Any survivalists/preppers/doomsdayplanners here?

Started by Captain Maltese, January 28, 2016, 09:28:58 AM

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Oniya

It's an eye condition where an abscess forms, typically on the inside surface of the eyelid.  Very irritating to painful, but not particularly dangerous. 
"Language was invented for one reason, boys - to woo women.~*~*~Don't think it's all been done before
And in that endeavor, laziness will not do." ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~Don't think we're never gonna win this war
Robin Williams-Dead Poets Society ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~Don't think your world's gonna fall apart
I do have a cause, though.  It's obscenity.  I'm for it.  - Tom Lehrer~*~All you need is your beautiful heart
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Captain Maltese


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Oniya

Trolley coin?

I'd be mildly worried about the 'cutter' (although it looks more serrated than 'sharp edge) in my hair, but it's a cool idea.
"Language was invented for one reason, boys - to woo women.~*~*~Don't think it's all been done before
And in that endeavor, laziness will not do." ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~Don't think we're never gonna win this war
Robin Williams-Dead Poets Society ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~Don't think your world's gonna fall apart
I do have a cause, though.  It's obscenity.  I'm for it.  - Tom Lehrer~*~All you need is your beautiful heart
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Captain Maltese

#128


While I was out shopping food today I passed by this little thing and thought it might have some potential for experimental survivalist improvisation. At a dollar fifty, why not? But the ladies reading this thread might be more knowledgeable than me, because this is apparently nail polish remover.

Here is the actual item. 100 milliliter of Dimethyl Glutarate and a presumably negligible amount of perfume. The little print on the back says that the product is entirely free of acetone.

My plan now is to do a little chemistry research. But in the meanwhile I would like to hear any suggestions, from practical experience to lab jokes, of what this innocuous product could ever be used for. After all I will probably never need it for what it is supposedly for.

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Oniya

Well, as it says on the package, it's a solvent (nail polish remover is essentially a mild paint stripper).  We used to use the acetone-based nail polish remover to deal with super-glue accidents, but I'm not sure if the newer formulas are up to that challenge.

Chemically:  DIMETHYL GLUTARATE is an ester. Esters react with acids to liberate heat along with alcohols and acids. Strong oxidizing acids may cause a vigorous reaction that is sufficiently exothermic to ignite the reaction products. Heat is also generated by the interaction of esters with caustic solutions.

So, if you have a source of strong acid (car battery?), you might be able to start a fire with it, although a bottle of isopropyl alcohol would probably do you just as well for less money per unit volume (once you call something a 'cosmetic', you can charge more for it - yay vanity!)
"Language was invented for one reason, boys - to woo women.~*~*~Don't think it's all been done before
And in that endeavor, laziness will not do." ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~Don't think we're never gonna win this war
Robin Williams-Dead Poets Society ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~Don't think your world's gonna fall apart
I do have a cause, though.  It's obscenity.  I'm for it.  - Tom Lehrer~*~All you need is your beautiful heart
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Captain Maltese

Well, this one has no acetone so I can't tell. But it is a relevant question because I keep superglue in my emergency medical kit for cut wounds.

I guess this is basically a solvent. I found entire literal lists of stuff you can do with nail polish remover but it gets underlined that this is for the type WITH acetone. I was hoping that the dimethyl glutarate might be useful for something clever in an emergency but right now I don't know in what direction to look.

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Oniya

I suppose you could do a controlled test to see if the dimethyl will do the same things.  For example, apply a drop of superglue to a surface and let it solidify, then apply some of the dimethyl and see if it softens. 

Apparently the prevalence of non-acetone polish removers is due to the fact that acetone will also remove acrylic nails' adhesive (makes sense, I suppose.)
"Language was invented for one reason, boys - to woo women.~*~*~Don't think it's all been done before
And in that endeavor, laziness will not do." ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~Don't think we're never gonna win this war
Robin Williams-Dead Poets Society ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~Don't think your world's gonna fall apart
I do have a cause, though.  It's obscenity.  I'm for it.  - Tom Lehrer~*~All you need is your beautiful heart
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Captain Maltese

Just joking around a bit since it is the holidays....

