“Internet” Without Infrastructure – Part 2, by R.H.

How the Network Works

Basically, as soon as people start transferring files between computers, a network of sorts exists. A complex system can then be developed to get information to the right place as quickly as possible and keep everything running smoothly and efficiently. This is what the Internet does now, using millions of powerful computers and extremely complex software.

There is a much simpler way of building a network that requires only the basic technology items listed above and the adoption of a few very simple standards and rules. All we need, basically, is to get a given “file” from point A to point B. If you multiply that by millions or billions, you have a very useful network. The first problem is, how do you identify point B? The second problem is, how do you find a path from point A to point B? The Internet has a system for doing this very efficiently, by having a central registry of addresses and each computer knowing all of the computers that it’s connected to and having a system for finding the shortest distance between points. We are solving a different problem entirely. Sure, it would be nice to have the kind of speed and efficiency that comes with a “real” network, but failing that we just want our communication to arrive as soon as possible. In some cases, next week or even next month would be great!

Let’s say that point A is Sam and point B is Joe. In a TEOTWAWKI scenario, we can’t count on any email servers or text messages. Worse, after TEOTWAWKI, we don’t necessarily know where either Sam or Joe is located, and we don’t know if either one still has a working computer. It turns out that all Sam really needs is a unique address for Joe and the network I am about to describe. As an example, we will just use Joe’s pre-TEOTWAWKI email address as his unique address. There are better ways for Joe to create a unique id for himself, which we’ll cover later, but this will do for now. After all, nobody on the planet but Joe has that address, so it is a unique address. Sam creates a new text file using the computer notepad (or TextEdit on a Mac). He gives the file a universally-unique name (unique across the universe or at least across the network) that starts with the destination address. For example, it could be “Joe@gmail.com-jd8ifdf.txt”. The “-jd8ifdf” part of the filename is just some random characters that were “made up” to ensure that the filename is unique; it could have been anything. Sam puts the file into a “pouch”, along with hundreds, thousands, or millions of other files. If Sam doesn’t have a computer, he contacts his nearest “Postmaster” (anyone with a computer and a willingness to help). In the course of his duties, the Postmaster seeks out as many other Postmasters as he can, and they all swap files by copying from pouch A to pouch B and then back to pouch A, ignoring all duplicate filenames. This results in a “merge” of all files on both pouches. Even if many of the files already existed on both pouches, that doesn’t matter; we now have a copy of each file on both pouches. Each of these Postmasters, in turn, seeks out as many other Postmasters as possible, swapping files with them in the same way. This is why the filenames need to be universally unique; if not, one of the messages won’t get through; it will be “dropped” somewhere along the line. This is “Six Degrees of Separation” in action. Depending on the interconnectedness of communities, it may well take more than six of these Postmaster swaps, but eventually Sam’s message to Joe will be all over the country. No matter where Joe is in the country, all he needs to do to find his message is find a Postmaster. The filename of his message always starts with Joe’s address, so even among millions of files, this is not too difficult. All Joe (or a Postmaster helping him) needs to do is a simple search, or sort the files by filename, and go down to his address.

Similarly, blog entries can be posted by the author using the name of the blog, the date, and a unique suffix, like “survivalblog.com-2015-01-17-UYTRS.txt”. These files are treated just like other messages; however, instead of the recipient’s address, we have the name of the blog. Again, random characters are added at the end to ensure the filename is unique. Thus, anyone interested in a particular blog would just look for that address. There is a caveat, though. Anyone could post something to the blog, which opens the door to counterfeit entries and other problems. There are solutions to this that mainly involve encryption as covered later, but this basic method could be used initially. Depending on the diligence of Postmasters and the lack of saboteurs acting as Postmasters, this method alone could continue to work for some time.

There are a few more simple rules and protocols that must be understood by Postmasters in order to keep the system from getting clogged up or sabotaged. There are also much better ways of creating secure addresses and making messages secure, but the basic idea of how it works is the same. There are sure to be numerous complexities and enhancements that can and will be added by Postmasters over time, but the key ideas are:

  1. Messages are stored in small files.
  2. The name of the file is the destination address of the communication, plus some random characters to make it unique.
  3. “Postmasters” (anyone with a computer and a willingness to help) swap files (pouch A to pouch B, then back to A), combining all files together, and pass the contents of their pouch on to as many other Postmasters as possible. They also purge large and old files from the system, as necessary, to keep the network from becoming “clogged” with data.

Basic Techniques and Definition of Terms

Before discussing protocols, there are some basic techniques and terms that need to be defined.

  • Destination Addresses. A simple example of a destination address, as used above, is to use the recipient’s pre-TEOTWAWKI email address. A much better way to create a destination address is for the recipient to come up with his own address (or addresses) and give them out to those who he may want to receive communication from in the future. We need the address to be unique, but on this network we have no way to check if someone else is already using a particular address; we do not have any way to access a central “registry” of addresses. Instead, we use enough random characters to ensure, or nearly ensure, that nobody else will come up with the same thing. Software could be used to come up with the random combination of characters, but it’s not necessary. Anyone can simply come up with their own series of random characters. They don’t actually have to be random; they can mean something to you personally. The idea is to try to create an address that is highly unlikely for anyone else anywhere else to have come up with. For example, if you were to choose “Patriot” or even “Patriot88” as your destination address, there is a fair possibility that eventually someone else will come up with the same address, at which point it’s no longer unique, and your messages will be mixed in with someone else’s. However, if you choose “k23mXX”, you should be okay, since there are some two billion possibilities of letter/number combinations for a six character address.

