Author Archives: Commander Zero

Texas…why did it have to be Texas?

Posted on by

The first and last time I was in Texas was not exactly a resoundingly good time. It left a bad taste in my mouth, and a hole in my foot, and I resolved that I was done with Texas.

And then I had a wedding reception to go to in San Antonio. On the bright side, it wasnt nearly as hot as the last time I was down there. And I didnt get bit by fire ants this time either. But I was mightily annoyed at the preponderance of one-way streets and crazy drivers.

But, this time I had a bit of time to go visit gun shops. I hit three or four which were all pretty lame, and then I found this place. Selection? Outstanding. General atmosphere? Very polished and upscale. Staff? Stretched thin but mostly knowledgeable. Prices? Hgih, by my standards. But I saw not one but two HiPower GP comeptition guns and damn near bought one. Saw a Cetme L, piles of minty 100 year old 1911’s, three HK squeezecockers, and a bunch of other hey-you-dont-see-that-every-day guns. (And a genuine FN-made FAL which made me think long and hard….)

Other than that, still not really diggin’ Texas. However, I have resolved that I very much need a barbecue gun.

So there you have it. Another trip to Texas, another reason for me to appreciate Montana. You guys in Texas…Im sure you love it and all, but it just isn’t for me.

Article – The high price of low interest rates

Posted on by

An article by author Lionel Shriver about how we are now paying for the years of low interest rates and what to expect going forward. Shriver, you may recall, is the author of, among other works, the rather probably-prescient The Mandibles.

Paltry interest rates haven’t only been profoundly unjust – making a mockery of prudence, frugality and the old-fashioned habit of paying for stuff with money you’ve already made, while encouraging recklessness, profligacy and the terribly modern habit of buying stuff with money you may never earn. Nil rates were also systemically irresponsible. Reward debt, get more debt. It shouldn’t surprise central bankers that sovereign debt is through the roof (the US government now owes an unimaginable $31 trillion, the UK government nearly 100 per cent of GDP), that corporations have never been more leveraged, or that household debt is climbing towards its pre-2008 high. Soaring debt is intrinsically unstable – building an economy on borrowed money is like constructing a house atop a big black pit – and fiscal stability is what central banks are meant to ensure, not an ever-rising stock market.

To paraphrase Ayn Rand, you can ignore bad fiscal policy but you cannot ignore the consequences of ignoring bad fiscal policy.

Last of Us

Posted on by

So I finally signed up for HBO so I could binge watch The Last Of Us. I watched the first three episodes last night because I really wanted to watch Episode 3 with Nick Offerman playing hardcore survivalist-not-prepper ‘Bill’.

Something that struck me as rather ‘yup, thats really how it happens’ was the scene where Bill, the hardcore survivalist, is in a relationship with Frank, the not-a-survivalist. Naturally, there is some butting of heads on some subjects. But I really resonated with this:

F: You live in a psycho bunker where…the government are all Nazis.
B: The government ARE all Nazis!!
F: Well…yeah, NOW, but not then!

Thats the kind of conversations you have when your significant other isnt on the same page.

Technically, I suppose those creatures in TLOU are a form of zombie so I dont feel that using the ‘zombie’ tag for TLOU posts will be amiss.

Wouldn’t you?

Posted on by

Minding my own business, I swing by the shop to visit my buddy. I notice a styrofoam clamshell box on his desk. Hmmm.

  • Me: Whats in the box?
  • Him: Thompson Contender
  • Me: What caliber?
  • Him: .45 Colt / .410
  • Me: Ugh. Whaddya want for it?
  • Him: $150
  • Me: Uh..Ill be back in a few minutes. I gotta swing by an ATM.

And thats how that happened.

I actually already have two Contenders and a handful of barrels. My favorite is a 21″ .30-30 carbine sitting in a Choate stock. With open sights it weighs just under five pounds. A wonderful lightweight carbine for running through the timber.

And for a hundred and fifty bucks….why not? I think the .45/.410 barrel is useless, so I’ll dump it on eBay and get $150 for it which will make the frame and furniture a freebie.

I like the Contender as a test platform for my reloads. As a break open single shot it eliminates a lot of variables and makes an excellent test platform. Does it have any survivalist-centric special uses? I suppose someone will think that the interchangeable nature of the barrels gives some sort of advantage but….no. Why wouldnt you just have a .22 rifle, a .30 bolt gun, maybe a .223 of some kind, in full-size repeating guns? About the only advantage I can see is that if you live in some environ that limits the number of firearms you can own, it might be useful. But, really, its just a fun gun to play with various calibers.

Sure, I’ll slap the 14″ .44 barrel on it and go knock down Bambi. But in a world where knocking down an animal means the difference between full bellies and starvation? I’ll use the gun that gives me the most advantage and thats probably gonna be a .308 of some kind.

But for a hundred and fifty bucks….why not add a little range toy to the collection? Especially if I can get it to pay for itself by unloading that .45/.410 barrel.

