The Top Seven Best Free Email Providers Online For 2018-And Beyond

The digital world that we live in right now is pretty much acquainted with Emails. In fact, Emails have become an essential component in our existence on this little world. Since their introduction during the early days of the Internet, Emails have evolved a lot and many more additional features are being introduced to suit the needs and demands of Internet users. There are tons of free Email service providers available online and selecting the best ones for your specific needs is essential.

All of these free Email Service providers grant their users with an Email address on their top-level domain and some storage space for holding your documents and attachments. While some of the tools might be pretty obvious and widely in use, there is also an other side to this where some fairly lesser known tools provide with features that demand the attention of Email users.

Best Free Email Providers Online

Here, we will be talking about the best free Email Service providers online ranging from the ubiquitous Google’s Gmail to other fairly lesser known tools. Whatever maybe your requirements, these are the best 7 Email Provider tools that you’d ever need.

1. Gmail

Google’s Gmail does not need an introduction of its own. This is by far the most widely used Email client, with over 900 Million registered users as of May 2015. Gmail offers storage space of up to 15 GB for free, which is shared across different Google products including Gmail, Google Drive and Photos. Individual file attachments are restricted to 25 MB, and that could be a cause of concern for many users. Apart from the storage specifications, Gmail offers everything that a Email service should provide. Being pretty perfectly synced with all of the other Google products including the mobile platform Android, Gmail provides many key features that are in its favor. An Inbox categorized as Primary, Social and Promotions; Favorites, Labeling, spam filters, third-party add-ons and integration with Google Hangouts and Contacts are some of the key features of Gmail. Google’s Two-Step verification makes it harder for someone to crack into your Gmail account and this further improves your security on the web. Also, recently Gmail’s iOS and Android apps have included the support to add more third-party Email accounts to manage them from a single app. Another noticeable feature of Gmail is its integration with Google Wallet which lets users send/receive money within Gmail. The disadvantage to this tool is that apart from its web client, it has only Android and iOS applications as of now and other mobile platform based users have to use their Web browser for accessing Gmail. Some users are also sceptical about providing all of their data to Google and would prefer some low-key services for Email purposes. Storage and file attachments limitations too sometimes drive users looking for other options.

Key Features: Categorized Inbox, Spam filtering, Labeling, Starred Emails, Personalization, Integration with Google Hangouts and other 3rd Party integrations and more.

Platforms Available: Web-based (Supports all major web browsers), Android and iOS mobile applications.

Custom Email For Business: $5/user per month; $50/user per year. (compare plans here) Visit Website

2. Yahoo! Mail

Second only to Gmail, Yahoo! Mail encompasses over 300 Million registered users across the world on its network. If storage space was your biggest concern with Gmail, Yahoo! Mail offers 1 TB of Free storage space to all of its users. This was a recent move, led under Yahoo!’s new CEO Marissa Mayer. Also, if file attachment size is your concern, Yahoo! Mail provides up to 100 MB per uploaded file on its network. Along with Spam filtering and protection from Virus, Yahoo!Mail’s Inbox is easy to navigate. The Inbox provides easy navigation to other sections of the service and tab-based multi-tasking is also supported. You can group Emails together into folders, search by Email address, keyword or even the entire web, right from your Email Inbox. Easy integration with other Yahoo! products like Contacts, Calendar and Flickr.

Yahoo! Mail also allows users to attach files from their local drives or directly from their Dropbox or Flickr account. It also comes with mobile applications for Android and iOS platforms. But this is not a key factor to it, given that Gmail has added support for all third-party Email accounts on their app.

As of now, Yahoo! Mail provides advertisements on their Email client, added as Text ads to the footer of your Emails. Also, the account gets shut down if it is inactive for more than 6 months, with a notice extension period of 2 months. The user interface and ease-of-use would not be at the level of Gmail, although personalizations of some sort are available.

Key Features: 1 TB of storage space, Bigger file attachments supported, Spam filters and virus support, Personalization, Tab-based Multitasking, Easy integration with Contacts/Calendar/Flickr and more.

Platforms Available: Web based (Supports all major web browsers), Android and iOS mobile applications.

Custom Email For Business: $34.95 per year for 1 custom email addresses; $9.95 per month for unlimited email addresses. (Compare Plans here) Visit Website

3. Outlook

Formerly known as Hotmai, Outlook is an Webmail client operating under Microsoft. Both the previous Hotmail and present Outlook Email addresses are now accessible at Outlook. Given that it is currently operating under Microsoft, Outlook Mail provides better syncing with OneDrive, Skype, People and Calendar. A clean and simple interface is one of the biggest advantages of Outlook. It also allows automatic deletion of Emails from certain addresses, even before it hits your webmail. Access to other Microsoft products like Skype, People, OneDrive, Calendar and Office Online is just a click away from this Email client. Blocking of unwanted emails, sorting Emails into categories, Picture attachments turned into slideshows, Skype from your Inbox and Connected cloud storage are some of the key features of Outlook that seem plausible to many users. Outlook claims to provide Unlimited Storage space that increases as per your needs, but in reality, the free version supports only up to 5 GB of storage space. Also, the attachment file size limit is of 25 MB. A better interface with Swipe support is the major advantage of Outlook. For users based on Windows 8 and avid users of Microsoft’s products, Outlook is a great choice. Lack of a Video chat feature and IMAP support are the major drawbacks of Outlook.

Key Features: Clean and simple interface, Easy access of OneDrive, Skype, People, Office Online and Calendar, Auto deletion of Emails from blacklisted Email addresses and more.

Platforms Available: Web based (Supports all major web browsers), Android, iOS and Windows Phone mobile applications.

Custom Email For Business: $4/user per month; $8/user per month for added features such as unlimited storage, better security, etc. (Compare Plans here) Visit Website

4. Zoho Mail

Zoho is one of the most renowned CRM service provider for businesses and professionals. Among the comprehensive Office Suite tools that Zoho offers, one is the Zoho Mail. If you want to use Email services for your Business or individual personal purposes, Zoho Mail is a great option. This tool either requires that you have your own domain name to set up an Email address on their platform. Or you can also choose to select a free @Zoho Email address for an account on their platform. Its free version comes with 5 GB of Mailbox storage and 1 GB of Document storage. The tool itself would be pretty familiar to users who have already worked with Zoho tools. Mail, Calendar, Contacts, Notes, Tasks, Docs and Links are easily accessible through the left sidebar navigation buttons. Folder categorization, Labeling, Spam filtering, Marking as Important are some of the key features of Zoho Mail. One of the biggest advantages of Zoho Mail is that this tool comes ad-free, that implies less clutter. Zoho Mail is also great for premium business users to set up their own company’s Email addresses on their platform. With both Android and iOS apps for Zoho Mail, keeping track of Emails on the go gets easy.Not particularly any major downsides to the tool, if the brand tag operating your Email address is your concern, you would be pretty disappointed with the @Zoho addresses.

Key Features: Simple and uncluttered interface, Ad-free, Professional services for Businesses, Easy access of Notes, Docs, links, Calendar and more.

Platforms Available: Web based (Supports all major web browsers), Android and iOS applications.

Custom Email For Business: Starts from $0 (Compare Plans here)

Visit Website

5. Mail.Com

Mail is another alternative Free Email service provider. This Webmail client offers Unlimited free storage for their Email account users and provides up to 2 GB of free file storage space and a maximum attachment limit of 50 MB. One of the best things about Mail is their Alias Addresses. Mail allows users to create up to 10 Alias Email addresses, which can be selected from over 200 domains, ranging from @engineer(.)com, @usa(.)com or @asia(.)com to @aetheist(.)com. All these Alias Email addresses could be accessed from your Mail account itself. It also allows users to access Emails from other services by linking them with it. Another key feature of Mail is their Organizer. This handy little tool allows users to manage their events and plan their calendar activities accordingly. This data could also be exported out as a .csv file. With access to Mail’s Android and iOS applications, you can always check your Emails on the go. The only disadvantage to Mail being that it withholds the right to discontinue any of their Alias Domain names as and when they feel like it.

Key Features: Manage all of your Email accounts at a single place, Organizer, Alias Email addresses and more.

Platforms Available: Web based (Supports all major web browsers), Android and iOS applications. Visit Website

6. AOL Mail

AOL Mail is another great free online Email provider with great features. AOL Mail provides its users with Unlimited Email Storage capacity and a single file attachment limit of 25 MB. Given that it supports IMAP, POP3 and SMTP, users can connect to their other Email addresses through AOL Mail. AOL Mail is pretty secured with control for Spam and Virus checking on their network. AOL Mail also provides users with a choice of Email address Domains including @love(.)com, @wow(.)com, @games(.)com and @ygm(.)com (Acronym for You got mail). Some of its key features include AIM (AOL Instant Messenger) for chats, Text messaging to Mobile phones, Folder categorization, Events, To-Do’s, Personalizations, Spam filtering and more. A recently revamped clean and minimalistic design makes AOL Mail a perfect choice for many Email users.

