Month: September 2024

Appalachia And Helping Via Charities

The best part of my childhood was spent in NE Georgia in the Appalachian mountains. In fact, it was spent about ten miles outside of the nearest town, which literally had one intersection. I loved when we took a few days, or even a week, to travel up and around, and as such I got to know a lot of small towns which are now in the news.

I do think we went to Biltmore Estates once, but the really neat stuff was elsewhere. It was in the small towns like Chimney Rock, the various falls, mills,forges, pottery places, and such. The towns and places that aren’t there any more.

I’ve seen a lot of posts from people I’ve been told I need to check out, follow, etc. doing engagement farming while slamming the people of the region for not being prepared, prepared enough, prepared with the shit they are selling. Bad enough they are doing that, but engagement farming off of tragedy deserves a sock party at the least. I’m going to stop now before I say more than I should and have to go to confession for it. Suffice it to say, several I will never follow, cite, of share now.

First up, understand the geology of the area. Appalachia is old, old mountains. The Rockies are babes in comparison. The soil is clay or near clay down, with areas of more decent soil as overlay. While there is some very good rock there, there is also a lot of what I was told was schist, that I and others removed a couple of letters from to describe it as it was useless for building or much of anything else.

It is crumbly, and while great for finding low-grade garnets (you might get lucky every now and then on something better) and such, it did not make a good foundation and you really didn’t want to use it for walls or anything else. Load bearing it was not.

There are ridges and valleys, and various pocket “hollers” that could be ovals, could be round, or an odd shape, but were carved out of the ridges. My memories are not what I would like (stupid lightning) but in a lot of the area the ridges run north-south, which makes moving east-west most interesting. Key thing to keep in mind, is that the valleys are usually the best place to build in terms of soil, foundation, etc. They also almost all have a creek, stream, or river flowing in them.

Also, the “hollers” tend to all have an effective bowl shape, and again a stream or such flows out of them. Usually spring fed, but augmented by water that flows down the bowl above or below ground. These feed into those streams in the valleys.

Now, keep in mind the soil conditions. While there is good rock, it is often deep in the valleys, and where it is well above ground you are up on top of the ridges where putting in wells, septic, and other delights is interesting. In other words, it really isn’t ideal on which to build. Or even build into for a number of reasons. So, you have clay/effective clay overlaid by other soil.

So, yes, you do get flooding and the locals (who are not stupid no matter how corporate media and hollyweird portray them) have built above such normal flood plains. Even old mills (and modern tourist hotels) are built 10-20 feet above most streams and such. Again, they were not and are not stupid no matter what you read/hear/see.

Now, interesting historical fact. Rabun County Georgia used to get more rain than almost any other county in the COUNTRY on average except for one county out in Washington State (if I remember correctly), and as such they were used to dealing with water.

To bring things up to date, most places in Appalachia were told to expect five or so inches of rain, winds, etc. What they got was in some cases 20 or more reported inches of rain. In less time than given for the five inches. Rain that both ran off and penetrated the surface layer of soil. What happened to that which penetrated you ask?

Well, it hits the clay/clay-like soil and begins to run off below. This results in mudslides and in water making it’s way down from the top of the ridges over DAYS to add to the flooding. That’s what is happening now. It’s why we still have flooding in areas, slides, and more.

To make things even more fun, in this part of the country you do have paved roads, highways, and more. You also have a lot of dirt “unimproved” roads that may be one car wide, or they may not. I learned to drive on those roads, and let me tell you it is fun. Especially when you meet another vehicle and one of you has to back up to a spot where you can get by each other. Those roads are not wide, they are not designed for this weather, and they are not designed for heavy loads. You really don’t want to know about the “bridges” on them. Yet, they are probably the only way into or out of many areas right now.

What happened isn’t a hundred year flood. It’s much more on a thousand year flood. Perfect storm, lots if immediate rain, storm stalled out and dumping more over several days on top of the initial. None of the plans or systems were designed for this, and something like this was not even considered in worst-case planning.