Kerosene

Posted on by

A few weeks ago, I replaced my oldest kerosene heater with a brand new one. This was a good thing. But…that meant that I had two kerosene heaters that were not, for logistics sake, identical. This was a bad thing. So, in the name of logistics, I picked up another identical heater to the new one. So, I have two new identical heaters and an older one which is now being relegated to tertiary or loaner status.

But, the amusing thing at Lowe’s was this obscenity:

Do the  math…thats $14 a gallon for kerosene. Inconceivable!

Now, if you’re a savvy survivalist, you wouuldn’t be buying the stuff in 2.5-gallon quantity anyway, right? No, you’d be heading over to Cenex and pumping it yourself into your 5- or 55-gallon drums for a heck of a lot less than $14 a gallon.

Heck, I bought some off Craigslist a few years back and I was annoyed it was $2.86/gallon. But, thats because my great $1/gallon purchase twenty years ago spoiled me.

But it was interesting to see that someone, somewhere, thinks this stuff is worth $14/gallon.

Fortunately, I’ve got about a hundred gallons sitting back so….I’ll pass on $14, TYVM.

CostCo canned pork

Posted on by

A few years back I tried some of the canned pork from CostCo and was less than enthused. Was up there this weekend and saw a new brand there and figured it might be worth investigating.

I really have a love/hate relationship with canned meats. I love their utility, value, and logistical help. I just hate the way they smell. I have said it before and it’s true: all canned meat, when you open the container, smells like cat food.

Nonetheless, man does not live on canned chicken and canned beef alone. So I picked up a sleeve of these cans and will try them sometime during the week. Probably in a stir fry or some similar dish.

Of course, you can always can your own meat and save a few bucks but I rather like the compact package of a can like this. If I were going to store a fairly large quantity of canned meat, home canning would be my first choice since this stuff winds up running about $4.64/#. But for a grab-and-go sort of situation, it would certainly be more transportable than a large glass jar. 

Some rice, a can of this stuff, a jar of some type of sauce (Kung Pao, perhaps), some vegetables (canned or freeze dried), and a little sesame oil and you’ve really got something going on.

Anyway, when I crack one of these open I’ll report back and let you know whats what.

 

Video – What Does The FDIC Do When Your Bank Fails

Posted on by

This video was from 2008…the last time bank failures were the Big Thing in the news. I’d imagine that the process has changed a bit since then, but it is still interesting nonetheless.

I have no idea why anyone would keep money in the bank. It earns virtually no interest, so that’s not really a valid reason. I suppose the only real reason is because youre simply afraid to trust your nest egg to a gun safe or a hole in your backyard.

The notion, expressed in the video, that the FDIC won’t cost the taxpayers anything because the FDIC gets its funds from premiums paid by the bank is…well…a platttude to allay the concerns of people who are paying attention. If enough banks fail, or enough banks with large losses, that backstop that the FDIC is holding will evaporate. And, as they said rather clearly in the video, they then ‘borrow’ from Treasury. Which means…..the taxpayer is on the hook.

When I was younger I recall meeting people who had parents who lived through the Depression, or grandparents who did, and some of them never recovered any faith in banks.

My own banking needs are pretty small….I keep money in a checking account to fund my debit card for various purchases, and thats about it. The rest of my money goes into silver, gold, investing, Roth, and cash-in-hand. If any of those tank, I’ve got enough elsewhere to keep me going. And if it all collapses…silver and gold become worthless, the banks disappear, the cash devalues to zero, and the stock market crashes. Well, thats a situation where money is way down the list of priorities and food, ammo, and fuel become primary measurements of wealth.

But…if you see some guys in suits outside your bank at 4:59pm on a Friday patiently waiting for the last customer to leave….well….maybe you might wanna get back on line and make a withdrawal.

“Last Of Us” this weekend?

Posted on by

Since I need a new post-apocalyptic show to watch since The Walking Dead finally ran its course, it’s looking like ‘The Last Of Us’ will be my new fix. Honestly, I think that if ‘Jericho’ hadn’t had to work within the constraints of network television and instead could have had the brutality and harsh language that TWD and TLOU are able to emply it would have made things a bit more real. Because, lets face it, the apocalypse is not going to be clean and free of harsh language.

I should also mention that I think it would be quite a hoot if they could get Lennie James to guest star on Last Of Us. Given his predilection for end-of-the-word projects like Jericho and The Walking Dead, he could wind up being the new Charlton Heston (“If its bad and its the end of the world, Charlton Heston is there!”)

My plan was to wait until the entire season of Last Of Us was done and then watch the whole thing in one enormous binge session. So, it’ll be time to order some pizza, grab a few Cokes, fire up the TV, and let the bad times roll.

I have, however, watched a few highlights of the show on YouTube and what I’ve seen so far looks pretty good. There’s definitely some dark and grim undertones, and I’ve no doubt it’ll be rather gritty in spots. But….wouldn’t you think the end of the world would be?

And, of course, even though it’s fiction it is still a nice opportunity to wargame a bit and imagine what you’d do in similar scenarios and what your gear choices might be.

Anyway, if I can steal the time this weekend I’ll watch Season 1 and see how it goes.