YOU MAY BE MORE PREPARED FOR THE APOCALYPSE THAN YOU THOUGHT

1. You have a primary defense position with established supply resource maps and escape route - if you live in any kind of home at all.

2. You have a fallback and secondary defense position - if you have at your disposal a cabin, or dependable friends or relatives living near you who will tolerate you sleeping over for a night or two.

3. You have a mobile temporary hideout - if you have a tent and a sleeping bag, or even just a plastic sheet and a blanket.

4. You have a primary close range defense system - if you can pony up a baseball bat, a crowbar, a hammer or even just the biggest knife in your kitchen drawer.

5. You have access to multiple local and global communication systems - if you have a cell phone.

6. You have food supplies for 24 hours - if you have one bottle of water and a couple of tins of tuna. Doesn't sound like much but it will keep you going for that long at least. Which brings me to point 7...

7. You have covered your most essential food making supplies in an emergency - if you have a can opener. If it is placed on a pocket knife, so much the better.

8. You have a complete firestarting kit - if you have one box of matches and a dry newspaper.

9. You can heat water and prepare many types of food - in an emptied tin can with the lid removed and a bit of wire going through two holes near the top, to hang it over the fire with.

10. You can cover your need for the most essential survival clothing - with a one dollar plastic poncho. Because staying dry matters a whole lot than the name brand of your gear. If the shit really hits the fan a big plastic bag with holes cut for your head and arms could be what saves you from hypothermia.

11. You are an expert at survival - the proof is that you made it this far in life. If and when disaster strikes you are capable of a lot of things you might not normally put on your CV. Don't panic and you WILL be a resource for yourself and for others.

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Captain Maltese

Resuscitating an old thread because the topic seems just as valid.

Fairly recently I saw and reviewed the movie "Into The wild" (2007) which covers the real life story of Cristopher McCandless aka Alexander Supertramp. Very briefly put, McCandless was an A-student who left his career path to seek solitude, trekking and and hoboing around USA before heading to Alaska to live alone in the wilderness by his survival skills and abilities alone. This did not go well.

The reason I am mentioning McCandless is that once he got into the wilderness he essentially became a survivalist. Using an abandoned vehicle as base he fished, hunted and gathered herbs to live of. With him he had basic camping equipment and a small caliber rifle. In addition to a considerable amount of second hand advice he also brought several herb and similar books with him - and he was after all an A student, and no fool. His corpse was found four months later. At the point of death he was estimated to have weighed less than 70 pounds; essentially there was not an ounce of fat left on him. Forensic and nuitrition experts have launches several competing theories about what killed him. One hints that he ate too much lean meat. Another, that the herbs he relied on had been wet when he bagged on.

Why bring this story up here? It is because I think McCandless' death can teach us a few things. Let me start by asking just two things. Has anyone else seen the movie or read the story, and what did you think?

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Cookie

Yeah sure I know about it, I think McCandless fundamentally died due to a lack of knowledge and preparation. Shame as he seemed like a really interesting and cool guy.  Rangers in the area said that he could have walked to safety if he had a map.

I find Dick Proenneke more interesting, he successfully lived in the wilds of Alaska virtually alone for 30 years, until his 80s!! https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Proenneke  He knew what he was doing. He left some great recorded footage too, there's a documentary called Alone in the Wilderness that goes into his experiences, really good if you like that kind of thing.
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Oniya

Quote from: Cookie on July 29, 2017, 01:53:46 PM
Yeah sure I know about it, I think McCandless fundamentally died due to a lack of knowledge and preparation. Shame as he seemed like a really interesting and cool guy.  Rangers in the area said that he could have walked to safety if he had a map.

Or wanted to.  There are certain tricks to finding civilization even without a map.  Settlements tend to form near water, even in the modern age, for nothing more than pure convenience.  A river gives you transportation, water, and food sources.  I think that arrogance might have played a part in McCandless's death:  He thought he knew more than he did (going in), and may have clung to that belief when things went pear-shaped.

