All over the blogosphere i see people posting various 'I'm an atheist... blah blah blah' So i thought i would add my own views on the subject - which of course i will back up with facts that i pretty much make up on the spot. Of course i will use reason and common sense - before you atheists close this, I am an atheist myself so it's not going to be a Jesus fest.
Issue 1 - the bible
Recently I saw an article about how Christian's basically believe anything written in the bible and follow it like a to do list. This is not the case, especially in western culture where religion takes quite a back seat in day to day living more so in the UK and northern Europe than the United States. In fact in western culture i think it is only Evangelical Christians who follow the bible word for word. In Western culture i really don't think society cares about people being atheist or not where as in eastern countries atheism carries a death penalty. on a side note, i love how ironic religion is - they have to enforce their beliefs by penalty of death even though by their beliefs the only judgement you should receive is that of your God.
It is also relevant to point out that the stronger a peoples belief in religion the less developed their country is with a poorer standard of living. For example - northern Europeans have the highest standard of living with religion hardly effecting their day to day life. In African countries religion is strong as faith gives the people something to distract them from their lives, it gives them hope and strength.
In summary, The bible was written by humans - not by God.
Issue 2 - motives for religious belief.
Allot of people i know who call themselves 'Atheists' have had the same upbringing as me. My parents left me to come up with my own beliefs and for that, I am eternally thankful. I don't know anyone (i don't mean they don't exist) who left to their own will chose to be religious.
As a child growing up i felt no presence of God and I still don't now, that doesn't mean i dispute the existence of a God. I don't have the knowledge available to make such a statement. No one has a true understanding of what space is, it's limits, it's scale etc - So i think it's a fairly stupid statement for me to say 'there is no god' with 100% certainty considering my minuscule presence in existence and my human knowledge which if history has told us anything isn't reliable or very vast.
I have a habit of running away on thoughts, basically to conclude the 'as a child...' statement - We have no god, no divine presence watching us and showering us in his love. If you raised children free from outside influences they would be atheist, would live and die happily as humans.
to re-conclude my poor conclusion, religion is a man made object - a man made god.
I don't disapprove of religion. As humans we all desire the same things - Peace, Freedom, Happiness, Wellness and Fulfillment. The Ideals of religion are fine, basically the former desires i stated (although Fulfilment is pretty general)
Religion is a good thing on paper, but so is Communism and they are quite similar in a number of ways. As i said, the ideals are good but two factor messes the system up a bit:
1) Money (profit)
2) a voiceless God.
If as individuals and as a species we weren't all looking for the profit (cancer research, global warming, etc) then we could fulfil our basic wants as a society and as a species. Profit, control and power starts new religions and is the reason for religious war.
If there was no God but a mutual understanding of what we as humans want and how to treat each other so that we can live in peace without murdering and raping each other - but the vision of our species working together like that is just ridiculous.
Here is the thing about my belief in religion - the main reason i don't believe in a religion is why would we only be enlightened 2000 years ago? we went for hundreds of thousands of years without the world religions we see today. Surely if any religions were true it would be the first religions? The religions bestowed upon us after our creation.
Issue 3 - Foundations of religion
For my third and probably last issue i would like to talk about the foundations of religion. To my understanding religion is based on fear and created as a way to control 'the people'.
The fear? Death i assume - although i really find nothing scary about dying, of course i want to live but to me death is nothing to fear. If we where to live forever, what would living be?
Thus heaven and hell are created, people are afraid to die so give them something to take away that fear and in turn give them something to die for. Hell, if they fail your 'holly' commands they will be punished for eternity.
I mentioned controlling the people. I already mentioned one type of control 'Give them something to die for' A perfect example would be the crusades, the pope himself told commoners, peasants, murderers and criminals that going to the holy land and killing would cleanse their soul and grant them free access to heaven. win - win, the promise of plunder, women to rape and people to slaughter in exchange for bliss in the afterlife.
Another aspect of control would be marriage - I'm all in favour of marriage but the reasons for marriage go against human nature and our animal instincts. The creation of marriage in short was during a time when women where not as plentiful as men and a randy king wanted lots as his concubines and of course a spoiled woman isn't fit for a king.
On a final note I'd like to say I'm not a fan of the 'I'm and atheist' club, your religious views are personal, please keep them to yourself. Inflicting your beliefs that there are no god is just as bad if not worse than religious believers inflicting their beliefs on you.
That's it on my religious rant for now.
Thanks for reading
Sam
Tuesday 31 March 2009
A song of ice and fire
A Song of Ice and Fire by George RR Martin is personally one of my favourite book series. The Series seems to be gaining a lot of momentum recently and that's what I'm going to talk about today.
A Dance with Dragons: Very little news from George on the subject of the latest book in the series - The last post on his website about his progress was 1st of Jan '08.
