Showing posts with label Survival. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Survival. Show all posts
Wednesday, July 13, 2016
Wednesday, May 6, 2015
Rocket Stove Concept #1
Backyard Projects - Rocket Stoves
After digging around my 100 year-old shed I found a collection of cinder blocks that were used at one point to make steps off our patio and thought to myself, "With these I think I can make a small rocket stove."
After a couple minutes of different configurations I came up with one that actually allowed for a fire chamber and chimney setup and it worked pretty well. One wood match on some yard debris (which I have plethora of) in the chamber and it was off and cooking!
Next up will be a much heavier duty stove that I plan and making as a fixture in our backyard and also will be a lot safer by being surrounded by stone and away from anything that could burn.
After digging around my 100 year-old shed I found a collection of cinder blocks that were used at one point to make steps off our patio and thought to myself, "With these I think I can make a small rocket stove."
After a couple minutes of different configurations I came up with one that actually allowed for a fire chamber and chimney setup and it worked pretty well. One wood match on some yard debris (which I have plethora of) in the chamber and it was off and cooking!
Next up will be a much heavier duty stove that I plan and making as a fixture in our backyard and also will be a lot safer by being surrounded by stone and away from anything that could burn.
Monday, May 4, 2015
Friday, May 1, 2015
Alternative Cooking Methods
This guy is my new hero -
YouTube channel: Cooking Different
Tea Light Candle Jalapeño Cheddar Burgers
A Heavy Duty $6 DIY Rocket Stove
YouTube channel: Cooking Different
Tea Light Candle Jalapeño Cheddar Burgers
A Heavy Duty $6 DIY Rocket Stove
Thursday, April 16, 2015
Releasing web graphic novel
Sorry for the lack of posts recently - luckily I have a good reason for it. Tomorrow on 4/17/15 we'll be going live with our graphic novel site.
Get excited!
For updates please see our Facebook page - The Wanderers: A Graphic Novel
Get excited!
For updates please see our Facebook page - The Wanderers: A Graphic Novel
Thursday, December 4, 2014
Hodgepodge Cooking - Breakfast or Lunch Concept
- Sliced Italian sausage
- Shredded cheddar
- Spanish rice
- Black beans
- Spinach
- Salsa
Never underestimate a man's ability to throw together random leftovers from the fridge...
Friday, November 28, 2014
Survival Foods - Country of Origin
[A Question of Quality]
In my pantry there are a wide variety of food items: canned fish, legumes, pastas, rice, fruit, meat all in just about every color of the rainbow. After some serious consideration I am now narrowing down my food-search going forward based on the product's country of origin. With some items I feel as though it really matters where the food comes from. Now down the line in a SHTF scenario I probably won't care what country produced and packaged my food as long as it gives me sustenance, but for now I'd like to stay as healthy as possible.
You'll find that some items are very hard to find outside of certain countries depending on where you are in North America or elsewhere. In New England I find it is hard to get certain fruits and vegetables that aren't from Mexico or South America. For example: one of my favorites is avocado, but they are more often from Chile rather than domestic.
Basic rule of thumb is try to stick to US and EU foods as they are subject to a much higher standard of quality, especially Europe. Many pesticides and preservatives approved by the FDA in the United States are outlawed in most of Europe, meaning that their food and drink industry meet a higher set of standards. So if I'm getting canned fish from say Denmark or Germany you can bet your bottom dollar it's at the very least as good, if not better than what you can get from the U.S. or even Canada. I've personally eaten in Denmark and Germany and can say firsthand that the quality of food - especially with fish and livestock is very noticeable over what you can find in a U.S. grocery store.
With Chinese distributed foods I feel a bit of unease. China is still a developing superpower - and by that I mean the infrastructure is still evolving and the government still has many holes in it. My main concern is the unknown and very unbalanced set of standards for quality of foods. Not only that, but the prevalent and ever-increasing levels of pollution as well. There's a laundry list of food safety incidents that are worth looking at just for China. With something like canned or packaged tuna from China - pollution and improper handling should immediately come to mind.
Obviously the same can go for fish from Japan, not that Japan really ever had issues with food quality, but after the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster of 2011 all fish should be avoided from Japan and surrounding areas. It may seem obvious, but people still make sushi from fish around Japan that are most likely irradiated. Never underestimate the power of ignorance.
