Originally published at Notes from the bunker…. You can comment here or there.

Picked up a couple extra mantles for my Aladdin lamp yesterday evening. Always nice to be able to cross something off of The List. Actually, I need to pick up one more mantle. I want a total of five. The mantle I have now has been in occasional use for the last, oh, ten years I guess…but I dont use the lamp very often at all. At most, a few hours a year. However, if I need to depend on it for a longer period of time, I want to have spare mantles. Still need to get a spare chimney, wick and burner as well as a wick trimming tool. Once thats done, I’ll be set for that particular lamp and will then pick up a spare.
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Haiti. Third-world illiterate countries will always be like this. Until someone decides to take the risk and bring business and industry to these little nations they will continue to be little hotbeds of revolution. Not. My. Problem.
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Still havent picked up any 26.5mm flare or smoke. Im hoping to run into some at a gun show but I suspect I better buy some soon before the surplus military stocks dry up and become difficult to find. I just hate paying the additional $20 for HazMat fees. Grrrr.
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Another item I need to pick up this year – USMC combat tents on eBay. $180~ and worth every penny. Buddy of mine has one (or two) and they are a good piece of gear. A bit heavy, but worth it.

Picked up a couple extra mantles for my Aladdin lamp yesterday evening. Always nice to be able to cross something off of The List. Actually, I need to pick up one more mantle. I want a total of five. The mantle I have now has been in occasional use for the last, oh, ten years I guess…but I dont use the lamp very often at all. At most, a few hours a year. However, if I need to depend on it for a longer period of time, I want to have spare mantles. Still need to get a spare chimney, wick and burner as well as a wick trimming tool. Once thats done, I’ll be set for that particular lamp and will then pick up a spare.
===============
Haiti. Third-world illiterate countries will always be like this. Until someone decides to take the risk and bring business and industry to these little nations they will continue to be little hotbeds of revolution. Not. My. Problem.
===============
Still havent picked up an 26.5mm flare or smoke. Im hoping to run into some at a gun show but I suspect I better buy some soon before the surplus military stocks dry up and become difficult to find. I just hate paying the additional $20 for HazMat fees. Grrrr.
===============
Another item I need to pick up this year – USMC combat tents on eBay. $180~ and worth every penny. Buddy of mine has one (or two) and they are a good piece of gear. A bit heavy, but worth it.

Originally published at Notes from the bunker…. You can comment here or there.

A humor-journal????
‘Tis true..someone ( http://www.livejournal.com/users/highexecutive/190108.html ) thinks that this particular LJ is here for laughs.

Hate to burst their bubble, but Commander Zero is as serious as a heart attack and twice as life-altering.

I mean, geez, if this LJ was here for laughs it would be alot more exciting…Day 192: Finished the escape tunnel to the abandoned missle silo. My sources have assured me that the stolen C-130 of MRE’s will be landing on the old highway at midnight. Me and the other troops will be there with a couple stolen forklifts to get the pallets onto the trucks. Meanwhile, our radio expert has finished piggybacking our signal onto the military sattelites..”

Sorry kids…its allllllllll real. Commander Zero is a real person, with a real plan, a real pile of gear, and a real distaste for people who think this isnt a real accounting of things.

A humor-journal????
‘Tis true..someone ( http://www.livejournal.com/users/highexecutive/190108.html ) thinks that this particular LJ is here for laughs.

Hate to burst their bubble, but Commander Zero is as serious as a heart attack and twice as life-altering.

I mean, geez, if this LJ was here for laughs it would be alot more exciting…Day 192: Finished the escape tunnel to the abandoned missle silo. My sources have assured me that the stolen C-130 of MRE’s will be landing on the old highway at midnight. Me and the other troops will be there with a couple stolen forklifts to get the pallets onto the trucks. Meanwhile, our radio expert has finished piggybacking our signal onto the military sattelites..”

Sorry kids…its allllllllll real. Commander Zero is a real person, with a real plan, a real pile of gear, and a real distaste for people who think this isnt a real accounting of things.

Originally published at Notes from the bunker…. You can comment here or there.

Was nosing around the local hardware store yesterday and found this little goodie. Seemed like a good idea to have such a device handy so it now sits on my bookcase. The alarm on it is definitely not one that you could ignore or miss…its loud. But, I suppose it has to be.

While I was in the hardware shop I discovered there have spare parts for my Alladin kerosene lamp..spare chimney, burner, and mantles. Perfect. I’d been needing to get spares (they are, after all, on The List)and now I know where to get them. They also had another lamp there as well marked down to about $50. I’d like to get another lamp so first opportunity I have I’ll be getting it.

Assault weapons ban renewal, death-to-gunshow amendments, etc are being bandied about as we speak in Washington. Time to accelerate whatever purchases may be affected if those things come to pass…more magazines, more paperless guns, more semi-autos. Never. Enough.

Was nosing around the local hardware store yesterday and found this little goodie. Seemed like a good idea to have such a device handy so it now sits on my bookcase. The alarm on it is definitely not one that you could ignore or miss…its loud. But, I suppose it has to be.