In his last post he says
"I probably won't update this page again for quite a long while, so let me close by saying once again that when A DANCE WITH DRAGONS is finished, I will post that news here. The moment I finish the book, I will log on and make the announcement."
Over a year later and still no news, this book is getting some serious hype - I just pray it delivers.
Merch: Recently a lot of small companies have been licensed to produce various products from the Song of Ice and Fire realm.
* Replica Swords - A small US company are making the swords, so far they have only produced one sword (longclaw) available to purchase, and yes, they do ship internationally.
Arya's Needle is currently undergoing design a prototype has been mocked up and upon confirmation from GRRM will go into full production.
Ice (the sword I'm waiting for) has just begun it's design process and i assume will be ready in 3 months + (time to get some money together)
For more information and barter go to: Valyrian Steel
* models and busts - The company making the resin models has already got quite a few models ready for purchase including: Daenerys, Eddard, Sandor (the hound) and there are two versions of each available.
These are 'limited collector' models (that term gets thrown around a lot) only 250 of each made hence the quite high price.
for more information and barter go to Valyrian Resin
* There is also an extensive range of miniature models from the Song of Ice and Fire series. There are Warhammer style models/figures.
for more information and barter go to darksword miniatures
The TV series:
Taken from wikipedia
A Dance with Dragons: Very little news from George on the subject of the latest book in the series - The last post on his website about his progress was 1st of Jan '08.
In his last post he says
"I probably won't update this page again for quite a long while, so let me close by saying once again that when A DANCE WITH DRAGONS is finished, I will post that news here. The moment I finish the book, I will log on and make the announcement."
Over a year later and still no news, this book is getting some serious hype - I just pray it delivers.
Merch: Recently a lot of small companies have been licensed to produce various products from the Song of Ice and Fire realm.
* Replica Swords - A small US company are making the swords, so far they have only produced one sword (longclaw) available to purchase, and yes, they do ship internationally.
Arya's Needle is currently undergoing design a prototype has been mocked up and upon confirmation from GRRM will go into full production.
Ice (the sword I'm waiting for) has just begun it's design process and i assume will be ready in 3 months + (time to get some money together)
For more information and barter go to: Valyrian Steel
* models and busts - The company making the resin models has already got quite a few models ready for purchase including: Daenerys, Eddard, Sandor (the hound) and there are two versions of each available.
for more information and barter go to Valyrian Resin
* There is also an extensive range of miniature models from the Song of Ice and Fire series. There are Warhammer style models/figures.
for more information and barter go to darksword miniatures
The TV series:
Taken from wikipedia
Variety reported on 17 January 2007 that the rights for A Song of Ice and Fire have been sold to HBO with the intent of turning the novels into a television series.[12] Written and executive produced by David Benioff and D.B. Weiss, the series is expected to cover one novel’s worth of material per season. Martin plans to co-executive produce the series and is expected to write one episode per season. The series is likely to be filmed in the UK[27].
Martin reported in August 2007 that the first draft of the script was complete[28] and stated in November that the script was approved and budgeting had begun. At this point the series had still not been officially greenlit, and the 2007 Writers Guild of America strike could have delayed the process.[29]
In April 2008 David Benioff confirmed that development of the script and series was continuing.[30] He suggested a ‘crappy’ tagline for the project could be, “The Sopranos in Middle-earth.”[31] In June, Martin reported in his blog that the second draft of the script was complete, but again a final decision had not been made. If the series were to go ahead, the BBC would also be financially involved much as they were for the HBO series Rome.[32]
In September 2008, according to Martin's not-a-blog,[33] HBO exercised its option to buy the television rights to produce A Game of Thrones. Martin is quick to point out the project has still not been greenlit, but it is an encouraging first step. In November, Variety reported that HBO has committed to filming a pilot episode before a decision is made in regards to filming the entire first book of the series. [34]
I'm totally stoked for this, it's great to see that George is taking an active roll in script writing! Could this be part of the reason for the delay in a Dance with Dragons? I don't think so, I think the reason Dance is taking so long is that the series has so many threads of plot - it's not as simple as one character- one plot. A song of Ice and Fire's multiple POV style is so ambitious that i think it is becoming a struggle to write.
I plan on trying to star as a minor background actor in the TV series. As a Scottish lad it is likely that the series (the north) will be filmed in the north of Scotland. I could be in the right place i just need to wait for the right time and find the right arse to smother in lip prints until I'm in!
Later
Sam
Media in this day and age.
It has become apparent to me that for those of us who are nerdy in nature are in for some bad times.
I refer of course to the drought of media in this day and age. With the economic downturn and an endeavour to feature ever more illustrious special effects in movies production times increase exponentially.
As is the same for the games industry; high budget projects by succesful studios can take anything up to 7 or 8 years to complete. While the less known, less succesful and less funded studios are forced to abandon their projects to avoid bankrupcy.
It's a shame in my opinion that the smaller studios are forced to stop production as often I find their games are far superior to those created and published by the giants of the industry.