Travel farther south to a country like Thailand and I feel slightly more comfortable about the food. Little has been criticized from Southeast Asia in terms of food quality so it seems to be a safer nook - for now at least. Although in comparison to China quite a few countries look pretty good.
The best thing to do is to learn a bit about different countries and their food standards before buying certain products.
In my pantry there are a wide variety of food items: canned fish, legumes, pastas, rice, fruit, meat all in just about every color of the rainbow. After some serious consideration I am now narrowing down my food-search going forward based on the product's country of origin. With some items I feel as though it really matters where the food comes from. Now down the line in a SHTF scenario I probably won't care what country produced and packaged my food as long as it gives me sustenance, but for now I'd like to stay as healthy as possible.
You'll find that some items are very hard to find outside of certain countries depending on where you are in North America or elsewhere. In New England I find it is hard to get certain fruits and vegetables that aren't from Mexico or South America. For example: one of my favorites is avocado, but they are more often from Chile rather than domestic.
 |
| Fish products from Southeast Asia and the EU |
With Chinese distributed foods I feel a bit of unease. China is still a developing superpower - and by that I mean the infrastructure is still evolving and the government still has many holes in it. My main concern is the unknown and very unbalanced set of standards for quality of foods. Not only that, but the prevalent and ever-increasing levels of pollution as well. There's a laundry list of food safety incidents that are worth looking at just for China. With something like canned or packaged tuna from China - pollution and improper handling should immediately come to mind.
 |
| Thai Iced Tea bought locally |
Obviously the same can go for fish from Japan, not that Japan really ever had issues with food quality, but after the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster of 2011 all fish should be avoided from Japan and surrounding areas. It may seem obvious, but people still make sushi from fish around Japan that are most likely irradiated. Never underestimate the power of ignorance.
Travel farther south to a country like Thailand and I feel slightly more comfortable about the food. Little has been criticized from Southeast Asia in terms of food quality so it seems to be a safer nook - for now at least. Although in comparison to China quite a few countries look pretty good.
The best thing to do is to learn a bit about different countries and their food standards before buying certain products.
Wednesday, October 29, 2014
The Art of "Hodgepodge Cooking"
[Shoestring Cooking]
When things aren't looking good outside your home I find that cooking to be almost as important as practicing your marksmanship at the range. In the past I've mentioned the importance of your cooking capability and how it can play a big role in survival for when the grocery store shelves go empty and your bugging in. Not only do the general basics of cooking have high value, but also the ability to mix and match seemingly random food items to make a meal.
A good example of this skill is the competitive cooking show Chopped. Obviously this is more for high-range restaurant quality meals, but it does offer some interesting ideas on how to mix seemingly unrelated foodstuffs into elegant and very edible entrees. I have been mixing and matching foods into small and sometime even large meals for myself for quite a few years now. With a wife with an opposite schedule I often find myself cooking for one rather than two. Preferably I am not going to spend money and gas to go out and get food alone all the time, but rather put something together for myself in the comfort of my own home. Sometimes I'll cook a full meal and leave leftovers for her for when she does get home, but other times I'll just throw something creative together.
I'll pull from random leftovers in the fridge, something neglected in the freezer and maybe something in the pantry that I totally forgot about for a couple months. Your mind has to be able to see the individual parts as a completed whole and go the extra step of understanding what it will taste like altogether. Not everybody has this innate understanding, and even if you do it requires LOTS of consistent practice - much like spending time on the range.
I look at my meals in a way that I know that if I was in a situation where food wasn't readily available I could sustain myself and be relatively healthy with each meal as opposed to just consuming calories for sustenance. You may not always have a box of pasta and a can or bottle of tomato sauce to whip up dinner in a jiffy. There may only be a few things left in your house to eat or the things you have may not at first glance seem to match up into a cohesive meal idea at first.
There exists literature and obviously even televised shows about this subject that are easy for just about anybody to access and learn from and it is surprisingly important skill to have. So I say... go ahead and try it!
Below is one of my examples of "Hodgepodge Cooking":
"Poor Man's Stir Fry"
From the Fridge:
Leftover Bamboo Shoots
Lettuce from salad
Sweet Peppers
Sriracha Sauce
From the Freezer:
Crab Rangoon
From the Pantry:
Canned scallops
Bean thread noodles
When things aren't looking good outside your home I find that cooking to be almost as important as practicing your marksmanship at the range. In the past I've mentioned the importance of your cooking capability and how it can play a big role in survival for when the grocery store shelves go empty and your bugging in. Not only do the general basics of cooking have high value, but also the ability to mix and match seemingly random food items to make a meal.
