Draganflyer X6, in particular, was the model my best friend was talking about. Think Military UAV, but in a helicopter. The device is intended for remote aerial photography, videography, and 3D Laser Scanning. Imaging being able to fly a souped up remote control helicopter over a disaster scene a mile away, take photos of it, take video of it, record thermal images, or scan it to produce a 3D computer model.

The Draganflyer X6 helicopter utilizes an innovative six-rotor design. The six rotors are arranged as three counter-rotating offset pairs mounted at the ends of the three arms, with matched sets of counter-rotating rotor blades.

Not only does the unique design maximize thrust, it also minimizes sound output. Because the rotor blades are designed for maximum efficiency, they naturally produce less turbulence when spinning. And because the motors direct drive the rotors, no noisy gearing is required. At hover the Draganflyer X6 produces less than (approx.)65dB of sound at one meter (3 feet), and less than (approx.)60dB at three meters (9 feet).

About The Company

Founded in 1998 by Zenon and Christine Dragan, Draganfly Innovations Inc. started as a small mail-order business specializing in radio controlled flying machines. They soon began selling their unique, four-rotor helicopter, the Draganflyer. The Draganflyer was originally designed to be an easy-to-fly, low-maintenance helicopter which evolved into a camera platform and was then refined into the professional videography apparatus it is today.

Dragan Draganfly Innovations Inc. creates machines that make a difference in the world. From flying outings in the park with our hobby line products to protecting emergency service personnel in dangerous situations via our high end, industrial platforms, we are constantly working towards delivering the best possible machines for our customers.

DraganFlyer 6X, Just Plain Cool is a post from: an Urban Survival Blog - In The Rabbit Hole

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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

Friday “Stuff” 9-3-10 is a post from: an Urban Survival Blog - In The Rabbit Hole

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Bow Drills first appeared in Mehrgarh between the 4th-5th centuries. You may be asking why anyone would want to learn such an arcane method of fire production. What are the chances you would need this an Urban Survival situation? There are countless instances anyone of us can end up in a bad situation without a modern method of fire making. However, the bigger message is the more skills you acquire, the less gear, gadgets, and gizmos you rely on. During my first Appleseed Boot Camp the lead instructor repeated something over and over that has stuck with me ever since, “Armatures worry about hardware. Professionals worry about software.”

This past Spring my girlfriend and I got a chance to learn all about Bow Drill fire making techniques from some real pros. Yes, she totally kicked my butt at it.

Fire making by any primitive means can seem like a daunting task. However, with the right know how, simple materials, and patience, it is a skill that will stick with you for life and provide a deep sense of accomplishment. Plus, it really is a good challenge and darn fun to learn.

Read a step by step explanation: NatureSkills.com

Bow Drill Fire Making is a post from: an Urban Survival Blog - In The Rabbit Hole

Since its inception in 2006, the RWVA has doubled the number of Appleseed clinics and attendees served each year. This year, at least one thousand clinics will be conducted across the country.  The exponential growth and quality of instruction has caught the attention of national media – making this upcoming interview the third to offer nationwide coverage during the past thirty days.

At each Appleseed, Americans discover things about their heritage they never knew, as they hear the story of the events of April 19th, 1775 – the one they never heard before – historically accurate, inspiring, encouraging. They also learn the answer to four questions every American should be able to answer:

1. When and where was the American Revolution fought and won? (The answer, directly from a Founder, will astound you!)

2. When and where did the Revolutionary War break out? (Not at Lexington, not at Concord, but at an obscure place few have ever heard of – until they come to an Appleseeed.)

3. What caused the professional British Army to break and run at the North Bridge, after exchanging gunfire with colonial farmers and blacksmiths – for two minutes? (We give you the numbers that answer that question.)

4. Last but definitely not least, we’ll answer the question which has so bedeviled historians for two centuries: Who fired the first shots at Lexington? (Yes, and we’ll offer convincing proof in the form of historical facts.)

About the Revolutionary War Veterans Association

The mission of the Revolutionary War Veterans Association is to encourage civic participation, preserve the heritage of rifle marksmanship and to develop an understanding and appreciation of our nation’s founding.  Project Appleseed brings about RWVA’s mission across the country through two-day clinics that teach everyday Americans about their heritage and rifle marksmanship fundamentals.

