For the Paranoid: Data Protection

Here’s a handy lifestyle tip for those who are maybe a bit paranoid that someone’s watching. You should act as though the government has everything that you do in digits–on the internet, on your phone, over your bank, etc–in permanent record. Just FYI.

The implications of this include that your email isn’t secure. Your bank records aren’t secure. Your phone conversations and texts aren’t secure. If the government had any sort of reason to research you with its full force, everything you’ve done–including where you’ve been (thanks, cell-phone tower location triangulation records!) at any given time–is on record.

What’s a person to do, if he wants any sort of privacy whatsoever?

Well, you can rely on the legal injunctions that the US government can’t spy on its citizens. Hahaha!

Or, you can take some (albeit fairly small ) protective actions that will at least help you when private hackers start going through your stuff. And it’ll take a while for the NSA folks to crack, too.

For your phone and email: go to Silent Circle and use their apps.

For your data:

– Get a dropbox account

– Get TrueCrypt

– Create the file volume on your dropbox account.

– Encrypt it

Voila! A cloud-based secure repository for all of your secure-data needs. Easy-to-use, too. Tough to crack, unless someone’s pulling your toenails out–but for that, Truecrypt offers a few invisible file options, too.

Then, shred all your credit cards, buy BitCoins and foreign currency, move to pre-paid, disposable phones (or carrier pigeons), get a versatile personal arsenal, and move to Montana with a cabin across the border in Canada.

Just kidding… Anyone believing that the government has a massive clandestine infrastructure for spying must be paranoid and delusional anyway.

The All-Purpose Ideal Personal Arsenal

Since there’s been so much hullabaloo about the CT shootings, and I just can’t escape the idiotic blathering on both sides of the debate, I figured I’d just write something constructive about gun ownership.

A useful entree into this debate would be answering the questions: what guns does a man really need to own to have a well-rounded, versatile personal arsenal, optimizing for the following:

– Cost (for the weapon and ammunition). Guns are expensive. Customization is expensive. Ammo is expensive. Money is finite.

– Efficacy in a variety of situations (survival, self-defense, recreation, impressing babes, zombie apocalypse/militia moment). Sure, there’s a perfect weapon for every particular instance, but if we aren’t just interested in, say, platypus hunting at 91 meters, then we want weapons for many situations.

Keeping these criteria in mind, I figure that no more than 4-5 weapons are needed, and they should include the following:

– A rifle

– A shotgun

– Concealed carry handgun

– Standard sidearm

– Open slot for flamethrowers, rocket launchers, etc… just kidding! Maybe another rifle.

Although there’s infinite discussion among gun enthusiasts about which weapon is best, etc., this is probably the most versatile array of firepower that someone realistically needs.

So, here’s this blogger’s lineup:

1. Rifle: The M1A Socom 16. Heavy enough to handle sizable game hunting and zombies, small enough for tactical situations, good magazine capacity if you’re not in a restrictive state. Downside: Ammo is heavy and expensive, and if you’re trying for varmint- or fowl- , you’ll probably vaporize the target before you can take it home. See also #5

An All-Purpose Rifle

2. Shotgun: This Mossberg, although there are many that will do. Good for game and fowl hunting as well as defense or offense.

So hot right now.

3. Concealed-Carry handgun: This kimber does the trick nicely. 9mm or .45, take your pick.

Effective AND Aesthetically Pleasing

4. An all-purpose sidearm. I prefer to stay with the classics. Kimber’s not necessary here; colt or springfield armory will do, but the 1911 is a must.

Hard to go wrong here

5. Bonus weapon: Marlin 39A. Why? Nostalgia, and hunting. Ammo is cheap, plentiful, and light. It’s easy to take to the hills with this and a lot of rounds and still be able to protect yourself and hunt.

6. Wish list, for home and compound defense, particularly against light vehicles.

Discuss.