BUSHCRAFT WISDOM PUT TO EVERYDAY USE

10 Survivalism Tips That Could Save Your Life

Image: Denise Jans

Survivalism tips aren’t useful only in life-or-death situations. Granted, water purification might not be the kind of skill that you will be using in an everyday situation, but knowing how to start a fire might come in handy if you need to start your barbecue fire and no matches are available. And you can benefit from knowing how to tie a sturdy knot that won’t come undone until required.

Many of these bushcraft skills have daily applications that can make life easier and they resolve in a matter of seconds situations that otherwise would require a trip to the store or the help of a handyman. Stay with us and take a look at these 10 tips. We guarantee you will be adding at least one to your skill set.

Image: Sebastian Pociecha

Imagine you are on a camping trip and you forgot the matches. What do you do? There are several methods you can try to start a fire without matches or a lighter. One of the most simple ones is friction.

Get together some dry grass, or dried leaves. Cut a straight groove along a dry piece of wood and place the dry grass and leaves at the end of the groove. Move a stick up and down the groove, pressing down. When heat builds up, the dry grass and leaves will catch on fire.

Image: Miguel A Amutio

Say you went on a walk with your dog and remembered that you need something from the store. But the store doesn’t allow pets inside so you must tie your furry friend with its leash somewhere outside. How do you do it safely, without creating something impossible to untie?

The Siberian Hitch is a good option for this kind of event. Pass the rope over your hand, around the tree, and back across your hand. Then pass the rope under your hand, over both ropes, and back under both ropes. Tuck a bight between your fingers and pull this bight through the loop. Tighten the resulting slipped knot. Finally pull the knot tight against the tree or pole, or knob you are using.

Image: David Ballew

You don’t need to be McGyver to appreciate the value of a properly sharpened knife. And, let’s face it: how many of us have a sharpening stone at home? To those who do, we commend you on your foresight; and to the rest of us who don’t, we say: do not worry, for there are simple solutions.

This one might surprise you but it is quite effective: place a hand towel over a table. Over the towel, put a ceramic coffee mug face down, exposing the underside. Slide the knife on each side over the exposed ceramic, just as it is done with a sharpening stone.

Image: Jamie Street

The GPS in your phone can prevent you from getting lost. But what if your phone runs out of battery? When going for a hike on an unfamiliar terrain, it is always a good idea to bring along a compass and a map of the area, just in case. You don’t know how to use those relics? No problem!

Set your compass in a flat position and move until the rotating arrow coincides with the N. Then spread your map and place it in such a way that the North on the map coincides with the North on your compass. Once you have done this, you can orient yourself on the map, knowing that it is facing in the right direction.

Image: Mohan Murugesan

As we said when we started, this one might seem a bit far-fetched but it is the kind of thing that if needed, can determine the difference between life and death. Making drinkable water is extremely important if you don’t have access to pure water sources. Lucky for us, it is not that difficult to achieve.

You will need some container made of glass, steel, or any other material that can handle high temperatures. Place the water in it and cover it with a transparent piece of plastic, make a hole in the middle of the plastic, and set a tube that goes into another receptacle. Place the contraption under direct sunlight. The water in the first receptacle will evaporate, steam will flow through the tube, condense, and become pure water, that will drip into the second receptacle.

Image: Alejandro Piñero Amerio

This one might seem a bit obvious but we guarantee that if you do carry one of these things around, you will find yourself using it at least once a day. Having a knife, scissors, a bottle opener, screwdrivers, a corkscrew, and quite a few more things in your pocket is extremely useful not only in a survival situation but in everyday life as well.

And, aside from having infinite applications, it is a cool object to have.

Image: Julia Zyablova

As the saying goes, bad things never happen to those who are prepared. While that is not entirely true because bad things happen, no matter who you are, it is true that, when you are prepared to face a situation, the consequences of it are much less significant than if you are not.

You don’t need a whole medic kit or anything fancy. Yes, that would be ideal but, let’s face it: it’s probably not going to happen. Just keep a few bandaids, pills for the most common pains, like headache, and stomach pain, and something to lower the fever, a thermometer and you’re covered for the most part.

Image: Jason Mavrommatis

This is an interesting little trick to know how many hours of daylight you still have ahead. It can be used anywhere, as long as the sun and the horizon are both visible.

Hold your four fingers out horizontally to the horizon, aligning the top of your index finger with the bottom of the sun. Your pinkie should be closest to the horizon. Each finger represents 15 minutes. So, if you have your pinkie resting at the horizon and your index finger is right below the sun, you have roughly an hour left.

Image: feey

A big part of staying healthy involves not subjecting your body to uncomfortable temperatures for long periods. Whether you are on a camping trip or at home, it is important to stay warm when the weather is cold.

You can ramp up your body temperature by moving and eating. To stay warm, make sure to wear the right amount of layers. But, try to avoid sweating, since being damp can cause you to lose body temperature. Try to stay dry as much as possible.

Image: Atlas Green

Whether you’re planning a short hike or a long trip, always inform a friend or family member of your itinerary. At the very least, this includes where you plan on hiking and when you plan to return.

This very simple act of informing someone can save your life if you become lost in the wilderness and rescuers come to look for you.

HIGH SCORES AND NOSTALGIA

Let's Remember The 10 Best Arcade Games

Image: Matt & Chris Pua

While today's virtual recreation options are many and varied, the arrival of arcade games in the early 1970s revolutionized the entertainment world and left a mark on entire generations. It's impossible not to feel a bit nostalgic when thinking of these incredible games. From the revolutionary Pac-Man to other iconic Donkey Kong, we all had our favorites. What was yours?

Today, we have compiled 10 of the best arcade games to bring back the joy and excitement they once gave us. Let's play!

Image: Kvalifik

Outer space and its possibilities were a recurring theme in the 1970s games. You probably already know which one we are talking about now. You guessed it right: it's the unforgettable Space Invaders.

Released by Taito Corporation in 1978, this game was so fun and addictive that it quickly became a hit. With a classic format, players had to shoot a laser at invading ships coming from the top of the screen. Space Invaders was one of the first games to track high scores, which unleashed a competitive fever among players.

Adrenaline, tension, and fun were combined in this great game that defined the idea of "shooting games" and marked the childhood and adolescence of many of us.

Image: Senad Palic

Continuing with the space theme, another classic arcade game appeared in 1979, the mythical Asteroids by Atari.

If fighting against various enemies and obstacles was your thing, you've played Asteroids. In this classic, players had a ship that traversed space among asteroids and enemy flying saucers. Avoiding collisions with asteroids and attacking rival ships was a big challenge.

However, the level of difficulty didn't make Asteroids players any less passionate. From the beginning, this game found success, gaining a loyal fan base and becoming one of the best-selling games of its time.

Image: Roger Ce

This list would never be complete without mentioning one of the most popular games of all time: the legendary Pac-Man.

Pac-Man, played around the world by people of all ages, genders, and nationalities, was a revolution in the world of video games.

Released by Namco in 1980, this arcade game was an instant hit, and it elevated its iconic and colorful characters to global fame: the one and only Pac-Man and his "adversaries" Blinky, Pinky, Inky, and Clyde. Do you remember them all?

Image: Kelly Sikkema

In 1981, Nintendo launched a game that would become an absolute success: Donkey Kong.

In this classic arcade game, a particular character named Jumpman had to overcome stairs and other obstacles to save the damsel Paulina from the formidable Donkey Kong. But do you know who this Jumpman was? That's right! He later became the iconic video game figure known as Mario Bros. While he was not yet called Mario in this game, it marked his debut as the popular character we know today.

Donkey Kong was one of the first arcades to include a series of diverse and challenging levels, and it became one of the best-selling games at the time!

Image: Ben Neale

In 1981, Sega released a game developed by Konami that quickly conquered gamers. In Frogger, players used the famous joystick to control the little frogs through congested routes and tricky obstacles and get them back home. As the game progressed, the obstacles increased in speed and difficulty, making it not only fun and addictive but also very dynamic!

Due to its simplicity and lack of violence, this game was a hit regardless of the gender and age of the players.

But there is one thing that will instantly bring this game to mind: its iconic music! Do you remember it?

Image: Isaiah Schultz

Two years after the successful Pac-Man, the arcade witnessed the debut of the iconic Ms. Pac-Man!

That's right, Pac-Man's girlfriend also had her own game, and it had nothing to envy the original. Released by Midway in 1982, Ms. Pac-Man came out as a sequel game and was one of the first video games to have a female protagonist.

This game was very well received by gamers at the time, as it had everything they loved about Pac-Man, plus several improvements. A bit more challenging than the original, Ms. Pac-Man featured the beloved female protagonist and the four ghosts, this time called Blinky, Pinky, Inky, and Sue.

Image: Justice Thompson

Of course, we can't forget to include a video game celebrity: the one and only Mario Bros.

As we already mentioned, Mario's first appearance in a game didn't even feature his name in the title, and he went by a different name. But his character in Donkey Kong was so well received that Nintendo decided to develop a video game for the beloved Mario.

Mario Bros., released for arcades in 1983, had not only Mario but also his co-star, his funny little brother Luigi, fighting and jumping in each level against obstacles and enemies.

Mario Bros. became a very popular arcade game in its time and was the starting point for the development of the legendary franchise that now bears that name.

Image: Joey kwok

When it comes to fighting games, Street Fighter II -released in arcades in 1991 by Capcom- gets a special mention among arcade classics.

Unlike Street Fighter I and other games that preceded it, Street Fighter II allowed the players to choose from a diverse group of characters, all fighting to become the best warrior in the world. At the same time, each character had unique abilities and characteristics. If you had the chance to play it, you probably remember some of them, such as Ryu, Ken, or Chun-Li.

In addition to its multiplicity of characters, Street Fighter II presented innovative features like the "combo system" (allowing players to apply several attacks in a row) and the "versus mode" (with which you could challenge a friend to play). Thus, this game marked the path that fighting games would take in the following decades.

Image: Carl Raw

But in 1992, we welcomed a game that, for many experts, not only surpassed Street Fighter but also became an emblem of fighting games.

We are talking about the unforgettable Mortal Kombat, with its legendary and fearsome characters that include Scorpion, Sub-Zero, Liu Kang, Raiden, and Sonya, among others. In addition, each character had an interesting backstory that revealed a certain depth in the characters' crafting.

But what really set Mortal Kombat apart was its unusual level of graphical violence, which naturally attracted many gamers. Do you remember the "fatalities"? Did you have a favorite character?

Image: Karsten Winegeart

If sports games were your thing, you probably played NBA Jam. This classic was released in 1993 by Midway Games and was undoubtedly very well received by the public.

Among its best features was the possibility of choosing between real NBA players of that time, making fans get excited every time they could play.

On the other hand, the graphics style and the game speed were some of the most valued features among the players.

Remember the "Boomshakalaka!" and "He's on Fire!" by Tim Kitzrow? What a time!