Lone Iguana

Mindblown: a blog about philosophy.

  • How to Do Everything

    How to Do Everything is a new podcast from Mike Danforth and Ian Chillag, producers of Wait Wait… Don’t Tell Me!. The new show is “half advice show, half survival guide”; listeners send in their questions and Mike and Ian talk to experts and do their best to answer them. It’s an entertaining and packed…

  • Security In-a-Box

    Security in-a-box is a project that provides various resources for enhancing your security and privacy both on and offline. The site contains a how-to booklet and a number of hands-on guides for using free software such as TrueCrypt, Tor, Eraser, and more to strengthen your digital security. Security in-a-box is a collaborative effort of the Tactical…

  • How to Make a Bug Out Bag [Survival]

    A bug out bag is a pack that contains enough items to survive for 72 hours.  The idea is that if you need to make a hasty retreat in the event of an emergency, you can grab your bag and have enough supplies to evacuate to a more secure location. Creek Stewart of Willow Haven…

  • Historic Spy Gadgets

    In this photo gallery, Wired takes a look at some of the most interesting gadgets showcased in the CIA’s new Flickr stream. Tire spikes, semi-submersibles, and the tiny Dragonfly UAV shown are among the list of tools and gadgets featured. Whenever James Bond needed a nifty device to snap a surreptitious surveillance picture or escape…

  • Break Into a Locked Suitcase With a Pen

    Here’s a surprisingly simple trick for opening a locked suitcase from Lifehacker: simply plunge a ballpoint pen into the zipper, which separates the teeth and allows you to open the suitcase. The pull can than be run around the zipper once again, resealing the suitcase and leaving no evidence of tampering. Check out the video…

  • Disappearing, Shirts and Tracking [Link Roundup]

    How to Ditch Big Brother and Disappear Forever ThinkGeek’s New Spy Shirt Hides an Actual Working Spy Cam The Great Cyberheist – NYTimes.com Blood Camera to Spot Invisible Stains at Crime Scenes How to Cloak a Crime in a Beam of Light MY PHONE IS OFF FOR YOU How To Track Your Vehicle on the…

  • What You Should Carry [Gear]

    For a while, I’ve been working on a list of gadgets and other gear that I’d like to have with me at all times. Qualifications were that it had to be fairly legal and inexpensive, and fit in a small bag that could easily be hidden in a cache. Under optimal conditions, one would have…

  • Hack Your Memory With the Method of Loci

    In this New York Times Magazine article, writer Joshua Foer recounts his year-long journey from having an average memory to becoming a U.S. record holder at the U.S.A Memory Championship. Foer and other mental athletes use techniques such as the Method of Loci or “memory palace” based on the Rhetorica ad Herennium, a Latin rhetoric…

  • Bulletproof Books, Dragon Skin, and Circus Acts [Link Roundup]

    The Secrets Behind Popular Circus Acts – Neatorama This Wall Hook Spy Cam Might Actually Fool Some People Which Novels of 2010 Can Stop a Bullet? – Neatorama Dragon Skin body armor gains piezoelectric sensors, keeps bullet-stopping abilities – Engadget ThinkGeek :: Micro Sonic Grenade Secret Service Replacing Scale Models With Game-Based Training-Gamasutra The Real ‘CSI’: How…

  • Pickpocket Prevention Tips

    Here’s a short list of tips for pickpocket prevention from FX World Chart. Most of it’s pretty straightforward, but it’s all solid advice. Don’t carry what you don’t need – if you don’t have it, a pickpocket can’t get it. Pickpockets prefer easy targets – if you can’t feel it on you, you probably can’t…

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