It’s time for another flashlight review! Today I’m going to be talking about the Fenix LD12 (2017 Edition). I may try the current edition at some point, but I’m really liking this one. This light comes probably as close as any to the ThruNite Archer that started this whole series. Actually, I take that back; it’s better than the ThruNite. I’ve been carrying it for a month now, and it’s the light that makes me want to stop right here and not try anything else. It’s pretty awesome.
ProtonMail Five Years Later, Part I: The Basics
I have been using ProtonMail full-time for over five years, and recommending it for almost six. My contact form forward emails to a ProtonMail account, and any of you that have interacted with me have done so through ProtonMail on my end. A lot has changed since ProtonMail’s beginnings. This post will cover the basics of ProtonMail: how it encrypts your data-in-motion, data-at-rest, and some other features.
VMs Part 1: Creating Your First Virtual Machine
It recently occurred to me that in over five years of running this blog, I’ve never given step-by-step instructions for setting up or using a virtual machine (VM). It is likely that a lot of you already use VMs don’t need a tutorial. If that applies to you, please share this with a friend who does. It is equally likely that some of you could use step-by-step instructions. This tutorial will cover creating your first virtual machine.
The Joys of Composting, or Start a Damn Compost Pile!
I totally lucked into composting. When I bought my first house, I had a huge pile of leaves in the woods. Since I moved in in summer, I had a ton of grass clippings that had to get dealt with, so they went on the leaf pile. For some reason I turned the grass into the leaves, and some interesting things started happening. I began to see worms out there. The pile would steam sometimes. I probably didn’t know it but I was making compost.
OPSEC for Legal Marijuana Consumers
The commercial sale of legal, recreational marijuana in the United States poses some interesting legal problems. Marijuana is completely legal under the laws of some states, but still a Schedule I substance according to federal law. Though the strange detente that has emerged over the past several years has kept things awkwardly civil, the federal government would be legally justified in cracking down on growers, purveyors. . . and consumers.
Pictorial Post: Building a Hearth Pad
A few weeks ago I wrote about sustainable, long-term heating and cooling considerations. In the interest of practicing what I preach, I recently had a wood stove installed in our home. I built the hearth and hearth pad for the stove. For the hearth, I used a product called AirStone. Using this stuff requires very little skill. The hearth pad was a bit more involved, however. Below is a more or less step-by-step photo series of my creation.
Building Rapport With Your Outer Cordon (aka Neighbors)
A human support system is important in day-to-day life and absolutely imperative for surviving any sort of adverse, long-term event. When we first moved into our house, we didn’t know a single person in town. We worked really hard initially to fix that, and we’ve continued to work to maintain it. I think you should, too. This post is going to talk about how to get your neighbors on board with you, and quickly. First, I’ll talk about why you’ll want to do that.
EDC Flashlight Review: StreamLight Protac 1L-1AA
OK, I swear this is not a flashlight review site. But flashlights are where my head is these days, and overall that’s probably a pretty good insight into the future ebb and flow of this site. I tend to get fixate on something for a while, go down a huge rabbit hole, but I promise, I’ll come back out of it. Today I’m looking at a competitor to the ThruNite Archer 1A V3 I reviewed a couple weeks ago: the Streamlight ProTac 1L-1AA.
Basic Alarm System Best Practices
An intrusion detection system (IDS) system should be an integral part of your home security plan. IDSs are detective security measures that also have a great deal of deterring value. Alarms are far more complicated than most people realize, however. To provide the maximum intended effectiveness, alarms must be carefully installed, tested, and used. These alarm system best practices will help you assess your own system or provide some guidance if having a new one installed.
EDC Flashlight Review: ThruNite Archer 1A V3
As I mentioned in my last post, I’m on the hunt for the perfect everyday carry flashlight. My searching led me to run across the ThruNite Archer 1A V3, a light that – at least on paper – met the majority of my needs. It failed in one spectacular way. I am not keeping mine and I don’t recommend you buy one. Let’s get into it.