Key Features: Chat on Instant Messenger, Events, To-do’s, Text messaging, choice of Email address domains, Spam and Virus control and more.

Platforms Available: Web based (Supports all major web browsers), Android and iOS applications. Visit Website

7. iCloud Mail

Apple’s iCloud is their primary cloud storage and computing service offered to all of their users. Among the host of features that iCloud come bundled with, iCloud Mail can be also configured to work as a Webmail in union with your Apple devices. Apple’s iCloud Mail provides free 5 GB of storage for Webmail and a file attachment limit of up to 20 MB. Although it does come with IMAP and SMTP support, it lacks support for POP3. With no maximum period of inactivity and secured Email client, iCloud Mail is preferred by millions of Apple users. iCloud Webmail syncs Emails from your Apple devices, onto your iCloud account and could be accessed on your web browser. With major improvements from its predecessor MobileMe, iCloud went on to include features that revolutionized cloud services. iCloud Email client is ad-free and takes a unique design approach to enhance its user experience. With no support for POP3, other Email accounts could not be accessed through your iCloud Webmail account. Other disadvantage includes not being able to categorize Emails into folders or categories.

Key Features: Sync Mail across all devices, Access it on Mac or Windows, ad-free, clean and unique design and more.

Platforms Supported: Mac OS X or Windows, iOS running devices.

As always, stay safe!

- Bird

***

Essential Guide On How To Store Seeds In Winter

You’ve worked hard all year to grow your crop. You’ve preserved enough food of your harvest to get you through winter. You’ve chosen and harvested your seeds and dried them, and now have them safely stored back for winter. Or so you think. There are a few details that you need to pay attention to if you want to have viable seeds come spring and that’s what we’re going to talk about today.

Dry Your Seeds Well

Hopefully you have a beautiful supply of heirloom or open-pollinated survival seeds just waiting to be planted next spring, so let’s make sure that they make it that long. The first step in protecting your seeds in the winter is to make sure that they’re dried properly. If you put your seeds in storage before they’re adequately dried, they’ll mold and be worthless. So how do you tell if your seeds are dry enough? Easy. They will have zero discernable moisture in them whatsoever. Pumpkin and cucumber seeds will snap in half rather than bend. Tomato seeds won’t have any of that gooey layer left on them and when you press your nails into it, it should be firm. Corn and beans should be hard – you should need a hammer to break them. Pay close attention to the seeds as soon as you dry them because if you see any condensation inside of the bag, take them out immediately and dry them some more or else they’ll mold.

You Can Freeze Seeds

Freezing is actually part of the life cycle for many seeds. It drops from the plant in late summer or early fall then lies under the snow all winter. When the weather gets warm and the temperature of the soil increases, the seed begins to sprout. It’s just the nature of things. Seed banks store all of their seeds in temperature-controlled, refrigerated or cryogenic chambers, so it’s perfectly fine to refrigerate or freeze seeds as long as you do it properly. The main issue that you have to worry about is moisture. You went to a ton of trouble to dry them. The last thing you need to do is reintroduce moisture back into them.

That’s why you need to break out your cryogenic chamber. What? You don’t have one? Well luckily, you won’t need one because a home fridge and freezer are just fine. In fact, refrigerating them extends the viable lifespan of seeds considerably and freezing extends their viability to at least five years, and some as long as twenty. There are a couple of tricks to storing seeds no matter whether you choose to freeze or refrigerate them or not. We’ve already discussed the first step – drying the seeds well. The second step is making sure they stay dry, so you need to store them in an air-tight, water-tight container. A freezer bag is perfectly good for this as long as there are no holes.

Storing Your Seeds

Next, you need to store them in a cool, dry place. You don’t want to risk moisture reaching your seeds and you don’t want the temperature to fluctuate. Storing in a warm area decreases the lifespan of your seed. Now that you’ve got the seed in a good storage bag, you want to store them somewhere that the temperature will remain fairly constant. A cellar is good for this, as is a cool pantry as long as it stays cool. Freezing is better for this than refrigerating, especially if you’re using your home fridge/freezer that has other food stored in it.

Another good idea is to put it in a chest freezer or an outside fridge that has a freezer that you rarely or never use. There’s no better way to ensure a constant temperature than to keep them stored in a freezer that’s only opened a few times a year.

Label Your Seeds

This is important for a couple of reasons. First, many of the tiny seeds look alike, at least until you gain some experience. Even then, it’s impossible to tell the difference between varieties of plants. A lettuce seed typically looks like a lettuce seed. Same thing with carrot seeds. You can’t tell the variety just by looking at it. Another reason that it’s good to label is so that you can practice FIFO – First In, First Out – with your seeds just like you do with your stockpile. Label the container with the seed variety and the year. Some people add a few directions in with the seeds that they’ve gained from experience. It’s even better to start a seed journal to keep track of how your garden grows.

How to Tell if Seeds are Good

This isn’t a perfect indicator, but it’s pretty darned accurate. If you want to tell if the seeds are still good, drop them in water. If they sink, they’re good. If they float, they’re not. Of course, you don’t want to go and get the seeds wet if you’re not going to use them, so just test a few of them. That sounds like common sense, but it’s always better to give too many directions than not enough.

How to Tell How Many of Your Seeds Will Grow

There’s nothing more disappointing as a gardener, or even worse, as a hungry person, than planting seeds that don’t sprout. If you’re depending on your crop to feed yourself and your family, then growing plentiful crops becomes a necessity. Therefore, you need to know how to tell how many seeds out of a crop are going to grow. You can get a good idea of this by doing a test germination run. A couple of weeks before you’re ready to plant, put at least 10 seeds from a single batch onto one half of a paper towel then fold the other half of the towel over the seeds. Spray it down with enough water to moisten the towel. It may be helpful to spritz it with a 1:10 bleach to water ratio to keep them from molding. Place them in the baggie and only partially seal it so that air can still get in. Label the bag and start a record with the date and how many seeds were started. Store it in a warm, dark place and dampen the towel as necessary to keep it from going dry. Within a couple of days, you should start to see germination.

Every day, record how many seeds either germinate or mold and remove those seeds from the bag. All of the seeds will germinate within 14 days if they’re going to. Next, divide how many seeds germinated by how many seeds you started with and you have a pretty good idea of the germination ratio of your batch. Even if only half of them germinate, but they’re quick about it, you may want to just plant twice the seeds instead of tossing the batch. If the germination ratio was low and they germinated slowly, you may just want to toss them..

As always, stay safe !

- Bird

***

Deadly Mistakes When Building Your Electrical Energy Stockpile

Given the title, you might envision being electrocuted when talking about common mistakes when building your energy stockpile. But for the prepared, other types of mistakes can be every bit as dangerous and nearly all of them occur in the planning phases as opposed to installation, use or maintenance.

Hesitation

The human brain rewards us for certain behaviors by producing dopamine. When we perform tasks that contribute to our survival, such as setting and achieving goals, dopamine is produced. It binds to receptors and we feel warm and fuzzy about what we are doing or what we have done.

In this case, the objective is building an energy stockpile. What is interesting to me is that we receive more reward during the pursuit of a given ambition than when we actually realize it. In fact, dopamine production peaks just before we actually achieve the end result. So if you have ever wondered if the chase is more rewarding than the catch, now you know.

Where this is problematic for those of us who prepare for hard times is that it can result in spending too much time in the planning phase, leaving us with less resources for the realization of the aim. I see this as similar to a student who keeps pursuing post-graduate studies as opposed to actually working in the field they have studied. Whatever the reason for hesitation or delay, survival is the most do-it-yourself of all ambitions. It is the domain of the 20% who carry the other 80% in Western culture. Setting goals too high is chief amongst the reasons to delay doing the actual work of preparedness, like building your energy stockpile. People do not want to do anything until they can do it right. This rationalization is used in all areas of preparedness. “I’ll buy it after the next paycheck.” Or “… when the new model comes out.” Then all of the sudden the time is up. One day the emergency is no longer a future concern, but is all around you. You are suddenly in it and whatever you have at that moment is all you have to work with. At that point, you will not care are about bells and whistles. You will care about having light to suture a cut, the means to power a radio or to reference information stored in an electronic library smaller than a postage stamp because you could not possibly carry thousands of paper books.

All of Your Eggs in One Basket

If a modern army rolls through hunting people of your political, ethnic, racial or religious persuasion, it may be necessary to relocate if you are to live to ensure your family survives and to fight another day. If any of a dozen natural disasters wiped your home off the face of the earth you may loses everything you have in your home. You have probably heard the dictum regarding redundancy that three is two, two is one and one is none. If you have two or three solar phone chargers and they are stored in the same location, you may just lose them both or all in the same calamity. Just like the rest of your mission-critical gear, you should cache some off-site. That way you will still have some capability to generate power.

