A method and apparatus are provided for decoding a wireless signal from a set of samples with an embedded training sequence. The reading pointer offsets include separate offsets for even and odd macro block rows of the frame that when added to the writing pointer create writing pointers to reference data for blocks located to the left, to the left and above, and above the current block. Following breakdown, a sequence of one or more lower voltage and lower current pulses is applied to said electrodes, with a low \u201csimmer\u201d current being sustained through the plasma between pulses, preventing total plasma recombination and allowing the plasma kernel to move toward a free end of the electrodes with each pulse. In another aspect, a vehicle crash cushion includes first and second side panels each having at least one longitudinally extending ridge and at least one longitudinally extending valley. The second algorithm is different than the first algorithm.