Kind of Scary...

I have this section on my custom Google homepage that shows a bunch of "How To" tips for the day. Today's tip kind of got me wondering what it is you can find on the net. Check this out:

How to Walk Silently

Walking silently is an art that most people have not successfully developed to any degree. With practice, one can improve and master the art of stealth.

Steps

1. Get soft foot wear. The harder your footwear, the louder the noise. The best type of footwear is socks or leather moccasins. When at all possible, avoid bare feet (feet generally sweat and on flat surfaces, this creates lots of noise) and hard-soled boots (because of their bulk and material, boots are more difficult to walk quietly in).
2. Wear sparse, tight clothing. When walking, one's legs and clothes rub together creating noise. Minimizing your gear will prevent this.
3. Take slow and measured breaths from the mouth. Air traveling through a small passageway creates more noise than a large passageway. If more air is needed, open your mouth to its full extent. It may look foolish, but it creates less noise.
4. Watch the next place you will take a step. Be mindful of objects you are stepping on.
   • Outside, try to walk on bare dirt or live grass. Dead foliage creates a perceptible "crunch" even when lightly stepped on. If you encounter an area where forced to walk through foliage, then pick the clearest path and proceed slowly, possibly bending over and removing obstructions from the location of the next step.
   • Inside, stick to carpet or other flooring with padding underneath.
5. If following someone, match the cadence of their steps (i.e. when they step with their left foot, you use your left foot). This will help mask any noise your feet may make.
6. Place the heel or toes of your foot down first and roll your foot slowly and gently onto the ground. If moving swiftly, run/leap from location to location. Avoid landing flatfooted.
7. Be sure your footwear fits properly, if your foot slides at all in your footwear it can produce a squeaking noise, especially if your feet are sweaty.
8. For getting really close to a target, walk on the outer edge of your feet, rolling your foot from heel to pinky toe. Though very silent, this technique is also uncomfortable and should only be used for short distances.

Tips

• Frequently test your skills. Try sneaking up on a friend and ask them if they heard you.
• Practice always. It is possible to practice even as you go about your daily life.
• When climbing items such as trees and cliffs, be mindful of where your foot lands. Try to place the toes and front padding of the foot in between branches and on crevices of the cliff. If you are forced to step in the middle of a branch or push up the side of the cliff, do it slowly and proceed with caution. A little force may dislodge a shower of debris or break a twig alerting watchers.
• Practice walking on rice paper. When you leave no tracks, you will make no sound.

Warnings

• With knowledge of stealth, one is tempted to test their skills. Do not use these skills to do anything illegal or harmful.
• With Great Power comes Great Responsibility.
• If you sneak up on a person or an animal, they might get scared and instinctively hurt you, before realizing that you mean no harm.
• The thinner and harder the surface you walk on, the more danger of noise.
• Avoid shifting your weight until your forward foot is quietly and firmly on the ground. This will require a considerable degree of balance and practice.

Related wikiHows

• How to Be a Good Spy

Ok so maybe it's not the fact that they are teaching you how to walk quietly, but the fact that they seem to make it a part of the "How to be a good spy" category. I mean does it scare you at all to know that people can train to be a spy on the internet? Or worse yet that the FBI and CIA are training their people based on some stuff from a computer geek, that they found on the net? National security...what a joke!