More than mere survival...

I learned something very interesting yesterday.

I learnt about the synthesis of nano-iron.

What's nano-iron good for? Cleaning Arsenic out of water, reducing it to a few parts per billion, 1 gram is good for 2000 litres (or so).

Why the nano? It's in nano-particle form. As in nano-technology. As in a science that has only really been known about for two decades.

Don't you need an expensive laboratory to do that sort of thing? No - it takes oleic acid (prepared from soap), petroleum fuel, and rust. A couple of magnets help for separating it out afterward, but...

This is why learning new things is essential. This is why an interest in science is worth the hassle. If we can find out about these sorts of things, we can move beyond mere survivalism, into something more....

A learning process...

Creating a garden suitable for real use is a huge learning experience, rather than a simple matter of planting a few trees.

The dry weather recently, combined with lack of water tanks and the cost (time and money) of watering by hand means that several of my trees have been suffering - primarily the non-natives that are not drought-hardy. Or trees that I've only just planted. Or seedlings that need to be planted (although I have been hand watering those). Then there is the question of - do I bother trying to grow a grain crop? I have barley seeds sitting there to be sown, don't have wheat, but will time and effort will be needed for them be worth it?

A little research goes a long way...

I've been reading up on sorghum - drought hardy, needs less water than other grains, can be put to a wide variety of uses. Moringa is a tree that will even handle arid areas, has many uses. Even something I had thought of mostly as decorative, Xanthorrhoea, has resin that can be put to industrial use if you know it's there.

My plan for long term survival scenarios is centred on learning what is around that I can put to use when there's nothing left to be bought on the shelves...

The work you can do per unit time.

Recently, I came across details about Nickel-Iron batteries. Compared with Gel Batteries, they are more expensive, a bit heavier, not easily available...

Why are they so interesting? Well, Gel (and Lead-Acid) batteries have lifetimes measured in the hundreds of charges. Nickel Iron (Ni-Fe) have lifetimes measured in the decades. Lead based batteries have their lifespans drastically cut short by overcharging, discharging too deeply, or higher than optimum temperatures; Ni-Fe don't suffer from those problems. Nickel-Iron can also be home made, which is nice, although there are a few people offering them - one large but international, one more local to me. If it concerns you, they are also not made from toxic or extremely hazardous materials

They are more expensive than ordinary Lead batteries, but have none of the disposal problems. If you want them to last, Lead based batteries don't like having more than about a quarter of their capacity drawn out of them before they are recharged. So, if you can draw three-quarters of the capacity out of a battery, the price balances out. Then take the fact that lead batteries have a maximum life of about a decade, when Ni-Fe are rated for 30-50 years... I think I know which I'd prefer to work with.

Having said that, I have a large lead battery not doing anything, and no budget at the moment for a big bank of Ni-Fe ones yet... Admittedly, I wouldn't say "No" to reviewing some, if they were offered.

What good is producing power if you can't store it?

And if you can store power, all that energy can be made to do work later.

An Annoyance.

Ezekiel 16:49 Behold, this was the iniquity of thy sister Sodom, pride, fulness of bread, and abundance of idleness was in her and in her daughters, neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy.




Here endeth the lesson.

Plans everywhere, ambition... but lacking the important ingredient.

All the plans in the world, but not the capital to at least start things.

I've been looking over land prices nearby - I am living on a small acreage, but something larger would suffice, particularly for building an underground shelter. Above could be any number of things - I have been thinking crossbow & archery course, small training facility, a few other things spring to mind.

A lot that could be self-sustaining, but it's the initial purchase of land - and I'd want at least 40 acres, preferably 100, to do it on - and that takes money.

Any wildly rich people interested in funding for their own survival?

The Man

           And The Lord walked with him in his garden. The man showed The Lord all the plants that grew within. The Lord laughed, as he knew all that the man showed him, for the Lord knew all plants that grew, all the insects and birds that came into the garden.

            He said unto The Lord, "Many claim to obey Your Word, yet they seek only to destroy your gift. I cannot lie, I have not worshipped you, but I have tended this small garden. I have sown, I have reaped. I have cut down old trees, I have planted anew. Am I to be punished because I did not believe, when I have protected your gift, without want of reward?"