No Electromagnetic Shielding

The threat of nuclear high altitude EMP stands out among the dangers to any investment you have made an energy stockpile. Redundant caches of critical supplies should be disconnected from the grid to protect them from geomagnetic EMP and stored in Faraday cages to protect them against nuclear high altitude EMP. Small caches can be protected in trash can Faraday cages. Even gear in a bugout bag or go bag can be shielded in lightweight Faraday bags which will also protect your valuable equipment from dust and moisture. Both bags and cages can also be used as redundant layer to increase the effectiveness of electromagnetic shielding.

Failure Occurs in the Planning Phase

People addicted to convenience love to peddle quick fixes based in the personality ethic. They believe that motivation is as simple as changing your attitude or trying harder. “Just do it!” they say.v Not for one moment do I believe that is where most people fail. Most people fail to execute their plans because they did not invest sufficiently in committing themselves to the cause. If you really, truly understand how important it is to do something, you will not lack motivation. Is “mind over mattress” an issue when the house is one fire? No, it is not. It is only an issue when doubt or forgetfulness has crept in. The secret to succeeding in an endeavor that is a process as opposed to an event, like developing alternative energy solutions, is have a clear vision of the end result that you desire and a sound understanding of why it is so important and a deeply rooted commitment to making it a reality. Then the obstacles along the way are not so insurmountable. When a builder builds a house, before he even buys the material, he know how much lumber and how many nail he will need. Plan your energy stockpile out so you do waste precious resources on products you just end up buying again one day.

As always, stay safe

- Bird

***

The Top Ten Safe Ways To Waterproof Your Cellar

If you are planning to set up your cellar as a survival shelter or only using it for storage, then make sure it is as waterproof as possible. Taking care of aging foundations, shifting land under the home, and getting rid of water build up can all be expensive. Water will always go to the lowest level, which means your below-ground basement will always be where it wants to go.

Before you commit to converting your cellar into a survival shelter, be sure you can keep out water and moisture. Here are the top 10 safe ways to do it!

Managing foundation issues from the outside

Even though there are many ways to address leaking cellar floors and walls from the inside, see what you can do to prevent water from getting through these barriers in the first place. Here are some of the most popular ways to address foundation problems from the outer side of the foundation:

Test the soil to see how water is flowing through your property and around the building. If the water is flowing towards the building, or pooling in a specific area, those problems must be addressed first.

For example, if you find that water is flowing in from the street and pooling around one corner of the home, you’ll need a French drain or some other method to redirect the water away from that corner so it will not get into the basement. Your house and the land around it are settling and shifting even if your basement seems dry and solid right now. Previously dry areas may suddenly become points where damage can mount up can cause the cellar to become damp.

Pay attention to how rainwater and snow melt gather and move around on the surface of your property. If the gutters have formed a hollow at the base, fill that hollow in so that the water moves away from the basement and foundation. Actually, make sure that any water draining off the house doesn’t collect in depressions along the side of the house.

Examine the outer structure of the foundation carefully for signs of cracks, mold, or other indicators that the walls may be susceptible to water getting in. When water freezes, it will expand.

If there is mold or moss growing on the foundation, or you see visible cracks, that means water sitting in the pores of the foundation material can freeze and cause even more damage over time. While your basement may still be dry and not show any signs of major dampness, these outer problems need to be addressed by repairing the cracks and sealing up foundation material as much as possible.

Flexible Sealant Materials

Today, there are many different kinds of waterproofing materials and sealants that can be used to block off moisture and water from getting into your basement.

For example, you can buy relatively thin sealants in gallon cans that also include mold and mildew killing chemicals. These sealants are useful if you already have these kinds of infestations in the basement, however they may need something more robust as an undercoat.

Heavier sealants including flexible rubber or polymer mixtures are likely to offer the best protection from water, especially if they can be used to seal up cracks or are able to penetrate deeply into porous materials.

Don’t overlook fiberglass or other compounds that are used for underwater or other even marine applications. While these compounds may cost a little bit more than conventional basement sealers, they are also capable of providing some additional strength to the structure.

Whether you decide to use products such as Flex Seal, PC-7, Bondo products, or basement sealer with Kilz, pre-treat all surfaces that the sealant will be applied to. Start off with a clean surface, so the sealant will adhere properly, or it will lead to chipping, cracking, or worse yet, water seeping down between the sealant and the surface that you covered.

Remove all debris and growths from the surfaces to be coated, and use primers that may be recommended with each product.

DIY Plastic Bottle Sealant

Maybe you have always kept up with repairs and maintenance for your basement and the surrounding land. Let’s say the area around your home is hit with a hurricane, earthquake, or something else that disrupts the basement.

At the same time, there is also a sufficient breakdown in the social structure that prevents you from buying the sealants required to stop moisture from flowing into the basement.

As bad as these circumstances are, you may still salvage the basement and your home if you act quickly enough. Modern plastic bottles are very easy to melt and turn into a liquid that can be spread onto walls and other surfaces. Melt the plastic in workable amounts and smear it onto areas where moisture is getting in. Roughen up the surface so that the plastic has a better chance of adhering as well as possible to the foundation materials.

This method will also work in a situation where a large scale social collapse makes it impossible to obtain any kind of construction or building repair materials. Regardless of how quickly these materials will vanish, you can more than likely still find plenty of plastic bottles to use as a sealant. Wear a gas mask to ensure you do not inhale the fumes from the plastic as it melts.

Other Sealants You Can Make From Natural Materials

You would be amazed at what nature has to offer in terms of making viable waterproofing sealant for your basement. Here are some additional materials to consider:

Pine pitch – boiling pine resin and turning it into waterproof pitch is an absolutely essential skill. You can use pine pitch as a glue as well as a waterproofing agent for many different purposes. This includes building a new shelter as well making repairs to your basement.

Even though vinegar (which you can ferment from apples and many other plant based foods) cannot be used as a waterproofing sealant, it is well known for its ability to get rid of mold and mildew. If you are having problems with a mold infestation and can’t find anything else, try using vinegar before you apply the sealant.

Try making rubber or latex from dandelions or other plants that have milky sap in their stems. Even though it can take a good bit of plant material to make enough rubber, you can work on it a little bit at a time. Do not forget that you do not need to make rubber that is hard enough to use on tires or in other high stress applications. As long as the rubber dries to form a waterproof barrier, it should be enough for your needs.

Improving Air Flow in the Basement

When it comes to driving out moisture and preventing buildup, you will find that air flow is very important: if vents to the basement are clogged with leaves or other debris, cleaning them out may make a significant difference.

If you find stubborn areas where moisture collects along a wall or the ceiling, try installing another vent in that area. You can also use fans to increase the overall air circulation in the basement. During the process of studying the impact of air circulation in the basement, you should also take note of anything that generates heat or releases vapor in the process of operating. For example, if you have a water tank in the basement, does condensation build up on it when the water within is cold?

Any surface that allows for a water buildup or a reduction in temperature can create all kinds of problems in conjunction with poor air flow. Use fans and increased ventilation to solve these problems, or direct heat into the area to force the moisture to evaporate faster so that it can be pushed out faster via the increased air flow.

Internal vs. External Drain Pipes

Along with pipes and grading for removing standing water outside and inside the basement, you may also need to install drains.

For example, if water is collecting near the center of the basement floor, it may make more sense to drop it through a drain before moving into a pipe. If you have a dirt floor in the basement,or it is fairly easy to break through, this will also give you a chance to build access tunnels to emergency shelters located elsewhere on the property.

And Desiccants

As you progress in your efforts to waterproof your basement, monitor the moisture levels in the air, the air moisture level should be no higher than around 50%, to provide a comfortable environment that reduces the risk of promoting mold and mildew. While the moisture content of the air will fluctuate through the day and based on external weather patterns, all of your waterproofing efforts will go to waste if you cannot control the air moisture.

If you are trying to manage temporary moisture problems such as ones caused by unusually heavy rains, desiccants can be of use to you. On the other hand, they should not be used on a constant basis as they can mask an underlying problem that quickly gets out of control. But if you are relying desiccants to control moisture levels in the basement, you may not be able to get a hold of useful materials in a time of need. When you must rely on the basement as a sole means of shelter and storage for your stockpile, you have to keep the basement dry.

Preventing Damage from Burrowing Animals

You may already be focusing on removing tree roots and keeping other plants from helping water erode the foundation, but don’t overlook problems caused by burrowing animals or ones that dig into the ground. Moles, rodents, and animal that can disrupt the soil can act as a potential source of water being able to get into your basement. If you didn’t pay attention to where and how field mice get into your home, and if you spot them in the kitchen, they may actually be chewing through wooden beams or other structures that connect the house to the foundation and the cellar. Then it is only a matter of time before those mouse holes begin allowing water and ice to get in and cause leaks in the basement.

If you only seal up the basement, it isn’t likely that you will find the source of the leak let alone find a viable means to repair it. Therefore, while you are removing trees, brush, and other plants, see if there are signs of rodents or other burrowing animals that also need to be removed or deterred. When it comes to keeping burrowing animals away from the foundation of your home, rely on plants to deter rodents and burrowing animals as much as possible. No matter whether you decide to grow spearmint, onions, or other natural repellents for various species of vermin, the plants themselves will increase moisture levels around the foundation. If the plants aren’t actually resting against the foundation and you take good care to keep them properly trimmed, they may deter the varmint without adding yet another source of water to your basement.

