The Dystonaut

I s sue #3 - July/Augus t , 2 011

Digital Version Available.

For t h e print al s o a d ownl oad . f ormat a t t hos e o f y ou wh o 've subs cribed to ver si on o f The Dystonaut, there i s digi tal ver si on available f or I t i s a vailable in en crypted PDF t h e f oll owing websi te :

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while generally being an "OK guy" y ou wonder what purp o se hi s exi s ten ce s e r v es and c ome up blank . For my purp o se s , he s e rv es t h e u seful fun c ti on o f pr oviding an e xample o f h ow n ot to prac ti ce s e l f- r e l i a nc e and preparedne ss , and pr ovide s a sou rc e of enter tainment f or my wife when I relate hi s lates t adventures to her . The f u n n y par t ab out i t all i s that cons i d e r i n g t h e way the univer se works, he j u st might wind up s u r v i v i n g TEOTWAWKI by sheer rand om lu ck (or s t u p i d it y) .

On Skill-Sets:
I n ovice o ft e n re ceive email s fr om pe ople , " p r e p p e r s" f asking me what " s u r v i v a l

skill s " t h e y s h ou l d learn . My reply i s t h at t h e survival skill s t h e y s hou l d learn are real -world skill s . Some pe ople ge t i t , and pr oceed to have an enj oyable and educati onal life time o f building up t h e i r own unique s k i l l-s et t h at will s e r v e t h em well b oth n ow and in whatever p otential fu ture t hat unf olds . Ot h e rs d on ' t ge t i t . They are n ot l o oking to dis c over t h e i r full p otential and t r u l y learn t h e ar t o f s e l f- r e l i a nc e and preparedness . They remain under t h e f a l s e pre ten se t h at t h e y on l y need to learn a few o f t h es e s p ec i a l magi cal s k i l ls so t h ey c a n be an e xper t s u r v iv a l is t t h at's ready f or 2 012 , Plane t Nibiru , o r UN Peacekeeper s . For t hos e o f y ou who are j ust st a rt i n g out, i t is imp or tant t h at y ou learn h ow to differentiate be tween t h e t wo. The f ormer are t h e pe ople y ou want to a s s ociate wi th . You and t h em will learn fr om each ot h e r and might even p o s sibly fr om a l o o se v oluntary a ffilia ti on of s i mi l a r l y-mi n d e d individuals . The lat ter are jus t a bunch o f fan ta sy- type s who will eventually f r u st r a t e y ou i f y ou deal wi th t h em f or any length o f t i me.

pr obably d o e sn ' t e xi s t . There are a few t e c h n i qu es li s ted in military survival manual s , and s u r v iv a l ki t s generally cont a i n some n ominal amount of fishing t a c k l e. I f y ou really wanted t o co l l ect fi sh in a survi val si tuati on y our be s t be t would pr obably be to u se some qui ck & dir ty indi s criminate t ec h n i qu e s uc h a s a gill net , but d oing so in a n on-SHTF s it u at ion would have y ou running af oul o f fi sh & game laws .

The mili tary s u r v i v a l fi shing ki t s are t r ul y minimali s t . They have some line , lures , h o oks , and ot h e r i tems . You 'd have to impr ovi se a r od o r s i mi l a r c as t i n g meth od , and i t would pr obably help a great deal if y ou ac tually had some e xperien ce fi shing . I s us p ect t h at mos t American males , and many American female s have had a t leas t a n ominal exp o sure to t h e s po r t o f fi shing unle s s b oth t hei r parent s we r e a pair of neur oti c liberal s t h at hate anything t h at even h a s t h e s l i ght est whiff o f t estost e ron e to i t . I u sed to fi sh wi th my dad . Mo s tly s a lt-wat e r, but we did occasi onally c ast int o ou r l ocal lake . My wi fe we nt f or c h a n n e l c atf is h wi th her dad . We b oth dri f ted away f r om t h e spor t a s we g ot o l d e r, but t h e s k i l l -s e t i s st i l l t h e r e and we are s t i l l familiar wi th how i t ' s d one . I s us p ect t h at given on e o f t hos e ki t s , we c ould pr obably d o somet h i n g wi th i t Th o se o f y ou who have read my b o ok , and n ot st a r v e de spi te n ot having fi shed in will und oubtedly be familiar wi th a a while . gentleman who I have given t h e moniker With t h at s a i d, I s u p pos e y ou c ould " Ne u ro- Joh n". Le s t y ou t h i n k I di slike t h i s cons i d e r survi val fi shing to be t he individual o r am implying t h at he i s some how empl oyment of y our n ormal angling s k i l l -s et a bad per s on , I 'm n ot and he isn' t . He 's under le ss t h a n ideal c i rc umst a n c es and wi th s i mp l y a neuroti c fan ta sy- type who i s int o expedient equipment . In shor t , t h e s ame se t what c ould pr obably be be st de scribed as o f cir cum s tan ce s many o f u s fished wi th when " W lt e r Mi t ty Survivali sm" . Any dy s t onaut we were kids . You kn ow, a sc rou n g i n g some would find him frus trating on a level , and h o oks and line , digging up night crawler s ,
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Copyr ight 2 011 - All Righ t s Re served Homes tead De sign W ork s , PO Box 9 6 , Plymou th , CT 0 6 78 2

