'Apocalypse Man' History Channel- Survival Techniques- Must Watch!

I'm glad they're airing this again I missed it when it was on last week.I did see the one about the family that is faced with the pandemic "apocolypse" and I was highly dissappointed,as they were going through the dessert and the narrator was explaining about dehydration and how if they didn't take nasty water from radiators and the such and purify it, they'd die, when they're surrounded by cactus of every type and it never once mentioned that you CAN LIVE off cactus water...that is your one best bet if you find yourself thirsty and walking through a dessert. I thought it was a little dumb they didn't mention that. However, it did prompt me to learn how to grow and cultivate penecillin after the man died from a simple cut getting infected, and it's good to know how to create medicines you may not be able to access during and after a catastrophe. Now at least I know I won't die from a scratch or cut...lol.

[edit on 19-1-2010 by ldyserenity]

I'm watching this now, its on air as I'm typin, good info. to listen to.

I do lean a bit towards its being fantasy like, and by saying that going under ground in a larger city and using the sewer as your path, is IMO not as good an idea as he makes it out to be.

He is setting up almost script like, from the movie...oh that Will Smith movie...uhhh..you all know the one I'm thinkin of, with zombies and such.
I am Legend finally membered it

Too many "givens" and not enough realizm, I like the tricks, and Macgivering he comes up with, but the senerios are, un realistic, there is no way you could be that alone, in that big a city, and be able to plan and do the things he does just...well...to say the least they are decisions to be made depending upon variables, and not givens and theoretical grasps at trying to regain electricity......from a hospital....come on...if there is anyone at all around, that would be where some would be, the hospital.

I guess my idea of survival and his, are at best, about using our heads, and knowledge is going to be our only true way, to survive, but thats about it. I want to live too.

Yes I seen him use the gen..to charge the battery to make a get away......but....the gen. had a charged battery already there! Or it would not have started.

At least it gets some ppl thinking, or maybe thats the point, to scare a few into more gov't dependancy a bit farther.

Sorry I'm straying from the topic...

I like the idea of the show but I was disapointed in the presentation and all the what ifs...not to mention, its urban survival at best, not real living.

Don't know who said this quote but its one of my favs..
"Some live to survive"
"Some survive to live"

Myself I really like, not just like but enjoy living and appreciate it, no matter how bad it gets, if your alive, you can live...not just survive!

Someone needs to U2U me a link to the show online. All the site's I normally go through don't have it yet, even though every other crap show get's posted the very next day after it's aired.

Originally posted by ldyserenity
I'm glad they're airing this again I missed it when it was on last week.I did see the one about the family that is faced with the pandemic "apocolypse" and I was highly dissappointed,as they were going through the dessert and the narrator was explaining about dehydration and how if they didn't take nasty water from radiators and the such and purify it, they'd die, when they're surrounded by cactus of every type and it never once mentioned that you CAN LIVE off cactus water...that is your one best bet if you find yourself thirsty and walking through a dessert. I thought it was a little dumb they didn't mention that. However, it did prompt me to learn how to grow and cultivate penecillin after the man died from a simple cut getting infected, and it's good to know how to create medicines you may not be able to access during and after a catastrophe. Now at least I know I won't die from a scratch or cut...lol.
[edit on 19-1-2010 by ldyserenity]

The more I read here the more I think I am going to move on. There is a LOT of misinformation floating about this site and the post above is some of it.
Cacti are not at all like watermellons. They are very tough and fiberous and while they do contain some water it is nothing like you are accustomed to. Once you mash the insides to a pulp you are left with a fiberous, slimy substance that can cause intense vomiting and diarrhea. Some cacti are acidic and can cause chemical burns to the mouth and throat. Even the often touted Barrel Cactus can cause vomiting and diarrhea just because your body is not used to it. All of this potential vomiting and diarrhea means faster dehydration. The truth is a far cry from the myth of easy living on cactus water.
NOW, if you find a cactus that proves not to be acidic you can cut it into smallish pieces and add them to a solar still. The moisture in them will evaporate out and condense on the plastic...

somehow I have an issue with anyone that carries a 4d maglight in their preps. It is too much for too little. Learn to use your acquired night vision, and or carry a small led type flashlight. For example mine is a single AAA streamlight. It puts out almost the same light and is unnoticable in my pants pocket.

respectfully

reluctantpawn

The first words that come to my mind when I watched that program is…..
Illogical…… utterly illogical.

Where to start….