Getting Rid of Termites and Other Insects

If you thought trees and rodents spelled disaster when it comes to waterproofing your basement, then you will be amazed at just how many problems can come from insects. Termites and several other insects that consume wood can easily damage beams and other parts of the house that rest on the foundation. As the wood rots from being broken down, it will also keep more moisture in hidden areas of the foundation. As a result, if you see any signs of termites or other wood boring insect infestations, it is important to get rid of them as quickly as possible.

It is important to note that a good layer of sealant will keep water out, but that doesn’t mean it can withstand constant attacks from insects. In addition, if the insects have been chewing on the boards in your basement for some time, they are also likely to have laid millions of eggs. Unless you specifically use some kind of insecticide, there is little, if any point to addressing other aspects of waterproofing your basement. Once you got rid of an insect infestation, consider how to prevent new insects from finding their way in and starting the whole mess over again. If you are taking refuge in your basement during a crisis situation, you’ll need to get rid of any insects that find their way in. Unfortunately, when you are living in close quarters, insecticides are not safe let alone a reasonable option. Learn how to trap various kinds of insects, and how to repel them in the first place. Similar to rodents and other vermin, you can use various herbs that are either poisonous to certain insects, as well as other that will repel them. Add these herbs to others used for repelling vermin and you should notice a reduction in insect problems elsewhere in the house as well as in the basement.

The Cellar Ceiling is Also a Part of Waterproofing Considerations

There is a natural tendency to focus on the most obvious symptoms of a problem. In this case, seeing water collecting on the floor of your basement may mean that you are looking only at places where the water can come in from: holes in an access window, places where the foundation is damaged, or even areas with poor water drainage. These are all important aspects, but also take into account changes in the ceiling structure. Aside from vermin and insects causing damage to wood, there are other things the ceiling can reveal. As the house shifts and settles, beams are warping, or changing their position in relation to each other. Correlate this with information about water collecting in the basement, and you’ll discover that more extensive work needs to be done to brace parts of the foundation.

Even if you still wind up applying sealants and building drains, repairing the foundation and adjusting the way the house sets on it’s important, especially if you expect the basement to remain livable during a major crisis.Finding leaks in the basement can make any home owner cringe. In some cases, the answers to your problems may be relatively inexpensive, while other options may mask the real problem, which will only make the situation worse. It can easily derail any plans you have for using the basement as an emergency shelter. Whether you have leaks, mold, mildew, or even an unusual odor or sounds in the basement, address these issues as a comprehensive waterproofing plan.

You need to have these matters resolved so you can use the basement as a survival shelter!

As always, stay safe !

- Bird

***

Top Ten Things To Know If You're Considering A Tiny House

If you are caught relatively unprepared for a major emergency, just about anything you’re lucky enough to be carrying will have to do. Unfortunately, this potential also increases the risk of injury and death even if the situation is short term or minor. While every day carry gear has a necessary and vital place in every prepper plan, you must also think about solutions that will allow you to bug out or stay put and still be able to access larger caches of supplies and tools. An emergency tiny house is a good option that you can try building before a disaster strikes.

Tiny Houses vs Camp Trailers

Today, the tiny house craze is sweeping the nation regardless of income level and political affiliation. Many people that want to “downsize” find the idea of living in a one room home far more appealing than living in an apartment.

Others are interested in tiny houses because they are far less expensive than a full sized home and can be easily customized to match various themes and interests.

In this case, if your interests are primarily prepper related, you can start with a basic tiny house design and merge it with the best of camp trailers and other miniaturized travel and storage area solutions. When it comes to prepper need, the biggest drawback to tiny houses is they are not easy to travel with. That being said, a poorly designed camper can also be very hard to navigate with.

At first glance, camp trailers have several advantages over tiny houses. To begin, they are made to be mobile. If you do some research, you may even find a second hand trailer that someone wants to get rid of for free or a very low price. As long as the undercarriage and support structures are sturdy enough, you can use that as a basis for either a more tiny house oriented design or simply leave it as a camp trailer design. Camp trailers also have the advantage of fading into settings where a tiny home would stick out. For example, if you are traveling in something that looks just like a small home, people may pay more attention to it than if they see something that looks like a beat up old camper.

Unfortunately, there are also some serious problems with camp trailer designs. First, they are notoriously hard to defend, and also tend to have very thin walls. Tiny houses are usually more durable in the coverings and also can be adapted more easily to meet different needs. This includes modifying them to meet a wider range of weather conditions as well as adding modules or removing them if more or less space is needed.

Before You Begin

Before you begin planning to build your tiny house, it is very important to have a clear set of goals in mind. For example, if your prepping plans are more focused on supplies as opposed to actually living in the structure, then your design options will vary considerably.

It is also very important to consider the following:

What kind of disasters do you expect to get through with the tiny house? Fires, hurricanes, floods, and shootings all require different building materials. By the time you factor in weight and mobility related issues, you may have to give a lot of extra thought to the materials used as well as some understandings about when the house may or may not be of use to you.

What kind of laws are you going to be dealing with in your area as well as in any location you will travel through or be staying in? While most places will still allow you to keep a camp trailer in your yard, they may not be so allowing of a tiny house. Even though there is always a potential for a vast and complete social collapse, the time before that can be just as, if not more troubling. Regulations that are imposed to prevent people from living long term in camp trailers and tiny homes must be investigated and overturned.

It is up to you to use both the power of the vote and the power of your wallet at state, local, and federal levels to ensure (statutory) laws suitable to your ambitions are put into place.

Making Sure You Can Travel With the Trailer

Even though you may be determined to bug in or not move away from your local area, there are times when you will have no choice but to leave. Under these circumstances, knowing you have a non-mobile tiny house filled with your stockpiled goods can make your situation worse because you will be more tempted to delay evacuation. If you cannot afford a lot of high quality materials, at least do your best to start off with a frame and undercarriage that will be suitable for transport.

Try choosing a design that will allow you to modify the upper portion while leaving the undercarriage mostly intact. This will enable you to exchange wall materials based on need, or even completely remove the walls. For example, if you don’t have to evacuate, but must deal with a blizzard, then you will want to exchange thinner wall materials for more insulated ones. If you are concerned about a nuclear fallout situation, or gunfire, then make sure you can easily put bags of dirt around, under, and on top of the house.

In a worst case mobility oriented scenario, you should be able to remove the upper portion and cover the frame with tarp or canvas. With the exception of the undercarriage and frame, make it your business to build a tiny home that can be readily scaled to a lesser weight so that you can use different vehicles to tow it as well as navigate through different kinds of terrain.

Depending on your interests, you may have already decided to put a foxhole or some kind of underground bunker that is accessible only from beneath a tiny house. If you go with this option, make sure that you can still easily lift the frame and load it onto a wheeled assembly. Do not forget to look into manual pulley systems and hoists that can be used in a time when more complicated equipment is unavailable. Once you have the trailer built, it never hurts to practice moving it around and making sure that you are fully prepared to achieve this goal in a minimal amount of time.

How to Choose a Blueprint

When you think of both trailers and tiny houses, square or rectangular shapes may come to mind first. Unfortunately, squares and rectangles are the least efficient structures for both housing and storage. Geodesics or curves structures will always work better, especially if you are looking for an energy efficient structure that will withstand a wider range of weather conditions.

Here are some different shapes that you should consider when searching for a blueprint:

Teardrops – Basically, these designs feature a flat bottom that can be easily mounted on a trailer frame. The roof of the trailer may feature a central curve, or one that leans towards the back or front. Most designs also feature flat sides. Teardrop designs can easily be modified to fit sunroofs, open glass areas for a portable greenhouse without sacrificing an aerodynamic design that will be easier to transport.

Geodesic Pods – The Life Pod and similar designs are fairly new, however they still have many advantages of a conventional box design. As with teardrop designs, they have better aerodynamics, which will more than likely make it easier to tow them. If you have ever hauled a camper trailer around, even a fairly small one, you know just how nerve wracking it can be to have a box shape swinging from side to side behind your vehicle. Curved shapes may not completely solve that problem, but it does help.

Depending on the design that you choose, a geodesic pod can also be towed by a regular vehicle. If you do not have a sturdy truck, but do have a reasonably good car, this design may be your best option. Once you get the blueprints for a geodesic, I also recommend building in a means to “flatten” out the curves when the vehicle is no longer in motion, as well as swap out solid wall areas for glass or plastic. Variable shapes can make it easier to camouflage this tiny home design as well as make it easier to achieve a wide range of goals.

Yurt Trailers – This design features rounded walls and a conical top. These structures can be built easily enough with canvas and will still travel fairly well. While they can be very energy efficient and lightweight, yurt designs may be harder to adapt if you want to swap out more durable wall materials.

While a geodesic pod can also be very easy to notice, at least you can disguise the shape. On the other hand, it is very hard to modify the rounded shape of a yurt trailer.

