Category: Odds ‘n Sods

Greg and Kat spotted an article about An idea carried too far Cult of less: Living out of a hard drive. Greg’s comment:” The move to not buying clutter is a good one, of course. However, what happens to the people highlighted in this article in an EMP or another power-down event? Once their batteries run out, and the utility companies can’t provide water and other services, and the food deliveries stop they won’t be “virtually homeless” they will be starving and without barter assets or other resources. Online banking won’t help then. Hopefully they’ll analyze their situations and start …

Ooh!, Ooh! I’ve been looking for a site like this: Make Your Own Seasoning Mixes. (Thanks to S.D. Spy for the link.)    o o o Jeff B. forwarded the link to this piece from National Pravda Public Radio: Deadly Whooping Cough, Once Wiped Out, Is Back    o o o The Obama Administration’s anti-gun bias is evident: US opposes Seoul’s bid to sell old rifles. (Thanks to Jeff B. for the link.)    o o o Reader Rick D. suggested a YouTube video demonstration of Grover Rocket Stoves.

David B. suggested a video that he called a Blinding Flash of the Obvious: Splitting Wood In A Tire.    o o o Mark L. spotted this: The SAS Survival Guide App for the iPhone.    o o o Nano ‘tea bag’ purifies water. (Thanks to “16R” for the link.)    o o o F.J. was the first of several SurvivalBloggers to send me this: Floods Stir Social Unrest in Pakistan

Sergio suggested this one: U.S. warned of threat worse than Katrina, plague, WWII; Millions could die: ‘This is clearly not something you ever want to experience’    o o o Andrew R. spotted this: Car hacks could turn commutes into a scene from Speed.    o o o Sheryl N. sent this news item: Quarter of Russian crops lost in drought, Medvedev says    o o o M.O.B. forwarded this piece from The New York Times: Judges Divided Over Rising GPS Surveillance

“Dr1” suggested an interesting instructional video on how to do evaporative cooling.    o o o Stew sent this from The Mother Earth News: How to Build a Grain Bin House.    o o o Reader R.F.J. highlighted this one: HEADS 2nd Generation Smart Concussion Sensor For Soldiers Helmets Unveiled

RBS sent this: ‘Seed ambassadors’ spread the word about saving    o o o Linda Y. was the first of several readers that sent us this news wire article: Scientists find new superbug spreading from India. Linda’s comment: ” While most readers probably looked over this story with an ‘another-cry-wolf’ view, it definitely caught my attention. This is very worrisome. I have seen first hand how the US-300 strain of MRSA can ravage a body in no time. My son came home ill from college and doctors could not figure out what was wrong with him and kept sending us …

Reader A.J. wrote to tell me that the classic medical book (circa 1913) book “Materia medica: pharmacology, therapeutics and prescription writing” is now available as a Google book. While some of the techniques are dated (such as the use of some chemicals that in more recent times have been determined to be carcinogens) and the safety standards for some anesthetics (including fire safety) fall short of modern standards, there is still some very useful information.    o o o KAF sent us this: Meet the first man to walk the Amazon. “After 859 days, thousands of miles and “50,000 mosquito …

KAF sent this: Injuries, arrests after massive 70-person Metro brawl. KAF’s comment: And this was just a mishap of disorder. Imagine what will occur when TSHTF!    o o o Reader R.F.J. liked this: Build yourself a portable home – a Mongolian yurt. R.F.J.’s comment: Clearly useful in a TEOTWAWKI situation although some of the pictures appear “fudged” (i.e., different build merged together). Would seem a useful review to “size” the job and prevent “buildus interuptus”.    o o o Camping Survival (one of our loyal advertisers) is presently offering a free bottle of potassium iodate and 5% off, for …

H.J. wrote to say that he saw this sign at a North Idaho restaurant near the Washington state line: “Show Us Your Wolf Tag, and Your Kids Eat Here Free.”    o o o D.V.B. in Alabama sent this grim tale: Elderly Couple Dies While Trapped in Home Elevator. D.V.B.’s comments:”What if someone is in an elevator during a power failure or EMP event? Here is a small-scale example of what might happen if you can’t call for help. “    o o o Several readers sent this for the Doddering, Decrepit, Disjointed and Didactical Dictators Department: Fidel Castro: Obama …

Dept. of Homeland Security points out the fragility of the infrastructure. (Thanks to S. S. for the link.)    o o o Dave X. sent us this: Senate dumps strategy to prevent EMP damage    o o o A Volkswagen powered by human waste. (A hat tip to KAF for the link.)    o o o Reader Michael H. mentioned that audio from the talks from “The Next Hope” hacker conference held last month are now available for free download. Michael’s comments: “While anyone is sure to find many things of interest in what hackers talk about, of particular interest …

Chuck G. spotted this: Using your RV to survive in an earthquake or other natural disaster. This might have some utility for a short-term disaster, but it would be suicidal in something long term. Without propane, your RV will turn into a refrigerator in the winter. Without gas, you will lose mobility, possibly when you are in an inopportune locale. And given the limited room for food storage, once that is consumed, you are likely to end up part of the problem, rather than part of the solution.    o o o A federal judge ends Idaho, Montana wolf hunt. …

RFJ sent this useful KK Cool Tools link: Coleman Lantern Hanger    o o o Conor sent this article link: Roundup: A week of hacker news from Black Hat and Defcon    o o o Frequent content contributor KAF sent us this: Should Videotaping the Police Really Be a Crime? Perhaps I ought to issue complimentary press credentials to all readers, who will then all become Associate Editors. Controversy resolved.    o o o Also from KAF: Nature’s Light Show from Solar Storm

“Millerized” sent this: Russia to halt wheat export. And reader L.L. sent this: Why Russia’s Heatwave Means Higher U.S. Food Prices. I predict this will start a chain reaction, around the globe. Other nations are sure to follow suit with export restrictions, and futures prices will soar. We can expect food riots in the future. There is also some likely inflation in other grain prices, as cattle feed is shifted slightly, to compensate. Get your wheat orders in with a trustworthy vendor pronto, before the inevitable prices increases hit the retail level! Wheat prices could double again, before December. Jim …

John H. mentioned an interactive election results map from 2008 that was designed to show political differences, but with its population density slider it also makes a great tool for visualizing potential retreat locales. You can zoom in on each state. It is fascinating to fiddle with this!    o o o RFJ sent this: Navy Flier Dieter Dengler’s Great Escape During The Vietnam War. OBTW, I highly recommend Dengler’s book Escape From Laos.    o o o Brute mentioned this Gizmodo article: Inside AT&T’s National Disaster Recovery Batcave: Who AT&T Calls When the Death Star Explodes    o o …

Tamara at the View From The Porch blog had a link to a good article about low-light marksmanship training: A Shot in the Dark.    o o o “Robo” sent us a piece that illustrates how our privacy is shrinking: Hacker tries to read a radio identification tag from 29 floors up. Meanwhile, we read: The Web’s New Gold Mine: Your Secrets. (Thanks to AmEx, for the latter link.)    o o o Trent H. flagged this article in The Boston Globe: Popularity of farming soars in Massachusetts.    o o o E.M.B.sent us the link to this terrorism map. …