The rifle marksmanship portions of the clinics are devoted to developing marksmanship skills that allow students to shoot rifles safely and accurately out to five hundred yards, a distance traditionally known as the “American Rifleman’s Quarter Mile”.  Students are taught the six steps to firing a shot, proper sling usage, Natural Point of Aim, proper positions of standing, sitting and prone, and how to diagnose and correct common shooting errors. The history lectures at each clinic highlight the inspiring stories of colonial Americans on the day of April 19th, 1775 – the day of the historic battles of Lexington and Concord.  Project Appleseed clinics are family-friendly, safe and fun.

The Revolutionary War Veterans Association is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization headquartered in North Carolina.  For more information, visit our website at http://www.appleseedusa.org.

Women, kids under 21, and military shoot free, and recently, law enforcement has been added to the growing list of those who shoot free.

Project Appleseed on Fox & Friends, Mon August 30th is a post from: an Urban Survival Blog - In The Rabbit Hole

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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.

Three months ago my brother stumbled across a company called Nokero that had just introduced it’s first product, a Solar Light Bulb. It’s the kind of idea that makes you want to smack yourself in the head and say, “Why didn’t I think of that.”

Noker’s Solar Light Bulb features four solar panels, a rechargeable NiMH AA Battery, five LEDs, and is construct from impact resistant plastic. Nokero claims over two hours of light from an average day’s charge. In optimum charging conditions they claim up to four hours of light.

Highlights

• Over two hours of light per typical daily charge**
• Up to four hours of light once fully charged**
• Two-plus years of battery life**
• Safety hook for hanging
• Rainproof
• Night-only protection circuit protects from
accidental daytime usage
• Standup in harsh winter conditions (per some non scientific testing reported in their company blog).

Technical Specs:

• 70mm (2.75 inches) in diameter
• 125mm (5 inches) tall
• LEDs (5 count) light source
• Solar Panels (4 Count) power source
• Replacement NiMH battery-powered

A Little More About The Company

Hong Kong – In order to bring this product to market at the lowest cost, Nokero International, LTD. is based in Hong Kong. Nokero’s best-practice product development, quality assurance and procurement allow us to deliver the world’s only solar-powered light bulb at a quality and price point that can not be met by traditional manufacturers / distributors.

Review Coming Soon

I have three of these bad boys on order. At least one will get put through as many paces as we can find and report back.

Images graciously provided by Nokero International, LTD

Solar Light Bulb by Nokero is a post from: an Urban Survival Blog - In The Rabbit Hole

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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.

The KeyTool Keyring Multi-tool is made out of stainless steel for strength and durability. It is tiny, but it holds 8 different tools – 3 different sized screwdrivers, tweezers, wire stripper, and more. Plus, it comes with a fake key (really just part of the packaging display), but that’s a bonus feature in itself. Hide it with your keys, and the KeyTool Keyring Multi-tool will be ready to MacGyver you out of any situation.

Via ThinkGeek.com

The Can Cooker

There are a lot of interesting ways to cook in the great outdoors. The Can Cooker seems to provide a rather innovative way to steam cook while out doors or at home.

The Can Cooker looks to be well constructed 14″x11″ diameter steam/cook pot that claims to be easy to cook it, cook times of under an hour, feed a large group, and be easy to clean.

Can Cooker also comes with a limited warranty. Unfortunately, the video mentioned it, but the website does not have the warranty information for you to view before purchasing. I even downloaded the owner’s manual hoping to find it, but no dice.

I have spent my fair share of money or gadgets and gizmos, but $89.99 seems a little steep for this product. For this price, I would hope to see a lifetime unconditional warranty. Besides a lot of marketing whimsy, I just don’t see the value of this product legitimizing the cost.

The website lists lots of interesting receipts. Thumbing through them before lunch was a bad idea as they all seem pretty tasty.

I am not sure if it is just the video or what, but the Can Cooker reminds me of a Redneck Hot Tub. Not making fun of either, I have sat in a Redneck Hot Tub many times.

I am always glad to see anyone lose weight in a heathy way (congrats to the inventor) or do anything to improve their health. However, the claim of being healthier feels like a weak marketing ploy. Yes, steaming retains more nutrients than boiling, but they are stressing the “healthier” a little too much. Could just be the stick of butter in the video that is throwing me off.

Neat idea and I wish Mr McGinn all the luck, but I will pass on picking one of these up.e stressing the “healthier” a little too much. Could just be the stick of butter in the video that is throwing me off.

Neat idea and I wish Mr McGinn all the luck, but I will pass on picking one of these up.

Friday “Stuff” 8-28-10 is a post from: an Urban Survival Blog - In The Rabbit Hole

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What Is CERT

Triage - Are They Dead Yet

CERT, short for Community Emergency Response Team, is an 8 – 9 week program (four hours every Saturday or Sunday depending on what is offered in your area) teaching people the basics of dealing with a disaster, natural or otherwise.