The giants are too concerned with tweaking their games to perfection and ensuring nothing less than mind-blowing beauty, usually leaving the game devoid of good gameplay and us with a hollow, dissapointed feeling.
This holds true for movies too; instead of releasing multiple movies in a year, many of which could be great the studios opt for one movie. One with more effects and action than story or character developement and sadly once again leaving us dissapointed.
I don't even need to tell you how bad the music industry is these days, do I?
Ever more horrible, untalented indie groups who couldn't battle their way through their own songs on Rock Band - Easiest Difficulty. The type with the generic, mind piercingly annoying southern English accent and a band who fail to comprehend how to wield their instruments.
You know the kind I mean, where every song is the same horribly strummed chord progression, backed by the one fretted, one string bass guitar all kept in time by the mentally disabled drummer who instead of drums has a carrier bag full of coke cans and stick.
All in all, these are bad days for media. No music, no movies, no games. Leaving a lot of us lost and bewildered, nothing to keep our minds going. :(
Craig
I refer of course to the drought of media in this day and age. With the economic downturn and an endeavour to feature ever more illustrious special effects in movies production times increase exponentially.
As is the same for the games industry; high budget projects by succesful studios can take anything up to 7 or 8 years to complete. While the less known, less succesful and less funded studios are forced to abandon their projects to avoid bankrupcy.
It's a shame in my opinion that the smaller studios are forced to stop production as often I find their games are far superior to those created and published by the giants of the industry.
The giants are too concerned with tweaking their games to perfection and ensuring nothing less than mind-blowing beauty, usually leaving the game devoid of good gameplay and us with a hollow, dissapointed feeling.
This holds true for movies too; instead of releasing multiple movies in a year, many of which could be great the studios opt for one movie. One with more effects and action than story or character developement and sadly once again leaving us dissapointed.
I don't even need to tell you how bad the music industry is these days, do I?
Ever more horrible, untalented indie groups who couldn't battle their way through their own songs on Rock Band - Easiest Difficulty. The type with the generic, mind piercingly annoying southern English accent and a band who fail to comprehend how to wield their instruments.
You know the kind I mean, where every song is the same horribly strummed chord progression, backed by the one fretted, one string bass guitar all kept in time by the mentally disabled drummer who instead of drums has a carrier bag full of coke cans and stick.
All in all, these are bad days for media. No music, no movies, no games. Leaving a lot of us lost and bewildered, nothing to keep our minds going. :(
Craig
Monday 30 March 2009
Why bother?
So i got this email today, one of the 'i have lots of money and i need to give it to you' scams.
here is the exact email with some Chinese removed from the start and email address removed:
'Dear Friend,
I am Mr Sherrif Alhassan Staff of BOA Bank in Burkina faso.I would like you to indicate your interest to receive the transfer of $10.5M Dollars.
I will like you to stand as the next of kin to my late client whose account is presently dormant, for claim.
- Dr Lusee Mark'
I enjoy a good scam email but this guy seems to not know what he's doing! He didn't even ask me for my bank account details! Where is he going to put the millions of dollars belonging to a dead guy i don't know?
It's a sad day when scamers are too lazy to spend upwards of 10 minutes writing out their scam - it would, however be more sad if anyone fell for this.
Warning to new people of the Internet - Do NOT trust anyone on the Internet!
I also got a couple of emails from banks about problems with my accounts which where pretty good i have to say (if only i had accounts with those banks ;)
another warning, if you get an email asking you to give them any personal details or if there is a problem immediately be cautious. check the senders email address to make sure it is legitimate, check your account to see if this is the case DO NOT FOLLOW THE LINKS IN THE EMAIL! open up your web browser and type in by hand.
enough tips, be safe.
Later
Sam
here is the exact email with some Chinese removed from the start and email address removed:
'Dear Friend,
I am Mr Sherrif Alhassan Staff of BOA Bank in Burkina faso.I would like you to indicate your interest to receive the transfer of $10.5M Dollars.
I will like you to stand as the next of kin to my late client whose account is presently dormant, for claim.
- Dr Lusee Mark'
I enjoy a good scam email but this guy seems to not know what he's doing! He didn't even ask me for my bank account details! Where is he going to put the millions of dollars belonging to a dead guy i don't know?
It's a sad day when scamers are too lazy to spend upwards of 10 minutes writing out their scam - it would, however be more sad if anyone fell for this.
Warning to new people of the Internet - Do NOT trust anyone on the Internet!
I also got a couple of emails from banks about problems with my accounts which where pretty good i have to say (if only i had accounts with those banks ;)
another warning, if you get an email asking you to give them any personal details or if there is a problem immediately be cautious. check the senders email address to make sure it is legitimate, check your account to see if this is the case DO NOT FOLLOW THE LINKS IN THE EMAIL! open up your web browser and type in by hand.
enough tips, be safe.
