I Am Legend, the movie, not my delusional thinking

Just saw Will Smith's I Am Legend this weekend.

Woof! Talk about intense.

I was thinking about you guys/gals watching it with the Emergency Preparedness/Survival aspects in it.

What struck me though was coping with the psychological aspects of survival and the importance (at least important to me) of keeping a journal.

How many keep a journal?

In your Bug Out Plans, do you have the ability to document what's going on, etc factored into your plans?

Do you even consider documenting events/observations/etc important/necessary/or just a luxury?

I have a journal in my bug out bag, I don't use one now but thought that if things got that bad I might need to keep track of certain things. I also saw the movie, wasn't too bad, not what I expected though, guess I was looking for more of the prep's and survival aspects, he had it to easy....lol until he ummmmm !!!! u know...lol
That had to be a real bummer......don't want to spoil it for anyone that hasn't seen it yet.

well if anyone has seen the show afterworld (afterworld.tv) rus keeps a journal. It seems to help him out!?

I keep a log book of my underway watches and I have toyed with the idea of keeping a journal during a disastrous period but I think I would pass on the extra weight (including the paperwork drill) during a bugout situation.

That which happens should be recorded, if for no other reason than the human memory is imperfect.

Space in my backpack is limited. Priority has to be given to those things which can help me survive. If there happens to be enough room for a notebook after everything else finds its place, then fine. But I'm not going to remove other items just to make room for a notebook.

My impression of the movie, without yet having seen it, is that it seems to be a remake of "The Omega Man"; a Charlton Heston 70s movie.

Don't know if you could call it a journal, but I keep about a dozen index cards and a couple of Fisher Space Pens in the BOB. Might want to leave notes, or record important happenings as others have mentioned above.

I also keep a log on the sailboat. That way I can check and see if my trip estimate (distance, time, currents etc.) comes out anything close to the real world. It's embarassing to take a couple of guests out for an overnighter and find yourself 25 miles from home as the sun sets on the second day.

Keep a Journal (I call it a log)!!

I have worked more than a few disasters as a hospital administrator, Ham, Red Cross responder, Search and Rescue responder and during my own private disasters.

Over time I have developed a logging method that works for me. I have referred to it countless times for information that I logged that I really did not know I would need later. Here is how I do it.

I use a small spiral binder. About 3x5. Starting from the BACK, I make notes as things happen. Mostly names of people I meet, radio frequencies, things others might mention, most anything. Usually it is almost incomprehensible scribbles. After each entry, I draw a horizontal line to separate that thought from the next.

When things are quiet, at least once a day, I transcribe the scribbles to the FRONT of the notebook. I add legibility, expand on what I wrote and in general make it so I can understand it a month later.

When I transcribe, I draw a single diagonal line through the transcribed scribble portion. When the entire page has been transcribed I draw a diagonal the opposite direction through the whole page. I do not rip out the scribble page.

When a page is full, I tear off a small piece of the bottom right corner. (I am left handed). Then when I need to open it quickly, I can grab the bottom right corner and end up at the latest empty spot. No fumbling through the pages to find an empty space to write.

I can't stress enough how useful this notebook will become. buy a bundle of these notebooks (12 for about $5 as sams club) and practice by tracking your daily activities.

Keeping log is an acquired skill. In time you will develop a technique that fits your needs. Start a log every time your world deviates from the routine. You start a trip, you start a hike, you have an auto accident, anytime you do anything unusual.

Do it however it works for you but DO IT!!

Both are based on the same novel.
The movie was OK. There were some obvious unanswered questions probably due to editing.
Bill

I always carry a pocket notebook and pen, but not as a journal, just to help me remember stuff, since I seen to have a bad case of CRS. Closest thing to keeping a journal/diary is a small digital camera...

Rules of thumb:

1) You can never overlog but you may well need that which you didn't bother to log.

2) A Rough Log and a Smooth Log are both legal documents under Federal Maritime Law.

3) Sign, or at the least, initial all of your Log entries.

4) All entries should be dated. It is good to include the time that the Log entry was made, as well.

It is a remake of "The Omega Man" but IMHO it is better than the original which is an unusual stand for me. It does deal with a lot of things that the original movie didn't.

"The Omega Man" was of course itself a remake of The Last Man on Earth starring Vincent Price. I guess Hollywood is getting strapped for ideas.