Now, add to it that few communities put any thought into backup communications. Most LE went to data systems rather than point-to-point systems of old. They are great, efficient, and modern just like the big city — and almost useless when the power goes out and it hits the fan. Repeat after me: centralization is bad as it creates a single point of failure. When you don’t have a backup, don’t have portable cell systems to deploy, don’t have point-to-point as a backup, don’t really have anything as a backup, and you have screwed the pooch for disaster preparedness planning. This is something I am seeing/hearing out of multiple communities.

Nothing will prepare you for having your entire town wiped out, and few will have what it takes to put in an emergency command post away from town with backup coms. Even as a radio and some gear in someone’s garage up on the side of the ridge. That’s foolish don’t you know. If I sound a bit bitter, it’s something I’ve seen everywhere. Keep in mind, politicians overruled the DP folks in NYC and put the emergency command post in the basement of the World Trade Center complex. This has played out in almost every jurisdiction in the U.S. and few have spent the time and even limited dollars to set something up in an existing space without rent even. Because it is not needed, until it is.

Leaving aside that, it doesn’t matter if you have food, generator, and more if a thousand-year disaster washes your house away. That’s when you need advance warning (something lacking in most of the area effected) and a good bug-out plan. There is nothing else you as an individual can do in those circumstances. The people hectoring you for not being prepared enough are full of it. When they do hector you, feel free to drop kick their nuts between their ears and move on.

Now, I have heard of/from some who got hit, but came out okay because of preparedness. Links to these good people later. They have valuable lessons to share that we ALL need to heed.

For now, these folks need help and they sure are NOT getting it from the Government. So, my recommendations are not to give to anything government at any level, the Red Cross, or Catholic Charities. Here are a few I have heard good things about or know some good about.

People on the ground are telling me Samaritin’s Purse is a great choice. Haven’t dealt with them before, but excellent recommendations and word is they are in there, doing, and not taking names.

Operation Air-Drop is another I’m hearing good things about. With roads out like they are, air drop and air mobile are the way to go. If you hear of anyone with a chopper who is getting stuff in, sing out and let’s get them some support. The government isn’t stepping up and I’ve heard, unconfirmed, that the FAA has been stepping on efforts to get private choppers in when they are most needed. Let’s do what we can to support such.

The Cajun Navy has been boots on the ground since Saturday (if not before). Good group and didn’t wait for the government to say go. More on that in a bit.

If you know of a Menonnite group involved, they do a lot of good work. Again, they go in and do no matter what, which pisses off the feds — which makes me think highly of them.

Why my ire towards the feds? Long-time readers know I’ve been through all the classes for being an On Scene Commander and have done a bit beyond that with disaster preparedness. Understand that the government hates anyone and anything that self-deploys and starts helping — even if FEMA and others have not responded (as is the case here). Initiative is NOT allowed, and FEMA and others are known to hammer flat any charity that does so. If you do so, you will never work in this town/with FEMA again. Period dot.

Since FEMA has not stood up for this, and the Feds are sitting on a huge mountain of aid (let’s not even count the military aid at Bragg and elsewhere in the form of field kitchens, tents, graves registration, and other things much much needed), I have no sympathy for them. In fact, if anyone around here has a couple of old deuce-and-a-halfs and wants to load them up with supplies (food, water, supplies, chain saws, other delights) and is willing to take on some of those unimproved roads, I’m betting I can find us a way in to some of the worst hit and underserved areas. Won’t be safe, fun, or easy, but we can do it.

Meantime, support those who are doing the work (and are likely to be hammered by the Feds for so doing). If you are in the area and need help, sing out and I will do what I can to get the info to those who can help. If you know others in the area who need help, same applies. I’m going to look at what I can do, including sending some of my supplies.

Those are my people, and that is my childhood floating away on the flood. I just wish there was more I could do.

Sitrep 30 Sept. 24

Sorry to be offline, but things are a touch hectic. Was under the weather last week (and a bit longer) but also still trying to get things done. This week and next are going to be busy.