    Of course random characters are not easily recognized and they are hard to remember, so you’ll have to write your address down. If you lose it, you won’t be able to find your messages. It’s not very convenient. If you want, you can use a combination of a readable address and some random characters, such as “Patriot88-YR56”. This way, even if there is another “Patriot88” in the world, there probably isn’t a “Patriot88-YR56”. In fact, even if you lose your notes and forget the YR56 part of the address, as long as you remember Patriot88, you still stand a chance of finding a message that belongs to you and can recover your address.

    It’s okay to use both upper and lower case letters along with numbers, but it is important to realize that this does not contribute to the uniqueness of the address. In other words, addresses are not case sensitive. Most computer systems will treat aaaaaa.txt and AAAAAA .txt as the same file.

    There is no hard rule against using special characters and punctuation, but they can cause confusion and possibly even interfere with the recipient’s attempts to locate files. If you are using a pre-TEOTWAWKI email address, there is no need to change any of the special characters in it. Any characters allowed in an email address can be used. However, if you are making up something new, it’s best to stick to “-“,“_”, “.”, and “@” to keep it simple and avoid problems and confusion.

    When someone wants to send you a message, they would begin the filename of their message with your exact address, making sure to get it exactly right, and then follow it with a random set of characters to ensure that the message filename itself is unique. For example their message to you might have a filename of “k23mXX-d7d65s”, which is “k23mXX”, followed by the random characters “d7d65s”. I used dashes to make it clearer, but it’s not necessary.

    Be careful about using numbers and letters that can be confused with each other, such as “1” (One) and “I” (India) and “L” (Lima), “8” (Eight) and “B” (Bravo) or “0” (Zero) and “O” (Oscar), or even “D” (Delta) or “Q” (Quebec). This is especially important when addresses will be saved on paper and transferred to computer later. One incorrect character will almost certainly prevent a message from being received. The message will not “bounce” like it does in a regular email system. The sender will never know he used the wrong address, yet the message will be lost.

    When you have a choice, especially when creating random addresses that will be stored on paper whether handwritten or printed out, it’s a good idea to avoid these letters and numbers altogether, or be very, very clear about how they are printed:

    0 (Zero) O (Oscar) D (Delta) Q (Quebec)

    1 (One) I (India) L (Lima) | (Vertical bar) ! (Exclamation point)

    2 (Two) Z (Zulu)

    8 (Eight) B (Bravo)

    Obviously, this is a rather “picky” system. It’s easy to make a mistake and cause a message to get lost, but there are reasons for this. It’s actually an important part of what makes it so secure and anonymous. Any mechanism put in place to make it “easier”, more convenient, or more like what people have accustomed to, could compromise it severely. It may not be a convenient system, but used correctly it is effective, secure, and anonymous.

    Note that the filename you choose is completely meaningless to anyone who does not know what your id is, even the Postmaster himself. It also, by itself, provides no information about the sender or the recipient or the location of either one.

Letter: Dogs Tracking Someone

Hello,

I l liked your books. Recently a wanted felon in our small town eluded a canine unit whereas many others have not. God forbid it should happen under the wrong circumstances to anyone not deserving to be hunted down. I did wonder though how the one that got away might have done that. I went to the Internet and found a few answers, but when I searched your site I could find nothing about it. I wondered if any of the readers out there have any practical solutions on the topic. It seems like the knowledge might be of some benefit.

JWR responds: I describe one technique that some might consider cruel, near the end of my latest novel, Liberators. It involves using large fishing treble hooks, tied to BOTH ends of 10 to 12 foot lengths of very heavy duty monofilament, and stringing them across trails. This can cause a painful pile-up of an entire pack of scent hounds.

Other techniques, such as walking in streams are better known.

HJL adds: A tracking dog, such as a bloodhound, has an incredibly sensitive nose. They can smell and discern different smells at almost unbelievably small concentrations. When you walk, a human tracker will look at the trail markers that you leave– footprints, disturbed ground, broken twigs, et cetera. However, a bloodhound tracks on an entirely different level. As you walk about, your body sheds dead skin cells at a rate of about 30,000 to 40,000 per hour. This is what is actually being tracked by the dog. In essence, you leave a “cloud” behind you as you walk or run. (The image of pig-pen in Charlie Brown comes to mind here.) Trackers often call this cloud “the spoor”, as in mushroom spores. Even when you get in a vehicle, the natural ventilation of the vehicle will disperse these cells in a cloud behind the vehicle. I have seen an incident when I lived in Colorado where bloodhounds were able to track a missing child nearly 15 miles on a paved surface where the perpetrator obviously drove at highway speeds. it wasn’t until the following day when the spoor was dispersed enough that the dog could no longer track it. (The child’s body was found about two miles further from the point where the scent was lost. In this case, the child was being tracked, not the perpetrator.)