Coherence of the world around you. There is always some coherence, that program has none. For his actions to make any sense, the results of two mutually exclusive events have to coexist at the exact same time. Those two evens are….. #1 Almost everyone was wiped out of existence (killed) at the exact same time. #2 N People used up all the supplies and finally fled the cities as the supplies ran out.

The results from both scenarios can not exist on the same timeline.

Ok…. Down to details.

Fist things first….. the batteries that he used to power the CB are not “dry cells” That are AGM (absorbed glass matt) or GEL lead acid batteries. Most likely the former. After a year of sitting they will be almost dead if left totally disconnected, and if they were discharged completely when the event happened (emergency exit lights and USP systems) they will be totally sulfated to the point of being useless by then.

That big diesel generator in the hospital is a subject onto it’s self.
He stated that it would run a couple hours on that gallon of diesel that dumped into the tank…….. Umm…… No…. A modest size 100kw to 125kw diesel genset will drink 5 to 6 gallons in an hour. A 1Mw genset like you would normally find in a hospital would drink 50 to 60 gallons in an hour when it’s loaded. Or about 15 to 20 gallons an hour unloaded. You would be talking 1 to 3 minutes run time per gallon. And where he just walked up and hit the switch to start it……after setting for months….. Um….. No. Back up generators like that are kept “hot” for quick starting. They have block heaters that keep the block at running temp around the clock so that starting them at any time is just like starting an engine that has just been shut off. Without the electrical grid, the blocks will cool and you need to follow a specific starting sequence with all the right tools to start one of them cold. It will not be a flip of a switch situation. And unless the systems was shut down properly and the starting batteries isolated on shutdown, the batteries will be dead within a week. If they were properly isolated, then it is a lot more than a switch throw to hook everything back up. And charging a car battery off the generator battery bank won’t work. Most large generators have a 24V or 48V battery bank. If you try to hook a 12V battery up to it, you will have an explosion.

A car battery that has been setting discharged for half a year to a year will also be totally useless and wouldn’t accept a charge even if you could charge it.

Where he hotwires that truck….. First things first…. You would not break out the driver side window. That is just totally stupid. You would go after one of the back glasses or a small filler panes in one of the back doors. Knocking out the drivers side will make it miserable to drive when it’s cold and/or raining. And hot wiring is another thing. It will be far easier to just pull the switch where you can operating the staring switch by hand. When you start cutting up the wiring harness, you are just taking a chance at rendering the vehicle permanently useless unless you know exactly which wires to connect, which is not likely.

And now we get into the mutually exclusive situations that I mentioned at the start of this post.

If people died off almost instantly (couple of days) there would be plenty of food. Plenty of fuel, and plenty of cars. Plenty of housing and building supplies. Enough stuff for the survivors to live for decades. No one would by fighting each other. There would be nothing to fight for everyone would have all they wanted. They would band together is loosely tied groups as soon as they found each other.

If supplies ran out and people slowly fled the cities, then there would be no cars left along the street or house left unsearched. You wouldn’t find a car sitting with a quarter tank of fuel. There would be no fuel left in the bottom of the gas station tanks. There would be no communications equipment left anywhere. It would of all be hauled off as the people left the city. Definitely no big generators left behind, they would have been far too precious to leave behind. There would be constant salvage operations going on as people from the countryside come into the city to get building material.

And with the only situation that falls in between that……. Everyone quickly leaves and only a few stay behind. Some of that stuff will be possible…. But that also makes his advice unwise. If you have a street where most of the homes have been broken into, and just a few haven’t. Then it is highly unwise to try to break into the ones that haven’t. They haven’t been broken into for a reason. It is a sure way to get your brains blown out. That is because someone is living there and guarding the place.

And if almost everyone fled at the same time……. There must have been a darn good reason. And that begs the question, If everyone else was smart enough to get out of town at a moments notice, why in heck are you still there?

And another thing he left out…. If it is summer time when the evacuation happens then kerosene supplies will be left untapped. Diesel engine will run on kerosene without any problems.

And above all else……. When ever you subject a flashlight to a sharp impact it can cause the filament to break. And…. Unless you have a bucket full of new flashlight bulbs to keep feeding it, breaking windows with your flashlight will be highly unadvisable……..

My word, I turned on the TV, and what did I see…… Apocalypse man!!! The mind numbingly stupid piece of brain dribble seemed just as stupid as when I first seen it….. Will the history channel just give up for once? It is starting to get real stupid.

It may have been interesting for a few people the first time or two they showed it, but what is this? The fifteenth bizilionth time?