#The Shortwave Mystery

[spaceintruderdetector]

Shortwave clips from 1982, Tape 1 side A

In 1982 I made recordings of how it is during a "sunspot max" time, using a Realistic DX-302 near Atlanta Georgia USA.

[whilomm]

i love numbers stations and i also love the theory that at least some of them still maintained today are literally just junk data. like we know at least some of them are real messages like the russian military ones that are mostly just kinda boring daily messages or the historical ones thar have been declassified like "yeah that was us it was some spy stuff" but theres some ppl theorize are literally just there to fuck with other countries and make them wonder wjat the fuck it means

and i assume that like, everyone knows junk data is a very real possibility and they realize yeah theres a p good chance this ones like, jack shit, but. what if its not? what if EVERY ONCE IN A WHILE its used to transmit a real message. what if we SHOULD be listening. so its like

[3liza]

Re: shortwave radio post - what do you mean by “Brain feelings based on strange stimulus”? I feel as though I intuitively relate but can’t put it into words

just for me personally I find shortwave radio recordings to be extremely emotionally activating on like a lizard brain level. some kind of ASMR effect maybe? some of the more threatening-sounding beeps and boops make me so terrified down in my limbic system (that is to say, irrationally, and aware of the irrationality) that I have very much prefer to turn the volume down or even skip past the playbacks if I'm watching a video about them.

but even the non-beep type stuff is incredibly emotionally activating for me, even if it's fake. for example the wonderful scene in Gravity where she picks up what sounds like a Kazakh or nearby person on her shipboard shortwave and can't communicate with him to explain that she's marooned in space of course, but she hears in the background of his transmission the sound of his little baby fussing. and since the word "baby" is pretty lingua franca at this point she is able to communicate to him that she would like to hear his baby, and he obliges, and the baby babbles to her over the shortwave while she floats alone in space thousands of miles away. i cry at this part every single time because it's such a good tableau of the hopelessness of her isolation, her "reasons" for wanting to survive, the universal language of humanity, etc etc. it's very Soviet science fiction flavored which i appreciate as long as it doesn't get too mystical.

the shortwave radio as a concept is intensely romantic, not in the lovey dovey way but the mystery and adventure way. and it's also incredibly silly. silliness prevails at all levels of the medium, which is good

[operationtimeguard]

sable ward lore

Sable figured she had to be adopted. No way was she the progeny of her insanely perky mom and her grinning, golf-playing, frat boy of a dad. They didn’t understand the first thing about her. No one in Greenvile did. Except for Mikaela. They were fast friends since third grade. Up until then Sable had no friends. She wasn’t into ponies or dolls or tea parties with teddy bears. She liked bugs, lizards riding bikes and dirt cloc fights.Her favorite holiday was Halloween and Mikaela was the only one who didn't think she was crazy when she dyed her hair purple in eighth grade. Sable's mom was furious. Her dad didn't even notice. Mikaela went with her to the mall when she got her ears pierced and helped her pick out her first tattoo. An occult symbol hidden in a place her parents would never see. Mikaela declined to get her own tattoo. She flirted with the dark side, but she didn't live it. Not like Sable. The dark side made sense to Sable, and she reveled in it. Partly because it freaked out her parents and teachers. Partly because it felt like who she was. Some called her a goth because of the way she presented herself. But she wasn't into labels. She loved horror movies and found the occult exciting. It made sense to her. She knew that the shiny suburban world of her mom and dad had a dark underbelly. They were afraid to confront their fear, so they pretended everything was perfect and that they would live forever. But Sable knew better. Death stalked us all and no one was getting out alive.

Mikaela got Sable a job at Moonstone. Probably the only place in town that would have hired her. She took classes at the local college and produced a guerilla radio show on the shortwave in her attic. All Things Wicked This Night was about the world's dark underbelly. The occult. Urban legends. Horror. And often there were heated discussions with Mikaela about the horror movies they'd catch at the only theater in Greenville. Mikaela liked her horror with a little comedy, but Sable liked it meaner. Scarier. Bloodier. She relished the gore. Enjoyed the terror. Liked to feel the adrenaline rush. And their debates were entertaining to say the least.

When searching for inspiration for her show, Sable would take walks in the cemetery with all the statues and headstones of early settlers who had founded the town as a sanctuary for those escaping persecution. She often talked about that history on her show, and she formed a theory that the uncanny sightings and disappearances were somehow linked to the town's history. One caller suggested the town was built on top of a fracture. The caller went on to describe a fracture as an overlap between worlds. Another caller said these fractures were created by an ancient cult devoted to forgotten demons. Another caller defined fractures as a cosmic buffet for an elder god that fed on pain, fear, and misery. And one caller even argued that it wasn't a fracture but The Unknown, a mysterious creature that consumed anyone who dared to imagine it. All the theories made for fun and inspiring debates, and she loved nothing more than to discuss real-life horror until the horror became personal.

One evening Sable had challenged Mikaela to tell a real horror story at Moonstone's Annual Halloween Festival. Scare the crap out of people. Stop dancing around the horror and embrace it. Tell a story about The Unknown. Make them imagine it. Make them believe The Unknown will show up on stage. Nothing terrifies an audience more than a show that could potentially kill them. Mikaela laughed at the idea and declined the challenge because she was working on another story with her roommate. 

But a strange, black fog had taken Mikaela during her performance and Sable felt the icy hand of guilt grab her by the back of the neck. She was convinced that she had somehow sent Mikaela to her doom. Did The Unknown take her? Did she try to define The Unknown? What about her roommate? Her roommate disappeared as well. But then she realized Mikaela's story wasn't about The Unknown. It was about something else. Another dimension. A dimension filled with terrifying creatures, sadistic killers, and endless horror.

This was not The Unknown.

With this realization, Sable began to investigate other disappearances in Greenville. Before long, she realized most of the disappearances occurred at the theater or somewhere close by. Investigating further, she discovered the theater was built over the ruins of an old, one-room schoolhouse that had burned to the ground in the 1920s. Somehow the students couldn't get out and everyone perished in the flames. Feeling close to an answer, she continued her research and discovered two teenage brothers had recently disappeared from the theater. Elias and Elan. The only witness, their younger sister, Ellen, was committed to an institution after ripping her eyes out. And so, pretending to be a relative, Sable went to talk to Ellen who admitted she and her brothers had been trying to steal old movie posters from the storage room behind the movie screen. She then described a secret door in the basement and a passageway that led to another Place.

A dark place.

A cold place.

An evil place.

Stay away from there, she begged. Stay

Away.

But Sable wasn't about to stay away.

Not after that story.

Determined to see Mikaela again, Sable hitched a ride to the theater and soon found the door behind the movie screen. In the darkness she jimmied the door open with a crowbar and headed down a creaking, wooden stairway to the dank cellar. A light switch activated flickering fluorescent lights that illuminated a room filled with broken theater seats and old movie posters dating back eighty years. She searched the sprawling basement and found a thick wooden door hidden behind a poster of the original Frankenstein. She pushed and shoved the door open to reveal an endless circular stairway descending into perfect darkness. Using a penlight to navigate, she descended for ten minutes before she noticed the cold, black fog rising from the lower depths.

