Topic: Near Death Experiments Primer and FAQ

[NineseveN]

Updated 01.09.09 :: - NineseveN


Q: So, what’s this place all about anyway?
A: Near Death Experiments was born in late 2005 as an idea to create a better survival community (note the use of the word, community, not forum or website) through the sharing of knowledge and ideas not only between individual forum members, but also in real communities in the outside world and other survival and preparedness related websites and discussion groups. Our members and staff participate in a number of online communities and even in their own communities at home in organizing community emergency and preparedness groups in order to improve the quality of information and skills of as many people as possible.

Q: Okay, that’s a great goal to have, but why the odd name?
A: The name comes from what I considered to be a catchy term that I wrote in a discussion on survival and preparedness sometime back in 2005 to answer the question, “What constitutes survival and preparedness to you?”

Q: Okay, so what was your answer?
A: Taken from a similar discussion right here on NDE.
http://www.neardeathexperiments.com/smf/index.php?topic=98.0

Well, my answer might differ from what one thinks of as the mainstream version of the topic. The easy answer is the more traditional reply of the SHTF and TEOTWAWKI scenarios replete with invading armies, civil unrest, zombies or giant bugs; but I think it is very important that we all take a step back from the temptation to rest on those notions and look at just how dangerous the world is today, and how we prepare for it, or even how we could better do so.

You see, I don’t wish to only survive the alien bug invasion, I want to survive going to the grocery store, or blizzard season in the north, or a long country drive miles removed from civilization, or taking that proverbial wrong turn into that clichéd bad part of a town where I am lost; and my life mantra tells me that in order to survive, one must be either well prepared or rather lucky, though being both certainly helps.

Think about it, some of us put hours and hours and large sums of money into amassing firearms and ammunition and putting together our Bug out Bags, yet how many of us make sure our cellular telephones are always with us and charged whenever we go out? How many of us carry a concealed firearm everywhere we legally can? How many of us have fire extinguishers, smoke detectors and a plan of escape for all members of our household? How many of us have at least one month’s worth of food and water stashed in case of a mass power outage or disaster? How many of us carry an edged weapon such as a knife everywhere we go? How many of us make sure to have a small sum of cash in small bills any time we leave the house? How many of us truly investigate the outlying areas of the places we decide to vacation to? How many of us know the dangers of tornadoes, earthquakes, blizzards, hurricanes, floods and how to spot, prepare for and survive them? Well, I can say I do many of those things religiously, but I am still striving to improve my habits in others.

My goal for this site is to have a place where preparing for and surviving all of these situations can be discussed and where everyone, including myself can learn and expand our capacity for survival.

As I once said in a similar discussion, “As the evolutionary top of the food chain, every single day that we venture out into this world, we should be figuring out what has or might have harmed us and how to avoid it in our future travels so that we may enjoy the ride for as long as realistically possible. Some of the things we need to know we can uncover and understand from historical data or common sense, because as higher mammals, we can do that; whether or not we choose to is what elevates us from the status quo and those destined for the big trash heap of human persistence. The rest of it we either have to glean from others through the telling of their experiences or we need to survive something firsthand due to either sheer luck or the fortitude of our preparations for the unexpected and unknown and actually learn something from it. Every minute that we breath, we are involuntarily and sometimes unknowingly taking part in various near-death experiments, we should at least devote some time into trying to refine the art of surviving these encounters and helping others do the same. It is our responsibility as the so-called upper shelf of animal evolution.”

That statement is what gave birth to the idea for this website, so to come to a close and answer the original question, in one word, the answer is “everything”.

Q: Wow, that was pretty deep, but you should have just named the site…
A: We appreciate constructive criticism just like anyone else, however, the name is a done deal, sorry.

Q: But aren’t you afraid that people will be turned off by the name?
A: The types of people that will outright reject a resource simply because of a label or a name generally won’t offer or benefit much in such a community. In short, no.

Q: What do you think about militias?
A: That’s a very intricate and complicated subject. This website does not have an official policy or opinion on militias. We have militia members on this site, the staff has friends or ties to militias and other similar groups, but this forum is not a militia discussion group, nor is it a training or recruiting ground for such entities.

Q: What kinds of things are taboo to discuss around here?
A: In short, anything illegal or overtly dangerous. For more information, see our rules and regulations here.

Q: Can I put my own avatar up in my profile like other members have?
A: Sure, take the picture you want to use, re-size it to 65x65 (using whatever picture program you have), upload it to www.imageshack.us or another image hosting service, copy the link to your picture (you'll generally get this when you upload the pic -you need to use the "DIRECT LINK"). From there, go into your profile >> Forum Profile Information and click on "I have my own pic" and put the link to the image into the box next to it.

Q: What about a signature, can I have one of those too?
A: Sure, the current limit for signatures is 1024 characters, which should be plenty. Keep in mind that every time you post, people have to read past your signature in order to read the next post, so we suggest limiting signatures to a small image or text only. The staff reserves the right to remove any offensive signatures or those that we feel violate the rules or spirit of the forums. You can set your signature in your profile under [Forum Profile Information].

Q: Do you guys have a chatroom or anything?
A: We have an IRC chat channel. For more information, check here.

Q: I don’t like the colors or the look of your forum, will you change them or install a new theme?
A: This is a tricky topic because accommodating everyone’s specific tastes would lead to us having to administer and update a large amount of themes. We simply don’t have the time to focus on that aspect of running a forum. We have 6 theme options currently installed, that should be enough for most people. However, if you find a theme that you think might go well with the forum, let NineseveN know via e-mail or Personal Message and we’ll look into whether or not we wish to (or can) get that particular theme installed. We use the Simple Machines Forum (SMF) so all themes must be compatible with that software.

Q: I don’t like something that someone posted here, what can I do about it?
A: Hit the “Report to moderator” link at the bottom of the post and we’ll look into the matter.

Q: So who owns this forum and who are the moderators and admins?
A: NineseveN is the owner and Administrator. Krieg Hund, therealsteamer, Balddragn and  jaeger are the current Forum Moderators (they moderate the entire forum along with NineseveN). We also have what we call "Board Moderators" which are, in essence, moderators that are responsible for only one or a small number of areas inside the forum. epijunkie67 and animalsforcomfort moderate The Medicine Bag forums, Syphonius moderates and administrates our Links area and thereisnospoon who moderates and administrates our Library section.

Q: I want to be a Moderator! Can I?
A: Contact NineseveN about such requests.

Q: I don’t like how a Moderator or Administrator handled an issue or communicated with me, what can I do about it?
A: Decisions of the staff here are generally final, however, you may plead your case to the board owner, NineseveN by sending him a Private Message (or e-mail). All decisions made by NineseveN are definitely final.

Q: Why did a Mod or Admin move/delete/lock my post?
A: This is a tough one to answer on a general basis, but here goes nothing. Usually, if a topic is moved, it's because the discussion didn't fit in with the purpose or description of the board it was posted in and fits better elsewhere. Members should not take offense to having one of their posts moved; we don't get upset about moving them, we're just trying to keep the board tidy and organized. If a post is locked or deleted, there's most likely a very compelling reason. Either the discussion degenerated into name-calling or abusive conduct, illegal material was linked to, illegal conduct was openly discussed and/or encouraged or the topic was far beyond the scope of things that can or should be discussed on this forum. Again, there is no need to take such actions personally (unless a Mod or Admin contacts you directly about the thread in question). More goes into these decisions than whether or not the discussion was fun, things like legal liability and the overall benefit (or lack thereof) for the community have a large impact on such decisions.

Q: Do you have events or get-togethers?
A: Sure, check the Calendar or the News and Announcements board for event listings. You may also look in the regional boards at the bottom of the main index of the forums.

Q: Can I sell some stuff in The Trading Post?
A: See the rules for that particular area here.

Q: I’m having technical difficulties with the forum, where can I get help?
A: Put a post in the general discussion area The Outhouse and the staff or members should be able to help you.

Q: I’ve been browsing your forums as a guest, why should I bother to join?
A: Well, first off, there's the NDE bikini gals that are available for parties and events at a very reduced cost, the secret handshake and ROT13 decoder ring and the we do make the drinks rather stiff at the annual parties. Seriously, there are a number of areas of the forum and features that guests never see and don't have access to. There's no risk in joining but there are definite benefits. Come on in and join the community!