The Dystonaut
I s sue #3 July / Augu s t , 2 011 ma king a r od o ut o f a t r e e bran ch . Even wi th al s o some Orv is cou pons t h at enable y ou to t ack l e o f t h at l ow level we we r e st i l l able s ave money on get ting y our f is h i ng k it to pull a few pumpkinseed s o ut of a p ond . to g et h e r. Did I menti on t h at t h e c l ass wa s f r e e? Going ba c k to t h e beginning o f my The c l ass was br oken int o two par t s . p olemi c and t h e p oint of t h is ar ti cle , if y ou wanted to learn "s u r v i v a l f is h i n g" The fir s t par t di s cu s sed some basi c kn o t s t ec h n i q u es, y ou would want to learn h ow to u sed in fly fi shing , h ow to s et up you r f is h in t h e f i r st pla ce , and t h e n impr ove reel , and t a lk e d a li t tle bi t ab out f l i es. y our fi shing sk i l ls by learning mul tiple The st u d e nts we r e a lso given an o p po rt u n it y t ec h n i q u es and be c omin g in creasingl y to pra c ti ce t y i ng kn o t s and a sk que s ti on s . minimali s ti c wi th t h e t ac k l e y ou u se . Yo u The s econ d par t br ought t h e c l ass o ut int o would want to t r y different impr ovi sati on s t h e par king l o t behind t h e sto r e were we while f is h i ng to s e e what wo rks and what we r e t a u g ht h ow to f l y-c ast ( it i s dif feren t and given a bout 45 s p i n-c ast i n g) level in cre a se s a s a t h a n d oe sn ' t . Your s k i l l re sul t , and eventually y ou be c ome conf i d e nt minute s to pr a c ti ce . During t h e pra c ti ce t hat y ou can co ax f is h o ut o f the wa ter t i me, t h e in s tru c t or s went to ea ch st u d e nt re gardle s s of mo s t c i rc u ms t a nc es. Perhap s and gave t h e m some per s onalized in s tru c ti on t h e mo s t imp or tant a spe c t o f all t h is i s and t i ps to help impr ove t h e individual that y ou f i n d y our sel f havin g an en j o y a b l e st u d e nt's cast i n g t ec h n i q u e. t i me learning somet h i n g pra c ti cal . I have d one some bai t fi shing Thi s wa s e xplained to Neur o -J ohn , and previ ously when I wa s y oun ger , but h ave hi s reply was t h at he wa s n o t intere s ted in ab s olutely zer o e xperien ce wi th f l y-f is h i n g. f is h i ng, but j ust wanted to k now "s u rv i v a l When I wa s fini shed wi th t h is c l ass I f e lt t ec h n i q u es fo r when TSHTF . He comfo rt a b l e g oing o ut int o a st r e a m and f l yf is h i n g" didn ' t ge t t h e idea , o r didn ' t want to ge t fi shing at a n ovi ce level . Bo th t h e Orv is t h e idea t h at t h e way to learn s u rv i v a l in s tru c t or s and TU v olunteer s were ext r e me l y sk i l ls is to learn real - world s k i l ls. kn owledgeable in t h e s u bj ect ma t ter and v e r y Hope fully t h is li t tle sto r y s howe d y ou h ow help ful . Conta c t in f ormati on wa s g i v e n o ut to t e l l p o tential dy s t onaut ma terial fr om a t t h e end o f t h e c l ass f or t hos e st u d e nts t h e f a nt asy-t y p e wannabe s so y ou d on ' t wast e wh o wanted to g o bey ond t h e 1 01 c l ass and be c ome fur ther inv olved in t h e s po rt. If y ou y our t i me wi th t h e lat ter . have e ven t h e s l i g ht est intere s t in f l yf is h i n g and have never d one i t be f ore I would d e fini tely re c ommend t ak i n g t h is f r e e Go fish ... c l ass f rom Orv is. I wa s v is it i n g my l o cal Orv is sto r e and di s c overed t h e y off e r f r e e c l i n ics fo r individu al s intere s ted in le arning h ow to You bloom where you're planted ... f l y-f is h. That ' s a t y p e of angling I 've ye t to d o , and somet h i n g I 've f ound intere s ting The t it l e of t h is ar ti cle is and fa s cinatin g , e spe cially t h e ar t o f f l y- a t tributable to my wi fe , wh om I f i rst heard t y i n g. My daughter ha s e xpre s sed an intere s t i t fr om . I t h i n k i t appr opriately s u ms up in b o th f is h i ng and ent omol ogy , so t h e r e i s t h e s u bj ect ma t ter . I s e e a l o t of t a l k o n al s o t h at to t a k e int o cons i d e rat ion. When t h e Interne t am ong s u r v i v a l ist c i rc l es ab out and bug - out l o cati on s , t he Free an o p po rt u n it y like t h is pre sent s i t sel f re treat i t ' s be s t to t a k e advanta ge of i t , and I St at e pr o je c t s , and more re cently t h is t h i n g c a l l e d " Th e Ameri can Red oubt " . All so rts o f s ign e d up fo r t h e c l ass. data and f i g u r es are pre sented in an a t tempt The c l ass la s ted ab out a n h our and a to con v i nc e t h e reader t h at a p ar ti cul ar half , and wa s t a u g ht by Or v is-c e rt i f i e d l o cati on is t he ab s olute be s t fo r in s tru c t or s and v olunteer s f rom t h e l o cal s u rv iv a l ist purp o se s , implying t h at ot h e r Tr out Unlimi ted c h a pt e r. Wi th t h e c l ass y ou c ho ic es are some wh at f l aw e d. It remind s me ge t a free 1 -year member ship to Tr out of t h e 1 97 0 s c a rtoon movie Yogi's Ar k Lar k . Unlimi ted . Thi s o rg a n i z at ion is an F or th o se of y ou wh o we r e n't k i ds in t h e invaluable re s our ce fo r t h e n ovi ce angler , 1 97 0 s , t h e movie wa s ab out h ow Yogi Bear and so t h e free member ship i s a b onu s . There are hi s f r i e n ds leave Jelly s t one Par k in light
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The Dystonaut
I s sue #3 - J u l y/Au gust, 20 1 1

con d it ions Make a de ci si on and t h e n implement y our Place. plan . Al s o d on ' t b e a fraid to come to t h e They never f i n d i t , and in t h e end t h e y conc l us ion t h at t h i n gs will be OK j ust where de cide to re turn h ome and c l e a n i t up . y ou are i f y ou on l y implement a f ew min or c h a ng es. The p oint I 'd li ke to drive h ome here
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On Personal Infrastructure and Your Secret Laboratory, Cabin In the Woods, or Wherever...:

Th o se of y ou who fo l low my bl og and Ad i ron d ac ks f would b e a al th ough y ou st i l l have Ne w Oberon's Rest have read ab out my pr o j e c t to