The same cold, black fog that had taken Mikaela.

Sable considered running back up the stairs to where she would be safe. But then she thought about the terrifying creatures and the sadistic killers and the endless horror, and she quickly decided she wasn't going to let her best friend have all the fun.

[reasoningdaily]

The Ghostly Radio Station That No One Claims to Run

Zaria Gorvett

In the middle of a Russian swampland, not far from the city of St Petersburg, is a rectangular iron gate. Beyond its rusted bars is a collection of radio towers, abandoned buildings and power lines bordered by a dry-stone wall. This sinister location is the focus of a mystery which stretches back to the height of the Cold War.

It is thought to be the headquarters of a radio station, “MDZhB”, that no-one has ever claimed to run. Twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, for the last three-and-a-half decades, it’s been broadcasting a dull, monotonous tone. Every few seconds it’s joined by a second sound, like some ghostly ship sounding its foghorn. Then the drone continues.

Once or twice a week, a man or woman will read out some words in Russian, such as “dinghy” or “farming specialist”. And that’s it. Anyone, anywhere in the world can listen in, simply by tuning a radio to the frequency 4625 kHz.

It’s so enigmatic, it’s as if it was designed with conspiracy theorists in mind. Today the station has an online following numbering in the tens of thousands, who know it affectionately as “the Buzzer”. It joins two similar mystery stations, “the Pip” and the “Squeaky Wheel”. As their fans readily admit themselves, they have absolutely no idea what they are listening to.

Anyone can listen to the Buzzer, simply by tuning a radio to the frequency 4625 kHz (Credit: iStock)

In fact, no-one does. “There’s absolutely no information in the signal,” says David Stupples, an expert in signals intelligence from City University, London.

What’s going on?

The frequency is thought to belong to the Russian military, though they’ve never actually admitted this. It first began broadcasting at the close of the Cold War, when communism was in decline. Today it’s transmitted from two locations – the St Petersburg site and a location near Moscow. Bizarrely, after the collapse of the Soviet Union, rather than shutting down, the station’s activity sharply increased.

There’s no shortage of theories to explain what the Buzzer might be for – ranging from keeping in touch with submarines to communing with aliens. One such idea is that it’s acting as a “Dead Hand” signal; in the event Russia is hit by a nuclear attack, the drone will stop and automatically trigger a retaliation. No questions asked, just total nuclear obliteration on both sides.

This may not be as wacky as it sounds. The system was originally pioneered in the Soviet era, where it took the form of a computer system which scanned the airwaves for signs of life or nuclear fallout. Alarmingly, many experts believe it may still be in use. As Russian president Vladimir Putin pointed out himself earlier this year, “nobody would survive” a nuclear war between Russia and the United States. Could the Buzzer be warding one off?

As it happens, there are clues in the signal itself. Like all international radio, the Buzzer operates at a relatively low frequency known as “shortwave”. This means that – compared to local radio, mobile phone and television signals – fewer waves pass through a single point every second. It also means they can travel a lot further.

While you’d be hard pressed to listen to a local station such as BBC Radio London in a neighbouring county, shortwave stations like the BBC World Service are aimed at audiences from Senegal to Singapore. Both stations are broadcast from the same building.

If the “dead hand” system did not detect signs of a preserved military hierarchy it would automatically trigger a retaliation (Credit: Public Domain/ US DoD)

It’s all thanks to “skywaves”. Higher frequency radio signals can only travel in a straight line, eventually becoming lost as they bump into obstacles or reach the horizon. But shortwave frequencies have an extra trick – they can bounce off charged particles in the upper atmosphere, allowing them to zig-zag between the earth and the sky and travel thousands, rather than tens, of miles.

Which brings us back to the Dead Hand theory. As you might expect, shortwave signals have proved extremely popular. Today they’re used by ships, aircraft and the military to send messages across continents, oceans and mountain ranges. But there’s a catch.

The lofty layer isn’t so much a flat mirror, but a wave, which undulates like the surface of the ocean. During the day it moves steadily higher, while at night, it creeps down towards the Earth. If you want to absolutely guarantee that your station can be heard on the other side of the planet – and if you’re using it as a cue for nuclear war, you probably do – it’s important to change the frequency depending on the time of day, to catch up. The BBC World Service already does this. The Buzzer doesn’t.

Another idea is that the radio station exists to “sound” out how far away the layer of charged particles is. “To get good results from the radar systems the Russians use to spot missiles, you need to know this,” says Stupples. The longer the signal takes to get up into the sky and down again, the higher it must be.

Alas, that can’t be it either. To analyse the layer’s altitude the signal would usually have a certain sound, like a car alarm going off – the result of varying the waves to get them just right. “They sound nothing like the Buzzer,” says Stupples. 

Intriguingly, there is a station with some striking similarities. The “Lincolnshire Poacher” ran from the mid-1970s to 2008. Just like the Buzzer, it could be heard on the other side of the planet. Just like the Buzzer, it emanated from an undisclosed location, thought to be somewhere in Cyprus. And just like the Buzzer, its transmissions were just plain creepy.

At the beginning of every hour, the station would play the first two bars of an English folk tune, the Lincolnshire Poacher.

“Oh ‘tis my delight on a shining night 

In the season of the year

When I was bound apprentice in famous Lincolnshire

‘Twas well I served my master for nigh on seven years…”

After repeating this 12 times, it would move on to messages read by the disembodied voice of a woman reading groups of five numbers – “1-2-0-3-6” – in a clipped, upper-class English accent.

After the Arcos raid in London, the Russians realised they needed a better way to communicate with spies hiding abroad (Credit: Getty)

In May 1927, years after a British secret agent caught an employee sneaking into a communist news office in London, police officers stormed the Arcos building. The basement had been rigged with anti-intruder devices and they discovered a secret room with no door handle, in which workers were hurriedly burning documents.

It may have been dramatic, but the British didn’t discover anything that they didn’t already know. Instead the raid was a wake-up call to the Soviets, who discovered that MI5 had been listening in on them for years.

“This was a blunder of the very first order,” says Anthony Glees, who directs the Centre for Security and Intelligence Studies at the University of Buckingham. To justify the raid, the prime minister had even read out some of the deciphered telegrams in the House of Commons.

The upshot was that the Russians completely reinvented the way messages are encrypted. Almost overnight, they switched to “one-time pads”. In this system, a random key is generated by the person sending the message and shared only with the person receiving it. As long as the key really is perfectly random, the code cannot be cracked. There was no longer any need to worry about who could hear their messages.

Enter the “numbers stations” – radio stations that broadcast coded messages to spies all over the world. Soon even the British were doing it: if you can’t beat them, join ‘em, as they say. It’s quite difficult to generate a completely random number because a system for doing so will, by its very nature, be predictable – exactly what you’re trying to avoid. Instead officers in London found an ingenious solution.