Later
Sam
Update
Hello my loyal fan base...
I said i would post more but i appear to be failing in that promise.
What's up with Sam then?
1) added a couple new features to the blog:
3) Planning and writing some short stories and thinking about future projects.
That's all for now, my mind is still a little frazzled from the last few days fun.
Take it easy y'all!
Sam
I said i would post more but i appear to be failing in that promise.
What's up with Sam then?
1) added a couple new features to the blog:
- Chat box, Shout stuff at me there and I will answer you ASAP, praise is very much welcome but please keep it tasteful.
- A couple of RSS feeds from external sites have been added, wiki-leaks purely because it's a great site and nerdblurb which is a podcast i used to listen to and enjoy a great deal.
3) Planning and writing some short stories and thinking about future projects.
That's all for now, my mind is still a little frazzled from the last few days fun.
Take it easy y'all!
Sam
Thursday 12 March 2009
Write off episode 1
Here is me and James' latest personal project.
we are engaging ourselves in short story battles. Everyweek we will decide on a topic and we have a week to have a finished story or there will be reprocussions which we haven't decided on (somthing that make us look as stupid as possible will be suitable)
Anyway, the first topic we have decided on is magic based.
i will be starting a new blog to house our competitions and link to it here - we will release the details of the story when we publish our stories.
they may be finished by the weeks end +/- 2 days.
'till then
Sam
we are engaging ourselves in short story battles. Everyweek we will decide on a topic and we have a week to have a finished story or there will be reprocussions which we haven't decided on (somthing that make us look as stupid as possible will be suitable)
Anyway, the first topic we have decided on is magic based.
i will be starting a new blog to house our competitions and link to it here - we will release the details of the story when we publish our stories.
they may be finished by the weeks end +/- 2 days.
'till then
Sam
Wednesday 11 March 2009
How to survive in post viral apocalypse.
... That has left everyone but you dead. I wrote this for my little brother last night, he was given the task for basically writing an 'I am Legend' survival guide, I think I did a good job. Without much more from me, here it is.
How I survived
First of all one must question ‘Why write such a guide?’ No one is alive but me, at least as far as I know. Probability tells me, if there is one survivor there will be others – what can I do though? Search far and wide for another lost soul? Hoping I come across another who will be happy to see me, who will have enough resources so that I won’t be a drain on his/her supplies, that we can mate and continue human existence on this god forsaken rock? That’s a lot to base on a chance encounter – My heart tells me if I leave the life I have built myself I will not come back; Run out of fuel on the search, run out of food or water who knows what problems I will encounter on my journey.
I’m scared to as well, I’ve become acclimatized to my life here. I’ve been so long without human contact I don’t think I could manage to go back. I feel my fear drives my pessimism, maybe if I left I would find out there are survivors outside the radius I scouted. I’ve seen enough death to last me a life time though, the prospect of a bustling city isn’t worth inflicting that on myself again.
You might be starting to think, ‘What does all this have to do with a short survival guide?’
Everything, humans in essence are a two state being – we can be separated up into two fundamental components: 1) The body, mortal flesh and blood 2) The mind, Immortal spirit and soul.
They go hand in hand together as I have discovered, you need food and water to keep your body alive but if you mind is destroyed what was it for? That is one of the reasons I am writing this - to keep my mind active. I don’t think my writings will ever be discovered but I think it is human nature to do so, I have a story to tell and I shall tell it. Like the ancient Egyptian’s, recording history in hieroglyphics on the walls of tombs I shall record my history. If my body is ever discovered, a story can be put to my bones. You shall know of what I went through, that I am not just another to die from the virus. You shall know how I survived.
To write this guide I will separate the vague term of survival up into separate sections to cover the basics of what to do after finding yourself in my situation.
Part 1 – Water
Water is the essential building block of life, some ‘scientists’ will tell you we are carbon based life forms, but water is the essential component for human life. You need to get water reserves prepared so you have enough to travel to your optimum living location i will talk about optimum living location more in the self sufficiency section. As i said earlier water is the essential component for life, therefore it is the essential component for survival. You have to have a supply of water now and a future supply. Tap water is not suitable as no one is manning the water control and cleaning.
Sourcing: This is vital for survival, you need to find a suitable water supply that will not dry up during summer and is as clean as possible. Look for a reservoir, lake or river. Fast flowing water will be free of parasites; water filtered through mud and earth is good for removing parasites and getting clean water.
Of course, water should always be personally purified to prevent catching waterborne disease or parasites – scavenging for purification systems and tablets is a lot easier than having to find drugs to cure disease, infection or rid you of parasites. Most hardware, outdoor, supermarkets will have some form of water purification tools - Tablets, chemicals or contraptions.
It’s up to you how you supply your water to your home e.g. make siphon based pipe system, use a powered pump system, carry it or make a well – Do what will make living easiest and will work with your chosen purification system.