While I was in the hardware shop I discovered there have spare parts for my Alladin kerosene lamp..spare chimney, burner, and mantles. Perfect. I’d been needing to get spares (they are, after all, on The List)and now I know where to get them. They also had another lamp there as well marked down to about $50. I’d like to get another lamp so first opportunity I have I’ll be getting it.

Assault weapons ban renewal, death-to-gunshow amendments, etc are being bandied about as we speak in Washington. Time to accelerate whatever purchases may be affected if those things come to pass…more magazines, more paperless guns, more semi-autos. Never. Enough.

Originally published at Notes from the bunker…. You can comment here or there.

It occurs to me that the writings of Commander Zero may very accurately be referred to as “Zerotica”. Im mildly amused by this.

Its a stereotype that us ’survivalist’/’preparedness’ types are heavy into guns. Fairly accurate sterotype, sure… But about a year ago I decided that I was prety much where I wanted to be in regards to my personal weapons and since that part of my plans was about 90% done, I could focus on other things, which is what Ive been doing. Oh sure, there are still a few gun-related things I want to get (more ammo mostly) but I’m satisfied that my primary and secondary collections of thundertoys would be enough to get me through pretty much everything.

So wheres the focus these days? Food. More food. And still more food. Its a priority thing. Food is a pain to deal with because, unlike guns and tools, theres a shelf-life and a need for rotation…just when you think youre done stocking up, you have to start all over again because of expiration dates. Rotating food out isnt that big a deal…its just an annoyance. Most of the really long term stuff (the #10 cans of freeze-dried) are good for upwards of over twenty years…so Ive at least another ten on them before I even have to worry. The grains store well enough that I dont really have to give them any thoughts either.

Theres still other stuff that needs to be ‘beefed up’. Radio communications, fuel storage, electricity production, transportation and that sort of thing, but Im working on that as best I can. However, at my current level of preparedness, Im pretty sure I could easily weather anything lasting several weeks to a month or two. Needless to say, a two day blackout or something of that ilk would barely disrupt things at home.

But, my personal ‘worst case scenario’ isnt some sort of blackout, earthquake or other event…rather its a creeping Depression-like economic calamity. Remember the 80’s when the Soviet Union was in its glory? Citizens lined up for toilet paper, grocery stores were almost always empty, fuel availability was spotty, every winter people were huddled around tiny stoves trying to keep warm, that sort of thing…naturally, if some sort of economic collapse doesnt occur (and Id be quite happy if it didnt) I’d still be prepared for all the lesser events (blizzards, power failures, etc).

Of course, everyone has their own reasons for preparing…some do it out of compulsions (the need to ‘control’ their surroundings), some out of religious reasons (Mormons, for example), some out of political beliefs (a large amount of Libertarians, etc)…my personal reason is probably the a little of the first and alot of the third. I dont like being dependent on others for my safety and well being..and the idea of some government flunky with a clipboard handing me a wad of food stamps, a bus pass and a housing allowance just strikes me as nightmarish. Plus, I take a dim view of people whose attitude is that the ‘government will provide’. Gov’s job isnt to feed, house and clothe you…govs job is to protect your rights to earn your own food, housing and clothing.

It occurs to me that the writings of Commander Zero may very accurately be referred to as “Zerotica”. Im mildly amused by this.

Its a stereotype that us ‘survivalist’/’preparedness’ types are heavy into guns. Fairly accurate sterotype, sure… But about a year ago I decided that I was prety much where I wanted to be in regards to my personal weapons and since that part of my plans was about 90% done, I could focus on other things, which is what Ive been doing. Oh sure, there are still a few gun-related things I want to get (more ammo mostly) but I’m satisfied that my primary and secondary collections of thundertoys would be enough to get me through pretty much everything.

So wheres the focus these days? Food. More food. And still more food. Its a priority thing. Food is a pain to deal with because, unlike guns and tools, theres a shelf-life and a need for rotation…just when you think youre done stocking up, you have to start all over again because of expiration dates. Rotating food out isnt that big a deal…its just an annoyance. Most of the really long term stuff (the #10 cans of freeze-dried) are good for upwards of over twenty years…so Ive at least another ten on them before I even have to worry. The grains store well enough that I dont really have to give them any thoughts either.

Theres still other stuff that needs to be ‘beefed up’. Radio communications, fuel storage, electricity production, transportation and that sort of thing, but Im working on that as best I can. However, at my current level of preparedness, Im pretty sure I could easily weather anything lasting several weeks to a month or two. Needless to say, a two day blackout or something of that ilk would barely disrupt things at home.

But, my personal ‘worst case scenario’ isnt some sort of blackout, earthquake or other event…rather its a creeping Depression-like economic calamity. Remember the 80’s when the Soviet Union was in its glory? Citizens lined up for toilet paper, grocery stores were almost always empty, fuel availability was spotty, every winter people were huddled around tiny stoves trying to keep warm, that sort of thing…naturally, if some sort of economic collapse doesnt occur (and Id be quite happy if it didnt) I’d still be prepared for all the lesser events (blizzards, power failures, etc).