As Socrates said, 'I know that I do not know.'
"Language was invented for one reason, boys - to woo women.~*~*~Don't think it's all been done before
And in that endeavor, laziness will not do." ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~Don't think we're never gonna win this war
Robin Williams-Dead Poets Society ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~Don't think your world's gonna fall apart
I do have a cause, though.  It's obscenity.  I'm for it.  - Tom Lehrer~*~All you need is your beautiful heart
O/O's Updated 5/11/21 - A/A's - Current Status! - Writing a novel - all draws for Fool of Fire up!
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Cookie

Quote from: Oniya on July 29, 2017, 02:06:08 PM
Or wanted to.  There are certain tricks to finding civilization even without a map.  Settlements tend to form near water, even in the modern age, for nothing more than pure convenience.  A river gives you transportation, water, and food sources.  I think that arrogance might have played a part in McCandless's death:  He thought he knew more than he did (going in), and may have clung to that belief when things went pear-shaped.

As Socrates said, 'I know that I do not know.'

Yeah that wouldn't surprise me. 

Others have said he might have wanted to wing it, as part of the adventure, so he didn't take the time to study or be properly prepared, as that would take away from it all. I struggle to understand why someone would do that, but who knows.
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Captain Maltese

#137
Excellent, we have a case to discuss then. First off, I agree that McCandless made some pretty drastic choices, definitely putting himself at risk knowingly and unknowingly, and he was more than cocky enough to think he could deal with anything.

I have seen the movie and read a few bits here and there, but haven't read the book. Let me try to make a list of errors anyway.

1. Didn't have a plan. Heading into the wilderness to live off nature was about it. There was no emergency plan, no what ifs.
2. Didn't bring adequate gear. As the movie shows he had not even brought good footgear. Nor were there salt or emergency gear. Any number of events could have offed him.
3. Went in undergunned. Wikipedia states that his rifle was a semi automatic .22 long rifle. That is adequate for killing a rabbit, but for anything bigger that's fairly puny. The movie once show him killing a moose with it and that should not have happened unless the director pulled a quick one or McCandless was incredibly lucky. And he was venturing into bear territory!
4. Had no idea of how to treat game, which resulted in him losing the entire carcass of a whole moose. In the middle of summer fly larvas are a very real treat. Hereabout hunters hang the meat up in tight meshed bags. He had no such things. Nor had he brought salt, or any closable container, and he never even thought of making a fire to fry the meat on. Digging it down, which he tried, might have been a temporary option if he had been able to dig big enough and throw earth on it.
5. Relied almost solely on lean rabbit meat for his meals, and rice while it lasted. Over time that has dangers in itself, but above that is the fact that the body require vitamins and other things. Ask any old time sailor about what happens if you are at sea for too long without access to fruit and vegs. While he did have that wild herbs book he had neither planned for bringing vegetables or seeking out more sizeable growing things to sustain him long term. For instance moss and leaf sprouts offer vitamins and fills the stomach, once you have cooked it.
6. Never attempted to call for help. Sure he was way out in the wilderness but there are other people out there, and planes. Had he made a big fire once he realized his body was failing, he might have been saved. Or built a big L shape from branches, visible to planes. Or he could have brought some emergency flares; they don't last long but if there are people within the nearest mile they might see it. This stuff costs almost nothing.
7. Didn't talk to any locals. He arrived in a state he had never been in before, with unknown nature, and never thought to find a lumberjack, a hunter, or a Native Indian - there are over a dozen tribes and subtribes in Alaska and they know a LOT about the wilderness. And so do the thousands of other Alaskans who make a living in the rural parts of the state.
8. Didn't bring a map, didn't bring a compass, didn't bring a signal mirror, didn't bring a signal flute. Finding the way back in an emergency would have been at least an option.     

Did I forget anything?

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Captain Maltese

Quote from: Cookie on July 29, 2017, 01:53:46 PM
Yeah sure I know about it, I think McCandless fundamentally died due to a lack of knowledge and preparation. Shame as he seemed like a really interesting and cool guy.  Rangers in the area said that he could have walked to safety if he had a map.

I find Dick Proenneke more interesting, he successfully lived in the wilds of Alaska virtually alone for 30 years, until his 80s!! https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Proenneke  He knew what he was doing. He left some great recorded footage too, there's a documentary called Alone in the Wilderness that goes into his experiences, really good if you like that kind of thing.