Pioneer Style Wagons – Many people seeking to build camping trailers or mobile tiny homes often forget about the fact that our ancestors were able to travel all the way across the country pulling a “home” with a pair of horses or mules. If you are looking for the ultimate in lightweight, simple, and inexpensive, then do some research on horse drawn covered wagons. Not only did the early settlers move across the country using less towing power than you will find in modern cars, they also managed to take along all of their belongings and shelter in the wagon as needed.

Choosing Your Tools

It is difficult to say which tools will serve you the best because there are so many different materials that you are likely to use. If you decide to purchase a pre-made trailer carriage, then you will not need to concern yourself as much with metallurgy and associated tools. Unless you are an experienced welder and know how to join pieces of metal together for optimal strength, I do not recommend building the undercarriage on your own.

Beyond that, here are some tools that you might find useful:

· Circular saw

· Jigsaw

· Rotary tool

· Power stapler and nail gun

· Reciprocating saw

· Air hammer/air powered tools

· Power drill

Assorted hand tools – hammers, handsaws, hand drills, chisels, axes, and other hand tools will always come in handy for assembling and repairing a trailer.

Many people that are interested in building a tiny house or camping trailer look to battery powered tools because they think they are more versatile. Unfortunately, I have yet to see a battery powered tool that has both the capacity and the consistency of plug based tools. Before you invest in a battery powered tool kit, try a sander or a jigsaw to see how you like the device. Make it a point to compare using the battery powered tool with a handsaw or compatible hand tools. You may be very surprised to find that you can do better by hand.

The bottom line is if you want maximum efficiency, I do recommend using either plug based power tools or air powered tools. Insofar as air powered tools, do not be fooled by the tire inflaters or the compressors that will only release air into a tank. You will need a tank that holds at least 25 gallons and a compressor that also has an air hose port so that you can power tools directly instead of drawing from the tank. While a good air power tool system will take up more room than a batch of battery powered tools, this system is still highly portable and will supply plenty of power for most jobs.

Acquiring The Materials

As I mentioned earlier, it doesn’t pay to buy a cheap frame that will fall apart in a short period of time. If you are looking for budget options in this area, you might find an old bus chassis or one for a heavy truck in a junk yard. These will still take a lot of work to prepare for usage with a tiny house or camp trailer frame.

When it comes to other parts of the tiny house, you can be more creative and make use of many different options. If you cannot afford tarp, try ironing together plastic shopping bags to make a “fabric”. Since most people have hundreds of these bags laying around the house, you may find they are more than happy to give you some. Just bear in mind that it may take several dozen layers of plastic to make a suitable tarp.

Even though free shipping palettes are getting harder to obtain, do not give up on this option for areas where you need wood. Alternatively, you can try dumpster diving to look for old discarded furniture. Old tops of dressers, drawers, and even tables can be cut to fit just about any area in your tiny home plans. In fact, you would be amazed at the kinds of building materials you will find in commercial store dumpsters. Before you begin using these sites, however, make sure you won’t get into trouble for trespassing or dumpster diving.

For metal, do not overlook food cans. Even smaller ones can cut open and shaped into flat surfaces that can be brazed together. Since many of these cans come with water proof and acid proof coatings, you will also have a built in layer of sealant from this type of material.

Choosing a Building Site

If you are going to work on the the outside of the trailer over the course of weeks or months, it will be best to build it in a garage. This will protect your materials from the elements and provide a good central location for storing your tools. Adding a source of electricity to the garage will also be of help if you don’t already have one.

As a second option, you may also want to consider renting a storage shed for a few months. Many of them have power sockets inside the storage buildings that may be available for customer use. Be sure to ask if you can build items in the shed using power tools and other devices before you sign the rental agreement. Once you are done building the tiny home, you may also want to store it there. This is especially important if you do not want your neighbors to know you have a tiny home on wheels, or if your neighborhood is prone to vandalism. Do not forget, however, you will need to carefully gauge when to bring the trailer out of storage. While storage facilities may have better security than you have in your neighborhood, they may also be the first places looters and certain other groups will go in order to seize valuables during times of unrest.

Furnishing

Regardless of whether or not you are going to live in the tiny home or not, it is best to stick with lightweight furniture that can be taken apart and reassembled easily. Sleeping bags and foldable chairs take up very little room and come in several different designs and styles. Storage bins and crates can and should be used for tables. Do not forget to make sure that heavy objects can easily be secured to the floor so that they don’t move around while you are towing the trailer. Building in restraining devices and securing points will be of more value than focusing on other kinds of furnishings.

You may also want to consider inflatable furniture such as beds and couches. Even though inflatable beds and chairs may be more comfortable than folding styles, you will also need a robust source of air to inflate them. Depending on the style, you may find that it isn’t always easy to inflate them with a battery operated tire inflator let alone a manual air pump. If you cannot power a vacuum cleaner with a robust exhaust or a good power air compressor, I don’t necessarily recommend inflatable furniture for a prepper tiny house.

Utilities

Being able to camp and live off the land are valuable skills that should never be overlooked. That being said, in a time of need, electricity can offer more than convenience. For example, even if you are a skilled hunter, you may not be able to stay in an area long enough to do more than basic field dressing for the meat. Whether you like it or not, refrigeration may be your best option until you can stay in one place long enough to smoke the meat or prepare it for long term storage in some other way.

In these difficult times, you must also think very carefully about air quality and air based toxins that can invade your trailer and make you sick.

Erupting volcanoes, warfare, and even industrial accidents can release deadly toxins into the air. When you build your trailer, pay very careful attention to ability to seal off the trailer from the outside air. You should also have a strong filtering system in place to get rid of toxins, bacteria, and other air based hazards. It is also very important to have a means of producing enough oxygen. In order to achieve all of these things, you will more than likely need electricity. Remember, even if you are planning to store away gas masks with high quality filters, you will not be able to wear them all the time. When you need to take the mask off and allow your lungs to relax a bit, having safe air in the trailer will be a good option.

Before you decide to focus on DIY or pre-fabricated power generating options, make sure that you have a good idea about all of expected power needs. Many people find that factoring in air quality control systems takes up a significant amount of power when compared to other kinds of camping or portable power equipment. Even if you do not need to use these filters all the time, you should still be prepared to power them easily while on the move.

Defending Your Tiny Home

It seems like just about every day there is news about some new riot or other breaking out all over the country. These are not the same thing as the largely peaceful protests where hundreds, thousands, or even millions of people may gather to exercise their right to dissent and be heard. Rather, these are situations where people are injured or killed while homes, businesses, vehicles, and property are damaged. There is also an increasing trend to deliberately attack the police. Quite simply, no good can come of this trend because violence of this kind only begets more violence.

Invariably, the only time this kind of violence stops is when one group destroys the other.

In these times, it is very important to be fully prepared to defend your stockpile and anything else kept in your tiny house. While guns are important, they are just one part of a comprehensive defense system that may include both modern and old style weapons. Never underestimate the power of a crossbow or relatively simple weapons when combined with fields of fire and restricted pathways through your yard. Your vehicle must be able to remain functional even if it is shot at. Gas and other flammables in the trailer must be properly stored so that they do not explode if an incendiary gets into the trailer.

As expensive as it is, do not overlook flexible polymers and resins that can form bulletproof and fire proof walls and floors. You should also have comprehensive plans and the means to secure doors and windows. It is also important to make sure you can escape from the trailer if it becomes surrounded by hostile rioters or others intending to do you harm. Needless to say, if your tiny house is in your yard, underground bunkers may be of some help. Do not forget about setting up your yard with fields of fire and other strategic points so that you can defend yourself as well as possible.

Building a tiny house or camping trailer can take time, effort, and skill.

Not so long ago, something that was closely modeled to a camping trailer may have been enough to meet your need. Today, rioters using tear gas and other chemicals translate into situations where lack of adaption to these concerns can lead to more trouble than you were expecting. As you delve deeper into the process of building your own tiny house, always be aware of how changes in society and technology impact the methods, tools, and supplies you will need to have on hand to get through a major crisis. From water filtration to air and food safety, building a prepper tiny house is about more than finding the right shape and materials. It is also about being able to overcome diverse dangers that are both expected and unexpected.

Check out these links:

https://morningchores.com/tiny-house-plans/
https://www.curbed.com/2018/4/16/17244094/camper-trailer-teardrop-for-sale-bean
http://www.instructables.com/id/Teardrop-Trailer-Plans-How-to-Build-a-Cheap-Camp/
https://www.treehugger.com/tiny-houses/geodesic-life-pod-michael-weekes.html
https://www.dumpsterdiverdan.com/2017/10/11/best-places-stores-dumpster-dive/

As always, stay safe!

- Bird

***

Ten easy ways to never get a virus on your computer while surfing the web:

In several years of being online, I’ve been hit by just a couple of viruses. While I’d never recommend that you run a PC without anti-virus software, some people do, and many of them manage to stay safe. But whether or not you use anti-virus software (such as Windows Defender or a full-featured security suite such as Bitdefender), you should be aware of the various ways in which you can easily get a virus on your PC or mobile device. From fake buttons to dodgy torrent sites and malvertising in Facebook and other popular sites, the risks are everywhere. With a little basic training, you can reduce the problem of viruses and malware, and finally enjoy the internet on your own terms.