They’d hang a microphone out of the window on Oxford Street and record the traffic. “There might be a bus beeping at the same time as a policeman shouting. The sound is unique, it will never happen again,” says Stupples. Then they’d convert this into a random code.

Of course, that didn’t stop people trying to break them. During World War Two, the British realised that they could, in fact, decipher the messages – but they’d have to get their hands on the one-time pad that was used to encrypt them. “We discovered that the Russians used the out-of-date sheets of one-time pads as substitute toilet paper in Russian army hospitals in East Germany,” says Glees. Needless to say, British intelligence officers soon found themselves rifling through the contents of Soviet latrines.

The new channel of communication was so useful, it didn’t take long before the numbers stations had popped up all over the world. There was the colourfully named “Nancy Adam Susan”, “Russian Counting Man” and “Cherry Ripe” – the Lincolnshire Poacher’s sister station, which also contained bars of an English folk song. In name at least, the Buzzer fits right in.

Messages encrypted using one time pads cannot be cracked (Credit: Getty)

Now North Korea are getting in on the act, too. On 14 April 2017, the broadcaster at Radio Pyongyang began: “I’m giving review works in elementary information technology lessons of the remote education university for No 27 expedition agents.” This ill-concealed military message was followed by a series of page numbers – No 69 on page 823, page 957 – which look a lot like code.

It may come as a surprise that numbers stations are still in use – but they hold one major advantage. Though it’s possible to guess who is broadcasting, anyone can listen to the messages – so you don’t know who they are being sent to. Mobile phones and the internet may be quicker, but open a text or email from a known intelligence agency and you could be rumbled.

It’s a compelling idea: the Buzzer has been hiding in plain sight, instructing a network of illicit Russian spies all over the world. There’s just one problem. The Buzzer never broadcasts any numbered messages.

This doesn’t strictly matter, since one-time pads can be used to translate anything – from code words to garbled speech. “If this phone call was encrypted you’d hear “…enejekdhejenw…’ but then it would come out the other side sounding like normal speech,” says Stupples. But this would leave traces in the signal.

During the Cold War, Soviet spies were instructed via shortwave radio (Credit: Alamy)

This isn’t the Buzzer. Instead, many believe that the station is a hybrid of two things. The constant drone is just a marker, saying “this frequency is mine, this frequency is mine…” to stop people from using it.

It only becomes a numbers station in moments of crisis, such as if Russia were invaded. Then it would function as a way to instruct their worldwide spy network and military forces on standby in remote areas. After all, this is a country around 70 times the size of the UK.

It seems they’re already been practicing. “In 2013 they issued a special message, ‘COMMAND 135 ISSUED’ that was said to be test message for full combat readiness,” says Māris Goldmanis, a radio enthusiast who listens to the station from his home in the Baltic states.

The mystery of the Russian radio may have been solved. But if its fans are right, let’s just hope that drone never stops.  

[softquietsteadylove]

Sparks

(So, I once got an ask for a firefighter Gil, and I could choose how I wanted to fit Thena into the story. I couldn't make it work at the time, but now I wish I had held onto it. I watched Those Who Want Me Dead and really loved the character in that, so...here's this.)

Gil froze as he locked eyes with her. He didn't want to do anything to spook her; she rarely came this far out of the deep woods, but he was always happy when he got a glimpse of the rare White Wolf. He called her that because it suited her ghostly and frosty appearance, and she certainly seemed like a solitary creature.

Thena, he had heard her name was. She was part of a wildfire search and rescue unit until she suddenly and mysteriously moved to a perimeter outpost in the middle of nowhere. There were rumours about what had brought her out here, of course; conspiracies and rumours ranged from personal to downright slanderous.

He preferred not to listen to them. He didn't think it would do him any favours if he really wanted to get to know her at all. She was clearly mistrusting down to the bone, and he supposed he couldn't really blame her. Every time she radioed in from her new position it seemed someone wanted to get personal with her or ask when she was going back to search and rescue. She would promptly slam down the receiver hard enough to make everyone's ears ring.

She eyed him, just as a lone wolf would. He lowered his swing slowly, even letting the wood he had been splitting fall off his axe blade with an anti-climactic plunk. She bobbed her head, indicating just behind him.

Gil looked back at the cabin in the further distance, and the pile of leaves he had collected and was currently smudging. "Saw the smoke?"

She nodded.

"Sorry," he set his axe down, still watching her closely. She had on a creamy kind of coat with white fur on the inside of it. He didn't know how she kept her clothes so pristine, even if she didn't actively fight wildfires anymore. He didn't really have to either, and even then, he felt like he was always washing smoke and ash off of his stuff.

She gave him an unimpressed look.

Gil leaned on the handle of his axe slightly with a sigh. "I was raking and I figured I'd get 'em all taken care of in the pit. I'd do it inside, but it tends to-"

"I know."

She barked it at him, and he winced faintly. She had every right to; of course she knew that smudging the leaves inside would fill the cabin with smoke even with the flu opened correctly.

"Right," Gil nodded, looking around him anxiously. The White Wolf was still standing there, eyeing him as if to find out what he was really up to. He shrugged, "you, uh, just passing through?"

Her glare got colder.

He leaned up off his axe and took a step back from his chopping block. The one more step of distance between them seemed to improve her mood. "Find anything?"

He was referring to her constant and never ending trek around the perimeter of their given territory. He knew that she literally camped out for perimeter detail, and that she moved camp every few days once she was satisfied with the immediate area.

"Some drunk idiots."

He smiled; it was the most he'd ever spoken with her. Even on the shortwave, he'd only ever mustered the courage for a simple 'copy that' after a standard report in, or a precipitation check. "So, nothing out of the ordinary."

She shrugged. At first he thought she would leave it at that, but she adjusted the bag on her back. "You can tell some jackasses not to light their shit on fire, but they don't have to listen when you do."

Gil laughed, although he wasn't sure if that was the desired effect of her story or not. He had been there, though. They weren't park rangers, and they had no civil duty unless it pertained to fire and fire safety. But he had experienced drunk boys out in the woods for their first boys' trip before. "Let 'em experience the stink for themselves--serves them right!"

He couldn't be sure, but he was pretty convinced that the White Wolf had a smile on her face (just a little one).

He looked back at the cabin again, "I just put on some soup if-"

She turned.

"Right," Gil sighed. He supposed he could have seen that coming; it was too soon to be offering food, and now he had spooked her. He raised a hand to his mouth as she got steadily further and further away. "It's here if you want some!--all I'm saying!"

He laughed as she gave him the finger over her shoulder.

Okay, so maybe the White Wolf wasn't up to talking just yet. But he'd gotten a few words out of her, and he was already eager for the next few.

He ended up leaving a container of the soup out on his back step, just in case the Wolf was passing through. He thought it was unlikely, but still; maybe she would be moving camp soon and could do with a meal she didn't have to hunt down for herself.

He checked that night before going to bed, and found that the soup was indeed taken. He could have assumed an animal had done it, if not for the nicely butchered and wrapped pheasant left for him in exchange.

