel more motivated and focused on your goals.
The reason this technique works is that it helps reduce the distractions that can lead to procrastination. By removing environmental triggers, you are creating an environment that is conducive to studying and learning. This can help you stay focused on your tasks and avoid the temptations that can derail your progress. Additionally, by creating a clean and organized workspace, you are signaling to your brain that it is time to focus and be productive. This can help you get into the right mindset for learning and studying.
In summary, beating procrastination is all about understanding the habit loop, pomodoro, identifying your triggers, and developing strategies to override them. By using techniques like journaling, time blocking, and eating your frogs first, you can stay focused and make progress towards your learning goals. So the next time you find yourself procrastinating, remember that you have the power to take control of your habits and achieve your dreams. Your brain will thank you for it!

Lifestyle Choices That Improve Memory

Now that we've covered some techniques for learning more deeply and efficiently, let's talk about some lifestyle choices that can help improve your memory even further. These tips are designed to help you take care of your brain and optimize its performance, so that you can learn and remember more effectively.

Exercise

Exercise has been shown to have numerous benefits for brain health and cognitive function, including improved memory. But how exactly does exercise help improve memory? One theory is that exercise increases blood flow and oxygen to the brain, which helps to nourish brain cells and promote the growth of new neurons. Additionally, exercise has been shown to increase the production of certain chemicals in the brain, such as brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), which is important for the growth and survival of neurons.
To effectively use exercise to improve memory, it's important to engage in cardiovascular exercise that gets your heart rate up and increases blood flow to the brain. This can include activities such as running, cycling, swimming, or brisk walking. It's also important to make exercise a regular part of your routine. Aim for at least 30 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise most days of the week.
Finally, it's important to stay motivated and make exercise a fun and enjoyable part of your routine. Find activities that you enjoy and that you look forward to, and try to make exercise a social activity by finding a workout buddy or joining a group fitness class. By making exercise a regular and enjoyable part of your routine, you can reap the many benefits it has to offer for both your body and your brain.

Meditation

Meditation is a powerful tool for improving memory and cognitive function. This ancient practice has been used for centuries to help people calm their minds and improve their focus. Recent research has shown that meditation can actually change the structure of the brain, improving memory and attention span. To effectively use this technique, start by finding a quiet place where you won't be disturbed. Sit comfortably in a chair or on the floor, with your back straight and your eyes closed. Focus on your breath and try to clear your mind of all other thoughts. When your mind wanders, gently bring it back to your breath. Start with just a few minutes each day and gradually increase the time as you become more comfortable with the practice.
One reason why meditation can improve memory is that it helps reduce stress and anxiety, which are known to impair memory function. Additionally, meditation can increase the size of the hippocampus, the part of the brain that is critical for memory and learning. This can lead to better memory consolidation and recall.
To illustrate the effectiveness of meditation for memory improvement, a study conducted by researchers at the University of California, Santa Barbara found that participants who meditated for just 10 minutes a day for two weeks showed significant improvements in working memory and executive function compared to a control group. Another study published in the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease found that a mindfulness meditation program improved memory, attention, and cognitive flexibility in older adults with mild cognitive impairment.
In conclusion, meditation is a simple yet powerful technique for improving memory and cognitive function. By reducing stress and anxiety, increasing the size of the hippocampus, and improving memory consolidation and recall, meditation can help you reach your learning goals and achieve success.

Brain-Boosting Foods

Eating certain foods can promote brain health and improve memory. For example, blueberries are high in antioxidants that protect brain cells from damage and inflammation, while salmon is rich in omega-3 fatty acids that support brain function and improve memory. Nuts, such as almonds and walnuts, contain vitamin E that helps prevent cognitive decline and enhance memory recall. Additionally, dark chocolate contains flavonoids that improve blood flow to the brain, which can boost cognitive function.
These brain-boosting foods work by providing essential nutrients that nourish the brain and promote the growth of new neurons. Antioxidants, for example, protect the brain from damage and inflammation caused by free radicals, which are unstable molecules that can damage cells. Omega-3 fatty acids, on the other hand, are important for brain function and can improve memory by supporting the growth of new neurons and enhancing communication between brain cells. Vitamin E acts as an antioxidant and can help prevent cognitive decline by protecting the brain from damage. Finally, flavonoids in dark chocolate can improve blood flow to the brain, which can boost cognitive function.
To effectively use this technique, it is important to incorporate brain-boosting foods into your diet regularly. Snack on a handful of almonds or blueberries, include salmon in your meals, and indulge in a square of dark chocolate every now and then. It is also important to maintain a balanced and healthy diet overall and to exercise regularly, as physical activity has been linked to improved brain function and memory.

