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 “HJL”. Wait till you see the full color night vision examples in today’s lead article.
Full Color Night Vision
Reader G.P. sent in this interesting article on the next generation of night vision. While previous nigh vision generations have focused on gaining a better, higher resolution picture, they are still monochrome. Green is typically the color shade of choice simply because our eyes are more sensitive to green light and it gives us a better capability of picking out details. However, full color gives us the same capability as we have during the day. Your eyes will be able to pick out threats at night just as well as they do in the daytime. In effect, the only limitation at that point would be the narrowed field of vision night vision devices introduce. While it is likely that the military will get it first, it will eventually make it to the civilian market.
Breaking YouTube
Paul Joseph Watson has laid out how YouTube (the second biggest search engine on the Internet after Google) has been altering its search engine algorithm based on the insistence of social justice warriors and left wing lobbying campaigns to bury, block and ban videos that they find to be undesirable or negative toward their political agenda. When you perform a search for any new worth item, you are met with a wall of main stream media videos despite the fact that individual YouTubers almost always have better, less biased coverage of those events. Some are certainly more popular to watch, but unless you are purposefully subscribe to their channels, you will not see their videos returned in the search results.
Battle Rifle Upgrade
Reader KGP wrote in:
In Washington State, there are by population numbers quite a few patriots who are not surrendering to the slavery crowd in the Olympia-Sociattle Homeless Industrial Complex, despite adverse laws. Since the passage of the last anti-Second Amendment, illegal law violating the State Constitution, many of us are quickly upgrading from freedom rifles to MBR in our inventory. PSA has a great deal to take advantage of. $499.99 gets everything but the stripped lower receiver for a pretty decent AR-10.
Sustainability
Sustainability is the name of the game when it comes to prepping. It’s not enough just to be prepared for a short emergency, but can you be prepared for the long haul? And we’re not just talking about have a really deep larder either. Sustainability is the concept of replenishing your preps even in a time when others may be starving. Reader T.J. sent in this article from the MountainGuerrilla on seeking this gold standard in prepping. Taking a clue from the Special Forces Operational Detachment Alphas (A-Teams), Mosby takes a look at what it takes to achieve this level of independence and preparedness. This one is definitely worth a read.
Medical Dependence
Are you dependent on some form of medication? How about your emergency preps? Were you aware of how drug manufacturing has changed in the last couple of decades? Reader H.L. sent in this book review on China Rx: Exposing the Risks of America’s Dependence on China for Medicine. The book raises the alarm on how China has become the worlds largest supplier of the active ingredient in aspirin and acetaminophen and is the dominant supplier for the essential ingredients to make penicillin and vitamin C. It is also the largest exporter of medical devices with nearly 20,000 medical products for sale. The authors argue that China represents a grave threat to the U.S. and its strategic position in the world due to the continuing move of medicine to Asia.
Beginner’s Knife Shop
Are you interested in knife making, but the price of setting up a shop is prohibitively expensive for something that you are not sure you really want to do long term? Reader G.P. has you covered. He sent in this article on how you can shop at Harbor Freight and create a pretty decent compliment of tools dedicated to knife building for only $100. These are commonly owned tools and you may already have some of them in your shop now too making the entry into this useful hobby even less expensive. The only thing you won’t be able to save on is time. You’re gonna need plenty of that too.
Funding the World
Have you noticed that the Democrats in office now are willing to fund the rest of the world on their border fence priorities, but not our own? This article takes a look at some of the spending priorities of the Obama administration on foreign aid. Some of these countries that received huge amounts of aid funding were not even that friendly to us. Pakistan, for instance, received $687 million in funding despite the fact that they were harboring Osama bin Laden. Afghanistan received $7.2 billion which mostly seems to fund the opium that finds its way back to our southern border. The list goes on and on. This isn’t about securing America. This is about opposing Trump at your expense.
