Fade to Gray: Files and Documents – Part 3, by J.M.

(Continued from Part 2. This concludes the article.)

Document Tools

Being able to store sensitive files and minimizing the chances of someone finding them is useful, but you still need to be able to view and edit the files in a secure and private manner without leaving details on what files you’ve worked on and what they contain all over your system (or the Internet). Many of the commercially available document and file editing tools such as Microsoft Office store a lot of information on what files you’ve worked on and potentially what’s stored inside them (for your own good, of course), and Microsoft has pretty much abandoned the standalone edition of Office and is forcing people to start using the online Office 365 version. Using free tools like Google Docs compounds the problem by moving all of your content under Google’s control. To further increase the privacy and security of your sensitive content we’re going to set up some free tools on the removable drive that provide all of the functionality you need but do a really good job of protecting your privacy.

The first tool set we’re going to use is called LibreOffice, which is a free and open source office suite similar to Microsoft Office. It includes:

  • Writer – Documents (similar to Microsoft Word)
  • Calc – Spreadsheets (similar to Microsoft Excel)
  • Draw – Diagrams (similar to Microsoft Visio)
  • Presentation (similar to Microsoft PowerPoint)
  • Database (similar to Microsoft Access)
  • Other tools

One really nice feature of LibreOffice is that it can open most equivalent Microsoft Office documents – LibreOffice Writer can open most MS Word documents (.doc, .docx), LibreOffice Calc can open most MS Excel spreadsheets (.xls, .xlsx, .csv, etc.), etc. That allows you to keep using files you may already have. Note that LibreOffice has its own file format called the Open Document Format, with file extensions that start with ‘.ODx’, where ‘x’ is different for each application. Here’s a complete list of the various file types LibreOffice supports – https://fileinfo.com/software/libreoffice/libreoffice.

Most LibreOffice tools are very similar to their MS Office counterparts, so I’m not going to go over how to use them, but the LibreOffice folks have created some great documentation for each of the tools.Continue reading“Fade to Gray: Files and Documents – Part 3, by J.M.”

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you.

For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night.

For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape.

But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief.

Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness.

Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober.

For they that sleep sleep in the night; and they that be drunken are drunken in the night.

But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of salvation.

For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ,

Who died for us, that, whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with him.

Wherefore comfort yourselves together, and edify one another, even as also ye do.

And we beseech you, brethren, to know them which labour among you, and are over you in the Lord, and admonish you;

And to esteem them very highly in love for their work’s sake. And be at peace among yourselves.

Now we exhort you, brethren, warn them that are unruly, comfort the feebleminded, support the weak, be patient toward all men.

See that none render evil for evil unto any man; but ever follow that which is good, both among yourselves, and to all men.

Rejoice evermore.

Pray without ceasing.

In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.” – 1 Thessalonians 5:1-18 (KJV)

Preparedness Notes for Saturday — February 12, 2022

February 12th is the birthday of theologian and journalist Cotton Mather (1663–1728).

—

SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 99 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include:

First Prize:

  1. The photovoltaic power specialists at Quantum Harvest LLC  are providing a store-wide 10% off coupon. Depending on the model chosen, this could be worth more than $2000.
  2. A Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate. This can be used for any of their one, two, or three-day course (a $1,095 value),
  3. A course certificate from onPoint Tactical 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,
  4. Two cases of Mountain House freeze-dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources (a $350 value),
  5. A $250 gift certificate good for any product from Sunflower Ammo,
  6. American Gunsmithing Institute (AGI) is providing a $300 certificate good towards any of their DVD training courses.
  7. Two sets of The Civil Defense Manual, (in two volumes) — a $193 value — kindly donated by the author, Jack Lawson.

Second Prize:

  1. A SIRT STIC AR-15/M4 Laser Training Package, courtesy of Next Level Training, that has a combined retail value of $679,
  2. 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).
  3. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security, LLC,
  4. A transferable $150 FRN purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun. There is no paperwork required for delivery of pre-1899 guns into most states, making them the last bastion of firearms purchasing privacy!

