rebranding?

I've been doing a lot of thinking lately (which is a bad thing for collectivist-altruistic-statists) and I have begun to write a bunch about it. One thing that I have been mulling over is a complete re-branding of this blog.

There are a lot of things I would like to share, but the blogger format isn't conductive for file repositories, etc. I have also given some thought to doing a podcast. Mayberry beat me to it, but not by much. if you haven't listened to them yet, you really should. iTunes is a free download and there are thousands of free podcasts to listen from, and you don't even need an account, or a iTouch or iPhone to listen to them. Just download them as an MP3 and stuff them on your MP3 player or rip them to CD and listen to them in the car.

I have found podcasts make the long commute go a bit faster, especially on the days I'm suffering from writer's block. I listen to all kinds of podcasts including technology-related ones through freedom-oriented ones, and of course a couple prepper-related ones. I have the computer and related equipment, including a good microphone, so I just need the time to do it.

Then my wicked accent can torment you guys :)

Anyway I've been looking around my 'hood, and most of the for sale signs are down, but I know no one new has moved in because the same cars are parked in the driveway. So much for "green shoots." We are in a tailspin, our economy has no where to go but straight into the hopper. For all the hubbub about lower job losses than expected, we are still losing too many jobs. I just saw an article about forcing lenders to take it in the hoop in short sales. Evidently there are no limits to what this administration will do to look good, because none of these programs will save this sinking ship.

Now it the time to be vigilant, now is the time to ready yourself for what is to come. Although I am going to Vegas on vacation, I'm doing it as frugally as possible. All spare cash is being devoted to preps. I'm buying even more food and medical supplies for the coming storm. I even bought more ammo.

Which reminds me, I forgot to mention I went to my first gun show. Now, let em preface this by saying it was in MA, so it's not a "real" one. I went for the express intention of buying a hunting rifle, bolt-action, in .308 Winchester. Preferably with a stainless steel barrel. For short money. That didn't happen because all the firearms were stupidly expensive. Like a shitty bolt-action was listed for $1000 with a scope... I can buy NEW for that, and get a decent nikon monarch scope on it, in stainless steel to boot.

For the most part ammo was damn expensive too. There were a few vendors selling reloading supplies, but they didn't have anything I needed, so I passed. I did buy 1000 rounds of .22 LR for plinking, at $30 per 500. All the other ammo was on par for what I get from my local gun store. It was worth going, and I may go to another, but this time try to be be of the first guys in the door, I spoke with a few guys from the gun range and they did see some good deals, but they didn't last long.

Well with that addition of .22 ammo I should be all set so long as I replace what I use. I have 2000 rounds set aside, and it will go quick if the poop hits the fan as I will want to keep practicing. Practice makes perfect, and the Zombies won't kill themselves, ya know.

I did manage to sight in my target .308 with it's new scope, and I have to say I am very impressed with the scope I bought from BSA. I have had poor luck in the past, so I was hesitant to buy another, but so far, so good. (knocks on wood). I'll shoot it some more this weekend, and sight it in for 200 yards. then I'll run it through it's paces and give a full report.

That's enough rambling for now, I need to finish up here so I can catch the train home. Please remember to spend a little less on frivolity and a little more on preps the next few weeks. I expect gas to keep going up until it stabilizes in the summer, so it might be good to put up another few gallons now, while they still are selling the winter blend.

Also take the time to look through your supplies and make sure nothing is amiss. It would really suck to find the yeast you need to make bread is bad after all the stores are looted...

Waffled (potty mouth)

Well that's as close an adjective I could come up with to describe what the cold, er flu has done to me the last week. The black elderberry might be a good preventative measue, but it did jack shit for me against this flu bug. I was bedridden Saturday and Sunday, only setting foot out of the house to search for Muscinex-D.