They've been strapped for ideas for a long time now. Notice the trend of turning old TV shows into movies, i.e. Dukes of Hazzard, Starsky & Hutch, The Beverly Hillbillies, Bewitched, The Brady Bunch, Charlie's Angels, Fat Albert, etc.

The list goes on and on and on.

Ya the movie wasn't as good as the book. It is the same concept but it is totally different than the novel. I totally recommend the book. Scary as all hell and some great twists.

This is the 3rd or 4th movie remake.

Dave

Norad,

I like that idea!!!

I'm glad to see I'm not alone. I was afraid I was being my usual obsessive-compulsive-odd-self.

I'm a nurse so I document anything and everything mostly in a chronological order just like my nurses' notes.

When I'm hiking or backpacking I'll jot down the time and location and a small note/ reference word/phrase in my pocket notebook when ever I stop to rest or something occurs that I want to note, so I can log the information into my hiking journal later.

I often, no always regret not jotting something down out of the delusion of "I'll remember that".

I agree with you that it is an acquired skill and habit.

Just as a personal preference, I like the little 4x3 marble memo pads. The spirals on the notepads tend to get caught on my shirt pocket, etc.

If you can't find room for a 3x5 notebook or a couple of index cards, and a pencil, you are doing something wrong.

You use it do things like sketch maps, keep track of time walked on a given bearing, et al. Don't trust your memory, ever. An eye witness is the worst form of witness in the world.

And in turn is based on the book *drum roll* I am Legend by Richard Matheson.

Which wasn't that good. I'm probably going to go see this, though.

If you have room for a 3x5 notebook, you have room for some food. Hunting and fishing are POSSIBLE sources of food, but as any hunter or fisherman can attest to, sometimes you come away with nothing.

3x5x.25 worth of food... I'm sorry, I just have to laugh at you CityBoy, and laugh openly. That is what, a couple packs of gum? It isn't enough stable food to worry about.

On the other hand, with a notebook and pencil, you have a multipurpose tool. You can record information for your own usage ("free water at loc.s X, Y and Z"), and for others ("SAR team, Ironraven slept here on 17 Dec 07, broke camp at approx 7am, heading east- intend to reach river, then go south." leave it tacked to a tree by your shelter site.). It gives you tinder. It gives you bait (not moving white and fluttery isn't that common in nature). It gives you something to wrap a small item (tooth, lens, mirror, etc). If it is decent paper, use it pack a hole in your shoe's insole. Give me time, and I can keep giving you uses. A lot more than you get from about three cubic inches of food.

True and true. I recall that I didn't care for it either. But I bet Matheson is making a pretty penny off the three film versions, particularly the latest!

Spoken like someone who has never been hungry. 1/2 cup of rice is the most beautiful thing in the world when you haven't eaten for 3 days.

I would rather have something to eat, than have something to write in about how hungry I am.

Haven't seen the movie, will put it on my list.

For being able to document things on the spot, a small notepad is invaluable. However, many cellphones can work well for this (and even take pictures), but a pencil and paper is faster to use in some situations and if you need to draw a quick sketch of a map with notes as a reminder of the way back, paper and pencil might be better. But that would only be needed if my GPS failed. Electronics are making us lazy, that's a given.

Over the years I have shifted to electronic media (with back-ups) to maintain info, MS Outlook even has a Journal which is pretty good. As for power outages, my laptop (I will only ever own a laptop) has it's own power for short events and there's solar for back-up. I have enough solar collector and electrical storage to power my laptop for a long time.

Another issue is capacity. I can keep gigabytes of data, historical info, How-To info. . . which would be difficult to do with pencil and paper. I may have to invest in a printer to make long term back-ups, but we're talking about a lot of info, maps that won't print well. So it may be a matter of triage, print out critical stuff and leave the rest in electronic form.

But in a disaster PC's, Palms, et al, may be unreliable for info or recording and for really long EOTW events, anything with electricity coursing through its veins will eventually die, eventually so will I.

If you'd kept some notes you might have remembered where you buried that last cache of supplies. . .

Human beings survived for thousands of years before the written word, and for thousands more after all they had to write on was stone. Such a simple thing as stacking rocks or marking trees can go a long ways towards remembering where things are.

I haven't seen the new one yet, but am a big fan of the book by Richard Matheson, it and "Earth Abides" by George Stewart both written in the 50's are the "Alas Babylons" of the super bug plague genre.