Third Prize:

  1. Three sets each of made-in-USA regular and wide-mouth reusable canning lids. (This is a total of 300 lids and 600 gaskets.) This prize is courtesy of Harvest Guard (a $270 value)
  2. A Royal Berkey water filter, courtesy of Directive 21 (a $275 value),
  3. A transferable $100 FRN purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun.

—

More than $725,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest. Round 99 ends on March 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.

 

Fade to Gray: Files and Documents – Part 2, by J.M.

(Continued from Part 1.)

Hidden Rooms and Secret Passages

VeraCrypt has an extremely useful feature called a ‘hidden volume’, which is what we’ll be using to hide and protect sensitive files. As I mentioned earlier, a volume is basically a chunk of storage (file) that Windows mounts and assigns a drive letter to. What VeraCrypt does is allows you to create a big encrypted file and mount that as a virtual storage volume – ‘virtual’ in this case just means that the volume doesn’t correspond to a unique physical storage device, since the file can be moved anywhere and still mounted and accessed. However, VeraCrypt goes one step further and allows you to create a second hidden encrypted volume inside the first volume – which volume is mounted depends on which password you type in when you tell VeraCrypt to mount the file that contains the volumes.

In order to keep the storage space separate for the two volumes inside the file, VeraCrypt stores files in the outer decoy volume starting at the beginning and moving towards the end. The inner hidden volume is created from the end of the file and is filled in towards the front. This creates a situation that you need to understand – if you have the outer decoy volume mounted and add a lot of files after you’ve created a hidden inner volume in the same file, you could potentially overwrite the beginning of the hidden volume, which will mess up the hidden volume and prevent you from ever mounting it again. Conversely, once you’ve created the volume file and a hidden volume inside of it, you can’t expand the size of either without messing things up.Continue reading“Fade to Gray: Files and Documents – Part 2, by J.M.”

Letter Re: Dragon’s Breath

Dear Editor,
I’m writing you concerning a recent article advocating the use of homemade imitation “Dragons Breath” 12 gauge rounds.  This practice is both physically dangerous and legally problematic.  Gun writers and attorneys have warned against this sort of thing in the past.

Point 1:  Things that increase the flammability of rounds inside domestic structures are a pretty bad idea.  Carpet and modern furnishings often contain chemicals that burn more easily than natural fibers.  A self-defense scenario could easily involve a call to the fire department after that.  In a rural area with lengthy response times, that could result in the loss of one’s home.

Point 2:  Using a firearm as a “less-lethal” tool is physically dangerous.  The defender can make a mistake about which kind of round is in the chamber, and it could also lead to careless handling.  In a former life, I spent several years in the security industry and I also worked for a state agency.  When issued defense tools, it was VERY clear which were lethal and which were “less lethal.”  We did not mix them!  Agencies don’t stick pepper-spray devices or tasers on handguns, no matter how convenient it might be.  The potential for a mistake is just too great.

Point 3:  Using a firearm as a “less-lethal” tool is legally risky.  In the vast majority of encounters, if you’re justified in using something that is less-lethal, you’re also justified in simply using a lethal weapon.  People sometimes assume that “I didn’t mean to hurt him” is a legal defense.  It isn’t.  Your success in court is highly dependent on the nature of your local law enforcement and the nature of your local district attorney.  While we still have Rule-Of-Law, a defender’s main goal after survival is to avoid becoming a DEFENDANT.  Using improvised things in a shotgun works against that goal.  It can increase legal costs, or even result in an undeserved conviction.