[blessed1neha]

What is the scientific proof of astrology?

Now Astrology is considered as pseudoscience,but it is a matter of debate whether it is true or not true.

https://www.eham.net/articles/8828

"In March 1951, John H. Nelson, an engineer for the RCA Communications Co. in New York, published an article in RCA Review describing a theory for predicting shortwave radio propagation over the North Atlantic. Nelson developed the theory by comparing planetary positions relative to the sun with logs of propagation conditions maintained at RCA’s receiving station at Riverhead, Long Island."

Above link:John H.Nelson a radio engineer,observed that certain position of the planets in certain angles caused disruption in propagation of radio waves.

Now,what has radio waves disruption with respect to different position of planets has to do with humans?

Now even human brain emits Electromagnetic waves which are better known as brain waves(EEG-electroencephalogram).

Now both radio waves and brain waves are a form of electromagnetic waves.Here brain waves are weaker form of electromagnetic waves which are very hard to measure unlike radio waves.

Now brain waves doesn't have any interference with the radio waves which are stronger than brain waves.

Now,if certain position of planets in space can cause disruption in propagation of radio waves,then it can also affect humans too. It is well known that radiation from mobile phones affect our brains.

theory of astral influences that describes the solar system as an intricate web of planetary fields and resonances. The Sun, Moon, and planets telegraph their effects to us via magnetic signals, says Seymour, an astrophysicist and respected authority in the field of cosmic magnetism. Omnipresent throughout the universe, magnetism is known to affect the biological cycles of numerous creatures here on Earth, including humans. In sum, Seymour's multi-link theory proposes that the planets raise tides in the gases of the Sun, creating sunspots and their particle emissions, which then travel across interplanetary space to strike Earth's magnetosphere, ringing it like a bell.[1] (See Fig. 1) These planetary magnetic signals are then perceived by the neural network of the fetus inside the mother's womb, heralding the child's birth."

Above link:According to Dr.Percy Seymour,PhD(British Astronomer)the revolving planets have effect or plays a very important role in the development of foetus and in brain development of a child.

Now some Astrologers claim that Astrology is based on Karma.The planets represents as our Karmic indicators.

What is Karma?

Karma is a spiritual term and not a scientific term,science hasn't verified or discovered any phenomenon called Karma.

The only Scientific proof for Karma which was verified was in Max Planck Institute of Limnology in Germany.(Below link)

https://www.near-death.com/paranormal/astrology/scientific-evidence-suggestive-of-astrology.html

Astrologer.com the case for astrology - the arguments & the evidence

Above link:some of the evidence which is said to support Astrology.

Disclaimer:The copyright of the above mentioned links does not belong to me.The above mentioned links have been used as a reference for my answer.

Note:Still there is no proper answer to the question that how the Astrological predictions are made and it remains still one of the human mystery which is unsolved till date.

Note:The above mentioned Karma theory is said to be misinterpreted,as it is said that law of Karma is only applicable for humans as humans have egoism unlike other organisms like insects,birds and animals etc. which does not have any ego.

This is some of the proof of Astrology.

Astrology is a very fascinating and a very complicated subject.Astrology is pure Mathematics and Mathematics do not lie(it can't lie).

[sparatus]

Get to know your fanfic writer!

tagged by @teamdilf thanks j!!

When did you post your first ever fanfic?

i mean theoretically somewhere around 2012 on facebook and now lost to time, but the first one i could actually link you was 2013. it was twispitefic, bella goes to hell to be judged, i tried to mimic smeyer's style and everything

First Character(s) you wrote?

liz and kidd from soul eater. thank god for SE saving me from admitting the much worse animes i got into after it.

Main Character(s) you’re currently writing?

all from mass effect, the arterius clan and associates (saren, desolas, nihlus, abrudas, avitus, and macen), cnclr sparatus and oc family, and i guess shepard's in here too somewhere maybe. also axilus madelivio, another oc character. my baby boy.

Character(s) you haven’t written about before but plan to write about soon?

i was about to say avi but there was a whole summer when andromeda came out that i wrote nothing but avitus/macen macen lives au so. :thunk: i mean for some halloweenie challenge stuff i'm about to dive a bit deeper into more of the sparatus clan who haven't gotten spotlight, esp katus and the sylidros side of the family - katus is sparky's great-grandfather, great mountain of a man, probably single-handedly responsible for several of his descendants' large sizes, and also had an encounter with some 3000-year-old war ghosts imprinted on the shortwave radio. also we're going to dive headfirst into garrus's squad pretty soon, i've meddled with the story and oops i'm attached to characters doomed to die again

Fandom(s) you’re currently writing?

mass effect lol

Platonic pairing(s) you’re currently writing?

Saren Arterius & Desolas Arterius, Sparatus & Quentius, Saren Arterius & Nihlus Kryik & Avitus Rix

Romantic pairing(s) you’re currently writing?

Desolas/Abrudas, Sparatus/OC, Saren/Nihlus, Avitus/Macen, Garrus/OC, Shepard/Jack, OC/OC

Your top AO3 tags?

Pre-Canon, AU - No Reapers, AU - Canon Divergence, Alien Culture, Developing Relationship, Grief/Mourning

Current platform you use for posting?

AO3

Snippet of the WIP you are currently working on?

have the start of itlog ch18 - if bioware can have random npcs pop up to pass on mission-specific leads, so can i, and these ones have their own series to go with them

--

If Jack had been nervy at mention of this mysterious "Haasn" before, Shepard was sure Narcisa leading them to one of the private rooms upstairs didn't help one bit.

Nor did the turian's chipper warning to don't take the captain too seriously or assurance that he's just mean to everyone. That made them feel worse. They were half tempted to go back downstairs and insist Nihlus go deal with it himself, or have the conversation over text if he was so determined not to relinquish his precious owed favor.

The lock turned green as soon as Narcisa knocked. Too late.

Narcisa herded them in before her, then sidestepped and snapped an off-kilter salute. "This is them, Boss," she announced into the dim room. "You need anything from downstairs quick, 'fore the rush starts?"

A low rumble rose, bouncing off the soundproofing so it was hard to tell where it was coming from. If Shepard squinted, they could just barely make out a large, hulking shape lazing across the couch across from them. "We ordered food, see if Rielle's got it," a dual-toned baritone slid out of the mass. "Thanks, Narcisa."

She chirruped, then disappeared, the door sliding shut behind her and cutting most of the lights. All Shepard could make out of Jack beside them was a weak outline cast by the singular overhead left on in the middle of the room.

Fabric slid across fabric. "So this is the mighty Shepard." The new voice was just this side of synthesized, as if coming through a speaker. Off to the left of the big shape, a row of lights Shepard assumed were part of the sound system blinked in and out, and two moved forward – eyelights. "Your mentor is a crafty bastard, you know."

Shepard grimaced. "You appear to have us at a disadvantage," they pointed out, trying to keep their voice level and polite. "Humans can't see very well in the dark."

