Welcome to Walker Weekly, a regularly scheduled newsletter where I share things that I find interesting, useful, inspiring, or thought-provoking. If you have anything of your own that falls into these categories, please let me know in the comments! I’m always looking for new inspiration.
Book I’m revisiting
Nuclear War Survival Skills: Lifesaving Nuclear Facts and Self-Help Instructions by Cresson Kearny. Don’t let the hyperbolic title and silly cover distract you: this is a legitimate discourse on the reality of what would happen if nuclear weapons were deployed in war, written and validated by scientists at Oak Ridge National Lab. Spoiler alert: even though all out nuclear war would be the greatest tragedy in human history, it still may not be as bad as you think. Humanity would almost certainly survive, and you might be one of the survivors after reading this.
As someone with a bit of nuclear science experience, I wholeheartedly endorse this book if you’re even the slightest bit curious. At the very least, go read the free excerpt on the Amazon page: “CHAPTER 1 The Dangers from Nuclear Weapons: Myths and Facts”. In the words of a reviewer, the book is “a rational and modest insurance policy against the unthinkable”.
Quote I’m pondering
Measure the quality of each year by the number of nights you camp out.
Mike Harrelson
I was flipping through a book called Fifty Places to Camp Before You Die: Camping Experts Share the World’s Greatest Destinations that I plucked off the coffee table at a friend’s house, when I found this quote in the introduction.
I sure like to pretend I’m an outdoorsy guy, since it’s true that I’m an Eagle Scout and I’ve spent countless nights in the woods throughout my life so far. I have all the right gear, too: the high-speed (read as: expensive) backpacks, camp stoves, sleeping bags, even ultralight underwear. I can tie a plethora of knots, some one-handed, and start a fire with a bow drill. But from looking at my calendar for 2024 so far, the truth is that I’ve only spent one night outdoors this year.
Even with the excuses that over 95% of land in Texas is privately owned and thus there’s not as much opportunity for camping here, and that summer camping sucks, those are some rookie numbers… (Number?). Let this serve as a reminder for me (and for you, perhaps) to schedule some time this year for the things we love.
Movie I’m loving
The Mitchells vs. the Machines (2021) – IMDb. I really enjoyed this lighthearted, easy-watching, family-friendly comfort movie. From IMDb:
A quirky, dysfunctional family’s road trip is upended when they find themselves in the middle of the robot apocalypse and suddenly become humanity’s unlikeliest last hope.
That’s all for this week, thanks a lot for following along!
Stay curious,
Walker
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