You can see where just walking in a stream may not be a deterrent to a tracking dog either. Time is of the essence in tracking this spoor, as the wind will disperse it and dilute it. As the dog tracks, you will often see that the dog does not take the path the tracked person walked, as the spoor may have already drifted. You will see the tracking dog’s nose close to the ground, often as the spoor will last longer at ground level than it will at waist level.

Also, black pepper, food, and leaving items are not necessarily working ideas. Myth busters did a show where these avoidance methods were shown to be failures. At most, they caused temporary delays. Once the dog knows the spoor is fresh, they pick up the speed of tracking and will often outrun their handlers if not on a lead. Pepper spray may or may not work, but it will require direct application to the dog in order to be effective.

The best way to elude is for enough time to pass for the dispersion of the spoor or to switch to a travel mode where you can move faster than those tracking you. Methods like JWR describes do work, but some require time to set up and the spoor may drift around the trap such that the dog isn’t affected at all. Placement is critical to ensure the dogs are forced to funnel into the trap.

Once the dog knows he has you, the only sure fire way to avoid being tracked further is termination of the dog.

A windy day or fast mode of travel is your best method of avoidance.

Economics and Investing:

Saudi Arabia’s Oil-Price War Is With Stupid Money

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A reset coming to world financial markets and if you’ve been paying attention it’s impossible to ignore the signs

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Items from Mr. Econocobas:

The Fed Still Wants Easy Money – Sometimes I just have to laugh my way through articles. This is one of this times.

U.S. Pushing for Greek Solution in ‘Interest of Entire World’ – Don’t know how this is going to shake out, but this really is worth following.

Inflation Goal May Be Too Low, Says Fed’s Rosengren – Really??

Video: Faber: Global Economy is ‘Weakening’

Odds ‘n Sods:

The FDA Might Finally Crack Down on Homeopathy. – H.L.

I have mixed feelings on this one. There are some real crack-pot remedies being pushed out there, but the FDA doesn’t exactly have a stellar reputation of regulation either.

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Why Google Is the New Evil Empire. – D.S.

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Wisconsin’s Shame: ‘I Thought It Was a Home Invasion’. – JBG

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The Medical Cartel: Too Big to Fail, Too Evil to Expose. – H.L.

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Abandoned By White House, Americans Describe Tense Escapes From Yemen. – B.B.

Notes for Tuesday – April 21, 2015

April 21st is Aggie Muster Day for all Texas A&M Corps of Cadets graduates. Aggie Muster celebrations/meetings are held as far away as Japan, Germany, and Afghanistan. I should mention that Jim’s grandfather (a U.S. Army Cavalry LTC) was an Aggie– something mentioned so often that everyone in his family felt like de facto Aggies, too. Other than the officers that matriculate though West Point, the four institutions that seem to have the greatest ongoing esprit de corps for graduates are Texas A&M, The Citadel, Norwich University, and VMI. Jim felt almost obliged to include an Aggie character in his novels Survivors and Founders, even though his connection to Texas A&M is two generations removed.

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Today, we present another entry for Round 58 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The $12,000+ worth of prizes for this round include:

First Prize:

  1. A Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate, good for any one, two, or three course (a $1,195 value),
  2. A course certificate from onPoint Tactical. This certificate will be for the prize winner’s choice of three-day civilian courses. (Excluding those restricted for military or government teams.) Three day onPoint courses normally cost $795,
  3. DRD Tactical is providing a 5.56 NATO QD Billet upper with a hammer forged, chromlined barrel and a hard case to go with your own AR lower. It will allow any standard AR type rifle to have quick change barrel, which can be assembled in less than one minute without the use of any tools, and a compact carry capability in a hard case or 3-day pack (an $1,100 value),
  4. Gun Mag Warehouse is providing 20 Magpul pmags 30rd Magazines (a value of $300) and a Gun Mag Warehouse T-Shirt. (An equivalent prize will be awarded for residents in states with magazine restrictions.),
  5. Two cases of Mountain House freeze dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources (a $350 value),
  6. A pre-selected assortment of military surplus gear from CJL Enterprize (a $300 value),
  7. A Model 120 Series Solar Generator provided by Quantum Harvest LLC (a $340 value),
  8. A $300 gift certificate from Freeze Dry Guy,
  9. A $250 gift certificate from Sunflower Ammo,
  10. KellyKettleUSA.com is donating both an AquaBrick water filtration kit and a Stainless Medium Scout Kelly Kettle Complete Kit with a combined retail value of $304,
  11. TexasgiBrass.com is providing a $300 gift certificate, and
  12. Two cases of meals, Ready to Eat (MREs), courtesy of CampingSurvival.com (a $180 value).

Second Prize:

  1. A Glock form factor SIRT laser training pistol and a SIRT AR-15/M4 Laser Training Bolt, courtesy of Next Level Training, which have a combined retail value of $589,
  2. A FloJak EarthStraw “Code Red” 100-foot well pump system (a $500 value), courtesy of FloJak.com,
  3. Acorn Supplies is donating a Deluxe Food Storage Survival Kit with a retail value of $350,
  4. The Ark Institute is donating a non-GMO, non-hybrid vegetable seed package–enough for two families of four, seed storage materials, a CD-ROM of Geri Guidetti’s book “Build Your Ark! How to Prepare for Self Reliance in Uncertain Times”, and two bottles of Potassium Iodate– a $325 retail value,
  5. A $250 gift card from Emergency Essentials,
  6. Twenty Five books, of the winners choice, of any books published by PrepperPress.com (a $270 value),
  7. TexasgiBrass.com is providing a $150 gift certificate, and
  8. RepackBox is providing a $300 gift certificate to their site.

