Monthly Archives: March 2015

The Jakarta Pandemic Book Review

by Gunguy

The Jakarta Pandemic by Steven Konkoly is a fantastic Post Apocalyptic novel and I would rate this as one of my favorites. A new strain of the H1 influenza virus starts spreading like wildfire across the globe with the death toll building at an alarming rate. Alex the contemporary upper-middle-class american protagonist, his wife Kate and their two young children live in a four-bedroom, two-and-a-half bath colonial-style home of recent vintage in a subdivision in southern Maine full of doctors and lawyers and business executives.

The story follows Alex: a pharmaceutical sales rep who loves his wife and kids and who is slightly disgusted with his job. So far, so normal. Alex, however, is also ex-military with some guns and lots of supplies in the basement and just enough salt to co-opt his employer’s flu vaccine samples for those in need when the pandemic hits Maine. We’ve all dreamed of the perfect exit from a demeaning job and Alex’s coup de grace does not disappoint. What follows is a fascinating account of the disintegration of a suburban neighborhood as a deadly influenza descends. Lack of food and water quickly become more threatening than the virus itself. The scenes of denial and desperation among Alex and Kate’s neighbors are particularly well done, and the build-up to the inevitable deadly show-down is intense and absorbing.

The author did his homework on both the influenza virus’s history and what it take to be prepared for long term emergency situations. While the Jakarta Pandemic can be deadly serious, it also can make you laugh with the banter between husband and wife and the ribbing between good friends. There are thrillers out there from more well known authors for three times this price and they don’t come close to the story telling here.

If you are not a prepper or for that matter even if you are, pay attention as you may learn a few things in this book that could help you make the best of an emergency situation. You cannot go wrong buying this book. I cannot wait to read the next installment of this story: The Perseid Collapse.

The Jakarta Pandemic

Miner’s Lettuce

Leave a reply

by Woodsbum

As a way to introduce more foraging subjects into my site, I give to you: Miner’s Lettuce. Miner’s lettuce is also known as claytonia perfoliata and is a single green leaf coming from a disproportionate stalk. It looks like this in summer:

or this in spring or fall:

It is best harvested in spring or fall, but if you need some nutrients it is perfectly fine to be eaten during the summer months as well. It does taste a bit “tinny” compared to spring or fall, however. This might just be my taste bud’s opinion because I have heard other people deny that they had the same experience.

This plant is actually quite nutritious and will supplement your diet quite nicely. From what I have been told, many people actually grow and harvest it at home in their own gardens. I will admit that it does go nicely with a “spring mix” salad and a few croûtons.

Here is a great video about miner’s lettuce that gives you about any info you could ever want on the subject.

Have some fun and see if you can find any on your next outing. It is always fun to reach over and start eating things as you walk by if for no other reason that to freak out your hiking partners.

Beretta 92 Hammer Swap

Leave a reply

by Woodsbum

My Beretta 92a1 has been getting some upgrades over the last few weeks. The newest is a hammer upgrade to the Elite II Beretta factory hammer. I have also ordered a Beretta D Version Hammer Spring and a couple Wolff Springs upgrades that have not come in the mail yet. Here is the hammer upgrade.

The stock hammer looks like this:

Stock Beretta 92 Hammer

As you can see, it is a solid hammer with nothing really that special about it. The Elite II is a skeletonized hammer that is designed to speed up the cycle during shooting. When coupled with the other upgrades I am doing this should make this fire like a completely different pistol. The video I used to install this trigger is below:

The hardest part is driving out the pin used to hold the lanyard loop piece in the handle. You almost need a fourth and fifth hand to get it out without scratching things up. Then again, you almost need 5 or 6 additional hands to get the safety lever upgraded as well. This means that you should be used to the hassle by now.

I think the entire upgrade for the hammer took about 5 minutes. It was really easy, other than that stupid roll pin and not having enough hands to properly get the pin out. This is what the pistol looks like with the new hammer. You can also see two other things in this picture. One is the upgraded safety lever and the other are the two scratches I put in my slide during the safety lever upgrade. Ooops……

Installed Elite II Hammer

The actual mass of the hammer is much less in this skeletonized version. When I swap out the trigger spring later this week/early next week I also picked up a buffer pad that is designed to help with the way that the slide hits the frame during cycle. It isn’t much more than a felt pad (from the description), but it is supposed to help a lot and assist you with getting back on target after firing.

Here are the two hammers side by side so you can see the difference in mass. Unfortunately, I installed the new one before I thought about taking a picture. You can see the difference quite easily, though.

Factory and Elite II Hammer

There will be a few more things that I am upgrading before I get a chance to do a range report, but I will keep everyone up to date as these changes are made. I really can’t wait to see how well it performs once all this work is complete.

Making a Simple Snare

Leave a reply

by Woodsbum

This last weekend, I attended our annual bowhunting instructor’s in service training. It seems that every year there is some subject about bushcrafting that crops up and this year was no different. Amazingly it was all about simple snares and carrying snare wire in your PSK (personal survival kit).

There are many thoughts about this subject, albeit not nearly as debated as batoning your knife or whether the 9 mm, .45 acp or .40 cal is the better defensive round. Many people think that setting snare is all fine and dandy, but a problem arises in the fact that you have to leave your snare up for long periods of time to be effective. The more you visit your snares to check them and the less time you leave them up, the less chance of catching something you have. It also ties you down to a single area of operations because you can’t just leave your snares set and then leave. The good thing that snares do is allow you to expend very little energy in the hopes of gaining a meal. The gear is very lightweight, easy to carry, and are extremely easy to set. These reasons make the use of snares in a survival situation a great resource.

I have included the following video that I found to explain the use and setting of snares out of 24 gauge wire. I personally use the stainless steel wire that comes in a roll that can be purchased at Home Depot. It is great stuff and can also be used as cordage if the need crops up.

Steven Konkoly – Books and Site

Leave a reply

by Woodsbum

Gunguy talked me into reading one of Steven Konkoly’s books called The Jakarta Pandemic. It was actually quite good and got me started on his Perseid Collapse series. Until I got started on this genre from Gunguy, I was mostly a biography and nonfiction reader. This series really surprised me and I found it to be a great distraction from my normally boring selection of reading material. Although informative and educational, my reading selection immediately before Steven’s books was The Adams-Jefferson Letters. Honestly, the letters were not as entertaining.

Come to find out, Steven Konkoly actually has a blog that he runs. On this blog I found out that he opened up his storyline to other authors as a setting for additional stories to be written. I have yet to finish his original Perseid Collapse series (currently on the 4th book), but I must say that I am looking forward to what other authors have done.

On his blog there are also many resources and interviews that you may find interesting. He also has done several blog entries on such things as homesteading, survival, and even writing resources. It contains a broad spectrum of subject matter and his writing style is quite captivating.

Once I finish up with the Perseid Collapse and the associated writings based upon that world, I think I am going to start in on his Black Flagged series. It appears to be a thriller based upon a covert operatives and government conspiracy. It should be quite interesting.

Take some time and poke around his site. I think you will find at least something to catch your interest whether it be homesteading, survival, tactical operations, or just entertainment.