Part 2 - Food
Your water situation is sorted, but of course you need to eat. Humans are said to be hunter scavenger animals. That is a hard life; if you’re not hunting or scavenging you have no food apart from stored reserves it is also a lot of work with small yield.
What is the solution then?
Farm - as a species we have developed a lot of knowledge through trial and error on farming food – Grain, fruit, vegetables and livestock.
Animals seem to be unaffected mainly from the virus that has destroyed our species; hunting is a fun activity that is good for mind and body. Scavenging guns and ammunition is vital for survival, setting snares for small animals is also good for catching food, remembering where you places your snares can be hard though and they need to be checked daily.
Farming vegetables such as potato is a very stable and bountiful form of food. Staggering your planting will result in harvests throughout the year ensuring a steady supply of food providing they don’t suffer disease.
Livestock - your livestock will need to be kept away from your plants. Making a wooden fence is a few days work but well worth it and requiring not much else apart from wood, a sledge hammer, nails and a claw hammer. To keep small game out such as rabbits which are a pest affix wire mesh to the bottom part of the fence, make sure there are no gaps a rabbit can get underneath – it is good to check your fence to check for breaches, if you find one – place a snare to catch the rabbit when it goes through again. Of course with a gun you can keep the population under control and have fun doing so.
Livestock can be enclosed or free to roam, large livestock such as sheep or cattle can be taken from farms by using transport vehicles – it can be a lot of work but the end justifies the means.
Have enough livestock to meet your own means and then some, there is benefit to keeping 50 cattle if 10 is enough.
Have a clear idea of your plan of action regarding the animals, are you keeping them for their produce: eggs, milk, wool. Or are you raising to kill for meat?
To conclude this section make sure you have scavenged reserves from supermarkets – sealed food that will last years. Make sure you stock up on items such as salt, herbs, spices, honey and vinegar. Basically anything that will come in useful and make life easier, stock up.
Part 3 – Shelter
Shelter is the third essential component for survival. You can’t expect the weather to be good every day, bad days will come and you will need to be suitably sheltered from it. Without shelter at best you will be cold and uncomfortable at worst you will die from exposure.
You will need to be sheltered from wind, rain and cold.
There are a few ways to do this the easiest way would be scavenging a mobile home and moving it to location. Check yellow pages for businesses selling construct on site log cabins, caravans, campervans etc.
These are instant shelters of course you could use this as temporary shelter while you build our own, scavenging wood and resources from timber sites, construction shops etc. Building your own home is a good activity and very rewarding. It takes time and involves using your mind and body.
Part 4 – Self Sufficiency
Self sufficiency is very important if you are to survive, food from supermarkets will only last x number of years before becoming unsuitable.
Use this food as emergency and luxury; do not depend on it once you have established yourself in your new life. Once you are farming and hunting you should leave store food for emergencies or luxury. Learning to farm and hunt efficiently is essential – when the shops run out of food you will be forced to farm regardless of your knowledge and experience.
Make sure all your needs are being met by yourself and you are in control.
Part 5 – Moral
The shock and despair of my situation almost destroyed me. After seeing, my family... everyone, dead - I almost gave up, curled up and waited for deaths arms to embrace me. I fought it though, I decided not to quit, not to give up – I decided to live. Death seemed the nice, easier option but I decided to take control of my own fate.
That was the most important component to survival, I choose to live.
You have to keep your moral positive, give yourself small daily tasks and duties with no real repercussions should you fail. When you give up in your heart you have failed.
Part 6 - Mind
Being alone has survival challenges of it’s own. Talk and sing – keep your voice active and your language in your mind, years of silence will take it’s toll.
Keeping your brain active will save you, you have to engage yourself in thought - do puzzles, work on projects, read and write, sing etc
Music is a good way to engage your brain in creative activity, find an instrument that takes your fancy and learn to play, play and write songs.
Don’t let your brain die, this goes hand in hand with moral.
Part 7 – Energy needs
Electricity changed the way we as a race lived there are ways to easily supply yourself with electricity to give yourself lighting, heating and luxuries.
Solar – Solar panels are not efficient but if you are in an area of high sunlight then they will be useful.
Wind turbine – as long as you are in a reasonably windy/breezy area this is your best bet.
Combining the two is optional, the more you set up, the more energy you generate either to use directly or to store in batteries.
Fuel generators are reliable and supply steady electricity but you will have to use valuable fuel to power them, scavenging fuel is essential especially early on before you settle in. Fuel transport tankers contain a lot of fuel which should support all needs you will encounter.
