David Serrette

“It is the best of humanity, I think, that goes out to walk. In happy hours all affairs may be wisely postponed for this. Dr. Johnson said, ‘Few men know how to take a walk,’ and it is pretty certain that Dr. Johnson was not one of those few. It is a fine art; there are degrees of proficiency, and we distinguish the professors from the apprentices. The qualifications are endurance, plain clothes, old shoes, an eye for nature, good-humor, vast curiosity, good speech, good silence, and nothing too much. Good observers have the manners of trees and animals, and if they add words, it is only when words are better than silence. But a vain talker profanes the river and the forest, and is nothing like so good company as a dog.” –Ralph Waldo Emerson, “Country Life,” 1857

“Your true kingdom is just around you, and your leg is your scepter. A muscular, manly leg, one untarnished by sloth or sensuality, is a wonderful thing.” –Alfred Barron, Foot Notes, Or, Walking as a Fine Art, 1875

Solvitur ambulando.

It’s a Latin phrase that literally means, “It is solved by walking.” Or, a little more loosely, “It is solved by walking around.”

Walking? “What problems have ever been solved by walking?” you may be asking yourself.

True enough, there is hardly anything more simple and less exciting than walking. It’s one of our first developmental milestones as babies, and once you take those initial toddling steps, neither you, nor those around you, take much notice of your walking ever again. If you happen to think about walking later in life, images of elderly women decked out in windsuits and circling the mall in the early morning hours may come to mind. Indeed, so unsexy is walking that our word for a person who travels by foot — pedestrian — is also a synonym for “dull” and “ordinary.”

‘Twas not always so, however. There was a time in which writers and philosophers wrote poems and paeans to the humble walk, publishing books and essays with titles such as “The Reveries of the Solitary Walker,” “In Praise of Walking,” and “Walking as a Fine Art.” Bipedal locomotion was referred to as “the manly art of walking,” and enrollment in the “noble army of walkers” was encouraged.

Did these long-dead bipedaling boosters know something that modern men do not? While walking’s simplicity may seem like a mark against it, perhaps its rudimentary nature is just the thing to bring us back to life’s much needed basics. Walking upright is part of what makes us human, after all, and who wouldn’t benefit from getting in touch with their humanity a little more often?

Walking is the world’s most democratic activity – it is open to almost everyone, whether young or old, rich or poor. It can be participated in no matter where you are. One can walk to work, stroll around their neighborhood, stride down city blocks, ramble through a parking lot, or saunter over hill and dale. All it takes to begin is placing one foot in front of the other. Despite this accessibility, we probably do less walking these days than ever before in history – the bulk of our day is spent riding, driving, and sitting.

Yet, taking the time to fit in more walking wherever and whenever we can, and putting our legs to their intended use, is a worthwhile endeavor. Below we discuss 11 “problems” that can be “solved” through the completely free remedy of taking a walk. We’ve also peppered the post with some of the best and pithiest quotes that we dug up from the surprisingly robust canon of walking literature. Think of this piece as one part article, one part quote repository. Read it through in one fell swoop, or come back to it from time to time when you need some motivation to get yourself out the door.

Solvitur ambulando.

Need a cheap form of transportation?

“For most urbanites there is the opportunity for the daily walk to and from work, if only they were not tempted by the wheel of the street car or motor. During the subway strike in New York not long ago I saw ablebodied men riding in improvised barges or buses going at a slower-than-walking pace, because, I suppose, though still possessed of legs, these cliff-dwellers had become enslaved by wheels, just like the old mythical Ixion who was tied to one.” –John Finley, “Traveling Afoot,” 1917

“When I see the discomforts that ablebodied American men will put up with rather than go a mile or half a mile on foot, the abuses they will tolerate and encourage, crowding the street car on a little fall in the temperature or the appearance of an inch or two of snow, packing up to overflowing, dangling to the straps, treading on each other’s toes, breathing each other’s breaths, crushing the women and children, hanging by tooth and nail to a square inch of the platform, imperiling their limbs and killing the horses—I think the commonest tramp in the street has good reason to felicitate himself on his rare privilege of going afoot. Indeed, a race that neglects or despises this primitive gift, that fears the touch of the soil, that has no footpaths, no community of ownership in the land which they imply, that warns off the walker as a trespasser, that knows no way but the highway, the carriage-way, that forgets the stile, the foot-bridge, that even ignores the rights of the pedestrian in the public road, providing no escape for him but in the ditch or up the bank, is in a fair way to far more serious degeneracy.” –John Burroughs, “The Exhilarations of the Road,” 1895

Obviously, the most basic, primitive function of walking is to get from A to B. Foot-power requires no money, and no energy source besides a peanut butter sandwich. Yet, as Burroughs lamented over a century ago, as soon as motorized transportation was invented, people would do most anything to avoid having to hoof it. For some it’s a matter of convenience, often real, sometimes only perceived; many do not think of walking for even the shortest of errands, choosing to drive even when getting into one’s car and finding a parking spot can take almost as long. Others see walking as a safety hazard; I’m always amazed at the number of parents in SUVs that line up in my neighborhood in the afternoon in order to whisk their children right from the bus the quarter-mile to their house. Many folks, on the other hand, do wish they could walk more to get where they need to be, but their city/town was not laid out with any concern for pedestrian transportation. For someone who grew up in such a pedestrian-antagonistic town, moving to a place where walking becomes a practical possibility requires a mindset change. When I moved to Vermont for a stint, for the first time in my life I could walk into town to do my errands, and while at first the 15-minute “journey” seemed looong, I grew to really enjoy it and it became quite natural; soon if I needed to go somewhere, my first instinct was whether I could walk it.

Want to be prepared, come what may?

“I have read that the Scotch once had a custom of making a yearly pilgrimage or excursion around their boroughs or cities — ‘beating the bounds,’ they called it, following the boundaries that they might know what they had to defend. It is a custom that might profitably be revived. We should then know better the cities in which we live. We should be stronger, healthier, for such expeditions, and the better able and the more willing to defend our boundaries.” –John Finley, “Traveling Afoot,” 1917

“It is good for a man to keep himself in such condition that he can do ten miles on short notice. The deficiency in this respect, to which most people confess, is not a pleasant thing to contemplate.” –Alfred Barron, Footnotes, Or, Walking as a Fine Art, 1875

Even if those in developed countries rarely have a need to walk to get where they’re going, keeping up one’s walking endurance seems like a good “survival” skill to have. If walking once again became the only form of transportation available, say during the apocalypse, you’d be able to push your shopping cart of supplies across the country, ala the father in Cormac McCarthy’s The Road. Being able to walk long distances is also essential for being prepared for military service – where a principle form of transportation is the good old-fashioned march.

Theodore Roosevelt walking to work. September 20, 1901.

Near the end of Theodore Roosevelt’s presidency, he was out on one of his regular “rough cross-country walks” at DC’s Rock Creek Park with some young Army officers. He was chagrined to hear from them of the “condition of utter physical worthlessness into which certain of the elder ones [officers] had permitted themselves to lapse, and the very bad effect this would certainly have if ever the army were called into service.” When TR looked into the matter, he found that “otherwise good men proved as unable to walk as if they had been sedentary brokers.” He thus “issued directions that each officer should prove his ability to walk fifty miles, or ride one hundred, in three days.” Despite the fact that this was a test, Teddy argued, “which many a healthy middleaged woman would be able to meet,” he got a lot of pushback from older officers who worked desk jobs. TR settled the matter by performing the ride requirement himself in snow and sleet, demonstrating how easy it was.

According to a naval officer who wrote to Roosevelt, the walking test was highly effective in getting men ready for the rigors of service:

“The original test of 50 miles in three days did a very great deal of good. It decreased by thousands of dollars the money expended on street car fare, and by a much greater sum the amount expended over the bar. It eliminated a number of the wholly unfit; it taught officers to walk; it forced them to learn the care of their feet and that of their men; and it improved their general health and was rapidly forming a taste for physical exercise…

This test may have been a bit too strenuous for old hearts (of men who had never taken any exercise), but it was excellent as a matter of instruction and training of handling feet—and in an emergency (such as we soon may have in Mexico) sound hearts are not much good if the feet won’t stand.”

The officer lamented that the Navy had since changed the standard to ten miles once a month — a test which he found would not produce the same benefits as a walk that had to be carried out over at least two days. The reason? The first day of walking is easy; it’s the second day, when one’s muscles and feet are sore, that’s the real challenge. The prospect of that second day, the officer explained, is what:

“made ‘em sit up and take notice—made ‘em practice walking, made ‘em avoid street cars, buy proper shoes, show some curiosity about sox and the care of the feet in general…

The point is that whereas formerly officers had to practice walking a bit and give some attention to proper footgear, now they don’t have to, and the natural consequence is that they don’t do it.

There are plenty of officers who do not walk any more than is necessary to reach a street car that will carry them from their residences to their offices. Some who have motors do not do so much. They take no exercise. They take cocktails instead and are getting beefy and ‘ponchy,’ and something should be done to remedy this state of affairs.”

Spiritually dry?

“I have met with but one or two persons in the course of my life who understood the art of Walking, that is, of taking walks,—who had a genius, so to speak, for sauntering, which word is beautifully derived ‘from idle people who roved about the country, in the Middle Ages, and asked charity, under pretense of going a la Sainte Terre,’ to the Holy Land, till the children- exclaimed, ‘There goes a SainteTerrer,’ Saunterer, a Holy-Lander. They who never go to the Holy Land in their walks, as they pretend, are indeed mere idlers and vagabonds; but they who do go there are saunterers in the good sense, such as I mean….For every walk is a sort of crusade, preached by some Peter the Hermit in us, to go forth and reconquer this Holy Land from the hands of the Infidels.” —Henry D. Thoreau, “Walking,” 1862

“The geographical pilgrimage is the symbolic acting out an inner journey. The inner journey is the interpolation of the meanings and signs of the outer pilgrimage. One can have one without the other. It is best to have both.” –Thomas Merton, Mystics & Zen Masters, 1961

Pilgrimages – the purest of which are conducted on foot – are a religious rite shared by nearly all the world’s faiths. That believers of varying stripes might incorporate walking into their pursuit of spirituality is not surprising. A pilgrimage takes our shared metaphor of life as a journey, in which a lone sojourner must struggle with courage and hope through the wilderness, and turns it into a concrete, bodily experience; it converts the abstract into a tangible path, with real goals and obstacles and pain.

A pilgrimage can separate the traveler from the distractions of everyday life and act as a process of transformation and purification. The physical hardship of the journey can nullify the temptations of the flesh, while also showing one’s devotion to his faith; a pilgrim may hope to present this sacrifice to God as a penance for his sins, or an offering for the healing of another. And of course the pilgrim may experience additional insights or blessings once he reaches the holy site he has journeyed to.

“I personally would rather do the existentially essential things in life on foot. If you live in England and your girlfriend is in Sicily, and it is clear you want to marry her, then you should walk to Sicily to propose. For these things travel by car or aeroplane is not the right thing.” –Werner Herzog, Of Walking in Ice, 1978

Even an avowed atheist might believe that the effort put forth through walking could somehow be converted into a kind of supernatural force. Such is the case of filmmaker Werner Herzog, who does not have a belief in God, but does possess a sort of faith in walking. In 1974, when he was 32 years old, Herzog heard that film historian and critic Lotte H. Eisner was gravely ill. Herzog considered her a dear mentor, and vowed, “I am not going to fly, I refuse to take a plane, refuse to take a car, I refuse to do anything else, I will come on foot,” because, he explained, “I was totally absolutely convinced that while I was walking from Germany to Paris to see her, she would not have a chance to die.”