York p oliti c s to deal with , and God help y ou repair and f ix t h e o l d s h e d in t h e bac kyard i f y ou live on New York Cit y W ter shed t h es e t h at wa s damaged in t h e s now/ ic e sto r ms las t a winter and conv e rt i t int o a comb i n at ion day s . cab i n/ wor ks hop. Th o se of y ou who a r e s e r ious much a bout t h e st u d y of modern s u r v i v a l is m, what So u t h e r n New En g l a n d is n ot be t ter . I ' ve f ound Conne c ti cut to be I cal l Dy s t on auti c s , need a pl a ce where y ou to l e r a b l e fo r t h e moment , al th ough t h at's c a n read wi th out interrupti on , k e e p all y our t empo r a r y. Mas sachuse t t s i s li ke New York , b o o k s and too ls, and wor k on v a r ious h obbie s but I kn ow a f ew s u rv iva l ists who live in whe ther it ' s ele c tr oni c s , gun smi thing , o r t h e We s tern s i d e and i t s u its t h e i r need s rel oading wi th out having to a s semble a n d fo r t h e moment . Nor thern New En g l a n d i s di sas semble y our wor ks p ac e every t i me ni ce , a n d would be my f i rst c ho ic e. Be t ween be cause i t happen s to be t h e dinin g r o om New Hamp s h i r e and Ve r mont t h e r e a r e en ough t a b l e. Thi s place c a n b e t h e co r n e r of a di f fer ence s be tween t h e two t h at y ou c a n r o om wh e r e y ou c a n f it a s ma l l h omemade fo r m a preference . Fo r me i t ' s a more - or - workbench , o r a whole out b u i l d i n g d edi cated le s s even tie be t ween t h e two , and my wi fe to y our dy s t onauti c pur sui t s . Whatever t h e leans towa r ds Ve r mont. Then again a s o f late s i z e and l o c a ti on , y ou ab s olutely need to we joke ab out h ow i f we were I vy League have t h is s p ac e. The bigger t h e b e t ter . I f sc hoo ls s h e' d be Ha r v a r d and I 'd be Yale . y ou c a n't manage a works p ac e in y our c u r r e nt t hen it 's pr obably n ot So me pe ople ' s pre feren ce s are more re sidence , s ust a i n a b l e in ot h e r wa ys a s we l l. St u d e nts We s tern in f l avo r. My f r i e n d " Sn a r l i n g Ch e s t y " j ust moved hi s f amily out to New of t r a d it iona l s u r v i v a l is m are und oubtedly M xi c o . They we r e o r i g i n a l l y f rom So ut h e r n familiar wit h t h e rule of t h r e es, wh ic h s ays e Tier New York a n d moved to Con n ect ic ut. Some t h at y ou c a n not live more t h a n: s u r v iv a l ists cons i d e r New Mexi c o to be a 3 minute s wi th out bre a thing more " l i b e r a l" So ut hwest e r n st at e and e s chew i t fo r Nev ada o r Ar i zon a, but i t s e ems t o 3 h our s wi th out s h e lt e r in an e x treme s u it hi s purp o se s j ust f i n e. The o r i g i n a l envir onment member s of t h e Fr e e State Pr o j e c t who 3 d ay s wi th out wa ter re fu sed to rel o cate to New Hamp s h i r e s e em to gravi tate towa r ds ei ther Idah o o r Wy oming . I 3 wee k s wi th out f o od li ke Idah o ' s t e r r a i n, but h ave to pas s on t he comp l et e and u t terly tot a l rural Under t h e rule of t h r e es, s h e lt e r i s envir onment as i t ' s n ot opt i mal fo r my s econ d in imp or tan ce and pri ori ty , right par ti cul ar st rat e gy. b el ow breathing . Si nc e breathing comes to mo s t of us under n ormal While t h e r e i s n o per fe c t place , t h e r e natur ally unle s s y ou 're dr owning o r are many t h at are pre t ty g o od , and more t h a n c i rc umst a nc es, adequate fo r you r need s and st r at e g i es. Do ab out to be d ownwind of tox ic f umes, having s h e lt e r s hou l d be y our f i rst your research. Get y our fee t on t h e gr ound pr oper pri ori ty . It need n ot be par ti cularly fo r a f ew day s in area s of p otential as l ong as it s e r v es t he intere s t . Find out everythin g ab out a elaborate , ne ce s sary f u n ct ions. I have lived in v a r ious p otential l o cati on : g o od , bad , and ugly .

P a ge 3

Copy r ig ht 20 1 1 - Al l Ri gh t s Re serve d o Home s t e a d De sign W r k s , PO Bo x 96, Ply mou th , CT 06782

