Discussions
Reply to: Have you ever heard a quote that stops you and makes you think about how you live? Posted February 2, 2022
Reply to: Lets see your EDC Posted February 2, 2022

An armed society is a polite society.  My understanding is that, historically. (pre-1900), in the US concealed carry was considered “rude”.  Sneaky, almost. If you were carrying openly you were being clear and honest about your intentions. You were making sure that everyone around you knew the state of your ability to backup your own defense. A man openly and legally carrying a firearm was being level with those around him, they level with him in return.  An armed society is a polite society.  Concealing a weapon, on the other hand, was seen as an effort to hide these intentions from those around you.  Not being level, adding mystery and seen as ” shifty” if you will. As we, as a nation, became more urban and “civilized” this has switched to the reverse where open carry is now considered the socially unacceptable. Not a scholar on the matter but an interesting change if true. 

Reply to: What are your 2022 prepping goals and plans? Posted January 16, 2022

I like to hear about the area-specific things people are doing.  Our surroundings are one of our first challenges when dealing with disaster but they can also be a strength if we know how to use them properly.  The idea came to me as I was out on the water in my powerboat.  I was telling my kids about the waterways of yesteryear were utilized as the highways of their day.  Good question.  I have lived in this area all my life.  As I said, it’s coastal southeast US and I’ll share that the coast is Atlantic to narrow it down a bit more but still keep some anonymity.  It’s an area well known in the US and even more broadly than that. It’s a very popular area for people to visit but also move into.  I have seen an enormous increase in development over my 40+ years.  That increase in population has had a clear impact on the environment from multiple facets.  A complex example is the massive increase in development on barrier islands.  One of the natural features of a barrier island is that they provide protection to the mainland from the battering of tides, storms, hurricanes (more on that in a minute), etc.  As those islands are developed for more expensive and complex construction they must be built up initially and then rebuilt constantly.  That ongoing construction changes the geography and in many cases can increase erosive power to the barrier islands.  This hastens the damage to that area and removes the protection the mainlands. <stepping off my soapbox> I could go on but you asked about climate change.  I guess that’s probably my main answer. The shorter term impact to the area from the sudden influx of people is so much more impactful and evident than any mid to longer term climate change.  Of course, there’s a school of thought that what I am describing is climate change of a certain type, or at the very least related.  That’s an interesting question and I am not sure that I have an answer.  More broadly summers are as hot as I remember when I was a kid and winters are as cold.  I’m different and tolerate one better than the other but dislike both 🙂 Hurricanes.  This is maybe the most evident area of climate change.  I’ve directly been through about a dozen hurricanes of varying strength over 40 years.  If you count tropical storms (locals usually don’t) as tropical cyclone activity; together it’s north of 20.  It’s hard for me say for sure but I feel like the number of tropical storms and hurricanes  has increased.  I don’t know that I can say that the storms are also increasing in strength.  Again, I’m different now than my youth.  The perception of storm strength is filtered through the fact that I am homeowner with a family (“will a tree fall?”) but also older and more relaxed (“it’s just stuff”).  I’m not sure if that’s the answer you wanted or I just rambled.  Either way, I appreciate your reply.

Reply to: What are your 2022 prepping goals and plans? Posted January 12, 2022

Wow, 2022 already?  Interesting question Carlotta, might be cool to do a follow form next December on progress.  One of my more interesting ones:  I live in the coastal Southeast.  I’m not on the beach (my parents are) but I am close and I am very close to major river, marshlands etc.  It’s an interesting spin versus the mountain, forest, urban or desert locations.  It’s beautiful and people flock to the area for good reason.  I like focus on the area I’m in with my prepping; the pros and cons.  As an example, the soil can grow things but it’s not common on the direct coast and we also don’t see a lot of larger game animals – both are a bit more inland.  So that means improving fishing, crabbing and shrimping skills for food. It also means a focus on different methods of post-SHTF travel and escape.  I own several kayaks and practice regularly for sport, relaxation and…prepping.  Kayaks are great:  they are human-powered, silent, low-in-the-water and can easily carry a person with supplies around the area and more if needed.  You can fish from a kayak and you can fire a Ruger 10/22 from one as well, with no adverse tipping.  I’m developing an alternate Bug Out plan to evac my family from the area in kayaks.  Like everything, it takes practice (sitting and paddling for hours on end) to do well.  Vetting out this idea, and practice in this area is one of my goals for 2022. 

