I am very excited to announce that my magnum opus, Competent & Dangerous: Master the Skills to be a Man Among Men is available now! This book contains the accumulated knowledge of my extremely varied background as a deputy, paramedic, SAR tech, Marine, special operations instructor, locksmith, digital security author and podcaster, and more! I imagine it will be of interest to many in the “tactical” space, but there’s a little something for everyone. Read on for a chapter list and description. (more…)
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Competent & Dangerous: Publication Delay
Today I just want to bring you a quick update and my upcoming book, Competent & Dangerous: Master the Skills to be a Man Among Men. I announced that it would be releasing today, November 1st. Due to a publishing SNAFU, it will not be released until November 6th. Apologies for the delay but it’s out of my hands! I will keep you updated as things progress. Thanks!
NPE Carry: The S&W Bodyguard 2.0 vs. J-Frame Revolvers
The J-Frame revolver is widely regarded as a go-to deep concealment/NPE/backup gun candidate. For as long as I’ve thought about working in law enforcement, I’ve imagined carrying a J-Frame as a BUG. This was before the Bodyguard 2.0 came along, however. Though my initial review wasn’t glowing, the BG 2.0 has grown on me. I think this pistol is a game-changer, and to steal a term from Dr. Sherman House, it is the real 21-st Century J-Frame. Read on as I compare the S&W Bodyguard 2.0 vs. J-frame revolvers. (more…)
My Last Six Years: You’re Never Too Old to Be Awesome!
I recently overheard a paramedic at work ranting, “I ****ing hate this job, but I’m too ******** old to start something new!” I asked his age and laughed: 28 years old! I was a full decade older than him when I started this career. This conversation eventually led me to tally up the things I’ve done in the last six years, when I decided to chase a dream and enrolled in an EMT class. (more…)
Competent & Dangerous: New Book Coming Soon!
Regular readers have doubtlessly noticed that I’ve been absent for the past few weeks. In addition to starting a new, full-time job in law enforcement, undergoing FTO training, and regular life stuff, I’ve been in the final push for my new book: Competent & Dangerous: Master the Skills to be a Man Among Men! This is my magnum opus, the accumulated knowledge of my extremely varied background as a deputy, paramedic, SAR tech, Marine, special operations instructor, locksmith, digital security author and podcaster, and more! I imagine it will be of interest to many in the “tactical” space, but there’s a little something for everyone. Read on for a chapter list and description. (more…)
Tourniquets Suck for EDC: Carry This Instead
The tourniquet has done a complete 180 in my lifetime. When I was a kid, every reputable source of information recommended the tourniquet only as a last resort, after all else had failed. When I started deploying to the GWOT, tourniquets were coming on strong in military circles. I would be another decade before civilian EMS embraced tourniquets. Now tourniquets are the darling of the “tactical community” and emergency medicine seems to begin and end with them. Unfortunately, tourniquets suck as a general-purpose medical intervention! (more…)
Downtown Louisville’s Best Distillery Tour: Kentucky Peerless
As I mentioned in my review of Southern Cross Bourbon, although I like bourbon, I’m not a bourbon reviewer. Neither am I a travel blogger. However, I did go to an exceptionally good distillery tour on my last trip to Louisville, KY and I like writing about things that impress me. In my opinion, downtown Louisville’s best distillery tour is Kentucky Peerless Distilling. (more…)
If I Could Only Have Two Guns: The Defensive Shotgun
Welcome back to the “if I could only have __” series! This post is the second in the series, following up on my #1 gun, the EDC handgun. Today’s pick is the gun I’d have in addition to my EDC Handgun. The gun in the number two slot, if I could only have two guns, would be the defensive shotgun. Let’s get into it!
If I Could Only Have One Gun: The EDC Handgun
This idea occurred to me when a good friend recently said, “you know, if I could only have one handgun it would probably be ___†.” I immediately thought, I already own mine – the one gun I would have if I could only have one gun. It is the one with the most utility, the one with which I have the most familiarity and skill, and the last one I would ever part with. If I could only have one, it would certainly be my EDC handgun. (more…)
A Review of Spy Coins from Spy-Coins.com
I recently had the opportunity to test out hollow spy coins from Spy-Coins.com. These are really cool, hollow coins that allow you to seriously conceal small items. With a background in security, privacy, and tradecraft, these things really appeal to me. Even more appealing is that one coin can conceal a full backup of my entire hard drive on a MicroSD card. Let’s take a look at hollow coins from Spy-Coins.com. (more…)