Finally got the new neurology consult I wanted and it is off to a better start than I had anticipated. Met with the neurologist this morning, good first visit. She has ordered the testing I had hoped for, and it starts tomorrow. So, I get to go visit the ortho for what I hope is the final time in regards the shoulders, then go back up to the neurologist’s office for some cognitive testing. Hoping it’s not pass/fail (grin). I also get to get a new MRI, EEG, and a day’s worth of neuropsych testing here soon. Waiting now on insurance to approve and scheduling for two tests, which means I get to keep the whole month of October open for now.

Wednesday is booked for disability. I’m not optimistic about it, but at this point I have no faith in the system at all. I really do think they hope you die before it is granted and drag it out as long as possible to make that happen.

Thursday I have to get down to the primary doctor’s lab for fasting blood work, which is going to be a long bus ride (est. 2+ hours) down. Joy.

Friday is open but at this point I would be surprised if it stayed that way. Next Monday I get to go visit the GP for my six month, waiting to see what other shoes drop. Waiting to see what else happens next week.

Reminder: if you are in Indy and need a neurologist, I can tell you who NOT to get. Hoping I may have one to recommend here soon. Will see.

Paid the hosting for another year, any hits to the tip jar very much appreciated.

There was more I was going to say, but my mind just went blank. So, maybe another post later. More soon.

Getting hit by lightning is not fun! If you would like to help me in my recovery efforts, which include moving once we have medical issues cleared up, feel free to hit the fundraiser at A New Life on GiveSendGo, use the options in the Tip Jar in the upper right, or drop me a line to discuss other methods. There is also the Amazon Wish List in the Bard’s Jar. It is thanks to your gifts and prayers that I am still going. Thank you.

Hurricane Thoughts And Preparedness Deficiencies

First, please pray and do what you can for all those affected by the recent hurricane. These scenes from Florida are horrific with islands and even sections inland razed flat. Lots of damage there and north, and my relatives in Georgia say they were spared the worst when the storm jogged east. I know the area around Asheville somewhat, having spend some time in the area. What has happened there is devastating, to be polite.

We were supposed to get worse than we did, but again that jog east spared Indianapolis. We got rain and winds, with gusts staying around 50 mph part of the day, but getting up towards 79 mph later. We lost power last night, and it was out for an hour or two. Not sure as I made the sensible decision (IMO) to go to bed early, after reading by lantern for a bit. When the power came back on, woke up enough to cut off the light and go back to sleep. Have heard that up to 50k were without power around here at one point.

This morning, the power went out again. I used my chef’s stove to heat coffee for the housemate. Brought up another camping lantern to the kitchen, and was getting set to cook English Muffins when the power came back on. Been warned it may go out again a time or two today. Bread is baked and the English muffins are cooked.

The only thing I couldn’t do while the power was out was bake bread. Am starting to look at portable propane ovens as I want something I can use to bake bread and other delights when camping or for emergencies. Want something that can hit and hold 500 degrees, and hold one of my enameled cast iron dutch ovens. If it can do that, it can handle anything else needed. If anyone has any suggestions, sound out in the comments!

Oh, and if it can hook up to a 20lb propane tank, all the better.

Even if you are not in the ESTIMATED path of a storm, be prepared. Florida had warning and it paid off in terms of lives. I expect to see the death toll go up, not so much in Georgia, but in North Carolina and Tennessee as most hit were not expecting it and had little to no time to bug out. Always a good idea to have a “right now” bag ready to go.

Stay safe! Remember, be prepared, be safe, keep your friends close, and your things where you can find them in the dark.

Getting hit by lightning is not fun! If you would like to help me in my recovery efforts, which include moving once we have medical issues cleared up, feel free to hit the fundraiser at A New Life on GiveSendGo, use the options in the Tip Jar in the upper right, or drop me a line to discuss other methods. There is also the Amazon Wish List in the Bard’s Jar. It is thanks to your gifts and prayers that I am still going. Thank you.

Thank You!

I want to thank two people who recently hit the Amazon Wish List! One kind person sent me some supplements, and while I did get the name I can’t find a way to send an e-mail thank you. Another kind person sent me a waterBOB and the solar showers, but no name was included. Thank you very much! I highly recommend the waterBOBs as a great way to store potable water in bath tubs.