Reply to: News roundup for Fri, Nov 19, 2021 Posted November 19, 2021
Reply to: News roundup for Tue, Oct 26, 2021 Posted October 27, 2021
Reply to: How to defend against marauders after a disaster Posted October 14, 2021
Reply to: How to defend against marauders after a disaster Posted October 14, 2021
Reply to: How to defend against marauders after a disaster Posted October 13, 2021

IF you are found by some marauders – strike first, strike fast, strike hard.  But that assumes that they are at the door.  I’m a big believer that the best defense is evasion or, you win every fight that you don’t get into.  I don’t say that to be flip, and sometimes fights cannot be avoided and when that happens, fight to win. What I am saying is that before you are at a point where you must to defend yourself, spend some time considering how marauders could track you and yours down. While it’s possible that the may stumble upon your location, they are more likely to be *drawn* to it.  If you can reduce some of the draw to your resources that’s less fights you need to win.  What could draw them to you? Walk away from your property an consider how it looks from different angles, at night, during the day.  Are the crops visible from the pathway?  Can the generator be heard from the street?  What do the lights look like through the windows at night?  Does the smoke from the fire carry up and point back to your cooking?  Do the solar arrays reflect light and in which direction?  How far can that be seen?  Move around like a marauder would.  They’ll watch for signals, signs (and gossip) and may even be some people who know you or your land.  How would they know you are there?  How would they know you are thriving?   There’s an saying I heard from my dad: speed wins fights but patience wins wars. If the S really does HTF, we’ll have fights but it’ll be a war as well.  Practice your speed but patience also needs practice.  Oh, and also practice making slippy pikes like Redneck (and Slippy) suggested.

Reply to: Massive Facebook, Instagram / internet outage Posted October 4, 2021

I’ve been though a security incident with a large software provider in real time and this seems like what this is.  There’s enough redundancy in servers, hardware, etc. that any one (or even several) areas being down will cause solutions to route to another existing one, in another zone or area easily and quickly.  To be fully down on everything seems an *intentional decision* possibly indicating that the event is ongoing.  Just my two cents, I hope I’m wrong.   My advice is the same if I am wrong, or right. It’s an evolving world and cybercrime is no longer the exotic “techy” thing that it was even a few years ago.  Cybercriminals and cyber terrorists will spend effort to go where the money and data (they are interchangeable now).  Stage coaches were once robbed by highway men, they aren’t really anymore.  For most of us, we should assume that our electronic records of some kindwill be the subject of a successful hack.  If we’re lucky, we’ll find out about it.  “Technology is neither good nor bad but neither is it neutral”*. It’s a tool and criminals use it as well as we can. I’ve spent my entire 25+ years career in this industry, not trying to be negative but the landscape isn’t great and law enforcement (G_d bless’em for the work they do) is understaffed and overwhelmed.  Politicians can’t act as fast as technology advances.  From a “what can this teach us, what can we learn” angle: assume your details will be compromised.  Do what you can to protect yourself * Backup any data that you cannot lose to as secure a recommended location as you can afford. The Prepared’s blog on this is superb.  Convince your relatives as well – for many of us, our details are on their devices as well as ours.  * Check your credit card and other accounts regularly for odd behavior.  Report it as soon as you see it. * Multi-factor logins where ever and when ever possible * Credit and privacy monitoring services can be helpful. * Think twice, thrice before clicking on any links.  If an email or offer sounds too good OR too dramatic to be true, it probably is. *  Like any technology, it can misused but also unreliable.  Talk with those in your sphere, ask them what happens if the internet goes down or is compromised..what do we do as an alternate?  What if THAT alternate goes down…what do we use..and so on down the line.   * Kranzberg

Reply to: Best practices after a burglary – Police reports, insurance, safety, etc. Posted September 25, 2021

Great advice M.E.!!  Especially the mental and emotional aspects!  A few additions and suggestions: Echoing the advice you made about locking your laptop remotely, there are similar options for Apple phones, Android and derived, Microsoft accounts. Laptops, phones, devices and sometimes cars – may have choices other things don’t and it’s worth looking into them based on what was taken.  It’s too numerous to list here but the gist is, based on what was stolen consider your options and what actions you can and should take.  If you can determine the location, be sure to report that to the police. Adding some to the heightened awareness AND self-care:  after you have had time to breathe do an honest review on what happened and what, if anything, could have done better.  Maybe another, stronger lock on the door?  Maybe more outdoor lighting in a certain area?  Maybe better documenting of items?  Whatever the situation, you’ll learn *something*.  Don’t beat yourself up.  Turn that learning into positive action towards prevention. Share it with others.

