Night Ops: 5th Homework Assignment

Exchange the techniques and skills needed to walk the shadows. Post your guides and how-tos here.
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Xanatos
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Night Ops: 5th Homework Assignment

Post by Xanatos » Mon May 21, 2012 1:13 pm

Is this post tl;dr? Fuck you, read it anyway. If you don't have time, put a reminder somewhere to look at it when you do have time.

We operatives are a dark lot in the sense that our lifestyle revolves around the night. However, each of us have a day life too that we have to maintain. This daily life often gets in the way and prevents us from opping as often as we'd like. And on the rare occasion we have the time to do an op we either lack the motivation, are out of shape or simply can't get into the "zone".
But just because we can't op enough doesn't mean we have to fall completely out of touch with ourselves. So for the next few weeks I'm going to be setting homework tasks that I expect each and every one of you to complete. Just simple exercises to help you stay sharp and in shape.
These assignments also extend to you visiting guests and silent lurkers - yes, you, the reader - I want you all to participate as well.


Lesson:

Going back to 1st week's lesson on Observation, this week we'll focus on Vision. These are in fact different disciplines because while Observation dictates one's ability to notice certain aspects of one's environment, Vision determines how much or how clearly one can see in their environment. One is psychological, one is physiological. Just like week two's lesson on Hearing, a night operative's conduct revolves around both being able to see and remain unseen by others. This is perhaps the main reason why us operatives conduct our operations at night; simple because it is much harder to be seen/much easier to remain unseen. I don't need to explain the importance of not being seen, but for those thickies out there please watch this educational video.

Unfortunately while it is easier to remain unseen at night it's also consequently harder for us to see. The human body is adapted to a primarily diurnal lifestyle so this is not surprising. As such a lot of us utilise flashlights (or 'torches', depending on what part of the world you're on) to enable us to operate in dark environments, but part of remaining unseen involves keeping strict light discipline on operations (after all, a shining light in the dark is the best way to draw attention to one's location). Many of us have no doubt had fantasies of sneaking around restricted areas with a set of high-tech nightvision goggles a'la Sam Fisher, but NVGs are bulky, expensive, have limited FOV (Field Of Vision) and are generally not worth it. Thankfully our eyes are capable of quite good light amplification. The human eye, as you all know, is a complex system of nerves, nuts & bolts that enables us to see in a variety of conditions. The pupil (black bit in the centre) controls the amount of light that enters the retina and changes according to changing levels of light. You can witness this if you're quick enough by flicking the light on & off in a room with a mirror and watching your pupil shrink whenever you turn the light on. However, pupillary reflex is not the main contributor to night vision.

Within the retina there are photoreceptor cells that convert visible light into biological signals that enable the brain to form images (a process called "phototransduction"). These photoreceptor cells contain rhodopsin and iodopsin segments (commonly called 'rods' & 'cones' respectively) that are responsible for light amplification. The smaller iodopsin cells take about 10-15 minutes to adapt from daylight to complete darkness but aren't as sensitive to light as the larger rod cells, but are enough to enable one to make out basic outlines within a dark environment. The larger rhodopsin cells of course are much more sensitive to light and enable one to see in greater detail, such as sharper outlines and limited colour recognition, but take about half an hour to fully warm up when stepping from a light to dark environment. These photoreceptor cells are very sensitive to light and are responsible for the initial reception of light in the eye, which is why they 'photobleach' when exposed to too much light (this is why you develop black spots in your vision when staring at bright lights for too long).

Further reading: Night Vision, Eye Adaptation, Photoreceptor Cell, Rhodopsin, Rod cell, Cone cell

Homework:

So now that you know how your eye works in the dark you'll also be glad to hear that this natural nightvision ability can be improved, enabling faster adaptation to darkness and greater perception of detail to the point where one can read a book by moonlight. This week's assignment will again be passive like the first two: you should do all you can to keep your eyes in the dark as much as possible to develop those rod cells. Obviously this will be harder during the day when you've got stuff to do, but at home make an effort to use the lights as little as possible. Taking the garbage out, making coffee, hanging the laundry, etc, try doing it all in the dark and let your eyes adapt as much as possible.

If it becomes too difficult to do something without the lights, then perhaps just turn the lights on in the next room to limit the amount of ambient light your eyes are exposed to. Also, throughout your routines make an effort to avoid staring at bright objects (since these will degrade your rod cells even further). Try to take note of how your vision changes in regards to changing light levels, such as walking into a darkened room and turning on the lights a minute or so after. Also note how your eyes adapt depending on your location. For instance, standing directly under a streetlight as opposed to standing in the shadow of the pole, or standing in front of an open window as opposed to standing in the corner of the room or off to the side in the shade.

