While I was being told about this, standing around in our kitchen, wearing only shorts and a t-shirt since I hadn’t gone out yet on a Saturday, I reached in a pocket, pulled out a lighter and flicked it into life. No, I don’t smoke, I just understand that fire is really that important. I could have just as easily produced a knife or a flashlight, and I have an electronic compass in my casual watch and another in my phone. That’s lounging around the house, not going anywhere. When I’m leaving the house I carry more. If I’m driving or walking more than a block or two, much more.
Survival – I Carry Too Much Stuff
When I go out the door on a typical out-and-about day, I have my wallet (with some unusual items inside but no cash), a folding knife, a lighter, spare car key, money clip with bills, a Chawley Changer pocket coin dispenser (okay, that’s a little weird, but it’s fast, convenient, and I hate having loose change sloshing around in a pocket), a full-sized multi-tool, one of may folding knives (occasionally two), a lipstick-sized flashlight around my neck on a stainless dog-tag chain .. and of course my phone. That’s not counting the stuff on my key chain, miscellaneous keys, a tiny titanium peanut lighter, the tiniest ferrocerium rod I’ve ever seen (Boy Scouts of America, smaller than a house key), a photon lighter, a P38 can opener, and the car-door opener/alarm remote control.
Survival – Is anyone really enthusiastic about the new Leatherman Signal?
All in all, this just reinforces the impression I have from pretty much all of their carabiner-tailed tools and impression that Leatherman has completely lost direction in recent years. I’ve been disappointed with every Leatherman tool I’ve seen since the Charge series, and even more disappointed with the ones I’ve actually tried (Wingman). This looks like it was designed to appeal not so much to even the casual but serious camper as to young kids and armchair survivalists, like Gerber’s BG stuff, like almost all multi-function “survival” tools, it just seems gimmicky and toylike.
Survival – In defense of the disappearing SOS flashlight mode
It became fashionable to shun the SOS mode maybe seven years ago on some forums. I didn’t understand it then and don’t now. In any case, I’m not going to die for Internet forum fashion, sorry.
Surprise, surprise… survival on Mars will require generalists and appropriate tech, not specialists and high tech.
None of these general thoughts should come as a surprise. Survival on Earth has almost always implied stepping down from whatever level of technology has failed to a level that still works. It’s one of the most fundamental principles, and a reason that the line between “survivalism” and interest in various forms of primitive technology is so blurred.
One more microphone…
I yielded to the temptation… the Marantz SG-58 “Professional Audio Scope” (302 mm shotgun mic) was apparently introduced at $79, then slowly ratcheted down in price over time. Last week it briefly hit $13.44 (Amazon Prime shipping) and I “bit”. Hard to pass up at that price, even just out of curiosity. Shortly after I ordered the price bounced back up to $49.98.
The Essential Great-Start Zero-Status Zero-Snob-Appeal Cooking Tool List
A word about the status and snob appeal: it’s tempting, when starting out, to equate expensive tools with great results and assume that they’ll improve your cooking. It’s tempting to “celebrate” gains in proficiency by buying gadgets (and people tend to give you gifts) that you/they hope will make things a lot easier in the kitchen.
By and large they don’t, much.
Survival – Tip – DIY Ranger/Pace Counting Beads, My Current Configuration
I’ve set up a slightly unconventional configuration for my own ranger beads, and I’ll describe here what I’ve done and why.
Survival – Tip – Real DIY Ranger/Pace Counting Beads
Beveled faucet washers make good sense too. If you think about it their normal use requires to resist abrasion and to be constantly immersed in water without ill effect, so they have to be durable and reasonably weatherproof. I have no idea what their ultra-violet (UV) light resistance is like over long periods, it’s probably fine, but if you’re worried you can always hit them with a little spray of Armor-All or similar plastic/rubber preservative, that’s what it’s designed for.
MGTOW – If equality means what it says… #9
Name a single brand of clothing (not line) that is for men only.
Survival – PC Kills- on the water too
It seems that the same insane “PC” mindset that has decided, against all and ongoing evidence, that the best way to deal with terrorists and pirates is to render all of their potential victims as helpless as possible has invaded into life at sea. I’m very, very sorry to hear it.
Mini Life-Lessons: Remember the literal meaning of “hoodwinked”
“Tales from the hood”: A couple of weeks ago I was out on my regular walk/run (yet again), some through paths through the woods, mostly through suburban development. It was bitter cold, at least for here, somewhere in the 20’s
Survival – Tilley Hats
I first became aware of Tilley by realizing, somehow, that my favorite brimmed fabric hat, one that I think I found in a surplus store, was indeed an imitation of something else… something famous. I eventually tracked down the “original” back when there was pretty much just one model, in canvas, in one color. I ordered direct from Canada, lucked out in that the fit was pretty good (more on that later), and over time became impressed with just how much better made it was than my previous favorite.
Mini Life-Lessons: Little things make big noises.
In the quiet woods on the way out, though, I kept detecting a “thump” coming from the pack with each stride, and over time it really got to bother me.
Survival – Hazard 4 Evac Plan B Sling Pack (in black)
I’ve always lusted after what is probably their most classic and successful pack, the Plan B, or more properly Evac Plan B (I don’t think “Evac” was always in the name, I’m not sure when it was added or why). It’s somewhere in-between the two extremes, large for a “day pack” and small-to-mininalist for an overnighter. I’ve had one in the “to buy later” section of my cart on Amazon off and on for a couple of years…. but I’ve got a LOT of packs, some of them never saw much use, it’s hard to justify the expense, so there it sat.
Fake TV
What this is, is a small inexpensive box that plugs into the wall with a panel of multi-colored LEDs. It can be set on, off, or to come on for various periods after dark. When it’s on it uses the panel of LEDs to effectively simulate the light coming from a television set… and does a good, convincing job of it. From outside of the room the indirect light coming from the room looks very much as if there were a TV on, with the typical changing and flickering patterns that one would see from pans, jump cuts, commercial breaks, etc., with no repeating pattern that I’ve been able to detect, giving every appearance that the room must be occupied.
Red Rock Outdoor Sidekick – an open question (now closed)
In short, it seems fine for pretty much any reasonable expectation. I’m pleased with the purchase, no complaints, and I’m picky. I’d love to hear from anyone else that has tried the brand.
Knives in Space… 1
I don’t mind going into more detail about any or all of this, at least what I know and can find out about the subject, in fact I’d rather enjoy it, but my personal interest is even more about the future, and especially the key question of how useful and necessary knives are likely to be for those leaving the planet in the decades and generations to come… or not.
A Great Bit of Kit, the USMC Watch Cap
These things are right up there with the venerable P38 can opener near the very top of the list of generally-useful stuff that the military has come up with. I buy mine on Ebay, I don’t know if they’re factory overruns, or “seconds” (I’ve heard that the USMC inspectors are really tough, and will fail a sewing job if there is one letter of the tag partially blocked or the USMC globe is distorted) or “fell off of a truck”, and I guess I don’t care, I’m just glad they’re available.
Kevin Kelly’s Cool Tools
I subscribed to the mailing list as soon as it started, and while the quality has varied somewhat and there have been times when I felt that it wandered too far into non-utilitarian (non-useful) selections, I’ve never been tempted to un-subscribe, and I’ve learned of a great many useful things from it that I wouldn’t have otherwise known about.