Slashdot Mirror
Hobbit Hole + World Class Fallout Shelter
ChaosMt writes "Slashdot has covered buying missile silos before, along with buying old microwave bunkers to provide the ultimate level of data protection. Making your own Hobbit hole has been covered too. Now you can have it all in the best shelter I've ever seen (even beating the Subterranean Fortress) in an undisclosed location outside of Durango, Colorado. It may not be your cup of tea, but it is very impressive to see and compare to your own disaster planning."
... it doesn't handle Slashdotting.
Wow, these guys really are preying on your fears, aren't they? Remember all the nutjobs who ran for the hills in the middle of all the Y2K panic? That was funny enough, but pushing this kind of place, on the vague premise that 'there hasn't been a virulent epidemic for a while now', is just silly...
But isn't Korea outside of Durango?
Good thing that the shelter is nucular-fallout resistant, but his server obviously isn't Slashdot-resistant.
cleverly hidden 550 cubic foot root cellar is roomy enough to hang four elk quarters in and has large shelves for other food storage
Yes, becuase my FIRST thought was to use the room for hanging elk meat.
...when you can just duck and cover?
Only a few hours after a mushroom cloud was seen at the border of China and N. Korea, the people of Slashdot are looking for fallout shelters.
Considering the batshit-crazy Kim Jong Il still runs N. Korea, maybe that's not such a bad idea after all.
Is Capitalism Good for the Poor?
Google cache.
Excessive, but neat nonetheless...
Blech! I expect to see LaLa jump out of that hole in the ground.
because thats how old this is.
The Ultimate Secure Home
Home front
The artificial rock front blends in perfectly with the natural environment
Some years ago, the owners of this property had a log hunting cabin in another part of Colorado. Beautiful, yes, but the wood construction posed numerous problems. Several "near-miss" incidents made the family realize how vulnerable the cabin was to any number of disasters and threats. A winter storm, which blew the front door open, might have caused the water pipes to freeze and break, flooding both the upper and lower levels, resulting in many thousands of dollars damage, had it not been discovered in time. A forest fire, which started when a tree fell on the above-ground power line leading to the cabin, came frighteningly close to the wood structure and to within just a few feet of the above-ground propane tanks. A hailstorm necessitated a new roof, a new paint job, and major repairs to the siding. The large front glass windows were spared from damage, but nevertheless were extremely vulnerable. And finally, when the cabin was broken into and many valuable antiques were stolen, the owners decided to look for a safer kind of structure for their retreat, and a better, more remote location.
After spending 2 ½ years studying every kind of alternative home construction, everything from earthships made out of spare tires, to rammed-earth construction, to monolithic domes, they ultimately realized there was only one kind of construction that would afford them the kind of security they wanted: an earth home (made with Formwork's patented thin-shell concrete construction technique). The house they finally built is not just any earth home. It is what has come to be known in the industry as a "secure home." It is an unparalleled model of the ultimate secure home. Its many features will amaze you.
While the term "secure home" is still relatively new to the general public, this unique segment of the home construction industry has, for the past decade, been growing steadily, albeit slowly. Presently, with the increased threat of major terrorist attacks, many more people than ever before are building secure homes. Also, more contractors and consultants have recently dedicated themselves to the concept of disaster-resistant and self-sufficient residences. It is only with a realistic understanding of the potential for terrorist attacks, and the magnitude of the problems they could cause, that one can truly recognize the value of a secure home.
This patented steel-reinforced concrete earth sheltered structure, properly called a thin-shell dome, is built to withstand almost any natural or man-made disaster you can name. And that's not just an idle promise. These buildings have withstood tornadoes, hurricanes, and earthquakes - some measuring over 7.0 on the Richter scale - and in every case they have come away with no structural damage at all. Unlike monolithic domes, and all other types of home construction, only Formwork's concrete domes can be completely buried deep underground.
