2014 March « The Fixer

emergency lights

Let There Be Light: The Importance of Illumination in Your Preps

Posted by: Daisy Luther | on March 29, 2014

How important is light? Well, in the Bible, on the first day, the very first thing God created was light. This signifies exactly how vital a role illumination plays in any situation.

Any person who has ever moved from the city to the country can agree, there is no darkness quite like that of being in a place where there are no streetlights, no neon signs, no car headlights, and no light from nearby houses.

When we […]

get your Ham license

microwave cooking with cell phones

To make educated decisions you need both sides of the story. In the USofA, the CEOs of the 6 media monopolies are compatriots of the cell phone CEOs, and populate the top of the Federal Communications Commission – the “regulators” of the industry. THAT is one side of the story.

Linked below is a video with a bit of the other side of the story. It is certainly worth a look. Other countries are handling the risks and information about them differently.

I studied for, and earned my FCC Amateur Radio Operator license. First for the Technician class, then […]

FCC radio license testing 3/29

FCC amateur license testing Saturday, March 29th 9:00am testing begins Darby Library

The Volunteer Examiners are once again coming to Darby. The photo above is the last graduating class. You can be part of the next one.

Doors will open early at the Library for this. Set up is at 8:30am Saturday morning. Testing begins by 9:00am. Tests only take about a half hour. Results take 5 or 10 minutes after you turn your answer sheet in.

Testing costs $15, including your license if you pass. You must have your official photo identification. Those with current licenses testing for […]

step stool

My wife, shorty, has step stools all over the place. The old plastic one on her side of the bed broke. It was old, brittle and not worth patching to last another little while.

What it really needed was a replacement.

Of course I couldn’t build a light-weight version, this one can second as a jack stand for auto repair. It won’t break – that’s for sure. I will feel no hesitation about using it myself.

The sides are “only” quarter-inch plywood scraps, the top a 5/8ths scrap of an old water-bed frame and furring strips at all […]

what is The Good Life?

Editorial By Wendy McElroy

Every person has a different answer.

Nevertheless, there are basic guidelines or advice that I believe benefits anyone looking for “the good life.” Certainly they benefited me decades ago when I needed a door through which to exit the endurance contest that had become my existence. Some of them are presented here in simplistic form and in the hope they may be of interest if not of assistance.

The first advice is closely associated with the first ‘Western’ philosopher about whose life and thought we know a substantial amount: Socrates (circa 469 – […]

Dealing with Poo After a Disaster

Have you given any consideration of what you would do if your basic sanitation system was not available following a disaster? As unpleasant as this might seem, not having a viable sewer or septic system – or even an outhouse – could pose a problem if you have not given it some thought a head of time.

A few years ago I wrote and article that included a very basic Earthquake and Natural Disaster Emergency Checklist. In response, a reader wrote:

For item “Check for sewage and water lines damage”, you wrote if the sewage line is […]

Faraday Cage

Who Couldn’t Use a Faraday Cage? (Plus How to Make One)

February 12, 2014 | 5 comment(s)

What It is

A Faraday cage, also known as a Faraday shield, Radio Frequency Cage, or EMF (Electromotive Force) Cage, is simply an enclosure built to protect electronic devices from electromagnetic radiation and electrostatic discharges. It can be anything from a small box to a large room, covered with conductive metal or wire mesh, which prevents surges from damaging the equipment inside.

The sources of these surges can be powerful lightning strikes, destructive solar flares (CMEs, or Coronal Mass Ejections) directed […]

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