Originally published at Notes from the bunker…. You can comment here or there.

Being Commander Zero is not all sunshine and stun grenades….its a constant ‘arms race’ in terms of gear. Interesting little tidbit for today:

Flashlight that takes multiple battery sizes
And some press on it:

Flashlight Takes Batteries of Any Size

By JIM SUHR
Associated Press Writer
       
ST. LOUIS (AP) — Anyone who has cursed when their flashlight goes dead may have something new to beam about – a flashlight that accepts batteries of different sizes.

Energizer argues that its Quick Switch flashlight is a shining example of utility, with users able to raid batteries from such things as remote controls, toys or wall clocks and plunk them into the flashlight.

Launched nationally last week, two truckloads of the flashlights already have been hustled to Florida, where consumers bracing for the third recent hurricane to rake the state have been stocking up batteries, in some cases depleting supplies.

Still, “we weren’t planning on launching this in the middle of the hurricane” season, Energizer’s Mark Larsen said Tuesday.
       
The Quick Switch takes two C, D or AA batteries and works by merely adjusting a switch to the proper cell size, automatically locking the batteries into place.

The light output is the same no matter the cell size, though operating time will vary. It retails for $9.99 to $12.99.

The gizmo is the latest entry in the often look-alike arena of flashlights, the Quick Switch “solves the No. 1 consumer concern with flashlights – it never seems like I have the right batteries when I need them,” Larsen said.

A spokesman for Energizer rival Rayovac declined to discuss the Quick Switch, saying he hadn’t yet seen the product. But he suggested that the Quick Switch may be an extension of some available “battery adapters,” which convert a smaller battery size to the next size up.
       
The Quick Switch spotlights just how the flashlight has evolved light years since its inception more than a century ago as a “hand torch,” then primitively made of crude paper and fiber tubes, with a bulb and rough brass reflector.

With flashlights then more of a novelty, folks did what they knew best to search in the dark – grab a candle or kerosene lantern, knowing the possible downsides were seeing their homes and offices accidentally go up in flames.

There wasn’t battery power strong enough to power it for long stretches, and carbon filament bulbs were inefficient. So users pushed a button to literally – and for a moment – “flash light” on the path in front of them, giving the devices their name.

Since then, the flashlight became ideal for more conventional uses, with its size and shape morphing as batteries became smaller and stronger.

Ignoring, for the moment, just how slow a newsday it must have been for AP to do a fluff piece on a flashlight………..

Interesting? Yes. Essential? Eh. If youre reading this then youre probably smart enough to know how to take some wire and electrical tape and make any battery work in a particular flashlight….all theyve done here is do it in a manner that doesnt involve ‘redneck engineering’ batteries that may or may not fit the battery compartment.

Nonetheless, it does bring up a good point – battery size standardization. Simply put if it doesnt run on AA or D battereis, I dont get it. Im not going to make my logistics even more complex by keeping track of AAA, AA, D and 9v batteries. Whatever it is, whatever it does, theres a version out there somewhere that takes AA or D’s. If not, well, as I said, you can McGyver a powerpack pretty easily.

However, for the person who has started to leave sheeplehood but hasnt quite gotten in touch with his inner Burt Gummer, this might be a good choice.

Speaking of flashlights, and really, Ive always found myself fascinated by them, Home Depot had Eveready flashlights for $0.85 each. Simple plastic 2 d-cell flashlights (batteries not included) that are ideal for handing out to guests, keeping as spares and are essentially ‘disposable’. Picked up five of ‘em. And CostCo is a pretty good place for buying Duracells in bulk.

Being Commander Zero is not all sunshine and stun grenades….its a constant ‘arms race’ in terms of gear. Interesting little tidbit for today:

Flashlight that takes multiple battery sizes
And some press on it:

Flashlight Takes Batteries of Any Size

By JIM SUHR
Associated Press Writer
       
ST. LOUIS (AP) — Anyone who has cursed when their flashlight goes dead may have something new to beam about – a flashlight that accepts batteries of different sizes.

Energizer argues that its Quick Switch flashlight is a shining example of utility, with users able to raid batteries from such things as remote controls, toys or wall clocks and plunk them into the flashlight.

Launched nationally last week, two truckloads of the flashlights already have been hustled to Florida, where consumers bracing for the third recent hurricane to rake the state have been stocking up batteries, in some cases depleting supplies.

Still, “we weren’t planning on launching this in the middle of the hurricane” season, Energizer’s Mark Larsen said Tuesday.
       