Herzog used his compass to determine the straightest course to his destination and then set out in the middle of winter to walk from Munich to Lotte’s home in France – a journey of nearly 515 miles. For three weeks he traveled as a hobo, eschewing hotels in favor of abandoned homes and barns, and spent his journey getting reacquainted with himself, as well as observing the people and places he encountered. After hundreds of miles of arduous tramping, he arrived in France to find that his faith in walking had not been in vain — Lotte was indeed still alive and well.

Want to really get to know a place?

“Your pedestrian is always cheerful, alert, refreshed, with his heart in his hand and his hand free to all. He looks down upon nobody; he is on the common level. His pores are all open, his circulation is active, his digestion good. His heart is not cold, nor his faculties asleep. He is the only real traveller…He is not isolated, but one with things, with the farms and industries on either hand. The vital, universal currents play through him. He knows the ground is alive; he feels the pulses of the wind, and reads the mute language of things. His sympathies are all aroused; his senses are continually reporting messages to his mind. Wind, frost, ruin, heat, cold, are something to him. He is not merely a spectator of the panorama of nature, but a participator in it. He experiences the country he passes through—tastes it, feels it, absorbs it; the traveller in his fine carriage sees it merely. This gives the fresh charm to that class of books that may be called “Views Afoot,” and to the narratives of hunters, naturalists, exploring parties, etc. The walker does not need a large territory. When you get into a railway car you want a continent, the man in his carriage requires a township; but a walker like Thoreau finds as much and more along the shores of Walden pond…

I think if I could walk through a country I should not only see many things and have adventures that I would otherwise miss, but that I should come into relations with that country at first band, and with the men and women in it, in a way that would afford the deepest satisfaction…

Man takes root at his feet, and at best he is no more than a potted plant in his house or carriage, till he has established communication with the soil by the loving and magnetic touch of his soles to it. Then the tie of association is born; then spring those invisible fibres and rootlets through which character comes to smack of the soil, and which makes a man kindred to the spot of earth he inhabits.” -John Burroughs, “The Exhilarations of the Road,” 1895

There is no better way of getting to know a place — whether your own backyard or an exotic locale — than by walking it. At such a slow pace, you are able to notice rich details that would otherwise pass you by. In your neighborhood you begin to observe the little details of others’ homes; in the woods you discover new plants and creatures; in the city you find small stores, restaurants, and alleyways you’d otherwise miss; when venturing abroad you give yourself opportunities to meet and converse with the locals. Whenever I visit a new place, I’m eager to set off on a walk from my lodgings to explore the sights, sounds, and smells of my new surroundings.

This was actually the method of exploration used predominantly by Meriwether Lewis as part of the Lewis and Clark expedition. While his comrades were often in the river on boats, he would stride along on foot, taking copious notes and drawing as many species of flora and fauna as he could. His contributions to science and exploration — in large part due to his walking — are considered immeasurable.

Getting acquainted with a new nation is quite an adventure, but as Burroughs notes, you don’t need a huge area to cover in order to keep yourself occupied on your walks for quite some time. Alfred Barron, author of 1875’s Footnotes, Or, Walking as a Fine Art, makes this calculation: “If you confine yourself to walks of twelve miles in every direction from your home, you have a field of observation comprising four hundred and fifty-two square miles.” There’s plenty to explore right outside your door!

Lacking inspiration?

“I walk chiefly to visit natural objects, but I sometimes go on foot to visit myself. It often happens when I am on an outward-bound excursion, that I also discover a good deal of my own thought. He is a poor reporter, indeed, who does not note his thought as well as his sight. The profit of a walk depends on your waiting for the golden opportunity — on your getting an inspired hint before setting out…

These members [legs] when in motion, are so stimulating to thought and mind, they almost deserve to be called the reflective organs. As in the night an iron-shod horse stumbling along a stony road kicks out sparks, so let a man take to his legs and soon his brain will begin to grow luminous and sparkle.” –Alfred Barron, Foot Notes, Or, Walking as a Fine Art, 1875

“I can only meditate when I am walking. When I stop, I cease to think; my mind only works with my legs.” –Jean-Jacque Rousseau, Confessions, 1782

Throughout history, great minds in literature, philosophy, and science have found important insight and inspiration while out on a walk. Perhaps this is because walking – at least while out in nature (which is the kind of walking many of these thinkers favored) – has been shown by modern science to improve memory and attention. Or perhaps it’s because walking simply gets the blood pumping – a hard to quantify effect of invigoration.

William Wordsworth composed most of his poems while walking through meadows, moors, and mountains. He rambled in every kind of weather and all over Europe; a friend calculated that he had walked 180,000 miles in his life. Even in his 60s he was able to tour 20 miles a day.

Legend has it that Aristotle did his thinking and lecturing while walking, and students of his school of philosophy in Athens came to be known as Peripatetic philosophers — those “given to walking about.”

Nikola Tesla’s idea for his AC induction motor came to him while he was on a long walk through the city of Budapest. As he passed through a park and gazed at the sunset, “the idea came like a flash of lightning and in an instant the truth was revealed.”

For more examples of great thinkers whose minds were spurred on by their legs, we can do no better than turn to Bailey Millard, who penned this 1905 piece for The Critic, splendidly titled “The Relation of Legs to Literature”:

“Much bending over the folio does not make the better part of poetry or of prose. It inheres as much in the physiological condition that results from the swinging of the legs, which movement quickens heart action and stimulates the brain by supplying it with blood charged with the life-giving principle of the open air.

By taking a lover’s walk with the muse one may more readily woo words into new relations with thought than by sitting at a desk. And, leaving aside the matter of inspiration and looking at the subject from a lower plane, one finds that walking abroad often gives to the elusive, amorphous ideas, lurking darkly in the cerebral background, such clarity as is vainly sought within the compass of thought-impeding walls. Nearly all those poets whose lives are open to us have been good walkers—men and women who rambled about everywhere, adding to the scholar’s stimulus of study a truer poetical stimulus found along the woodland ways and out under the blue tenuity of the sky. In fact, I have long suspected that the flabby flexors and extensors of the locomotor media of our modern poets are largely responsible for the invertebrate verse of present production.

…Shelley, we are told, rambled everywhere. Goethe found his extensive walks about Weimar a source of great inspirational profit. Browning’s incomparable “Parcellus”‘ was composed for the most part during his rambles in the Dulwick woods. At any stage of his superb singing, wherever he happened to be, he would give his feet the freedom of the highway and the byway. He composed in the open air and trod out, as it were, many of his best lines. The tonic quality of his verse is, in a great measure, due to his habit of faring forth where he might “think the thoughts that lilies speak in white.”

…Dickens thought that it was necessary for him to walk as many hours as he wrote, and the excess of animal spirits which his work reveals throughout makes one feel that his system for maintaining that physical energy which begets mental alertness was an excellent one.

That artificial aid to locomotion, the bicycle, is in no way conducive to deep thought. Zola found that when he wanted to stop thinking the surest way was to ride forth a-wheel. The man with the “Here-I-come!” look in his face worn by so many wheelmen, is not likely to be doing much in the way of creative thought, clever and amiable though he may be as a road companion.

As for the philosophic brood, I find that most of them were men of sound legs, from Plato and Aristotle of the famous walking school down to Montaigne, Johnson, Carlyle, Ruskin and our own clearest minds, Emerson and Thoreau. Montaigne would have no fire in his great Circular study, which was “16 paces” (or shall we say about 40 feet?) in diameter. He warmed his mind as well as his body by walking. ‘My thoughts will sleep if I seat them,’ he declares. ‘My wit will not budge if my legs do not shake it up.’

…It is true that the nearer you approach the age of the trolley, the less depth is apparent in philosophy; which leads one to suspect that the Peripatetic School is the true school in any age…

As for Thoreau, his fine contribution to the world’s literature was as truly walked as it was written. So has been the work of John Burroughs, on the Atlantic side of the continent, and that of John Muir, the accredited spokesman for nature on the Pacific coast. If writings may be said to be manufactured by an author, then these latter were as truly pedufactured; and in offering our lexicographers this uncouth word I do so without a blush. For I plead guilty to a strong prejudice for the book that is walked first and written afterward. Other work may be more brilliant, and, in a sense, more clever, but that quality which one finds in the book which is walked is something never found in the book that makes no show of legs but all of head. The book that is walked, whether of prose or of verse, reveals ‘the buoyant child surviving in the man,’ of which Coleridge, himself a stout foot traveler, sings.”

Need a cheap form of exercise?

“I have two doctors, my left leg and my right. When body and mind are out of gear (and those twin parts of me live at such close quarters that the one always catches melancholy from the other) I know that I have only to call in my doctors and I shall be well again.” –George Macaulay Trevelyan, “Walking,” 1913

By now everyone knows the importance of regular exercise. What doesn’t get as much attention is that many of the health benefits of exercise are not predicated on sweating at the gym and using the latest and greatest equipment; all you need to do is hit the pavement. Walking is a low-impact activity that’s accessible to nearly everyone and has been shown to lower bad cholesterol and raise the good, reduce your blood pressure, strengthen muscles and bones, improve glucose control and insulin response, prevent and manage diabetes, and decrease your chances of becoming obese and getting heart disease.

Americans sometimes marvel at our European brethren who seem to enjoy good food and drink, turn up their noses at slaving away at the gym, and yet still remain trim. Part of their “secret” is that they walk three times more than we do.

Of course, as already mentioned many American cities aren’t very walkable and lack sidewalks. If you live in such a place, you can still squeeze in more short walk breaks at work and take a walk during lunch and in the mornings and evenings at home (getting a dog can help get you out the door). When I’m traveling, I usually have to skip my regular workout, and so I walk loops around the airport during layovers for a gentle bout of exercise. Helps pass the time, too.

Stressed, depressed, or anxious?

“The best thing is to walk…Movement is the best cure for melancholy.” –Bruce Chatwin, Anatomy of Restlessness, 1996

“I think that I cannot preserve my health and spirits unless I spend four hours a day at least— and it is commonly more than that—sauntering through the woods and over the hills and fields, absolutely free from all worldly engagements. You may safely say, A penny for your thoughts, or a thousand pounds. When sometimes I am reminded that the mechanics and shopkeepers stay in their shops not only all the forenoon, but all the afternoon too, sitting with crossed legs, so many of them—as if the legs were made to sit upon, and not to stand or walk upon—I think that they deserve some credit for not having all committed suicide long ago.

I am alarmed when it happens that I have walked a mile into the woods bodily without getting there in spirit. In my afternoon walk I would fain forget all my morning occupations and my obligations to society. But it sometimes happens that I cannot easily shake off the village. The thought of some work will run in my head, and I am not where my body is—I am out of my senses. In my walks I would fain return to my senses. What business have I in the woods, if I am thinking of something out of the woods?” –Henry David Thoreau, “Walking,” 1862

Going for a walk is a highly effective way to reduce your stress, depression, and anxiety. Like any form of exercise, walking releases endorphins which give pleasure to your brain and reduce your stress hormones, but unlike other forms of exercise, you can do it anywhere, anytime. A brisk 20- to 30-minute walk can have the same calming effect as a mild tranquilizer, and walking daily for a half-hour has been shown to quickly relieve major depression.

Walking has also been shown to clear the mind and refresh the senses. It’s a form of “meditation in action” which can rejuvenate your “brain fatigue.” Research has shown that reaching this meditative state through walking is made much easier when you take your stroll in nature, or even simply a small green space within a city. The mechanism at work here is a psychological phenomenon called “involuntary attention.” As opposed to the frenetic cityscape which grabs our attention in an exhausting way, natural surroundings engage the brain, but do it an effortless manner that still allows space for reflection. In this calm state, the knot of worries that have been tangling up from our day-to-day lives can more easily be unraveled and released.