Third Prize:

  1. A Royal Berkey water filter, courtesy of Directive 21 (a $275 value),
  2. A large handmade clothes drying rack, a washboard, and a Homesteading for Beginners DVD, all courtesy of The Homestead Store, with a combined value of $206,
  3. *Expanded sets of both washable feminine pads and liners, donated by Naturally Cozy (a $185 retail value),
  4. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security,
  5. Mayflower Trading is donating a $200 gift certificate for homesteading appliances,
  6. APEX Gun Parts is donating a $250 purchase credit,
  7. Montie Gear is donating a Y-Shot Slingshot and a Locking Rifle Rack (a $379 value), and
  8. Two 1,000-foot spools of full mil-spec U.S.-made 750 paracord (in-stock colors only) from www.TOUGHGRID.com (a $240 value).

Round 58 ends on May 31st, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that there is a 1,500-word minimum, and that articles on practical “how to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.

“Internet” Without Infrastructure – Part 1, by R.H.

Communication, outgoing and incoming, is obviously vitally important, but we tend to take for granted the various channels available to us at this time. The telephone, email, and even television and radio media rely on a huge amount of civil infrastructure– the same infrastructure that we rely on for water, sewage service, food, electrical power, transportation, shipping and basic mail, and both fire suppression and law enforcement services. The Internet has become a vital part of that infrastructure. Without a functional power grid and cable or telephone service, the Internet does not exist. It could be argued that, even in the total absence of the rest of the infrastructure, very basic Internet services, such as email and even limited access to local, national, and world news, could mean the difference between survival and death for many, or at least the difference between sanity and insanity. At the very least, they could become a substitute for the postal and telephone services and would be extremely helpful. There is a way to provide these basic services without the normal infrastructure. By transferring files from computer to computer in any ways available, it’s possible to build a very broad “Internet” of sorts.

Imagine your favorite (or most dreaded) TEOTWAWKI scenario. Now, alter it slightly by introducing very basic, albeit slow, email service, access to at least a few of your most trusted blogs, and some community or national news sites for security information, news, and want ads. It’s at least an improvement, isn’t it? Is it really practical? Absolutely!

In case you think that I am just talking about copying files between computers in your neighborhood, or on the other hand that I am talking about some grand idea of replacing the whole Internet, please hear me out. This is something that is inevitably going to happen anyway if/when the infrastructure fails. It will happen in some form and to some degree. However, with a little organization and adoption of some very basic standards, it could give us all a viable substitute that could provide the most vital elements of modern communication and media, even after TEOTWAWKI. When this happens, it will probably have a name of some sort, but there is no telling what name will stick. It could be called “Internet Without Infrastructure” (IWI), “The SneakerNet”, “SneakerWeb”, “Big SneakerNet”, “The UnderNet”, “The UnderWeb”, or any number of names I could think of. In this article, I will just refer to it as “the network”.

Executive Summary

Here’s the summary of how it works, with much more detail to follow:

  1. Each separate communication or blog entry is put into a small file (text, binary, encrypted or whatever).
  2. The filename of the file is unique, but it also always starts with the unique address of the recipient (which is mutually agreed upon in advance or, if not, the recipient’s pre TEOTWAWKI email address). In the case of a blog entry or site, the URL is used.
  3. The file is put onto a USB key, flash drive, or SD card, along with hundreds, thousands, or millions of other messages. The USB key, flash drive, or SD card is called a “mail pouch” or just a “pouch”.
  4. A “Postmaster” (anyone with a working computer and a willingness to help) seeks out other Postmasters and swaps files with him/her, copying all files from pouch A to pouch B, then back to A, ignoring any duplicates. At this point, both pouches now contain a combination of everything from both.
  5. Each Postmaster, in turn, seeks out other Postmasters and exchanges the messages in their pouches with them in the same manner.
  6. To receive a message (or see a blog or website), the recipient contacts any Postmaster and searches for his own unique address, or the name of the blog or site, in the master mail pouch.
  7. Postmasters apply a few simple protocols (described later) to purge old messages, prevent sabotage, keep the system running, and maintain the integrity of the network.

In one sentence, it’s: “Put your message in a file, give the file a unique name that always starts with the destination address, and then spread the message far and wide.”

There are technical aspects to this, which I cover here for completeness, but not everyone needs to know everything about it. The better it is generally understood, the better it will work, but Postmasters will inevitably be the specialists who know the techniques better than anyone else.

As soon as I’ve described the few technology items that are required to bring this about, I’ll give the rest of how it works, what the protocols are, and various ways that it can be used to provide secure, anonymous communication in a community, a region, a country, or the world.

Details

What’s Required?

Only a few basic technology items are necessary, but no real infrastructure is required.