1. Beware of fake download buttons

These can turn up anywhere, but generally, you’ll find them on download sites. Whether legitimate or otherwise, you can guarantee there will be a download button that isn’t the one you want to click. The result can be that you downloaded something you don’t want — possibly malware, although often simply bad software. As you’ve no doubt spotted, this is a dirty trick. You can beat the scammers with this approach, however. Simply exercise caution when clicking links and buttons. Think twice and consider the following:

· Is this a site you’ve used before?

· Do you trust it?

· Have you checked the browser status bar to confirm the link destination?

· Does the button text and font match the rest of the site?

If you have doubts about any of these questions, then you should avoid the site, and certainly don’t download anything from it. Scammers can use all manner of coding tricks to entice you into making a dangerous mistake. Take your time and trust your instincts. If you’re still not sure, check whether the site is considered trustworthy or not. Norton Safe Web, is a good option, although this is also a good reason to install an online security suite as many offer this functionality to your browser. Google also offers a Transparency Report for identifying bad websites.

2. Use a secure browser

An old copy of Internet Explorer is just not good enough these days. Come to think of it, an old version of any browser cannot be considered secure. These apps are updated regularly by their developers for many reasons, mostly to maintain and improve security. Online shopping, online banking, social networking — they all have their risks, and the last thing you want it a browser harboring some dangerous software that records your keystrokes or hijacks a secure link to your bank account. Secure, modern browsers use HTTPS and check that certificates are legitimate. Old browsers will not. How secure you want to go depends on how concerned you are. We’d recommend you start with Google’s Chrome browser, Mozilla Firefox or Microsoft Edge, their secure replacement for Internet Explorer. Want more help? Check this infographic about the most secure browsers. Security concerns are spreading far and wide and have reached the forefront of most everybody's mind. You certainly should not be using Internet Explorer at all. This browser is broken and all-but-abandoned by Microsoft. Steer clear! Hackers still profit from targeting the browser, and you can do yourself a favor by choosing something else (something more secure, faster, and easier to use) to browse the web. Even if you’re running Google Chrome on an old Windows XP PC, you’re not secure because the underlying operating system is not secure enough to handle modern malicious software. Windows XP was launched way back in 2001. Given the extensive coverage, you could easily think Windows XP end of support was just a hype. Sadly not. Without security updates, the aging operating system becomes a Trojan horse in your home or business. You should really think about it.

3. Hang up on the cold call tech support agents

These people are poison. Both in the UK and North America, there has been an epidemic of scam telephone calls from people claiming to be from “Windows technical support” or some close variations. Before I continue, understand this: Microsoft won’t call you out of the blue to fix your PC! Variations on this are claims that the caller is from your ISP, or mobile phone provider. Their aim is to get you to find “proof” of an issue on your machine, then download a piece of software that affords the caller — who is a scam artist, pure and simple — control of your PC. From then on, they have the opportunity to install key loggers, backdoors, and other tools that might be used to steal information from you. Pretty nice, huh? The defense here is to refuse to talk to anyone claiming to be from Microsoft. Just hang up. Certainly, don’t let them walk you through the “checks” and download the “fix”. And don’t keep them talking, as this doesn’t really seem to help (the idea is nice, keeping them away from other people, but in truth, there are so many of these scammers at work that it makes no difference). Also, they tend to become unreasonable, and make threats.

4. Ignore security-themed pop up advertisements

This can be tricky to spot, as often pop-up adverts can appear from the bottom-right corner of your screen from any currently-running anti-virus software installed on your system. Frustratingly, this also happens with paid solutions, not just free ones. If the pop-up seems to originate from your browser — you can check this by completely closing it — you should ignore this. In fact, any and all security messages that did not occur during a scan that you recently initiated should be ignored. For instance, your anti-virus software will have a “scan” button. You didn’t press the scan button on your virus protection program? Then just ignore the message. There’s a bad side to all of this, however. If you see anti-virus messages on your computer and haven’t installed any anti-virus software, then your system is infected. It is now the time to take steps to remove the infection!

5. Avoid public torrent sites

You may not realize this, but there are two types of torrent sites: public and private. While both can be accessed through a browser, the latter usually requires you to create an account and manage your ratio. The idea here is that you upload as much (or more) than you download, or else be banned from the site. Private trackers can be difficult to join, as they don’t often accept new account registrations. It’s not too hard to find ones that are open, however. And yes, it’s usually illegal, but there are many legitimate uses for Bit Torrent. With public torrent sites, you’re risking malware infections not just from the dodgy adverts, but also from the torrents being fake, or bundling worms, viruses, Trojans and other malicious software in with the file you think you’re downloading. All torrent sites worth their salt offer a commenting system where other users can share their experiences of the downloaded file. Always check these before committing to a download.

6. Delete media files that requires any type of fake codecs

Media from torrent sites can often be fake, and you probably won’t know until it has downloaded. Usually a video file (but it could be audio or even a game), these fakes can be difficult to detect until they’re run. At this point, your media player will display a message advising that the file cannot play or requires a specific player. So, did you download a genuine movie? The way to find out is to try and play it in the popular and feature-packed VLC Player. With every current video and audio codec built in, if the file won’t play with this, it’s not a genuine media file. You should delete it now. And stop downloading dodgy stuff!

7. Don’t open email attachments forwarded to you

Emails are a well-known attack vector for worms and viruses. Of my two virus infections, the first was a worm sent as an email attachment from my father. The executable file presented some pretty firework graphics on the monitor. This was the Happy99 worm, described as “the first modern worm” and “the first virus to spread rapidly by email”. One million people downloaded the subsequent fix, which removed the self-replicating malware. While this worm is now virtually obsolete, other malware can spread via email. Then you’ve got the spoof emails, phishing attempts that try to either con you into entering your personal information on a fake website, or download a piece of malware (or both). If you’re using a webmail solution such as Outlook.com or Gmail, you have an advantage over malicious attachments. For desktop email clients, make sure you take full advantage of the tools on offer. Don’t preview emails, and make sure you operate a whitelist of approved senders. Avoid opening emails sent to large groups of people, too. While you might not want to install an antivirus tool, if you’re not using webmail, it’s a good ideal to use a paid email scanning tool.

8. Only download apps from developers website

As we’ve seen, download sites are a big pain. Tricky to navigate with fake “Download” links on them, it’s easy to be fooled into downloading something you don’t want. That’s if you’re even on a reputable site. It gets trickier with the cynical sites serving malware-infested downloads. So if you’re downloading software that you want to use — perhaps free office software, audio editors, video editors, chat clients, or anything like that — head to the developer’s website. This is almost certainly the only way you’ll get the most up-to-date version of the app in question, and the safest, too. If your operating system offers an app store (most do these days on desktop and mobile) then also check that for the app you want to use. But forget about app download sites. They’ve had their day.

9. Absolutely don’t use your computers admin account

Whatever operating system you use, make sure you’re not logging in with the administrator account. Further, make sure your family members aren’t either. Sure, you’ll need an admin account for various tasks, but no one needs it to be their daily account. Really, it’s asking for trouble, allowing software, malicious or otherwise, to make permanent changes to your computer. It is better, to create user accounts for yourself and family members. These accounts should feature limited privileges that protect the system from malicious software and over-enthusiastic clicking. With Windows 8 and later, admin accounts have been overhauled. Starting with Windows Vista, the built-in Windows Administrator account is disabled by default. You can enable it, but do so at your own risk!

10. Scan all new files and disks

Finally, think about the devices you’re connecting to your PC. New data that you’ve downloaded, discs you’ve inserted, phones you’ve connected and flash storage devices you have inserted could all pose problems. If these devices are set to autorun when media is inserted, malware can quickly grab a foothold. With anti-virus software installed, it’s possible to scan all files that you access via disk. You can also use online virus and malware scanners to check the files. Windows 8 and later will also allow you to prevent autorun, which can prove particularly useful. As bleeding edge as it might be to run your PC without any antivirus software, in this day and age, with threats from keyloggers, backdoors and ransomware, it’s a good idea to use a full-blown security suite. Did you imagine there were all these ways to avoid getting a virus? Do you think it is just easier to run anti-virus software these days?

As always, be safe !

- bird

***

How people used to check to see if the food was spoiled

Back in the day, people knew the importance of using what you had instead of always buying more. Because food was scarce, they didn’t want any of it to go to waste. Their minds turned vegetable peelings and leftovers into delicious soups. They preserved their abundant harvest carefully, knowing this food would feed their families over the winter. But even with their diligence, problems with their food occurred occasionally. Whether it was a canning job gone bad, or food sitting too long in the hot sun, sometimes the food spoiled.