Focusing on deeper meditation as you walk by centering your thoughts only on the present – concentrating on the movements of your body or counting your steps – can also help you tame your “monkey mind” which begets anxiety in its constant need to flit from one thing to another.

Finally, walking’s rejuvenating power may be located in the opportunity it provides for much needed solitude. Our two feet provide the opportunity to leave behind the crowd and the noise of the world at a moment’s notice, and regain our solitary independence.

Feeling like you’re about to flip out?

“An Eskimo custom offers an angry person release by walking the emotion out of his or her system in a straight line across the landscape; the point at which the anger is conquered is marked with a stick, bearing witness to the strength or length of the rage.” -Lucy Lippard, Overlay, 1983

When it comes to managing your anger, you may have heard it recommended to count to ten or to take a timeout and go somewhere for a cooling off period. The problem with such methods is that counting really doesn’t do the trick if you’re still right in the thick of (and staring at, and being stared at by) what set you off in the first place, and oftentimes when you leave to go somewhere else, your anger ends up building instead of dissipating; you start stewing in your room, or you talk to a friend who only eggs you on about how right you are, or you go get drunk which often leads not only to more anger but a whole other set of problems too.

In my experience, the best way to deal with a situation where you’re about to blow your top is to respectfully ask for a time out and then head right out the door to take a walk. As just discussed, walking can alleviate your anxiety and mellow you out. Plus, being alone with your thoughts can help you get perspective on what’s going down and how you really want to deal with it.

Baby won’t stop crying?

When you have a newborn, nothing is more stressful than when they’re on a crying jag and you can’t soothe them. One “home remedy” I personally found highly effective was taking the baby out for a walk. It’s easy when you have one of those carriers that loads right into the stroller. Rolling along in the fresh air acted as a fast and all-natural baby pacifier. Plus, it’s hard for new dads to get exercise in, so this baby-mollification method kills two birds with one stone.

Age catching up with you?

“When Nero advertised for a new luxury, a walk in the woods should have been offered. It is the consolation of mortal men. I think no pursuit has more breath of immortality in it. It is one of the secrets for dodging old age.” –Ralph Waldo Emerson, “Country Life,” 1858

Emerson was more right than he knew. Modern studies have shown that men who daily walk two miles or more have half the chance of developing dementia and Alzheimer’s disease than men who walk a quarter-mile or less each day. Another study found that people over the age of 60 who walk 6-9 miles a week retain more gray matter and suffer less “brain shrinkage” and cognitive impairment than those who walk less. What’s really interesting is that not only does walking affect your mental faculties, but your mental faculties affect your walking. Researchers have found that as your cognitive abilities decline, your walking gait becomes slower and shakier, so looking at someone’s stride is actually one way to diagnosis those who have or are developing dementia. As the New York Times reports: “Thinking skills like memory, planning activities or processing information decline almost in parallel with the ability to walk fluidly…In other words, the more trouble people have walking, the more trouble they have thinking.”

So hey, those old ladies in windsuits at the mall are on to something after all.

Need to work through a problem with a friend or lover?

“The roads and paths you have walked along in summer and winter weather, the fields and hills which you have looked upon in lightness and gladness of heart, where fresh thoughts have come into your mind, or some noble prospect has opened before you, and especially the quiet ways where you have walked in sweet converse with your friend, pausing under the trees, drinking at the spring—henceforth they are not the same; a new charm is added; those thoughts spring there perennial, your friend walks there forever.” –John Burroughs, “The Exhilarations of the Road,” 1895

If you and a friend or significant other are grappling with some problem or issue or worry, there may be no better way of working through it than going for a walk together. When you sit face-to-face with someone, the mood can feel confrontational – you may be thinking about not making the “wrong” facial expression instead of the issue at hand, and if you do make the wrong expression, it can set the other person off. When you’re sitting or standing side-by-side, on the other hand, people feel more comfortable and open and less defensive. They can look off into the distance to gather their thoughts, grimace, and bite their lip without self-consciousness.

When you’re side-by-side on a walk, you have this benefit, plus all those mentioned above (stress-reduction, meditation, inspiration) that can enhance your ability to work through a problem with someone. Plus, walking provides the physical sensation of moving forward, which can translate into a mental sense of forward progress as well. The Chinese characters for walking mean putting one foot in front of the other – and that’s really the best way to deal with any dilemma or challenge that besets us.

“Afoot and light-hearted I take to the open road,
Healthy, free, the world before me,
The long brown path before me leading wherever I choose.

Henceforth I ask not good-fortune, I myself am good-fortune,
Henceforth I whimper no more, postpone no more, need nothing,
Done with indoor complaints, libraries, querulous criticisms,
Strong and content I travel the open road.”
-Walt Whitman, “A Song of the Open Road”

Related posts:

1. Dim & Dash: Walking the Dog
2. Old School Workout: Daily Exercises for Young Men From 1883
3. Underestimating a Hike
4. Every Man Should Do This Exercise Routine Every Day
5. Hero Training: The Carry a Person to Safety Workout

I know for a fact that I don’t *need* these Fluffy Animal Wrist Cushion but I want to need one. Too cute.

Which is more dangerous – a chocolate Kinder egg or an AK-47?

That’s what a powerful new series of public service announcements, funded by Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America, an advocacy group that asks for ‘common-sense’ gun legislation.

 The PSA examine seemingly harmless banned objects like children’s books, the German candy, and rubber balls – and asks why they are banned in the U.S. while assault weapons are not.

The campaign, called ‘Choose One,’ examine why commonplace things of childhood may be banned while guns and weapons have few restrictions surrounding them.






The first of three features two children in a classroom – one holding a Kinder egg, and the other holding an assault rifle. The copy reads: ‘One child is holding something that’s been banned in America to protect them. Guess which one.

It continues: ‘We won’t sell Kinder chocolate eggs in the interest of child safety. Why not assault weapons.’

The next ad shows two young girls in a school library, one holding a semi-automatic rifle and the other, the children’s story ‘Little Red Riding Hood.’




The third and final ad in the series shows two boys in a school gymnasium. The copy reads: ‘We ban the game dodgeball because it’s viewed as being too violent. Why not ban assault weapons?’ The game was actually banned at a school in Windham, New Hampshire, though the ban can hardly be considered nation-wide.  

Materials: Ikea shopping bag

Description: Using 2 Ikea bags, yellow fabric, thread, bias tape, a zipper, the SY ikea sewing machine and the pattern found at this link you can create this upcycled Ikea messenger bag.



Using the Ikea bags as the pattern's body and flap and the reclaimed straps added to the messenger bags straps and decorative front give the messenger bag a decorative homage to the blue and yellow Swedish furniture mecca.

~ Brian Liszewski More hacks on IKEAHackers.net

Brought to you by Jameson Black Barrel. What’s this?

Every year, roughly 15% of the population of America relocates. If we expand that to a five-year period, that number balloons to 40%. Most moves are within about 50 miles, but one-fifth of those relocaters change states.

My wife (Jane) and I moved from Des Moines, Iowa to Denver, Colorado about 10 months ago. We are just now starting to find our groove socially. I don’t have hard evidence, but I know anecdotally from speaking with a variety of people that it takes roughly that amount of time in a new place to truly find your bearings and start to build a new circle of friends. That may seem like a short amount of time in the long run, and it is, but in the moment it can feel quite lonely.

In this article, I set out to not only give you some ideas on how to make friends in a new place, but also to talk about the factors that lead to friendship and also some hindrances that can make finding new friends difficult once you leave college.

The Three Keys to Fostering Friendship

Beginning in the 1950s, sociologists began to delve into friendship theory. They came to the idea that true friendship relies heavily on three main conditions. Some people nowadays are beginning to refute this theory as our world grows evermore digital, but I believe they remain as true today as they were 60 years ago.

Proximity: Being physically close to people for extended periods of time naturally lends itself to friendship. Again, some people try to refute this as not as necessary in today’s world. However, think about your high school or college friends once you moved away. It got much harder to truly stay in touch, and you likely drifted from most of them. Yes, you can see what they’re up to on Facebook, but if you don’t correspond regularly are you really friends?

Repeated & Unplanned Interactions: This means bumping into Jake at the local coffee shop in the morning, or catching up with Will and his wife at church on a Sunday morning. These aren’t planned get-togethers; these are times when your paths cross randomly throughout town. Obviously, this is much trickier post-college. You can help this, though, by choosing to do your shopping, dining, exercise, etc. within your neighborhood. This increases the chances of running into people over and over again, and perhaps making new friends.

A Setting That Encourages Vulnerability: Vulnerability here means people being able to let their guard down and truly be who they are. When you first meet people, no matter the environment, they tend to be cautious. They won’t let their sense of humor show, they won’t talk too much about their personal lives, etc. People are more likely to open up when you have a small backyard BBQ versus just meeting up at your local trivia night every week. It’s in smaller and more personal settings that friendship grows.

Why Making Friends After College Is Harder

We don’t know how to do it. In school, no matter the level, the three keys listed above come naturally to the environment. You’re around roughly the same people, nearly 24/7, for 4+ years. Once we’re out and we’ve moved away, we realize we don’t really know how to be intentional about creating those environments that lend themselves to friendship. We have to learn that it takes action to get out of the house and meet people. We also have to learn how to make plans and follow through, as those unplanned interactions from college will occur less and less. Those are things that won’t necessarily come naturally, because they haven’t had to.

Priorities change. Humans use friendship to fill certain emotional needs. A great New York Times article puts it like this:

“People have an internal alarm clock that goes off at big life events, like turning 30. It reminds them that time horizons are shrinking, so it is a point to pull back on exploration and concentrate on the here and now. ‘You tend to focus on what is most emotionally important to you,’ she [Laura Carstensen, Stanford Center on Longevity] said, ‘so you’re not interested in going to that cocktail party, you’re interested in spending time with your kids.’”

If you can get emotional fulfillment from your family, you won’t look for it as much elsewhere. So there comes a point where we stop even trying to make friends and end up thinking we can be content interacting only with the people in our household. This happened with me and Jane for a little while, but we realized we didn’t want to be hermits. There comes a time when you’ll crave some sort of social interaction beyond your spouse and kids.

Being a couple makes it more complex. As people “couple up,” the challenge of making real friends increases. Not only do you have to like someone, but, ideally, so does your spouse. If you’re making friends with another couple, the difficulty is magnified even more. Does each person like each member of the other couple? At times, you’ll likely have to compromise a little bit.

Having children makes it more complex. Children not only take away some of that previous social time you once had, it can create uncomfortable and forced friendships. If the kids get along, the parents can feel like they have to get along too. As comedian Louis C.K. riffed: “I spend whole days with people, I’m like, I never would have hung out with you, I didn’t choose you. Our children chose each other. Based on no criteria, by the way. They’re the same size.”

We become pickier. With less time and emotional need for friends, we may start to set the bar incredibly high as to whether someone is worth trying to get to know better or not. We expect to share a whole lot in common with them, and want the kind of deep connection we had with friends in our younger years. But what’s interesting is that if you look back on many of the buddies you had in high school and college, what you realize is that if you hadn’t met during that time, and had that much automatic proximity contact, you probably wouldn’t have become friends otherwise; they weren’t the kind of person you would have picked out in a different situation to befriend. Because you got thrown together, you became pals. So even if you don’t feel like someone has the potential to be your bosom buddy right off the bat, give them a chance.

We simply give up. Maybe you’ve gone above and beyond and really put yourself out there and had no return whatsoever on your friend-investment. Just as with dating, not every relationship is going to take off. You can expect some friendships to just sort of wither away over time, or even in some cases be outright “dumped.” It doesn’t mean you have to give up, though, and accept, as the NYT put it, that “the period for making B.F.F.’s, the way you did in your teens or early 20s, is pretty much over. It’s time to resign yourself to situational friends: K.O.F.’s (kind of friends) — for now.” Friendships are too important an ingredient in our well-being; you just have to keep trying.