Reply to: Target shooting grouping gets worse as I move to a heavier bullet Posted September 23, 2021
Reply to: Let’s hear your prepper/survival stories! Posted September 23, 2021
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Reply to: Have you ever heard a quote that stops you and makes you think about how you live? Posted February 2, 2022
Reply to: Lets see your EDC Posted February 2, 2022

An armed society is a polite society.  My understanding is that, historically. (pre-1900), in the US concealed carry was considered “rude”.  Sneaky, almost. If you were carrying openly you were being clear and honest about your intentions. You were making sure that everyone around you knew the state of your ability to backup your own defense. A man openly and legally carrying a firearm was being level with those around him, they level with him in return.  An armed society is a polite society.  Concealing a weapon, on the other hand, was seen as an effort to hide these intentions from those around you.  Not being level, adding mystery and seen as ” shifty” if you will. As we, as a nation, became more urban and “civilized” this has switched to the reverse where open carry is now considered the socially unacceptable. Not a scholar on the matter but an interesting change if true. 

Reply to: What are your 2022 prepping goals and plans? Posted January 16, 2022

I like to hear about the area-specific things people are doing.  Our surroundings are one of our first challenges when dealing with disaster but they can also be a strength if we know how to use them properly.  The idea came to me as I was out on the water in my powerboat.  I was telling my kids about the waterways of yesteryear were utilized as the highways of their day.  Good question.  I have lived in this area all my life.  As I said, it’s coastal southeast US and I’ll share that the coast is Atlantic to narrow it down a bit more but still keep some anonymity.  It’s an area well known in the US and even more broadly than that. It’s a very popular area for people to visit but also move into.  I have seen an enormous increase in development over my 40+ years.  That increase in population has had a clear impact on the environment from multiple facets.  A complex example is the massive increase in development on barrier islands.  One of the natural features of a barrier island is that they provide protection to the mainland from the battering of tides, storms, hurricanes (more on that in a minute), etc.  As those islands are developed for more expensive and complex construction they must be built up initially and then rebuilt constantly.  That ongoing construction changes the geography and in many cases can increase erosive power to the barrier islands.  This hastens the damage to that area and removes the protection the mainlands. <stepping off my soapbox> I could go on but you asked about climate change.  I guess that’s probably my main answer. The shorter term impact to the area from the sudden influx of people is so much more impactful and evident than any mid to longer term climate change.  Of course, there’s a school of thought that what I am describing is climate change of a certain type, or at the very least related.  That’s an interesting question and I am not sure that I have an answer.  More broadly summers are as hot as I remember when I was a kid and winters are as cold.  I’m different and tolerate one better than the other but dislike both 🙂 Hurricanes.  This is maybe the most evident area of climate change.  I’ve directly been through about a dozen hurricanes of varying strength over 40 years.  If you count tropical storms (locals usually don’t) as tropical cyclone activity; together it’s north of 20.  It’s hard for me say for sure but I feel like the number of tropical storms and hurricanes  has increased.  I don’t know that I can say that the storms are also increasing in strength.  Again, I’m different now than my youth.  The perception of storm strength is filtered through the fact that I am homeowner with a family (“will a tree fall?”) but also older and more relaxed (“it’s just stuff”).  I’m not sure if that’s the answer you wanted or I just rambled.  Either way, I appreciate your reply.

Reply to: What are your 2022 prepping goals and plans? Posted January 12, 2022

Wow, 2022 already?  Interesting question Carlotta, might be cool to do a follow form next December on progress.  One of my more interesting ones:  I live in the coastal Southeast.  I’m not on the beach (my parents are) but I am close and I am very close to major river, marshlands etc.  It’s an interesting spin versus the mountain, forest, urban or desert locations.  It’s beautiful and people flock to the area for good reason.  I like focus on the area I’m in with my prepping; the pros and cons.  As an example, the soil can grow things but it’s not common on the direct coast and we also don’t see a lot of larger game animals – both are a bit more inland.  So that means improving fishing, crabbing and shrimping skills for food. It also means a focus on different methods of post-SHTF travel and escape.  I own several kayaks and practice regularly for sport, relaxation and…prepping.  Kayaks are great:  they are human-powered, silent, low-in-the-water and can easily carry a person with supplies around the area and more if needed.  You can fish from a kayak and you can fire a Ruger 10/22 from one as well, with no adverse tipping.  I’m developing an alternate Bug Out plan to evac my family from the area in kayaks.  Like everything, it takes practice (sitting and paddling for hours on end) to do well.  Vetting out this idea, and practice in this area is one of my goals for 2022. 