The Dystonaut
I s sue #3 July /Augu s t , 2 011 pla ce s fr om a 1 0x15 t e nt in t h e Adir ondack s to a rented r o om in a ba sement . In all t h es e in s tance s I wa s able to maintain a s ma l l work spa ce wi th too ls adequate f or t y p ic a l t ec h no lo g ic a l s u rv i va l a c tivi tie s . F or th o se of y ou in e x treme c ondi ti on s , t her e are b o th plan s and fini shed pr oduc t s a vailable f or s ma l l p ortable workbenche s and works pa ce s t h at of f er too l sto r a g e and a n ominal work s u r f ac e. Df Ys-t.vpe s will want to che ck o ut Kur t Sax on ' s e x cellent Survivor ba ck-i s sue comp e n d i u ms ( a mu s t-have f or y our library ) . To ol comp a n i es s uc h as Stanley and Mile s craft o f f e r v a r ious de sign s o f p or table workbenche s and work center s . There are plenty o f o p t ions available t o fi t y our par ti cular s it u at ion. ab out t he newe s t and fa s te s t t el l y ou pr o ce s s or o r t h e large s t t e r a b yt e hard drive n or t h e l oude s t and fla shie s t bell s and whis tle s . Thi s may s u r p r is e y ou , but y ou d on ' t need t h e be s t and late s t in comp ut e r t e c h no lo g y to figh t t he g o od figh t . My and late s t comp ut e r is a model c u r r e nt dating fr om ar ound 2 0 05 and i s an e Machine s T11 0 0 . The s yst e m cons ists of an Intel Celer on Pr o ce s s or a t 1 GHz s p e e d, 25 6 MB o f RAM and a 2 0 GB hard drive . I t al s o in clude s 1CD re c ordable and rewri table drive and 1 3. 5" fl oppy drive . On e USB p or t in t h e fr ont o f t h e towe r and o n e game MIDI p ort are con n e ct e d. There are p or t s in t h e back f or t e l e p hon e jack s , moni t or , sc a n n e r, printer , mou se and s p e a k e rs. The o p e r at i n g s yst e m o r OS i s Wind ows XP wi th s e r v ic e pa ck 3. F or interne t s u r f i n g and email to st a y in touc h, a Cone xant So ftK 56 Modem i s in cluded . The audi o card i s an Intel AC' 97f or sou n d. The graphi c s card i s al s o an Intel . The entire web s u r f i n g experien ce i s con n ect e d t h rou g h a landline , dial up s y st e m, as cel l ul ar t ec h no lo g y and WiFi are c a b l e, unavailable in my remo te area . F or modern interne t s u r f i n g, v i d eo con f e r e nc i n g and s peedy d ownl oading , or gaming , t h is s yst e m i s wo e f u l l y s low. If , h owever , y ou d on ' t mind wai ting a l ong t i me f or y our d ownl oad s and y ou f oreg o wat ching v i d eos o n l i n e and vide o con f e r e n c i n g, t h is s y st e m make s a v e r y ni ce library comp ut e r. I have been able to d ownl oad sh or t , l ower quali ty v i d eos, entire shelve s o f b o ok s and pamphle t s as well a s st a y in tou c h wi th family , run an o n l i n e magazine , we bs it e and sto r e. I am al s o able to li s ten to interne t radi o . Thi s i s very adequate f or what I wi sh to d o wi th out breaking my bank . The s yst e m is al s o upgradeable t o a high speed s at e l l it e con n ect ion s hou l d I ever de cide t h a t i t i s wor th t h e money . On c e vide o h a s been d ownl oaded o nto di sk , whe ther I have we at h e r e d a v e r y large and l ong d ownl oad o r have spe cial o r d e r e d somet h i n g, t h e vide o run s at n ormal s p e e d rather t h a n s u f f e r i n g t h e l ong pause s and stops t h at i s required f or wat ching v i d eos on l ow bandwidth interne t . Since I 'm n o t a gamer , I d on ' t cons i d e r o n l i n e gaming a fa c t or f or s p e n d i n g more money o n my s yst e m o r s p e e d i n g up t h e interne t . I 'm pr o of p o si tive t h at a we l l made comp ut e r c a n la s t a g o od de cade and bey ond .

High Tech Gadgets For Becoming Informed: Part 1

by Co r cc e i g h Green S o , y ou have o p e n e d y our eye s and n o ti ced t h at t h e world and t h e universe o p e r at es o n an entirely different reali ty t h a n i s refle c ted by t h e evening news . Go od f or y ou ! Now , y ou ' l l want to kn ow if t h e r e i s any inf ormati on o ut t h e r e t h at refle c t s t h e event s t h at are t r u l y happening and if any one i s giving any inf ormati on o n what to do when t hos e event s hi t t he fan . F or tunately , t h e r e are plenty o f inf ormati on sou r c es o f which y ou c a n t a k e advantage . Of c our se , I 'm t a l k i n g ab out t h e interne t . I kn ow , t h e interne t ha s bec ome t h e but t o f barbed j oke s tos s e d by a dieing media , usually a s a r c ast ic, "I read i t on t h e interne t , so i t mus t be t r u e." You and I b o th kn ow t h at n o t everything y ou read o n t h e interne t i s t r u e. I t i s up to t h e reader to s how some di s cernment and do some re sear ch int o any intere s ting s u bj e cts. That s a i d, t her e i s al s o a l o t o f v e r y g o od inf ormati on t h at will further y our edu cati on , keep y ou inf ormed o f real current event s and instru c t y ou o n h ow to survive in a tops y-t u r v y real world . Since t h is ar ticle i s ab out high t ec h gadge t s and I jus t fini shed a paragraph o n t h e interne t , y ou pr obably already kn ow t h at I 'm g oing to t a l k ab out t h e high t e c h gadge t y ou mu s t u se to peruse t h e interne t ; t h e comp ut e r. Go od gue s s . Now , I 'm n o t g oing to

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The Dystonaut
I s sue #3 - J u l y/Au gust, 20 1 1
Bad t h i n gs do happen , h owever . Be cause t he

ele c tr oni c s of a comp ut e r i s so f r ag i l e, t h e r e are many incident s t h at c a n render

t h em in op er able . Lightning st r i k es f EMP

e vent s , op e rat i ng t h e comp ut e r in high he a t ,

ele c tri cal s u r ges and mu ch , mu ch mor e c a n all render you r comp ut e r in operable . Since o u r rea s on fo r maintainin g a c omputer i s to

pr ovide ou rs e lv es wi th inf ormati on re garding ou r s u rv iv a l in t h e real and somet i mes h ar sh wo r l d, i t i s be s t to have a ba ckup fo r you r comp ut e r s hou l d i t be damaged when whi chever e v ent f i n a l l y c atc h es up to t h e Ost r ic h- l i k e ma j ori ty of y our neighb or s tod a y.