The house has 2472 square feet, with an additional 800 square feet in the attached 24' x 36' underground garage. The main floor of the house consists of a large living room, two bedrooms, two baths, a kitchen, pantry, and laundry closet. Upstairs is a loft and two multi-purpose storage/sleeping rooms. The house currently has ten beds in seven different rooms. There is lots of additional space for other cots or bedrolls. A 22' long x 6' wide hallway leads to the garage. This hall is lined on one side with 18" deep shelf units, providing a considerable amount of quick-access storage. The other wall of this hall is a convenient place to store larger items, such as skis, bicycles, or a vacuum cleaner, that wouldn't fit on the shelves. Additionally, a large storage attic is found above the garage.
The living room's high-domed ceiling gives the room an open, spacious feeling. A custom steel stairway leads from the loft to a cupola perched on top of the house. Light from the cupola gives the sa
I saw a show on some channel (maybe history) about that dude. It seems impossible that someone that kooky could actually be in charge of anything much more complicated than a milkshake machine.
I mean, I've always liked the idea of having a bunker-house, but when it's this nuts, it's a little overboard. And the page-author is full of dung (vis. the follwing quote) "If the phone lines are ever down it will not be possible to get news via the internet." What century are they in?
It's all fine until the water chip breaks, I tell you!
Secure my ass! "The Hole" was secure too, until some waco teeny threw away the key.
remember, don't trust teenage girls, they are serial killaz. And have a private escape route.
Fight Frist Psoting!
Browse Slashdot with 'Newest First'!
Wow, a house underground! Never seen one of those before. That's so much better than a guy who tunneled a huge shelter under his house by himself. Oh yes.
I really pity these people. They make the Slashdot tinhat-wearing clique look like a group of upstanding, optimistic netizens. Then again, where would these anti-disaster companies be if there weren't such nutjobs running around and confining their families and lives to isolated hobbit-like crapholes? I can see the need for a storm shelter, or a tornado shelter - but those make sense for those who live in vulnerable areas, but sheesh!
A blog like any other.
These people even extend security to their website - ensuring the black text disappears into the surounding brown background. This is, I presume, to deter post-apocalyptic script-kiddies wishing to deface the site.
Chernobyl 'not a wildlife haven' - BBC News
..And live in the center of a city.
In Finland. I for one welcome any scared slashdotters.
The "best shelter" site is already down. You can try Google cache
I'm sorry, but what is a scotus box?
best shelter I've ever seen
Unfortunately you are the only one who will ever see it.
Google Cache here
Like, as our Department of Homeland Security advised - sealing your windows and doors with duct tape and plastic sheeting. I mean, it's better to asphyxiate than glow green, right?
They'd be better off trying to construct an electric Thumb.
Not because I think it's especially necessary, but because it's just really neat. I mean, if people insist on consuming resources for silly things you gotta admit an underground radiation proof hidden house is a lot more interesting than these thirty million dollar celebrity mansions.
This a) doesn't label you as a target for people looking for easy money and b) let's you live out those childhood fantasies of having a fort to retreat to (and to be honest, don't we all wish we could disappear into our own basement fort and vanish from the world once in a while?) Plus, there's always that 0.0000001 chance it might actually come in handy due to an event like it was designed for. Not a war probably, but suppose some terrorist sets off a nuclear bomb nearby? Not only would such a place be useful in ducking away from fallout, but unlike a full scale nuclear war a terrorist attack is worth surviving because there's still a world left over to come out to.
If that doesn't scream either hobbit or smurf to you, then you are crazy. If only I weren't a poor college student.
frankly, i was surprised at the low price, currently offered at $ 495,000. maybe that's high for the area, but for everything you get, that seems like a pretty good deal.
Error 404 Not Found
www.ultimatesecurehome.com: Too many open files
Server CoralWebPrx/0.1 (See http://www.scs.cs.nyu.edu/coral/) at 139.91.70.71:8090
I've always liked this one.
i nd ex.htm
http://survivalring.org/nuclearsurvival/arktwo/
The difference between Canada and the USA is that in Canada healthcare is a right and gun ownership is a privilege.
... that's pretty cool. Hobbit-hole, indeed! I say back down on the "imminent plague" bit and promote it to some environmentalist/Nature-loving types: doesn't have too big of a footprint, "energy-optimized"... you can imagine the little chipmunks and squirrels bounding about on top of the roof. Heck, you could make a small development.. and maybe make it a gated community to boot. Winding roads through wooded hills, no more evidence of human habitation than the driveway will provide...
