Random thoughts

Random thoughts

There are three norths: True North (like where Santa Claus lives at the north pole),  magnetic north (somewhere around the Hudson Bay these days but moving all the time towards Siberia), and Grid North (something the military and civil engineers and governments often use). The three hardly ever agree with each other.

Car road maps are usually some combination of a map and a drawing, and are perfectly adequate for most uses. Decent hand drawn diagrams can be adequate for home defense, also.

Liquid measurements and solid measurements, as in cooking, are different. Most people use one system for both purposes, which is usually close enough. Practice will make perfect.

Time is usually measured in 12 hour or 24 hour formats. The time, as on your watch, can be local time zone, or UTC (Universal Time), or GMT (Greenwich Mean Time...the same as UTC pretty much), or local solar time.

Most of the world uses solar measurements. A few places use lunar.

There are generally two measurement means in use today. One is metric and the other is English. Practically, one usually needs two tool sets and measuring devices, one in each system, to be able to reliably work on most things that need tools for work or cooking; and even other things like sewing and knowing volumes for medicine.

Electricity is just a way to get energy into your homes and businesses for all the usual reasons. Most energy is of earthly origins (solar in the end), plus a small percentage can be from other means available. Most electricity is AC (usually 60 cycle), and uses either 220V or 110V systems. Too many people have become dependent on reliable electricity and electrical widgets. Going without electricity has two benefits. One is that we can survive just fine. Two is that we will find the alternatives are pretty good, too. After all, our distant ancestors did OK without electricity.

The old fashioned screw drivers tended to either be flathead or Phillips head. Now there are other shapes used, also.

People use their eye glasses and hearing aids for obvious and necessary reasons.

Conventional wisdom is we humans can go 3 days without water and 28 days without food.

Transportation usually means including distances and ways to transport in one's calculations. Think bicycles, hand pushed wheel barrows, and horse and buggy, for examples.

Religions vary all over the place, but seem to be universal in that most humans have religious instincts.

Most people want to know the news and weather that may affect them.

Most people born have to be taught the basic skills to get through life successfully.  Very few are born knowing these skills. People have brains, education, and experience; all are different things. There are only so many hours in the year to teach basic skills. After that, we have to learn on our own.

Boys and girls are different, thank goodness.  The whole can be greater than the sum of the parts.

Many ancient skills are forgotten in many of today's cultures. They did not go away, but are just not taught anymore and so have become absent in most people's knowledge to both teach and practice. How to barter is one good example. Now some can already haggle pretty well when shopping at the right place, and that is a good start.

One can try be a jack of all trades and master of none. Or one can focus on being a master of one, and depend on others for the other necessary focused skills to live best. Most try do some of both.

Morale is important to humans. So is trust, faith, and confidence.

It takes a couple to raise a child to adulthood.

Entertainment is important to all people; often just for maintaining or even improving good morale.

Simple things like clean water, waste water treatment, septic planning and execution, warmth, being dry, and food are universal in a successful culture and life.

Criminals are a constant fact of life in all cultures.

Protecting our food is from both human thieves and hungry wildlife.

When necessary, and just like in the American civil war and before, have the humans use the cleanest water upstream, and have the animals drink the dirtier water downstream. Animal gullets are designed for dirtier water than are human gullets.

There are many ways to make clean water. Boiling water is one simple way.

Most people like to be clean. Cleanliness often helps our health.

Death is universal. Just when it occurs and how quick, drawn out, or possibly painful, varies all over the place. The desire for dignity for the dead seems to be universal.

Using doctors and medicine are usual ways to try extend life and the quality of life.

Some cultures are more successful than other cultures. Cultures and races are different.

Sometimes we have to fight, have wars, revolt, or something similar.

All religions seem to have some form of the Golden Rule as part of that religion.

Charity, as in helping our fellow humans as best we can, seems to be universal. Now that usually means charity for some more than others on both ends of the charity effort.

Oh what a tangled web we weave when at first we try to deceive.

The rule of law depends on moral lawyers to best represent our interests.

Teaching skills to promote success for children when they grow up depends on skilled teachers, and teaching at home and elsewhere, too. Teaching morals is best done by people we trust and observe. Usually that means at home.

Listening well and deriving capabilities are often learned skills that benefit leaders.

Snapshot pictures are poor ways to best make long term decisions. Snapshot pictures are often all we have when making short term decisions, like a kids fight.

Constructive criticism tactfully delivered is usually appreciated. Insults are seldom forgotten. People usually need some time to improve and learn. Nobody wakes up in the morning wanting to do a bad job. Have a training plan to grow your people if the time permits is always a good idea. Make the time if and when the situation permits. Training does not have to be universal, like all at one period or all positions. Leaders try avoid setting people up for failure. Good leaders try train people to succeed, mostly for the benefit of the whole organization. Training can be as simple as weapons safety training, fire training, first aid training, and call-out training. It can also be as complicated as school skill training, too.

Provide clear and understandable instructions, directions, mission assignments, etc. Include letting people know instructions and guidance for one level above them, too.

There are no poor followers, only poor leaders.

Expect and plan for food plagues. Expect and plan for other mother nature wild card events, like a bad storm or epidemic, also. Use all your assets when responding. Evolve and take your time if you can, especially as you gather more information over time.

Be flexible. Never be slack. One obvious example is bitterly cold weather mixed with an epidemic at home might cause a security leader to adjust his or her defense plans.

Nothing beats a ground reconnaissance.

Starting anything is important. One can finish at another time.

The human ability to suffer is still astounding to me.