A good example of this skill is the competitive cooking show Chopped. Obviously this is more for high-range restaurant quality meals, but it does offer some interesting ideas on how to mix seemingly unrelated foodstuffs into elegant and very edible entrees. I have been mixing and matching foods into small and sometime even large meals for myself for quite a few years now. With a wife with an opposite schedule I often find myself cooking for one rather than two. Preferably I am not going to spend money and gas to go out and get food alone all the time, but rather put something together for myself in the comfort of my own home. Sometimes I'll cook a full meal and leave leftovers for her for when she does get home, but other times I'll just throw something creative together.
I'll pull from random leftovers in the fridge, something neglected in the freezer and maybe something in the pantry that I totally forgot about for a couple months. Your mind has to be able to see the individual parts as a completed whole and go the extra step of understanding what it will taste like altogether. Not everybody has this innate understanding, and even if you do it requires LOTS of consistent practice - much like spending time on the range.
I look at my meals in a way that I know that if I was in a situation where food wasn't readily available I could sustain myself and be relatively healthy with each meal as opposed to just consuming calories for sustenance. You may not always have a box of pasta and a can or bottle of tomato sauce to whip up dinner in a jiffy. There may only be a few things left in your house to eat or the things you have may not at first glance seem to match up into a cohesive meal idea at first.
There exists literature and obviously even televised shows about this subject that are easy for just about anybody to access and learn from and it is surprisingly important skill to have. So I say... go ahead and try it!
Below is one of my examples of "Hodgepodge Cooking":
"Poor Man's Stir Fry"
Leftover Bamboo Shoots
Lettuce from salad
Sweet Peppers
Sriracha Sauce
From the Freezer:
Crab Rangoon
From the Pantry:
Canned scallops
Bean thread noodles
Wednesday, October 8, 2014
Gas Masks - SGE 400/3
[New Paranoia]
Now that Ebola has skipped the pond to both North America and Europe I feel it is time to get a new and up-to-spec gas mask. With a new one I can retire my more or less novelty ex-Soviet and Czech masks as well. Just ordered an SGE 400/3 NBC gas mask to help ease my mind on the subject. I'll be looking for a decent-priced pack of 40mm filter cartridges as well to pair with it.
Full review to come soon.
*Update 10/27/2014*
Called the vendor to get an update on this mask and it seems that it's now back-ordered 2 months due to the Ebola scare. Sadly I'm not surprised.
Now that Ebola has skipped the pond to both North America and Europe I feel it is time to get a new and up-to-spec gas mask. With a new one I can retire my more or less novelty ex-Soviet and Czech masks as well. Just ordered an SGE 400/3 NBC gas mask to help ease my mind on the subject. I'll be looking for a decent-priced pack of 40mm filter cartridges as well to pair with it.
*Update 10/27/2014*
Called the vendor to get an update on this mask and it seems that it's now back-ordered 2 months due to the Ebola scare. Sadly I'm not surprised.
Alternate Heat - Winter Months Part III
[Last minute changes]
So I've run into an issue with converting my less than efficient fireplace with an exterior-wall chimney into a super-heating machine. My new wood stove with included blower, being as small as it is... is still too big. Just small enough to be inserted, but after that you'd never get your hands in there to attach a lined chimney to it. So... back to plan B!
Back a couple months I got myself a barely used wood stove and now I think I'll be using it this season and in the room I originally wanted to utilize one in. Instead of heating my den at the far end of the house I'll be heating my living room, which is more central to where we spend most of our time in the homestead. Not only that, the floor above it is where our bedrooms are located so with enough heat it should transfer upstairs a bit as well - especially if we cut registers into the floors for the heat to travel up.
Luckily a local vendor is going to assist with the process and make sure the outside double-walled chimney will be up to code when being run up the side of our house. More on this soon...
So I've run into an issue with converting my less than efficient fireplace with an exterior-wall chimney into a super-heating machine. My new wood stove with included blower, being as small as it is... is still too big. Just small enough to be inserted, but after that you'd never get your hands in there to attach a lined chimney to it. So... back to plan B!