Thank you so very much for your kindness! Know that you and your gifts are very much appreciated. Thank you!

I’m Not Quite

To the point that Instapundit seems to be, but I’m close. And not just on Russian systems and nuclear devices — our own are in a rather parlous state. Nor is my take on Russia just because of the latest launch test failure.

There is a lot I don’t share here either because I can’t confirm it or because while there may be some confirmation I’m having a hard time believing it. This includes internal politics and intrigue in the Kremlin, and in Russia in general. It doesn’t include the sad state of Russia’s much vaunted stockpiles, as that information has been confirmed in every way possible short of personal physical inspection. And while I wouldn’t mind so doing, I do suspect Vladimir and a few others might object to my so doing.

However, it does include Russia’s special weapons and launch systems. And our own. In both cases, launch tests have not gone to plan (cough), launch and other systems have had issues, and one has to wonder about maintenance — which special weapons require even above and beyond launch systems.

Give Russia credit: our “elite leadership” have us stuck with Minuteman systems and have shot down, shut down, or otherwise killed everything that could have replaced it. Russia is working to update it’s launch systems via the liquid-fueled SARMAT II (SATAN II) which we have discussed before. This Ronco missile (it slices, it dices, it can dance, it can sing, etc.) was supposed to replace previous systems. Five years ago. Still ain’t there. See previous discussions for more on it. Heck, there are rumors of a SATAN III in development, but given that SARMAT still isn’t up and running I’m inclined to put that down to marketing for now.

We’ve also talked a bit here before about nuclear weapons and such, and that they can have a bit of a delicate disposition. To be polite. Some of the comments on previous discussions have highlighted such, and come from people with firsthand knowledge.

Officially, I’m still in the twenty percent block; that is, I think as many as twenty percent of the launch systems (other than submarine launched missiles) may work, twenty percent of the warheads may work, etc. I am, however, starting to revise that down a bit. I really don’t want to find out if I’m right, but the smart money is on Russia (and ourselves) blustering but not risking. Now, insanity comes in the form of Iran and other newer members/soon-to-be members of the nuclear club as I think their efforts may well work as they have not been hobbled by test bans and the like. Not a happy making thought.

If anyone uses a weapon in the near future, and it works, betting it is the latter rather than Russia or ourselves.

By the way, if anyone has any info on if the 1,000 Chechen troops supporting Vladimir are still in Moscow at the hotel, please let me know. As I have noted more than once recently, there are some strange things going on in and around a certain red-brick structure.

Getting hit by lightning is not fun! If you would like to help me in my recovery efforts, which include moving once we have medical issues cleared up, feel free to hit the fundraiser at A New Life on GiveSendGo, use the options in the Tip Jar in the upper right, or drop me a line to discuss other methods. There is also the Amazon Wish List in the Bard’s Jar. It is thanks to your gifts and prayers that I am still going. Thank you.

Yet Another Quick Update

Things may be a bit sporadic this week and next. Still having sinus issues, but slowly getting that under control. On top of that, however, are medical, legal, and other appointments. Not to mention regular things, like my weekly guitar lessons, for which I thank you all very much!

Had an eye exam this morning and the eyes are physically healthy and the good news is that my far vision is about the same. Near vision, well, not so much. So, new glasses are ordered. Went with the free frames, but still having to shell out $250 for upgraded lenses. Didn’t go for the top lenses, but a middle/high-middle option that was best for progressive trifocals. Any help on those is very much appreciated, and thanks to two very kind people who have already jumped in.

Also, my thanks to a wonderful person who sent me something from my wish list! No contact info in the paperwork, but I do want to say thank you very much! If I can find an e-mail, you will be getting a proper thank you soon.

I also want to thank all those who have donated over the last month. Your kind gifts have made a big difference, and I very much appreciate you and your help!

Have to talk to a lawyer about a claim this afternoon, and later this week will be talking to a lawyer about assistance on how to deal with the person who bought my car not transferring the title. There’s something else on the calendar too, can’t remember what it is. On a more fun note, there are some extra services and even a class on the early days of the Church. Looking forward to that.