Essential reasons for generating electricity: Light, heating, freezing, refrigerating, entertainment, radio and electronic use, aid for loneliness (videos or music)
Part 8 – living
Surviving is one thing but living is a different matter, you must build your life to be as comfortable and as enjoyable as possible. Keep your mind and body active. Engage yourself in hobbies and activities and make the most of them, record what you have done and found out in a diary or log book. For activities and hobbies raiding shops is the best way to go about it – take a collection of books from libraries and book shops on topics that interest you. Take all the supplies you will need for projects e.g. electronic components, pens/pencils, paper, binoculars, telescopes, music, guns, ammo, clothing, material etc
You have established life in a location that is suitable to see your life out in – make it easy for yourself, a lot of work early on will pay off in later years.
Part 9 – What now?
Live, you have chosen to live instead of give up.
The main addition is to build a radio transmitter and transmit a signal – broadcast a message stating: you are alive; you know of no other survivors, tell them where to meet you.
Do not give your exact location; give them a location that keeps your home a secret. Use a telescope instead of having to travel long distances.
Keep yourself active and positive.
If anyone finds this you will know how I survived as I based this on myself. I scavenged, hunted and farmed. If you find this alongside my remains I’ll tell you a little about myself – I am the lone survivor of a biological/chemical/viral attack. I don’t know why I survived or as I said at the start if I am actually the only survivor that fact I’m writing this is proof I don’t think I am. I was a city liver, I wake one day to find my family, friends and everyone in the 10 closest cities dead. After I overcame my initial despair I set out to check the scale of the situation and look for survivors. I found a minibus, loaded it up with food and fuel got a map and set out my route. I decided to check the closest cities – I found non alive.
I moved to the countryside, 30 miles away from the nearest city fertile land with a good water supply, woodland and sheltered. Here I remain after 5 years – no sign of life, everyday I scan radio channels and here nothing but white noise.
How I survived
First of all one must question ‘Why write such a guide?’ No one is alive but me, at least as far as I know. Probability tells me, if there is one survivor there will be others – what can I do though? Search far and wide for another lost soul? Hoping I come across another who will be happy to see me, who will have enough resources so that I won’t be a drain on his/her supplies, that we can mate and continue human existence on this god forsaken rock? That’s a lot to base on a chance encounter – My heart tells me if I leave the life I have built myself I will not come back; Run out of fuel on the search, run out of food or water who knows what problems I will encounter on my journey.
I’m scared to as well, I’ve become acclimatized to my life here. I’ve been so long without human contact I don’t think I could manage to go back. I feel my fear drives my pessimism, maybe if I left I would find out there are survivors outside the radius I scouted. I’ve seen enough death to last me a life time though, the prospect of a bustling city isn’t worth inflicting that on myself again.
You might be starting to think, ‘What does all this have to do with a short survival guide?’
Everything, humans in essence are a two state being – we can be separated up into two fundamental components: 1) The body, mortal flesh and blood 2) The mind, Immortal spirit and soul.
They go hand in hand together as I have discovered, you need food and water to keep your body alive but if you mind is destroyed what was it for? That is one of the reasons I am writing this - to keep my mind active. I don’t think my writings will ever be discovered but I think it is human nature to do so, I have a story to tell and I shall tell it. Like the ancient Egyptian’s, recording history in hieroglyphics on the walls of tombs I shall record my history. If my body is ever discovered, a story can be put to my bones. You shall know of what I went through, that I am not just another to die from the virus. You shall know how I survived.
To write this guide I will separate the vague term of survival up into separate sections to cover the basics of what to do after finding yourself in my situation.
Part 1 – Water
Water is the essential building block of life, some ‘scientists’ will tell you we are carbon based life forms, but water is the essential component for human life. You need to get water reserves prepared so you have enough to travel to your optimum living location i will talk about optimum living location more in the self sufficiency section. As i said earlier water is the essential component for life, therefore it is the essential component for survival. You have to have a supply of water now and a future supply. Tap water is not suitable as no one is manning the water control and cleaning.
Sourcing: This is vital for survival, you need to find a suitable water supply that will not dry up during summer and is as clean as possible. Look for a reservoir, lake or river. Fast flowing water will be free of parasites; water filtered through mud and earth is good for removing parasites and getting clean water.
Of course, water should always be personally purified to prevent catching waterborne disease or parasites – scavenging for purification systems and tablets is a lot easier than having to find drugs to cure disease, infection or rid you of parasites. Most hardware, outdoor, supermarkets will have some form of water purification tools - Tablets, chemicals or contraptions.
It’s up to you how you supply your water to your home e.g. make siphon based pipe system, use a powered pump system, carry it or make a well – Do what will make living easiest and will work with your chosen purification system.
Part 2 - Food
Your water situation is sorted, but of course you need to eat. Humans are said to be hunter scavenger animals. That is a hard life; if you’re not hunting or scavenging you have no food apart from stored reserves it is also a lot of work with small yield.
What is the solution then?
Farm - as a species we have developed a lot of knowledge through trial and error on farming food – Grain, fruit, vegetables and livestock.