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Please send your news tips to HJL. (Either via e-mail of via our Contact form.) These are often especially relevant, because they come from folks who watch news that is important to them. Due to their diligence and focus, we benefit from fresh “on target” news. We often “get the scoop” on news that is most likely ignored (or reported late) by mainstream American news outlets. Thanks!
Just a note about the full-color night vision. I have researched SPi as a possible source of night vision during the course of my professional work. After reviewing with some of their peers in the industry, the conclusion is that they are being less than truthful about their night time conditions. For instance, the beach scene is obviously at a very full moon, and it takes little intensification to reach that effect over the human eye (and they obviously avoid pointing the camera at the moon). Additionally, I believe the moon would be much higher in the sky at midnight conditions.
The desert scenes, while depicted as “starlight” conditions at midnight, have much more than starlight ambient lighting according to my sources.
I believe full color night vision is possible, but the technology is just not there yet. SPi may be on the right track, but collecting photons and intensifying them is not a trivial endeavor.
I’m sure you know more about SPi than I do, but I do know that the time of moonrise changes between 30-60 minutes LATER each day.
This technology is still in the early stages and SPi isn’t the only company to have it. However, I would agree with you that the technology isn’t quite ready for prime time.
When the camera is panned towards the sky, I do see a number of stars, but nowhere near as many as I see on my Gen 3+ unit. That could also be due to light pollution and the altitude as well as not being a mature tech. I do live in a relatively dark area of the country at a fairly high altitude and the beach scene is obviously on the ocean. Don’t know where the desert scene is.
The Gen 3+ units are obviously much more sensitive to light just based on the number of stars I can differentiate.
I can pretty much guarantee that I couldn’t afford one of those anyways until the technology is much more mature and in mass production.
Depending on the mission, an MBR like the AR-10 is a real good idea for defensive positions and perimeter patrol. For LRP, the M4 makes more sense. You will appreciate the lighter firearm, and the ability to carry more rounds for the same or less weight. Us 50+ year olds are not as spry as we used to be, and humping a 10 lb rifle and 15 lbs of ammo and a pack all day in the bush won’t keep us battle effective. You do what you gotta do with what you got, which is why I have a gun safe with no room left now.
As for long term sustainable preps, it’s hard to beat a full-on canning system with enough jars and lids in stock to last a decade or more. Dehydration and curing is all fine, and freeze drying is definitely a superior process in a lot of cases, but canning is something you can do with 19th century technology, meaning no electricity required. I am still eating on canned chicken, pork, beef and fish from jars that I put up back 3+ years ago. No rehydration required, just dump, heat, and eat. If you need to reduce the weight of canned food, you can always dehydrate it later as needed.
Though it is hard to beat my dehydrated spam, seaweed and brown rice treats for field rations.
Every squad and homestead should have at least one long range tool in .30 or larger.
I believe the only reason we’re still in Afghanistan is for the CIA to protect and profit from the opium trade. Call me crazy eh? I can’t imagine any other reason we’re still in that crap hole.
That is crazy. That old meme about the CIA in the drug trade is an old Vietnam war fake news. The reason we stayed in Afghanistan was we feared that the radical Muslims would somehow be able to acquire nuclear weapons from Pakistan. The idea was to reduce their numbers and keep them too busy in Afghanistan so they wouldn’t become a power in Pakistan.
That hasn’t worked out too well has it? So, why are we protecting opium farmers? Because that is what we are doing. We tried destroying poppy fields early in the campaign, as I understand it, and the result was that the farmers joined the insurgency because they couldn’t support their families growing peas and carrots.
In regards to Afghanistan,
I’m not going to push conspiracy theories here, but I wouldn’t completely rule the drug trade out as a reason for continued occupation.
I have often wondered if there is a connection between the war and the opioid crisis here in North America. I mean, it would make some sense, wouldn’t it? Where else would so much of that nasty stuff have come from in such a short period of time?