Next week includes the consult with the new neurologist, a follow-up with the ortho on the shoulders, a claim hearing, and maybe something else. Because of the consult, we are moving my guitar lesson to after I meet the ortho if weather and such permit. Doing Tuesday as my barber is going to be out for several weeks because of some eye surgery, please say a prayer for him if you can.

There is more to come, promise. Just going to be an interesting couple of weeks.

Getting hit by lightning is not fun! If you would like to help me in my recovery efforts, which include moving once we have medical issues cleared up, feel free to hit the fundraiser at A New Life on GiveSendGo, use the options in the Tip Jar in the upper right, or drop me a line to discuss other methods. There is also the Amazon Wish List in the Bard’s Jar. It is thanks to your gifts and prayers that I am still going. Thank you.

The Flip Side

Yesterday, I talked a bit about the Pagercide (and more) committed against Hezballess by parties unknown (cough) but widely suspected to be Israel. As I noted then, it was and is a masterstroke of an op and targeted against leadership with minimal chances of collateral damage. Brilliant. Pity they reportedly had to go early.

But, as I noted yesterday, it does raise a number of questions, many of which fall under the umbrella of ‘is it a good idea to buy products, especially critical products, from an open or potential enemy country?’ It is a very important question, and I’m old enough to remember when purchasing com gear from a NATO member who wasn’t always, er, in sync with NATO and it’s operations, generated a bit of conversation — some of it in public even.

Yet, a decade or three ago we began outsourcing a lot of our manufacturing, assembly, and other work to China and other countries that were potential enemies, somewhat open enemies, or former open enemies. Now, admittedly we have a thing about rebuilding former enemies and trying to turn them into our friends. Sometimes it works; sometimes it works for a few decades; and, sometimes it really doesn’t work no matter how much one or both sides try to paper over things. China is a case of where we tried to turn a potential/semi-open enemy into a friend and bring them out of communism in the process, and in my opinion at least it has been an abject failure on both counts.

Now, Cdr. Salamander and members of the naval brigade have been jumping up and down and pointing out that buying critical products, like port cranes and more, from China was a bad idea. They have been jumping up and down for a decade, if not longer, in fact. A number of others in non-naval roles have done the same for other products in other areas. I will simply note that when I’ve tried to point out that it is a bad idea derision is about the nicest response, and they go downhill from there. Lots of DC applecarts would be upset by recognizing reality. Heck, the CCP and Winnie the Pooh really don’t even bother to hide all the money (and other considerations) flowing into American politics and politicians, even into academia and other fields.

I’m less worried about explosives in devices as I would hope that despite the massive corruption and incompetence is our major institutions such would be discovered fairly quickly. That said, it is a possibility especially if you weren’t obvious about it. There are other things that I think are a far greater possibility that our elites and major institutions are furiously ignoring.

First up, intelligence gathering. Just for fun, go look at your phone, computer, the computers in your household appliances, the computers in your car, and other delights. How many of them are made in China? Other interesting countries? How about the major components such as chips? Where were they assembled?

Now, think about how easy it is for a company like, say, Apple to monitor what you do and have on your computer? Think they can’t and don’t? You haven’t read your terms of service, and unless you take steps that destroy a lot of functionality, they can, have, and will hoover a lot of info and can share it with LE and others quite legally. It is also not that hard to activate built-in cameras and microphones, both by the manufacturer and others who are up to no good. Most every computer security person I know has tape over their camera unless in use, and some have even installed switches to control microphones — even if they take a more ‘moderate’ approach in public comments. That says a lot.

Now, add in that if you have a smart home of any type, you’ve given permission to more than one entity to monitor everything said in your home. Ostensibly it is both to ensure commands are heard and to train the system to understand what you (and others) are saying so commands can be heard and heard correctly. How hard to you think it is for other parties to gain access to that info, openly or covertly? Especially if they make the hardware or the key components of same?