Steps You Can Take to Make Friends in Your New City

With the above in mind, here are some ideas to get you started making new friends in your new city. These ideas are a combination of a case study of our own experience here in Denver as well as plenty of research from books and articles on the subject.

Introduce yourself to your neighbors. We can have hundreds of Facebook friends and yet not know the names of the people who physically live right next to us. That has to change. Your first foray into making friends should be introducing yourself to your neighbors. Bring over a cake, a six-pack, anything to literally get your foot in the door. You’ll want to meet them anyway, as you’ll likely need to borrow something or get some basic information about the neighborhood. Jane and I just bought a house a few months ago, and already need to borrow a lawnmower and also find out how yard waste is handled in our area. If you don’t hit it off and become great friends, that’s fine, but at least you made the effort and now have someone you know next door.

Stick to your neighborhood as best as you can. This is something that has been very important to me. I exercise in our neighborhood by running outside, we grocery shop here, we dine out here, we get coffee and drinks here, and we are part of a church small group here. It all lends itself to friendship, especially over the long haul, much more than spreading out all your activities. We are obviously lucky to live in a place that we can do all this within a three-mile radius, so you’ll have to adjust based on your own surroundings. It’s something to consider, however, when you do move to a new place.

Re-connect with old friends and acquaintances. This is a good one. Whether high school or college, connect with your alumni network and you’re bound to find someone in your new town that went to the same school as you, and if you’re lucky, even at the same time as you. There are a few people here in Denver that Jane and I went to college with and we’ve been able to reconnect. Even if you weren’t really friends in school, you never know what can happen a few years down the road.

If you’re religious, connect with a church, synagogue, etc. Local religious organizations are one of the most sure-fire ways to meet new people and make new friends. You’re automatically finding folks who probably have the same values as you. Most of our current friends have been the result of connecting at church.

Make detailed plans. 84-year-old entrepreneur and producer Roger Horchow says, “You can’t just say, ‘Let’s get together sometime.’ You could be dead by then.” This is all too true. When Jane and I first got here, we said that phrase – “Let’s get together sometime” – to multiple people. And it didn’t happen. It took a few months to realize this, so we finally made some concrete plans and things have worked out well.

Have a hobby and be open to meeting people while doing it. You’ll see this tip everywhere. “Join a club or a hobby group and you’ll make friends instantly!” That’s only partially true. In our case, we practiced our hobby alone, but were open to meeting people along the way. The state of Colorado has about 150 small breweries – they are like coffee shops out here. Most weekends, we’ll try to find a new one to try out. On one occasion, we were sitting at a table and heard someone next to us talking about how he went to college just a half hour from where we did. So we struck up a conversation, and I’d now consider him and his wife to be friends of ours. We didn’t do our hobby with the express intent of making friends, but it happened while doing so because we were open to it.

Take advantage of the internet. Sites like meetup.com make it very easy to find groups around you that have similar interests. It’s also no pressure. You can scan events happening in your area, and decide whether or not to go – no one is keeping an attendance sheet. If you’re on LinkedIn, you can find all kinds of networking events in your new city, and even connect one-on-one with folks by saying something like, “Hi, I’m new to the city. Would you mind sitting down with me over a cup of coffee and talking about networking and business opportunities?” In my experience, people are incredibly friendly to these types of invitations.

Connect with your coworkers. This one can be tricky. Coworker relationships are often complex – you never really know where work/career aspirations end and true friendship begins. You have to test the waters and perhaps attend a few networking events together or a happy hour after work. Be open to this, but also don’t feel bad about maintaining barriers between work and play if you have to.

Open your house for meals and get-togethers. This is admittedly difficult. A few months into having our house, we just now feel comfortable having people over. It also helps that Jane is the entertaining type. This is one of those things that can really only happen as you start to make some acquaintances. Invite coworkers, friends from a small group, the guys on your YMCA basketball team…even just one or two contacts with someone is enough to invite them over if you’re brave. Jane and I even hosted a couple for dessert as a “blind date” — we got an email from a mutual friend saying we should get together, so we did! It’s that easy.

This is a great way to foster the type of environment that gets people to open up more. Plan a holiday meal for folks that don’t have other plans (we did that for Easter, and it was great). Offer to host a make-your-own pizza night or a college football afternoon. It doesn’t have to be anything special, it just shows that you’re willing to put yourself out there and get to know some new people. It also tends to happen that if you offer to host, it will be reciprocated in the near future.

In general, the biggest things that will help you in a new city are being open to friendships and opportunities wherever you go, and then following up and making concrete plans. I’m an introvert by nature, so when I’m invited to events or get-togethers, my gut instinct is usually to say no. I’ve had to pull myself out of that shell and change my default answer to yes. I very rarely regret it. Put yourself out there by getting out and about around town on a regular basis, be patient, say yes, and over time, you’ll have a great new group of friends.

What’s been your experience making friends when you’ve moved to a new city? Share you advice with us in the comments!

 

Related posts:

1. Manvotional: Report from the Attack on Thebes
2. 10 Places to Meet Women Other Than a Bar or Nightclub
3. Ask Wayne: Man Wants to Be Friends with Her After the Breakup
4. Manvotional: The Right Kind of People
5. Man to Man Episode #2: How to Keep a Long Distance Relationship Alive [VIDEO]

  How To Make Your Own Insecticide For The Garden When garden pests are eating your plants, instead of reaching for chemical insecticides you might consider making your own organic insecticide spray – which may be just as effective… Here are a few do-it-yourself recipes, and I’m curious to hear about yours:   HOMEMADE ORGANIC […]

Guest post by our Skill of the Month editor, RightWingMom.

Preppers who can afford it are encouraged to buy precious metals also known as PMs.  If you cannot afford gold and silver bullion or coins, there is still value in having some types of silver in your stockpile. The value is maintaining your health.

Silver has shown effective in fighting bacteria, viruses, algae and fungi. Its germicidal effects also kill many microbial organisms.

Silverware (solid or plated)
It is believed that the wealthy in history have had better health because they ate off silver utensils. If you have silver plated flatware, it’s useless for melt value but can be invaluable for the health benefits. Switch to your “good silver” when society collapses and you may greatly reduce your need for medical attention!

Colloidal Silver (purchased or homemade)
This substance has been used for years. Yes, I remember the guy who turned blue! He abused the use of homemade colloidal silver (CS) and drank it daily; everything in moderation!

Whether you stock up on commercially produced CS or have the supplies on hand to DIY, this is an excellent item to add to your medical supplies.

Store-bought CS can be very costly to stockpile.  If you’re considering making your own, here are some suggestions:

DIY Steps from Ready Nutrition’s Tess Pennington

You’ll need:

- 8-12 oz glass jar

- Ultrafine silver wire or bullion (.999)*

- 3 9v batteries

- 3 9v battery terminal clip snap-ons

-  2 small alligator clips

Instructions:

1. Connect 3 battery clips in series (positive to negative, connecting red wires to black). On the 2 unconnected wire ends, attach alligator clips. You can either solder this together or use electrical tape after twisting the wires together.

2. Put batteries on the clips. (Don’t touch the clips once the batteries are connected or they will short out.) Wash the jar then fill it with distilled water.

3. Run the silver wires parallel into the water, ideally about 3/4″ apart. Don’t let them touch each other when the batteries are connected. Attach the alligator clip leads to the silver wires.

4. Once the wires are connected to power, watch for a white cloud to begin forming between them. First, bubbles will form on the wires and 5-10 minutes later, particles will be seen emitting from one of them. Run the generator for 10 minutes past this point to make it approximately 5-7 ppm.

5. When the process is complete, pour the liquid through an unbleached coffee filter into an amber or dark blue glass container. These can sometimes be purchased at health food stores and on Amazon. Your liquid should be either clear or a very light yellow. Running the process too long will create a dark or cloudy liquid which is less effective.

Shelf life of DC-generated colloidal silver is approximately 14-30 days. Shake well before using.

Resources

This video provides very good step-by step instructions on creating your own generator.  He also includes alternative power sources including: regular 9V batteries, re-chargeable 9V batteries, a DC transformer, and solar panels.

If you are concerned about your ability to build your own generator, there are companies who will sell you anything from a pre-fabricated generator to a complete CS generator kit.

SilverGen has an excellent list of uses for CS.  Consider printing these suggestions and adding them to your Survival Binder or stashing the list next to your homemade CS.

*Testimonial from The Survival Mom: The kids and I take a couple of teaspoons of colloidal silver a few times a week. When my son had a mouthful of sores last year, I had him swish his mouth twice a day with colloidal silver. After just 2 days, the sores had cleared up. From personal experience I know they usually hang around a lot longer.

Not everyone agrees that colloidal silver is helpful as an alternative medicine, so do your own research before using it for medical purposes.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

© 2013, thesurvivalmom. All rights reserved.

Nearly a year ago to the day, we published an illustrated guide on how to tie a bow tie. Since then, we’ve received requests for an instructional video on how to do it. Well, here you go. Demonstrated and filmed by yours truly and edited by Jordan Crowder. Enjoy.

Related posts:

1. Announcement: Subscribe to the AoM YouTube Channel for Weekly Videos
2. Heading Out on Your Own — Day 10: How to Tie the Half-Windsor Necktie Knot
3. How to Tie a Bow Tie: An Illustrated Guide
4. So You Want My Job: Video Game Producer
5. A Manly Handshake: An Illustrated Guide

As firearm and ammunition costs have skyrocketed recently and once-common items have become... uncommon, accomplishing anything related to shooting is now extremely difficult. This is especially true for something that was already not particularly cheap. Case in point: precision rifle shooting, or long-range rifle shooting.

Of course, "long range" is a relative term. If you rarely shoot your AR-15 past 25 yards, then hitting something at 300 might seem like a daunting obstacle. At the other end of the spectrum, guys shooting .375 CheyTac practically need satellite imagery to hit targets at the extreme end of their maximum effective range.

For the purposes of this article, I'll cover shooting out to 600 yards, which is enough of a challenge to keep seasoned shooters on their toes without being too difficult for a new shooter to consider. As I occasionally shoot at informal 600 yard shooting matches near my home, this is a topic with which I am somewhat familiar. You might not want to enter matches any time soon, but you might still be interested in "going the distance." What follows are a few things I've learned along the way which might be helpful to those looking to start shooting farther than they're used to.

1) You Might Have What You Need Already

While most matches are won with accurate rifles, they are more importantly won by skilled shooters.

Almost any rifle capable of propelling a bullet past supersonic speeds at your desired range is suitable for entry level practice or matches. At 600 yards, that means your dad's old hunting rifle or even that M4 Carbine clone you paid too much for will do the job.

If you were looking to use long range shooting as an excuse to buy a cool new rifle, hey, don't let me stop you. But if you take that money and invest it in range time, ammunition, and so on, it's my personal opinion that you'll be far better off - and you'll have more experience with which to make purchasing decisions for the future.

2) Be Flexible

You might not have anything really suitable for long-range shooting right now. That's okay. You have a lot of options! Of course, each one of these options has its proponents and detractors. Everyone loves to argue in favor of their pet rifle or cartridge.

As I said above, if the projectile fired by the rifle you're looking at remains supersonic well past the distance at which you want to shoot, it's at least capable of getting you started. Some are better than others, obviously, and it's best to choose something that's intended for maintaining accuracy and velocity at extreme ranges. For long range shooting, strongly consider getting a rifle with a fast rate of twist for a given caliber. That will enable you to use the largest range of projectiles. If you're not sure what that means, see point 4.

However, some very suitable candidates may not be immediately obvious. Conversely, the most obvious choices may not be suitable for you - for example, due to ammunition availability issues.

