The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods

SurvivalBlog presents another edition of The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods— a collection of news bits and pieces that are relevant to the modern survivalist and prepper from “JWR”. Our goal is to educate our readers, to help them to recognize emerging threats, and to be better prepared for both disasters and negative societal trends. You can’t mitigate a risk if you haven’t first identified a risk. Today, we look at the possibility of another “Little Ice Age.”

Preparing for Cold Years

To start, SurvivalBlog reader R.J.R. suggested this piece at American ThinkerPreparing for the coming food shortages associated with the dark, cold years.  Here is an excerpt:

“Contemplating several years of low harvests, on a global scale, with perhaps more years of lingering bad weather, is largely outside our experience. My grandparents and parents lived through the Great Depression and the Dust Bowl. Mom’s family farmed wheat. Dad’s folks were just plain dirt poor. They all suffered. No matter what else might happen in our lives, our families, our neighborhoods, or our country, our world is facing predictable dark cold years, and we need to prepare.

Last year, some food, farm, and household supplies were unavailable. This reflected negative impacts from reduced harvests from the previous year, bad weather, COVID interruptions of production and processing, limited imports, supply chain and transport disruptions, lack of processing supplies like metal for cans, limited commercial food service, and families being at home round-the-clock rather than at work, school, and recreation. Lines lengthened at food banks. School districts scrambled to keep breakfast and lunch programs going via delivery or centralized pick-up.”

300 Year Drought During The Little Ice Age

Here is a fascinating aricle that was posted over at the Real Climate Science blog, in May: 300 Year Drought During The Little Ice Age.

An Earthbag Chicken Coop

Over at the Natural Building Blog: A Fine Earthbag Chicken Coop. (Our thanks to Tim J., for the link.)

New Autonomous Drone for SAR in Forests

Reader C.B. sent this: An autonomous drone for search and rescue in forests using optical sectioning algorithm.  The article begins:

A team of researchers working at Johannes Kepler University has developed an autonomous drone with a new type of technology to improve search-and-rescue efforts. In their paper published in the journal Science Robotics, the group describes their drone modifications. Andreas Birk with Jacobs University Bremen has published a Focus piece in the same journal issue outlining the work by the team in Austria.

Finding people lost (or hiding) in the forest is difficult because of the tree cover. People in planes and helicopters have difficulty seeing through the canopy to the ground below, where people might be walking or even laying down. The same problem exists for thermal applications—heat sensors cannot pick up readings adequately through the canopy. Efforts have been made to add drones to search-and-, but they suffer from the same problems because they are remotely controlled by pilots using them to search the ground below. In this new effort, the researchers have added new technology that both helps to see through the tree canopy and to highlight people that might be under it.

The new technology is based on what the researchers describe as an airborne optical sectioning algorithm—it uses the power of a computer to defocus occluding objects such as the tops of . The second part of the new device uses thermal imaging to highlight the heat emitted from a warm body.”

JWR’s Comment:  Just keep in mind that this same technology could be used to locate someone attempting to hide from a tyrannical government.

Hackers Expose 8.4 Billion Passwords

Hackers Expose 8.4 Billion Passwords Post them Online in Possibly Largest Dump of Passwords Ever.  (A tip of the hat to reader J. McC. for the link.)

Strong Backup Generator Sales

Reader Don W. spotted this: Thrum and haze of diesel generators spread across America. Author John Dizard notes that the well-to-do having  $20,000 generators to ”light their guardhouses and perimeter floodlights”  while the common citizens deal with sweltering heat and a flickering, unreliable power grid is what one formerly found only in places like Lagos, Baghdad. or Kabul.

Compost Improves Apple Orchard Sustainability

Another from C.B.: Compost improves apple orchard sustainability.

Gray Wolves Now Breeding in Colorado

And yet another from C.B.: 1st gray wolf pups since 1940s spotted in Colorado. Here is a quote from the article:

“Colorado has its first litter of gray wolf pups since the 1940s, state wildlife officials said Wednesday.

A state biologist and district wildlife manager each spotted the litter of at least three wolf pups over the weekend with their parents, two adult wolves known to live in the state, Gov. Jared Polis announced in a news release. Most wolf litters have four to six pups, so there could be more.

The discovery comes after Colorado voters narrowly approved a ballot measure last year that requires the state to reintroduce the animal on public lands in the western part of the state by the end of 2023.”

Trust the Mysteriously Missing Science

Matt Christiansen: NIH Deletes Early Virus Sequencing Data at Chinese Request — Trust the Mysteriously Missing Science.

Israel Shoots Down Drones Using Lasers

Over ay Middle East Forum: Israel Shoots Down Drones Using Lasers.

Ruger Introduces LCP Max .380 Pistol

Just announced: Ruger Introduces the LCP MAX.  Our own Pat Cascio got hold of pre-production example. His review will be posted this coming Monday morning (July 5, 2021.) Stay tuned.

Poll: 92% Believe Our Rights are Threatened

And lastly, this food for thought: 92% of Americans think their basic rights are being threatened, new poll shows. JWR’s Comment: So I suppose we can  now make it official:  We can stop using the phrase “It’s a free country.”\

You can send your news tips to JWR. (Either via e-mail or via our Contact form.) Thanks!