None of the four movies are "remakes" of a previous movie, but are all "inspired" by the book.

The Last Man on Earth (Vincent Price) 1964
Omega Man (Heston) 1971
I Am Omega (Mark Decascos) 2007 straight to DVD release.
I Am Legend (Smith) 200

As for journal, I carry a small pocket notebook daily in my pack, and can't imagine a PSK without one. Even moderate injury or sickness could play havoc with your ability to remember some things, and I have even seen normal people in day to day life, that have used cell and landline phones with speed dial so much, that even under slight stress couldn't remember their own family and friends numbers at the time.

Actually, some Human beings survived for thousands of years before the written word. Many others died as part of that trial and error thing, which would have gone much smoother if they'd bothered to take more efficient notes rather than passing down their info via oral history and cave wall art.

Boy, you don't know a damn thing about me or my past. Don't make a judgment like that until you do. If you had been truly hungry at any point in your life, you'd know that a half cup of rice cooks up and makes you feel better for a part of a day, no longer. That's the first thing.

Second thing, if you can't find something to eat in the woods, you are ignorant, which is correctable. If you can't find something to eat in urbanized areas, you are blind. I don't care what season it is.

Half a cup of rice is nice, but that is closer to 7.5 cubic inches, unless you are talking about the cooked volume of uncooked rice. But when we are talking about usefulness in a thousand cubic inch or more pack, anyone who is going to question the validity of spending three cubes (less than a quarter cup) on the ability to take record information in an accurate and preferment manner obviously hasn't spent much time in the field. I won't bother explaining again the uses of such an item AGAIN- I will tell you to shut your mouth, open your ears, and think about what I said.

First of all, you need to follow your own advice about making judgments. I'm a 35 year old U.S. Marine Corps veteran and I deserve better than to be listening to some arrogant ass run off at the lip because he can't handle someone with a different point of view than his own.

You carry what you think is best for you, and I'll carry what I think is best for me. This conversation is clearly going down the path of deletion and I'm done with it.

Wow! All that over a half cup of rice. Reminds me of some of them scenes on the news from Darfur... You guys crack me up sometimes, LOL

I've had my Papillon moments, and it's amazing what you are willing to try and eat when you get that hungry. Ants and Armadillo were tough, but I found out I have to be a lot hungrier than I have ever been before I can swallow the grub.

You can eat a lot of grass when you're hungry, or so it seems.

That's my point Ben- food is easy to find. The ability to record information is what separates humanity from chimps, not the ability to make tools.

All I know is, this is giving me a headache...

Hmm, it's making me hungry...

I hate Will Smith..but wanna see that movie really bad

First of all, I think I am Legend is a great movie. I enjoyed it, and recommend it.

Second, I agree with the importance of carrying a notebook. I carry one in my left pocket of my pants. I clip a mechanical pencil, sharpie, and pen on the back of it. I use it daily to jot down notes, ideas, recipes, directions, make lists, doodle, leave messages, and light fires.

And that's basically what I'd use it for in an emergency too. Notebooks are just handy little things. As for out in the woods, sometimes it's easier to make your own map.

What is wrong with Fresh Prince??

Oh nothings wrong with the guy..I just dislike most of his movies...I'm not sure why...maybe this one will make me like'em...

I saw "Legend" just today while I was out with my dad. Not Oscar-worthy or anything, but a pretty good movie nonetheless. As for Matheson's original novella I have it here at home on my bookshelf. A great read and I highly recommend it, along with "No Country For Old Men", by Cormac McCarthy, if you want another awesome book that was made into a good movie.

As for a hand-written journal, I have one, but it takes a backseat to its electronic brother. I guess when I can't use the laptop anymore I'll have to dust it off!

First, there was the book "I Am Legend", then the movie "The Last man on Earth" with Vincent Price, then the movie "The Omega Man" with Charlton Heston, and now the movie "I Am Legend" with Will Smith...

"First, there was the book "I Am Legend", then the movie "The Last man on Earth" with Vincent Price, then the movie "The Omega Man" with Charlton Heston, and now the movie "I Am Legend" with Will Smith... "

I guess you could say that it's a case of fiction repeating itself.

Sue

There was also 'I Am Omega" a straight to DVD release earlier this year, with Mark Decascos. (Although it does not credit Richard Matheson)

Can you give me more information on the "I Am Legend 1966" Italian film? I am a huge fan of the book and have followed the movie versions, and have never heard of that one. And it doesn't show up in the list of Dino Delaurentis films.