 I like my .260 Rem and 6.5 Creedmoor rifles because they're eminently suited to the task, but it's sure a lot easier to find ammo for my .30-06. When I'm really serious about a match, I'll take the time and spend the money to prepare accordingly. But if I'm just looking to maintain proficiency and/or have fun, I won't hesitate to use surplus or bulk-grade ammunition in less-than-ideal rifles.

Others might be overkill. You could use a .338 Lapua to snipe midgets on other continents, but many matches prohibit such beasts for reasons of muzzle blast and additional damage to targets - not to mention that you won't be shooting nearly as much at $4 a round.

Some have a lot of data or good factory loads, but aren't ideal from a ballistic sense. One of the most popular cartridges for 600 yard shooting is .308, and there are plenty of known good .308 handload "recipes," as well as a number of super-accurate factory ammunition SKUs. But .308 drops a lot more than some of the 6.5s or the more powerful .30 cartridges like .300 Win Mag, and it's one of the first cartridges to sell out when there's a whiff of panic in the air.

What I'm getting at is that each and every one of these cartridges is capable of "getting it done." Try to avoid making a hard decision to include or exclude certain rifles/cartridges until you look at what's available and affordable for you.

On that note, keep your mind open when it comes to rifles, too. I've had excellent results with rifles from a variety of manufacturers, including Remington, Savage, Tikka, and Weatherby. And some of my most accurate out-of-the-box rifles have been very inexpensive, such as the Tikka T3s, Weatherby Vanguards, and Savage Trophy Hunters.

Another thing to consider is that some people might be looking to unload good bolt action rifles as they switch to semi autos for long range shooting or as they try to buy ARs before they think they'll be banned. So keep an eye out for good used rifles.

3) If You Spend Too Much Money On Anything, Make It Ammunition

There are a number of ways to approach the purchase of ammunition for long range shooting. The competition-oriented stuff will shoot flatter, farther, and with less wind drift than Walmart-grade soft point hunting ammo or 5.56mm M855, but a rifle and ammo combination mechanically capable of maintaining 3 MOA is more than enough to stay entirely on the black, or center of the target, if you do your part.

Of course, if you can get your hands on match ammunition for your particular firearm, you would be well-advised to do so. A quality rifle will shoot much more consistently with good ammunition than it will with mass-produced bulk ammunition. Examples of what I use when I shoot factory ammo include Federal Gold Medal Match and Hornady Match, as well as HSM ammunition loaded with Berger bullets.

However, if you pay too much for match ammo, you won't shoot as much - so you won't be able to maintain proficiency. Chances are that a thrown shot on your part will drop your score more than a slightly higher variation in muzzle velocity.

To that end, buy a lot of ammo when it's available at a price you can afford. I've made a lot of purchases I regret - none of them involve ammunition, with the exception of poor-quality surplus ammo from third-world countries that ended up being unsafe to shoot.

Of course, this article would not be complete without a mention of reloading/handloading. I wholeheartedly recommend getting in to handloading, but right now, components are in extremely short supply. That's not to say that you shouldn't piece together what you can to get started, but unlike years past, it's unlikely that you'll be able to start handloading in a short period of time. In the meantime, make sure you save all of your factory brass.

 4) Study Ballistics

Knowledge of a topic will help you make the right purchasing decisions. And since a lot of long range shooting involves a bullet flying through the air, you should learn about how bullets fly through the air.

There have been more recent books on the topic, but one of my favorites is The Bullet's Flight From Powder To Target, which covers a lot of information about internal and external ballistics. The author conducted a lot of studies and experiments and then wrote a book about them. Although it was published over a century ago, physics hasn't changed much since then.

Another great (and free!) resource is Fr. Frog's page on external ballistics. Once you've learned a bit about the topic, you can use the JBM ballistic calculator to estimate the trajectory and wind drift of your chosen cartridge, provided you know things such as ballistic coefficient and muzzle velocity.

5) Shoot .22LR, But Do So Wisely

The most effective way to shoot smaller groups is to become more proficient at rifle shooting. If you have no formal or quality informal marksmanship training to use as a basis for skills development, see if there's an Appleseed shoot in your area. Outside of the US or in areas where those shoots may not be frequent, try to find a range where precision rifle shoots are held and see if the range officers or competitors know someone willing to observe your shooting and offer tips for improvement.

A common method for new or old shooters to improve skills involves the use of .22LR. Although it's hard to find at the moment, and I wouldn't recommend paying exorbitant prices for it, this is the method I use when I can't or don't want to shoot centerfire. That said, I don't blast through as much .22 as I can whenever I feel like it. My most effective shooting trips generally involve firing 50 to 100 rounds in a deliberate manner. Once round counts start to reach into the hundreds, I feel that I reach a point of diminishing returns.

If you've been thinking about getting in to long range shooting, don't let current prices scare you. Give some thought to exactly what you want to accomplish, research the topic, and then go have fun.

 

The first Star Trek Into Darkness teaser poster depicted Benedict Cumberbatch’s sneaky baddie standing in the classic movie poster pose, inside of some wreckage in the shape of a Star Fleet symbol. Now, in this new poster it looks like he’s burned that thing down and turned around to face us. Where will Cumberbatch go next? Will he be closer every time we look back at the poster? Until his beautiful face looms larger than life? Will it bug us? He’s not touching us.

[Via Den of Geek]

Read the full article

[ By Steph in Architecture & Cities & Urbanism. ]

Twenty years ago, a dank, lawless, congested and compacted city located just outside Hong Kong was evacuated and destroyed, putting an end to the nearly century-old settlement first created as a Chinese military fort. Kowloon Walled City was packed with at least 50,000 inhabitants in 6.5 acres just before its demolition in 1993, and its history included a period of mob rule with sky-high rates of prostitution, gambling and drug use. Today, it’s the Kowloon Walled City Park, a tranquil place modeled on traditional gardens of the early Qing dynasty.

The former fort became an enclave when Britain gained control of the New Territories, which is one of the three main regions of Hong Kong. During World War II, as the Japanese occupied Hong Kong, the walled city’s population began to multiply dramatically. Once Japan surrendered, China announced plans to take back the city from Britain, and even more refugees poured inside, increasing the number of squatters to 2,000. Unable to drive them out, both China and Britain washed their hands of the situation, allowing it to rule itself.

But it was hardly a democracy that rose inside Kowloon in response. Underground mob groups increased already-rampant crime, taking control of brothels, gambling parlors and opium dens. Hong Kong police would only attempt to infiltrate the city in large groups.

The architecture of Kowloon Walled City was haphazard, rising vertically with such narrow alleyways on the interior that sunlight rarely penetrated to street level. Pipes constantly dripped onto pedestrians. Children climbed to the rooftops to play. Many interior apartments had no windows. These factors came together to give it a dystopian feel, popularizing it as a setting for novels and games.

Exasperated with the unsafe, unsanitary conditions, China and Britain mutually agreed to tear it down. In its place, a 330,000-square-foot park was created, completed in 1995. Paths and pavilions inside are named after the streets and buildings of the vanished Walled City. Some artifacts, like entrance plaques and the city’s south gate, are on display. Where the city’s 300 interconnected buildings once stood are now floral walks, ponds and carefully cultivated gardens. Catch a glimpse into Kowloon Walled City’s fascinating past at the website of photographer Greg Girard.

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[ By Steph in Architecture & Cities & Urbanism. ]

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Materials: Satta knob pulls and 5-minute epoxy

Description: I purchased a light with a gooseneck boom that was too short to get the light centered over the tank.

I had it sitting on the tank opening acrylic lip but that looked bad and incomplete. I allowed a lot of moisture to condense on the fixture, as well.

I needed it to sit about 2 1/2" off the glass.



After considering some metal strip style pulls, I saw and realized how perfect acrylic was when I found the Satta knobs at $1.99 each for 6.

I also realized, instead of somehow using the screws I would epoxy two together at the ends to create 4 mini columns or stand-offs.

My favorite part? The two Sattas glued together are exactly 2 1/2" high. Plus the lucite/plastic nobs capture the magic of the LEDs with a nice glow. Lots of fun!

~ Clayton Smith, San Diego, CA More hacks on IKEAHackers.net

He can do that! He can do that! A slew of new promotional pictures have been released for Star Trek Into Darkness and among them is this still of Anton Yelchin’s Pavel Chekov wearing space goggles. Notably, he’s also wearing red, which is the second time we’ve seen him in red in Star Trek Into Darkness promotional materials. Hopefully, this doesn’t spell doom for our favorite Russian navigator. (More Star Trek Into Darkness pictures here at Blastr.)

Your collection of daily offsite links includes lots of complaints about Doctor Who, a new name for S.H.I.E.L.D and more!

[Read more]

Read the full article

One of the things I dislike about not having much time to spend in the shop is how the emphasis shifts to product, rather than process. "I don't have much time!" seems to be followed almost immediately by "I better get this finished!" I've tried to resist this, with limited success, but lately I decided to try a different approach - embrace it.

Hence, this project: The One Hour Stool. The ideas was simple - to see what I could whip up in one hour of shop time. It was fun, and frustrating, but somewhat successful. Let's take a look, with the timer running (times shown are the end of each step).

5' - Dug up some suitable scraps - got lucky with the curved parts left over from Clara's kitchen.


16' - Smoothed all the "show" faces on stock with smoothing plane (not shown)

20' - Whipped those curves true with the spokeshave.


24' - Added a 1/4" bead to the bottom edge (I didn't know it yet, but planted the seed of failure right here...more about that later).


27' - Stacked the leg blanks together (stepped) and used the drawknife and plane to put a bevel on the legs (top and bottom).



33' - Figured how much narrower the leg stock needed to be in order for the top to have a proper overhang (need that shadow line), and then reduced it down to size with a scrub plane and jack.


37' - Transferred the width dimensions directly from the rails to the legs, used a marking gauge set from the rail thickness to mark the depth, and brought the bevel angle down with a bevel gauge to lay out the notches in the legs for the rails.



43' - Cut the notches in the legs.


44' - All the stock finished. Oh, and somewhere in there I decided to put a bead on the top to ease the arris and to compliment the beaded sides - this took less than one minute (gotta love moulding planes!). But then I decided the legs needed feet, so....


49' - ...feet cut and...


51' - ...smoothed.


61' - I assembled the parts with glue and nails and...

62' - I ripped it apart due to a mistake!

Okay, remember back at 24' I mentioned something about "the seeds of failure"? Well, here's what happened. When I smoothed the curved ends of the sides I didn't bother to make sure the curves were exactly the same at opposite ends. I figured that as the sides were ganged together, the curves at each end would match and that opposite ends would be close enough. This probably would have been fine, except when I planed the beads, I didn't plane opposite faces which resulted in one side piece being reversed for assembly and then the opposite ends were paired. I'm not sure I'm making this clear, but trust me, it messed things up because I eyeballed the leg angle and placement by referencing the curve on the side pieces - which no longer matched... so after gluing and nailing I stepped back and "What?!" The whole thing was racked - from below the legs and sides made a trapezoid Hmm. Can't live with that... but with how to take it apart with the nails already set? Hmm.

Well, I solved that problem - I'll share it some other time. Then I had to remake the legs - which was okay because it let me make them longer, which improved the design.

So back on track:

63' (or about 83') - Drilled and pegged the set nail holes.


64' (84') - Done! The final stool.

File this one under DIY medical care. Whether you lack medical insurance, spend time out doors far from medical care, or don't want to fork over cash for minor medical procedures, it makes sense to learn how to care for yourself and save a trip to the doctor. Over on the Resilient Communities website, a reader submitted a video of his DIY medical tip: using Super Glue to close a minor head wound instead of going to the ER for stitches. Warning: The video is a bit gory and MAKE doesn't endorse such a procedure. But it does raise some interesting questions.