           The Lord looked at him and replied, "Not all who denied me are My enemy. There amongst my children those who knelt before me, and those who spurned me. And then there were a small few who saw what I brought, who sought to protect My garden, and all that grew within, and wanted not of the war which brewed."




A little translation work I've been trying to do....

Ragnarok Proofing...

One of the things that is taking up a lot of research time is the concept of Ragnarok Proofing - quite simply, making things able to last:
      a) catastrophes of as wide a variety as possible
      b) time.

Of course, making things to last a long time is difficult - the trick to Roman cement has only just been discovered, many centuries after it was last used - but has lasted all that time, even in marine environments. Compare that with (as previously mentioned) modern cement, which would likely not be left in one century, particularly if it comes into contact with water.

The other factor, that people don't necessarily remember is:
      c) can be replicated, and not left secret.

I've been spending my time amassing a library, as some others, but is that library of much use if it is predicated on there being certain machinery still working? Having lots of books on computer chips is great - but if those chips are no longer available, say a hundred years down the track, are your descendants going to find those books worth worrying about (and that's if those books last that long)?

You really do need a community in order to last the years...

On a related note, I think I've come up with a possible process for creating ice PSHTF, just using wind power. Of course, making a proof of concept version is going to be a pain... I need to find a reliable source of funding for such technologies, I really do...

More energy

I've been trying to find and assess could ways to harvest energy. Basically, there is only so much energy you can gather, you have to find the best ways to get it.

Energy gives you the capability to do work - the more energy you have, the more work you can use, particularly to gather more energy. There are limits - solar, plants, and so on, are limited by the available space to gather sunlight - a total maximum of one kilowatt (about 1.3 horsepower) per square metre (about 10 square feet). Wind power is very useful, but can be limited... Hydro is great - if you're near a water source that can supply it all year long. I've been wondering about geothermal power - could be useful, but needs you to be in the right spot geologically, needs you to drill a hole, and needs more machinery... Never mind the very high cost of installing such a system.

More machinery means more things that can go wrong.

And more things going wrong means more people needed to keep things going.

On the other hand - do things in a reasonable manner, and there's much more power than the same number of people could produce by themselves...

The flip side is that we forget all the materials we use, and the effort that goes into getting them. Wood is fine for many uses, assuming you don't have lots of termites, but there are limits to what it can go. I have to find a reference I saw many years ago about how some African tribes smelted iron ore to produce usable quantities. Whether there is any iron ore nearby is another question. I have clay in the area, so there's one material; where there's clay, there's also the opportunity for Aluminium, using some novel techniques. I'm several miles from the coast, for better or worse, so no silicon really close to hand...

But copper? Tantalum? Any of the many metals in heavy use...

Energy is one thing, having something to use it on is another.

Learning vs. Learning...

I've begun to really appreciate the power of economies of scale.

If you have one plant:
   Lose one to dry weather, insects, fire, etc., and you've none left.
   You don't have much to trade with.
   If one tree doesn't produce in that year, you've got nothing.
   You don't have much in one to eat...

If you have a few dozen:
   If you lose a few, it's not a precarious situation.
   You have plenty of produce to eat...
   You have plenty to trade...

If you're producing something other than a foodstuff, it's easier to do things... Extracting essential oils - you generally need lots of leaves. A single tree won't be able to provide you much, but a dozen will give you lots. If you need to get the equipment to efficiently do a tree or two, it can easily be used for two dozen.

Of course, there's a lot to be said for variety, but if you have the possibility of trading with people, if you have plenty of a trade good, you won't be too badly off...

I've been looking for some good stainless steel stills for essential oils (and the like) - I can find copper ones easily, glass aplenty - but stainless steel seems to be harder to come by. I'd rather use that than copper, as I would expect the steel not to react as much... Of course, if it's a matter of what I can get... When you want some twenty litre or similar sized stills, you might have to put up with what you can get. Pre-SHTF, though, you have plenty of time to experiment, and make mistakes. Better to make mistakes before than after, I suppose.