When food was scarce, it was tempting to eat compromised food. It’s hard to throw out food when there isn’t much to eat. That’s why deaths from spoiled foods often rise during times of famine. To help keep their families safe, cooks learned the importance of checking their food before eating them. They became excellent at checking for spoilage. They knew how to quickly use their senses to determine if food was still safe for eating, without the aid of “best-buy” dates that are now printed on goods today.

Here a few of those methods that cooks used to check for spoiled food.

Visually inspect it:

Fresh food has a certain look to it. Since cooks handle food frequently, they know what good food is supposed to look like. They are familiar with the color of foods they use. They know if it’s supposed to glisten or have a dull appearance. By quickly inspecting their food visually, cooks can spot many types of spoilage. Because they are so familiar with their ingredients, they know when something looks different.

There are nine distinct visual signs that food is starting to spoil, or is now spoiled:

· Discoloration

· Mold throughout

· Rust on the can for canned foods

· Bulging lids on canned food

· Cloudy liquid in canned foods

· Fuzzy growth

· Rising bubbles in canned foods (not the typical bubbles you’d see when opening a can, but ones where gas pressure makes them rise to the surface.)

Visual texture changes (for instance milk turning lumpy)

Severe freezer burn:

It’s important to know what range of normal you might see in food. For instance, red meat starts off very red in color. As it’s exposed to air, it slowly turns brown. This doesn’t mean it’s spoiled, it just means the protein is mixing with the oxygen from the air. But, if your meat looks much more faded than normal, or way darker, both of these are signs of spoilage.

Likewise, potatoes that are turning green have an abundance of the toxin solanine. If it’s a thin layer, you can often cut it away with the peels. But, sometimes the entire potato is affected. Consuming green potatoes can lead to gastrointestinal problems, and even to a very painful death. Thus said, no matter what is on the menu, take time to check it out visually before you eat it.

Smell It:

The nose knows. At least, most of the time it does. Old-time cooks smelled their food to make sure it wasn’t rancid. But, they also were familiar with how food was supposed to smell. They used their noses in the kitchen daily, not just when they suspected a problem. This gave them the ability to quickly determine if a scent was a problem or not.

Here are five words used to describe the smells of spoiled food. If you would describe the food you’re smelling with any of these, it is past its prime:

· Acrid

· Disagreeable

· Pungent

· Putrid

· Sulfuric

These words are similar, but distinct. And once you’ve smelled the sulfuric odor of rotten eggs, your brain will never forget what it smells like.

Listen carefully:

Do you know what your canned food sounds like when you open it? Cooks in the past sure did. They knew that when they used a can opener to open a can, there was a little hiss. When they took the lid off of a jar, they expected a little popping sound. But, if either the hiss or the pop is really loud or lasts longer than normal, these cooks knew it was a problem. Both are signs that gas has built up from harmful bacteria. It means the food is compromised and not safe for consumption. This is an easy sign to miss, so as you open your food make sure you’re listening.

Touch it:

Foods have texture. As you handle food, you get a sense of what it should feel like. When you notice something different, it’s a sign of spoilage. Here are four common textural problems with spoiled food.

· Mushy

· Slimy

· Sticky or tacky

· Wrinkles

Spoiled meats often develop a film, which is what makes it feel slimy. You might notice this in lunch meat that’s been left in your fridge for too long.

As produce starts to spoil, it often turns mushy or wrinkly. It won’t take over the entire piece all at once, but you will feel the change if you check. You can also use your sense of touch to test the lids on canned food. If they move up and down before you open them, they didn’t seal properly. This is a sure sign the food is spoiled.

Float it:

Back in the day, all cooks relied on farm-fresh eggs. They needed a quick way to determine if these were still good. These people used the float test.

They gathered the eggs they wanted to test. Then, they filled a container with enough water to completely cover the eggs. Then by carefully placing each egg in the water, the cooks could see how it behaved. If the egg sank to the bottom, it was still good. If it floated, it meant there was air inside and the egg needed thrown out. Eggs that sort of bobbled on the bottom were beginning to spoil and needed used quickly. And this same principles hold true today. Eggs last a long time when stored properly, but they don’t last forever. If you aren’t sure about the quality, go ahead and see if it floats.

Taste it:

When they weren’t quite sure about the state of food, cooks would taste a small amount. The tongue is good at detecting many foods that have spoiled. This is a good way to test dairy products, or other fresh foods. You can tell with just a small amount if the food is still edible. However, there are pathogens, like botulism, that are undetectable in flavor. If you have reason to suspect pathogens, don’t risk tasting the food. Even taking a small test bite could have disastrous consequences.

Instead, play it safe and throw it out.

Sometimes, it took more than one quick test for cooks to determine if their food was safe. Here’s an example, using eggs. Occasionally, you might have a spoiled egg that didn’t float for some reason. So, cooks made it a point to break eggs opened into a separate bowl. This allowed them to quickly do a sniff test on each before adding the egg to the rest of the ingredients. If there was a problem, they didn’t contaminate the entire recipe. By combining tests, cooks were much more likely to notice problems with their food supply.

You must be familiar with normal:

The important thing about all these tests, is that cooks back then knew what food was supposed to be like. They were in their kitchen several times a day, using their senses to help them cook. This knowledge was indispensable when determining if food was safe or not. They had to have a solid foundation of what is “normal” so they could quickly and accurately decide if something wasn’t right. You also can gather this knowledge today. The more time you spend cooking, the more familiar you’ll become with all the ingredients you use.

Once these cooks noticed a problem area, they had to decide what to do. If mold was just beginning to grow on cheese or bread, they almost always just cut off the problem area. This helped minimize waste, while keeping their families from eating the moldy bits. The same concept holds true with produce. It was easy for cooks to cut off a bad spot or two as they were preparing the food. The rest of the food was fine. However, if mold had spread throughout the food, it was time to throw it out. And, if the cooks suspected a problem with a can or jar of food, they didn’t use it. You can’t just take out the botulism spores from canned green beans and eat the rest. It really doesn’t work that way. If a can has spoiled, it all needs to be properly disposed of. Otherwise, it could kill you.

The major importance of sanitation:

In both the bygone-days and today, sanitation plays a significant role in preventing food spoilage. When preserving food, you must properly sanitize equipment and jars. You need to wash your produce and ensure you don’t let the meat sit out for too long before canning it. Follow the directions for canning food, and always use pressure to can low-acid food.

And you will need to keep the kitchen clean and store your food where pests can’t get it. This will help keep your food, and you safe.

As always, stay safe !

- bird

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9 Tips To Smoking Meat You Should Know

Oh the delicious flavor of smoked ribs, brisket, or even fish and seafood…

It’s a distinctive flavor, but varies significantly based on your methods. It can be sweet and fruity, or deep and woodsy, or anything in between. The beauty is that you can mix and match and blend to find your favorites and make them your own. Smoking used to be used as a preservation method but that fell out of use with the invention of refrigeration and isn’t a great method anyway, as it requires a smokehouse and another preservation technique such as salting to ensure food safety that changes the taste and palatability of the meat. There are also seven ways to Sunday that you can ruin meat while you’re smoking it, too, and that’s not only expensive, but disrespectful to the animal. In a survival situation, it may also mean the difference between eating and going hungry.

Old Days. Old Ways. But The Food Never Tasted Better.

The main issue that you may run into is that you’re going to burn it up. Until you get the hang of it, it’ll be easy to go from not-quite-done to oops-I-made-leather. So, to save you time and money, and to save wasting perfectly good meat, I’ve gathered some tips to help you get started.

Choose the Right Smoker

There are four basic types of smokers, and the first decision you need to make is which one’s best for you.

Electric Smoker

Electric smokers are probably the easiest to use because all you have to do is plug it in, put the meat in it, and forget about it until the timer goes off. It’s basically a crock-pot for smoking meat. There are a couple of downfalls, though. It’s pricey, and you don’t quite get that deep smoky flavor.

Gas Smoker

This is the next step in easy smoking. Using a gas smoker gives you the safety measure of controlling your temperature while still being able to add wood chips for flavor, though it won’t permeate the meat and give it that deep, smoky flavor. Also, you have to have gas (propane) to run it, so it won’t be much of an option if SHTF (Sh*t Hits The Fan).

Charcoal Smoker

Now you’re getting into an area that requires skill. Charcoal smoking is a favorite even among professional meat smokers because charcoal burns long and steadily and you can add wood to imbue the flavors that you want. You have to know what you’re doing if you’re going to successfully use a charcoal smoker, but it’s nothing you can’t pick up with practice.

Wood Smoker

Cooking with wood is the most difficult method but also imparts the biggest, purist smoky flavors. It’s tricky to cook only with smoke because it burns at different speeds depending on the type of wood you use and how seasoned it is. You need to tend a wood smoker closely because you want to maintain an even temperature that’s hot enough to cook but not so hot that your meat will be charred on the outside and raw in the middle. You’ll use a combination of chips and blocks to maintain the temperature and you’ll also need to watch the airflow closely so that you’re not getting gusts that cause fluctuations in the temperature.