Back a couple months I got myself a barely used wood stove and now I think I'll be using it this season and in the room I originally wanted to utilize one in. Instead of heating my den at the far end of the house I'll be heating my living room, which is more central to where we spend most of our time in the homestead. Not only that, the floor above it is where our bedrooms are located so with enough heat it should transfer upstairs a bit as well - especially if we cut registers into the floors for the heat to travel up.
Luckily a local vendor is going to assist with the process and make sure the outside double-walled chimney will be up to code when being run up the side of our house. More on this soon...
Thursday, August 28, 2014
Ebola Virus in 2014
[Dangers of the Modern World]
Long have I pondered and even conceptualized a post-apocalyptic world - natural disasters, global economic collapses, the ever-popular zombie hordes, but not Ebola.
The Ebola virus is something else entirely. It's incredibly deadly with a 50-90% mortality rate and although it is not an airborne virus much like SARS it is still extremely contagious through food, fluids (even semen) and close contact. Since its discovery in 1976 there have been at least 7-8 major outbreaks, but none as bad as the current 2014 one, which the World Health Organization now estimates at least 20,000 being infected before it can be properly contained due to dense pockets of population, lack of education and knowledge, and poor infrastructure in parts of West Africa.
Looking back at August 1976
In Zaire (now the Democratic Republic of the Congo) the first recorded victim - village school headmaster Mabalo Lokela was touring an area near the Central African Republic border along the Ebola River (from which the virus is named). On September 8th he died from the disease first thought to be the similar Marburg virus. After the WHO had helped contain the Ebola virus infection there was 318 cases and 280 deaths in Zaire - a mortality rate of 88%.
The 2013/2014 current outbreak is only the second case of the Ebola virus infecting over a country's borders, the first time being in 2001-2002 between Gabon and Republic of Congo, which also marked the first time the virus had been recorded in the current country of the Congo.
Not only is this the worst outbreak of the Ebola (EBOV strain) virus in terms of pure number of cases and deaths, it's also the fastest and widest-spreading outbreak thus far of any of the known strains. It's been reported in four countries in West Africa with an overall mortality rate of 64% with over 3,000 deaths (as of late August 2014). Although the chances of the infection spreading outside of the African continent is somewhat limited it is still a possibility via air or sea transport as the symptoms sometimes don't present themselves until a couple weeks after initial transmission.
Most First World countries do have multiple fail-safes in place to prevent massive epidemics as well as the ability to transmit news and media very quickly (if the government is operating correctly, that is). In the United States the CDC and military have multiple planned scenarios and fail-safes, but still you never know...
Public awareness is of the utmost importance on a local and global scale when events like this take place. In the U.S. especially it's too easy to pass over an internet article or change the channel on TV when news like this comes up. People need to take an active interest as the whole zombie sub-culture has historically shown that a lack of public awareness will inevitably be the end of us all. Quite frankly something like this has already happened due to a long period of little to no public awareness in the U.S. Can you guess what it was? How about a little thing called HIV? By the time HIV\AIDS was properly understood it was basically too late. As of now the death toll is over 30 million and growing.
Like times of specific flu (ex. H1N1) strains being prevalent being extra hygienic is always important. Wash your hands as much as possible, don't share food or drink and generally be careful with close contact with others. As I mentioned earlier the five known strains of Ebola are not airborne, but if someone coughs hard enough they will expel saliva which could contain the virus if they were infected so be weary. Basic rule of thumb would be to take the precautions everyone followed during the 2009 Swine Flu pandemic, which killed 14,286 people globally and 3,642 in North America alone - one of which was a dear childhood friend of mine.
Be safe and be mindful of your surroundings and be aware of developing news.
Long have I pondered and even conceptualized a post-apocalyptic world - natural disasters, global economic collapses, the ever-popular zombie hordes, but not Ebola.
The Ebola virus is something else entirely. It's incredibly deadly with a 50-90% mortality rate and although it is not an airborne virus much like SARS it is still extremely contagious through food, fluids (even semen) and close contact. Since its discovery in 1976 there have been at least 7-8 major outbreaks, but none as bad as the current 2014 one, which the World Health Organization now estimates at least 20,000 being infected before it can be properly contained due to dense pockets of population, lack of education and knowledge, and poor infrastructure in parts of West Africa.