Point 4:  Just to add, avoid trying to use pyrotechnic devices for defense.  As an example, 37mm flare launchers or fireworks mortars may throw flame and smoke, but using one as an anti-personnel device will land you in prison for 10 years – it becomes an unregistered destructive device when used in that manner.  The police will turn you over to the BATFE.  I don’t agree with the laws, but while we still have Rule-Of-Law….it is what it is.
Please avoid jail time and legal expenses by purchasing commercially produced “less-lethal” tools if that is what you truly desire.  There are excellent pepper-ball launchers, tasers, and giant canisters of OC spray.  Tested, approved, and easily recognizable as “less-lethal” devices.  Lethal weapons are intended to be lethal.  We all enjoy experimenting with things on range day, but responsible folks remember the difference between enjoyment and earnest use.

Yours in Freedom, – SwampFox

Editors’ Prepping Progress

To be prepared for a crisis, every Prepper must establish goals and make long-term and short-term plans. In this column, the SurvivalBlog editors review their week’s prep activities and planned prep activities for the coming week. These range from healthcare and gear purchases to gardening, ranch improvements, bug out bag fine-tuning, and food storage. This is something akin to our Retreat Owner Profiles, but written incrementally and in detail, throughout the year.  We always welcome you to share your own successes and wisdom in your e-mailed letters. We post many of those –or excerpts thereof — in this column, in the Odds ‘n Sods Column, and in the Snippets column. Let’s keep busy and be ready!

Jim Reports:

We made some progress on projects here at the ranch. Some of those involved acquiring and moving furniture to accommodate our eldest daughter, in a different sleeping arrangement. Now that she has a job and has to work some night shifts, she needs a more quiet and dark place to sleep.

I was also busy with a 4-wheel drive vehicle purchase, and that required a lot of online research. I tend to take every large cash outlay very seriously and deliberately.

Continue reading“Editors’ Prepping Progress”

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“And God said unto Jacob, Arise, go up to Bethel, and dwell there: and make there an altar unto God, that appeared unto thee when thou fleddest from the face of Esau thy brother.

Then Jacob said unto his household, and to all that were with him, Put away the strange gods that are among you, and be clean, and change your garments:

And let us arise, and go up to Bethel; and I will make there an altar unto God, who answered me in the day of my distress, and was with me in the way which I went.

And they gave unto Jacob all the strange gods which were in their hand, and all their earrings which were in their ears; and Jacob hid them under the oak which was by Shechem.

And they journeyed: and the terror of God was upon the cities that were round about them, and they did not pursue after the sons of Jacob.

So Jacob came to Luz, which is in the land of Canaan, that is, Bethel, he and all the people that were with him.

And he built there an altar, and called the place Elbethel: because there God appeared unto him, when he fled from the face of his brother.

But Deborah, Rebekah’s nurse died, and she was buried beneath Bethel under an oak: and the name of it was called Allonbachuth.

And God appeared unto Jacob again, when he came out of Padanaram, and blessed him.

And God said unto him, Thy name is Jacob: thy name shall not be called any more Jacob, but Israel shall be thy name: and he called his name Israel.

And God said unto him, I am God Almighty: be fruitful and multiply; a nation and a company of nations shall be of thee, and kings shall come out of thy loins;

And the land which I gave Abraham and Isaac, to thee I will give it, and to thy seed after thee will I give the land.

And God went up from him in the place where he talked with him.

And Jacob set up a pillar in the place where he talked with him, even a pillar of stone: and he poured a drink offering thereon, and he poured oil thereon.

And Jacob called the name of the place where God spake with him, Bethel.

And they journeyed from Bethel; and there was but a little way to come to Ephrath: and Rachel travailed, and she had hard labour.

And it came to pass, when she was in hard labour, that the midwife said unto her, Fear not; thou shalt have this son also.

And it came to pass, as her soul was in departing, (for she died) that she called his name Benoni: but his father called him Benjamin.

And Rachel died, and was buried in the way to Ephrath, which is Bethlehem.

