Contour Camera Review

Gear Review: Contour Camera
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I recently purchased a contour +2 action camera to use in my video production.  I bought it because it was small, durable, had an external mic jack, streamed wireless to my phone, was water proof, and had a built in GPS.  So it only figures that I would do a post on a Contour Camera Review

When I got it, I found that it was oversold just a little bit – it has an HDMI out port – which they say allows it to be used as a webcam to apple computers – but the laptop I have is HDMI out only, so it will not work to tape my classes.

The video is a little jump as it has a low frame rate, and the lens makes everything look a little walleyed.

However, it comes with a waterproof case for scuba and snorkeling activities, and a bunch of different mounts – if I was using this solely as a gun cam, I would be very happy, as it is smaller and has more features than the go-pro.

Because I wanted a good quality camera with an external mic jack and I wanted to stay under $1000.00 I allowed myself to be taken by all the hoopla around this camera.  I guess sionce I have a waterproof case I can finannyl start working on shooting the Glock underwater…

How to Make Brandied Fruit Topping

How to Make Brandied Fruit Topping

 

How to Make Brandied Fruit Topping
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Brandied Fruit is a great way to preserve fresh fruit without having to deal with the heat of canning, which makes it perfect for the summer.

We have brandied several fruits, from strawberries to apples. Our experience with apples is that even after a year the apples are just as crispy as they were when we first brandied them. However, the apples have absorbed the alcohol and tastes just like the alcohol we used to preserve it. Depending on your tastes and uses this can be a good or a bad thing.

For the apples we just mixed everything together.

The Strawberries are more like a strawberry shortcake sauce (and it tastes great on shortcake), and did not pick up as much of the alcohol flavor. However, when we did the strawberries, we cooked them a little on the stove first.

Ingredients

  • 1 c. brandy (we used white whiskey)
  • 1 c. sugar
  • 1 c. fruit (sliced)

Procedure

  • Mix brandy sugar and fruit
  • Place in airtight jar for at least 2 weeks

brandied fruit is an awesome gift, when I give some brandied strawberries to my friends, they all want more.  In the past this was to preserve food over the winter, but now it is a way to enjoy nature’s goodness.

Until you have had strawberry shortcake with a brandied strawberry topping, you have no idea what you are missing.

PRN Episode #7 John Wesley Smith

PRN Episode #7 John Wesley Smith
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Join David as he interviews fellow PRN host John Wesley Smith of Destiny Survival Radio.

David and John will discuss new developments in prepping their personal experiences with prepping and what 2013 hold for all preppers.

Destiny Survival and John Wesley Smith are well known in the preparedness world as he has been doing this for a long time.  I learn a lot from listening to him, and I enjoyed talking with him

The show is scheduled for Monday at 10pm central time at this link.

If you cannot listen on Monday, you can always download the podcast for listening at your own leisure.

*Update, I just found out Destiny Survival Radio is going out of business, I wish John the best in all his future endeavors and will miss his contributions to the field.

 

How to Skip Buckshot: Ricochet Shooting a Shotgun

 

Skip Shooting a Shotgun
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In today’s article on Skip Shooting a shotgun we are going to talk about a technique taught at a particular state correction academty for dealing with riots.

While most of us will never have to worry about dealing with inmate riots, the ability for one man with a shotgun to be able to hit multiple assailants with one shot may be useful.  Gabe Suarez, also has a article on Skipping Buckshot, and besides TCA, is probably the only guy still teaching this viable technique.

We have covered in other videos the concept that while the column of shot fired from a shotgun does spread, it is not as extreme as Hollywood shows in the movies. Basically the shot spreads an inch every 10 feet or so. The low mass of the individual shot also cause it to loose potential energy very rapidly. Taken together, by the time the shot spreads enough to hit 3 or 4 bad guys, it won’t have enough energy to actually stop them.

How Skip Shooting Works

However, as the video demonstrates, if you shoot your shotgun at a low angle, and hit solid ground a foot or two in front of your target, the rounds will “skip” up and spread. Additionally, if your firing at asphalt, gravel, or other like substance, some ground debris will also be added to the ricocheting shot.

Now, before we get illusions of ninjas and super secret squirrel stuff (S4) take into consideration the basic laws of physics, and realize that action has a reaction. By spreading the shot in such an extreme manner there is an additional loss of velocity. Also, depending on the distance from the target, the angle, and how far you hit the ground in front of the target the maximum height you will get impact on the target will vary. It will be somewhere from the shins to the hips.

Less shot will impact the target, with less velocity, in the bad guy’s legs instead of vital organs. That is a very significant trade off for hitting more than one guy at a time.

While I think this is a good technique to keep in the brain housing group, if I was in a situation where I was in fear for my life by multiple attackers in close proximity I think I would be better off shooting the biggest threat center mass than peppering multiple guys.

Terrorism, Tactics, and Force Multipliers

 

Terrorism, Tactics, and Force Multipliers
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I used to work as a criminal justice adjunct instructor for a a private college here in Nashville. I ended up teaching terrorism much of the time, and while going through my computer I found several PowerPoint files and lesson plans I felt would be useful to some of the readers of this site.

Now this post comes from the terrorism course, and I have cut it down to discuss force multipliers, tactics of terrorists, and an introduction to WMD concepts.

It is rather long – coming in at 30 minutes, but I saved you from any cutesy intro music, and all the nice to know illustrative stuff I would have talked about in a normal 3 hour course.

This is a quick introduction to some involved concepts, and if you find it interesting let me know, as I would like to go into greater detail, but don’t want to bore anyone.

This video discusses force multipliers terrorists use to become more effective so that smaller numbers can have bigger impact.

If you understand the methods terrorists use then you can fight them.  If you have no idea of the enemy or how they operate you will never have a chance at stopping them