Looking back at August 1976
In Zaire (now the Democratic Republic of the Congo) the first recorded victim - village school headmaster Mabalo Lokela was touring an area near the Central African Republic border along the Ebola River (from which the virus is named). On September 8th he died from the disease first thought to be the similar Marburg virus. After the WHO had helped contain the Ebola virus infection there was 318 cases and 280 deaths in Zaire - a mortality rate of 88%.
The 2013/2014 current outbreak is only the second case of the Ebola virus infecting over a country's borders, the first time being in 2001-2002 between Gabon and Republic of Congo, which also marked the first time the virus had been recorded in the current country of the Congo.
 |
| From: http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2014/07/31/world/africa/ebola-virus-outbreak-qa.html |
Not only is this the worst outbreak of the Ebola (EBOV strain) virus in terms of pure number of cases and deaths, it's also the fastest and widest-spreading outbreak thus far of any of the known strains. It's been reported in four countries in West Africa with an overall mortality rate of 64% with over 3,000 deaths (as of late August 2014). Although the chances of the infection spreading outside of the African continent is somewhat limited it is still a possibility via air or sea transport as the symptoms sometimes don't present themselves until a couple weeks after initial transmission.
Most First World countries do have multiple fail-safes in place to prevent massive epidemics as well as the ability to transmit news and media very quickly (if the government is operating correctly, that is). In the United States the CDC and military have multiple planned scenarios and fail-safes, but still you never know...
Public awareness is of the utmost importance on a local and global scale when events like this take place. In the U.S. especially it's too easy to pass over an internet article or change the channel on TV when news like this comes up. People need to take an active interest as the whole zombie sub-culture has historically shown that a lack of public awareness will inevitably be the end of us all. Quite frankly something like this has already happened due to a long period of little to no public awareness in the U.S. Can you guess what it was? How about a little thing called HIV? By the time HIV\AIDS was properly understood it was basically too late. As of now the death toll is over 30 million and growing.
Like times of specific flu (ex. H1N1) strains being prevalent being extra hygienic is always important. Wash your hands as much as possible, don't share food or drink and generally be careful with close contact with others. As I mentioned earlier the five known strains of Ebola are not airborne, but if someone coughs hard enough they will expel saliva which could contain the virus if they were infected so be weary. Basic rule of thumb would be to take the precautions everyone followed during the 2009 Swine Flu pandemic, which killed 14,286 people globally and 3,642 in North America alone - one of which was a dear childhood friend of mine.
Be safe and be mindful of your surroundings and be aware of developing news.
Tuesday, May 20, 2014
Growing Your Own Food - Self Sufficiency
[The Concept]
There is something to be said for growing your own vegetable gardens and I know flower gardens are beautiful and smell nice and so on, but you can't eat much from them. The practicality of having your vegetable garden grows everyday as of lately. Less and less foods in grocery stores are grown nationally and more and more foods are GMO-based or frozen by the time you get to set eyes on them.
Not too long ago I spoke with someone who was originally from Columbia who moved to the US a couple years ago. It wasn't until she moved she found that she was getting sick more than she ever had and then before she knew it she developed food allergies. So much for the standards of the FDA, huh? Coming from a country and living years eating foods that don't have preservatives, chemicals, etc. and then being thrust into something most of us have been used to our entire lives doesn't mix well... She is now lactose intolerant and has a sensitivity to gluten and she'll never get back to the healthiness she used to enjoy back in her home country. Granted now she eats very carefully and well, but she was forced down that road because of our generally unhealthy food choices in the United States.
Health concerns aren't the only reason to grow your own vegetable garden though. A good-sized and successful vegetable garden saves you money too. With endless bills, gas prices rising everyday it's nice to know you're saving money somewhere. The ability to grow your own salad is certainly a benefit, but if you or someone close to you has decent cooking skills your choices for meal choices multiply exponentially.
I find that there's also a level of self-satisfaction directly linked to a successful vegetable garden as well. One things for sure though - patience is required. As with all kinds of gardening you must be a master of patience and attention to habitual routine. As my vegetable and herb seedlings are all finally beginning to sprout I continue my regiment of making sure they have enough sunlight and watering them daily.
Soon as they're transplanted into a raised garden outside I'll have to put up a chicken fence to keep some critters out as well as our curious dog Fiona. The regimented process continues outdoors of course, except for the sunlight obviously. Going forward I can't see any better way to get fresh veggies than to grow your own. It's a subject that's been beaten to death, I know, but it's all the more reason to jump on this healthy band wagon. Jump on, why don't you?