Joe Bob Briggs, now there's a name I hadn't heard in a while. Last I saw of him he had a small part in the movie "Casino" playing an inept employee. He was a lot of fun to watch.

BTW, if Giada Dino's daughter or granddaughter? I can never seem to keep that straight.

I saw the new movie and thought it was OK. I just couldn't figure out how a virus enables any mortal animal to head-smash through Plexiglas without caving in it's own skull... that and the whole using a .223 Tacti-cool AR from a speeding sports car to hunt deer thing when he could have easily sniped them from the top of a building or bridge with a more appropriate rifle/caliber. Not as exciting and flashy maybe but a lot more productive.

I always carry a small notebook, pen and pencil but rarely make notes or journal entries.

I just saw the movie two hours ago.

Among other strange things ...
that guy lives in the middle of Zombiesland ; he has stashed handguns in every drawer and every cupboard of his house, he has one attached to each door of his vehicule, but ...
he does not carry one !!!!!
What the matter with him ? do you think he had no time to apply for a CCW permit, due to the fast desintegration of the Administration or what ??...

I just saw this movie about an hour ago. pretty good flick but some things that really popped out at me. I am trying not to reveal any spoilers of the movie either. If you haven't seen it read no farther.

Like Frenchy said: No firearm attached to his body at all.

He is military trained but can't figure out how to run some better armored vehicles that are around from the military?

I would have to think a properly hardened base of operations would be one of my first priorities. Maybe with a fall back safe room (bank vault type)

I think i would try to eradicaate most of the Dark Seekers when given the opportunity.

He can send AM radio signals but can't recieve any. I would think communications would be easier with less frequency traffic. (Someone correct me if i am wrong on this, my communication skills are neglible)

My comm skills are probably 'bout on par with yours, and I have not seen the movie (and probably won't, at least 'til it hits TV), so I am just playing the devils advocate here.

Re the gun thing, you guys are right on. Why not pack all you can carry???

Re the "...military trained but can't figure out how to run some better armored vehicles that are around from the military...",
there are lots of military jobs that don't get you any closer to armored vehicles than a parade. Maybe he was a paper pusher???

He was a military doctor and biologist, not much call for AV training in his MOS.

Yup...

Yes or have some more heavier caliber items than a few handguns? I carried and manned a M60 in the good ol'army many moons ago and nothing says hello like .308 fire....unless it is a 50 cal or 20mm cannon. :-)

Dave

Or a F-15E? Did I mention that I was a wingnut? I do have some trigger time on a '60 too, what a kick!!!

Ya, I really could imagine wait it must be like on the receiving end of some long bursts of suppressive fire. If you can see it, you probably can hit it, out to 1100 meters or so...

I would have set up some defensive positions where you could hold'em off.

Dave

Last time I shot one (SEALS in training let me shoot theirs, plus lots of other of their toys), I killed the target. As in made the whole thing fall over (it was not supposed to do that). What a kick!!!

using a M60 to cut down a 4x4 wood post was a favorite demo
at the range..Ft Benning 1967...

Something a little unusual from the UK from 1950/60s for wingnuts everywhere

http://sonicbomb.com/s6v.php?vid=1966487...ric%20Lightning

http://sonicbomb.com/s6v.php?vid=1967144...e=Avro%20Vulcan

http://sonicbomb.com/s6v.php?vid=1966403...e%20BAC%20TSR-2

Those require plugins that I don't have, sorry...

Lucky me. I got my draft notice, decided that four years in the USAF beat two in the Army, Navy, or Marines (this was the early 60's). So I joined, went to basic and tech school, then got assigned to an Army base for two years. Then sent to an AF base in Panama for 18 months, of which I spent at least half of the time with the Army, crawling around in the jungle. There is no justice in the world. (but at least I did get to play with a lot of the Army's weapons and ammo)...

Good movies thanks.

Just saw the movie last night. It was great! Like others have already said, the Will Smith character was not as well prepared as one would've expected. He should've had at least one side arm on his person at all times. As well as a large fixed blade knife on his belt. A small personal FAK in a cargo pocket would've been a good idea too. He should've had a few 12ga shotguns laying around his apartment for CQB. Those are just a few of the "mistakes" I picked up on. Anyone see any more?