Category: Odds ‘n Sods

K.T. suggested this nine minute fictional video: “It has been six months since the grid went down. You and the other five members of your party have settled into what may be a long grinding existence.” If the narration sounds familiar, it is because it was originally from a 2009 SurvivalBlog post. I have belatedly given them permission to use the contents of that post. (Thanks to reader “Blacksheep” for sending the link back to Jeff’s post.)    o o o Litigation Nation: Burglar’s family awarded $300,000 in wrongful death suit. (A hat tip to Karl G. for sending the …

If you have any recommendations for items that we should add to The SurvivalBlog Amazon Store, please mention them in an e-mail. Note that if you click on one of our Amazon links and then “click through” to order ANY product from Amazon.com (not just the ones listed in our catalog), then we will earn a modest sales commission. So please bookmark one of our Amazon links. Then use that as your starting point whenever you plan to place an Amazon order. Thanks!    o o o Jonathan B. sent this: Inside the secret world of hackers Computer hackers are …

Free Food To Go is organizing a Preparedness Fair in Boise, Idaho on August, 26 and 27, 2011.    o o o Why the rebels finally reached Tripoli    o o o The folks at Directive 21 wrote to mention that they now have a limited supply of Crown Berkey Water Filter Systems in stock, ready to ship. (These are the six gallon system–the largest Berkey system available. )    o o o Kevin S. wrote to tell me about the Fluid Nexus web site. “Fluid Nexus is an application for Android phones and desktop computers enabling exchange of messages without …

Matt in Colorado Springs, Colorado sent us this: Can you survive if you’re YOYO? Commissioner preaching preparedness    o o o SurvivalBlog’s Editor at Large Michael Z. Williamson wrote to mention that he will have eight tables at the Indy 1500 Gun and Knife Show this weekend (August 27th and 28th) in Indianapolis. SurvivalBlog readers are welcome to drop by to chat. Look for 8 tables of swords, knives and other edged tools, toward the back right of the hall. I assume that he’ll have some of his notorious famous WWF Panda T-shirts with him.    o o o Richard …

K.A.F. flagged this: Localize It: PodPonics Grows High-Tech Organic Produce In Shipping Containers    o o o John in Montana spotted this: Portable House, Simple Life    o o o Reader Chris H. recommend Cooking Wild magazine, a publication dedicated to wild game recipes.    o o o Bob R. suggested this at the C-SPAN web site: Heritage Foundation Discussion on the Electromagnetic Pulse Threat    o o o I have often bemoaned the dearth of true American field gear makers. (Most of the web gear on the market is now made in China.) But reader Ken S. wrote to …

Huricane Irene appears to headed toward North Carolina. Please keep the folks living in the storm’s path in your prayers.    o o o Reader Paula S. sent this: The Cause of Riots and the Price of Food — If we don’t reverse the current trend in food prices, we’ve got until August 2013 before social unrest sweeps the planet, say complexity theorists.    o o o Dave B. flagged this: A Wireless Communications System That Works When Cell Phones, Internet are Down    o o o What we have here is a failure to understand the 1st Amendment: Long …

Mike Williamson (SurvivalBlog’s Editor At Large) wrote to mention that September 6th is “Book Bomb Day” for his novel Rogue. It is the sequel to The Weapon. It has: “Some violence, some harsh language, and very few sexual references.” You can read some advance chapters here. Let’s lift Mike’s new book into Amazon’s Top 20! By the way, Mike will be signing books at Uncle Hugo’s book store on September 10th, 2011, including the signature edition of Rogue.  Uncle Hugo’s is Mike’s preferred outlet for sales ranking.  Also, Mike’s new Freehold series adventure story (with minimal adult content in the …

Dirk W. spotted this: At Vacant Homes, Foraging for Fruit    o o o Reader Bob J. sent this: Did Wal-Mart stop people from giving CPR to man? Bob’s comment: “This news story reminded me so much of an incident from Michael Z. Williamson’s excellent book “The Weapon.”    o o o The End is Nigh: Let’s All Move to Barter Village! “Located in a tiny castle (yes, castle) in northeast Arkansas, Barter Village is an “experimental educational project” where people who’ve been particularly hurt by the down economy can go to learn survival skills such as organic farming, sewing …