The big one, a turian they assumed, snorted. "Yeah, Thie, where's your manners? You're sitting in front of the dimmer."

The eyelights narrowed, but before their owner spoke, one light winked out with a soft pap and a giggle. The figure heaved a sigh. “You know what else can’t see in the dark, Ax?”

The turian, Ax apparently, and Shepard tried very hard not to jump to conclusions about what it might be short for, snorted as the lights came up. The eyelights were, in fact, a quarian, a rather scruffy-looking one in a suit of sun-faded blue and lots of patchwork. Their mask was blue, too, but laced with translucent white etching in a stark, triangle-heavy pattern over where their cheekbones, forehead, and chin would be. One hand held back a little periwinkle asari child, who was sticking their tongue out playfully as they stretched out their chubby little baby arms towards them. “Your spawn.”

--

tagging @nightmarestudio606 @otemporanerys @heymacareyna and anybody else who wants to!

[nitrosodiumfmp]

Researching Tutorials

(I had done the majority of this research before making the tutorial map, as previously stated, but I didn't have the time to upload the blog post and polish it up.)

A tutorial is a key part of any game, teaching the player the basics so they don't get tossed into the unknown without a clue of what's going on. This is also true in Sinister. I've taken inspiration from various games in order to plan out a good tutorial segment.

The Bioshock opening is a masterpiece on a cinematic and game level. After surviving a plane crash in the Atlantic Ocean, you enter a lighthouse, and take a bathysphere down into Rapture, the dystopian Art Deco underwater metropolis where the game takes place. For the most part, you're guided along by Atlas, a mysterious figure who talks to you on the shortwave radio. A lot of the opening hinges on the player trusting Atlas (in earlier builds, Atlas had a far more untrustworthy character, and playtesters wouldn't listen to him), and he is shown to protect the player from the bloodthirsty Splicers with his drones. Through various scripted sequences, Rapture is shown to be very dangerous, from the genetic freak Splicers to the hulking Big Daddies, brandishing massive drills for hands. Your only friend for the most part is Atlas, as he teaches you the ropes in what is otherwise a very alien society and city. This dichotomy of a sole friendly, trustworthy character in a dangerous world means the player really has no choice but to listen to his words. Things are also taught to the player very organically - the Visitor Centre where you start doesn't feel like a "tutorial area", like the rest of Rapture, it feels like a real place, but the way that you progress through it linearly does teach you how the game works quite clearly.

Thief is especially relevant for Sinister, as I brought up the similarity of its narrative pacing a few posts ago. The game's tutorial follows Garrett, a petty street thief, being indoctrinated into the secret society known as the Keepers, who hone his skills in the art of stealth. This is a "canon tutorial" as Garrett being taken into the Keepers and going through their training gauntlet is part of the story. I like stuff like that, and it's what I've done in Sinister - of the many mortals strewn between life and death after Nharro's fall, you were taken by the Guide, and brought to their tower. There, you were taught how to survive in the afterlife. It should be noted that, like Sinister's tutorial, the Thief training does not teach you everything. As you progress into the more ancient and mystical parts of Thief's world, you encounter things training never prepared you for: lobster-like Craymen with clicking pincers, ominous Mages who launch elemental energies at you, and zombies, who need to be purified with holy water to stay dead. That way, the more fantastical elements retain a more strange, unknown element. The game is actually paced really well in regard to that; supernatural forces are used sparingly, so you never truly get used to the stranger elements of the world. It's all quite inspirational for me when it comes to making Sinister.

Portal, I feel, is a really well-refined microcosm of a game. It's short, but it conveys its unique mechanic very well. Obviously, a lot of this comes down to how it presents itself to the player at the start. Once you've woken up in the bowels of the Aperture Science Enrichment Centre and listened to GLaDOS' welcome message, you're immediately shown the portal mechanic - inversely-coloured gateways that you can see yourself through. Positioning them so that the player can see themselves just disappear through the first portal as they come out the second is genius, and the game is filled with these kinds of ideas; such as showing you first buttons and boxes, then buttons and boxes in conjunction with portals, and then all of these elements combined with a portal gun, allowing you to control where the first portal comes from. Once you break it down into these elements, Portal is incredibly well-designed, with a level of polish that I hope to accomplish with Sinister.

~

From my research, I've seen that most modern games naturally teach the player their systems as the game progresses - the "training course level" is actually quite an antiquated idea, and so although I've already built the Tutorial map, I can teach the player further in other levels, since the Tutorial only covers the very bare basics. Concepts I am yet to implement (traps, illusion walls, mechanical doors, etc) can be taught to the player naturally.

Realistically I need to fix that code thing first. One of the college teachers suggested he knew the problem, so I'm just waiting for tomorrow when I can get their help to fix it.

[audiofictionuk]

New Fiction Podcasts - 29th November

Twigs and Hearts Audio Drama A book that ties many together. Who picks up a copy? What powers do they serve? Between missing people and people missing, who will you trust? Twigs and Hearts. Open at your own risk. https://audiofiction.co.uk/show.php?id=20231002-10 RSS: https://anchor.fm/s/aedf777c/podcast/rss

Frankenstein Audio Drama En expédition vers le pôle Nord, le capitaine Robert Walton et son équipage recueillent à bord de leur navire un homme et son traîneau, à la dérive sur la banquise. Cet homme entreprend alors de raconter son histoire au capitaine : il s’agit de Victor Frankenstein, un savant suisse. Originaire de Genève et adepte de la philosophie naturelle, celui-ci part  étudier à Ingolstadt avec l’objectif de découvrir le moyen de donner la vie. Il se consacre alors corps et âme à son projet et finalement réussit à créer un être vivant assemblé des parties de chairs mortes. Horrifié par l'aspect hideux de l'être auquel il a donné la vie, Victor Frankenstein abandonne sa création. Mais cette dernière le poursuit, et décide finalement de se venger d'avoir été rejeté par son créateur et persécuté par la société. Ce podcast est une adaptation en 5 épisodes du roman "Frankenstein ou le Prométhée moderne" de Mary Shelley, paru en 1818. Adapté par Mehdi Bayad et réalisé par Christophe Loerke. https://audiofiction.co.uk/show.php?id=20231120-02 RSS: https://feeds.audiomeans.fr/feed/0c321f5e-9f33-4544-a240-bcb7930a113b.xml

Seventh Street Murders Audio Drama There’s a murderer on the streets. Not any killer, one who tracks down his victims, punishing them as part of his sick game. With the old police commissioner retired, and his incompetent son in charge of the task force, it’s up to Detectives Lorenna Mimms and Raine Osborne to solve this mystery before it’s too late. https://audiofiction.co.uk/show.php?id=20230916-02 RSS: https://anchor.fm/s/e7650044/podcast/rss

Starfinder Audio RPG An actual play podcast version of the Starfinder Twitch show hosted by Dragonborn Industries. https://audiofiction.co.uk/show.php?id=20231121-03 RSS: https://feeds.redcircle.com/be70dc76-f285-41c0-9e7f-cce474d2c930