Now, take it a step further. How many of those large and important cargo cranes in our ports are made in the U.S. and how many of them are made in China? On the latter, who wrote the software and what is contained in all those lines of code? Chips are incredibly complex, are you sure you know what every part of every chip does? How many other critical products, including military products, use chips or other parts made overseas? Imagine if a data packet could be sent to tap something hidden in plain sight, and shut those products down? Or simply change a charging parameter so that your lithium battery overheats?

Years ago, a friend of mine named Bryan Gibson (sadly passed now, a very good artist) came up with a concept for a story where in a futuristic society terrorists attacked by simply changing tolerances in systems by one decimal place. Imagine if auto-avoidance or terrain-following systems suddenly went to feet (or more) instead of inches of tolerance in areas where inches counted? Don’t know that it ever got finished, but it is not only a quick way to create chaos, but to cause populations to lose faith and confidence in their systems. And, with a lot of fiction, it was a warning. One we have not heeded.

Just as an aside, if you are not aware, various Western government agencies often insist on backdoors for things like encryption, other software, and even systems and networks. Sure they get proper warrants to use it, really.

Heck of a thing when you have to start with the assumption your systems are compromised from the start. Even more fun is realizing how easy it would be for someone to turn them all off or otherwise manipulate them.

Imagine that things go hot with China. What would happen if a signal were sent, or a regular signal not received, and the port cranes quit or began to operate wildly? Same to systems in power plants and other critical infrastructure? Even down to your smart refrigerator and other appliances in your home?

It’s not that far fetched, and in fact it is a cold douche of reality that it can happen. We are conditioned in many respects to giving up privacy for the convenience of our smartphones and apps, which gleefully send information on our locations, purchases, purchasing habits, and more to those who use it and sell it. Not that hard for an enemy, foreign or domestic, to tap into those data streams. Not that hard for someone ill-intentioned to use our hardware and even software against us.

Leaving aside domestic considerations, it’s beyond foolish to allow open or potential enemies to supply critical infrastructure and systems. Civilian, military, it doesn’t matter. The opportunities for intel and for system denial in time of war or crisis are far greater than most realize or will admit.

Caveat Emptor.

Getting hit by lightning is not fun! If you would like to help me in my recovery efforts, which include moving once we have medical issues cleared up, feel free to hit the fundraiser at A New Life on GiveSendGo, use the options in the Tip Jar in the upper right, or drop me a line to discuss other methods. There is also the Amazon Wish List in the Bard’s Jar. It is thanks to your gifts and prayers that I am still going. Thank you.

Bravo!

Sorry for the lack of posting, been fighting a sinus infection and other smaller issues. Took some time to rest and heal a bit.

The operation by whomever (cough, Israel has not officially said it was them, cough) to take out Hezballess (HT Chris Loesch as apparent originator) operatives was masterful. On several levels even.

First, it was fairly precise targeting, which limited (nothing can eliminate the possibility of) “civilian” casualties. Limiting the explosive to one or two ounces helped guarantee limitation of collateral damage. Those who are screaming otherwise, and that it was against the rules of war, are both wrong and far more upset that their favored side was hurt and that the Jews dared defend themselves instead of just lining up for the slaughter. By their words and actions, they reveal who and what they are. Make notes.

Second, if they could intercept and do this to THOUSANDS of pagers, do you think they wouldn’t be able to also use those devices to track locations, monitor communications, and more? Months of data, and just the location data alone would have revealed locations and more. Where did they meet? With whom did they meet? Where did they go when things got hot? The so-called meta data on this is tremendous on its own. If they literally did get inside their coms and were reading the mail…

Third, most interesting that the Iranian ambassador to Lebanon had a Hezballess-issued pager. Not surprising in the least, but interesting. Even more interesting is that a rumor is making the rounds that the pagers were altered in Iran. For those that aren’t familiar with how things like this work, it is not likely that Hezballess placed a direct order with Gold Apollo for the pagers. Because of sanctions and other delights, there would have been cut-outs, middle-men, and such in play. Odds are good that various blinds and fronts were used by the IRGC to get them and have them shipped indirectly to Iran. From there, they would then go to Hezballess.