Participates are educated about disaster preparedness for hazards that may impact their area. They are trained in basic disaster response skills such as fire safety, light search and rescue, team organization, and disaster medical operations. CERT members also are encouraged to support emergency response agencies by taking a more active role in emergency preparedness projects in their community.

The information is dispensed in a classroom setting through the use of slides, a text-book provided by FEMA and DHS, and topic relevant guest speakers that are professionals in the fields of; Emergency Medical, Law Enforcement, Fire Fighting, and Search and Rescue. These speakers provide first hand knowledge on the topics and offer real world perspectives, stories, and tips only industry experience provides. The class is typically taught in two part segments. The first half of the class is in the class room presentation. The second half of the class is hands on exercises to reinforce and further elaborate on the instruction.

How Did CERT Come About

Learning To Use Cribbing

The CERT concept was originally developed by the Los Angles City Fire Department (LAFD) in 1985 and went by the name Disaster Preparedness Division. As the story goes, higher-ups in the LAFD noticed that after large Earth quakes, citizens tended to band together and attempt to render aid in a disorganized way. The LAFD decided that since their resources were stretched so thin during major disasters, it might be very helpful to properly train citizens to render aid on a scale impossible for emergency responders to accomplish on their own.

The program became a quick success and drew national attention. Eventually the CERT concept was adopted on a Federal level and taken under the wing of DHS and FEMA.

Why Does CERT Exist

The simple answer is, because during large disasters Emergency Responders can’t do it all and be everywhere all at once.

Following a major disaster, first responders who provide fire and medical services will not be able to meet the demand for these services. Factors as number of victims, communication failures, and road blockages will prevent people from accessing emergency services they have come to expect at a moment’s notice through 911. People will have to rely on each other for help in order to meet their immediate life saving and life-sustaining needs.

Was It Worth It

Learning To Use Fire Extinguishers

In total, my band of merry men and myself gave up nine Saturday mornings. If you asked us today if we thought it was worth it you would get mixed reviews. I felt the information given was too limited and felt like it was a way of getting private citizens to help, but mostly keep busy and out-of-the-way during a disaster. Over all though there was a lot of useful information. For instance, I had no idea how to properly search a building for survivors or the correct placement of a fire alarm before the CERT Course. The list goes on, but you get the idea.

The impression of the program I get is that in some areas CERT is a tightly knit community in which there are many opportunities to apply the skills learned and further your education. In other areas, the opposite is true.

So far I have received a boat load of emails asking for CERT Volunteers to help with local marathons, an Extreme Makeover episode, and other city events. Apparently, my city views CERT as a free labor pool for just about anything. Admittedly, I did consider volunteering for the Women’s Marathon, but figured the girlfriend would not think that was as funny as I did.

Emergency Response Chainsaw Class

To date, I have received two offers for continuing education. The first was a two-day intensive course on chain

saw operation and debris removal -  which I took. The second was for a forty hour course with certification on History and Principles of Crime Prevention, Concepts of Security, Security Alarms, Security Lighting, Locks, Doors, Windows, Glass, Closed Circuit Television (CCTV), Checks and Credit Cards, Shoplifting Awareness, Internal Theft Awareness, Robbery Awareness, Operation Identification, Neighborhood Watch Program overview, Crime Stoppers Program overview and both home security inspections and commercial security surveys to include Liabilities and Resources. Had I been paying attention to my emails, I would have attended this.

I know my tone sounds like I am not a fan. The contrary is true; just trying not to raise people’s expectations beyond where they should be. If you have the time and inclination I would highly recommend attending a CERT Course.

Going Beyond CERT

Once you have completed the CERT Program you can check with your instructor for information and classes in your area to further your knowledge.

The next step for additional Emergency Medical training is to go through a Red Cross First Aid and AED course. Once you have completed all that the Red Cross has to offer, finding further Emergency Medical training is pretty tricky unless you have the time to go through an EMT program. You will notice a drastically different mindset in the Emergency Medical taught by CERT vs Red Cross (I will cover in a future article about the Red Cross).

If you are interested in the CERT program, also checkout the book What to Do When the Shit Hits the Fan.

Also checkout Ready.gov

CERT: Emergency Response Training For The Masses is a post from: an Urban Survival Blog - In The Rabbit Hole

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Kuckir says the Ventus is mainly intended for use in the mountains where there is plenty of wind energy.

