Year: 2015

Odds ‘n Sods:

The Terracotta Army Crossbow That could Shoot Twice as Far as a Modern-Day Rifle. – H.L. o o o Mall of America Security Catfished Black Lives Matter Activists, Documents Show. – RBS o o o SurvivalBlog reader KMC sent in this immigration chart with the following comment: “While reading an article on io9.com, I was really struck by the differences. Then I asked myself what other differences occurred in the first ‘half’ of our country’s history on that chart vs. the second half, and I couldn’t help but wonder how connected they might be? Thought-provoking chart.” o o o ISIS …




Scot’s Product Review: Burris Handgun Scope 2x20mm

This review is a bit overdue. Burris Optics was kind enough to let me borrow their Burris Handgun Scope 2x20mm to try on several projects, but somehow I kept writing about the projects and never got around to saying much about the scope. The short and sweet rating is I liked it well enough to buy it, but I should tell you more. The first thing I like about the scope is the Burris Forever Warranty, which covers everything other than loss, theft, or deliberate damage. In other words, if I don’t smack it with a hammer after missing a …


Pat Cascio’s Product Review: Coast HP5R Rechargeable Flashlight

My wife, bless her heart, is always making fun of me about all the flashlights I have all over the house, as well as in vehicles, and even on my person. Right now, there are three flashlights sitting on my two-drawer filing cabinet, next to my computer desk. On the end table, on my end of the sofa, sit three more flashlights, and there are three more on my nightstand. There’s always one in my jacket pocket, too, and let’s not forget the one or two on the kitchen table and some emergency battery-operated lanterns in the living room, and …


Recipe of the Week: Hot Salad Dressing (a.k.a. Wilted Lettuce Dressing), by CB

Ingredients: 4 slices bacon, cut into small pieces 1/2 cup sugar 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 tablespoon corn starch 1 beaten egg 1/4 cup vinegar 1 cup milk Directions: Fry bacon slowly; save grease. In a saucepan, combine sugar, salt, and cornstarch. Mix thoroughly; add beaten egg and vinegar, mixing well again. Add milk, crumbled bacon, and bacon grease. Cook to a desired thickness. Cool before (or not) pouring over salad greens, such as one head of lettuce chopped, spinach, dandelion leaves, plantain (pig ear) leaves, and/or salad greens. In the spring time, this is great with dandelion or plantain. We …


Letter Re: Easily Measuring Well’s Static Water Depth

Hello Hugh, In a recent letter, the writer noted he did not know the static water depth of his well. This is easy to determine using a recording device and some free audio software. 1. Remove the cap from the well casing. 2. Clap your hands above the open hole, and listen for the repeated echos. 3. Use an audio recorder of some type to record the echos. Most phones can be loaded with audio recording apps. 4. Transfer the audio snippet to a PC, and use a free program, such as Audacity, to measure the time between two echos, …


Economics and Investing:

Wages growth is not accelerating for 80% of the USA population o o o Pink Slips: 100,000 Jobs Wiped Out Amid Oil Price Collapse: “Spreading Like Cancer”. – B.B. o o o Driving our way into financial poverty with six-year car loans: Once a minority, six-year or longer auto loans now make up one third of all new loans. o o o Natural Gas Prices To Crash Unless Rig Count Falls Fast


Odds ‘n Sods:

Why I am a Climate Change Skeptic by the Co-Founder of GREENPEACE. – P.M. o o o This could become a go-to bug out vehicle: Jeep may make Wrangler offroad pickup. – A.W. o o o More on the EPA and wood stoves: Effort to regulate wood smoke kindles slow burn. – G.L. o o o The Rutherford Institute :: The Wolf Is Guarding the Hen House: The Government’s War on Cyberterrorism. – B.B. o o o Islamic State releases U.S. troops’ Photos, Names, & Addresses – urges terror attacks. – T.P.




Security for Survival

Shielded Ethernet Connectors When connecting devices to your security system, there are two basic methods used: wired and wireless. In a later article, I will cover the advantages and disadvantages of both systems and when they are appropriate to use. However, the idea for this first installment was created as I had to repair some Ethernet cabling at a customer’s residence. The customer was familiar with Ethernet connectors and had cobbled together a connector when he moved his computer system to another area of the residence. He had lost a wifi radio to a lightning storm when he shouldn’t have, …


Letter Re: Water Issues

HJL, Another option the author might consider is a well bucket. I bought mine from Lehman’s as a short-term solution to possible electrical power failure until I have my PV system fully up-to-speed. I think it was around $70, plus shipping, and it provides me an affordable alternative water source. -BPF HJL responds: This is a viable alternative as long as you realize that your submersible pump will have to be pulled in order to effectively use this setup. For those who are uncomfortable with working on your own well, beware that this option may not work for you. o …



Odds ‘n Sods:

Is NYC’s new gunshot detection system recording private conversations?. – B.B. o o o What’s next in police state America? Why wearable alcohol biosensors of course!. – H.L. o o o Milita good for defending your country, not so good for projecting arbitrary force around the globe…. – D.E. o o o Today, “60 minutes” Lara Logan reports on the plight of Christians forced to flee ancestral homes in Iraq. This might be a good program to watch, if you can. o o o This Old Pill Bottle May Look Like Trash, But It Could Save Your Life.. – D.S. …