The Quick Switch takes two C, D or AA batteries and works by merely adjusting a switch to the proper cell size, automatically locking the batteries into place.

The light output is the same no matter the cell size, though operating time will vary. It retails for $9.99 to $12.99.

The gizmo is the latest entry in the often look-alike arena of flashlights, the Quick Switch “solves the No. 1 consumer concern with flashlights – it never seems like I have the right batteries when I need them,” Larsen said.

A spokesman for Energizer rival Rayovac declined to discuss the Quick Switch, saying he hadn’t yet seen the product. But he suggested that the Quick Switch may be an extension of some available “battery adapters,” which convert a smaller battery size to the next size up.
       
The Quick Switch spotlights just how the flashlight has evolved light years since its inception more than a century ago as a “hand torch,” then primitively made of crude paper and fiber tubes, with a bulb and rough brass reflector.

With flashlights then more of a novelty, folks did what they knew best to search in the dark – grab a candle or kerosene lantern, knowing the possible downsides were seeing their homes and offices accidentally go up in flames.

There wasn’t battery power strong enough to power it for long stretches, and carbon filament bulbs were inefficient. So users pushed a button to literally – and for a moment – “flash light” on the path in front of them, giving the devices their name.

Since then, the flashlight became ideal for more conventional uses, with its size and shape morphing as batteries became smaller and stronger.

Ignoring, for the moment, just how slow a newsday it must have been for AP to do a fluff piece on a flashlight………..

Interesting? Yes. Essential? Eh. If youre reading this then youre probably smart enough to know how to take some wire and electrical tape and make any battery work in a particular flashlight….all theyve done here is do it in a manner that doesnt involve ‘redneck engineering’ batteries that may or may not fit the battery compartment.

Nonetheless, it does bring up a good point – battery size standardization. Simply put if it doesnt run on AA or D battereis, I dont get it. Im not going to make my logistics even more complex by keeping track of AAA, AA, D and 9v batteries. Whatever it is, whatever it does, theres a version out there somewhere that takes AA or D’s. If not, well, as I said, you can McGyver a powerpack pretty easily.

However, for the person who has started to leave sheeplehood but hasnt quite gotten in touch with his inner Burt Gummer, this might be a good choice.

Speaking of flashlights, and really, Ive always found myself fascinated by them, Home Depot had Eveready flashlights for $0.85 each. Simple plastic 2 d-cell flashlights (batteries not included) that are ideal for handing out to guests, keeping as spares and are essentially ‘disposable’. Picked up five of ’em. And CostCo is a pretty good place for buying Duracells in bulk.

Originally published at Notes from the bunker…. You can comment here or there.

I suppose with the sunset of the AWB I might make a few minor changes here and there…I wouldnt mind having a folding stock on the AK.
=====
I received a book in the mail yesterday offa my Amazon wish list – “Conquer The Crash – You Can Survive And Thrive In A Deflationary Depression”. Im not so much a believer in a long-term crisis of Mad Max-type proportions. I believe those situations will happen on a short term basis (hurricanes, floods, etc). But the long-term crises that I do think will occur will be along the nature of something that drops the US into a Soviet-style economy with lines for toilet paper, meat and bread. Think Moscow. Think Argentina. The obvious solution is to have your lifestyle rigged in such a way that youre fairly immune from economic upheaval (not alot of debt [mortgage], tangible investments [gold], etc, etc. Anyway, this book was on my list so Im curious to see if its any good.
=====
Need to shop around a bit and acquire a good two-burner propane camp stove. I already have to one-burner stoves for backpacking that burn gasoline and camp fuel, but for indoor use I prefer propane. (Although in the winter I can cook on top of my kerosene heater) Additionally, I’ll pick up the necessary hardware to let it run off of 1# bottles or the ubiquitous 20# barbecue bombs. Fortunately, my household stove runs on gas and in the past has been completely unaffected by power outages. But, why take chances, y’know?
=====
The local Goodwill is having a sale on their military BDU’s so theres an opportunity to pick up some new pants and maybe a field jacket. BDU pants are the most comfortable pants around and are pretty durable. Lotsa room in the crotch and seat which makes ‘em great for when youre running around over obstacles and stuff like that.
=====
And November creeps closer with all its ominous implications………..