And Jacob set a pillar upon her grave: that is the pillar of Rachel’s grave unto this day.” – Genesis 35:1-20 (KJV)

Preparedness Notes for Friday — February 11, 2022

February 11th is the birthday of the late Burt Blumert (born February 11, 1929 in New York City, died March 30, 2009). He was the president of the Center for Libertarian Studies in Burlingame, California, co-founder and chairman of the Mises Institute, and the publisher of LewRockwell.com. He once owned Camino Coin Company. Dr. Ron Paul also once owned the same company. Blumert is pictured on the left, in the photo above.

—

SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 99 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include:

First Prize:

  1. The photovoltaic power specialists at Quantum Harvest LLC  are providing a store-wide 10% off coupon. Depending on the model chosen, this could be worth more than $2000.
  2. A Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate. This can be used for any of their one, two, or three-day course (a $1,095 value),
  3. A course certificate from onPoint Tactical 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,
  4. Two cases of Mountain House freeze-dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources (a $350 value),
  5. A $250 gift certificate good for any product from Sunflower Ammo,
  6. American Gunsmithing Institute (AGI) is providing a $300 certificate good towards any of their DVD training courses.
  7. Two sets of The Civil Defense Manual, (in two volumes) — a $193 value — kindly donated by the author, Jack Lawson.

Second Prize:

  1. A SIRT STIC AR-15/M4 Laser Training Package, courtesy of Next Level Training, that has a combined retail value of $679,
  2. 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).
  3. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security, LLC,
  4. A transferable $150 FRN purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun. There is no paperwork required for delivery of pre-1899 guns into most states, making them the last bastion of firearms purchasing privacy!

Third Prize:

  1. Three sets each of made-in-USA regular and wide-mouth reusable canning lids. (This is a total of 300 lids and 600 gaskets.) This prize is courtesy of Harvest Guard (a $270 value)
  2. A Royal Berkey water filter, courtesy of Directive 21 (a $275 value),
  3. A transferable $100 FRN purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun.

—

More than $725,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest. Round 99 ends on March 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.

Fade to Gray: Files and Documents – Part 1, by J.M.

If you’re reading SurvivalBlog it’s a safe assumption you use a computer of some type, and you probably also use your computer for more than just surfing the Internet. One of the nice things about computers is that they make creating, editing, storing and moving large amounts of information a lot easier than trying to do everything with pen and paper, and a decent laptop with some solar panels for charging can operate for years even after the grid goes down. This allows you to easily create, edit and view things like inventories, maps of cache locations, communications SOPs, defense plans, codebooks, intelligence files, and lots of other useful but potentially sensitive information.

One of the big downsides of documenting any information is that once it exists, it can potentially be discovered and used by bad people, companies or government agencies that want what you have, want to know what you have or don’t want you to have it. This can include things like a burglar holding a gun to your head, a tech company collecting data on your activities ‘for your benefit’, a hacker living in their parent’s basement or a tyrannical government with an illegal warrant. They can either try to break in and steal your information or coerce you into giving it up. With hardcopies you may be able to come up with some clever hiding place to reduce the risk of your information being found or coerced out of you, but once it’s on a computer protecting it becomes a lot harder. The goal of this article is to provide a method of hiding and protecting your sensitive information from a lot of different risk scenarios, as well as providing you with some ‘plausible deniability’ in the event you’re forced to give up things like passwords.

One of the most common methods for protecting sensitive information on computers is encryption, which basically translates your data into unreadable characters; you need to know the secret password (referred to as the ‘key’) to translate it into something readable and usable. One of the biggest weaknesses of this approach is that you can potentially be coerced using either force or other more subtle means into giving up your key, giving the person, group or agency doing the coercing full access to everything you’re trying to protect. The method I’ll be discussing provides a capability to give the coercer a password that provides access to a completely different set of decoy files while still protecting your actual critical files.Continue reading“Fade to Gray: Files and Documents – Part 1, by J.M.”

Economics & Investing For Preppers

Here are the latest news items and commentary on current economics news, market trends, stocks, investing opportunities, and the precious metals markets. We also cover hedges, derivatives, and obscura. Most of these items are from the “tangibles heavy” contrarian perspective of SurvivalBlog’s Founder and Senior Editor, JWR. Today, we look at an upcoming turn in the real estate market, with rising interest rates. (See the Tangibles Investing section.)