Like with week 2's hearing exercises, I'd also like you all to go out for a walk at least one night this week and observe your environment. Take note of the varying light levels, the presence of new shadows when compared to the daytime, the number of shadows cast by streetlights, moonlight and any other source, how your eyes react when standing both in the light and the dark (even though a light source may not be shining directly into your eyes they're still sensitive to ambient light pollution). See how long it takes your eyes to adapt to total darkness and perhaps see how your vision has improved on your return journey.

Keep this up and eventually you'll be able to adapt to total darkness almost instantaneously. This will serve you very well on night operations and give you a significant advantage over others that may be prowling about.

Brotips: * Sunglasses are your friend. They limit the amount of ambient light hitting your retina, preserving your nightvision incredibly.
* Spending time in the dark will develop your other senses as well, as you cannot totally rely on your sight. Some blind people have even developed a crude form of echolocation!
* When going out for this week's night walk you may want to wear sunglasses and then take them off once your eyes have adapted to the decreased exposure. The difference they make is astounding. I use this trick when travelling to op locations and it guarantees near-perfect nightvision every time.
* When trying to examine finer details in low light conditions (such as reading signs at night) try to look at the detail off-centre, since the human eye has a natural blind spot in the middle of one's vision. Also, particularly indoors, you'll be able to see outlines clearer if you lower your vision. I don't quite know how this works, it just does. Try it one night in your house and see the difference crouching makes.
* When moving around in a dark environment, shift your vision regularly to utilise fresh rod cells in your eyes. Scanning your FOV in a figure eight () is recommended by several military units.
* Foods high in Vitamin A (such as carrots) are a recommended addition to an operative's diet. Vitamin A assists in the regeneration and operation of rhodopsin (mentioned earlier) which is crucial to good nightvision.

Class dismissed.
We are all books containing thousands of pages and within each lies an irreparable truth.
What is locked, can be opened. What is hidden, can be found. What is yours... can be mine.

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Re: Night Ops: 5th Homework Assignment

Post by Nukes » Tue May 22, 2012 3:45 am

I'm actually in Washington D.C. right now, so now's the perfect time to continue assignments 1 and 2. I've seen so many buildings that would be awesome to look around in or get on top of, but alas, I'm not a ninja like Xanatos.
Hey you! Yes YOU! Go here... http://night-ops.net/chat/

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Re: Night Ops: 5th Homework Assignment

Post by kunoichi » Tue May 22, 2012 8:46 am

I thought that being able to fix and improve your night vision was a muth.
I have one question: many people I know say that reading with no lights is bad for your eyes as it increases myopia. What about this? Is it true? :/
SORRY FOR MY ENGLISH :P
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Re: Night Ops: 5th Homework Assignment

Post by Xanatos » Tue May 22, 2012 9:18 am

Reading in the dark is more difficult as your eyes have a harder time trying to focus in low-light conditions, but it will not permanently damage your eyesight.
We are all books containing thousands of pages and within each lies an irreparable truth.
What is locked, can be opened. What is hidden, can be found. What is yours... can be mine.

Wind
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Re: Night Ops: 5th Homework Assignment

Post by Wind » Sun Dec 13, 2020 5:29 pm

Highlights from My Experiences of Assignment Week 5: Vision

SUNDAY
Since the first week, I have been working on using my peripheral vision more. On my night walk tonight, I was surprised how much my hood annoyed me by interfering with my peripheral vision.

WEDNESDAY
Went out at 0300. Completed a 20 minute meditation in a tall grass field, where I have noticed deer bedding before. At first, it was pretty creepy to close my eyes while being surrounded by the unknown. However, once I settled my mind that I would hear any creature try to approach as it tried to make its way through the noisy, frosty, tall grass, I was able to experience a sense of connection with the world around me. As I opened my eyes, I had strong night vision and awareness. Then I continued on with my mission: To observe a homeless camp in the woods and leave 9 new pairs of warm socks [If interested, see post “Light in Darkness Op Thread” under Night Ops and Urban Exploration.].

FRIDAY
Went out at 2100 and practiced ukemi (forward, backward, sideways rolls, other falling methods, and cartwheels). I noticed I got dizzier quicker from rolling in low-light conditions than I normally do in daytime lighting. It kind of makes sense because it is easier to keep your balance with your eyes opened rather than closed. Further testing is needed to draw a stronger correlation. However, if further testing indicates that low-light conditions affect equilibrium while rolling, this could be important. It might indicate that if rolls are used in low-light environments that rolls should be used primarily as single movements, instead of strung together in most cases.

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