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Hey, Ben...


@crossrulz wrote:


They ate at a diner and asked the waitress how they were dealing with the pandemic and she just laughed at him saying "We're just fine.  We're preppers."  It just made me think of Ben.


I heard a similar interaction in Florida summer of 2020.  "Do we need masks here?" "Oh no the pandemic ended here months ago."

Message 11 of 24
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Yes is was blessed to slip out of work a day world before the SHTF.

 

We had a cache of N95 masks and was able to share freinds ... back when masks were thought be effective (disclaimer: N95s properly fitted on a clean shaven face may work. But I haven't shaved in forever).

 

My better half in the hunter gatherer and had clorox concentrate, wipes, pool shock, respirators and hazmat suits when 4hings happened. I did have a fallout shelter with a decontamination room ready built. But never really any if that.

 

Fun fact!

 

If tou have been sweating all day pouring concrete and want to wash your face, don't use a clorox wipe.

 

Ben

Retired Senior Automation Systems Architect with Data Science Automation LabVIEW Champion Knight of NI and Prepper LinkedIn Profile YouTube Channel
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Message 12 of 24
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@Hooovahh wrote:

Yeah the pandemic has affected people in different ways for sure.  I got to spend several extra months with the people I love the most.  Working from home has been great, with my wife making me lunch instead of eating out, which made me lose weight, and spend less money.  We also got to eat many of the things in our cupboard and deep freezer that we've been pushing aside.  We did get a bidet for less toilet paper usage.  As for the infrastructure, we have a whole house generator, one EV and one PHEV, and now solar while being on well water.  But even so we haven't lost power in the last two years, and the solar is really more of an investment than contingency.  I don't claim to be nearly as self sufficient as Ben, just that we are pretty content and cozy.  For a little while the introverts inherited the earth.


Before TP wash clothes were used. Remember the diaper pails with a dilute clorox solution ?

 

No TP required.

 

Re: water

 

I developed 2 springs on my property that produce year round. Sure I have to carry it up hill about 30 feet but spring water is ready to go without filtering or treatment.

 

https://youtu.be/-zQHCSOeixE

 

Ben

Retired Senior Automation Systems Architect with Data Science Automation LabVIEW Champion Knight of NI and Prepper LinkedIn Profile YouTube Channel
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@Jacobson-ni wrote:

@BowenM wrote:

And all of this doesn't even go into the whole realm of "pandemic hits and people turn into panicky hoarding idiots and empty stores into their garages"

You don't even need a pandemic for that, just a mild winter storm in Texas.

 


 We survived smowmegedon 2010 with kerosene heaters for 4 days without power. Since 5hen I added a lot it propane and heaters. I use one propane heater almost daily at my remodel project.

 

Ben

Retired Senior Automation Systems Architect with Data Science Automation LabVIEW Champion Knight of NI and Prepper LinkedIn Profile YouTube Channel
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@crossrulz wrote:

@BowenM wrote:

I guess prepping is something I've been thinking about quite a bit lately. This pandemic has kind of made me realize just how much total infrastructure goes into keeping me alive.  Grid goes down in the winter and I freeze. Grid goes down in the summer or winter and I don't have any water. Food supply chain breaks down and I don't eat. Gas pipeline goes down and I can't drive to work. And all of this doesn't even go into the whole realm of "pandemic hits and people turn into panicky hoarding idiots and empty stores into their garages"

 

So, I'm glad to hear it's serving you well. I can only imagine how nice it must be to not be stressed at all about minor fluctuations in things.


Shortly after all the pandemic started, one of the podcasters I like to listen to was driving clear across the country (Virginia to California) and stopped at a small town in the middle of nowhere.  They ate at a diner and asked the waitress how they were dealing with the pandemic and she just laughed at him saying "We're just fine.  We're preppers."  It just made me think of Ben.


Boy scout motto.

 

Be prepared.

 

https://www.google.com/search?q=boy+scouts+be+prepared&sxsrf=APq-WBtad0YNrba3JH3SFkQsYJq5U8F-Tg%3A16...

 

Ben

Retired Senior Automation Systems Architect with Data Science Automation LabVIEW Champion Knight of NI and Prepper LinkedIn Profile YouTube Channel
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@Ben wrote:

Re: water

 

I developed 2 springs on my property that produce year round. Sure I have to carry it up hill about 30 feet but spring water is ready to go without filtering or treatment.

 

https://youtu.be/-zQHCSOeixE

 

Ben


With a few grandchildren and a bull whip you could have running water


"Should be" isn't "Is" -Jay
Message 16 of 24
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@Ben wrote:
We survived smowmegedon 2010 with kerosene heaters for 4 days without power. Since 5hen I added a lot it propane and heaters. I use one propane heater almost daily at my remodel project.

Unfortunately, that's no really scalable and I assume you don't produce your own kerosene and propane anyway.

 

I can only imagine the air quality here in greater Los Angeles if 18 million people would do the same. There was the era of smog due to smudge pots, outlawed in 1947. 😄

 

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pittsburgh_pollution_mill_scls_lrg.jpg

6f91fe3bf61063fedf676124540c9d56.jpg

Hell with lid off

 

Those pictures were taken within 12-14 mules from my place.

 

I followed my father as he served in the air force but frequently visited my grandparents were I live now. I still am reminded of chocolate chip cookies when I smell coal burning.

 

Ben

 

 

 

 

 

Retired Senior Automation Systems Architect with Data Science Automation LabVIEW Champion Knight of NI and Prepper LinkedIn Profile YouTube Channel
Message 18 of 24
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I got a machine to measure air pollution on loan from my company for 2 weeks during the winter, when air quality was very poor.

When we opened the window to air out the place, measurements went through the roof with 12 000 ng/m3 of carbon, 100% from biomass burning.

Normal values on a good day are less than 1000 ng/m3.

 

 

Message 19 of 24
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California no longer allows wood burning fireplaces in new construction. Even if you have one, there are declared no-burn days depending on the climate condition.

 

Our typical inversion layer puts a lid on all locally generate pollution and traps it. Regulations made a gigantic measurable difference. I still remember how bad it was in the eighties and nineties.

 

For each decade the number of very unhealthy days dropped significantly (source),

198x: ~140 very unhealthy air days

199x :  ~80 very unhealthy air days

2018, 2019 we had 1 very unhealthy air day per year (!!)

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