Abandoned paths, rediscovered.

It's always astounding that we find that the old ways of doing things are far superior to the new... Somewhere along the line, we lost the knowledge, and it's only by luck that we rediscover how it was done.

Case in point - Roman cement. Two thousand years, and it's still strong - literally. Compare it to today's versions which last a few decades at best.

Not that older is necessarily better, but it does indicate how knowledge can easily be lost.

And why it's important that you work to preserve it.

I tend to say half-jokingly that I'm accumulating a library so that, PSHTF, I can hand a couple of books to someone, say "Learn this". At least then I'm not relying on luck to have those with the right skills just turn up - as in quite a bit of bad post-apocalypse fiction. Of course, it does mean finding worthwhile books - a wide range, and reasonable depth. Not a difficult task for a bibliophile, except to the wallet.

There's also the problem of working out what is necessary to have books on - and trying to find books on the subject. Have you any idea on how hard it is to find any references on building cotton gins? Here I am, growing plenty of cotton, and no time to manually pick every seed out of the fibre. Spinning wheels are easy enough, and even looms can be gotten as kits, but a good gin in hard to find.

The Economics of Hunting vs. Gathering...

We live near a creek, albeit a small one, and something struck me as I was watching various species of ducks and geese coming and going. The small, hobby farms, with fences, that are around mean that any migratory mammals are blocked from being in the area. Therefore, the most we see are birds - in small flocks.

Watching them come and go, it struck me that the small numbers in each flock mean that, were I to start hunting them, I would probably only get a couple of birds, and the migratory group are more likely to avoid the area - particularly when I'm around a lot.

If there were large groups, and I wasn't living right next to the creek, hunting might be worth doing - there would likely be more chance of a good catch. The short answer is not fouling one's own backyard. If I wanted to successfully hunt, I'd better go hiking to somewhere I do not live...

It's a question of short-term versus long-term. Short-term, hunting would be okay, but not so much in the long term. If I want the long term, I'd be better taking the time to do the slow gathering that is finding eggs, not getting much in the short-term, but more dependable, and less hassle.

There is a national park near here, and apparently there are wild deer populations around. I don't know enough about deer husbandry, but it might be worth at least learning something.

More opinions

There's something else that I dislike in most people's PSHTF plans - most people plan to take an active approach to protecting what's theirs.

For the most part, that means being really obvious about announcing their presence. Generators running...

Like it or not, if you aren't sitting on top of an oil field, or have made massive investments in a geothermal power system, you're going to have limits to power. Or, rather, be very obvious that you have an energy harvesting system - especially if you want power. And, you might have to spend a lot of time gathering fuel if you want a lot of power.... If have to spend time gathering fuel, the less time you have to deal with everything else that comes along.... And you'd better home you're living next to a national park or tree plantation.... And THEN, you should really keep track of how much wood is growing, versus how much you're burning. The amount of deforestation that happens when a few people start cutting down trees for themselves.

Did the Easter Islanders give any thought to conservation, as the number of big trees diminished, then the number of small trees diminished, until there were no more trees?

Food staples...

How much time and effort do you put into growing your own food? Can you support yourself if things were to go bad in the long term? How much of your food planning revolves around having a quantity of a food staple that you can't readily grow?

The problems are several... One is economies of scale - it's much more efficient to grow a lot of one thing, hence having mega-farms. Different plants have different needs, and if you're growing to sell, trade, or preserve, you generally want as much available in one go; when you're growing for immediate eating, you only need moderate amounts. It is easier to process (eg preserve) a lot in one go, rather than the time, effort, and fuel needed to do lots of small amounts.

But - you often need more than just one thing.

I raise this thought often when I make jam. Usually a few jars at a time, from fruit and berries that I grow. The simplest (and often best) recipes are simple - the fruit, a large quantity of sugar, and the juice of a lemon. The lemon provides pectin - the setting agent. The fruit is obviously needed. It's the sugar which could be the problem - I do not have the space to grow enough sugar, be it in cane or beet form, to deal with what I use. Easy enough to solve in the short term - it keeps for many years if kept dry. What if it was more than a short term problem?

