I try to keep at least one knife with me at all times, but I usually keep two knives with me.

where are you from ? i could understand you if you were in some warzone or something

I try to keep a pocket knife on me at all times now. Before, I was horrified at the thought of how many people could be/are watching my online activity and went to very inconvenient lengths; I've since stopped caring that much besides keeping some addons for Firefox.

Butterfly knife. Never leave home without one.

At one time I was so poor that all I could afford were shuriken, which were for sale at the local army navy store for about $3 each. I actually became quite proficient with them out of "necessity" for self defence. I still have a couple in a bag I usually take with me when I leave the house but they haven't even left their pocket in a couple years.

A knife is a really shitty way to protect yourself.
Just get a gun.

I don't really keep protection per se, but I could just grab one of the empty bottles of whiskey I've got layin about and make an irish lightsaber

>>8973
Depending on where you live that's not an option.

There are states where the cops can shoot you (and not have to be punished for it) if you hold a broom like a rifle...

I'm paranoid not in that everyone is always watching me but everyone wants to kill me. For self defense I have a pocket knife but that's it. Whenever I'm out I can't help but feel there is almost no one that wouldn't want to kill me if they had the chance. Everyone hates me by default.

Carrying a knife is illegal in Britain.

>>8973
Knives have their uses. A knife at a very short range is a lot better to have than a gun. The guy with the gun basically has one good shot, assuming it's a normal kind of handgun, before he's pretty much fucked.

Still, this is America (if that's where you live, at least) and everyone can own and carry around both knives and guns, so there's no reason to limit yourself.

>>8980
I think that you can get arrested and/or killed just for having a gun on you. I don't mind getting killed, but I rather it not be by some 3D pig who "fights" for "justice".

>>8979
This made me curious to look it up. While I can almost understand it being illegal to carry fixed-blade knives, this:
>A Crown Court case (Harris v DPP), ruled (case law). A lock knife for all legal purposes, is the same as a fixed blade knife. A folding pocket knife must be readily foldable at all times. If it has a mechanism that prevents folding, it's a lock knife (or for legal purposes, a fixed blade) The Court of Appeal (REGINA - v - DESMOND GARCIA DEEGAN 1998) upheld the Harris ruling stating that "folding was held to mean non-locking". No leave to appeal was granted.
is just retarded. Non-locking knives can be very dangerous to the user, as the blade can fold back in on the knuckles during use.

The notion of self-defense isn't altogether realistic in most situations, in my opinion. When I told someone at the time when I was robbed at gunpoint in the lobby of my old apartment building, he said that if I had a gun I could've "defended myself". I certainly couldn't have drawn a gun on him faster than he could have shot me, and when I gave him my laptop and he left, shooting him would have caused way more trouble than a five-hundred-dollar laptop is worth. When I told him as much, he just gave me a bovine stare.
Anyways, I'd say the best self-defense is to avoid shitty neighborhoods (assuming you have that luxury), and perhaps take up sprinting.

>>8982
gun laws very by states.
but cops don't have x-ray vision.
you are not arrested and/or killed just for having a gun on you.
If a cop sees you with a gun, or finds one on you while searching you, then yes probably.
but how often do police pad you down and search you?

You can get killed for having a gun on you in America?

>>8988
If you don't absolutely comply with the police, yes. You're safest if you cower before them.

>>8986
How do you know that these things won't happen? Are you a wizard capable of seeing the future and stopping closet homosexual cops from trying to touch me? Anyway, they don't need a real reason to do those kinds of things. They can just go on a hunch and not give a shit.

>>8988
Well, it depends. The closer you are to the gun, the more likely it is that they'll shoot you. Even then,

>>8991
No, not for another 7 years, but you don't need to be a wizard to know cops don't have magic powers.
If they knew whenever people were carrying concealed weapons, there would be a heck of a lot less crime in this country.
Cops don't just fall from the sky to arrest you the second you put a gun in your pants.

I'm deathly paranoid about carcinogens and radiation, I think with good reason. I saw a documentary about cancer patients and I see how it really, really sucks.

Other than that, I on rare occasions get panic attacks when I'm surfing the net at some unHaruhily hour like 4AM alone, it usually gets triggered when I read something creepy. This isn't really paranoia, though.

Sometimes when I'm taking a bus I get down one stop away, or I take a long route to avoid being predictable.
I keep my window blinds down all the time. I feel like there is people outside watching me (I live at a such height only satelites and birds would be able to).