In o r d e r to make u se o f t h e comp ut e r y ou ' l l need some more hardware be f ore y ou c a n begin y our od yss e y fo r in f ormati on . Fir s t , t h e moni t or . Thi s i s y our vi sual inter fa ce wit h t h e comp ut e r. The comp ut e r place s data in a u sable fo r m fo r y ou to s e e, read o r manipulate on t h e moni t or ' s sc r e e n. Un f or tunately , moni t or s wear out a bout every 5 year s on t h e average , t hou gh I ' ve had some f or l onger peri ods o f t i me. You s hou l d be prepared to pur chase more moni t or s as backups . Mo s t moni t or s fo u n d at t he dump s ter s d o n ot work , e spe cially i f t h e y are in t h e dump s ter una c c ompanied by ot h e r comp ut e r equipment . I f y ou f i n d on e in t h e dump s ter s wi th ot h e r equipment , t a k e i t h ome and t est i t al on g wi th t h e ot h e r equipment . Many pe ople will t h row awa y perfe c tly u s able For tunately , t h e r e i s a very c h e a p equipment so t h e y c a n make r o om fo r t h e al ternative to a cquiring a backup comp ut e r newe s t equipment . Alway s t a k e advantage of in c as e y our s i s damaged come t h e day and i t t h is. i s h ow I ac qu i r e d my 2 backups . Fir s t , as men ti oned , I have 2 b a ckups . I g ot s uc h a Anot h e r c h eap meth od fo r a cquiring an de al on the se t h at i t was st u p i d n ot to e x tra moni t or i s to peruse y ard a n d garage a cquire t h em b oth j ust in c as e I break ou t s a l es. So met i mes t hey will be so l d and s et up my backup a f ter an EMP event j ust s e p a r at e l y wi th i t ' s own pri ce and somet i mes t o have my bac kup f r i e d in a s econ d EMP i t will be so l d wi th a comp l et e s yst em. I f event . How cou l d t h e pri ce s on t h es e be so you d on ' t need t h e comp l et e syst em make an l ow a s to all ow a p o or b oy to a cquire 2 offe r on t h e moni t or al one . You c a n usually uni ts? Ea sy , I pi cked t h em out o f t h e l o cal t a l k t h e own e r int o s e l l i n g i t wi th out t h e dump s ter s . Every t i me I s ee ele c tr oni c s yst em. As k to plug in t h e moni t or to c h eck equipment f rom comp ut e rs to s at e l l it e i f i t i s wor king . I f y ou are buying t h e re ceiv er s a t t h e l o cal dump s ter s , I pi ck entire syst em, as k to h o ok i t all up to make t h em up and tak e t h em h ome fo r t est i n g. I f s u r e i t i sn ' t bad . I f t h e own e r d oe s n ot t h e y wor k , I in c orporate t h em int o my wa nt to d o t h is, be s us p ic ious of the uni t s u r v iv a l plans . I f t h e y d on ' t wor k , I st r i p o r moni t or and wal k away f rom t h e deal . Mo s t t h em o f any working compon e nts li ke hard of t h e t i me, own e rs merely wa nt to s a l e a drive s and haul them back to t h e dump s ter s . per fe c tly g o od s yst em to offs et t h e pur chase pri ce of t h e newe s t s yst em on t h e mar ke t . You won't ge t t h e s ame brand and model Ve ry g o od bargains c a n be fo u n d t h is way , so uni ts t h is way , so y ou won't have uni f o r ml y alway s c h eck you r l o cal yard a n d garage inter changeable compon e nts, but y our
P a ge 5

Pur cha sing an other comp ut e r c a n b e qui t e e xp ensive . Mo s t wi l l opt to cons i d e r t he comp ut e r a n on-e s sential pie ce of equipment s hou l d t h e i rs be damaged and a more urgent s e ns e of s u r v iv a l be c ome s ne ce s sary during a c r is is. If , h owever , y ou are planning n ow fo r y our s u rv i v a l, y ou will be laying back s u p p l i es like foo d, ammo , s e e ds and too ls. I f y ou are op e r at i n g a comp ut e r fo r gatherin g in f ormati on y ou are pr obably d ownl oading b o oks , v i d eos o r web p age s wi th all so rts of neat in f orma ti on t hat y ou would li ke to empl oy during c e rt a i n c i rc umst a nc es. When y our comp ut e r g o e s d own , t h at in f ormati on g oe s away . Breaking out a backup uni t and s ett i ng i t up will bring all o f t h at in f ormati on back to y our f i n g e r t i ps i f y ou had i t bac ked up on CD o r DVD .

equipment c a n be mad e comp at i b l e t h rou gh i t ' s softwa r e. For e xample , I have l oaded all my uni t s wi th Wind ows XP and all of t h e r edundant softwa r e all owing me to read , watc h o r li s ten to a l l of my save d file s . Ea ch comp ut e r ha s a CD drive , so all o f my file s and softwa r e are bac ked up on CDs . The backup uni t s are sto r e d in EMP pr ote c ted b oxe s . They are never con n ect e d to t h e interne t . Their so l e purp o se i s to all ow me to read file s and b o o k s sto r e d in my s u r v i v a l library , wa t ch vide o s f rom t h e s ame library CDs and li sten to sto r e d MP 3 f i l es fr om Mili tia and Patri ot radi o br oadc a s t s a f ter t h e day .

Copy r ig ht 20 1 1 - Al l Ri gh t s Re serve d or Home s tead De sign W k s , PO Bo x 96, Ply mou th , CT 06782

The Dystonaut
I s sue #3 - J u l y/Au gust, 20 1 1
sa l es. Get a s many wor kin g moni t or s as you divin g f or keyb oard s are , again , t h e y a r d c a n. Many t i mes y ou c a n ge t entire s ys t e ms and garage s a l es. Again , k e y bo a r ds we a r c h e a p e r t h a n t h e pri ce of a new moni t or f so d own , as d o t h e ot h e r compon e nts of y our t ak e advantage of t h is a s well . s yst e m. EMP event s , lightning st r ik es and he a t can de s tr oy their ele c tr oni c s . Ha v e To all ow y ou to manipulate t h e data ba ckup s . I f y our s yst e m i s de s tr oyed in o n e you s e e o n t h e moni t or f a mou se must be of t h e ab ove e vent s , y our keyb oard wi l l al s o in cluded in t h e s yst e m. You are able to move be a f fe c ted .

t h e c u rso r wi th y our mouse ,

s e l ect t ext, c l ic k on sc ro l l and

c ut and pas t

or

up and d own t h e softwa r e to op e n

sc r e e n, and / o r

t u r n pa ge s and place t h e c u rso r ov e r i c on to be tween y ou and t h e

f i l es

read .