Of course, everyone has their own reasons for preparing…some do it out of compulsions (the need to ‘control’ their surroundings), some out of religious reasons (Mormons, for example), some out of political beliefs (a large amount of Libertarians, etc)…my personal reason is probably the a little of the first and alot of the third. I dont like being dependent on others for my safety and well being..and the idea of some government flunky with a clipboard handing me a wad of food stamps, a bus pass and a housing allowance just strikes me as nightmarish. Plus, I take a dim view of people whose attitude is that the ‘government will provide’. Gov’s job isnt to feed, house and clothe you…govs job is to protect your rights to earn your own food, housing and clothing.

Originally published at Notes from the bunker…. You can comment here or there.

Since the flare guns arrived, I’ve been wanting to pick up some 26.5mm smoke and flare cartridges. Not a big deal, I just have to sit down and order them. But I found an interesting tangent….trip flares.

Years ago you could buy surplus ‘boobytrap/artillery simulators’ that the military used. You nailed this little device to a tree, strung some wire and when someone stumbled across it an M80-firework type explosive went off. Great fun. Good for letting you know when people were sneaking onto your property. Like much fun milsurp they are no longer made available. Fortunately, a LMI who works at Home Depot wandered down the plumbing aisle and discovered, in theory, the correct combination of fittings to make a simple trip flare. I say ‘in theory’ because wandering through HD with a 26.5mm flare in hand and dropping it into various size pipe was not a really good idea.

He sent pictures and a parts list (including Home Depot SKU’s) and it appears to be a workable design (although heavily overbuilt since it uses steel pipe rather than cheaper, lighter PVC or plastic). As soon as I get some flares I’ll try building one. I was *going* to post the pictures but the thing looks eerily like a pipe bomb and we wouldnt want to offend the sensibilities of any self-appointed watchdogs.

So what is the purpose of the trip flares? Well, lets say Rancho Ballistica has a nice long driveway leading from the little-used road. Lets also say theres the typical old barbed wire fence surrounding the place. Its 3:30AM and I’m awakened by the seismic detectors going off or by the barking of the dog. Look out the window. Its pitch black. Sensor says that detector #3, the one at the northeast property corner, is going off. That covers a good bit of ground and doesnt say exactly *where* the intruders are or how many. At that moment theres a pop, a brief flash, and a streak of light shoots into the air and bursts, illuminating the ground beneath in time to see…..

Now nothing ruins the element of surprise more than ‘freezing’ as a flare goes off overhead.

Paranoia? Mmmm…maybe. But when telephones have been ‘iffy’ , the radio has had nothing but Emergency Broadcast info on for the last week or two, shortwave news reports tell you things that US sources dont, and theres been reports of looting and theft of peoples supplies it’ll seem like a good idea to have one of these babies wired across the accessways to the outbuildings and gardens.

Since the flare guns arrived, I’ve been wanting to pick up some 26.5mm smoke and flare cartridges. Not a big deal, I just have to sit down and order them. But I found an interesting tangent….trip flares.

Years ago you could buy surplus ‘boobytrap/artillery simulators’ that the military used. You nailed this little device to a tree, strung some wire and when someone stumbled across it an M80-firework type explosive went off. Great fun. Good for letting you know when people were sneaking onto your property. Like much fun milsurp they are no longer made available. Fortunately, a LMI who works at Home Depot wandered down the plumbing aisle and discovered, in theory, the correct combination of fittings to make a simple trip flare. I say ‘in theory’ because wandering through HD with a 26.5mm flare in hand and dropping it into various size pipe was not a really good idea.

He sent pictures and a parts list (including Home Depot SKU’s) and it appears to be a workable design (although heavily overbuilt since it uses steel pipe rather than cheaper, lighter PVC or plastic). As soon as I get some flares I’ll try building one. I was *going* to post the pictures but the thing looks eerily like a pipe bomb and we wouldnt want to offend the sensibilities of any self-appointed watchdogs.

So what is the purpose of the trip flares? Well, lets say Rancho Ballistica has a nice long driveway leading from the little-used road. Lets also say theres the typical old barbed wire fence surrounding the place. Its 3:30AM and I’m awakened by the seismic detectors going off or by the barking of the dog. Look out the window. Its pitch black. Sensor says that detector #3, the one at the northeast property corner, is going off. That covers a good bit of ground and doesnt say exactly *where* the intruders are or how many. At that moment theres a pop, a brief flash, and a streak of light shoots into the air and bursts, illuminating the ground beneath in time to see…..

Now nothing ruins the element of surprise more than ‘freezing’ as a flare goes off overhead.

Paranoia? Mmmm…maybe. But when telephones have been ‘iffy’ , the radio has had nothing but Emergency Broadcast info on for the last week or two, shortwave news reports tell you things that US sources dont, and theres been reports of looting and theft of peoples supplies it’ll seem like a good idea to have one of these babies wired across the accessways to the outbuildings and gardens.