When I meet new people I always think they may always be undercover with obscure reasons and I question their intentions.
Even something ordinary like being contacted by a stranger on the internet, I can't avoid believing it's a trap of some sort and I have to be very careful of my actions and what I may let slip out.


I would never have a weapon on me. Not because it may be illegal.
I think having a weapon with you means that (regardless of whether you will really make use of it), your opponent will be threatened and have more chance to use theirs and cause damage to you, where if you did not have a weapon he would be less likely to use force to do whatever he would have done. But that also means that you will almost surely have to surrender without the possibility to fight back.
In the end I think that it depends on how much you value your safety, but you are not thinking rationally if you don't realize that having a weapon on you may be more destructive for yourself.


I have stuff like an encrypted drive. I think the law forces you to reveal all your passwords and shit for encrypted files if you're suspected of something, but I don't care.

>>8992
Well, this thread is about paranoia.

>>9000
I'm like you in many ways. I feel there are always things that want to harm me, watching me, and waiting for the perfect time to further ruin my life. I always have to hide myself and everything I do it all carefully even in public. I always question the intentions of everyone who randomly approaches me, they could be anyone. Being as invisible as possible is like a full time job to me.

>>9003
Exactly. "Invisible" is the perfect word for that. I feel guilty when the bus has to stop just for me when there isn't anyone else who has to get off or waiting for it at the stop.

Especially in public I always feel like everyone else is watching and constantly judging me.
That may be true, and everyone else may be feeling it and that's what causes them to buy expensive clothes or gadgets, to show them because they know they're being watched.
I feel like I'm walking in a strange way and that causes me to feel even more watched, even when it's clear that everybody is busy minding their own business. sometimes I want stop to calm down a moment but if I would suddenly stop in the middle of the street or wherever I are that would put everyone's attention towards me (probably not, but in my mind yes).

In Boston, there was a man who had an "assault rifle" in his backpack. he was in a mall.

Some old bint called the cops on him. Turns out the "assault rifle" was an umbrella. He didn't know he was being suspected until a SWAT guy had a bead on him...

I carry extra money, metro cards, and a fake wallet on me at all times. One of my worst fears is getting mugged and not being able to return home.

When I come back home I check if anything has been moved in my room. I subtly question everyone if something is out of place, usually more out of curiosity than paranoia.

>>9007
>a fake wallet
That's a really nice idea.
I assume if someone robs you, you just give them that to cut your losses?

Is anyone familiar with sound proofing their rooms? I have eclipse drapes covering both my windows but they do nothing to block sound. I can hear my neighbors when they speak and I assume they are able to hear me as well. It's quite annoying to listen to them when they have friend's over and fear that they are able to hear me on the computer. Even, worse I believe that they are aware of my NEET status and have talked about me. It's one of the main reasons I have taken to sleeping during the day.

>>9029
Man, I know how that is.
it seems like every home I've lived in has had paper thin walls.
and this is actually something I've wondered about a lot myself.
I havin't tryed anything personaly, but theres foam inslasion that helps block sound, but that's kind of a major bitch to install and requires opening the wall or placing while the home is being built.
I've heard there are liquid insulating foams that you can inject into a hole in a wall that hardens over time, but I've not seen any to date.

For the time being I'm contently wearing noise canceling headphones, but they start to get uncomfortable after ten hours or so.
Would be nice though, if I could use my stereos more often than just whenever the house is empty..

>>9029
Close off EVERY gap. Sound seems to have the tendancy of bending around holes and stuff. The volume of sound is considerably higher with a small hole than if you blocked off the hole. Close off the sides of your windows and doors.

You obviously can't really change it, but having brick walls helps. They are thick and sounds have trouble penetrating. Low pitched sounds however penetrate through better. The more thick and substantial your walls are, the better.

Sounds have trouble travelling through the boundary of materials. Utilising this knowledge, reinforce your thin windows with composite laminate. Stick plywood up against it, but leave a small gap of air, so the sound has to travel through the air rather than directly to the plywood. This is also good for temperature insulation. A little extreme, but might come in handy if you're desperate. Also note, sound and temperature insulation doesn't work well if there are weak spots elsewhere in your room. If you reinfore your windows but your walls are thin, the sound will just go around the windows and leak through the walls instead. Thick heavy curtains, like those they use in theatres, may also help.