Ol d e r

mouse s

(mic e?)

wor ked

wi th

ball me chani sm to s e n d ele c tr oni c me s sa ge s to t h e comp ut e r fo r p o si ti oning the c u rso r. The ball would oft e n pi ck up du s t and par ti cle s and we a r d own t h e cont act wi t h i n the mou se rendering t h e mou se in operable . The se wo u l d have to be repla ced almo s t o nc e a year ! The newer o pt ic a l l y o p e r at e d mou se i s f ar s u p e r io r in t h is manner . The se mou se s sc a n t h e s u rf ac e o n whi ch t h ey s it s ev e r a l t i mes a s econ d to de termine whi ch way t h e y are bein g moved and p o si ti on t h e c u rso r a c c ordingly . Wi th out t he need fo r an ele c tri cal cont act in t h e i r me chani sm , t h e r e i s n o s uc h p oint to we a r o ut. I am st i l l u sing t h e f i rst o n e I b ought whi ch mu s t be ar ound 5 o r 6 year s o l d n ow . The o n l y p oint where t h e o pt ic a l l y o p e r at e d mou se s we a r o ut i s in t h e sc ro l l wheel , wh ic h a per s on c a n live wit hout. You will find many o f t h es e in t h e dump s ter , pe ople wi l l t h row t h e m away when t h e sc ro l l wheel we a rs o ut, but t h at i s u sually t h e o n ly t h i ng wr ong wi th t h e m. You wi l l co l l ect dif feren t brand s , but driver s are d ownl oadable o n t h e ne t . I al s o have ba c kup s fo r t h e mou se , all o pt ic a l. The keyb o ard i s a not h e r int er fa ce wi th the comp ut e r via t h e moni t or . The keyb oard n o t o n l y all ows y ou to manipulate t h e data being pre sented o n t h e moni t or ' s sc r e e n, but al s o all ows y ou to enter o r c r e at e dat a of you r own. Ye s , y ou gue s sed i t . You ' l l need to have on e or more ba ckup s fo r you r keyb oard too. Usually , when y ou find a comp ut e r in t h e dump s ter , y ou ' l l f i n d t h e more o r l e s s comp let e s yst e m and t h is almo s t alway s in clude s t he keyb oard . Ke y bo a r ds fo u n d wi th comp l et e s ystems u sually work very well . Alway s pi c k t h es e up wi th t h e re s t o f t h e s yst e m and t est i t . W e n fo u n d h in t h e dump s ter s al one , t h e r e i s a que s ti on o f whe ther t h e keyb oard work s , but pi ck i t up anyway and t est i t . Many of t h es e will wo r k fine as we l l. Al ternative s to dump s ter

you r s yst e m's inter fa ce data i s t h rou g h sou n d. Be side err or me s sa ge s , bleep s and bl o op s to g et y our a t tenti on , sou n d comes in v e r y handy when li stening to an MP3 ar chived br o ad ca s t . When watc h i n g t hat d ownl o aded y outub e vide o a bout planting s e e ds i t s u r e help s to hear wh at t h e h o s t s a r e s a y i n g ab out t h e s u bj e c t . Thi s ma ke s y our s p e a k e rs a v e ry imp or tant compon e nt in y our s yst e m. Un f or tunately , when I see t h es e in t h e dump s ter , I s e e t h e m o n l y wi th a comp l et e s yst e m. Your area may be di f feren t , so c h eck f or t h e m anyway , but mo s t pe ople h old o n to t h e s p e a k e rs to u se wi th t h e i r new s yst e m, so d o n o t t h row t h e m o ut. You may f i n d t h e m a t y a r d and garage s a l es. Spe aker s v a r y in pri ce a lon g a very wide range . You c a n buy a few s ets o f c h e a p o n es to ba ck up y our g o od o n es o r y ou c a n h ave a cou p l e o f mid -pri ced s ets t h at are o f great quali ty . I 'd s u g g est brand s like GE , whi ch I am happy with . I f y ou li s ten to a l ot of mu si c v i a y our comp ut e r y ou may want a comp l et e h ome enter tainment sou n d s yst e m h o oked up . The se c a n be e xpen sive , but I ' ve s e e n some v e r y g o od quali ty bargain s in t h e $1 5 0 range a s well . Your mai n re a s on f or maintaining t h es e ba ckup s i s , again , to hear in f ormati on t h at cou l d help y ou re -build o r maint ain y our li fe during hard t i mes. A s u pe r io r quali ty enter tainment s yst e m i s n o t ne ce s s ary , but I d o c on cede t h at having t h e ability to play some mu si c f or enter tainment or e ven watc h i n g an enter tainment movie o r vide o o nc e o r t wic e a wee k would have a p o si tive , upli f tin g a f fe c t up on t h e s u rv ivo r of a co l l a ps e. Ge t what y ou c a n aff ord and l o o k ov e r t h e bargain sto r es and dump s ter s . Earph one s and ear bud s are a lso e x cellent c ho ic es f or quie tly li s t ening to f i l es when remaining s i l e nt i s an advantage , but in s tru c ti on s fr om s uc h a file is ne ce s sary . They are al s o advantage ou s fo r t wo wa y radi o br oad ca s ting . Many of t h es e are qui te ine xpen sive and s hou l d be no pr oblem in stoc k p i l i n g a fe w s ets of

Par t

of

P a ge 6

Copy r ig ht 20 1 1 - Al l Ri gh t s Re serve d o Home s t e a d De sign W r k s , PO Bo x 96, Ply mou th , CT 06782

The Dystonaut
I s sue #3 - J u l y/Au gust, 20 1 1

b a c kup s .
budge t fo r

In
a

f act,

if

y ou
fo r

d on ' t

have

t he
f

f ew ba ckup s

y our s pe a k e rs

y ou may opt to stock ba c k a fe w earph one s o r buds as b a c kup s .

Consider n ow, t h at y ou ' ve been d ownl oading b o o k s and ins tru c ti on manual s . You ' l l be u tilizing t h es e ins tru c ti ons in
pr o j e c t s ar ound y our h ome in or de r to make

y our sel f

more

effi cient

f or

s u rv iv a l.

Building rai sed bed s f g arden b o xe s f hydr o ele c tri cal s yst e ms and more f or t h e f i rst

t i me will require fo l lowi n g some wri t ten ins tru c ti ons and plans on t h e job s ight.