Read the full article on MAKE

The post How To Assemble Your Zombie First Aid Kit appeared first on Survival Blog | Survival Spot.

The 590A1's factory stock has a very long length of pull - 14.5 inches, I believe. For a modern shooting/fighting stance, standing squared up towards the target, it just does not work unless you have very long arms. It's just too darn long. So, pretty quickly after purchase, I went out in search of a more useful stock.

Originally, I went with Hogue's 12 inch length of pull stock. Despite great reviews, I was unimpressed. The build quality was no better than the stock Mossberg, and, instead of being too long, the 12-inch length of pull was too short. Doh!

In working with these conventional style stocks and the 590A1, I also began to notice the shotgun's weight, especially during reloads and one-handed manipulations. The 590A1 is not a light gun, and when you add 8 shells to the tube, it only gets heavier.

So, I decided to stop screwing around with different fixed length stocks, and try out something with an adjustable/collapsible stock length. I was also curious to see if a pistol grip stock would help better control the 590A1's weight.

I contacted Choate Machine & Tool and asked to give one of their telescoping shotgun stocks a try. I've previously reviewed their AR-15 collapsible stock and knew their shotgun stock would be solid and sturdy, certainly what I'm going for with this build.

The Choate Mossberg Telescoping Stock and a Magpul K grip - a great combo.

The stock installed without much trouble - the provided castle nut didn't match up well with the wrench that I have used on my AR builds, but I was able to get it to work with minimal hassle. The stock tightens down and locks in quite well...no wiggle here, amigos.

The Choate stock finally provided a "just right" length of pull--awesome. However, the ergonomics made reaching the shotgun's pump release a challenge. The angle of the supplied AR-15 grip just made the pump release too far of a reach for my thumb to hit, and awkward for my middle finger to reach over and depress. There are ways around having to use the pump release, but I'm not a fan of using workarounds to compensate for shortcomings in your gear.

All hope was not lost, though. The Choate stock allows you to swap in pretty much any standard AR-15 grip - just remove the grip screw, attach the new grip and re-tighten. I picked up a Magpul K Grip, which has a less dramatic, more neutral grip angle, and presto--problem solved.

With the K grip installed, I can now reach the pump release with ease--either by reaching around and hitting it with my middle finger, or by rotating the shotgun on my shoulder and depressing it with my thumb. The shoulder rotation, for whatever reason, helps with the body mechanics and makes depressing the release much easier--it also has the nice side effect of giving you a clear view into the chamber.

Close up of the Magpul K grip - the more neutral angle improves access to 590A1s controls.

With the K grip added, I've become a huge fan of this set up and found it to offers greatly improved usability over the more conventional stocks that I'd tried previously. The length of pull is perfect. The pistol grip really helps control the weight of the hefty 590A1 during reloads and one handed manipluations - firing one handed, for example. It's a very comfortable, easy to use stock setup. The cheek weld is very natural and puts my eyes in the perfect position for aiming.

It's also got the rugged build quality that I've come to expect from Choate - very solid. In a pinch, hard use and smashing stuff would be no problem.

The stock also has two compartments, which will be used to store spare CR-123As for the to-be-added weapons light and a basic cleaning kit. Choate's telescoping stocks offer the best quality built-in storage compartments that I've come across. It also offers multiple sling attachment points, giving plenty of options for the end user.

The stock doesn't offer any kind of recoil mitigation--no springs or contraptions--but I've fired a plenty of bird shot, buck and even 1 ounce slugs through it with relative comfort. There's no doubt that you're shooting slugs, but it's not painful. TEOTWAWKI Wife shot a box worth of shells through the 590A1 this past weekend without troubles--her first time shooting a 12 gauge.

If you're looking for a pistol grip telescoping stock for your evil black shotgun, definitely check out the Choatte stock + Magpul K grip combo. Certainly zombie apocalypse ready.

Check out Choate's Mossberg Telescoping Stock >

For non-Mossberg folks, Choate offers the same stock for the Remington 870.

Pick up a Magpul K grip on Amazon >

A husband/wife team from Kansas are in the unique position of each having a Kansas state record blue catfish.

From this story on kansas.com:
A Kansas couple have his and her fishing records. Stefanie Stanley, of Olathe, got hers when she reeled in a 82.05-pound blue catfish at Milford Reservoir on Saturday. Rich Witt, co-owner of the Catfish Chasers tournament in which Stanley was fishing, said it’s the largest blue catfish ever caught at Milford, and the largest from any lake in Kansas. As big as it is, though, it was about 20 pounds shy of her tournament partner/husband’s best-ever blue catfish. Robert Stanley holds the current state record for blue catfish at 102.8 pounds, caught from the Missouri River on Aug. 11 last year. “She has the biggest ever from a lake, and he has the biggest from a Kansas river,” Witt said. “Those are some nice fish.”

According to the story, the big fish was released back into the lake.
Stay tuned for more details and photos of this amazing fish.

I learned this years and years upon years ago. I shared it elsewhere, figured I would share it here as well.

Bottle too small to give it a proper cleaning? No worries, rice and vinegar to the rescue!

Pour rice into bottle, jar or vase, about a third of the way up. Cover rice with vinegar. Top, or cover with a lid of some sort, and shake vigorously until it feels like your arm will fall off.


Viola! Sparkly clean glass.

Make sure to rinse very well before using.

I realize that by virtue of the fact that the issue is limited to New York State, this post will have limited reach. I apologize for that, but it has been a big issue here in NY, so I wanted to address it. For those of you who have been following the issue, recently New York State passed a piece of legislation which limited certain gun use and possession. The legislation is called the NY SAFE (Secure Ammunition and Firearms Enforcement) Act.

The act has been thoroughly criticized for being rushed through and very poorly thought out. As its claim to fame the act boasts to be the first such act since the recent mass shootings. I suppose the political brownie points that come with passing the first such act makes up for the fact that very little though was actually given to the provisions it contains. Since the passing of the act, Governor Cuomo has had to hold several press conferences stating that different parts of the act will not be enforced and will be suspended until they can be rewritten. I’ll discuss some of them in this post.

Before I get into the post, I want to point out two things that you should keep in mind while reading:

The first is that I am only discussing the NY SAFE Act in the context of how it effects hunting in New York State as this is an outdoor blog. There are other provisions of the act that may or may not effect you as a gun owner. Similarly, there are provisions that deal with reporting for mental health facilities, changes to the way gun dealers have to do background checks, etc. I will not focus on those parts of the act in any detail as they do not relate to hunting.

The second is that none of this should be construed to constitute legal advise. This is just my understanding of the provisions. I am in no way an expert or qualified to speak on the subject. If you have a question about the legality of your weapon, please contact an attorney in your jurisdiction. Also keep in mind that certain large cities like NYC have additional regulations, and most likely those regulations are already more restrictive than the ones in the NY SAFE Act.

The NY SAFE Act is a piece of legislation which serves to amend the gun control laws already in existence in New York State. The act contains thirteen provisions, ranging from increasing the penalties for shooting a first responder, to requiring you to report a lost gun within 24 hours. In my opinion there are two provisions which potentially effect a gun owner in the state who uses his guns for hunting.

Restriction of Magazine Capacity

The laws in New York State prior to the SAFE Act more or less followed the Clinton Assault Weapons Ban. Magazine capacity had been limited to 10 rounds, and older 30 round magazines were allowed to be in use. The NY SAFE Act bans all magazines with a capacity larger than 10 rounds, no matter when they were manufactured. The language of the act also prohibits the purchase and use of any magazines with a capacity of more than 7 rounds. 10 round magazines that were purchased prior to the act would be allowed to remain in use, but can only be loaded with 7 rounds.

Now, this is one of those provisions that was not thought out at all and was written by people who have never seen a gun. Shortly after Governor Cuomo signed the act into law, someone pulled him to the side and explained to him that there are virtually no 7 round magazines on the market. As a result, Governor Cuomo had to hold a press conference and state that this provision of the NY SAFE Act is suspended. Somehow in his mind that did not invalidate the provision, but rather made it into a new regulation where you can now purchase and own old and new 10 round magazines, but you can only load 7 rounds in them. I was skeptical of this, but on the New York State website, the change is clearly written. I took two screen shots which confirm this.

The second screen shot answers a question specific to the Ruger 10/22, one of the most popular .22 rimfire rifles, which has a 10 round magazine. The absurdity of rendering such a popular small game hunting gun inoperable by not allowing magazines for it to be purchased was too absurd, and necessitated the above change.

I should point out that the above capacity restriction does not apply to tube magazines for rimfire rifles. So if you have something like a Marlin XT-22 with a tube magazine, you can load more than 7 rounds.

As a side note, Governor Cuomo then had to hold a second press conference where he had to assure outraged police officers that the act will not apply to them. As it is written, the NY SAFE Act does not exempt NY police officers from the magazine capacity restrictions. This is clearly another absurd result of a poorly thought out and rushed piece of legislation.

So, how does this directly effect hunting in New York State? Well, in all honesty, it only effects you if you hunt with a .22 or .17 rimfire rifle. In New York State, all centerfire rifles are already limited in the number of rounds they can carry to 5 in a magazine plus 1 in the chamber for a total of 6 rounds. Shotguns, due to federal waterfowl regulations, are plugged so they can only hold a maximum of 3 rounds, 2 in the tube and 1 in the chamber. The only guns that were exempt from these regulations were .22 and .17 rimfire rifles. Technically, you could carry such rifles with higher magazine capacity. They are the only guns in the hunting context that are effected by the magazine capacity regulations of the SAFE Act.

To summarize, if you hunt with a centerfire rifle or a shotgun, the hunting regulations already limit the rounds to below what the NY SAFE Act requires. In that sense you should not be effected. If you hunt with a .22 or .17 rimfire rifle, then you will be effected in that you can only use a maximum 10 round magazine, and it can in turn only be loaded with 7 rounds.

Restriction of Assault Weapons 

So, what is an assault weapon? The reality is that an “assault” weapon is a weapon that a politician who has never held a gun would consider to look scary when he seen it in a catalog. As a result, the classification of assault weapons has very little to do with what a gun owner would consider an assault weapon. Be careful, you have to follow the regulations as they are written, even if they make no sense. As an example, let’s take a look at the picture below.

The picture shows two Ruger 10/22s, the rifle we were discussing earlier when talking about magazine capacity. The top rifle is the stock version of the Ruger 10/22, while the lower rifle has had several after market modifications. The second one is an assault weapon in New York State, but the first one is not. Why? If you guessed that it’s because of the addition of a heavier barrel or a high power scope, you would be a reasonable person, but you would be wrong, because you have failed to apply the “Does it look scary to a person who has never held a gun” test. The feature that actually makes the second rifle an assault weapon is the hole you see in the stock of the gun. Someone in the senate decided that if there is such a hole where you can put your thumb through the stock while holding the rifle, the whole gun becomes too “assaulty” for a civilian to own without registering it. The lesson-be careful. You have to follow the provisions even if they make no sense.

New York State had a definition for what would constitute an assault weapon prior to the SAFE Act.  NY state law used to define an "assault weapon" as:

Semi-automatic rifles able to accept detachable magazines and two or more of the following:

• Folding or telescoping stock
• Pistol grip
• Bayonet mount
• Flash suppressor, Muzzle brake, Muzzle compensator, or threaded barrel designed to accommodate one
• Grenade launcher (more precisely, a muzzle device that enables launching or firing rifle grenades, though this applies only to muzzle mounted grenade launchers and not those mounted externally).
• Thumbhole stock
• Foregrip

Any revolving cylinder shotgun or any semi-automatic shotgun with two or more of the following:

• Folding, telescoping or thumbhole stock
• A second handgrip or a protruding grip that can be held by the non-trigger hand
• Fixed capacity of more than 7 rounds
• Ability to accept a detachable magazine

There are additional regulations that classify handguns as assault weapons, but I have left them out of this discussion.

