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I've seen the program, and read the book it's based on 'World Without Us'; they're both very good. Encouraging in that nature will reclaim so very much in a short time span, disconcerting to think that it could take thousands of years for bacteria to start digesting plastics and finally begin...

+1 to all of this. The sooner people come around to the idea that we're part of the system and not overlords of it, the better. The second part is sticky, but sooner or later nature will take care of that for us...

Indeed. The upcoming weekend is a long weekend here, and the traditional first camping weekend of the year. To that end, every yahoo loads up their ATV and heads out for a weekend of tearing around in the bush, getting drunk and causing general mayhem. The provincial government has taken...

Distilled water isn't good for you in the long term. A little here and there isn't a problem, but drinking it exclusively will promote leaching of minerals and salts from your body. I have no doubt that your Czech peasants didn't use distilled water in their traditional recipe, and neither do...

Thanks for the input everyone! I was planning on hitting the science museum, and I'll definately try to get out to Tottenham/Charing Cross. I'm not terribly excited about fighting the pressing crowd, so I'm holding my breath that it won't be too bad on a Tuesday/Wednesday...

Hey! I came back just in time to talk chemistry! Distillation is the most thorough purification technique, assuming you do your run to catch only the water fraction. It is really the only technique to deal with chemicals (such as pesticides and other toxins) and heavy metals. No filter or...

We're spending a couple of days in London on our way back to Canada from Poland at the end of the month. I would love suggestions for shopping or sightseeing, particularly Industrial Revolution wonders and interesting trinkets I won't be able to find back home. Bookstores are also welcome...

This is promoting a show that is capitalizing on a book called "The World Without Us" by Alan Weisman. It's a good program and the book is a fascinating read that highlights some of the terrible things we're doing that will long outlast us and how impermanent so many of the things we think of...

Sure, there are lots. That's how us chemistry types figure out what stuff is made of. I did a half semester of labs doing just that. Problem is, there aren't really any field expedient tests that cover the gamut of metals and toxins. There are just far too many of them.

You really, *really* need a community to live as a hunter/gatherer; division of labour, just like in modern life, is key to living well. Nobody really lives alone and well.

In a similar vein, cowboys often wear oilskin jackets of a similar design. They cover the entire body while riding (and walking, for that matter) protecting from rain and allowing the rider to push though bush and tree branches without snagging or being injured. Add a wide-brimmed cowboy hat...

Props to that. My wilderness first aid instructor told me that the reason people are told "5 minutes" or whatever is because some people think that when the bubbles form on the bottom, the water has boiled! Gotta inform to the lowest common denominator, I suppose.

Karamat wilderness ways is the website for the school that Mors Kochanski teaches at. I really, really, really wanted to get out there this summer, but it just wouldn't fit in my schedule. I'm going to try for the winter course.

Ahem. My country sucks and I want... Ha. No, seriously. I love it here and wouldn't trade the October-to-May snow and biting winter temperatures for anything. If you want a real bit of climactic paradise, the interior of British Columbia is the place to be if you can afford it. I'm a...

Horses can be conditioned to accept the report of a rifle, but few responsible hunters fire from horseback. The lack of a stable platform makes it difficult to make a clean shot, especially as ranges increase. It is far more common to travel by horse and then dismount for a stable shooting...

My wife and I flew from Canada to Warsaw and then took the train to Prague, Vienna and back to Krakow before flying out of Warsaw back home. We didn't pack anything in the outside pockets of our bags and did up all the straps and buckles tightly. Any dangling straps were tied off. We had no...

It's true; growing up on the farm we used to pluck the flowers and suck the tiny taste of nectar from the base of the flower. Not much for calories, I imagine, but an amusing pastime in our youth.

One Man's Wilderness: The story of Dick Proenneke, who trooped off into the Alaskan wilderness, built a cabin by hand and lived there for ~30 years or so. True story. Into The Wild, John Krakauer: I haven't read it, and it's not so much about survival as about a kid that throws everything...

I have lived and played in bear (and moose, since they seem to keep popping up!) country for most of my life. The short answer is yes, fires keep the animals away but bears are curious and persistent scavengers. If the animal in question is already habituated to humans and their food, a...

Fair enough. I was thinking more about deep aquifers that don't tend to be dirty. There is absolutely nothing stopping humans from contaminating them though, as happened with Walkerton.