Computers. Some computers, of course, must have survived any EMP (Electro-Magnetic Pulse, caused by a solar event or military nuclear device) that might have been part of the event that triggered the TEOTWAWKI scenario in the first place. Of course, they must be kept powered or charged as well. These computers could be desktops, if someone has the ability to keep them powered, but laptops would be very much preferable, requiring less power and being more mobile. In theory, tablets or smartphones (iPhone or Android) could be made to work, but it would require special skills to set them up and probably some custom applications. For now, let’s assume that we will use full computers, such as laptops or desktops, running Windows, Mac, or Linux operating systems. Another thing to remember is that computers, like anything else, eventually break. So, of course, the saying “two is one, and one is none” applies to computers also.

Power. I can’t stress enough the importance of being able to keep the computers powered or charged. This can be done with solar cells or generators, but don’t count on fuel being available or wait until after TEOTWAWKI to find out that your solar cells won’t cut it.

If there is an EMP, it’s very likely that any computers that were plugged directly into the grid at the time, and even many (or most?) that were not plugged in, will be “fried”. In addition, even those that were not plugged in, especially those with antennas inside them (which is really ALL laptops, tablets, and phones these days) are likely to be unusable, unless they were protected by a Faraday cage. A Faraday cage can be built inexpensively and easily in a variety of ways with common items, such as aluminum foil, an ammo can or a metal trash can, et cetera. The subject of Faraday cages is covered elsewhere, so I won’t go into it here.

Portable Storage. Portable storage can be in the form of USB Keys, SD cards, micro SD cards, or small external USB drives. All of these items have become quite inexpensive, which is good, because we need lots of them! I will call each device a “mail pouch” or just “pouch”, just to give them a common name and so I don’t have to keep writing “USB Key” or “USB Key or SD card”. Writeable DVD’s could also be useful for making backups or possibly transferring data between machines that have compatible drives, but USB Keys and SD cards are best.

Adaptors. The only other thing required is adaptors. Just about all laptops, at the time of this writing, have a USB plug, but not all have SD card slots. A simple and inexpensive USB adaptor, available at Amazon or eBay for under $10, solves this. A micro SD card normally comes with an adaptor that makes it into an SD card, so these can be read and written using the same USB adaptor. Some adaptors come with slots of various sizes to accommodate all available sizes of SD cards, which is nice, but not absolutely necessary.

In spite of their low cost, adaptors may be the weakest link in this whole scheme. Computers are everywhere, and lots of people have USB Keys lying around. There is an SD card in just about every digital camera. Micro SD cards are in many smartphones, but adaptors are a bit less common. Post TEOTWAWKI these adaptors might not be available, so make sure you have extras. Without them, we can still use USB keys only, but that would be a shame considering how ubiquitous the SD and Micro SD cards are, and because of their other advantages that will be covered later. Micro SD cards are slower and more expensive than SD cards and USB Keys, but they also may be surprisingly easy to come by after TEOTWAWKI, since they can be “mined” from piles of now useless cell phones.

What is SneakerNet?

SneakerNet is an old term (see WikiPedia, lots of good information there). It started out as a joke. I remember it from the 80’s. Basically, it’s the idea of transferring data between computers by copying it onto some medium, which could be a USB key, SD drive, CD drive, or in the old days a floppy disk and then walking it over to another computer (in your “sneakers”) and copying it to that computer. One of the most important things that a computer network (including the Internet) does, is to transfer information between computers. Without a broad civil infrastructure, most networks fail. However, as long as you have computers and portable storage, you can still have a network of sorts, even if it’s just “SneakerNet”. Reportedly, Osama bin Laden evaded the NSA for years and kept his organization running using his own SneakerNet. However, what I’m talking about is much broader than that.

Letter Re: Locking up a Well Pump

HJL,

Can you please help me understand what you mean about locking up a well pump to prevent sabotage? Even if my well pump is locked, a saboteur intent on destroying my well could still dump poison down the air vent or take a k-saw or sledge hammer to the exposed portions of the pump. Unless you are erecting an impenetrable concrete and steel structure around your pump, I don’t understand what you are protecting by putting a lock on a manual well pump.

Preventing an uninvited neighbor from cycling your well pump does not protect your well from damage. It does keep thirsty people from obtaining water, which may cause them to behave unpredictably, and withholding an unlimited supply of water from those who need it ranks among the most unchristian things I can think of to do in a disaster. This concept of placing a lock on an outdoor well pump is a real head-scratcher to me.

HJL responds: It’s similar to the concept of locking your house. If your house is built like the majority of modern houses, your house is inherently insecure. Most homes can be breached with a simple kick on the front door, but even if you take the precautions of securing the doors and even placing bars on the windows, a determined attacker is still going to gain entry. The best you can do is slow them down and make them work a little bit harder. Most criminals are lazy; if they have to work at it, they won’t bother. Years ago, the local locksmith told me that the secret to keeping your home from being broken into is to make your neighbor’s home seem more attractive to a criminal. If your neighbor puts up a chain link fence, you put up a fence and bars on your windows. If he posts a “security” sign in his yard, you post a “video security” sign in yours.