Does the space required for growing sugar balance the space needed for wheat/corn/barley/etc.? Who around here would grow grain, and trade for what I choose to grow.

Some problems would be solved with having more space to plant & grow - but that would also mean needing more help to harvest, weed, maintain... This is one of the reasons that scales of economy work - it's easier to grow more of a few things that some of a lot of things...

Gang violence

If there's one thing that does concern me, it's gang violence...

I would like to specify that I do not condone violent acts, but we must consider them in context...

Who are you going to call when there is no chance of police protecting you?

The best answers that I've seen are the suggestion that you build a community around you, support your neighbours, have your neighbours support you.

You need to be small enough to not be noticed - but if you look small, vulnerable, and resourced, you risk attracting the wrong sort of attention. If you're sitting in one spot, you become exposed to those people who have mobility; you can't afford to make a mistake, and an attacker only has to wait.

If you do decide to take an attacker on, you really need to follow Machiavelli's advice and hit hard, fast, and without quarter. Some of the best examples come from wars - if you're in an invaded village, and kill one or two soldiers, the entire town will be hit harder...

Maybe if attackers started disappearing, without any evidence of them remaining (especially none of their weapons), that would spook others enough to leave you alone.

There is the question of the morality or ethics of the situation - what actions would a response be justified? How much is justified?

Does a father stealing food for a starving child justify hanging the man? No, I don't think so; that's an easy one to think about, but scale it up from there - a group of people come to your area, and start stealing from everyone without at least offering to give some of their labour. Where is that line?

When are you justified in taking action against someone?

That, I would love to have the wisdom to answer....

My only thought is to make sure that you and your new community have some sort of judicial process. I might have to look into becoming a Justice of the Peace, if only to begin to understand some of these problems.

Perpetual motion scams

It's amazing how many Perpetual Motion scams seem to go with enthusiasm through the survivalist/prepper communities.

Be they Perpetual Motion, "Over-unity energy", "Stop bowing to the government/energy companies"... For a small price, you can buy the plans for a machine guaranteed(*) to produce more power than it uses.
 (* Assuming you've built it correctly. We know it will work, therefore if it doesn't work for you, you haven't built it correctly, therefore you can't collect on the guarantee.)
Plus the many people who will sell you information on how to construct your own solar panels (as previously discussed).

One of my favourite authors in one of his books (fantasy, set in a world where magic exists but is unpredictable) says as part of the storyline how "dwarves had managed to make gold from lead - but what they hadn't heard is that they were doing it the hard way. The difference between the hard way and the easy one was that the hard way works." As the book progresses, you find that they had created a movable-type printing press (previously unknown).

So it is with anything - if anyone is selling you as easy something normally difficult, you can probably bet that it isn't going to work.

It's understandable - you look at situations, realise that you are vulnerable, or paying money that could be spent in other ways, and you'll want to cut expenses.

If people in such groups were of a more experimentalist bent, and more willing to go "See, it doesn't work" - and to listen to people who said such (without saying that said people are in league with commerce or government), then it might be something...


Likewise, you have plenty of communities being talked about - For Preppers, By Preppers - and if you don't subscribe to their beliefs, convenants, etc., you're not welcome. I've seen one or two planned that were based around the majority of people being involved in the community's single industry, typically fire-arms manufacture. With a noticeable lack of the normal amenities, gardens, farms, and... well, real self-sufficiency to which they claim to aspire.

I think, like perpetual motion scams, they might look good on paper, but probably aren't going to work as intended....

How to strike it rich...

Something that has always struck me is that the person who gets rich (the example that I find often repeated, and myself use is during a gold-rush) is not the person who spends the day breaking their back digging for that small nugget - it's the person who is able to stock them with the food, the necessities, the tools, the person who gives them entertainment, who provides something and somewhere to drink, who gives them somewhere to bathe - the one who can provide things, other than raw labour, who is the one who gets rich quickest and easiest.