By the way, Proenneke interests me. I'll be delighted to look at his case at some point later, especially as a countercase.

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Oniya

Quote from: Captain Maltese on July 29, 2017, 03:18:47 PM
5. Relied almost solely on lean rabbit meat for his meals, and rice while it lasted. Over time that has dangers in itself, but above that is the fact that the body require vitamins and other things. Ask any old time sailor about what happens if you are at sea for too long without access to fruit and vegs. While he did have that wild herbs book he had neither planned for bringing vegetables or seeking out more sizeable growing things to sustain him long term. For instance moss and leaf sprouts offer vitamins and fills the stomach, once you have cooked it.

Rice?  Was it at least brown rice?  O_o  I haven't looked at his particular story, but rice probably wouldn't be on the top of my 'rations' to pack in for something like that.
"Language was invented for one reason, boys - to woo women.~*~*~Don't think it's all been done before
And in that endeavor, laziness will not do." ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~Don't think we're never gonna win this war
Robin Williams-Dead Poets Society ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~Don't think your world's gonna fall apart
I do have a cause, though.  It's obscenity.  I'm for it.  - Tom Lehrer~*~All you need is your beautiful heart
O/O's Updated 5/11/21 - A/A's - Current Status! - Writing a novel - all draws for Fool of Fire up!
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Captain Maltese

#140
Quote from: Oniya on July 29, 2017, 04:40:56 PM
Rice?  Was it at least brown rice?  O_o  I haven't looked at his particular story, but rice probably wouldn't be on the top of my 'rations' to pack in for something like that.

From what I saw in the movie he possessed a single bag of maybe 2-3 kilos of white rice. It was shown only for a few seconds in total so I may have seen wrong.

I kind of understand - white rice is about 90% carbohydrate (starch) and about 8% protein, and both will do a hungry body good. Vietnamese soldiers would carry belts with dried rice as their field rations (cooking was required) and of course considerable parts of the world has it as a staple food. It is a very high nutrient/weight thing to put in your bag and very low cost too - and it stores practically infinitely if kept dry. The downside is the total lack of vitamins. I would definitely prefer brown rice in such a situation since it contains a lot more fiber.

In my daily 'diet' I try to avoid rice, even if I like it. As with pasta there's simply more carbs than I want to put in my body. But as an addition to the meager menu of a survival situation I would be glad to have some.

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Oniya

Brown rice also contains fairly significant amounts of B6 and magnesium - which I thought I remembered, and went to confirm.  Also, brown rice (being a whole grain and not processed to hell and back) can be sprouted to increase the nutritional benefits.  (I can't access the whole study, but the abstract gives the gist of it.)
"Language was invented for one reason, boys - to woo women.~*~*~Don't think it's all been done before
And in that endeavor, laziness will not do." ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~Don't think we're never gonna win this war
Robin Williams-Dead Poets Society ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~Don't think your world's gonna fall apart
I do have a cause, though.  It's obscenity.  I'm for it.  - Tom Lehrer~*~All you need is your beautiful heart
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Captain Maltese

Sprouting sounds interesting. What do you need to use and do to make it happen?

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Oniya

Jar, water, a little cheese-cloth.  Heck, we sprouted mung beans back in grade school.

Place ½ cup brown rice in a quart-size sprouting jar or other sprouting container. Fill with water, cover with a sprouting screen or mesh sprouting lid  (cheese cloth will work).
Soak 12 hours or overnight.
Drain off water.
Invert the jar over a bowl at an angle so that the rice will drain and still allow air to circulate.
After 12 hours of draining, rinse and drain again.
Repeat rinsing and draining 2-3 times daily.
Tiny sprouts should begin to form in 2-3 days. At this point, sprouting is complete.
Drain the sprouts well and transfer to a covered container.
"Language was invented for one reason, boys - to woo women.~*~*~Don't think it's all been done before
And in that endeavor, laziness will not do." ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~Don't think we're never gonna win this war
Robin Williams-Dead Poets Society ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~Don't think your world's gonna fall apart
I do have a cause, though.  It's obscenity.  I'm for it.  - Tom Lehrer~*~All you need is your beautiful heart
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Captain Maltese

Quote from: Oniya on July 29, 2017, 06:06:47 PM
Jar, water, a little cheese-cloth.  Heck, we sprouted mung beans back in grade school.