1 of 1 Podcast Audio Book Presented by 101 Pieces Publishing. https://audiofiction.co.uk/show.php?id=20231122-01 RSS: https://media.rss.com/1of1podcast/feed.xml

Au pays des rêves Audio Book Des contes pour enfants où se mêlent aventures et apprentissages de la vie. Les héros vont à la rencontres d'animaux et de mondes merveilleux. https://audiofiction.co.uk/show.php?id=20231120-03 RSS: https://feeds.acast.com/public/shows/au-pays-des-reves

Les Rôlistes Associés Audio RPG Bienvenue, prenez place! Venez écouter les péripéties de nos valeureux aventuriers. Ils se sont rencontrés par hasard dans une auberge de la petite cité de Guet aux Dagues et se retrouvent emportés dans une mystérieuse enquête dont les enjeux sont peut-être bien plus importants qu'au premiers abords. "Aventures et forts intérieurs", l'histoire de héros pas comme les autres... https://audiofiction.co.uk/show.php?id=20231120-04 RSS: https://feeds.acast.com/public/shows/655b2c66a08cd90012e62208

Shortwave Kitsch Radio Show Audio Drama New Stories; Vintage Vibes! Take an exciting leap back in time to celebrate the tradition of radio drama! Shortwave Kitsch is a comedic peek into a slice of history that’ll keep you wanting more! Each show is a new work written, performed, and recorded by local Charlestonians in front of a live audience. Every episode will be available here on the modern-day interwebs so you never have to miss out on any of our stories as we travel back in time, through space, out into the great Wild West, and all around the world. Come with us on your next adventure and hold on tight for this thrilling ride! https://audiofiction.co.uk/show.php?id=20231121-04 RSS: https://anchor.fm/s/ed2847c0/podcast/rss

Marshalltown after Midnight Audio Drama Welcome to "Marshalltown after Midnight," a mesmerizing podcast series of short eerie tales and unsolved mysteries broadcast from the fictional WKLR Radio in Morris County's Marshalltown, Indiana. In the quiet hours of the night, our host, Alex Riddle, takes you on a journey through the uncanny and supernatural events that occur in the shadows of this seemingly ordinary town. Each episode unfolds a new story, revealing the hidden, sometimes chilling, aspects of Marshalltown and its inhabitants. From inexplicable phenomena to ghostly encounters, and from time anomalies to unsolved mysteries, "Marshalltown after Midnight" brings to life the tales that are whispered about but rarely spoken of in the light of day. Alex Riddle, with his soothing yet captivating voice, becomes your guide into the unknown, blending the charm of old-school radio storytelling with the intrigue of modern narrative. This podcast is not just for the lovers of the paranormal and the aficionados of suspense. It's for anyone who relishes a good story and the thrill of a mystery left on the edge of revelation. Every episode promises a unique blend of folklore, mystery, and the supernatural, making you question what's real and what lurks in the corners of your imagination. Join us at WKLR as we explore the peculiar happenings of Marshalltown. Remember, in this town, nothing is as it seems, and every shadow could tell a story. Are you ready to delve into the mysteries of Marshalltown after Midnight? https://audiofiction.co.uk/show.php?id=20231119-02 RSS: https://www.spreaker.com/show/6014714/episodes/feed

Dis juste quelques mots, pour décrire notre amour Audio Book Voilà mon premier podcast, Voici le contexte de l'histoire: Une jeune femme perdu trouve enfin l'amour , mais après plusieurs mois de couples . Elle était loin d'imaginer ce qu'il ce passait derrière son dos. Il était avocat . Assistante . Meilleure amie. Un véritable encu***. Elle décide de partir aussi loin qu'elle peut mais l'amour n'est pas si loin qu'elle le pense... et certains démons vont refaire surface. https://audiofiction.co.uk/show.php?id=20231122-02 RSS: https://anchor.fm/s/edb64174/podcast/rss

Neon Inkwell Audio Drama This innovative compilation series features short form podcasts from a variety of creators. This project looks to highlight new and underrepresented creators, as well as showcasing a few from recognized Rusty Quill favourites. Whether it’s a post-apocalyptic space thriller or a quirky monster road trip, Neon Inkwell listeners will always have something new to discover. https://audiofiction.co.uk/show.php?id=20231124-01 RSS: https://feeds.acast.com/public/shows/neon-inkwell

Gone Bush Audio Drama Gone Bush- Blue Mountains is a 7 part brand-crafted comedy from Dweezl Productions. Written by Brett Danalake and Iain Triffitt, based on their play. Directed by Malcolm Frawley. Produced by Beth Champion https://audiofiction.co.uk/show.php?id=20231123-01 RSS: https://www.gonebush-bluemtns.com.au/feed.xml

Forgive Me Father Audio Drama Forgive Me Father is a techo-surreal horror that takes place both in the virtual reality world of Bright City as well as the real world. https://audiofiction.co.uk/show.php?id=20231123-02 RSS: https://feeds.acast.com/public/shows/forgive-me-father

Build a Prince: A Royal Christmas Love Story Audio Drama When fiercely independent Princess Adelaide of Alpinoa discovers she must be married by Christmas in order to be crowned queen, she decides to secretly create the perfect prince out of handsome American commoner, Hayden. What’s intended as a formal arrangement turns into something more when Hayden’s kindness and unconventional charm begin breaking down her walls. But little do they know, not everyone wants her to be queen, forcing Adelaide to fight for her country, open herself up to love, and come to terms with who she’s meant to be - all in time for Christmas. https://audiofiction.co.uk/show.php?id=20231124-02 RSS: https://feed.podbean.com/buildaprince/feed.xml

Voices from the Ledge Audio Book Have you ever felt so desperate or so depressed that you felt like giving up? Be honest, now, did you ever say to yourself, ”I’m probably worth more dead than alive?” Julie suffered from Empty Nest Syndrome. She had been forced into early retirement while her husband had hit the pinnacle of his career. She was lost. What she didn’t know was that her depression was normal. But Julie had a plan. She was going to end her misery, however, in the execution of it, a remarkable thing happened. She meets four women who were at the same hotel on a girl’s get-away weekend. They have a very strange impact on her. Find out what happens when you’re about to give up on life, but that gets interrupted by strangers who really have lived life~! https://audiofiction.co.uk/show.php?id=20231117-05 RSS: https://feed.podbean.com/voicesfromtheledge/feed.xml

[tranquilitybasehotelcasino]

i love you unsolved occurrences i love you strange happenings i love you paranormal investigation i love you paramour mansion i love you blob rain over washington i love you max headroom incident i love you bigfoot and mothman sightings i love you UFO photos i love you numbers stations i love you shortwave radio i love you x-files i love you r/GlitchInTheMatrix i love you flickering lights i love you slamming doors i love you things that aren’t supposed to be on tv i love you weird things that don’t hurt anyone but can’t be explained i love you oddities i love you puzzles i love you mysteries. i should have been born a member of the scooby gang

[bunnywand]

the mysteries of the mountain goats 2001-2002 releases order..