The Ventus power station is based on the “Savonius” type of wind turbine. Savonius Wind Turbines are simple, vertical, aerodynamically drag-type devises. The drag created by the sails spins an attached shaft connected to a rotor that is then connected to a power generation device. Originally invented by the Finish Engineer Sigurd J. Savonius in 1922.

It can be built quickly and easily, the total height is 2,5 m. Thanks to the composite materials the construction is very stiff and light (4kg/8.8Lbs). The Ventus turbine is also space-saving – it can be packed into the tube 25 1/2″ (65 cm) high and 4″ (10cm) in diameter. The power station capacity is 400 W. A unique curved delta-shaped peg has been also designed for the anchoring of the turbine.

In the bottom part there is a battery unit and electronics to control the electric tension and current – therefore the energy can be used for charging various appliances. The generated electricity is stored in the lightweight Li-Pol batteries in the top part of the basement. This “battery unit” can be easily disconnected and it can be carried separately for short trips as a powerful source of energy.

Sadly, there are no plans to produce the Ventus, but we hope that an enterprising manufacturer sees Mr Kuckir’s work and decides it needs to go to market. I would buy one.

The Ventus turbine has been designed during my studies at the University – unfortunately there are still no plans to produce it. I am still looking for a manufacturer.

From Mr. Kuckir about himself:

I am currently studying at the Faculty of Arts and Design, University J. E. Purkyne in Usti nad Labem, Czech Republic. I spent a year at the University of Derby (UK). I am interested in design concerned with sustainability, renewable energies, recyclability, etc… I try to deepen my experiences in tool design and ergonomics.

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Steel Wallet Tools

From the retailer:

Micro Toolbox in Your Billfold
Give your wallet a bionic upgrade with handy steel wallet tools and help it achieve true greatness. These stainless steel cards are about the size of a regular credit card, but rather than putting you in debt they help you perform handy tasks.

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Last night I received a group email from Fred, the founder of The Appleseed Project. The message brought great news; The Appleseed Project would be receiving more media coverage and a lot of it.

From Fred:

Fox News – the nationwide cable news network – visited the Waco, GA AS this weekend, and we’re told two-minute segments will be broadcast today on one of two news cycles – either the 9 AM, 11 AM, 1 PM, 3 PM cycle – or the alternate cycle of 10, 12, 2, etc.

We’re told it will be during the ‘top of the hour’, and that the 2-minute spots will not be identical, altho there will be overlap from spot-to-spot.

As with all broadcast news schedules, take this with a grain of salt – they could be anywhere in today’s sched, or put off til tomorrow – or maybe not aired at all! (I’d think the last unlikely, as they went to the trouble to send a crew to NC to interview me on the Home Range.)

Still, they’ve told us AS should be on their internet site, their blog(?), and possibly mentioned on their sister Fox business network as well as – possibly – on Fox radio news.

That’s a lot to try and keep track of!

This morning as I was on the Hamster Wheel (treadmill) and the Fox News spot came on. I was elated to see the coverage. Sadly, I missed the first minute as I fumbled to change which audio source I was listening too. What I caught was good though.

The reporter gave a brief explanation of The Appleseed Project and described, thankfully, how they are an A Political group that focuses on marksmanship and American History. The Fox News reporter did mention that a large number of participants where disgruntled with the current state of the United States, but that Appleseed teaches to make change through the ballot box and not through the use of force. It was one of the very few reports on anything I have seen in recent memory that did seem to focus on just the facts and left out any biases.

A person, whose name and organization I completely missed, but that was said to be from a “Watch Dog” group was interviewed. The “Watch Dog” group spokesman said they had their eye on The Appleseed Project, but as of yet, The Appleseed Project did not appear to be an extremist group. Those watch dogs, always so hesitant and on the guard.

If you don’t already know, I am a big proponent of The Appleseed Project and approximately 9 months ago became an Orange Hat (Instructor In Training). When I first found out about the group I was simply looking for practical marksmanship training. The Appleseed Project provided that and stoked the fires of my patriotism. I can’t say enough good things about the organization.

Appleseed volunteers are putting a lot of hard work into getting the word out about the project and making sure that their public image reflects what the organization is really about. They recently updated the home page of the Appleseed website which was, in my humblish opinion, the cause of a lot of “militia” misconceptions about the organization.

I did a guest blog article on The Appleseed Project for the great guys over at ITS Tactical – The Appleseed Project: Putting “I” Back in Patriot. If you would like to know more, you know you want to, check it out and be sure to share it on Facebook, Twitter, or whatever social media outlet you like.

The Appleseed Project Gets More Media Coverage – This Time Good is a post from: an Urban Survival Blog - In The Rabbit Hole

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2. Helloooo World!