Apply this to PSHTF situations - if you're scrabbling in the ruins for bits and pieces, you'll have a hard time of it... If you can provide something for rest and relaxation, all the ancillary services that we normally take for granted, you'll do a lot better than most. Of course, the trick is to find those things that people want or need, and to be able to provide them.

Which also brings me to the topic of value-adding in commerce. Value-adding is not a new idea - instead of providing someone with raw materials, you process something to make them want to pay more, or you process it so that it will last longer. You ensure that barmaids/etc. are wearing tops with a low cut... although you would probably make sure you keep a couple of good bouncers on staff.

Examples would be something like selling charcoal for fuel, rather than wood. Instead of just selling the whole game from a hunt, you dress and smoke the game, skin and prepare the leather. Instead of dragging junk back with you, you learn what is valuable and useful to strip, and sell people the smaller, more precious parts.

The other value in taking such step is a bit more obscure... If, for example, you grow food that you sell or trade, anyone can raid your orchard/garden. If they have to do a lot (and require equipment to do so) to get it into a usable condition, they are less likely to steal it...

That's part of my thought about going with ethnopharmacology and industrial botany, rather than just growing food - although my trees are coming along nicely. I've planted a heap of Melaleuca seedlings - Tea Tree as in the Oil - marvellous anti-bacterial and anti-fungal, but requires steam distillation for best results. And transporting cut plant material takes a lot more than transporting a few vials for the same amount of Oil.

I do need a greenhouse... and one that is going to last... Plus I still need water tanks, so much more...

You're never quite prepared enough, but hopefully you're in a position that makes it easy to trade for things that you suddenly find you need.

Life finds a way, and humans another...

I will admit to not having enough time to do much gardening; my reasoning for planting food trees was based on this. It does mean that I am subject to the vagaries of the weather - if things are too dry for too long right after planting trees, it's easy to lose them.

Case in point, I had planted four willow trees right before a dry spell - they survived some time, but then died off. I tried to find replacements - having a source of aspirin PSHTF is reasonably important; however, it is an invasive group of plants, spreading very easily. After thinking for several weeks that I should remove the remnants, I looked closely and found that at least one is not just growing, but thriving. A single tree is all that's needed; four was a useful number, but willow will readily grow from cuttings, so one will give many, many more.

On a similar note, I found that a native plum seedling, that I had regarded as dead many months ago, has send out new leaves.

Life will find a way....

On another note, the drums of war sound yet again, banged on by those who see merit only in destruction...

More thoughts...

Let's see what else...

7. Use minor emergencies to prepare for the big ones.

We have had torrential rain the past few days - from dry to flooded. Fortunately, the house is well above the creek, and in good repair. We did lose power for the evening, though... Once we were satisfied that we were no imminent danger, sorted out all that we could, we could relax. I had had lots of practise camping, including hiking several hours into a camp site, so the idea of going without power wasn't at all a problem. Inconvenient, but not a problem.

8. It's too late after the event to prepare.

Once roads are impassible, and you're stuck at home (or wherever), what you have with you is it. You have to make do with what you have. I've spent almost a week in the aftermath dealing with people who want all sorts of equipment, who are buying it purely as a reflex action. I also heard of plenty of people buying perishable foods leading up to the power being lost... 

9. You aren't prepared enough.

There will always be things that you suddenly find that you need. I have a modicum of respect for Mormons, and members of similar groups, who stock up with a year's worth of foods. Of course, you have to rotate everything - as in using the old stuff, not just turning cans around. What you need to do is try out survival techniques before you need to use them - a lesson that I had reinforced when I had to make a hobo's stove in order to boil some water.

10. Test everything when you get it.

There's no point stocking up on lots of equipment, only to find that five years down the track (when you are depending on it) that it doesn't work, or breaks easily, or has leaked. If you can go camping somewhere without all the luxuries, do so - you find out the difference between theory and practice very, very quickly. A small gas stove that I bought five years ago refused to light - and I had not tried it when I got it. My partner realised that there is a reason that I want camping and similar equipment, even though we do not go camping - and has conceded to me buying both small and large gas stoves, and a wood burning stove, and has changed her opinion of my interest in prepping.