The NY SAFE Act takes the above regulations which were already on the books and changes the requirement that a weapon has two or more of the above characteristics, into one or more of the above characteristics.

So, after the NY SAFE Act, a semi-automatic rifle or shotgun with one or more of the above features will be classified as an assault weapon. Let’s say as an example that you like to hunt rabbit with your Ruger 10/22. You had tricked it out with a collapsible stock so it is easier to carry on your pack. Well, that would have been legal before, but after the NY SAFE Act, if you don’t want your gun to be classified as an assault weapon you have to remove that collapsible stock.

The reality is that if you use a bolt action or single shot rifle, or a pump action or single shot shotgun, the assault weapons provision of the NY SAFE Act does not effect you. If you use a semi-automatic rifle, then it will effect you if your rifle or shotgun has one or more of the above features. The biggest impact will probably be on people who use .223 rounds for hunting coyote, as your gun is probably an AR 15 variant, which is likely to have at least one of the above features. Most stock .22 and .17 rifles should be fine, but if you have any aftermarket mods, they may fall into the above category. The features most likely to be an issue are collapsible stocks, thumbhole grips, and pistol grips. The fact is they looked scary to the senators. The restriction of grenade launchers, bayonets and silencers (not allowed for hunting in New York State) are unlikely to make much of a difference for a hunter, although you may have to make some modifications to remove features such as a bayonet lug. 

Now, if your gun is qualified as an assault weapon, you will have to register it within a year. I’m not sure what impact that would have. The most significant aspect seems to be that you can not transfer the gun to another owner within the state.

There are some other provisions, like requiring dealers to do background checks for ammunition sales which may make the checkout at Dicks even longer, and having to have all online ammunition purchases shipped to a licensed dealer, which is again a nuisance, but I believe the above two provisions to have the most direct impact on hunter in New York State. Again, if you are uncertain about a particular provision please contact an attorney in your jurisdiction.

General Provisions of the NY SAFE Act (thank you Wikipedia)

If you are curious, here is a general summery of the provisions of the NY SAFE Act:

• Bans possession of any "high-capacity magazines" regardless of when they were made or sold. See discussion above.
• Ammunition dealers are required to do background checks, similar to those for gun buyers. Dealers are required to report all sales, including amounts, to the state. Internet sales of ammunition are allowed, but the ammunition will have to be shipped to a licensed dealer in New York state for pickup. Ammunition background checks will begin January 15, 2014.
• Requires creation of a registry of assault weapons. Those New Yorkers who already own such weapons would be required to register their guns with the state.
• Requires designated mental health professionals who believe a mental health patient made a credible threat of harming others to report the threat to a mental health director, who would then have to report serious threats to the state Department of Criminal Justice Services. A patient's gun could be taken from him or her. The United States Department of Veterans Affairs has announced that it will refuse to comply with this provision.
• Stolen guns are required be reported within 24 hours. Failure to report can result in a misdemeanor.
• Reduces definition of "assault weapon" from two identified features to one. The sale and/or transfer of newly defined assault weapons is banned within the state, although sales out of state are permitted. Possession of the newly-defined assault weapons is allowed only if they were possessed at the time that the law was passed, and must be registered with the state within one year. See discussion above.
• Requires background checks for all gun sales, including by private sellers - except for sales to members of the seller's immediate family. Private sale background checks will begin March 15, 2013.
• Guns must be "safely stored" from any household member who has been convicted of a felony or domestic violence crime, has been involuntarily committed, or is currently under an order of protection.Unsafe storage of assault weapons is a misdemeanor.
• Bans the Internet sale of assault weapons.
• Increases sentences for gun crimes, including upgrading the offense for taking a gun on school property from a misdemeanor to a felony.
• Increases penalties for shooting first responders (Webster provision) to life in prison without parole.
• Limits the state records law to protect handgun owners from being identified publicly. However, existing permit holders have to opt into this provision by filing a form within 120 days of the law's enactment.
• Requires pistol permit holders or owners of registered assault weapons to have them renewed at least every five years.
• Allows law enforcement officials to preemptively seize a person's firearms without a warrant if they have probable cause the person may be mentally unstable or intends to use the weapons to commit a crime.

The full act is a convoluted mess, and unless you are accustomed to reading such documents it will take you some time to comb through it. You can find the full text online if you care. Again, if you are not sure about something, contact an attorney in your jurisdiction. You don’t want to be one of those test subjects for the new legislation. The above is just my overly simplistic take on that I have read and found from other sources.

A new study suggests that Asian carp, the bane of pretty much everyone and the one species we all hope never makes it to the Great Lakes, is in fact already there.

From this story on moneynews.com:
The aggressive Asian carp has reached the Great Lakes despite a government attempt to keep them out, according to a scientific report released Thursday. Researchers now believe the destructive species, which has been steadily moving northward for about 40 years, are now in southern Lake Michigan, putting at risk a sensitive ecosystems and a $7 billion fishing industry. The adaptable foreign fish outcompetes native fish species for food and habitat. "The most plausible explanation is still that there are some carp out there," Christopher Jerde of the University of Notre Dame, the report's lead author, told The Associated Press. "We can be cautiously optimistic . . . that we’re not at the point where they’ll start reproducing, spreading further and doing serious damage."

According to the story, the two-year study searched the Great Lakes basin for Asian carp and researchers say they found DNA evidence for Asian carp being present in southern Lake Michigan, with 58 positive hits for bighead or silver carp in the Chicago Area Waterway System that links directly to Lake Michigan. 

Photo by LousivilleUSACE on Flickr

Often I hear people refer to a deer's 'horns' and a little part of me shudders deep down inside. Antlers are not the same thing as horns. There are a few different types of hard, pointy things on the outsides of animals and it is worth understanding what these things are and how they differ from each other.

Lets start with the most common hard substance on the outsides of many vertebrates' bodies. Keratin. Keratin is the hard stuff that your hair and fingernails are made of. Your body can supply a cell with keratin molecules and then that cell undergoes a programmed death. The next cell that grows behind it does the same thing, and over time this causes a hard substance to push outward from the skin. Because the cells are dead, they require no blood supply and no pain can be felt within the keratin structure.

The scales and scutes of reptiles are also made of keratin. So are feathers on birds and the baleen of whales. The 'horn' of a rhinoceros is actually solid keratin that sits within a socket in the cranium. It is not nearly so firmly attached to the rhino's body as one might suppose. The claws of every mammal, bird and reptile are made of keratin. An advantage of keratin is that it can be continuously grown and will steadily keep up with wear and tear without requiring exceptional amounts of calcium or protein in the diet. The disadvantage is that it isn't particularly strong.

Next we have horns. The structures that we think of as horns on mammals consist of a thick keratin layer over a core of living bone (with the exception of the rhino). The many species of antelope have horns, as do cattle, goats, and sheep. Dinosaurs such as triceratops also had horns consisting of keratin over bone. A bony core offers greater strength and the ability to grow longer, more complex structures than keratin alone. With the sole exception of the pronghorn, horns are grown for life. They grow slowly and steadily and are not supposed to ever fall off.

Copyright 2012 by Jackson Landers

A disadvantage of horn is that if it breaks then this can be a serious injury. A horn that has broken off into the central bone will never be its old self again. A broken horn could result in major blood loss and lead to infection. It is not unusual for an antelope that has had one horn broken off to later become blinded in the eye on that side, for lack of ability to properly defend when sparring with other antelopes.

Turtle's shells actually verge on the definition of horn. The main structure of the shell is bone, which is actually part and parcel of the (fused) vertebrae. Over this bone there are scutes (very large modified scales) made of keratin. Since this is technically keratin layered over a bone core, turtles shells are sort of a horn that wraps around the animal's body.

Sometimes a hard structure can be made of just bone. This is unusual in the animal kingdom overall, but it is the general rule with both old world and new world deer. Antlers are pure bone, which is completely regrown every year. Deer that grow antlers (only the males in most species, with the exception of the caribou) have a pair of things on top of their skulls called pedicles. The pedicles can be thought of as clusters of super-active stem cells that grow bone at an astonishing rate. Each spring the pedicles begin producing bone that is covered with an outside membrane of fuzzy skin and blood vessels called 'velvet.' This protects the bone while it is growing and provides it with a blood supply.

Velvet is easily damaged and the deer cannot use its antlers for much of anything while the bone within is still growing. By the end of the summer the antler reaches its full size and the velvet dies. The deer strips off the dead velvet to reveal solid bone antlers beneath. This bone is technically dead without an on-going blood supply.

Antlers can form more complex structures than any other hard structure on the outside of an animal's body. You will not find horn or keratin structures that come anywhere near the complexity of a rack of antlers on a moose or an elk. But there are big trade-offs.

The problem with antlers is that they are basically disposable. Since the bone no longer has a blood supply once the velvet comes off, it cannot be repaired. When a tine of the antler is broken off it will stay broken. And antlers tend to be damaged more often than hard structures are on other animals. That is an inevitable result of fighting with a more complex structure that can easily get hung up on something and snapped off.

Copyright 2011 by Jackson Landers

Since the antlers cannot be repaired and they will frequently get broken, the animal drops them off at a certain point in the year. The deer's body rapidly absorbs the calcium and other minerals at the base of the antlers and one day they just fall off. The deer soon starts growing another pair. This habit requires an enormous annual investment in calcium, protein and various trace minerals in order to keep growing new antlers every year. Compare this dietary need to horns, and you'll see that animals with antlers will become tied to food sources and habitats that supply this nutrition in a way that horned animals are not.

Antlers are cool, but there are good reasons why horn has been around a lot longer and is more widespread in the animal kingdom than antlers are. One hundred million years from now, I bet that there will still be lots of species with horns but I wouldn't be surprised if antlers totally disappear.

Speaking of bone naturally leads us to teeth. The teeth of mammals and reptiles are not really made of bone -- teeth are comprised of various other hard substances (among fish this is a different story, with fishes' teeth having evolved independently in different ways). Teeth are good for eating and often work well for fighting. When developed into fangs, they are the hard parts that make alligators and lions particularly interesting to us. But sometimes teeth can evolve into larger and more complex structures that serve similar roles to horn, keratin and antlers.

Elephants' tusks are the obvious example. A length of ivory is basically a really long tooth. Elephants can use them for fighting, or playing, or as tools to scrape bark off of trees in order to eat the cambium layer beneath. Mammoths probably used their tusks by swinging them from side to side to scrape snow off of edible grasses in winter.

Copyright 2013 by Jackson Landers

Lesser known is Indonesia's babirusa, a distant relative of the pig. We've all seen pigs with tusks that are well-developed for fighting, but several of the babirusa's top teeth grow upward, traumatically, through the snout and out of the skin on top. They curl up through the top of the head and form a structure that is functionally similar to a horn.

Another less-known animal that uses teeth for the hard parts is the narwhal. The narwhal is technically a whale, related to the beluga. The males of the species have a hard part that is usually inaccurately described as a 'horn' but is in fact the upper left canine tooth. Its spiral shape and great length has led to them frequently being passed off as unicorn horns.

Narwhals do not use their tusks for fighting, unlike almost every other animal with a long hard part. The reason for the existence of the tusk has been debated for centuries, but the best theories in my opinion are that it functions as a sexual identification characteristic (like a peacock's tail) and also probably as a sensory organ. Recent analysis of narwhal tusks has revealed a surprisingly complex nervous system within the organ. They may even be able to detect variations in salinity levels.

These are the main hard parts of large animals, but it is also worth mentioning chitin.