Choose Your Wood

OK, now that you’ve chosen your method, you need to choose your wood. Different woods imbue different flavors, and some go better with certain meats over others. In other words, match your meat to your wood, or even to the occasion and what other sides you’re going to be using.

• Hickory will add a strong smoky flavor so it needs meat with big flavor. It goes well with lamb and beef. I like it with venison, too.
• Cherry has a sweet, mild flavor. It’s good for meats that you aren’t going to be seasoning heavily because the seasoning will cover the delicate flavor of the wood. Cherry’s great for poultry, red meat, and pork, as long as you’re just highlighting the flavor of the meat.
• Apple and Alder are kind of like cherry. It’s sweet and mild. I like it with fish because I’m not a fan of heavy smoke flavor on my fish. It’s also good for poultry and pork.
• Mesquite is probably the most recognizable, along with hickory. Many barbecue sauces use these in their labels. Mesquite is great for big flavored meats like beef or pork, specifically ribs or steak, because mesquite is super strong and smoky. Use it when you’re grilling something quickly rather than smoking for a long time.
• Maple is sweet and smoky. It’s not light like apple or cherry; it adds plenty of flavor and is great with poultry or pork.

Soak Smaller Chips in Water

You can either toss them in and they’ll burn up quickly, or you can soak them in water for several hours so that the wood doesn’t burn up quickly. Wet wood also smokes more. Remember, smoking is meant to be a long process. The standard with the pros is to use logs and larger pieces dry and smaller pieces and chips wet. Another advantage is that if the wood is wet, it helps prevent flare-ups. If you soak your chips, wrap them loosely in foil and poke holes in it.

Pick Your Meat

Ahhh … the meat of the matter! The entire process that we just discussed depends largely upon personal taste and what type of meat that you’re going to use. Remember that smoking is usually long and low, or at least medium, so you can get away sometimes with using a larger cut of meat, and sometimes a tougher cut, though you don’t want to go too cheap on the meat.

• Brisket
• Ribs
• Corned Beef
• Ham
• Venison Roasts
• Brisket
• Pork Roasts
• Trout and other sturdy white fish
• Salmon
• Chicken
• Turkey

Marinade or Rub?

Fights have been started over this question in parts of the country where smoking is a point of pride. If you decide to use a marinade, whether yours or one you buy, score your meat a little so it’ll soak it up better, and leave it in the fridge for at least 8 hours.

Find the Right Temp

Smoking is a low and slow game. You don’t want it to get over 220 degrees except in the very beginning before you put your meat on. As soon as you put your meat on, get it back down then keep close track of the temperature after that. If you’re using a charcoal or wood smoker, you can use a pan of water to help keep the temperature regulated and keep the meat moist.

Too Much of a Good Thing is Bad

The general rule of thumb is that smoking shouldn’t take up more than half of the cooking time. Also, you want the smoke to be a steady stream, not huge and billowing.

White Smoke is Good, Black is Bad

White smoke means that everything – wood, meat, ventilation, temperature – is good. Black smoke means that you don’t have enough ventilation or your meat is dripping onto the wood and burning the fat. That’ll make your meat taste burnt.

Leave it Alone!

Leave the lid shut. When you open it, you let the smoke out and you mess with the temperature inside the cooker. If you want it to be awesome, leave it alone.

Respect the Meat!

The star of this show is the meat, not the marinade, the rub, or the smoke. Everything you do is to enhance and complement the flavor of the meat. Respect that. Don’t use anything that’s so strong that it covers up that natural deliciousness. Now that you have a general idea about smoking, what are you waiting for?

As always, stay safe !

-bird

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10 Foods That You Should Never Stockpile

It seems that there’s always some kind of disaster, either natural or manmade, that prove the value of being prepared. Even if it’s not a Red Dawn scenario, there are hurricanes, tornadoes, blizzards, droughts, and even job losses that just make stockpiling food smart.

But, there are some foods that you shouldn’t try to stockpile. Some of these are foods that you just shouldn’t stockpile at all and some of them are foods that you have to stockpile in a certain way to keep them from going bad. It’s important to optimize your space, so don’t waste it on food that’s just going to go bad. Now I’m going to skip listing fresh fruits and vegetables because that’s kind of a no-brainer. Bananas obviously aren’t going to store long-term. The exception is, of course, root vegetables if you have a cellar.

Eggs

This is one food that you just can’t store in raw form. You can’t can eggs or freeze them, and they only have a shelf life of a month or so, maximum, even if they’re fresh and refrigerated. However, there are great dried-egg products that you should stockpile because eggs are so versatile. These products are real eggs – they’re just powered using special equipment that just isn’t practical (or sometimes even possible) to use at home. That means you can use them in recipes or even to make scrambled eggs for breakfast. Of course, it’s always a good plan to have chickens, too. That way you have fresh eggs and meat.

Dried Goods in Original Packaging

While sugar, flour, cornmeal, and rice are staples in your stockpile, you need to store them properly. All of them come from the store in packaging that’s definitely not air-tight, and are therefore susceptible to bugs and spoilage. Most people don’t realize that flour has an expiration date, but it does; it goes rancid. This process is expedited when the flour is stored in the bag that it came in. Also, there are about a dozen bugs including flour weevils that will get into your dried goods, especially in flour and pasta. And here’s something that I learned the hard way: roaches and other pests are attracted to the bags, especially the glue, just as much as they are the contents. So, to combat this, store all of your dried goods in airtight containers such as 5-gallon buckets. Also, if you can, store wheat instead of flour and white rice instead of brown because brown rice contains more oil. A word about brown sugar: it doesn’t spoil, but it does get hard because it draws moisture. Store it in an airtight container that’s appropriate for the amount so that there’s not a lot of empty space.

Bulk Oils

This is another food that many people may not realize spoils, but it does. If you think about it logically, vegetable oils, or animal fats for that matter, are organic, so therefore they go rancid. There really isn’t a good way to store oils so that they keep indefinitely but you can actually home-can butter and lard. Oils that aren’t open usually keep for a couple of years, but once they’re open, they’re only good for a few months, tops. Therefore, if you’re going to stockpile oil, do so in smaller bottles that won’t result in waste.

Nuts

Nuts, too, go rancid. You’ve probably experienced this if you’ve had a jar of peanut butter open for a while—it starts to smell strong and taste funky. In raw form, they’re the same way. Though they may not make you sick up to a certain point before they actually rot, they will taste bad long before that. The same goes for nut butters such as peanut butter, as I just mentioned, though as long as they’re stored unopened, they’ll usually last in that form for a couple of years. What many people don’t know is that you can home-can nuts, too!

Saltine Crackers

If you’ve ever opened up a sleeve of old saltines, you understand what I’m saying here. They smell weird and taste even worse. That’s because they’re basically just flour and water, and flour goes rancid. If you have to store saltines, store them in airtight containers and rotate them out every few months. Oxygen absorbers help too, if you really want to use them on storing crackers.

Breakfast Cold Cereals

Cereal is another food that’s stored in cardboard boxes and therefore don’t store well for long periods of time without spoiling or attracting roaches and other bugs. And yes, I realize that they’re often cheap, especially if you coupon, but in a true emergency, you need to get the most nutrient bang for your buck, and when you combine the poor nutritional quality with the storage issues, you’d be better off storing foods like rolled or steel-cut oats. Would you rather take up 3 square feet of your food storage space with 6 boxes of frosted fruit rings or canned meat and vegetables?

Store-Canned Tomato Products

I have home-canned tomatoes that have lasted for years but store-canned tomato products tend to start to leak eventually. These aren’t necessarily something you shouldn’t stockpile, but be careful with them and rotate through them. Home-can them if you can.

Foods You Don’t Eat

I know this sounds like an odd thing to say, but I’ve volunteered for a few canned food drives, and a few of the top foods donated are stuff like lima beans, chick peas, canned spaghetti sauce and cranberry sauce because these aren’t typically foods that people buy. My guess is that people comb through their cabinets and find foods that they’ve had forever and that’s what they donate. Which is fine, but from a stockpiling standpoint, it’s wasteful. It’s easy to get carried away by coupon specials and deals in bargain bins, but don’t buy something just because it’s dirt cheap or even free if you’re not going to eat it. It’s a waste of space and money. It’s great to save money on stuff you use, though.

Junk Food

Bags of potato chips and packs of cookies take up a ton of space and don’t keep for as long as you think. While comfort foods such as these will be nice, don’t store more than you’ll eat in a couple of months. Save the space for food and supplies that you’ll really need.

Dented Cans

These are the ones that you’re going to find in a bargain bin. You’ll also find them on the shelf, but if the can is damaged, there’s a good chance that the seal or the internal safety lining in the can are damaged, too. It’s not a deal if it makes you sick when you eat it. Or if it leaks all over your food storage pantry. Be careful and pay close attention to what you buy. Buy smart – that real estate in your stockpile pantry is precious and you need to make the most of it! Regardless of what you have, organize it so that the newest buys are in the back and the older ones are in the front. Use the First In First Out method to cycle your food so that your stockpile stays as fresh as possible.

As always, stay safe !

-bird

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