Thi s will lead u s to printer s . Your printer will print ph o t o s of o bj ects y ou are wor king o n, blueprint s a n d e xpl oded v i e ws. You ma y al s o print b o o k s and in s tru c ti on s to read a t t h e job s i g ht, o r be cause you are working o n mul tiple s i g hts, t h e print out i s mu ch more p or table and conv e n i e nt to bring wi th you to t he di f feren t s i g hts. Thi s al s o d oe sn ' t require p ower fr om bat terie s o r fuel hungry generat or s . Printing o ut y our mo s t imp or tant Gad ge t s t h at can comp l i me nt y our d o cument s and b o o k s b e f ore t h e day comes s yst e m are MP3 play er s o r IP od s and Palm will al s o in sure t h at y ou have t h es e Uni t s , aka IPad s . IP od s c a n sto r e MP3 file s imp or tant in s tru c ti on s o n h and wi th out t h e and pl ay t h e m ba c k to y ou vi a i t s ph one j ac k need of a p ower sou rc e. and head se t s . The se a r e e x tremely handy . I kn ow , y ou mo s tly s e e t h es e a t ta ched to Printer s e l ect ion i s very imp or tant . pe ople wh o are o b l i v ious to t hei r You wi l l want y our printer s to be f u nct ion a l s u r rou n d i ngs and li s tening to l oud mu si c . fo r a f ew year s wi th out t ec h n ic a l s u p po rt in That i sn ' t t h e way y ou have to u se t h e m, c as e o f a co l l a ps e. Wi th t h is purp o se in h owe ver . MP3 f i l es aren ' t j ust mu si c , t h e y mind , we c a n wor k up t h e parame ter s fo r a c a n al s o be ar chived radi o and interne t g o od s u r v i v a l printer . Your printer mu s t be br oad ca s t s a s well a s a u d .i o - Loo k s . I have rugged en ough f or 3 to 5 year s o f o f f and o n been u sing an MP3 player f or year s to li s ten again u se wit hout t ec h n ic a l s u p po rt o r to d ownl oaded file s of " Th e Intelligen ce mainten an ce . It mu s t o p e rat e in Rep or t " , " Th e Ale x J one s Show" and " Th e Q n ormal varying t e mp e r at u r e f rom h o t to co l d. I t ' s File s " while at work . I work o n a s a n d e r and ink well s mu s t be able to be re filled mu s t h ave hearing pr o te c ti on , so I pl a ce ear mul tiple t i mes and mu s t n ot u tilize bud s con n ect e d to my MP3 player in my ear s e xpirati on c h i ps. I t mu s t be able to handle and we a r hearin g pr o te c t or s ov e r t h e m. I c a n paper of v a r y i ng t y p es and t h ickn ess. Ve r y li s ten to h our s o f Patri o t br oad ca s tin g and f ew printer s are cap a b l e of t h is. learn while I 'm making a livin g . The se are In s tead of li s tin g t h e many brand s and p owered by bat tery whi ch i s re ch arged by plu gging t he devi ce int o y our model s of printer s o n t h e marke t , I ' l l le t merely y ou in o n t h e printer I d ep end o n and why . comp ut e r's USB p or t . IPad s basi cally cons ist My main printer and ba ckup are b o th t h e of a palm s i z e d sc r e e n and keyb oard t h at Ca non i5 6 0 . When I pur ch a sed t h es e t h e y were all ows y ou to read f i l es and watc h v i d eos a s in t h e $50 ea ch pri ce range unu sed , brand y our comp ut e r d oe s . Thi s all ow s y our file s new in t h e b o x . Thi s made t h e i5 6 0 fea sible to be c ome mu ch more p or table so t h at y ou c a n as my main wo rk i n g printer wi th money en ough ta k e t h e m wi th y ou to re ad while aw ay f rom left ov e r to pur chase an o ther a s a ba c kup . y our s yst e m. I have n o t u sed o n e of t h es e The i5 6 0 i s e x tremely u ser f r i e n d l y. I t s ye t , but c a n s e e t h e advanta ge s hou l d y ou want t o print o ut an entire b o ok o n softwa r e all ow s fo r s i mp l e maintenan ce in n o t c l e a r i ng and c l e a n i n g t h e ink we l ls and paper , but need to t a k e t h e inf ormati on wit h aligning t h e printer head s . I t c a n oft e n re- y ou to a buildin g o r wor k s i g ht.
P a ge 7

align paper and av oid paper j a ms. It ha s per f ormed very we l l fo r me wi th o n and off again printing pr o je c t s . Mo s t imp or tantl y , in kwell s h ave no e xpirati on c h i ps. it s Unlike many ot h e r br and s like t h e insidi ou s Le xmar k s , t h e i 5 6 0 ' s printing head d oe sn ' t stop wo rk i n g o nc e t h e inkwell s ' e xpirati on chi p reache s a c e rt a i n date . You can cont i n u e to re fill t h e i5 6 0 ' s in k we l ls a s l ong i t ' s s pon g e remain s v i a b l e and i t will work every t i me. The i5 6 0 ' s inkwell s t h e ms e lv es d o n o t u tilize s e mi-con d ucto r o r comp ut e r c h i ps, t h e r efo r e n o thin g t e l ls t h e m to stop workin g o nc e a c e rt a i n date i s rea ched . To k e e p y our i 5 6 0 wo r k i n g s i mp l y stoc k b a c k a l o t o f ink in bla ck , yell ow , blue and red , a pa c kage of s e v e r a l ink well s in t h e i r v a r ious co lo rs and re fill t h e in k we l ls as l ong as t h e i r s pon g es d o n o t dry o ut. Stock ba c k reems o f paper and t h is printer will give y ou s u p e r io r per f orman ce o n y our s u rv iv a l re treat during a c r is is.