Place ½ cup brown rice in a quart-size sprouting jar or other sprouting container. Fill with water, cover with a sprouting screen or mesh sprouting lid  (cheese cloth will work).
Soak 12 hours or overnight.
Drain off water.
Invert the jar over a bowl at an angle so that the rice will drain and still allow air to circulate.
After 12 hours of draining, rinse and drain again.
Repeat rinsing and draining 2-3 times daily.
Tiny sprouts should begin to form in 2-3 days. At this point, sprouting is complete.
Drain the sprouts well and transfer to a covered container.

It is interesting but I notice that no further nourishment has been added. So this increases the amount of fiber?

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Oniya

The process of germination makes a number of the B vitamins easier to metabolize, especially B2, B5, and B6.  It also breaks down the phytic acid in the seed, which in turn improves mineral absorption (particularly magnesium).  With other sprouts (like the mung beans), you can also increase the amount of vitamin C.  The Chinese used to carry mung beans on long sea voyages the same way that British sailors eventually carried lemons and limes.
"Language was invented for one reason, boys - to woo women.~*~*~Don't think it's all been done before
And in that endeavor, laziness will not do." ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~Don't think we're never gonna win this war
Robin Williams-Dead Poets Society ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~Don't think your world's gonna fall apart
I do have a cause, though.  It's obscenity.  I'm for it.  - Tom Lehrer~*~All you need is your beautiful heart
O/O's Updated 5/11/21 - A/A's - Current Status! - Writing a novel - all draws for Fool of Fire up!
Requests updated March 17

Captain Maltese

Quote from: Oniya on July 29, 2017, 06:57:51 PM
The process of germination makes a number of the B vitamins easier to metabolize, especially B2, B5, and B6.  It also breaks down the phytic acid in the seed, which in turn improves mineral absorption (particularly magnesium).  With other sprouts (like the mung beans), you can also increase the amount of vitamin C.  The Chinese used to carry mung beans on long sea voyages the same way that British sailors eventually carried lemons and limes.

Wonderful - I was completely unaware of Chinese sailors having mung beans. I'll be researching this.

How do you prepare the sprouts for food? Cook them like with ordinary rice?

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Oniya

You can cook them (it only takes about 10 minutes to cook sprouted brown rice, as opposed to 45 minutes for unsprouted), or you can dry them and grind them into flour.  Generally, you only want to make as much as you can use, so it would be best to have something like 3 jars that you rotate through - if you were having to use it long-term.  Still not a complicated set-up if you have a base of operations.
"Language was invented for one reason, boys - to woo women.~*~*~Don't think it's all been done before
And in that endeavor, laziness will not do." ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~Don't think we're never gonna win this war
Robin Williams-Dead Poets Society ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~Don't think your world's gonna fall apart
I do have a cause, though.  It's obscenity.  I'm for it.  - Tom Lehrer~*~All you need is your beautiful heart
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Cookie

Quote from: Captain Maltese on July 29, 2017, 03:35:44 PM
By the way, Proenneke interests me. I'll be delighted to look at his case at some point later, especially as a countercase.

Yes I recommend the documentary it's a good watch. This is just a fragment/trailer but the whole thing is out there if you look around.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iYJKd0rkKss
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WindVoyager

Alaska is a very, very harsh place to live.  It will gleefully chew you up and spit you out with out a second thought.


Sadly a LOT of wanna be preppers and the like will end up like McCandless  since they have this delusion that they are fully prepared and the extent of their knowledge is what they have seen on youtube or read and have no real skills to speak of and wana bes tend to romanticize what SHFT is and that they will live well and happily in the woods when the truth is the furthest thing from it.

SHFT is going to happen sooner or latter but its up in the air as to what will cause it. A lot of people are not prepared for it much less basic emergencies