Sleep

Getting enough sleep is crucial for memory consolidation and cognitive function. To effectively use this technique, it's important to establish a regular sleep schedule and aim for 7-8 hours of sleep per night. Avoiding caffeine and screens before bedtime and creating a relaxing sleep environment can also help you fall asleep more easily.
One concrete example of how to incorporate this technique into your routine is to set a specific bedtime and wake-up time, and stick to it every day. This will help regulate your body's internal clock and make it easier to fall asleep and wake up at the same time each day. Another example is to avoid stimulating activities before bedtime, such as watching TV or using electronic devices, which can interfere with your ability to fall asleep.
The reason why sleep is so important for memory consolidation is that during sleep, the brain processes and consolidates memories, making it easier to remember what you've learned and make connections between different pieces of information. Additionally, getting enough sleep can improve cognitive function, including attention, problem-solving, and decision-making abilities. In contrast, not getting enough sleep can lead to fatigue, poor memory retention, and decreased cognitive function.

Other Lifestyle Changes

Adding new activities to your routine can be a great way to improve your memory and cognitive function. In fact, there are numerous activities that can be beneficial for your brain health and cognitive abilities.
For example, playing chess is a popular activity that can help to improve your problem-solving skills and strategic thinking abilities. It is a game that requires you to think ahead and anticipate your opponent's moves, which can help to challenge your brain in new ways. Similarly, learning a new instrument can be a great way to challenge your brain and promote the growth of new neurons. It requires you to learn new skills, such as reading music, playing different chords, and developing your sense of rhythm. All of these skills can help to stimulate your brain and improve cognitive function.
In summary, by making some simple lifestyle changes, you can improve your memory and cognitive function. Exercise, meditation, brain-boosting foods, sleep, and other activities can all help to promote brain health and improve memory. So, take care of your brain, and it will take care of you!

The Latest Released market study on Global Dry Laundry Detergents market provides information and useful stats on market structure, size and trends. The report is intended to provide cutting-edge market intelligence and strategic insights to help decision makers take sound investment decisions and identify potential gaps and growth opportunities. Besides, the report also identifies and analyses changing dynamics, emerging trends along with essential drivers, challenges, opportunities and restraints in Dry Laundry Detergents market.
What’s keeping BASF SE (United States),The Dow Chemical Company (United States),Unilever (U.K),DuPont (United States),AkzoNobel (Netherlands),Amway (United States),Church & Dwight Co., Inc. (United States),,enkel AG (Germany),Procter & Gamble (United States) Keep Growing in the Market? Benchmark yourself with the strategic moves and latest Market Share and Sizing of Global Dry Laundry Detergents market recently published by AMA
The Global Dry Laundry Detergent is expected to witness growth as it is in high demand from Hotels, Hospitals, and Restaurants. Factors like high disposable income and improving rate of employment countries in emerging countries are projected to boost the market of dry laundry detergents. Dry Laundry detergents are the products that are used in dry cleaning of clothes using a chemical solvent. These are a mixture of a chemical compound that helps in removing oil, grease, dirt, soil, strains from clothes.
The Dry Laundry Detergents Market segments and Market Data Break Down by Type (Liquid Detergents, Powder Detergents, Tablet Detergents), Distribution Channels (Supermarket, Hypermarket, E-commerce, Retailers)
On the geographical front, the market has been segregated into North America (the United States and Canada), Europe (Germany, France, the United Kingdom, Italy, Spain, Russia and others), Asia Pacific (China, Japan, India, South Korea, Australia, Indonesia and others), Latin America (Brazil, Mexico and others), and Middle East and Africa.
What’s Trending in Market: Increasing demand for concentrated detergents and owing to the high penetration of the company’s brands like Tide and gain.
The trend of rising demand for eco-friendly products.
Market Challenges: The shorter shelf life of dry detergents is the main challenge for this market.
Market Opportunities: Rising R & D activities to develop safe detergents is expected to provide a new opportunity to the manufacturers.
Highlights of Influencing Drivers: Increasing trends towards casual business clothing.
Purchase of detergents based on its quality and company’s reputation.
Increase in disposable income in emerging economies.
Presented By
AMA Research & Media LLP