I suppose with the sunset of the AWB I might make a few minor changes here and there…I wouldnt mind having a folding stock on the AK.
=====
I received a book in the mail yesterday offa my Amazon wish list – “Conquer The Crash – You Can Survive And Thrive In A Deflationary Depression”. Im not so much a believer in a long-term crisis of Mad Max-type proportions. I believe those situations will happen on a short term basis (hurricanes, floods, etc). But the long-term crises that I do think will occur will be along the nature of something that drops the US into a Soviet-style economy with lines for toilet paper, meat and bread. Think Moscow. Think Argentina. The obvious solution is to have your lifestyle rigged in such a way that youre fairly immune from economic upheaval (not alot of debt [mortgage], tangible investments [gold], etc, etc. Anyway, this book was on my list so Im curious to see if its any good.
=====
Need to shop around a bit and acquire a good two-burner propane camp stove. I already have to one-burner stoves for backpacking that burn gasoline and camp fuel, but for indoor use I prefer propane. (Although in the winter I can cook on top of my kerosene heater) Additionally, I’ll pick up the necessary hardware to let it run off of 1# bottles or the ubiquitous 20# barbecue bombs.  Fortunately, my household stove runs on gas and in the past has been completely unaffected by power outages. But, why take chances, y’know?
=====
The local Goodwill is having a sale on their military BDU’s so theres an opportunity to pick up some new pants and maybe a field jacket. BDU pants are the most comfortable pants around and are pretty durable. Lotsa room in the crotch and seat which makes ’em great for when youre running around over obstacles and stuff like that.
=====
And November creeps closer with all its ominous implications………..

Originally published at Notes from the bunker…. You can comment here or there.

Geez, I wonder how many times Florida has to get slapped around before people start thinking “Gee, maybe this time we’ll shop for batteries and bottled water before the hurricane.” And yet, you know theres gonna be some folks who just dont learn and are gonna be out there in line for ice and water again
———-
Mysterious unexplained mushroom cloud from an explosion in North Korea that left a crater visible from space. Nuclear test by the DPRK?…Another accident that wipes out hundreds? Or just a little something to remind the decadent west that we arent safe from the righteous fury of the proletariat? I read an article on one of the asian news wires a while back about parts of a DPRK ballistic missle being found in Alaska, the implication being they were testing things to see if they had the ooomph to hit North America. Gotta watch these people closely.

Alternative spin: disinformation ploy by the .fedgov to build support for missle defense system.
———-
I dont usually put movie reviews in here but………Resident Evil: Apocalypse observations:
1) Always carry more ammo than you think you’ll need
2) Always have an escape plan
3) Dont piss off Milla Jojovovich
4) Aim…dont spray and pray
———-
Found a Calico rifle yesterday but it was .22, not the 9mm I wanted. Still, it was pretty darned cute.
———–
Winter approaches. I’ve laid in a very good supply of kerosene that should handle things quite nicely if we have any outages this winter. (And we usually have at least one.) I still need to work on an auxillary electrical lighting system for running a small number of low-draw lights and radios. I was thinking of simply hooking a few marine batteries together to give myself a hundred amp-hours or so and then using them to runs some 12v. fluorescent lights. Im stuck on the charging aspect though….I want something I can plug in that will charge the batteries and then stop, maintain the charge within them, not overcharge them, and not result in me needing excessive ventialtion for the batteries while charging. (Gel batteries, perhaps?) Research is needed.
———-
Did I mention I was quite pleased with the Yugo SKS? I really need to get another one or two of these things. Still gotta come up with some stripper clips for it though.

Geez, I wonder how many times Florida has to get slapped around before people start thinking “Gee, maybe this time we’ll shop for batteries and bottled water before the hurricane.” And yet, you know theres gonna be some folks who just dont learn and are gonna be out there in line for ice and water again
———-
Mysterious unexplained mushroom cloud from an explosion in North Korea that left a crater visible from space. Nuclear test by the DPRK?…Another accident that wipes out hundreds? Or just a little something to remind the decadent west that we arent safe from the righteous fury of the proletariat? I read an article on one of the asian news wires a while back about parts of a DPRK ballistic missle being found in Alaska, the implication being they were testing things to see if they had the ooomph to hit North America. Gotta watch these people closely.