Copy r ig ht 20 1 1 - Al l Ri gh t s Re serve d o Home s t e a d De sign W r k s , PO Bo x 96, Ply mou th , CT 06782

The Dystonaut
I s sue #3 July /Augus t , 2 011 To s u p po r t t h is s yst e m, y ou will need to s toc k back s ome i tems t h at will all ow y ou t o t r a n s f e r and / or st ore data . Al s o , hard drive s d o n o t last f orever . Pr o te c ted in an EMP pr o te c ted b o x and pr o te c ted fr om moi s ter and t h e envir onment , a new in t h e b o x hard drive wi l l la s t y our lifetime . When o p e n e d and ins talled , a hard drive may la s t 1 0 o r 2 0 year s . Your hard drive will wear o ut soon e r depending o n h ow o ft e n t h e comp ut e r is t ur ned of f and o n, h ow o ft e n it is ov e r wr itt e n and h ow o ft e n i t i s defragged . Ot h e r fac t ors al s o in clude t e mp e r at u r e, humidi ty and if i t i s bumped and moved while wri ting o r reading . F or tunately , f or y our purp o se s y ou do n ot need t he l arge s t c a p ac it y, highe s t den si ty and newe s t t ec h no lo g y in hard drive s . Since we are envi si oning a future where the interne t is n o t a vailable , y ou will o n l y need y our hard drive s to s to r e inf ormati on y ou already have d ownl oaded and to commu n ic at e with ot h e rs via pa cke t radi o . Cheaper t e c h no lo g y is available t h at will perf orm t h is job more t h a n s at is f acto r i l y. Wi th all o f t h e t e r r abi te c a p ac it y hard drive s comi n g o n t h e marke t and be c oming le s s expensive , t h e la s t generati on of t ec h no lo g y is be c oming a barg ain . Go b a ck an other gener a ti on , which will st i l l s e r v e o u r purp o se and t h e n some, and y ou wi l l be able to pur chase s e v e r a l backup s f or t h e pri ce o f a s i n g l e hard drive in t h e late s t t ec h no lo g y. Keep all of t he so ftw a r e and inf ormati on o n y our hard drive backed up o n CDs o r DVDs to l oad int o y our new hard drive when y our c u r r e nt o n e fail s . As y ou may be co l l ect i n g new inf ormati on or ne tworking wi th ot h e rs o f like mind in y our commu n it y o r l ong range via HAM o r pa cke t radi o stoc k back plenty o f CDs o r DVD di s ks . Pick o n e o f t h es e a s y our s yst e m. In ot h e r wo r ds, if t h e s ys t e m y ou are u sing tod a y u tilize s a DVD drive to sto r e p or table data d o n o t buy a s yst e m f or ba ckup t h at u tilize s a CD drive and vi sa - ver sa . Since mu ch o f the o l d e r, more c h e a p l y a vailable t ec h no lo g y use s CD drive s f or t h is purp o se , y ou may c hoos e t h is o pt ion a s I have . S ome later t ec h no logy i s a ble to burn b o th CD and DVD f ormat di sk s . Thi s i s a v e r y conv e n i e nt o pt ion e spe ci ally when ne t working wi th ot h e rs after a co l l a ps e and all ows y ou to u tilize more o pt ions a s l ong as a t lea s t o n e o f y our ba ckup s ha s t h e s a me c a p a b i l it y. In any c as e, make c e rt a i n t h at y ou have sto r e d y our per tinent data in a f ormat t h at all o f y our ba ckup s can use . Digi tal c a me r as and vide o c a me r as a s well as audi o cap a b l e equipment can be imp or tant when con v e y i n g in f ormati on to ot h e rs o r when making re c ord s f or p o s teri ty . Cheap digi tal c a me r as are o n t h e marke t tod a y f or sto r i n g ph o t o s o f o n e's garden s to blacksmi thing and ot h e r building pr o je c t s to sc h e mat ics and blueprint s . No rea s on n o t to sto r e some o f t h es e ba ck . Make s u r e y ou have s to r e d any ne ce s sary driver s . Digi tal v i d eo c a me r as are comi n g d own in cost a s well and I ' l l be adding o n e o f t h es e to my s yst e m soon. S canner s are an o ther c onsiderati on . A sc a n n e r c a n t u r n y our s yst e m int o a cop y i n g machine and re -publishing c e nt e r. Ol d, worn o ut b o o k s c a n be t a k e n apar t and s canned int o y our s y st e m. They c a n, t h e n be re o r g a n i z e d fr om t h e i r file s and re -printed and di s tributed to y our commu n it y o r t r a d e d. Flyer s can be qui ckly c opied f rom t h e ar ti s t ' s rendi ti on and printed f or di s tributi on . The sc a n n e r f or my sy s tem ha s b een t h e A4 EPP . Thi s scan n e r's fea ture s all ow a l o t of o pt ions f or y our s yst e m. I t y our s yst e m int o a cop y ma chine , t u r ns all ow s y ou to s e n d a f ax, i t will dire c t sc a n a page o r ph o t o int o JPG o r EMP digi tal f i l es and i t s OCR will sc a n t ext f rom a page dire c tly int o a TXT o r RTF f ormat file . Thi s ha s been t he way to go f or me . Unf or tunately , I d o n o t ye t have a ba c kup , so I mu s t remove my sc a n n e r fr om it s pr o tec ti on wh e n I mu s t sc a n and pla ce i t ba ck when fini shed . If I c a n gather the money and find an o ther o n e o f t h es e, I will c e rt a i n l y buy i t . Lo ok int o t h e o pt ions o f any sc a n n e rs y ou come a cr o s s . The OCR Te x tbridge i s defini tely wor th i t . In t h e fu ture , y our s yst e m may be c ome t h e hub o f an inf orma ti on s yst e m t h at keep s u s fr om s l i d i n g int o an o ther dark age . At lea s t i t may keep y ou o ut o f t h e dark age t h at t h e re s t o f t h e world i s diving int o headl ong . Thu s far , we have o n l y cov e r e d t h e basi c i tems and s yst e ms y ou s hou l d cons i d e r s hou l d y ou de cide t hat some high t ec h gadge t s would help in y our s u r v iv a l in a dy st opian f u t u r e. We will c ontinue t h is t r a i n o f t hou g ht wi th o u r ne x t entry by cons i d e r i ng what so ft wa r e i s ne ce s sary f or y our s yst e m and web page s and inf ormati on we need to be v is it i n g and d ownl oadin g n ow while t h e internet i s st i l l f r e e.

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