Animals seem to be unaffected mainly from the virus that has destroyed our species; hunting is a fun activity that is good for mind and body. Scavenging guns and ammunition is vital for survival, setting snares for small animals is also good for catching food, remembering where you places your snares can be hard though and they need to be checked daily.
Farming vegetables such as potato is a very stable and bountiful form of food. Staggering your planting will result in harvests throughout the year ensuring a steady supply of food providing they don’t suffer disease.
Livestock - your livestock will need to be kept away from your plants. Making a wooden fence is a few days work but well worth it and requiring not much else apart from wood, a sledge hammer, nails and a claw hammer. To keep small game out such as rabbits which are a pest affix wire mesh to the bottom part of the fence, make sure there are no gaps a rabbit can get underneath – it is good to check your fence to check for breaches, if you find one – place a snare to catch the rabbit when it goes through again. Of course with a gun you can keep the population under control and have fun doing so.
Livestock can be enclosed or free to roam, large livestock such as sheep or cattle can be taken from farms by using transport vehicles – it can be a lot of work but the end justifies the means.
Have enough livestock to meet your own means and then some, there is benefit to keeping 50 cattle if 10 is enough.
Have a clear idea of your plan of action regarding the animals, are you keeping them for their produce: eggs, milk, wool. Or are you raising to kill for meat?
To conclude this section make sure you have scavenged reserves from supermarkets – sealed food that will last years. Make sure you stock up on items such as salt, herbs, spices, honey and vinegar. Basically anything that will come in useful and make life easier, stock up.
Part 3 – Shelter
Shelter is the third essential component for survival. You can’t expect the weather to be good every day, bad days will come and you will need to be suitably sheltered from it. Without shelter at best you will be cold and uncomfortable at worst you will die from exposure.
You will need to be sheltered from wind, rain and cold.
There are a few ways to do this the easiest way would be scavenging a mobile home and moving it to location. Check yellow pages for businesses selling construct on site log cabins, caravans, campervans etc.
These are instant shelters of course you could use this as temporary shelter while you build our own, scavenging wood and resources from timber sites, construction shops etc. Building your own home is a good activity and very rewarding. It takes time and involves using your mind and body.
Part 4 – Self Sufficiency
Self sufficiency is very important if you are to survive, food from supermarkets will only last x number of years before becoming unsuitable.
Use this food as emergency and luxury; do not depend on it once you have established yourself in your new life. Once you are farming and hunting you should leave store food for emergencies or luxury. Learning to farm and hunt efficiently is essential – when the shops run out of food you will be forced to farm regardless of your knowledge and experience.
Make sure all your needs are being met by yourself and you are in control.
Part 5 – Moral
The shock and despair of my situation almost destroyed me. After seeing, my family... everyone, dead - I almost gave up, curled up and waited for deaths arms to embrace me. I fought it though, I decided not to quit, not to give up – I decided to live. Death seemed the nice, easier option but I decided to take control of my own fate.
That was the most important component to survival, I choose to live.
You have to keep your moral positive, give yourself small daily tasks and duties with no real repercussions should you fail. When you give up in your heart you have failed.
Part 6 - Mind
Being alone has survival challenges of it’s own. Talk and sing – keep your voice active and your language in your mind, years of silence will take it’s toll.
Keeping your brain active will save you, you have to engage yourself in thought - do puzzles, work on projects, read and write, sing etc
Music is a good way to engage your brain in creative activity, find an instrument that takes your fancy and learn to play, play and write songs.
Don’t let your brain die, this goes hand in hand with moral.
Part 7 – Energy needs
Electricity changed the way we as a race lived there are ways to easily supply yourself with electricity to give yourself lighting, heating and luxuries.
Solar – Solar panels are not efficient but if you are in an area of high sunlight then they will be useful.
Wind turbine – as long as you are in a reasonably windy/breezy area this is your best bet.
Combining the two is optional, the more you set up, the more energy you generate either to use directly or to store in batteries.
Fuel generators are reliable and supply steady electricity but you will have to use valuable fuel to power them, scavenging fuel is essential especially early on before you settle in. Fuel transport tankers contain a lot of fuel which should support all needs you will encounter.
Essential reasons for generating electricity: Light, heating, freezing, refrigerating, entertainment, radio and electronic use, aid for loneliness (videos or music)
Part 8 – living
Surviving is one thing but living is a different matter, you must build your life to be as comfortable and as enjoyable as possible. Keep your mind and body active. Engage yourself in hobbies and activities and make the most of them, record what you have done and found out in a diary or log book. For activities and hobbies raiding shops is the best way to go about it – take a collection of books from libraries and book shops on topics that interest you. Take all the supplies you will need for projects e.g. electronic components, pens/pencils, paper, binoculars, telescopes, music, guns, ammo, clothing, material etc
You have established life in a location that is suitable to see your life out in – make it easy for yourself, a lot of work early on will pay off in later years.
Part 9 – What now?
Live, you have chosen to live instead of give up.