Now, I have a class A license to carry, which allows me to walk in and buy a handgun and ammo and walk out of the shop with it loaded on my person. But in this Nanny state I had to resort to fucking begging to buy cold medicine, because none of my ID's were good enough. I had a temp license from the RMV (while they printed my new one and mailed it to me), I had my expired license, I had my class A LTC, and I had my fucking PASSPORT. Yet none of these ID's were sufficient proof of my identity to buy cold medicine. Are you freaking kidding me?!?

It took 4 tries to buy cold medicine. With me hacking up technicolor phlegm in front of one pharmacist to allow me to buy the damn stuff with my plethora of ID's by scanning his own license into the damn register. I think it was on visit #3 to the pharmacy I snapped and was screaming how I could buy and carry a fucking assault rifle easier than cold medicine when they realized I was a tad out of it. I managed to leave before the cops showed up.

Anyway I'm feeling much better. I still have a bit of a cough but I no longer have that "microwaved dog vomit" feel of the flu. I'll be right as rain in time for Las Vegas. That's right! I'm going to Vegas, baby! Games, stogies, broads, and booze. Might be the last time to enjoy the city of sin before it all goes to hell. I do love that city, but my liver needs a big time-out for at least a month afterwords. Yeah I could be a "better man" and not drink and smoke obnoxious foot long cigars, and enjoy the company of morally ambiguous cougars or coeds with "daddy issues", but I'm a single guy so I'm guessing you are all just jealous.

I've been watching the financial news with the dawning understanding of what it's like to be a vulture watching some poor zebra wander around dying from thirst. The anticipation of the collapse is like the salty taste of blood on the lips. It's like we are cresting the middle hump of this 'w' shaped recovery and I want to yell "WHHHEEEEEEEEEEE" like we are on some kind of roller-coaster and not the collapse of our economy. This is what Tyler Durden felt as the bombs went off.

I finished Thomas Paine's Common Sense and Rights of Man on the ride home last night. Although both give excellent insight into the time when we were writing the Constitution and the issues our forebears were dealing with, I find that it wasn't as applicable to today as I hoped. Granted there are some great ideas in there, but reading through page after page of his assault onto the idea of a monarchy was a bit dull, to put it kindly. I found that Common Sense was a more applicable, and I encourage everyone to give it a read. It's only 52 pages in the edition I have, so it's not too bad. Here is a quote:

[...] and that the elected might never form unto themselves an interest separate from the electors, prudence will point out that propriety of having elections often: because the elected might by that means return and mix again with the general body of the electors in a few months, their fidelity to the public will be secured by the prudent reflection of not making a rod for themselves.

I wonder how many of the nitwits in Congress ever read this? Our representatives represent nothing but the special interests. They represent those who can keep them in power. They represent those whose image they can use to manipulate the polls, and buy votes with guilt. I am not a violent man, I wish to do no harm to anyone, but the idea of these robber barons drunk with their own power makes me wish to drive to DC with nothing on but a banana hammock and galoshes, and beat the piss out of every one of those shitheads (save one) with a baseball bat.

I managed to get further along in the novel while sick, but after proofreading it on the train ride in it has to be all scrapped because NyQuil does some fucked up things to your brain. None of it made a lick of sense, especially the Balrog manning a checkpoint at Rt. 90... (Note: don't watch the Lord Of The Rings trilogy while bedridden and try to write anything while on cold meds.)

PS - after re-reading this post I realize I'm still pretty out of it. I wonder if this is what mescaline is like. Maybe Musinex-D is recreational, and not used to make meth, and that is why it's restricted. Anyway I'm going to watch my screen saver for the next hour check it out at: electricsheep.org

Colds

Since I started commuting by public transportation again, I've had a running cold for the last month. It sucks. But then again, I'd hate to find out just how much snot is smeared over the handles and railings...

I'm not deathly ill or anything, but I obviously do not have the self discipline not to touch my eyes or nose before smearing them in jelled alcohol. I guess I could let things take their course, until I catch up on all the cold strains I missed by riding in a car back and forth to Boston, but I rather just skip the sniffles altogether.

I do have an orange every morning as part of my breakfast, but the boost in Vitamin C isn't enough. It has been recommended to me to take Black Elderberry extract. I'll give it a shot, and let you know how it works out.