The bottom line is that if someone is determined to sabotage your well, there is very little you can do to stop him. However, you can certainly make it difficult for him. If that person is not acting with a determined mind and willing to put significant effort into it, he will simply move on. The vast majority of vandalism in this area is simply vandalism of opportunity. Just don’t give them the opportunity. After all, you probably don’t leave your front door unlocked or the keys in your car all the time either. It is important to remember that locking your front door does not prevent you from extending charity to people any more than securing your well head does.

News From The American Redoubt:

Oregon Man Gets Prison Sentence For Collecting Rainwater On His Own Property. – RBS

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Dad of CEO who announced 70K salaries: ‘We’re really surprised’ I wonder how surprised they will be when the price of a McDonald’s hamburger hits $15? I wonder if they can make the connection?

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Rural Residents of the People’s Republic of Oregon want to pump their own gas. – RBS

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Idaho Limits Forced Blood Draws From Motorists

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For those who are thinking of moving to the Redoubt area, Survival Realty has some awesome listings right now:

http://www.survivalrealty.com/2015/04/bookers-retreat-remote-salmon.html “The Rawles family has enjoyed exploring the Salmon River area of Idaho. It is rugged country and truly some of the most remote in the state. Currently a resort, this property offers a remarkable opportunity for a self-sufficient retreat, with rooms for multiple families in an extremely secure location.”

http://www.survivalrealty.com/2015/04/everything-idaho-greg-applegat.html “This property, near Deary, ID has room for a family to set up a truly sufficient lifestyle, without concern for the world’s events! With the addition of an independent power system, this home has everything one might need to survive.”

http://www.survivalrealty.com/2015/04/spectacular-81-acre-farmstead.html “This St. Maries property is an old homestead. Properties like this are a great pick because they’re historically proven as good sites for self-sufficiency without modern technology.”

http://www.survivalrealty.com/2015/04/tactical-hydro-retreat-strateg.html “This Sandpoint home on 30 acres is set at the end of the road, and offers an excellent location for micro-hydro power, as well as an extremely defensible location.”

Economics and Investing:

Student debt now makes up nearly half of federally owned financial assets. The student debt bubble edges on with many more unable to pay their debt.

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The Rise of the Paper Machines

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Items from Mr. Econocobas:

Grexit Fears Cause GDP Forecasts to Plummet

Did Greece Just Launch Capital Controls: “Mandatory Cash Transfer” Decreed Due To “Extremely Urgent Need” –

Student Debt Accounts For Nearly Half Of US Government “Assets”

US Teeters on Brink of Economic Collapse Due to ‘Dollar Bubble’ – Ron Paul

Notes for Monday – April 20, 2015

On April 20th, 2010, an explosion on the Deepwater Horizon oil platform, leased by BP, killed 11 workers and began spewing an estimated 200 million gallons of crude into the Gulf of Mexico for nearly three months, creating the worst known offshore oil spill.

April 20th is also the day that we remember the victims of the Columbine High School tragedy, where two students stormed into a suburban high school in Littleton, Colorado in 1999, at lunch time with guns and explosives, killing 13 and wounding dozens more in what was, at the time, the nation’s deadliest school shooting.

Scot’s Product Review: DeLorme inReach Explorer

The first warning is that this is an electronic device. It probably won’t work after an EMP or Carrington event. It communicates via the Iridium satellite system, which is also used by the government, so it isn’t secure, not that any electronic communications are. It depends on the GPS satellite constellation, which is another government service. The government can, when it feels like it, degrade the accuracy of civilian GPS units or even shut down the service to all but government clients. There are, therefore, drawbacks that you have to be aware of. Regardless, the DeLorme inReach offers some pretty amazing abilities, especially for those who get off the beaten path or who need to communicate or navigate in times of a disaster, short of a countrywide collapse.

There are two inReach units. The one I reviewed, thanks to a loaner from DeLorme, is the inReach Explorer. The other one is the SE. The essential difference between the two units is that the Explorer has navigation capabilities, though it has some limits. Both units allow the user to be tracked over a web page and to send and receive messages through the Iridium satellite network anywhere on the planet.

In my mind, the biggest ability with both is that you can send an SOS message, complete with your location, by flipping off the safety lock and pressing one button. The SOS message goes to GEOS http://www.geosalliance.com/, which could be thought of as an international 911 center located in Houston, Texas. GEOS, which also provides services to other vendors, will contact the emergency dispatch site closest to your location who will then send help. Your SOS message will include your position and who you are, and you can also add information about what exactly is the nature of your problem so you can get an appropriate response.

This service is not for boo boos, however; it is for serious life-threatening matters only. You could face substantial fines or other problems if you use this feature inappropriately. There may also be charges, even for legitimate search and rescue services, and GEOS offers extra cost plans to help cover those. Such charges are unlikely in the U.S., if the call was for a real emergency, although there may be costs for ambulance services and transport to a hospital. GEOS offers medevac plans to get you from the hospital you were deposited in to a hospital of your choice. That could be a huge benefit if you are far from home or in a location with subpar medical care. Information on the plans, costs, and how they work are on the GEOS http://www.geosalliance.com/ website.