Reply to: News roundup for Fri, Nov 19, 2021 Posted November 19, 2021
Reply to: News roundup for Tue, Oct 26, 2021 Posted October 27, 2021
Reply to: How to defend against marauders after a disaster Posted October 14, 2021
Reply to: How to defend against marauders after a disaster Posted October 14, 2021
Reply to: How to defend against marauders after a disaster Posted October 13, 2021

IF you are found by some marauders – strike first, strike fast, strike hard.  But that assumes that they are at the door.  I’m a big believer that the best defense is evasion or, you win every fight that you don’t get into.  I don’t say that to be flip, and sometimes fights cannot be avoided and when that happens, fight to win. What I am saying is that before you are at a point where you must to defend yourself, spend some time considering how marauders could track you and yours down. While it’s possible that the may stumble upon your location, they are more likely to be *drawn* to it.  If you can reduce some of the draw to your resources that’s less fights you need to win.  What could draw them to you? Walk away from your property an consider how it looks from different angles, at night, during the day.  Are the crops visible from the pathway?  Can the generator be heard from the street?  What do the lights look like through the windows at night?  Does the smoke from the fire carry up and point back to your cooking?  Do the solar arrays reflect light and in which direction?  How far can that be seen?  Move around like a marauder would.  They’ll watch for signals, signs (and gossip) and may even be some people who know you or your land.  How would they know you are there?  How would they know you are thriving?   There’s an saying I heard from my dad: speed wins fights but patience wins wars. If the S really does HTF, we’ll have fights but it’ll be a war as well.  Practice your speed but patience also needs practice.  Oh, and also practice making slippy pikes like Redneck (and Slippy) suggested.

Reply to: Massive Facebook, Instagram / internet outage Posted October 4, 2021

I’ve been though a security incident with a large software provider in real time and this seems like what this is.  There’s enough redundancy in servers, hardware, etc. that any one (or even several) areas being down will cause solutions to route to another existing one, in another zone or area easily and quickly.  To be fully down on everything seems an *intentional decision* possibly indicating that the event is ongoing.  Just my two cents, I hope I’m wrong.   My advice is the same if I am wrong, or right. It’s an evolving world and cybercrime is no longer the exotic “techy” thing that it was even a few years ago.  Cybercriminals and cyber terrorists will spend effort to go where the money and data (they are interchangeable now).  Stage coaches were once robbed by highway men, they aren’t really anymore.  For most of us, we should assume that our electronic records of some kindwill be the subject of a successful hack.  If we’re lucky, we’ll find out about it.  “Technology is neither good nor bad but neither is it neutral”*. It’s a tool and criminals use it as well as we can. I’ve spent my entire 25+ years career in this industry, not trying to be negative but the landscape isn’t great and law enforcement (G_d bless’em for the work they do) is understaffed and overwhelmed.  Politicians can’t act as fast as technology advances.  From a “what can this teach us, what can we learn” angle: assume your details will be compromised.  Do what you can to protect yourself * Backup any data that you cannot lose to as secure a recommended location as you can afford. The Prepared’s blog on this is superb.  Convince your relatives as well – for many of us, our details are on their devices as well as ours.  * Check your credit card and other accounts regularly for odd behavior.  Report it as soon as you see it. * Multi-factor logins where ever and when ever possible * Credit and privacy monitoring services can be helpful. * Think twice, thrice before clicking on any links.  If an email or offer sounds too good OR too dramatic to be true, it probably is. *  Like any technology, it can misused but also unreliable.  Talk with those in your sphere, ask them what happens if the internet goes down or is compromised..what do we do as an alternate?  What if THAT alternate goes down…what do we use..and so on down the line.   * Kranzberg

Reply to: Best practices after a burglary – Police reports, insurance, safety, etc. Posted September 25, 2021

Great advice M.E.!!  Especially the mental and emotional aspects!  A few additions and suggestions: Echoing the advice you made about locking your laptop remotely, there are similar options for Apple phones, Android and derived, Microsoft accounts. Laptops, phones, devices and sometimes cars – may have choices other things don’t and it’s worth looking into them based on what was taken.  It’s too numerous to list here but the gist is, based on what was stolen consider your options and what actions you can and should take.  If you can determine the location, be sure to report that to the police. Adding some to the heightened awareness AND self-care:  after you have had time to breathe do an honest review on what happened and what, if anything, could have done better.  Maybe another, stronger lock on the door?  Maybe more outdoor lighting in a certain area?  Maybe better documenting of items?  Whatever the situation, you’ll learn *something*.  Don’t beat yourself up.  Turn that learning into positive action towards prevention. Share it with others.

Reply to: Target shooting grouping gets worse as I move to a heavier bullet Posted September 23, 2021
Reply to: Let’s hear your prepper/survival stories! Posted September 23, 2021