The World Wide Web is dying. Soon, we shall have only the Internet.
oop, try this
The difference between Canada and the USA is that in Canada healthcare is a right and gun ownership is a privilege.
Includes lots and lots of pretty pictures. Check out the galleries of Homes, for example, among others.
Of course, domes are exceptionally well suited for construction underground (link has lots of usefule tips)
"It is a greater offense to steal men's labor, than their clothes"
http://www.ultimatesecurehome.com.nyud.net:8090/se cure_home.htm
nos laetus epulor qui would domito nos
Wow, the authour sure mixes things up a bit.
...
I'm trying to imagine missiles and microwaves in a Hobbit Hole, best thing I can think of is Bilbo's farts after drinking too much of the old Wine laid down by his father
Hobbit Holes and High Tech - what would Frodo think ?
A slashdotting - you get the stick first and then the carrot !
While the term "secure home" is still relatively new to the general public, this unique segment of the home construction industry has, for the past decade, been growing steadily, albeit slowly. Presently, with the increased threat of major terrorist attacks, many more people than ever before are building secure homes. Also, more contractors and consultants have recently dedicated themselves to the concept of disaster-resistant and self-sufficient residences. It is only with a realistic understanding of the potential for terrorist attacks, and the magnitude of the problems they could cause, that one can truly recognize the value of a secure home.
Oh come on, give me a break!
Hmm...chimney disguised as white birch; good thing no one will just look for the smoke!
Great FUD though. Just when Slammin' Sammy-noia starts to fade, folks can begin worrying about ebola... in Colorado... in the winter!
Please tell me the owner's illness isn't caused by living cooped up in a semi-sealed environment with no sunlight to work its magic on nasty organizms.
You want to be absolutely secure? Take up permanent residence in a pine box, located about 6 feet under a headstone that reads "I'm over there -->....
education is no substitute for intelligence
A copy of the Bible, a copy of the Koran, tarot cards, a large pentacle, a feng shui chart, and several dozen pairs of underwear.
Bush: He's Liberal in all the wrong ways.
Sure, they have the solar panels and the propane tanks, and it they can survive a nuclear attack, but can they last through a nuclear winter?
I feel strongly that it would be more worthwhile to try to remove the cause for a nuclear holocaust than building shelters like this.
But in US: act in the peace movement and youll probably be judged as a terrorist/communist or something antiamerican.
"I hate to advocate drugs, alcohol, violence or insanity but they've always worked for me" - HST
I'm sorry, was your post about North Korea or the U.S.? I couldn't tell.
If you were one of those, yes it would be high on your list..
:)
Water, shelter, food.. in that order..
Oh, and wifi access
---- Booth was a patriot ----
The site was down so I thought I'd post a mirror from February.
w ww.ultimatesecurehome.com/secure_home.htm
http://web.archive.org/web/20040214234814/http://
If you're not paranoid, then you're not paying enough attention. - Unknown, Slashdot
At least pictures when they use relative instead of absolute URLs (like that Rio story yesterday)e cure_home.htm
http://www.ultimatesecurehome.com.nyud.net:8090/s
Some of the pictures on the first page aren't working, but I'm hitting 404s on them now when I access it directly.
Not Found /secure_home.htm was not found on this server.
The requested URL
Many of the sites I read about this talks about how state-of-the art protection can be out in the middle of nowhere, but _getting_ there during a national crisis is another.
The worst kind of biological exposure is one that has a decent incubation period then nails you later in the blink of an eye.
You're either already exposed getting there, in which case you bring it with you, or include pointers and tips on how to cover yourself by getting to the safehouse without being exposed - something missed by most pundits on this issue.
When CNN screams, "We're being bio-attacked!", you get to jam yourself amongst the thralling masses trying to get away? Not good...
Never have a philosophy which supports a lack of courage
Just like terrorists sometimes short sell airline stock. www.geocities.com/James_Sager_PA
God spoke to me.
For a truly awesome construction alternative, check out http://www.monolithic.com/gallery/homes/ Energy efficeint, structurely superior, and highly affordable. Not to mention one helluva conversation piece!
------ Send your whines to
Frankly, I just don't care . . .
Mmmm, Fallout LARP...