if it's the sort of thing you're interested in, you might find it's pretty hard to try and make a chronological order list of the mountain goats early releases.. bcos although the years the albums/eps/singles were released are known, it doesn't seem like anyone at the time actually kept track of the specific dates things were released 😔

still, some ppl have tried to piece together a chronological discography before, and this post is kind of just a ramble about how much i agree/disagree with other lists i've found 😳

so, for the most part, i've got no reason to disagree with this list given on the faq page of themountaingoats.net, one of the best sources of tmg info around..

altho 2 small side notes, personally i like to think of "taking the dative" and "yam, the king of crops" (the last 2 ~cassette~ albums) coming before "zopilote machine" (the first sort of recognised, ~official~ album) and in my library atm i've got "ghana" after the other two 1999 compilations bcos well, 2002 is enough of a mess as it is, even without adding "ghana" too 😳

so, per that list, the tmg releases for 2001-2002 are..

on juhu beach (2001)

all hail west texas (2002)

jam eater blues/subpop 7" (2002)

tallahassee (2002)

see america right (2002)

"devil in the shortwave" also came out in 2002 as well, but for some reason that one's missing from that list?? altho on other lists i've found, i've seen it placed after "see america right" ..and that's just one place i start having some trouble 😕

cos as mountain goats fans will know, up until 2002, all mountain goats releases were sorta, ~lo-fi~ solo, boombox recordings, with "all hail west texas" being the final lo-fi solo release, and "tallahassee" marking the start of full band, ~professionally~ recorded albums.. so i have a problem with lists that put "jam eater blues" and "devil in the shortwave" After "all hail west texas" bcos they're both lo-fi recordings, and i prefer to think of "all hail west texas" as being The end of the boombox era 😵‍💫

and like, it's definitely possible that "jam eater blues" and "devil in the shortwave" were recorded before ahwt and released after.. "devil in the shortwave" was for sure recorded before or around the same time as ahwt, bcos it says "recorded july 2001" on the sleeve and has a 2001 copyright date, and there's conflicting info over whether "jam eater blues" actually came out in 2001 or 2002, with the annotated mountain goats site listing it as a 2001 release instead.. and bcos of the reasons above, i like to think the 2001 date is more accurate!!

so with that in mind, i think my preferred chronological order for the 2001-2002 releases is..

on juhu beach (2001)

jam eater blues/subpop 7" (2001)

devil in the shortwave (2002)

all hail west texas (2002)

tallahassee (2002)

see america right (2002)

which seems a lot neater, and keeps a Clear line between the lo-fi and lusher production albums 😌💕

[mossdestroyer]

Connections between Omori and Undertale / Deltarune (#1)

This is my first post covering my discoveries. Since there are so many connections that I can draw, I want to leave out more vague ones. I'm saving ones that are more observational for a later post.

1. Numbers Station

The Omori song on the OST titled, "Numbers" is said to be sampling audio from a Numbers Station. Coincidentally or not while reading about such stations on wikipedia, (I know, not the most reliable source) it is said that The Conet Project: Recordings of Shortwave Numbers Stations is a four-CD set of recordings of numbers stations that was release in 1997.

Huh interesting that it was that year of all years.

2. Aaron

He is the annoying character (that's not a dog) that appears in Undertale and less so Deltarune and appears to be the base sprite for most characters. (Essentially any character that does not have their own spare image are given Aaron, and any character that you try to attack in the save sequence is blocked by Aaron. Personally I wouldn't take this lore too far, it's probably a joke among the developers based on the way that Temmie expresses her dislike of him.) I noticed the other day however that Aarons tail has an interesting design choice.

This again, was likely not done on purpose but I find it pretty cool.

Also important to note that Omocat did design Woshoua who does have an easter egg dialoge with Aaron, as well as them appearing together often.

I do have more things to share, so I will create another post continuing this discussion sometime soon. In the meantime let me know if there is anything you noticed that is worth noting!

Edit: I feel like putting this here lol. (yeah I know mystery man is inspired by yume nikki. I would not be surprised if the keeper of the castle is too)

Another visual similarity:

[drcatco]

Priyom.org is "an international group of radio enthusiasts intending to research and bring to light the mysterious reality of intelligence, military and diplomatic communication via shortwave radio: number stations."

I know nothing about shortwave radio or number stations, but I like to listen to the stations that are listed on their Icecast server page. Most of the time is static, but sometimes you can hear recognizable patterns, sounds and even voices!

“I like to listen to static!” Peanuts, April 6, 1954 (via)

[n2qfd]

378 of Shortwave Radiogram

Here's the text from this week's @swradiogram for you that missed it.

Welcome to program 378 of Shortwave Radiogram.

I'm Kim Andrew Elliott in Arlington, Virginia USA.

Here is the lineup for today's program, in MFSK modes as noted:

1:37 MFSK32: Program preview (now) 2:44 MFSK32: Antimatter can travel by truck 5:28 MFSK64: Why is the oboe used to tune an orchestra?* 11:51 MFSK64: This week's images* 28:02 MFSK32: Closing announcements

with image(s)

Plfdt dt tu reoMpkeports to radiogram@verizon.net

And visit http://swradiogram.net

We're on X/Twitter now: @SWRadioget°Hox` t"e5 

From Science News:

Antimatter could travel by truck, a test with protons shows

By Emily Conover November 8, 2024

A truck full of antimatter would make for a seriously epic road trip. And scientists are now one step closer to hauling the substance by motor vehicle.

Scientists at the European laboratory CERN have demonstrated the ability to transport a cloud of subatomic particles aboard a truck, using protons as a stand-in for their antimatter counterparts, antiprotons. These particles have the same mass as protons but opposite electric charge.

Several experiments at CERN study antiprotons to check for any unexpected discrepancies with their matter partners. Such studies, scientists hope, could lead to a better understanding of why matter is common but antimatter is rare, a major physics mystery.

But antiprotons are a precious resource — CERN, near Geneva, is the only place where the particles can be trapped and studied. Scientists would like the option to take them elsewhere, to access outside equipment and ideal experimental conditions.

Antimatter is a delicate substance, annihilating upon contact with normal matter. So it must be suspended by electromagnetic fields in a vacuum chamber. Scientists with the BASE-STEP project designed a trap that could do that while bumping along down the road and that was small enough to fit on a truck.

Physicists used the trap to successfully schlep a cloud of 70 protons on a trip of about 4 kilometers around the laboratory site and back again, CERN announced October 25. A future experiment will test antiprotons, with the eventual goal of distributing them to labs throughout Europe.

Shortwave Radiogram now changes to MFSK64 …

 tie *xuttPRihie hŽ Before RSID: <<2024-11-16T23:05Z MFSK-32 @ 7780000+1500>>



This is Shortwave Radiogram in MFSK64

Please send your reception report to radiogram@verizon.net

From Phys.org:

Why is the oboe used to tune an orchestra? And other questions about tuning, answered

by Kathleen McGuire, The Conversation November 11, 2024

The iconic sound of an orchestra tuning is highly recognizable, even for those who've never set foot in a concert hall. Many of us first tt otk+tt L\ney Tunes cartoon.

