- Organize your First Aid supplies!: I sliced my finger open pretty badly working on putting a keychain-sized Leatherman back together. The new ones have little Torx screws, but that certainly does not mean they are easy to pull apart and reassemble! About an inch long, pretty deep, bled all over the place (not as bad as Dave Canterbury's cut). Ran to our medicine/first aid closet and found it in total disarray; blood gushing finger + applying pressure with the other hand = not the time you want to search through piles of cold medicine for some gauze. Gave up and ran to my EDC bag, grabbed that first aid kit and patched myself up (yay EDC bag!). In between cleaning up the blood I'd spilled all over the place, I organized the medical supplies and put the first aid stuff into a clearly marked, dedicated bin. If you haven't done this, DO IT. Next time I gash myself open at home, I shouldn't need to plunder my EDC kit for FAK stuff!
- Thoughts on the Colony: I've pretty much given up on this show, but still watch via TiVo and judicious fast forwarding. The producers set the colonists up in situations they can't really win while the colonists obviously don't take security seriously, despite failing miserably every week. All that they've done was put a chain on one of the gates to their area and make a sword/machete. There's no one standing guard, there's no real concern when something bad happens (oh, the model just got kidnapped...that's too bad). These people would be dead and done a dozen times over if the scenario were real. The windmill and biodiesel were pretty cool and inventive, but it's clear that the post-apocalypse tech is what the colonists care about, not their safety and wellbeing.
Misc of Interest:
- Essential Gear: Read this a while ago and came across it again, good read: Mercop's 10 Essential Pieces of Gear. "Preparedness is about having in arms reach what you need or the resourcefulness to get it or improvise it with what you have."
- Murph passed along this blog about turning your backyard pool into a self-sufficient aquaponics garden, GardenPool.org. Pretty inventive!
- Global Guerrillas: "You can't outlast D2[2nd Depression] by stockpiling canned goods/bottled water, buying gold, or arming yourself to the teeth." More >
I was rooting for the Colonists at first, even though my husband gave up on them a time ago, but now I am getting frustrated with them being so lax about security in spite of being attacked multiple times. The windmill was cool but now I worry it can be viewed as a beacon... telling the world "rob me, I got cool gadgets" Cool link on the aquaponics garden pool. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteI agree about "The Colony". It's more "what fancy gizmo can I make from junk" than true survival. I'd like to know what kind of waiver they make those guinea pigs sign. That model who got kidnapped could have psychological trauma for the rest of her life.
ReplyDeleteI had higher expectations for this season of The Colony (last year was a mad-max-meets-junkyard-wars).
ReplyDeleteThey're just hopelessly lost when it comes to the essentials in survivability. They are more concerned with the quarantine tent and taking naps than even posting a single sentry to sound an alarm.
I have them DVRed, but will probably just free-up the hard drive space. Not worth the time to watch.
Do you really think they mistreated the model or that they "snatched" her without rehersals? In real life you be she would be traumatized and worse but do you really believe these so-called "reality" shows are in fact reality?
ReplyDeleteThey also sprayed 'em down with pepper spray in one of the earlier episodes. They aren't going easy on the Colonists; I'm sure the participants signed waivers and were briefed about possible situations they could face--I don't think the model expected the kidnapping. But at the same time, the Colonists obviously know they're just on a show and that nothing bad will actually happen, so they react accordingly.
ReplyDeleteI lol'd at their reactions...no urgency when she goes missing ("Huh, a ransom letter.") A few hours later they were sitting around, relaxing around the fire musing about when they'd see the model again.
I root for the looters. If these people were our hope of repopulation, we'd be screwed. Jimmy Johnson on this season of Survivor could do better than any of those jokers.
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