K.A.F. suggested this blog post: SHTF Rifle    o o o Drew flagged this: How to Get the Most out of your Mil-Dot Reticle    o o o Michael Z. Williamson (SurvivalBlog’s Editor at Large) sent this: Defcon Lockpickers Open Card-And-Code Government Locks In Seconds. And speaking of hacking, The Other Steve C. sent this: Five things you probably didn’t know could be hacked.    o o o I recently posted a link to an American Defense Enterprises (ADE) video, by way of Tam’s blog. That video was so roundly criticized for its buffoonery, posing, and insanely unsafe gun handling …

F.G. sent this: Illinois to feed Asian carp to the poor    o o o R.J. asks: "Better than nothing?", in pointing us to this: ThinkGeek : Ultimate Survival Kit in a Water Bottle    o o o In conjunction with National Preparedness Month (in September), Emergency Essentials is giving away one of their "Traditional 2000" Year Supply food storage packages that is worth more than $1,600.    o o o S.T. mentioned this: How to Remove Yourself From People Search Websites.    o o o Fast and Furious’ a prelude to gun registration? (Link courtesy of James C.)

Our friend Bill Buppert (of ZeroGov) has some sage advice on field maintenance of AR-15s, M4geries, and AR-10s.    o o o Captain ABM spotted this: Do-It-Yourself Battlefield Medicine Saves Lives    o o o F.J. mentioned a piece over at the Tiny House blog: Idaho Sheep Wagons. BTW, in SurvivalBlog, I’ve previously mentioned a modernized incarnation of these wagons, from another maker: Expedition Range Camps. (Complete with photovoltaics!)    o o o F.G. sent us some odd news from the Mickey Mouse State: Nanny State Madness: California’s Proposed ‘Fitted Sheet’ Law    o o o A reader mentioned a …

Corey from the excellent new Survival Logic blog wrote me to mention that for a limited time Amazon is offering David Black’s primer Living off the Grid free of charge. (It is normally $10.28.) Corey notes: “If you don’t already have the Kindle software on your computer, it’ll prompt you to download a free copy and install to your PC. If you already have a Kindle reader, then it is even easier.”    o o o Yet another documentary jumps on the bandwagon: Livin’ for the Apocalypse. Judging by the title that they chose, I suspect that they might have …

C.D., suggested this great chart on food cravings: What You Want vs. What You Need. Most of these conditions could be prevented with a good quality vitamin and mineral supplement tablet (or powder), plus a bit of extra Magnesium, and plenty of water.    o o o You’ve got to have some place for your tangible investments: Booming business of fear: Sales of safes soar. OBTW, be sure to bolt down your safe securely, and conceal it well! Nothing beats a vault that is hidden behind a false wall. (Thanks to Eric S. for the link.)    o o o …

I recently received a sample body armor carrier, AK magazine pouch, and an AK magazine, all made by U.S. PALM. To start, I must mention that all of their cataloged items are made in the USA. While the vast majority of their competitors have “gone cheap” and sourced most of their products overseas (primarily in mainland China), U.S. PALM’s management made the commendable decision to produce all of their gear here in the United States. That puts them up several notches, in my book. A couple of detailed reviews will follow in the blog at a later date, but for …

C.N. sent this: Government pays for empty flights to rural airports.    o o o Tam had some great commentary on the trend toward über-tactical training that is sacrificing safety: Big Boy Rules. (About 1:30 into the video that she found, things get just plain foolishly 360-degree suicidal –with copious and un-necessary friendlies downrange, et cetera.)    o o o “Apartment Dweller” suggested some clever commentary on choosing strong computer passwords.    o o o Wilson Solar Grill Stores the Sun’s Energy for Nighttime Fuel-Free Grilling. (Thanks to Drew for the link.)