Current vegetables growing:
Tomatoes
Greenbeans
Squash
Red Pepper
Lettuce
Current herbs growing:
Dill
Parsley
Basil
There is something to be said for growing your own vegetable gardens and I know flower gardens are beautiful and smell nice and so on, but you can't eat much from them. The practicality of having your vegetable garden grows everyday as of lately. Less and less foods in grocery stores are grown nationally and more and more foods are GMO-based or frozen by the time you get to set eyes on them.
Not too long ago I spoke with someone who was originally from Columbia who moved to the US a couple years ago. It wasn't until she moved she found that she was getting sick more than she ever had and then before she knew it she developed food allergies. So much for the standards of the FDA, huh? Coming from a country and living years eating foods that don't have preservatives, chemicals, etc. and then being thrust into something most of us have been used to our entire lives doesn't mix well... She is now lactose intolerant and has a sensitivity to gluten and she'll never get back to the healthiness she used to enjoy back in her home country. Granted now she eats very carefully and well, but she was forced down that road because of our generally unhealthy food choices in the United States.
Health concerns aren't the only reason to grow your own vegetable garden though. A good-sized and successful vegetable garden saves you money too. With endless bills, gas prices rising everyday it's nice to know you're saving money somewhere. The ability to grow your own salad is certainly a benefit, but if you or someone close to you has decent cooking skills your choices for meal choices multiply exponentially.
 | |
| Seedlings sprouting in our kitchen |
Soon as they're transplanted into a raised garden outside I'll have to put up a chicken fence to keep some critters out as well as our curious dog Fiona. The regimented process continues outdoors of course, except for the sunlight obviously. Going forward I can't see any better way to get fresh veggies than to grow your own. It's a subject that's been beaten to death, I know, but it's all the more reason to jump on this healthy band wagon. Jump on, why don't you?
Current vegetables growing:
Tomatoes
Greenbeans
Squash
Red Pepper
Lettuce
Current herbs growing:
Dill
Parsley
Basil
Thursday, January 30, 2014
The B.O.V. Part II
(Part I : The B.O.V. or "Bug Out Vehicle")
That question of personal transportation is coming up again...
Finally now that I am home-owner (oh God, what have I done?) and will be enjoying the long-term process of projects it's certainly a good time to get a truck (again). Not too long ago I had enjoyed owning a '93 S10 Chevy Blazer Tahoe 4x4 as a backup vehicle and all-purpose carry-stuff \ around-town truck. Eventually it was going to become too costly to keep so I sold it to cut my losses.
But now with a house I am running full circle back to a truck (again), but this time to a traditional pickup truck rather than the old LUV (Light Utility Vehicle) style, which does in fact pre-date the SUV in terminology and purpose.
Besides the everyday errands and slightly larger-sized purchases that require the bed of a pickup I am also thinking ahead to any number of Bug Out scenarios. What I ended up getting was a decent-condition '98 Nissan Frontier 4x4. With a 2.4L I4 DOHC 16V FI engine cylinder instead of the Chevy's 4.3L V6 OHV 12V FI HO engine the Nissan will certainly have much better gas mileage which will offset its somewhat small factory fuel tank. Also it has manual locking hubs, which are well-known for being much more robust and trouble-free than automatic ones or vacuum-operated 4-wheel drive systems.
A few questions come to mind for this vehicle right away...
*What roles can the truck fill?
*What is its range in the real world?
*How much can it carry and haul?
*How well will it stand up adverse environments both natural and man-made?
*Is it easily modifiable?
It's about practicality, future roles and in times like these... being economically viable as a long term option in regards to normal usage and maintenance. The Nissan will most likely be for quick reconnaissance and short supply runs due to its size, but it can be easily modified for longer range duties if a fuel cell system is added to compliment the original tank. It's a small cab so storage and usability inside is limited. A full-sized CB radio is too big, but a small hand-held style will work just fine.
It's all about finding a good mixture of possibilities that fit your current equipment...
That question of personal transportation is coming up again...
Finally now that I am home-owner (oh God, what have I done?) and will be enjoying the long-term process of projects it's certainly a good time to get a truck (again). Not too long ago I had enjoyed owning a '93 S10 Chevy Blazer Tahoe 4x4 as a backup vehicle and all-purpose carry-stuff \ around-town truck. Eventually it was going to become too costly to keep so I sold it to cut my losses.