Alternative spin: disinformation ploy by the .fedgov to build support for missle defense system.
———-
I dont usually put movie reviews in here but………Resident Evil: Apocalypse observations:
1) Always carry more ammo than you think you’ll need
2) Always have an escape plan
3) Dont piss off Milla Jojovovich
4) Aim…dont spray and pray
———-
Found a Calico rifle yesterday but it was .22, not the 9mm I wanted. Still, it was pretty darned cute.
———–
Winter approaches. I’ve laid in a very good supply of kerosene that should handle things quite nicely if we have any outages this winter. (And we usually have at least one.) I still need to work on an auxillary electrical lighting system for running a small number of low-draw lights and radios. I was thinking of simply hooking a few marine batteries together to give myself a hundred amp-hours or so and then using them to runs some 12v. fluorescent lights. Im stuck on the charging aspect though….I want something I can plug in that will charge the batteries and then stop, maintain the charge within them, not overcharge them, and not result in me needing excessive ventialtion for the batteries while charging. (Gel batteries, perhaps?) Research is needed.
———-
Did I mention I was quite pleased with the Yugo SKS? I really need to get another one or two of these things. Still gotta come up with some stripper clips for it though.

Originally published at Notes from the bunker…. You can comment here or there.

Took the Yugo SKS for a spin. Color me impressed. Trigger was a bit mushy but whaddya expect? Accuracy was good. At 50 yards with open sights windage was spot-on and a little dicking with the front sight resolved the elevation problem. (It was about 9″ low). Once that was done, five shot groups were fired at 50-yards using the open sights. Average groups were less than three inches although invariably there’d be a flyer blowing it all to hell. But, discount one flyer from each group and its doing pretty well. Reliability was what you’d expect from the SKS/AK family. ALthough, admittedly, I forgot I left the gas cutoff closed and as a result my first shot did not eject. Oooops. Open up the gas cutoff, fire another 100 roudns and no problems.

Good gun kids! Great value at $150 although in ‘good’ condition from J&G Sales in Arizona they are $100.

Cute little gun. Handy. Cheap. Reliable. Everything I look for in a girl.

Took the Yugo SKS for a spin. Color me impressed. Trigger was a bit mushy but whaddya expect? Accuracy was good. At 50 yards with open sights windage was spot-on and a little dicking with the front sight resolved the elevation problem. (It was about 9″ low). Once that was done, five shot groups were fired at 50-yards using the open sights. Average groups were less than three inches although invariably there’d be a flyer blowing it all to hell. But, discount one flyer from each group and its doing pretty well. Reliability was what you’d expect from the SKS/AK family. ALthough, admittedly, I forgot I left the gas cutoff closed and as a result my first shot did not eject. Oooops. Open up the gas cutoff, fire another 100 roudns and no problems.

Good gun kids! Great value at $150 although in ‘good’ condition from J&G Sales in Arizona they are $100.

Cute little gun. Handy. Cheap. Reliable. Everything I look for in a girl.

Originally published at Notes from the bunker…. You can comment here or there.

Hmmm….a customer from my civillian life wishes to trade several cases of new manufactured MRE’s for bullets for his .44’s. Hmm.

Im somewhat spoiled…my long term food is Montain House freeze-drieds which are expensive but pretty tasty. On the other hand the MRE’s do fill a niche – food that requires no prep and is packaged for travel. That is to say, food that you can grab and take with you if you have to bugout in a hurry and cant boil water or make fires.

I’ve a few cases of them now but more is always better. Esp. since I can cache a few of these offsite somewhere.
================
Someone asked if I was going to buy any new guns if the AWB expires. I said no, because the ban affected magazines more than guns and I already have all the hi-cap guns I wanted.

Ok, I was wrong.

I’ve been wanting a semi-auto pistol caliber carbine and was originally thinking of a Ruger 9mm carbine or an AutoOrd .45. ANd then I remembered this. You never know when 100-rounds of 9mm will come handy.
==================
As I metnioned, priority, though, is geting Glock, P35 and 10/22 mags.

Hmmm….a customer from my civillian life wishes to trade several cases of new manufactured MRE’s for bullets for his .44’s. Hmm.

Im somewhat spoiled…my long term food is Montain House freeze-drieds which are expensive but pretty tasty. On the other hand the MRE’s do fill a niche – food that requires no prep and is packaged for travel. That is to say, food that you can grab and take with you if you have to bugout in a hurry and cant boil water or make fires.

I’ve a few cases of them now but more is always better. Esp. since I can cache a few of these offsite somewhere.
================
Someone asked if I was going to buy any new guns if the AWB expires. I said no, because the ban affected magazines more than guns and I already have all the hi-cap guns I wanted.

Ok, I was wrong.

I’ve been wanting a semi-auto pistol caliber carbine and was originally thinking of a Ruger 9mm carbine or an AutoOrd .45. ANd then I remembered this. You never know when 100-rounds of 9mm will come handy.
==================
As I metnioned, priority, though, is geting Glock, P35 and 10/22 mags.