Besides the SOS function, you can text message or email whoever you desire. I had to spend some time to get used to messaging with the inReach. The functions were not intuitive to my personal brain, but I persisted with bumbling about until I was able to do it. Part of the problem is that, besides the SOS button and its safety lock, there are only three controls on the unit– an enter button, an escape button, and a four-way rocker switch. The screen is about 1.5×1 inches, which is a bit small for the amount of information it can deliver. You have to scroll around a virtual keyboard with the rocker switch to compose and address messages, though it does start to learn words and addresses and prompt for them, which can help a bit.

There are pre-written messages, like “yes”, “no”, “starting trip”, “delayed”, or “pick me up” among others, which I found very useful. You can add more from the web page that works with your inReach account.

When you send a message, there is a little rotating icon next to it until it completes sending, which is helpful to know. It took me a while to figure that out, which frustrated me since I wanted to be sure the message went out. I didn’t see this information in the rather sparse “get started” manual that came with the unit, when I read it. There is, however, a lot of information on the DeLorme website that I found very helpful. There is also help information available on the device.

When someone replies to an email message, it is important for them to know that they can’t reply directly to the email. They have to go to the link that came with the email and use the messaging function on the web page. The email does warn the recipient, but many people don’t fully digest what they read. (Who, me?) If you want people to retain the ability to message you, be sure to warn them not to delete the email with the link or to at least bookmark the link.

Thankfully, you can reply directly to a text message from your cell phone. Every text message I sent came to my cellphone with the same “reply to” number, so one could add it to their address book for future use. The text message contains a link that will take you to a map showing the sender’s location, if your phone can do that. The map, as with the one that comes with an email, uses the excellent DeLorme topographic maps, as well as offering a simpler version with just the streets or a satellite view. The satellite view showed where I was sitting inside my house, which was somewhat disturbing in some ways. You can also configure it to include your longitude and latitude with a text message.

A key point to remember about messaging is that, unlike your cell phone, it is not instantaneous. To save battery life, the inReach checks at preset intervals. You can, however, change the intervals or force a check whenever you wish. You may still have to wait for a satellite to come into view, however, for the inReach to connect.

The navigation features of the inReach are helpful but rudimentary. The problem is that the maps presented on the inReach have no details. You can create a waypoint to navigate to, but you pretty much have to know its longitude and latitude. It is possible to scroll the map and point to a location, but without map features, that is tough. You can’t just ask it to show you Shellman, Georgia, how to get there, and what’s in between. Entering the information for a waypoint on the inReach itself is tedious and really requires a map with longitude and latitude.

When you subscribe to a plan for the inReach, you get access to a web page that gives you access to the excellent DeLorme topographic maps, upon which you can plan a route and place waypoints. When you connect the inReach to your computer, you can use their Sync application to upload the information to the inReach. This makes it a lot easier to use for navigation.

When you plan a route, you are actually drawing a line across the map, not saying I’m here and want to go there. It isn’t like one of the car GPS units that can follow roads automatically. This has advantages in that you can create off-road treks, but it really isn’t designed for navigating your car. You can do it, but it will take more effort than most car-oriented GPS units.

Once you have placed your waypoints in the inReach, it will show you which way to go to get to them. If you have input a route, it will guide you along it. There is also a compass, so you know which direction is which. This is all extraordinarily useful if you go astray.

You can upload contacts from the web page, which is a lot easier than entering them through the inReach. The inReach will remember any addresses to which you send a message, which does help the next time you message that person.

When you send an email message to someone, it will include your location. You can have the inReach track you at desired intervals and send periodic messages to tell people where you are. If you don’t think Facebook and Twitter are security violations, it can update those too. I didn’t try this feature, as I don’t do social networks. It is possible to set up access for family or friends, so they can ping your inReach to see where you are now, but there may be costs when they do it, depending on your service plan.

There is the usual stuff on the web page to manage your account, and you will need access to it to finalize setting up the inReach, as it requires a lot of emergency contact information should you ever need rescue.

In my view, the inReach really comes to life if you have an Android or Apple device with Bluetooth. You can pretty much run the inReach using DeLorme’s Earthmate app from the mobile device, which is a whole lot easier than using the three buttons on the inReach. Even more powerful are the full-featured maps you can download from DeLorme and display on whatever size screen you can afford and feel like carrying.

The one drawback is that I didn’t find a search function to find addresses on the PC or mobile device maps. To set a destination, you need to locate it on the map and mark it as a waypoint. On the mobile device or inReach, it will draw a straight line from where you are to the waypoint. You can create additional waypoints along the trails or roads you plan to use to force it to route you along your desired path. This gets tedious, though. The web-based, PC version gives you the option to draw the route as precisely as you desire, though it takes time and energy.

Messaging was also far easier with a paired device. You can create additional preset messages that are easily accessible from the app and access contacts in your address book. While it will send and receive messages from the mobile device through the inReach, it will not sync your contacts without an Internet connection.

I had no problems getting it to pair with a 2012 Nexus 7 tablet, and it worked quite well. One oddity to me was seeing that the app required the mobile device to have its own GPS, rather than pulling information from the inReach. So, beware of that.