I also have been worried about the lack of fatty acids in my diet, so I'm going to start taking some fish oil caplets... the problem is I HATE fish, and fish burps can be an issue with these caplets. I have a friend that has tried 25+ brands and have suggested one for me to try. Once again, if it's good I will let you guys know.

The dollar looks like it's going to weaken some in the next week, so be sure to load up on oil and fuel before the prices jump.

Internet Security HOWTO

Let's cut to the chase. This is a quick primer on how to protect yourself on the internet. Protect yourself from harm on the internet and (to some extent) from governmental snooping.

In order to keep this less than 300 pages of techno-babble, I'm going to keep this on point, and try to keep this more hands-on than theory.

First, if you do not have current anti-virus software, then get it here.

Second, never, and I mean never! connect a computer unprotected to the internet. Unprotected PC's are attacked and compromised in about an hour. If you must connect a computer directly to the cable modem then the local firewall must be enabled.

Guess it's time for a quick discussion on how the whole internet works. Every computer on the internet has and address, and each computer has a load of windows and doors for data to come in and out, called ports. These ports are defined and standardized, for example port 80 is for web(http) connections, and port 443 is for secure web(https) connections. Your address is represented by a "dotted quad" for humans (i.e. 72.14.204.103).

A firewall acts as a traffic cop, preventing traffic from getting into or out of your house. Usually these are in the linksys routers you use to connect multiple computers tot he internet. Your cable modem DOES NOT have one. All Unix, and current Mac and PC (xp+) OSes have firewalls, but they are not the best in the world. I could write a whole series on how to configure them. The default settings are better than nothing.

Since you don't want to remember these numbers, and have to type that number every time you want to go to google, they have a naming resolution system called DNS - Domain Name System. The way DNS works is there are domains that nest inside each other, and by sending the name to a server, you get the dotted quad back. Thankfully, all of this is behind the scenes 99% of the time. The reason this is important is for you to protect yourself you need to know a little on how this works.

The way DNS works is you give it a name like www.google.com, and the DNs server finds the server that runs the ".com" domain, who points you to the server that runs the ".google" part who then gets you the IP address of the "www" part. The leftmost part is the most specific, and the right hand part of the name is the most general.

Since every computer on the internet has an IP address, and that IP address is from your local internet service provider... if you go hack the NSA website and they get your IP, black helicopters know what house to go to. But we have ways of hiding that, more in a few minutes. Hit this website for a demonstration.

Ok, back to practical stuff. Every computer has a local file it uses to find addresses for computers. We can use that to stop malware and other nasty software from calling home. Edit this file and replace it's contents with the stuff from here. The site has info on how to edit your hosts file.

Next, a word about habits. Never, ever run anything sent to you in an e-mail unless you explicitly trust that person. This includes the funny powerpoint presentations, or excel files or even word docs. There is programming that can be embedded into these documents that act like a virus and can infect your machine. Do not go to any website you do not trust. don't click on any pop-up ads - ever. Do not download "free" games from pogo, or anywhere else. Sucks don't it? Only way to be sure you are safe is not to play dangerously. I'll write another document later on how to build a secure browsing computer.

Next, if anyone has physical access to your computer, then they have compromised it. Set a screen saver with a password- it will stop "drive-by" hacks - the ups guys going to use your bathroom and does something to the pc turned on in the office.

Now to protect your location from snooping you need to anonymize yourself. There is a free network called TOR that protects you from basic web browsing, but it will not protect you from flash, cookies, youtube, etc... There is a good writeup here on what it protects you from - and what it doesn't. There is a paid subscription service called anonymizer for $30/year that is pretty good, but it is not compatible with IE8 and Firefox 3, so for now it's useless.

Most of internet security is just having good habits. Once you secure yourself, then always use that security to protect yourself. A Wired magazine writer just had a contest where he tried to disappear, and bad habits got him nabbed. I read a great article about it by the fugitive, but cannot find it, here is the hunter's story.

Being cognizant of your surroundings applies to the online world too, you know.

Some Fun Stuff

I wish I was half as cool as this picture:

I found my BOV:

I have been reading and doing some more writing at a furious pace, hope to have some more stuff soon. I've been thinking I need to focus a bit more on practical applications, and less on waxing poetic. Expect more how-to's and guides of a practical nature soon.

Preparedness

I always wondered how people could go about their daily lives without taking minimal precautions about what challenges they face. If it was going to snow out, I'd always wear clothes a little warmer and weather-resistant that if it wasn't. I always made sure I had at least some cash for a cab ride home after a night of drinking.

It wasn't until Katrina woke me up did I start prepping for the bigger things. But better late than never, right? I now have the means to keep myself and my family alive if something really bad does happen.

Take a look at what is going on in the economy. It's a ship without a rudder and no one at the helm. From personal experience, it's just a matter of time before the boat gets swamped. Our economy is but a wave away from disaster, and we need to be ready for that, and more importantly what happens next.

Walking through the supermarket the other day, and adding up how many people live nearby, there is but a couple of day's food in the whole store. Assuming, that is, the food is distributed properly and equitably. Like that is going to happen. As a society, we are on the edge of chaos, just a hungry belly between peace and war.

We have a moral obligation to try to convince people to be ready. There is a good saying though - You can lead a horse to water, but you cannot make him drink. Those friends and family who you try to warn, but do not heed your concerns, will get a harsh enough lesson. I will give what charity I can spare to them, only because the plan is to bail for points north, leaving nary a clue behind for those to follow me.

I foresee a lot of hard decisions we preppers are going to have to face, on who we can help, and who we cannot. I can offer no advice, no sound reasoning on who to help and who we should not. I have yet to make those decisions myself.

Time for some fun

There has been a lot of work to do, and not much time to do it. So while I have a few minutes to myself before the rush at work, I've surfed up some fun for everyone.

Anytime is a good time for Led Zeppelin...

And finally MC Frontalot, a Nerdcore Rapper from Boston. Although I'm not a hip-hop fan, It's funny as all hell when some dorky white guy is rapping about computers, science fiction, and comic books. Especially when he's rapping about goth chicks.

So the economy is going to all hell. The irresponsible financial policies is coming home to roost, and we are the ones who will have to pay for it, and our children. I've been banging away at a side project, so I'll have to give you a sneak peek...

A human being has the right to their own life.

All relationships are voluntary

You have the right to disagree

Humans have the right to own property

All these rights are equal for everyone. A collection of beliefs is a moral code. This is my moral code, and I firmly believe this code fits with every religion on this planet. There may be some additional beliefs and tenants, but this moral code does not, and logically cannot interfere with whatever religion you may follow. Earlier, if you answered that your Diety(s) own you, then you gave yourself to them by your own free will. Therefore, you voluntarily gave up the right to your own life for whatever benefits your belief system provides.

Note that there is no right to force another for any reason. That is the path of totalitarianism, which cannot exist in a free society based on individual rights. The only socio-economic system that allows a free society that supports these fundamental rights of humans is capitalism. In a capitalist society no one is holding a gun to your head to buy a TV or a car. That has not always been the case in our historical examples of collectivism.

Please note that these rights are equal and for all. No one has a right to your property that was earned fairly. Likewise, you have no right to your neighbor’s property or anyone else’s property for that matter. The same is true for your lives.

In any of these rights do you see where the application of force is tolerated? I do not. You cannot force anyone to do anything. There may be civil penalties if you hold back on a contract, but the contract holder cannot FORCE you to hold up your end of a bargain. I’ll get into more detail on that subject later. You cannot force anyone to do anything; it is a violation of their fundamental rights. Because Altruism-Collectivism does not support these rights, then they resort to force whenever they feel the “end justifies the means.” Mao se Tung summed up the Altruistic-Collective mindset perfectly when he said:

“All political power comes from the barrel of a gun.”