I would look into it myself, but I have a few things to finish before I end up disappearing without a trace.
fake news ?, and the CIA are little angels and wish the best for the USA ?, dream on….
just reading about MK Ultra is a wake up of their mindset and top down views on those lower down, worst kind of traitors, just like their alphabet soup friends.
One guy
Ever hear about Iran -Contra? The CIA sold coke to buy guns for the contras. Fully documented. The cia sold drugs
Lol
Brooksy,
Amen Brother!!
OneGuy,
It was never about 911 or nukes from Pakistan, it was always about Iran. First Afghanistan, then Iraq, now Iran is basically surrounded by US forces. CIA was mad their plans for domination in Iran were thwarted in 1979 by the counter-coup staged by the Ayatolla and his minions.
Besides, the CIA is the biggist drug cartel in the USA today. They have been for a very long time.
Trillions in minerals and the push for the TransAfghan pipeline has never ended,plus encircling Russia is still a priority of the Neo-cons(notice who is back in White House running around the world like he is running things?)
Re: the AR-10 deal from Palmetto State Armory (PSA). I recently relocated from Maine to South Carolina. Soon after arriving I bought a number of items from PSA. They are a great outfit. Quality of the MSR components I bought has been very good. Their retail stores are largely staffed with veterans, and vets get discounts on purchases.
Yes, I noticed the abrupt change earlier this week to the search algorithm on YouTube. When I type in ‘GunGuyTV’, ‘Guns And Gadgets’, or ‘Firearms Policy Coalition’, they don’t come up anymore as auto-suggestions. I have to type in the entire name to see the result. Interestingly, only channels containing the actual words ‘gun’ or ‘firearm’ are affected. Other gun-related channels with standard-sounding names (such as John Lovell, Hickock45, Colion Noir, etc.) auto-fill the same as always.
Does MountainGuerrilla have to use gratuitous foul language to get his point across?
Its the sign of an un-regenerated mind as he is not a Christian.
Wayne: Did he get his point across? Hey Snotty Boy, I did not see where he was not a Christian. I read about prepping continuously; Grow gardens, prepare for no heat (army surplus sleeping bags), prepare to live in the 1920″s. Go to history and find out how to live in 1880.
@Wayne, while not excusing his language I’m sure he doesn’t even think about it. That general tenor is very common in the military and generally more so in the war fighter community. Engage your filter and ignore the GFL like the rest of us while gleaning the wise concepts he presents. In this case, he is spot-on WRT sustainability and MICE/RC.
Those PSA deals have been great. I ordered a ton of stuff. Got a 20″ AR-15 upper and then picked up a case of IMI 77gr ammo. I think I’ll be shooting 77gr from now on. Also I love the light weight m-lock hand guards. I’m going to upgrade my M4 with one. That M4 upper with quad rail is heavier than the 20″ upper.
I can’t afford an AR-10 right now but already have a PTR 91 which is pretty heavy. Seems to be very reliable though. Of course I have a couple good bolt guns as well.
I think the bolt action rifles are under appreciated. They are simple and can handle powerful rounds.
A perfect tool to project power from a long way out.
Guess putting a video critical of YouTube is contrary to YouTube’s policies, as when I tried to access the Paul Joseph Watson video at https://youtu.be/Mr08jT29FBQ?t=105 I got this:
Video unavailable
This video is no longer available because the YouTube account associated with this video has been terminated.
Can’t say exactly why not having seen the video, though it does seem unlikely any platform would willingly host presentations adverse to themselves.
Just my $.02, I believe Schumer & Pelosi may offer Trump a deal on building a wall; but tie it to Feinstein’s unholy ‘gun control’ bill. A take it or leave it poison pill. Knowing that it would cost him greatly with his base. I’ve noticed marked increases in prices on things like stripped AR lowers, magazines, etc.., in the last 2 weeks. I think the easy gun buyers market we have enjoyed the past 2 years is just about over.
Love the photo of the antifa hippie about to fire bomb some….goats…or something. What would PETA say?