Deals

Radio Stuff
HRO will have some specials on-line on Saturday, August 27th.

Gun Stuff
Save 10% on holsters, pouches, and more at Comp-Tac.com by using the code COMP-0811 before the end of the month.

EMP

Posting about the Faraday Bags reminded me of a book I read last summer: One Second After. (It was the summer of the post-apocalyptic stories as I also read On The Beach and Alas, Babylon. Nothing like some sunshine, sand, and stories about the end of the world to make for a pleasant vacation.)

One Second After describes the events after an EMP has completely disrupted modern life. With all electronics (including those in cars, computers, communications equipment, appliances, etc.) rendered useless, the supply chain quickly breaks down. When you have JIT inventories, your supply quickly goes to zero when the next truck or train doesn't arrive. Low inventories is great for cash flow, but not so hot for being prepared to survive without weekly trips to the fully stocked grocery store and pharmacy. Food becomes scarce as do medications including common place antibiotics and maintenance drugs like insulin.

In this disaster scenario, communications are down - most of the "when all else fails" ham radio gear included. Matt @ AmateurRadio.com gets to the heart of the matter:

"Amateur Radio is depended upon “when all else fails.” Ham radio operators pride themselves on their “readiness, resilience, and response.” Well prepared hams have their 72-hour Go Kits, extra batteries for their fancy HTs, etc. But what if the emergency involves some sort of EMP attack? Are you ready to provide emergency communications for your community when your solid-state HF and VHF transceivers have been rendered useless boat anchors?"

I am in no way prepared for an EMP attack or even most natural disasters. My goal is to keep chipping away at being prepared by making baby steps over time - first aid supplies in the cars, extra flashlights and batteries, radios and batteries, water, food, blankets, binoculars, fire making kits, etc.

While being able to communicate with a community or across a nation, doesn't by itself solve the issues of disease and hunger, it could go a long way in providing hope. And hope might just keep society a little more civilized.

Back to the book... it isn't high art by any stretch, but it is a good read and extremely thought provoking if not downright scary.

Signs

WizardPC is on a roll at his new blog - Guns, Cars, and Tech. While covering some familiar territory, he hits on a key point:

"I’ve had business owners tell me that posting reduces their liability. It doesn’t:

(d) Nothing in this section shall be construed to alter,reduce or eliminate any civil or criminal liability that a property owner or manager may have for injuries arising on their property."

So let's play a little logic game.

Why do businesses exist? To ensure our safety? No. To make money.

To make money, businesses cannot lose money. So, to protect themselves from lawsuits, they post signs prohibiting guns on the premises.

Except Section D above says they don't get any protection from doing that.

Therefore, if they post a sign, they don't mitigate the risk from lawsuits AND they alienate gun owning customers, therefore reducing their profit.

So it is only logical that business should not post signs prohibiting guns.

And I would like to add that...

Guns don't kill people. People kill people.
And signs don't save people. People save people.

UT Student Housing at Gettysvue

UT will use Bruce Pearl's house as student housing. They should have given it that status before the whole recruiting violation/lying to the NCAA thing. Heck, Little Pearl probably already spent a lot of time there.

Via No Silence

2M J-Pole Antenna Give-away - Update

The winner of the drawing for the 2M J-Pole from Hamuniverse.com/KB9VBR will be announced on August 29, 2001.

Previously mentioned here.

Two Men Enter...

One company leaves Quake 3 Arena with trademark rights! I love it. Bloodless and cheaper than a lawsuit!

Via Slashdot.org

Shades

(First, I can't decide when I see his username if it is "User Doc" or "US Nerd Doc." "US Navy ER Doc" is the last one I come up with.)

USNERDOC likes the Revision Military Sawfly glasses. And he gets you 20% off if you order before Wednesday, August 24 and use the code "DOC".

We are winning.

Plus Mast General Store has removed their "no guns" sign. I wondered if there was one on the door in the back? I never got a chance to check.

The junkbox

Need some odds and ends to supplement your junk box? Try the online market for electronics - the junkbox. You can find old gauges, fire alarm speakers, tubes, connectors, flux capacitors, fuses, etc.



Via Lifehacker

More Bags to Protect Your Stuff

First bags to protect from EMP. Now bags to protect from rust at Zero Corrosion Products.



I don't have any data on the quality of these, but Unc has a discount code to reduce your risk - "sayuncle" for 15% off.

Via SaysUncle