Precious Metals:

The latest from Radomski: Gold Forecast: Bad News For The Euro Bulls. The USDX Is Still Strong.

o  o  o

Video: The Crackup Boom And Everything Bubble – Lawrence Lepard.

o  o  o

New Private Currency Uses Bills Filled With Real Gold.

Economy & Finance:

James Rickards: U.S. Attains Frightening Milestone.

o  o  o

Goodbye Easy Money as Hawkish Central Banks Speed Up Rate Hikes.

o  o  o

Last week’s market swing: Futures Swing As Treasury Yields Near 2%, China Plunge-Protectors Activated.

Continue reading“Economics & Investing For Preppers”

Preparedness Notes for Thursday — February 10, 2022

February 10th is the birthday of Zvi Zvika Greengold (born 1952), a Centurion tank commander who was one of Israel’s most notable heroes of the Yom Kippur War. He was awarded the country’s highest military honor, the Medal of Valor.

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Today we present a review that was co-authored by our Editor-At-Large Michael Z. Williamson and Jessica Schlenker. (Each wrote sections and they were combined.)

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We are still in need of entries for Round 99 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. More than $725,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest. Round 99 ends on March 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.

Jackery Explorer 1500 and Solar Panels, by Michael Z. Williamson and Jessica Schlenker

This is a review of a battery/inverter/solar panel combination. The Jackery “solar generator” (portable battery pack with charge controller and inverter) and the solar panels were well-packaged. They arrived just after Christmas, so temperature concerns (here in Indiana) have made testing it tricky. The battery pack arrived partially charged, and per instructions, it was plugged in to charge from a 120-volt AC wall jack.

The input options are DC from the solar cells, DC from a car (12 or 24V), or 110/120V AC household current.

Outputs are three 110V outlets (with pure sine wave power, rated for a 1,800-watt load), a 12V automotive socket, two USB A (2.4-Amp and 3-Amp) sockets, and a USB C socket.

The solar generator, a Jackery Explorer 1500, and the accompanying panels are definitely geared toward mobile needs, such as camping. The folding panels are held closed by magnets, and are easily opened. They are rated “IP55” — thus, they can take a splash, but shouldn’t be left in the rain. The “kick-stands” are held flat to the back of each side of the panel by hook-and-loop strips, and assist in orienting them. The panel units fold flat for easy transport, but should not be bent, nor have weight placed on them. Each panel has a 3-port USB direct-charge option, which also connects the cable for connecting to the solar generator.Continue reading“Jackery Explorer 1500 and Solar Panels, by Michael Z. Williamson and Jessica Schlenker”

The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods

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 “JWR”. Our goal is to educate our readers, to help them to recognize emerging threats, and to be better prepared for both disasters and negative societal trends. You can’t mitigate a risk if you haven’t first identified a risk. Today, we look at a 2022 resurgence in the preparedness movement.

More Americans Prep for Doomsday

Across the Divide: More Americans prep for Doomsday—while rural residents live it.

Prepping is Not Just for Pandemics

Over at Granite Grok: Preppers – It Isn’t Just For Pandemics Anymore.

Harvest Guard Has Lids Back in Stock!

After a difficult 2021, and nearly a full year of working through a list of backorders lasting many months, Harvest Guard Reusable Canning Lids reports that they have filled all open orders and are returning to 1-3 day shipping status, as of next week. They tell us that they have significant inventory on hand to fulfill all new orders. SurvivalBlog readers, as the first to receive this news, will receive a 15% discount on all orders using the code “survivalblog” at checkout. If you’re considering reusable canning lids, then now is a good time to order!

What You Need to Know About Revolutions

Historian Stephen Mansfield is interviewed by John Lovell of Warrior Poet Society: What you need to Know about Revolutions.

Continue reading“The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods”