April 28th, 2011 § § permalink
Action movies often depict heroes nonchalantly walking away from tremendous explosions. While it might make for good entertainment, the truth is that you most likely wouldn’t be in any condition to walk away from a Hollywood-size explosion. Io9 looks at how explosions work, and why they can be so deadly. They also offer a tip for surviving smaller explosions: RUN . Don’t bother with trying to hit the deck or take cover, just get out of there as fast as possible. Since the force of the explosion decreases exponentially with distance travelled, every bit of distance you can put between yourself and the blast increases your chance of survival. Just make sure you’ve tied your shoelaces properly; trip now and you’re, quite literally, toast.
So How Does One Survive An Explosion?
Generally, one doesn’t. At least not any movie explosion. Films that show people using missiles or using dynamite as a ‘diversion’ or a way to propel themselves or their vehicles or their chairs (Looking at you, Long Kiss Goodnight.) are doing the equivalent of running someone over with a car as a way of patting them on the back. Military-grade explosives unleash millions of pounds per square inch of pressure. Anything near it is getting destroyed.
For more modest explosives, the best defense is distance. Since force is applied over area, it decreases by the square of the distance it travels. Run like hell. A good hundred meter dash will put you in the safe range of one kilogram of TNT. A thousand meters will keep you safe from a thousand kilograms of it. Keep moving directly away from the explosive and keep doing it as far as you can. If you can run while covering your head – especially your ears – you’ll decrease incidental injuries but don’t let anyone distract you from distance. Just get away.
How big an explosion could you realistically survive?
April 4th, 2011 § § permalink
How to Do Everything is a new podcast from Mike Danforth and Ian Chillag, producers of Wait Wait… Don’t Tell Me!. The new show is “half advice show, half survival guide”; listeners send in their questions and Mike and Ian talk to experts and do their best to answer them. It’s an entertaining and packed with great information, from naming a military operation to jumping out of a moving car. Check out the podcast at their website, on iTunes, and send in your own questions here.
Here’s how it works: you send us your questions—from “how do I break up with my hairstylist of 20 years” to “how do I not sound stupid when ordering wine” to “how do I escape a charging rhino”—and we answer them. Usually, given how little we actually know how to do, we find experts who can help you out.
How to Do Everything
March 7th, 2011 § § permalink
A bug out bag is a pack that contains enough items to survive for 72 hours. The idea is that if you need to make a hasty retreat in the event of an emergency, you can grab your bag and have enough supplies to evacuate to a more secure location. Creek Stewart of Willow Haven Outdoor explains how to put together your bug out bag in this guest post for The Art of Manliness. The post covers ten supply categories to consider when creating your kit: water, food, shelter, fire, first aid, tools, lighting, communications, self-defense, and other miscellaneous gear.
The term ‘Bugging Out’ refers to the decision to abandon your home due to an unexpected emergency situation–whether a natural disaster or one caused by man. A ‘Bug Out Bag’ is a pre-prepared survival kit designed to sustain you through the journey to your destination once you’ve decided to ‘Bug Out’ in the event of an emergency evacuation. Typically, the Bug Out Bag (BOB) is a self-contained kit designed to get you through at least 72 hours. This kit is also referred to as a 72-Hour Bag, a Get Out Of Dodge Bag (GOOD Bag), an EVAC Bag, and a Battle Box.
The thought of having to evacuate your home due to a sudden and imminent threat is not at all unrealistic. The reality is that sudden and uncontrollable events of nature and man do happen. Natural disasters such as hurricanes, storms, earthquakes, floods and volcanic explosions can strike fast and hard–wreaking havoc on homes, vehicles, roads, medical facilities and resource supply chains such as food, water, fuel, and electricity. When Hurricane Katrina struck the Southern US Coast just a few years ago, tens of thousands of people had to evacuate their homes with little warning. Unprepared and with no emergency plan, many of these people were completely dependent on scavenging and hand-outs while living in make-shift shelters–fending for themselves in a time of complete chaos and disorder. A 72-Hour Emergency Kit packed with survival essentials would have been an invaluable and priceless resource. In our unstable and unpredictable world economy, we would be foolish to think there is also no chance of a terrorist or military attack from forces domestic or foreign that could possibly force us to evacuate our own home. An act of war is not the only threat from man. Dams burst, power plants go down, pipelines explode, oil spills occur, and other man-made structures and facilities can fail, resulting in disaster. Outbreaks of sickness and disease could also warrant an evacuation.
We cannot control when, where, or how disasters strike. But we can control how prepared we are to deal with a disaster. There is a fine line between order and chaos and sometimes that line can be measured in seconds. When every second counts, having a plan and the tools to see that plan through are crucial to survival. The Bug Out Bag is your #1 resource in your overall Bug Out Plan and may very well be your key to survival one day.
How to Make a Bug Out Bag: Your 72-Hour Emergency Evacuation Survival Kit
February 9th, 2011 § § permalink
OnPoint Tactical LLC is a tracking, survival, and scout school based in New Jersey. They have worked with and trained US military and law enforcement groups including the US Army Rangers, Navy SEALs, the FBI, and the Secret Service and offer courses for civilians as well. OnPoint offers programs for developing survival and tracking skills in a variety of situations and environments, from wilderness combat and pursuit tracking to urban escape and evasion. While based in New Jersey, onPoint provides courses and schools around the US. Check out their website for a list of upcoming events near you.
Founded in 2004, onPoint Tactical LLC is a premier provider of scout, tracker and wilderness survival skills that bridge the gap between the ancient and the modern — onPoint Tactical weaves traditional and modern skill sets into a holistic composite.
onPoint Tactical’s primary customers are members of the military, law enforcement, and government security contractors. onPoint Tactical LLC also develops courses for civilian customers who are interested in a closer connection to their ancient heritage or who want to be prepared for uncertain times.
onPoint Tactical LLC focuses on small class sizes with personalized instruction, and the teaching methodology leverages hands-on, repetitive training drills. onPoint’s no-nonsense, sensible educational approach is both practical and relevant to real-world conditions and situations.
onPoint Tactical
February 4th, 2011 § § permalink
BFE Labs is a blog I recently discovered which covers topics such as wilderness survival, weapons, evasion, survival gear, and other subjects that may be of interest to Lone Iguana readers. Their latest article goes through techniques for managing a venomous snakebite, and touches on snakebite prevention, tactics for first aid and field care, and exposing commonly believed myths about snakebite treatment.
Growing up and continuing to live, work and play in the hinterlands of New Mexico, I’ve had more than a few run ins with snakes. As a kid I encouraged “run ins” with non-venomous snakes such as bullsnakes and various racers, catching them and keeping them in a terrarium for a week or two before returning them to the wilds. However, there have also been the run ins I did nothing but discourage, those with venomous snakes, particularly rattlesnakes.
Over the years I have stepped on, kicked, almost sat or put my hand down on, been crawled over and been struck (in the boots thankfully, both times) by both Western Diamondback and Prairie Rattlers. I’ve had close calls of a less dramatic nature with most other species of rattler in the Southwest, to include Mojave and Timber rattlers. It would be easy to say that so many encounters are the product of foolish and uncautious behavior, but in this part of the world, in an outdoors/rural lifestyle, thats simply the luck that many folks have. Those who are foolish about snakes, have less fortune. For all my close encounters, I have avoided serious injury by being cautious and not acting the fool. You can do exactly the same, even in a snake rich environment.
Venomous Snakebite Management
January 4th, 2011 § § permalink
A knife is one of the simplest, most versatile tools you can own, and a sharp blade can be a valuable asset in a wide variety of situations. The Card Sharp is a small pocket knife with a 76mm blade that unfolds into a flat profile the same size as a credit card. This compact design allows it to be easily carried in a wallet, ensuring that you always have a sharp blade on your person. Have a look at the product site for a video showcasing the ingenious folding design.
CardSharp a superlight and supersharp utility knife, the samesize as a credit card.
Just three ingenious folding operations metamorphosise the card into an elegant pocket utility tool. Slimmer and lighter than an ordinary knife.
[...]
Blade edge is protected when stored in wallet, drawer, or kit bag which avoids accidents and blunting (blunting often caused by rubbing against other knives or tools). Integral blade ‘sheath’ cannot be lost. Protective hilt appears when opened. When docked in closed position, design prevents injury. Cannot fold accidentally (as some folding pocket knives). Blade is locked solidly in open, cutting mode with no blade tremor allowing accurate precision cutting.
[...]
Machine washable with no hinged parts to rust up like ordinary folding pocket knives.
Card Sharp via Gizmodo
August 1st, 2010 § § permalink
When an unnamed man found himself stranded in the woods of northern Saskatchewan, he came up with a clever method to signal for help. Knowing the power company would have to check on the downed lines, the man cut down several power poles with an axe he had on hand.
A man stranded in the bush in northern Saskatchewan was rescued last week after chopping down four power poles — knocking out electricity to surrounding communities.
The incident left several hundred people in Wollaston Lake and Hatchet Lake Denesuline Nation without power for more than 30 hours, but it paved the way for a man to be saved by a SaskPower crew.
[...]
“Essentially it was mission accomplished, because we got the call, we chartered a helicopter … and on Friday around noon we discovered him,” Parker said.
Stranded Man Cuts Power Poles to Draw Attention via Neatorama
July 25th, 2010 § § permalink
“One of New York’s oldest” Bujinkan schools is now offering private ninja lessons, taught by an experienced Shidoshi, “teacher of the warrior ways”. Based on the martial art of ninjutsu, the course also teaches the history and traditions of the ninja.
Learn the secrets of ancient martial arts and the mysterious ninja warriors with one of New York’s oldest Bujinkan schools, affiliated with Bujinkan Hombu Dojo in Japan since the early 1980′s.
These legendary combat methods teach effective methods of self-protection using elusive timing, control of distance and subtle angling, i.e. like how to avoid the assault of a sword.
Learn from an actual Shidoshi (teacher of the warrior ways) about the history, tradition and philosophy of these night tigers before practicing their self-defense, heightened awareness and combat strategy methods.
Private Ninja Lessons via Uncrate
July 13th, 2010 § § permalink
After escaping from a maximum security jail, a couple of Argentinean criminals disguised themselves as sheep and successfully avoided capture, much to the embarrassment of local police.
Pereyra, 25, and Diaz, 28, dressed in full sheepskin fleeces with realistic looking heads as they tried to evade capture, The Sun reported.
[...]
They used their disguises to fool officials for more than a week despite more than 300 members of the local constabulary searching for them.
Argentina criminals ‘evade capture by dressing up as sheep’
April 14th, 2010 § § permalink
You just fell through thin ice. Struggling to get out, you keep a cool (no pun intended) head and remember the following article:
Roll away from the hole. Don’t stand up right away. The ice around the hole may be weak, so you want to distribute your weight over as much area as possible. Roll away from the hole or crawl on your belly until you are several feet from the hole. After that, you can crawl on your hands and knees until you are certain you are out of danger. Only then should you stand up.
How to Survive a Fall Through Ice via Lifehacker
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