DraganFlyer 6X, Just Plain Cool
Let’s face it, on the inside we are all still big kids. When my best friend told me about Dragon Fly, I felt like a little boy hearing about remote control helicopters for the first time.
Draganflyer X6, in particular, was the model my best friend was talking about. Think Military UAV, but in a helicopter. Read more
Friday “Stuff” 9-3-10
Giant Swiss Army Knife
This unique special edition knife contains all 85 tools currently produced by Wenger (Maker of the Genuine Swiss Army Knife). These 85 tools can be used in over 100 functions and it’s the World’s Largest Swiss Army Knife. It’s not exactly going to win any awards for lightest, smallest or most efficient tool but it probably will win you the title “King of All Gadgets”. And even though this knife is a monster, weighing almost 3 pounds, don’t worry – it does have a key ring so you can carry it on a belt loop.
Via ThinkGeek.com
Solar Light Bulb by Nokero
The Nokero Solar Light Bulb is the brain child of Mr. Stephen Katsaros and delivers a unique solution to an all to common problem – how do you produce light safely without traditional power sources.
I love solar gadgets especially for hurricane preps and camping. They cut down on having to drag a lot of batteries along when camping or keep quite as many batteries on hand for home preps.
Having lived on the Gulf Coast my whole life I can’t count the number of times I have gone days and in one case weeks without power. After Hurricane Rita, Houston limped along for two weeks with limited gas, food, and power. This gave me a unique forced opportunity recently to test my preps. The one issue we experienced was light. We had plenty of lanterns, flashlights, and each had a headlight, but none of these devices provide a decent overhead ambient light. They also consume batteries left and right. But, it’s not just hurricanes I run into this issue. I have scoured outdoor stores for a good solution when camping as well. The best solution I found was a disc shaped light, often called the UFO Light, that takes 4 AA batteries and hangs from the roof of my tent. It is a great solution for overhead light, but it eats batteries and I am always forgetting the thing on. Read more
Friday “Stuff” 8-28-10
KeyTool Keyring Multi-tool
Special missions ops are able to do a bajillion different tasks – that’s what they are trained for. One of the most important is blending in while they wait for their next assignment or action. Finally, there’s a little multi-tool that follows this ideal. It hides amongst your keys, surrounding one to blend in. And then when you need it – BAM – it is ready for action. We’re talking about the KeyTool Keyring Multi-tool, of course. Read more
Ventus Wind Turbine
The Ventus power station is a theoretical lightweight portable wind turbine system designed by Sergej Kuckir (www.kuckir.com). The most interesting thing about this invention is it’s versatility. Imagine it, a small and lightweight folding wind power station, which can be used as a renewable source of energy during a disaster, camping trip, or scientific expedition. Read more
Friday “Stuff”
Today marks the first of our new Friday “Stuff” post. What is Friday Stuff? Glad you asked. Friday Stuff is a weekly post about stuff you don’t need, but we thought was really cool, funny, or just plain dumb. That’s it, nothing highbrow about it. It’s Friday after all. Read more
Review: Streamlight Sidewinder
I admit it, I am a gear geek. No matter how much I preach about skills, I still love gadgets, gizmos, and whatsihoozits. When it comes to flashlights, I have loved them since I was a kid. The Streamlight Sidewinder Tactical Flashlight is the most interesting flashlights I own.
It’s not a cheap flashlight at a suggested retail price of $94 (you can find them most places for under $60), but when you need a flashlight that will stand up to abuse and all your needs the price tag is not that bad. After examining it, you can tell Streamlight put a lot of thought into the design and construction. Read more
Emergency By Neil Strauss
Five years ago after another Hurricane I decided it was time to take the safety of my property and person seriously. For the first couple years the focus was just on Hurricanes and run of the mill home safety. One day an email came to my inbox announcing that one of my favorite authors had a new book coming out – Emergency: This Book Will Save Your Life. Read more
The Colony, Season Two – Discovery Channel
The Colony premiers this week on the Discovery Channel.
Personally, I have mixed feelings about last season and am thus hesitant about holding out hopes that this season will be any better. My biggest issue was the stereotypical and unimaginative motorcycle gang. I also felt the show was made overly sensational by introducing to many characters that were “hand-picked” with specialized skills. Will you be building an ozone water purification system when SHTF? Maybe, but not probably.
Read more
Review of The Unthinkable: Who Survives When Disaster Strikes – and Why
The Unthinkable by Amanda Ripley