But now with a house I am running full circle back to a truck (again), but this time to a traditional pickup truck rather than the old LUV (Light Utility Vehicle) style, which does in fact pre-date the SUV in terminology and purpose.
 |
| Working the old '93 Chevy S10 Blazer Tahoe |
A few questions come to mind for this vehicle right away...
*What roles can the truck fill?
*What is its range in the real world?
*How much can it carry and haul?
*How well will it stand up adverse environments both natural and man-made?
*Is it easily modifiable?
It's about practicality, future roles and in times like these... being economically viable as a long term option in regards to normal usage and maintenance. The Nissan will most likely be for quick reconnaissance and short supply runs due to its size, but it can be easily modified for longer range duties if a fuel cell system is added to compliment the original tank. It's a small cab so storage and usability inside is limited. A full-sized CB radio is too big, but a small hand-held style will work just fine.
It's all about finding a good mixture of possibilities that fit your current equipment...
Sunday, January 12, 2014
Alternate Heat - Winter Months Part I
After purchasing an old New England house from 1858 I'm of course finding the biggest challenge in the Winter months is efficiently heating the house. After some research I've narrowed down my options to two rather basic, but seemingly cheap and efficient alternatives to cranking up the thermostats on my oil boiler.
First I believe I will try the tea-candle method in a room in my home and then test the oil lamp one.
First I believe I will try the tea-candle method in a room in my home and then test the oil lamp one.
Tuesday, November 26, 2013
Richard Proenneke - Alone in the Wilderness documentary - Excerpts
I've managed to actually see most of the full version of this documentary on Richard Proenneke and found it to be one of the most important documentaries for me personally.
This is an excellent excerpt from the full documentary and I would highly recommend to go and find the full versions on DVD if possible.
Wednesday, November 6, 2013
Food Review - Failure to Start
I must admit it's a bit challenging to review something when you can't even open it up. Was a little frustrated with this one so I have yet to add it to my Survival Food Reviews page. I will soon though.
 |
| Easy to open? My ass it is. |
Tuesday, November 5, 2013
Web Comic - Romantically Apocalyptic
I think someone crawled into my brain and made the perfect web comic series.
Romantically Apocalyptic
Romantically Apocalyptic
Thursday, October 17, 2013
A Country's Efficiency - Outside the U.S.
Preface
Many have theorized what would happen to the U.S. during the collapse of society or if essential services disappear what would happen? Most likely chaos - which what just about everyone thinks.
Across the Atlantic
Something tells me that this may not be the case everywhere else. It is unfortunately our reliance on so many things that make us weak - also something not entirely new as a concept. This all came to mind with a recent trip to Denmark under my belt. Sure the country has its very big and bustling capital Copenhagen, which just about everyone has at least heard of. But in all reality the majority of the country is flat, quiet farmland with small towns and villages peppered across the landscape like freckles.
Denmark is not a perfect country and although it has recently been ranked the happiest country in the world I can see some reason for unhappiness. As Americans we all love to complain about taxes and social security taking money out of our paychecks, but you haven't seen nothing. The tax rate in Denmark is about as high as you can get in all of Europe. So all the things you normally buy... make them at least twice as expensive. And cars? Well forget it. There's a 180% tax after buying an automobile. So my Audi A3 rental car that I had over there, which is a reasonable $33k or so in the US costs more like $80-90k here. You don't see many luxury cars in Denmark for this reason. And if you do something nice like an S-class Mercedes or a Jaguar it's probably driven by someone who REALLY has a lot of money. A hundred grand for a top end Merc turns into almost $200,000 real quick. Someone even told me the other day that it cost 12,000 DKK (Danish Krone) or about $2,100 just to get your driver's license.
There's a flip side to these taxes though. They have free healthcare in this country, and guess what? It actually works. Granted you do still pay for dental and a few other things, but the majority of what you'll have to get done in a hospital or doctor's office in a Danish lifetime will be absolutely free. Education from 1st grade all the way through college is free. Also like most other countries outside of the U.S. there's paid maturity leave.
