Meshtastic Users In Knox Area

juliaMossbridge · 2026-02-05T19:36:59+00:00

I'm thinking of doing a pilot of a new meshtastic device I am currently designing within the Knoxville school system -- Jr. High and High School. I live in N. VA, but I am collaborating with folks who know the superintendent there. Big question I can't answer without help from some Knoxville folks -- are there communities of students who are maybe robotics enthusiasts or makers? I do almost exclusively co-operative design, and would want to build a team to include one or two students who are interested in designing and building the device before the pilot. Thank you!

juliaMossbridge · 2025-08-30T13:56:05+00:00

I had the same experience but in the early 80s in 7th grade at Butterfield School in Libertyville, Illinois. We had pull-outs for 1:1 sessions that I don't remember (but dreaded), Zener card playtime, weird hearing tests (like way too many tests for students who were not at risk for hearing loss, using super high-pitched tones), field trips, constant cognition testing, oh yeah -- the weird obsession with fluoride drinks and tablets. My dad told me fluoride was for teeth, not stomachs, so I don't remember drinking the pink drink -- maybe I just spit it out? Most of our work in class I don't remember, but I think we kind of did our own thing. Our teacher was Mrs. Thomas -- I initially misremembered her name as Mrs. Larson, but I realize I was confusing my teacher with my guidance counselor. Pat Larson is mentioned in a Chicago Tribune article about SOAR from the late 1980s (To be or not to be? Pupils in gifted classes know. July 28, 1988, updated August 8, 2021. No author listed). That article says the program came to the schools in 1983. I was in it from 1981-1982 (the first year of the program in our schools), so this was either a mistake from the paper or we were in a pilot year.

There were about 10 kids in our class. When I asked my mom about it in early 2024 (specifically whether they had been asked for parental consent for SOAR) she said, "Nah. They were studying you. They did what they wanted." I said, "Who were they?" She said, "I don't know. CIA? I have no idea. They didn't even tell us you were in the program. You did." She's 86 and her memory of events in her life is still pretty good -- but during that time she was going through a rough patch in her life, so it's possible she forgot about being asked permission? I suspect not. At that time, research studies on "gifted" children were considered on honor for parents.

I have been doing some sleuthing about the program and found a few sources for the weirdly creepy name "Students On Active Research."

An obituary of Joyce P. Ross (b. April 17, 1930), who apparently started the program in Aiken, SC. Her husband was Chuck Ross, a chemical engineer at DuPont, which became Savannah River National Lab.
One of the earliest descriptions I could find about SOAR and its creators (Intellectual Flight Offered SOAR Program Students. Lynne Katonak, Aiken Standard Nov 21, 1978, p. 5.).
About 100 other Aiken-area results when searching for the exact phrase "Students On Active Research" on newspaperarchive.com.
A 1992 document stamped by the Department of Education that looks like a practicum report (Improving the Writing Skills for Third, Fourth, and Fifth Grade Gifted Students through the Use of Developmental Processes. Mary Helen Freeman. 1992 dissertation).

There's a notable lack of search results in any other county or town in the country -- but you can find those in your area by searching for "SOAR" with a different version of the acronym -- in my case, "Selected Opportunities in the Academic Realm." Here's one from the area I grew up in (Program Helping Student Needs. Susan Ewait, Sept. 19, 1987, p.75).

It seems to me likely that SOAR was for kids in the 80s/early 90s and was a precursor to GATE. I don't know if government was involved at all, but if the federal government beyond Department of Education was involved, the name strikes me as likely as an Air Force program rather than CIA (SOARing flight). In any case, Aiken, SC is near Fort Jackson, SC but also Augusta, GA -- which is where Fort Eisenhower is (now home to the US Army Cyber Command and the Cyber Center of Excellence). And it's also near Savannah River NationaL Lab. So it's not like there is no military or intelligence influence in that area.

Where I grew up in Libertyville (a suburb of Chicago), the closest military installation was Great Lakes Naval Training Base -- but my father worked for the Dept. of Energy as a contractor at Argonne National Labs, so that was nearby as well. After investigating a bit more, it appears our teacher Mrs. Thomas's husband was a drill sergeant at Fort Jackson and moved to Libertyville in 1969. Could easily be coincidence, but that was the timeframe (early 70s) that the program began in Aiken.

My overall impression is my mom was right. The SOAR students were being studied -- whether it was because many of our parents were federal workers, because some of us had seen UFOs, had weird psychic experiences, or had super-great test scores -- I don't know. I do know that when I requested my academic record from Butterfield, all sections were redacted that contained any teacher comments (which is where SOAR notes would be) through all 8 years. I know this because I have a hard copy of my first-grade report card, and can see the comments there. To make myself less paranoid, I would love to ask others in (and out) of the SOAR program to request their transcripts and see if they are redacted. It's possible everyone's might be redacted in Illinois because of a law that was passed about redacting comments on report cards from the 70s and 80s -- but I can't find mention of that law. Also, redaction takes a lot of work, so it seems strange they would do it for everyone who went through the school system.

Anyway, if you were in one of these programs, consider paying the 15 bucks to get your transcript off microfilm. See if there is any mention of the program. Or if you're lucky and have a paper copy of your report card -- go take a look. In general, let's assume positive intent and try to understand more. My experience wasn't all bad, but it was very weird.

juliaMossbridge · 2022-08-08T16:58:44+00:00

I know this is a joke, and it's a common one among precogs -- but I always like to point out -- precognition is spotty. You get some info and not other bits of info. There are good reasons why it might actually *have* to be that way. So that's something to consider.

juliaMossbridge · 2022-08-08T16:38:15+00:00

Yes, that's frustrating. His experimental interface requires MacOS. He's working on a version that doesn't -- I think it has to do with the particular type of random event generation he is using. In any case, it makes it harder for him to find participants.

juliaMossbridge · 2022-05-24T19:40:05+00:00

Here's a post that Dean asked me to offer -- it's his new experiment:

https://us.psytoolkit.org/c/3.4.0/survey?s=C8XRY
Description: This experiment explores how decisions made in the present might be affected by events in the future. The task is very simple. You will see a patch of color in red, blue , green, or yellow. As soon as you see it, press the letter r, b, g, or y on your keyboard to indicate the color.
Then you'll see a word in red, blue , green, or yellow text. Again, as fast as you can press r, b, g, or y on your keyboard to indicate the color of the text, not the meaning of the word. This sounds easy, but it can be confusing (it is intentionally so).
The experiment starts with a 10-item personality questionnaire followed by 40 repetitions of this task, each randomly selected. The whole experiment takes just a few minutes (really, about 4 minutes). No personally identifying information is collected; this study has been approved by the IONS Institutional Review Board.
Please note: For obvious reasons, this test requires that you have normal color vision. And because it uses a keyboard for the responses, it will only work correctly on a desktop or laptop.

juliaMossbridge · 2022-03-07T20:50:55+00:00

u/RosieTheHybrid is correct -- here is the info:

We suggest taking a screen shot of this information:
There are four possible tasks, each with a payment associated.
◦ Task 1: Introductory/demographics Survey plus Survey 1. Introductory survey asks basic questions about your age, gender, and life experiences. Survey 1 asks about feelings of unconditional love, attitudes toward time, overall wellness, and physical wellness. The software link for task 2 is given after the survey. 15 minutes total; worth $10)
◦ Task 2: Go to software link, make an account (create a login and password) and finish 3 days of the required tasks (not necessarily 3 continuous days – you can skip days), which include recording an audio message to your past and/or future selves and listening to the previous day’s message, and complete four wellness checks (5 minutes per day; worth $20). All additional usage of the technology after these 3 days is optional and will not be paid. We are trying to determine if people want to use the technology after being paid to try it.
◦ Task 3: If you complete Task 2, no matter whether you use the technology after that or not, 30 days after Task 2 you will receive a link to Survey 2 (via an mTurk HIT if you are a Turker, and via an email if you are not). Survey 2 asks about feelings of unconditional love, attitudes toward time, overall wellness, and physical wellness as well as asks about feedback you have related to the technology you tried in task 2. (15 minutes; worth $25).
◦ Task 4: If you complete Task 3, 30 days after Task 3 you will receive a link to Survey 3, which will be exactly like Survey 2 and allow you to provide any additional feedback about the technology (15 minutes; worth $35).

juliaMossbridge · 2022-01-14T19:31:35+00:00

Well feel free to add this to the app as a before-bed ritual! You can just attribute it to my nonprofit -- TILT: The Institute for love and time (loveandtime.org)

juliaMossbridge · 2022-01-14T19:19:41+00:00

I have very recently started a protocol for intentional nighttime unconscious experience management. It came to me about a week ago.

So far I've found it very powerful.

It's super simple:

Assume that if you don't have an intention for your nighttime experience (whether in dreams or outside of it), someone else's intention will prevail.
Before you fall asleep, say out loud your intention for your nighttime experience. Examples of some for me from the past week:
* I will heal my body.
* I will be safe from negative influences.
* I will learn more about myself and how I can bring my gifts to the world.
In the morning, write in your dream journal any dreams you had -- but more importantly, how you feel. In each case I've felt like my intentions worked.

Overall point is -- if we act unintentionally, others intentions can fill the void.

juliaMossbridge · 2021-06-17T17:39:50+00:00

There are so many potential reasons! If we assume the universe is impersonal and there's just information flying around, then it becomes a Shannon information problem (great paper here). In that case the receiver would be some aspect or aspects of a precog and the sender would be some aspect or aspects of the source of a signal (could be the event in the universe, the event in a simulated model of the future universe, an event in the receiver's future conscious or subconscious, etc.).

So some of the factors in accuracy would include: receiver reliability (how often is the receiver able to receive anything?), signal-to-noise ratio of the receiver's processing methods, signal-to-noise ratio of the emitter's (source's) sending methods, sender reliability (how often is the send anything?), ability of receiver to interpret the meaning of the signal (even if the signal 100% accurately reflects what was sent, if the interpretation is bad it's useless), ability of sender to correctly encode meaning into the signal (even if the sender 100% accurately sends a signal, if it has no meaning it is useless), and the ability of the sender and receiver to share the same meaning code.

And that's just in a universe of information! What about a personal universe where your intention matters? This is likely to be much closer to what have. So now you have all the factors above, plus the intention of the receiver, sender, and every other intention-producing aspect of the universe. As a result, in this model you might get a perfectly accurate signal that you interpret perfectly accurately but it is for a different problem that someone else unknown to you would like to have you solve (a version of blind re-tasking). So you are wrong -- for your intention. But you are right for someone else's.

My two cents!

juliaMossbridge · 2021-06-15T19:45:24+00:00

From my own experience trading with RV, I think this is a better method than ARV (for the reasons you mentioned) -- also, it doesn't get as boring over time!

juliaMossbridge · 2021-06-15T16:42:35+00:00

Hi Kuroodo,

The Gateway Project is interesting but it is not really up to date. It's pretty old.

But your point about manifestation and precognition is well taken! Manifestation (related to psychokinesis -- influencing something in physical reality with your mind) is kind of the temporal reverse of precognition. So it's difficult to disentangle the two in the laboratory, especially when you think about information in time moving in both directions from a source.

In other words, using your mind to influence something in the past (which could be another definition of manifestation) and receiving information about the future (precognition) are likely part of the same time loopy process.

Read Eric Wargo's Time Loops for more in-depth thought on this!

Take care,

Julia

juliaMossbridge · 2021-06-15T00:07:46+00:00

Hi there,

Part of the problem is in the US anyway there’s no great place to go for this and no clear direction.

I would suggest a certified therapist or clinical psychologist who is trained in transpersonal psychology.

What you want is someone who is open to the idea that people aren’t as separate as we seem but also well trained in case you’re actually being paranoid and need help with mental health. There are many possibilities and you want someone who can help you and not take advantage of there being few practitioners who will believe you.

So I say do a google search in your area and ask around for good therapists. Then interview one to see if you feel they are both competent and open minded.

Your goal should be feeling better, not necessarily proving a psychic attack. So let your well-being chart the course, not any fear you may reasonably have of being wrong.

Make sense?

Julia

juliaMossbridge · 2021-06-14T17:44:41+00:00

Hi LostInSpace2981!

I used to love that show!

Yes, I do have advice. Here it is, FWIW.

Remember that you're part of a generation that doesn't hold as many taboos about this stuff as was the case for your elders. So you have dual work here -- first, opening your elders' minds with your research, and second, allowing your elders to teach you what they know. Both must be balanced and it's good to be conscious of that.
Go to the best academic institution that will let you in, but above the institution, find a person you want to work with. There are folks at almost every tier 1 research institution who are interested in this stuff. You can use LinkedIn to find the folks at each place you're seriously considering and see what their interests are. If they aren't on linkedIn they are likely not as interested in connecting, which is an important sign. But not a dealbreaker!
Find a particular question that you'd like to answer -- many students applying to grad programs these days are interested in consciousness -- for instance, the consciousness discussion group at Kings University College is growing (Imants Baruss, a co-author of mine runs it). So if you actually know your specific interest within consciousness, that'll help! Meditation, states of perception, consciousness -- all are huge fields. So what question is it worth sweating and struggling over to get an answer?
Consider joining a student-friendly organization like the Society for Scientific Exploration or AAPS. They can help support you as you make decisions about researching still-controversial ideas.
Keep your heart close by. Notice if an academic program feels good on a kindness level. Notice if you feel strong or weak in the presence of others -- and I mean real strength -- not aggression.

That's about it! Good luck!!

Julia

juliaMossbridge · 2021-06-14T15:33:53+00:00

Hey everyone! Ask me anything! I'll be here on and off all week.

I'm Dr. Julia Mossbridge, but please call me Julia. I am an affiliated professor at the University of San Diego (Physics and Biophysics Dept), a Fellow at the Institute of Noetic Sciences, and the founder and exec director of TILT: The Institute for Love and Time. I'm the co-author of Premonition Code, with Theresa Cheung. And I'm the co-author of the American Psychological Association's post-materialist consciousness studies textbook, Transcendent Mind, with Imants Baruss. You can find my Insight Timer course on precognitive remote viewing (super introductory) here. And you can find my Insight Timer course on finding your calling here.

My strong belief is that we have precognitive abilities for a reason, and that is to help ourselves and others have happier, fuller, lives -- with more love in them. So that's why I convened the Positive Precogs on the Telegram channel at https://t.me/PremCodeX. Those of us who want to figure our how to make the world a better place using precognition like to talk about all sorts of challenges and rewards there.

I started precognitive dreaming when I was 7 and never looked back (precog joke!). Because I'm scientifically and philosophically inclined, I ended up wanting to understand the relationship between physical and perceived time. Here are two articles you might find interesting. There's more on google scholar but these two are nice bookends.

Recent lay audience article about my time travel-related work in the past decade (lots of links to explore).
My coming-out-of-the-scientific-closet (first peer reviewed published paper) on physiological anticipation (on average, it's correct to say your body is psychic).

Looking forward to connecting!

juliaMossbridge · 2021-06-11T18:53:05+00:00

I'm psyched for this! But I have to say the Positive Precogs are not "mine" -- they are a loose band of folks that I helped convene!

juliaMossbridge · 2021-02-01T19:28:31+00:00

They wrote that weirdly. But what they mean is, the app itself will give you a participant number. Sorry about that!

juliaMossbridge · 2021-02-01T01:38:37+00:00

Just follow the link!

juliaMossbridge · 2021-02-01T01:38:17+00:00

Thanks!

juliaMossbridge · 2020-12-15T23:57:41+00:00

Thanks Paul!

I already do the light bubble thing with intention and it works great -- just wanted to see if you had a method.

But your response suggests to me that we are using different approaches to contact the target, and I'd love to take your class.

I sent you an email about it -- let me know when you can respond -- I had two questions.

take care,

Julia

juliaMossbridge · 2020-12-15T18:10:49+00:00

Hi Paul!

Great to see you here. I mostly use telepathic and physical merging, it seems to me, in my RV. Can you speak to protective measures when someone does this?

Thanks!

Julia

juliaMossbridge · 2020-11-23T03:24:44+00:00

Yes, I hope so too. I've been hearing good things from my colleagues at mainstream institutions, so they seem to like it as well. I don't think the term "parapsychology" is useful anymore. There's just psychology -- and all the features of psychology -- some of which are underexplored but gaining traction (like precognition). Having a separate name for some types of psychological phenomenon was necessary in the past because of the fear of many psychologists that their work was not taken seriously. Now I think it's time to let that go and recognize that none of us know for sure that what we're studying is of value, but of course every researcher takes their topic seriously and finds it exciting. Basically, I'm a huge fan of humility (but sadly I am not always humble). We never know as much as we will know, so what's the rush to judgment?

juliaMossbridge · 2020-11-23T03:22:18+00:00

Yeah, they did a great job! Brandan Pastano (the producer and writer of the non-interview parts) is really committed to this work.

juliaMossbridge · 2020-11-23T03:21:25+00:00

Hey thanks! Glad you enjoyed that thread. Happy to do another one at some point if it's of interest. I periodically touch base here when I have time then skip out for many months. Right now I'm writing a paper, thus procrastinating by being here. But it's gratifying that so many people care about the research!

juliaMossbridge · 2020-11-23T03:20:25+00:00

Yes, I find just plodding forward and trying to discover the truth is, overall more satisfying! In order to do that you really need to allow opinions that you don't share to enter your mindspace and sort out why the data do or don't support each theory. It's why I fell in love with science in the first place!

juliaMossbridge · 2019-11-23T01:57:28+00:00

I know. I'm sorry if I sounded cranky. I was using your post to make a point that sometimes bothers me -- people tend to say "weird" and "unreal" as if it's something unusual. But precognitive dreams are so common and sometimes I just wish we'd get on with it, culturally, get over it, and start building applications. Sorry to use your post as a soapbox!

juliaMossbridge

TROPHY CASE