Now, think back to the recent assassination (that made the news) allegedly by Israel (who once again has not claimed credit) inside Iran. That one set a cat amongst the pigeons in Iran as members of the IRGC (and possibly others) were implicated. Nice little round of purges and accusations got going before being stomped out by Iran’s top leadership. Lots of hard feelings, suspicions, and upset at not being able to eliminate internal enemies (political) on the part of several it would seem. Now there is this. Openly or not, the cat is back amongst the pigeons and there is a good chance of all heck breaking loose. Let your enemies attack themselves is an ancient and honorable concept, and I think it just got played beautifully.

Fourth, if you think Israel wasn’t watching the hospitals and other locations to see who came in and when, and wasn’t monitoring local social media for news and IDs, I’ve got a bridge for sale… Again, no way for them to know in advance who all the members of Hezballess were. They do now, and can plot that against all the intel from the metadata and…

Oh, and as for those who are screaming about doctors having pagers too, note that only doctors (and other medical types) who were members of Hezballess were issued “augmented” pagers. No danger to honest medical types, only terrorists. See the above about those who are upset as their side was hurt and no Jews died. It applies to those making this argument too.

Fifth, whomever did this just took Hezballess pretty much offline. In many respects, not just temporarily. Lots of damage, including lost hands, fingers, etc. Those that raised up to look at the mesage (a la the Iranian ambassador) have eye damage if not permanently blinded. When you are talking several thousand injured simultaneously, you’ve taken major units (and potentially several thousand others) out and rendered them combat ineffective. If Israel gets lucky, some of those having to take command are not truly fit for such and are going to do stupid things. Stupid things always, ALWAYS, open doors for the enemy, and one presumes Israel is prepared to take full advantage of such openly and covertly.

If you also go in and hit some of the critical centers you’ve already identified, you can do a lot of de-fanging. Funny that I heard reports that Israel hit a number of targets in Southern Lebanon last night…

Also smart is that Israel (if they did it, cough) was smart enough not to tell the U.S. in advance. Good thing, as in hours after U.S. officials were allegedly briefed on the op that details were leaked to corporate media, who promptly spilled the beans. Leaks to hurt Israel were the rule (and specialty) of the Obama admin, so no surprise that such continues now. Cough. One hopes that such a briefing left out key details and may have even included daisy or two. That is, information that may be true (or not) but is not precise and is intended to send people down the wrong path. After all, it’s not the first time the current admin (cough) has done such to hurt Israel. Know your enemy and use them accordingly.

One more positive benefit out of the op is that right now, terrorists everywhere are looking at their coms and going “oh bleep.” I guarantee you some have ditched pagers and other items in panic. Why? What if it wasn’t just Hezballess that was targeted? Who do you think supplies coms to Hamass, Hooties, and others around the world? Also, if one country did this, what’s to say others have not and would not do this? What this has done is to create mass uncertainty and to emulate Hamass and go as much as possible to in person and courier communications. Which will slow things down and bring up yet other opportunities for infiltration and co-option. I mean they could go carrier pigeon, but with drones and/or the amount of explosive you can fit in or on a pigeon… Just sayin…

There are some other points but I’m going to skip them for now. Especially if this was not a one-off use-or-lose op. What I will say is BRAVO! and bow in respect to a mastercraft operation. Whoever did this, my hat is off to you.

UPDATE I: The next round has begun, with radios and other devices exploding across Lebanon. What I said two paragraphs above is now playing out in the open: no electronics are safe. Terrorists around the world are having to look at all coms, and even solar chargers, as compromised. When even your battery charger can explode, there is nothing you can trust. Also, you may find the first explosive charge, but what if there is a second, hidden/camouflaged charge in the device? I mean the children and grandchildren of Pride-of-Dupont have come a long way since it pretended to be paper orders after all. Remind me tomorrow to talk about other potential Christmas Gifts/Easter Eggs of which we need be concerned.

Getting hit by lightning is not fun! If you would like to help me in my recovery efforts, which include moving once we have medical issues cleared up, feel free to hit the fundraiser at A New Life on GiveSendGo, use the options in the Tip Jar in the upper right, or drop me a line to discuss other methods. There is also the Amazon Wish List in the Bard’s Jar. It is thanks to your gifts and prayers that I am still going. Thank you.

