Book Review: The Internet Guide to Survival and Self-Reliance

The Internet Guide to Survival and Self-Reliance

Book Review: The Internet Guide to Survival and Self-Reliance
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You could search the internet for weeks and not find half of the expert survival sites in this unique guide.   The Internet Guide to Survival and Self-Reliance comes with its own Web site to put all this information just a click away.

The book, The Internet Guide to Survival and Self-Reliance teaches you how to supply your own food, power and shelter; save loads of money; and spark your imagination with creative and resourceful new ways to live a self-reliant life.

While some of the links in the book are not longer active, this is a great concept, and the website address for the book’s site is very useful.

I wish I had thought of this and acted on it first – its that good of an idea.

While it is an older book on the internet, I think it is worth a read.

However, while I would buy this book again, I would try to find it at a used book store or otherwise at a discount.  I got mine from the “scruffy” sale at Paladin Press, where they sell damaged books at a discount.  Actually I get most of my more “Action” orientated books this way.

I guess the best thing I can say is that I wish I had done this first.  Its a great idea for a book.

Clearing Trash From Trailer: With RZ Mask Review

 

Clearing Trash with RZ Mask
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In tearing down this old burnt up mobile home I worry about mold and rat feces.  The thought of breathing in dust that is full of those things just is not appealing.

Luckily the guys over at RZ mask contacted me about doing a review of their product.  I didn’t think it was much more than a fancy N95 mask.  I was wrong.

An RZ mask is a neoprene outer face mask with an air intake port.  Inside the mask is a removable inner filter.

You can mix and match different inner filters with different face masks to suit your needs.

Personally, I like the simple fask masks, a solid black RZ mask works for me, I don’t need a skull face or a camouflage one.

However, I do like the different inner filters.  They have filters optimized for construction dust, or smells, or filtering the air.

While this mask is designed for things like construction and outdoor motor sports, it has other uses.  I think the RZ mask would be perfect in a sick room where contageous people were kept to keep them from infecting others.  That would be a perfect prepper use.

One thing to think about, having wore regular N-95 masks are that they have a short life span.  The moisture you exhale then to mess them up over time, they also don’t last long taking them off and on.  The design of the RZ-mask specifically addresses these problems.

I find that an RZ-mask can last for weeks of use – a month or so if it is light use.  That is incomparable to a typical N-95 mask.

Trick to Help Pull the Carpets

 

I used the carpet puller shown here to help pull the carpet up as a whole to slide trash and all out of the trailer and onto a large utility trailer.

I tied the handles to rope and the rope to my truck.  This went pretty fast.  It went faster when I used heavy equipment.

Tearing this thing down isn’t hard, but distance and time have contributed to this project taking a LONG time. I finally decided to just rip the thing down with the backhoe, and tear the remaining walls down with a truck, but I still have to clean up the debris and unbolt the sub-floor from the frame.

Now that I can see some progress and I have a system it is working much better.

The Warrior Ethos

The Warrior Ethos
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In The Warrior Ethos, the author talks about the nature of the warrior code and the rules by which a warrior, must follow.

I like how Pressfield uses historical examples such as the famous 300 Spartans at Thermopylae but also inner conflict such as described in the Bhagavad Gita.

Pressfield does not define a warrior as a specific martial profession, but broadens it to embrace anyone who faces a conflict they must overcome through trial and effort.

The unwritten warrior code is universally understood by various warrior cultures around the world.  This book describes the code.

Amazon says:

WARS CHANGE, WARRIORS DON’T We are all warriors. Each of us struggles every day to define and defend our sense of purpose and integrity, to justify our existence on the planet and to understand, if only within our own hearts, who we are and what we believe in.

Do we fight by a code? If so, what is it? What is the Warrior Ethos?

Where did it come from? What form does it take today? How do we (and how can we) use it and be true to it in our internal and external lives?

The Warrior Ethos is intended not only for men and women in uniform, but artists, entrepreneurs and other warriors in other walks of life. The book examines the evolution of the warrior code of honor and “mental toughness.”

It goes back to the ancient Spartans and Athenians, to Caesar’s Romans, Alexander’s Macedonians and the Persians of Cyrus the Great (not excluding the Garden of Eden and the primitive hunting band).

Sources include Herodotus, Thucydides, Plutarch, Xenophon, Vegetius, Arrian and Curtius–and on down to Gen. George Patton, Field Marshal Erwin Rommel, and Israeli Minister of Defense, Moshe Dayan.

The Frugal Cook

The Frugal Cook
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In modern America almost a third of all food purchased is thrown out.  Frugality is not cool – at least for some.

Of course, the readers of this website are opposite of that.  We embrace the make do, reuse, and refuse to waste mindset.  In the Frugal Cook recipes are given for frugal but very tasty recipes.The lost art of thrift is rediscovered in this cookbook through a wealth of fantastic recipes, from budget breakfasts–Spring Vegetable Frittata or French Toast with Polish Cherries–to easy midweek suppers, such as Thai Beef Salad or Linguine with Stilton and Onion.

In a time where about a third of all the food purchased is thrown out, this book is ideal for anyone who is eager to cut out waste and make the most of everything they buy.

With a full glossary of ingredients and ideas for how to use them up, as well as a myriad of thrifty tips that promise to transform even the most sorry leftover into an inventive and tasty meal, this is a kitchen manual that no home can afford to be without.

The Frugal Cook is a great book for the money, and while it is not the sole answer for frugality, it does make a good place to start.

Hydropack Water Purifier Review

Gear Review: Hydropack Water Purifier
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While at the National Prepper and Survialist Expo I saw a really cool product, and the vendor (Deployed Logix) was nice enough to give me this Hydropack Water Purifier to review and test out.  I have read about this technology before, but I have not had the opportunity to review it before.

According to the manufacturer:

The HydroPack was designed for its ease of use, simply put the filter into virtually any dirty water and the filter goes to work making a clean drink.

The self hydrating pouch produces 12-17 fl. Oz. of sports drink.

The filter uses a passive osmotic process so it never clogs, requires no pumping and filters down to the atomic level (3-5 angstroms – which is .3-.5 billionths of a meter) so the filter removes even the smallest viruses to the same purity of a complicated reverse osmosis machine.

  • Forward osmosis filter requires no pumping, works in any virtually and water, even muddy water. Produces a sports drink for improved hydration.
  • Meets or surpasses reductions for bacteria, viruses and cysts as specified by the EPA for water purifiers
  • Easiest of our filters to use, simply put the HydroPack into the dirty water and it starts producing a clean drink.
  • The highest purity level of any personal filter, non-clogging filter produces a sports drink for improved hydration.
I simply dumped the pack in a bowl of dirty water and went to bed, when I got up, I just stabbed the included straw into the inflated package and drank the contents.
It tasted like a sports drink, and I did not have any negative views on the taste – my wife even drank some.
I would probably keep some alcohol wipes in my kit to wipe off the location your going to insert the straw to reduce cross contamination, but other than that, I think this has a place in a bug out bag.  I would not keep these in bulk for bugging in due to cost, but I think they are very useful for on the go kits.