Dense foliage, such as hedge trees, or bamboo, easily shields your home from sound. This is because it has trouble curving around all the leaves and branches. Homes next to highways often use a combination of walls and tall hedge trees to seal off noise. My old highschool was surrounded by bamboo so local residents wouldn't complain. Expect it to take several months for bamboo to grow a wall thats able to totally seal off most noises, more for hedge trees.

Put more crap in your room. Sounds easily bounce off bare walls. Furniture and junk and stuff forces it to ricochet in a less direct path, losing energy. You should especially put crap in corners, because sounds like to bounce off them. Hard smooth things reflect sound well, soft eneven bumpy things deaden it.

Other tips:
-Noise cancellation earphones: expensive, but good if you can't modify your house.

-Earplugs: can block out lots of sound if combined with construction earmuffs (a combo which gunshooters use) or ear-covering headphones.

-Soft music playing in the background: won't eliminate the noise, but can help mask and divert your attention from small noises outside. Classical music can help you study.

Post edited on 22nd Feb 2012, 2:28am

No one is home a lot here where I live so I'm not worried about anyone hearing me. People walk by every so often but I don't really care if they hear whatever I'm doing or listening to.

A knife is better than a gun because it has more uses.

Take for instance, if you want to open up a package of crackers that's especially tough to open. What are you going to do with a gun in that case?

>>9039
good point

>>9039
I have so much to thank my pocket knife for. Opening packages and even cans for me. Also when it comes to opening things you'd be surprised how much easier life is with longer nails like mine.

>>9039
You could use the butt of the gun to bust it open. I also have long nails that are semi sharp, since I hate having them too short since I can't pick anything like change on the floor, but if I grow them too long the sides dig into my finger skin. I bite both the side finger skin and the nail, so it's more ovalish.

If I ever got in a fight though, I'd just use my fist. I'd be scared the knife would get taken away from me, or I'd be tackled and accidentally stab myself. Bullets for handguns are expensive, just like the handgun, the permits, the training, etc.

Cost/benefit/safety analysis leave me at fists and kicks. Although I think using knee rather than kick is better probably.

I feel sorry for Americans who need guns to protect themselves because all the criminals also have guns.

>>9030
>>9031
Wow, that is exceptional advice. I'll get started right away.

>>9039
>if you want to open up a package of crackers that's especially tough to open. What are you going to do with a gun in that case?
shoot it open, duh

>>9052
maybe we could use the serrated edge?

>>9039
Go outside, give the pack of crackers to the first person you see and tell you're gonna shoot his brains off unless he opens it.

>a package of crackers that's especially tough to open.

If a pack of crackers is giving you trouble, a knife won't help you at all in a dangerous situation. You still need to put force behind the thing.

I'd be a SHIT/survivalist prepper if I had more money. And I don't, but I can half-ass with the supplies at my home. Personally Id just first get a few guns first in my order of growing a SHTF cache thengetting weater/food/medical shit, as i can just take shit if it got that bad,

Since the topic of knives was here already, anyone have any recommendations for a knife for carry? I saw something called a pocket bushman online and it looked decent and cheap enough.

Whats a bushman anyways, some Australian outback explorer?

Don't carry a knife. Just avoid dodgy places/times if you can and run away if something happens. Attacking someone is just replacing shit with another kind of shit.

>>9173
You don't buy a gun or a knife to defend yourself, but to hope you have an excuse to use them on someone else. It's just the American way.

I feel like people are naturally against me, despite not even knowing me, I feel as if there was a decision to either keep me alive or kill me, they'd , without a moment of thought, choose to kill me.

>>9177
i am, and i will

When I think about it more deeply, I may be less paranoid than I first thought since a lot of the paranoid things I do were actually common sense, especially with all these thieves around.

I:
-Used to carry absolutely all my belongings with me at school to avoid having them stolen or abused by bullies.
-Always keep house and car doors locked (I don't drive, I just get people to lock them when I get on.)
-Have weapons ready, both in my room and usually when my parents force me to go outside for forced "family time".
-Do silly mental simulations of violent events when I have nothing to do so that I can act more quickly if something similar happens (or so I guess.)
-Do not lend anyone anything, I may not get it back.
-No password sharing.
-Only log into important things on my laptop, since other computers -might- have keyloggers or something (not that I don't take care of the ones I own.)
-I get really scared when someone is walking right behind me.
-Try to observe everything around me.
-No one ever gets to use any of my computers.
-Have some privacy and security Firefox addons.

And stuff like that...

>>9212

Are you an assassin?