The main addition is to build a radio transmitter and transmit a signal – broadcast a message stating: you are alive; you know of no other survivors, tell them where to meet you.
Do not give your exact location; give them a location that keeps your home a secret. Use a telescope instead of having to travel long distances.
Keep yourself active and positive.
If anyone finds this you will know how I survived as I based this on myself. I scavenged, hunted and farmed. If you find this alongside my remains I’ll tell you a little about myself – I am the lone survivor of a biological/chemical/viral attack. I don’t know why I survived or as I said at the start if I am actually the only survivor that fact I’m writing this is proof I don’t think I am. I was a city liver, I wake one day to find my family, friends and everyone in the 10 closest cities dead. After I overcame my initial despair I set out to check the scale of the situation and look for survivors. I found a minibus, loaded it up with food and fuel got a map and set out my route. I decided to check the closest cities – I found non alive.
I moved to the countryside, 30 miles away from the nearest city fertile land with a good water supply, woodland and sheltered. Here I remain after 5 years – no sign of life, everyday I scan radio channels and here nothing but white noise.
Sunday 8 March 2009
UFO Sighting #2
08 March 2009
My second strange atmospheric occurrence.
This evening i was walking back home from my good friend James' with my little brother Adam. Walking along the hilly road we reach the summit of the last hill - suddenly there is a blinding white flash emanating from a single point and lasting a fraction of a second.
I instantly thought it was lightening but there where no forks which left me a little baffled, the spark and flash i am 100% sure came from directly in front of me, i saw the flash like traditional lightening - it did not seem that far away from us.
My immediate conclusion was that the lightening must have just dissipated into the clouds, i have seen this happen only once when my family where on holiday in Florida. This was similar in no way to what i saw today - my prior experience was a magnificent sight with lighting arching across the sky like it was alive. This was definitely a single flash.
The final reason i am suspicious is because there was no sound, no thunder - I'm no expect but it is my knowledge that the static discharge of lighting produces a sound just like any electric spark produces a sound.
Tonight was a quiet night for a walk home, the patter of light rain with little to no wind - i would have heard thunder if it was there.
Now, to sum up my two concluding theories - the first is my logical and my second is my crackpot theorist UFO conclusion (which i like)
1) a very small discharge of electricity, not enough to create forks but enough to create a flash and dissipate without forking. Due to the discharge being small the thunder wasn't loud enough to reach me as i was too far away to hear it.
2) the flash of light was due to a UFO when it broke the light barrier - i have no idea what breaking the light barrier would look or be like but based on the fact that breaking the sound barrier produces a sonic boom (loud noise) i think it's perfectly logical to translate that to the light barrier.
sound barrier breach = burst of sound
light barrier breach = burst of light
Thoughts, ideas and speculation welcome
Thanks
Sam
additional notes:
Cloud-cloud lightening, referred to as 'Anvil Crawler' which i referred to in my small article. you can see the flash and lack of forks leading to ground - perhaps a cloud-cloud lightening flash without forks because of low charge?
My second strange atmospheric occurrence.
This evening i was walking back home from my good friend James' with my little brother Adam. Walking along the hilly road we reach the summit of the last hill - suddenly there is a blinding white flash emanating from a single point and lasting a fraction of a second.
I instantly thought it was lightening but there where no forks which left me a little baffled, the spark and flash i am 100% sure came from directly in front of me, i saw the flash like traditional lightening - it did not seem that far away from us.
My immediate conclusion was that the lightening must have just dissipated into the clouds, i have seen this happen only once when my family where on holiday in Florida. This was similar in no way to what i saw today - my prior experience was a magnificent sight with lighting arching across the sky like it was alive. This was definitely a single flash.
The final reason i am suspicious is because there was no sound, no thunder - I'm no expect but it is my knowledge that the static discharge of lighting produces a sound just like any electric spark produces a sound.
Tonight was a quiet night for a walk home, the patter of light rain with little to no wind - i would have heard thunder if it was there.
Now, to sum up my two concluding theories - the first is my logical and my second is my crackpot theorist UFO conclusion (which i like)
1) a very small discharge of electricity, not enough to create forks but enough to create a flash and dissipate without forking. Due to the discharge being small the thunder wasn't loud enough to reach me as i was too far away to hear it.
2) the flash of light was due to a UFO when it broke the light barrier - i have no idea what breaking the light barrier would look or be like but based on the fact that breaking the sound barrier produces a sonic boom (loud noise) i think it's perfectly logical to translate that to the light barrier.
sound barrier breach = burst of sound
light barrier breach = burst of light
Thoughts, ideas and speculation welcome
Thanks
Sam
additional notes:
Cloud-cloud lightening, referred to as 'Anvil Crawler' which i referred to in my small article. you can see the flash and lack of forks leading to ground - perhaps a cloud-cloud lightening flash without forks because of low charge?
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