Chitin is to arthropods as keratin is to mammals and reptiles. 'Arthropods' refers to the living things with exoskeletons. Insects, arachnids, and crustaceans. Those exoskeletons are made mostly of chitin. Lobsters' claws, rhinoceros beetles' horns, and the stingers of scorpions are all made of chitin. As are the beaks of squids, in fact.

These days, chitin is only found in very small creatures (with the exception of the beaks of squids). But a few hundred million years ago there were sea scorpions that grew over eight feet long. I imagine that a pair of those claws would look every bit as impressive hanging over the fireplace as a trophy rack from a whitetail deer.

Bram Burger and Stijn van der Vleuten are the duo that make up bram/stijn, and their introduction into the furniture world is a series of flat pack, easy-to-assemble designs called Seats and Stripes.

The stools, benches, and cabinets are made of minimal pieces of wood that assemble together in a matter of minutes. The furniture is then held together with colorful straps. The straps can be mixed up to change the look of the piece or the wood can be painted or stained to achieve a new look as well.

These are pretty smart designs, especially for people who might move a lot, as you release the straps and the furniture comes apart.

Stool – made of four components and two straps.

Bench – made of five components and two straps.

Cabinet – made of six components and four straps.

You don't have to break the bank to furnish an in-home bar. It's easy to create some great looking stools with just a few dollars worth of materials. More »

glukkake:

cineraria:

Magnetic Putty Time Lapse 1080p - YouTube

Waaaaaant!

[ By Steve in Abandoned Places & Architecture. ]

Battered by wind, waves and relentless weathering, these 9 abandoned lifeguard towers still stand watch though the watchers have long since left.

Genkai-jima, Japan

(images via: Another Tokyo)

The island of Genkai-jima in southern Japan’s Hakata Bay has seen a lot of history, not least being two unsuccessful Mongol invasions almost 750 years ago. Situated off the Itoshima Peninsula on the bay’s western side, Genkai-jima offers an ideal lookout platform in general and, wonder of wonders, boasts a man-made lookout platform to boot.

(image via: Catching Fish With Fish)

The abandoned lifeguard tower on Genkai-jima is rather luxurious as such constructions go, providing a windowed sheltering space beneath the topmost observation platform accessible via a poured concrete, railed staircase. An appreciable expense must have been expended to run an electrical power line to the hut, enabling the use of a powerful searchlight mounted on the roof. After all that, the tower was abandoned at some point and is inexorably deteriorating. Swim (or invade) at your own risk.

Koshkol, Kyrgyzstan

(image via: Wikipedia/Vmenkov)

Vladimir Menkov picked a picture-perfect day to document the current (well, 2007) state of the lifeguard station at the abandoned Lake Issyk Kul beach resort at Koshkol, Kyrgyzstan. Formerly patronized by vacationing Soviet-era poobahs, the resort and its facilities were caught between the fall of communism and the rise of Islamism.

Cape Town, South Africa

(images via: Sandra Maytham-Baily)

Sandra Maytham-Bailey used a Canon EOS 5D Mark II camera and some very creative processing techniques to bring out the best of this abandoned beachfront lifeguard hut. Cape Town’s beaches are both spectacular and dangerous – if the powerful riptides don’t get you, the local Great White Sharks will. Why’s this “Innocent” lifeguard HQ boarded up and abandoned, then? Perhaps potential lifeguards figured the hazards weren’t worth the pay.

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Drowned Out 9 Abandoned Lifeguard Huts Towers

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[ By Steve in Abandoned Places & Architecture. ]

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We have something special for you today: 10 floor plans of the most famous apartments on TV, which you will probably recognize without us having to tell you which one’s which. We got so used to seeing Jerry Seinfeld’s apartment for over ten seasons, that his small living room with couch in the middle and tiny kitchen has become more than familiar. And aside from being tidy all the time, Monica’s place from “Friends” is what most of us dream of when imagining a comfy crib.

In addition to the homes seen in “Friends” and “Seinfeld”, the photos below (discovered on the Deviant Art profile of Spanish designer Iñaki Aliste Lizarralde ) include floor plans of Carrie Bradshaw’s place, the residence of Dexter Morgan or Sheldon and Leonard’s apartment from American sitcom “Big Bang Theory”. So if you ever had your design-related doubts or wanted to find out more about the layout of each of the apartments below, here’s you chance!

 

You're reading 10 Floor Plans of the Most Famous TV Apartments in the World originally posted on Freshome.

The post 10 Floor Plans of the Most Famous TV Apartments in the World appeared first on Freshome.com.

If you’re a gear hog – and, for some reason, more of us seem to be these days – you’re always looking for the most efficient, comfortable way to schlep your schtuff. While less is usually more EDC-wise, some of us know people who won’t leave the house without looking like they’re prepared for a month-long Himalayan trek. Gun, extra mag(s), flashlight, knife, smartphone, keys, lighter, shades, multitool, pen, paper, meds, tissues, ChapStick, comb, earphones, first-aid kit, yadda, yadda and still more yadda. And that’s just for a quick trip to the grocery store and the cleaners. If you’re planning a day out with the fam, add water, a juice box or two, energy bars, Purell, sun screen, junior’s Nintendo DS and EpiPen, Janie’s MLP Princess Cadence, the wife’s iPad . . . tired yet? Yeah, and you haven’t even left the house . . .

What’s a modern, well-prepared man about town to do? Well, the hardware store has a few solutions, but they can be a tad on the cumbersome side and make it hard to find what you want when you want it. The people at Optics Planet, though, have felt your pain and have commissioned a solution. They’ve come up with the kind of bag a self-respecting dad won’t be embarrassed to be seen in that won’t deplete your ammo budget too much.

Fortunately, the OPMOD P.A.C. Limited Edition Versipack is a lot more economical than that pseudo-military sounding name. OPMOD means “OpticsPlanet MODification.” P.A.C. is short for Personal Articles Carrier. You vets should feel right at home.

The bag’s tactical, functional design will ensure that no one takes you for a wanna-be hipster. And anyone within earshot who calls it a man-purse is in line for a good ass-kicking. This thing has way too many paracord pulls and PALS loops for that. No, the Versipack is unmistakably tactical . . . a true turse.

You want pockets? You can’t handle all the pockets this baby sports. You got yer exterior pockets, yer interior pockets, yer mesh pockets, yer zippered pockets and pockets with Velcro tabs. Wanna hang it? No prob. there are two d-rings — one on the top in back and one on the side of the top zippered top pouch.

All zippers have paracord pulls because 1) they make it a lot faster and easier to yank ‘em, and 2) what self-repecting turse wouldn’t have paracord pulls? And they’ve topped the whole thing off with a looped velcro rectangle because nothing’s truly as tactical as it can be without a morale patch.

This bag is your classic, over-the-shoulder slinger with a strap that has a sliding shoulder pad so it won’t dig in. You can also remove the strap completely, slip the two slideclips together and, voila! Instant carry handle.

And thanks to all those PALS loops, you can swap out some or all three of the add-on pouches that came with the Versipack for something else, if you’re so inclined. Above, I’ve strapped on a Blackhawk! water bottle pouch just because I can.

Hey, wait. This is a gun blog! Why are we reviewing a turse here? Tacticality alone isn’t enough to crack these pages, Bunky. Don’t worry, the Versipack is plenty gunny. It comes with three, count ‘em three PALS-attached Veclro-close pouches. Optics Planet says they’re one rifle and two pistol mag pouches, but I beg to differ.

The larger one is a 3.25″ x 8.5″ expandable pouch that will definitely hold any handgun mag you’ll ever carry, up to and easily including a Glock 33-rounder, as pictured above. But rifle mags? Nyet. Not unless you’re going to stack a bunch of 10/22 rotaries in there.

The two strapped to the opposite side, however, are far too slim to really be considered magazine pouches at all. I could just cram a little P3AT mag in there, but anything bigger is a no-go. They’ll hold something like a Streamlight Stylus Pro (above) or a Sharpie quite nicely, though.

As for concealed carry, RF may not be a fan of off-body carry, but there are plenty of you out there who don’t give a rip and are going to pack that way, period. The Versipack’s concealed pouch is designed to easily tote a full-size mohaska on your appointed rounds. It has a slim pocket behind the the lid to the main compartment that’s accessed by a 9-inch zipper in the top. It’s positioned closest to your body behind the mail compartment lid and is easily accessible in a hurry.

What the bag doesn’t have is a holster. No biggie, though, because Optics Planet has thoughtfully sewn a couple of large Velcro patches onto both interior sides of that pocket for something like Maxpedition’s Universal CCW Holster. If you plan to pack Versipack heat, you’ll definitely want one.

Want another carry option? If the other compartment’s full, you can pack a smaller gun in a snap-top pocket that’s located at the back of the bag against your bod. This one isn’t as easily accessible — it’s not as quick to get your hand in that pocket, especially if you keep that aggressive snap closed. Still, it’s another option. This pocket also has interior Velcro like the larger zippered pocket to hold a holster.

Caveat carrier: that rear pocket won’t take a full-sized gun like the bigger zippered compartment will. I’d guess nothing much bigger than a Glock 19, but that shouldn’t cramp your ballistic style too much. Here it is, comfortably holding a Kahr CW9:

What’s that? You don’t carry a turse and don’t plan to? Hell, neither do I. But that doesn’t mean this thing won’t make a good addition to your arsenal anyway. Do you keep a first aid kit in the house? We do. And it’s all in one convenient bag that’s easy to grab when you need it rather than having it all spread out in various drawers, medicine cabinets and closets.

I’ve been using an old camera bag to hold ours, but the P.A.C. Versipack is at least a good a solution and way more flexible, so I’ll be switching it out. It’s also the perfect turse for an emergency get-your-ass home kit to keep in the trunk of the car.

Will it take abuse? I haven’t run it over with a car yet, but the damned thing appears to be tough as nails. It has heavy, even stitching, quality zippers and drain holes thoughtfully added at the bottom of each pouch.

Best of all there’s an OPMOD P.A.C. Limited Edition Versipack available to match almost any ensemble. You can get one in basic black (always right with any outfit) or a lovely shade of O.D. green that’s sure to compliment your spring wardrobe.

Specifications:

Overall size: H 12-1/2″ x W 8-1/2″ x D 7-1/4″
Main compartment: H 11″ x W 8″ x D 4-1/2″
Front pouch:  H 8″ x W 7-1/2″ x D 2 1/2″
Front bottom pouch:  H 2″ x 7-1/2″ X 2-1/2″
Front pocket:  H 6″ x W 7″
Back pocket:  H 11″ x W 9″
Conceal snap back pocket:  H 7-1/4″ x W 8″
Top pouch:  H 5″ x W 6-3/4″ x D 2-1/2″
Carry strap:  L 43″ x W 1-1/2″ w/ 2″
Weight (empty):  1.78 lbs
Price:  $39.99

Ratings (out of five stars):

Design: * * * * *
The Versipack is well thought out with pockets where you want them that open in directions that are convenient. This isn’t a slap-dash design. Paracord pulls, velcro, PALS loops galore (even on the bottom!) and mesh…all right where you want them to be.

Comfort * * * *
It’s not light, even empty. Load it up and you’ll know you’re carrying some gear. But the padded shoulder strap and mesh backing make it about as comfy as an over-the-shoulder sling bag can be.

Utility * * * *
There isn’t much this thing won’t hold, up to and including an iPad, a netbook or even small laptop. Those two skinny pouches are an odd choice, though.

Construction * * * * *
Everything about it feels solid. No loose or sloppy stitching, strong snap and connectors, heavyweight PVC material.

Overall * * * * 1/2
This is a well-made, thoughtfully designed turse at about half the price of similar bags from competitors like Maxpedition. Just don’t buy into that “three mag pouch” stuff.