11. Equipment needs to be maintained.

I have been considering getting a generator - but you have to have fuel, you have to maintain the engine. If you only need it one every year or two, are you going to remember to maintain it, or are you going to forget? Obviously, it's easier when it's something you can use a lot, and then make a few changes to re-purpose. My thought is solar panels, and use them to run an independently powered hydroponics system... or anything else that it would be useful for. Solar panels can be stored unused (again, after testing) for ages, however batteries do need to be maintained - they will lose charge, and will age.

12. Start a garden.

When you are running out of food, it's no good planting a few seeds to feed yourself. That garden has to be a going concern before it's needed. It's going to need time to grow and produce, you are hungry, and you are going to make mistakes. I know I mentioned this earlier, but that's how important a point it is. Basil and amaranth grow easily, as do chilli peppers. The trees that you plant might grow quickly, they might grow slowly, or they may die off - the time to plant and try growing them is when you can go out and get some more. Especially if you find something good that grows well in your area - you don't want to spend a lot of money to plant a dozen trees of a single variety to see how they'll go, you can always buy more if there are shops to buy them from...

I think that's all that I wanted to write at the moment...

The good thing about apocalypses? If you miss one, there's always another one due in a few minutes...

The last few years of experimentation have taught me a few things...

1. You do not have enough seeds. You do not have enough variety of seeds. If you bought a "seed bank", it's probably mush by now.

If you are feeding a family, especially one with growing children, you are going to need lots of food. If you have growing seasons, any food that you want to eat out of season, you have to grow in-season - and then preserve. Additionally, seeds have a life span - after two or three years, you might have very few left that are viable. I bought some tomato seeds early in the season that were fairly fresh - and have had nothing from them; some that were two years past their best-before date started growing, four plants that are not going to produce anything this year, but will next.

You have to be careful, too, on where you get your seeds from; a commercial variety might be a hybrid, their seeds infertile. So much for having a couple of packets stored away to feed you and yours for years to come.

Never underestimate the usefulness of herbs - generally easy to grow. Never underestimate the usefulness of edible "weed" species. Something that propagates easily, has some nutritional value, and tastes bland is far better than something that has to be looked after very carefully to produce a "miracle" food.

2. Also consider trees.

Food trees can be a lot easier to look after than vegetable patches - but need a lot more room. Nuts store fairly well, although you may have to be careful of rats. Fruits are useful and tasty. I have ordered myself several more trees, I am determined to get cinnamon to grow, cloves too when they become available. My coffee trees are going well, I will have to plant them out. I have ordered myself another carob tree, the one that I have is growing, albeit slowly, I want to have one in a pot, see if I can get it big quicker. I've been reading up on the nutritional value, seems good, plus the seeds apparently have a usable gum.

There's also the consideration of soil health - trees are important for ground water cycles, for retaining top soil, and if you choose correctly can help with soil nitrogen levels. Nitrogen in the soil is important  - and a number of plants are able to extract it from the air. Or, more specifically, host the bacteria that can extract it from the air, and put it into the soil. Which leads to...

3. You don't know enough about chemistry, agronomy, forestry, and geology.

If you have to think in the long term, you need to know what to know. You need to know what local resources are available for use, how to make good long term use of what there is. Plus, if you don't know why having Nitrogen in the soil is important, you'd better learn; if you don't want to learn, give up now. Castor seeds have an incredibly powerful poison in them, but the oil is very useful, especially if you have engines that you can run. And speaking of growing things...

4. You aren't going to be able to hunt game. You need to start breeding and feeding your own animals.

Well, if you live near a major game migration path, you might. For starters, think about what game is close - and what you could capture on a day's outing when you can only walk to and from the game. Unless you and your family go strictly nomadic, you aren't going to be able to catch much. And multiply yourself by dozens, even hundreds, of others who think that they can...

5. Your bug-out location is probably someone else's backyard.

And they might not be happy that you are picking through their property.

6. You can't do enough by yourself, or just you and your immediate family.

Friends will be the key to survival long-term. More people to spread the needed tasks, more people to protect you...

That's what I wanted to say at the moment.