A Walk In Space

This morning, I got to watch two commercial astronauts take a walk in space using commercially developed EVA suits via a commercially designed and built spacecraft. I can’t tell you how amazing and important this is both technologically, socially, and economically.

I’ve already seen what I believe are some bad takes. Most revolve around ‘NASA did this years ago’ or ‘bunch of rich people doing rich people things’ and I think both are tremendously wrong. Let me tell you why.

Go back and look at what it took for NASA to develop the first EVA suits, then look at what it then took to develop the EVA suits used on ISS. Now, then look at how much it took to develop same and how many years it took. Now, if you want to have a little fun, look and see if any of the developments, materials, etc. are subject to patents.

You might be surprised on that score. Private companies that develop certain materials, products, etc. can and do patent them even if the work is either for or used by NASA. There is a fascinating story behind some specialty LEDs as just one example.

So, while it has been done, look at what Space X did in a relatively short period of time (at least by NASA timelines). They designed, developed, tested, and refined an EVA suit that could be used on this flight. What’s more, the spacewalk today was intended to test that suit and that’s what was done. Simple engineering test, but with profound impact as I will be willing to bet that the suit is further refined and upgraded by the end of the year.

In “traditional” space development, the process would likely involve a beltway bandit or two for analysis, design review, etc., then a new design, then a rather lengthy development process and in a year or three (or decade) there might be a new and very expensive EVA suit produced. If you really want to know what I think of the process, think Starliner from Woeing.

In fact, rather than years I bet Space X has a refined suit ready for further use and testing by early next year. That the next spacewalk is more ambitious and will once again not only allow things to be done now, but result in further refinements and upgrades. Rapid refinements and upgrades based on actual use testing. Just like what they are doing with launch.

While we are at it, take a look at the revolution Space X has already kicked off in spacesuit design. They look like spacesuits, they fit a wide variety of people, are comfortable and easy to use (according to reports from those who have used them), and it was all done relatively rapidly and economically. Now, compare and contrast to what NASA has done and the development cycle of same. Next step: look at the time and expense developing NASA’s modular EVA suit design, that only fits a limited range of body types (in practical terms), how long it took to develop, the cost of development, and the pace of refinement on same.

Just as Space X has changed the economics of launch, they are now on the path to change the economics (and ergonomics) of the USE of space. What do you want to bet that they have also already looked ahead at some specialty suits?

So, no, this morning was not something mankind has never done before. It’s more important and paradigm shattering than that. Just as they are revolutionizing launch, this is the first step in revolutionizing the use of space. Change and testing in weeks/months, not years or decades. This will also have the ability to reduce costs as well, which further opens up space and space resource exploration and exploitation. Have spacesuit, will travel.

Nor was this morning some rich man’s indulgence. It was an engineering test and proof of concept, that will help open up space to all. It is a major step towards that future Heinlein and others envisioned where average people could go and do rather than just an elite few. The elite few are making that future possible, yes. But what they did this morning opens the door to an affordable, effective, and non-government controlled access to space, and to living and working in same.

If the governments (including ours) don’t kill Elon and Space X over X and other politics, we have a future in space. We have reliable and increasingly economical launch capability. We have just demonstrated the ability to live and work in space. Next step, habitats. I’m going to skip Starlink (and Boring) for today, though it has a role in this as well.

Welcome to a potential great future. Pity so few people will notice it, or recognize what happened this morning for what it is. For those who do get it, hang on, the ride is going to get bumpy but if we and Space X survive, we are on track to truly become a spacefaring species.

D.D. Harriman, call your office.

(Mr. Musk to the white courtesy phone please. Mr. Musk to the white courtesy phone please)

Getting hit by lightning is not fun! If you would like to help me in my recovery efforts, which include moving once we have medical issues cleared up, feel free to hit the fundraiser at A New Life on GiveSendGo, use the options in the Tip Jar in the upper right, or drop me a line to discuss other methods. There is also the Amazon Wish List in the Bard’s Jar. It is thanks to your gifts and prayers that I am still going. Thank you.