The country of Denmark is also incredibly green - yes both in terms of having a lot of open farmland AND being an incredibly efficient culture by today's standards. Recycling, alternative energy are the two that come to mind first. During the second week of my trip I stayed at a company-owned office\dormitory that was almost entirely powered and heated by solar power. And the company's buildings are all high efficiency with LED bulbs on motion sensors so they cannot be left on, toilets that have two flush modes to use less water, and they even have implemented energy-saving architectural designs.
So this brings to mind the question: what would happen if modern society came to a halt? What if some kind of war broke out? A natural disaster? What would happen to majority of these people? Well for one a huge portion of these people surrounded by solar panels and huge windmills everywhere certainly could keep their lights on longer. As a culture the Danish seem to be more easily content and are usually considered "easy-going." In the office workplace it seems to be that way as well... employees come in around their starting time and leave around 3pm to 4pm most days. I certainly wish I could get away with that back in the U.S.
Many of them just don't require all the luxuries we take for granted everyday. It's an interesting concept while remaining in Western culture. Quite frankly I think the majority of this country could survive very well after the collapse of national government. They have plentiful resources, a very friendly and even-tempered populace and don't require much to continue living their lives. And you have to remember that huge portions of the population managed to survive the Nazi occupation for the duration of World War II.
Many have theorized what would happen to the U.S. during the collapse of society or if essential services disappear what would happen? Most likely chaos - which what just about everyone thinks.
Across the Atlantic
Something tells me that this may not be the case everywhere else. It is unfortunately our reliance on so many things that make us weak - also something not entirely new as a concept. This all came to mind with a recent trip to Denmark under my belt. Sure the country has its very big and bustling capital Copenhagen, which just about everyone has at least heard of. But in all reality the majority of the country is flat, quiet farmland with small towns and villages peppered across the landscape like freckles.
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| Decently priced in the U.S., but expensive in DK |
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| Solar Panel Array in Tønder, Denmark |
So this brings to mind the question: what would happen if modern society came to a halt? What if some kind of war broke out? A natural disaster? What would happen to majority of these people? Well for one a huge portion of these people surrounded by solar panels and huge windmills everywhere certainly could keep their lights on longer. As a culture the Danish seem to be more easily content and are usually considered "easy-going." In the office workplace it seems to be that way as well... employees come in around their starting time and leave around 3pm to 4pm most days. I certainly wish I could get away with that back in the U.S.
Many of them just don't require all the luxuries we take for granted everyday. It's an interesting concept while remaining in Western culture. Quite frankly I think the majority of this country could survive very well after the collapse of national government. They have plentiful resources, a very friendly and even-tempered populace and don't require much to continue living their lives. And you have to remember that huge portions of the population managed to survive the Nazi occupation for the duration of World War II.
Tuesday, August 27, 2013
Survival Foods - Let Down
Anyway, it was just a bummer and let down because I was actually kind of excited about this because it looked pretty good and a little different from the usual canned stuff I see.
Well... back to the search I suppose...
(Also see: Food Storage - Purchasing Habits)
Friday, August 23, 2013
"Survival Foods"
Blog Additions
Food
A new addition to the Broadminded Survival page has come! Combining my interest for "survivalism" and my never-ending interest and knowledge in food has birthed a new aspect to this blog: Broadminded Survival Food Reviews. It's a simple concept where I give brief reviews and descriptions of good, storable foods that anybody can buy on a budget all for your knowledge. Yep. Just for you.
I look at all aspects of my bizarre collection of pantry items as well as going out and trying new things when I find them and review them based on 6 basic ratings: Price, Shelf Life, Transportability, Nutritional Value, Taste and finally my Overall score and thoughts.
Sure I talk about a lot of things, but we all still need to eat, right?
Check it out here: Broadminded Survival Food Reviews
Food
A new addition to the Broadminded Survival page has come! Combining my interest for "survivalism" and my never-ending interest and knowledge in food has birthed a new aspect to this blog: Broadminded Survival Food Reviews. It's a simple concept where I give brief reviews and descriptions of good, storable foods that anybody can buy on a budget all for your knowledge. Yep. Just for you.
I look at all aspects of my bizarre collection of pantry items as well as going out and trying new things when I find them and review them based on 6 basic ratings: Price, Shelf Life, Transportability, Nutritional Value, Taste and finally my Overall score and thoughts.
Sure I talk about a lot of things, but we all still need to eat, right?
Check it out here: Broadminded Survival Food Reviews
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