One thing to always remember about the inReach is that it depends on satellites that use line-of-sight radio frequencies. That means you are trying to get a signal to something overhead; if there is much between you and the satellite, it won’t work well. The GPS in the unit was startlingly sensitive, and as noted above could even detect in which room I was hiding in my house, which has a plywood sheathed asphalt shingled roof. It didn’t work in my shed with a metal roof, so there is some safety from it.

The messaging was not as good as the GPS. It would work from a window in my office, which was a bit of surprise. It definitely worked better than the Iridium handsets I managed back in my newspaper days, so technology has improved in the last ten years. Heavy tree cover will cause issues with the messaging system, and it may be necessary to move to an area with a clearer view of the sky. It is best to have a full view of the sky, not just part of it as a satellite might be on the wrong side of whatever is preventing you from seeing the whole sky. Since there are 66 satellites in the system and they are in different planes of orbit, sooner or later most of your local sky will be covered, but it can take longer to get out a message if it has to wait for a satellite to show up. Being deep in a canyon is a particular problem as only a small part of the sky is available and it may be a long while before a satellite can see you. This is why satellite communications don’t work well in downtown cities with tall buildings.

Another concern is that messages on satellite services don’t always go through as quickly as they do on your cell phone. Satellite services use older and slower technologies. You have to add this to the wait time for a satellite to be in view. I had a wide range of times to send and receive messages, from almost instantaneous to 20 minutes. It usually took three to five minutes to punch one out from my office window and one to two minutes while we were walking the dog with it hung from my neck on a lanyard. It also worked well on a road trip hanging from my rear view mirror while driving south, but it didn’t work well at all while going north. So, apparently the car roof was blocking the needed portion of the sky.

The inReach weighs just 6.7 ounces, and it measure 6.0 inches high, 2.5 inches wide, and 1.3 inches thick. You can get it for $359.00 from Amazon. You also need a subscription service to use it. There are two types of plans– an annual contract and the Freedom plan, which allows you to suspend service whenever you don’t think you will need it. There are different levels of plans, and if you pay more you get more services. The plans run from $12 to $100 per month. The Freedom plan requires a $25 annual fee, and then you turn it on when needed for 30 day increments. You have to have an Internet connection to activate it after suspending it.

I should mention that there is another device that somewhat competes with the inReach; it’s the Personal Locator Beacon (PLB.) PLB’s run about the same price as an inReach but only do one thing– call for help. They operate on different satellites and communicate with Cospas-Sarsat– an international governmental organization. Cospas-Sarsat stands for Space System for the Search of Vessels in Distress-Search and Rescue Satellite-Aided Tracking which is a breath-taking but descriptive name. PLB’s system operates with more power and on a lower frequency than inReach’s, which gives them a better ability to reach the satellite through overhead cover. If you buy one, be sure to get one with a built-in GPS. Some don’t have this capability, which makes it harder to find you. If all you want is to get help, a PLB might be a better choice, and they have no subscription fees; however, the messaging ability of the inReach is extremely useful, in my view.

DeLorme rates the battery life at 100 hours with tracking points sent at 10-minute intervals. This will vary, depending on how much other messaging you do or how long you keep the screen lit. The rated battery life seemed realistic in my trials. It charges quickly from a USB charger.

Delorme markets inReach largely to outdoors people, like hunters, hikers, and the like. As a prepper, I have mixed feeling about the inReach. The requirements for satellite and Internet service and the inherent insecurity of electronic communications concern me. I do know I am going to buy one for my son when he starts going on scout trips next year, so I can keep track of where he is and he can call for help if needed. I may have a squabble with the scouting leadership over it but so it goes. They don’t like electronic devices on trips, but I see this as quite different from a game thing or texting on a cell phone.

One big caveat about any electronic navigational device is that you should not throw out your paper maps and compass. Electronics get broken, fail, or we forget to charge batteries. As preppers, we have concerns about EMP or Carrington events. Any electronic device that is in communication with other electronic devices is a security issue. I see inReach as a very useful tool, but we mustn’t forget these facts about electronics.

Out of curiosity, I put the inReach in one of the MobileSec Cell Phone blocker bags I reviewed in December, and a single bag appeared to completely block the signal to the Iridium and GPS satellites. It appears to me that when the inReach is powered down, it is invisible, but I can imagine times when one would want to be completely sure of privacy, and these bags would take care of that concern.

I currently live in an area with solid cell phone coverage in normal times, but I would like to have this capability on hand for hurricanes and other regional issues. If we were still spending much time outdoors out of cellular coverage, it would be a no brainer, but it is hard in my part of the country these days to escape cellular contact even when you want to. As much as I would like to have this capability, the monthly costs and initial outlay deter me until I get it for my son’s trips. I also have the feeling that they will come out with better products down the road that might answer my desire to do address searches and provide the ability to plot over road navigation as well as by straight line.

If you decide an inReach is for you, expect to spend some time learning to use it along with the web site and the Earthmate app. Like any powerful tool, it requires commitment. Some of the features aren’t obvious to find. I spent several hours working with them and then going back and doing research and then working some more. It was all worthwhile, but it wasn’t always instinctive for me. The most important function, though, getting help, is obvious and easy to use and would be a great comfort to have at any time.

– SurvivalBlog Field Gear Editor, Scot Frank Erie