Letter Re: Prepper Digital Security

Mr. Latimer, I read the article “Prepper Digital Security“, by A.B. and would like to offer a couple of comments. The article mentions the use of TrueCrypt. I was a serious user of this software package until June of this year after Microsoft ceased support of Windows XP. When that happened, the development of TrueCrypt was ended with very little explanation. I run Ubuntu Linux and used TrueCrypt. Now that development has stopped, I cannot get updates so am no longer protected if NSA finds another exploit. The website has the following to say: WARNING: Using TrueCrypt is not secure …


Economics and Investing:

Why You Should Be Prepared for Both Inflation and Deflation o o o From the desk of SurvivalBlog’s Editor At Large, Mike Williamson: Corn ethanol is of no economic use o o o Items from Mr. Econocobas: Russia Says Ruble Crisis Over as Reserves Dive, Inflation Climbs Japan Struggles to Escape Recession as Production Drops U.S. Bond Sentiment Is Worst Since Disastrous ’09 – It is my opinion that the Fed won’t ever raise rates but will always pretend or let the markets believe they will, and use just use the excuse du’ jour to put it off. Perhaps I …


Odds ‘n Sods:

Hackers can steal your fingerprint from a PHOTO: Copycat print could be used by criminals to fool security systems. – D.S. o o o License Plate Reader Technology Looks At Faces. – G.P. o o o Der Spiegel Reveals Loose Standards Needed for Drone Assassination. – RBS o o o 28 Signs That U.S. Public Schools Are Rapidly Being Turned Into Indoctrination Centers And Prison Camps. – B.B o o o Be American . – B.B.



Special Year-End Note on Charitable Giving

Living in our over-taxed society (now with a top marginal Federal income tax rate of 39.6%), it is important to remember that December 31st is the last day to make charitable contributions for Tax Year 2014. Please give generously to the worthy charities of your choice. We may be biased, but we have some suggested charities linked at our Charity static page. Thanks, and May God Bless You, in the New Year. – The SurvivalBlog Staff.


Notes for Wednesday – December 31, 2014

Yesterday (December 30, 2014) was Book Bomb Day for Tools for Survival: What You Need to Survive When You’re on Your Own. Because of the strong ordering on Amazon.com yesterday and today, it pushed the price of the book down to just $11.84 USD (a 34% discount), even for folks who pre-ordered. When I last checked, the book was ranked at #64 overall on Amazon.com! (Getting into Amazon’s Top 100 in overall book sales is difficult for a non-fiction book, because it competes with the many popular fiction titles.) Thanks for making the book launch such a great success. If …


Prepper Digital Security, by A.B.

In this day and age of digital information, our communications and data are open to a world of invasive agencies. Some of these agencies may be your nosy neighbor out to see what you are up to or an activist group gathering unguarded data to send to agencies of various domestic and foreign governments. Many of us in the prepper community have taken some measures of security to safeguard our data. Some people avoid the digital world altogether to dodge this issue, though not all of us are willing to go to that level of abandonment of technology. There are …


Letter Re: New Kind of Bucket List

HJL, I would like to add to the article of the “New Kind of Bucket List“. When stacking buckets I use 1/4″ thick plywood squares a little bit bigger than a 5 gal. bucket about 13″x13”, this way any size bucket can stack. It helps prevent cracking on the inner part of a llid. I also being older and having weenie upper body strength, have been sealing dry goods in smaller sizes and placing in smaller buckets. One little bucket can have a variety of 1,2, or 3 pound bags of food rather than a 40 pound of only one …




Odds ‘n Sods:

Supreme Court Rules Police Can Violate The 4th Amendment (If They Are Ignorant Of The Law). – B.B. o o o ARPA’s Autonomous Microdrones Designed to Enter Houses o o o Young people are ‘lost generation’ who can no longer fix gadgets, warns professor. – G.G. o o o It’s an old one, but one worth reviewing. Video: Liquor Store Clerk Iraq Veteran Turns Tables On Would Be Robber. – T.P.



Notes for Tuesday – December 30, 2014

Today (December 30, 2014) is Book Bomb Day for Tools for Survival: What You Need to Survive When You’re on Your Own For those of you who have been waiting, please go ahead and order your copies today. Tools for Survival: What You Need to Survive When You’re on Your Own. This paperback book is a guide to the selection, use, and care of tools. It is already also available as an e-book and audiobook. The paperbacks are packaged in cases of 16 copies by the publisher, for those who want to order in bulk. When I last checked, the …


“Wild” Gifts For Children’s Survival, by Linda Runyon

Childhood these days is a lot different experience than when I was that young. I have photographs of me, as a baby, sitting on a blanket outside our home and looking at the weeds and grass around me. Even then I was fascinated with wild growing plants, and that was the foundation of my lifelong affinity for wild food survival. These days it seems that childhood is an ongoing assault on the senses, from TV to constant, loud music to vaccination needles that contain mercury, and on into school, where there’s the confusion of ill-advised curricula that discourages actual learning. …


Letter Re: Water Well

Hugh and JWR, I want to comment on the topic of well pumps. I also had some issues finding answers to questions regarding the subject. The Internet, YouTube, and my closest library (second largest in the state) didn’t have all the answers I needed. I was able to find out some information from a third generation well driller and by driving an hour away to speak with an Amish man that deals with windmills and water pumps. Here are a couple of things I learned along the way that might help your readers: Tip # 1- You need a deep …