Have you ever wondered why the oboe begins the tuning? How is th‚ starting note decided? With access to electronic tuning devices, along with advancements in materials and manufacturing enabling instruments to better sustain their pitch, is the tuning ritual still needed? What is the purpose, beyond building excitement or signaling tconductor's entr¢ce?

Whether or not professional orchestras' tuning rituals are required, there is someinherently comforting about it for audiences.

Enter the oboe

The earliest orchestras, in the Baroque era, comprised a non-standard set of instruments. One combination could have been a harpsichord, a few string players (violin, viola, viola da gamba), one or more wind instruments, and perhaps even timpani.

As the number of string players grew in the orchestra, the flute replaced the quiet recorder.

The oboe brought complex, contrasting overtones, plus a limited yet stable tuning range controlled mostly by a pair of "fixed" reeds.

These factors made the oboe the practical choice as the tuning instrument in the Baroque era.

By the 1800s, the size and instrumentation were much like the modern orchestra. An order was added to the tuning ritual, with each "family" of instruments taking its turn to tune with the oboe.

When a fixed-pitch instrument, such as an organ, was included with the orchestra, the oboe would be tuned to it before the ritual began.

These tuning traditions continue today.

Constantly retuning

The tuning ritual heard by the audience is just the tip of the iceberg. Many instruments need micro-tuning adjustments throughout a performance.

Tuning can also slip, which may be caused when string or brass instruments need to use a mute. The mute lowers the volume and adds a different tonal quality, but it can also slightly alter the pitch of the instrument.

Tuning is also affected by changes in temperature or humidity as the instrument warms while being played or cools due to external changes.

Consider the weather during the opening ceremony of the 2024 Paris Olympics—it would have been challenging to keep the instruments in tune in the rain and extreme humidity.

Depending on the instrument, sometimes when the pitch slips it cannot be adjusted mid-performance.

In a recent concert I conducted at St Patrick's Cathedral, Melbourne, the yidaki was slightly out of tune after being perfectly in tune two hours earlier in rehearsal. The difference? The yidaki's wood was affected by a sudden drop in temperature when a thunderstorm came through mid-concert.

Pipe organs suffer the same fate at the mercy of the weather with their large, metal components.

What makes an 'A'?

The traditional tuning note is A. This stems from the open A string being common to all orchestral string instruments.

The oboist plays a long A when instructed by the concert master—usually the lead violinist—who stands and indicates to the oboist and then to each section of the orchestra when it's time to tune.

The string players tune their A strings, from which they can tune their other strings. In turn, other sections of the orchestra also tune to A. When the tuning ends and the instruments are silent, the orchestra is ready to perform.

This all seems straightforward, but there are variations on what an A should sound like. An audio frequency of A=440 hertz (Hz) is considered standard or "concert" pitch, although this is a fairly modern concept.

Tuning forks were invented in Europe in the early 1700s, around the same time as the emergence of orchestras. Based on tuning forks and organs remaining from the 18th and 19th centuries, such as Beethoven's tuning fork, historians have identified concert pitches ranging from 395 to 465Hz.

Efforts to standardize concert pitch at A=440Hz arose in the 19th century, further reinforced in the 20th century.

Today, the pitch used may be decided by historically informed performance, adopting the likely tuning from when the music was composed. Giuseppe Verdi, for instance, campaigned for Italy to adopt concert pitch A=432Hz. Using the slightly lower tuning for Verdi's Messa da Requiem is justifiable, allowing for the choir to execute extended high passages more comfortably.

In the 1960s, conductor Herbert von Karajan decided the Berlin Philharmonic sounded "brighter" when tuned to A=443–444Hz. This trend continues today for several prominent orchestras: The New York Philharmonic tunes to A=442Hz, and the Vienna Philharmonic to A=443Hz.

Changing rituals

Is the tuning ritual essential? It depends.

Earlier this year I saw Wicked. The orchestra tuned very quickly. Practicalities can trump ritual—especially on days with matinee and evening shows, each running almost three hours.

Symphony orchestras comprise mostly acoustic instruments. In contrast, modern musical theater orchestras often include electronic instruments and a rhythm section, with synthesizers that don't need tuning.

Compared with a large auditorium, a pit may have fewer temperature fluctuations. When needed, pit players use electronic tuning devices. Some play multiple instruments in each performance, which are tuned in advance and during the performance.

Despite contemporary advancements, the tradition of an orchestra tuning in the presence of an audience is a special, transcendent moment, unique to the live concert experience.

[stadtfunk]

The Silence and Radio Tales

Well hello again. It’s been over two years since I last wrote anything on here, a very long time indeed. Since 2022 lots of things have happened. I’m now involved in a local radio station here in Brighton, Regency Radio, and I’m the traffic and travel reporter for the station. It’s great and I absolutely love it.

It has meant that I’ve neglected a lot of things, short wave listening, spending nights parked up on a hill DXing, finding exciting new international stations to listen to, and of course, this blog. I really should do better.

Anyway, that’s my excuse for not writing anything on here for a couple of years.

Going onto international radio, my podcasts have recently taken a hit as another favourite source has closed down. You may remember I wrote about the demise of Radio 360 on an earlier blog post here, well now Radio Ben has closed down without any warning. I did email the owner back in March 2024 but never got a response so I can only guess that it’s gone for good.

While I still get Radio Poland, Radio Taiwan International, Radio Prague, Radio Romania International and Radio Slovakia International, I’ve lost a lot of stations I used to enjoy – Radio Owaz, Radio Habana Cuba, Radio Belarus, Voice of Vietnam, Voice of Indonesia, and Radio Thailand World Service. I haven’t found any replacement podcasts yet.

I guess I should say that I work nights as well as the radio job, so podcasts are better for me as I can listen as I’m driving round the roads of Sussex and Surrey.

If anyone knows of alternative sources or feeds, please do let me know.

In the meantime, I’ll have to stick with the archive podcasts I have.

Now a short musical break, courtesy of Radio Thailand World Service – a song they used to play during those weird old COVID days of 2020-2022

Welcome back.

Radio Ukraine International have stopped their English Service broadcasts. The one hour English service programmes ceased following the Russian invasion, but there was a nightly Ukraine Security Issue broadcast, as well as some other programmes that were produced through Soundcloud. Ukraine Security Issue bulletins ended in November 2023 and could be received here in the UK on 1386 kHz quite clearly.

I’m friends with the people who made, and produced, those programmes and I’ve shared how they are missed. I’m glad that their doing well despite the conditions they find themselves in.

…and finally, yesterday I came across piece of shortwave audio that’s still a mystery. It’s one from my early days of listening so the info I recorded, frequency etc wasn’t noted. Bad I know. If you can name the station, or indeed the song, I’d love to hear from you. I was thinking that it may be Ethiopian, possibly Radio Fana?

Anyway, that’s about it for now. I’ll try and update this regularly, but if not, see you in another couple of years