(And *no*, I *don't* think hitting (or shooting) each other necessarily has anything to do with LARP).
+1 underrated Fallout reference?
One of my friends is a med student, and at one time they had an experiment wherein they made some antibiotica-resistant germs, can't remember which sort, though (it was a fairly common disease, flu or influenza or whatever).
Their text book was very specific on the needed security during this experiment, how everything should be sterilized and how careful you had to be, because this could cause an epidemic.
The experiment ended, and people went home.
Then, two weeks later, two of her classmates (from Sweden, go figure) turned out to have not only *not* destroyed the bacteria, but they were *carrying them in their bags* in the small round glass containers!
My friend (and several other co-students) tried for several minutes to convince these two Swedish girls that they should be very careful, and that they should destroy the bacteria, referring to the book wherein a page had been dedicated to warnings.
"Nähä, they're harmless!"
Stupid Swedes.
They did eventually destroy them, luckily...
What people have to remember is this:
Denver, CO is set up to be the next Washington, D.C., in case the latter ever gets wiped out. Norad is based in Colorado Springs. Both of these potential targets are quite far to the northeast of Durango. The closest strategic targets I can think of are really Denver, Colorado Springs, Kirkland AFB in Albuquerque, and Los Alamos, White Sands, etc. in NM, and maybe some proving grounds and bases in Utah and Nevada. Durango is NOT a target, but it's kind of in the middle of these other, good targets. You'd expect to get a bit of fallout there from a large-scale attack. Having a fallout shelter is GOOD, I suppose, if you're worried about that.
In addition, Durango is one of these "new Aspens", where college students hang out, there are a lot of older locals (ranchers, Navajo, people who showed up before the '70's, mainly), and so forth, but there are a LOT of VERY rich people around (WalMart heir rich; 4th richest in the US rich), who can afford these kind of eccentric houses (and seem to get off on living in this gorgeous place, and ruin the whole atmosphere at the same time because then no one else can afford to live there ).
Finally, a lot of people hunt in Durango (and all over the mountain West). It's the kind of thing where you get a few days off in the fall to bag an elk or bear. So the guy's comment about elk hindquarters, although strange to a lot of people, are very common to people from the Rockies.
Really, if I had a huge underground complex under my house, I wouldn't tell a soul. I mean, haven't they seen that episode of Twilight Zone.
I'm confused... the promo reads like it's a survival shelter, but the look of it is distinctly Hobbit-like. If it really was a survival shelter, why not go to MUCH greater lengths to make it hard to spot?
Well, err... Wasn't the guy locked in his underground shelter, because noone knew he was in there ?
:)
Eventually they did try to get him back, but he was too scared to come out.
In the end they simply locked the whole place up in a giant dome.
Impressed me somewhat - proves one thing: even the best disaster planning doesn't take into account that the disaster is not that which you planned for
Slashdot: stuff for news, nerds that matter, matter for news, stuff that nerd
... the vhole idea ov a shelter, eh, is to be there before it happens, eh!, isn't that the pflan, eh!?
Slashdot: stuff for news, nerds that matter, matter for news, stuff that nerd
... the more quickly-lethal a virus is, the less likely it is to spread far out.
Ofcourse, the reverse also holds ground.
Right now, the most lethal *virus* would still be HIV IMHO (IANAM):
- long incubation time
- terrible outcome without treatment
And even with treatment, the toll on healthcare is quite big.
The only thing making it less dangerous is that it is spread through very distinct ways, and not by air, I guess.
Slashdot: stuff for news, nerds that matter, matter for news, stuff that nerd
You're thinking of "The Shelter," from the 3rd season of the original Twilight Zone.
The other poster apparently has in mind "Shelter Skelter," from the new Twilight Zone series that aired in the 80's.
In "The Shelter," everyone knew about the guy's shelter. In "Shelter Skelter," only the guy's wife and small children knew, plus a friend he happened to tell the day the accident happened (who he locked in with him). His wife didn't tell anyone because the guy had become such a survivalist nut that she felt the children were better off growing up without him.
Both were great episodes.
~Philly
Parent comment was shire class!
Mother, do you think they'll like this sig?
... to run a grow-op.
File under 'M' for 'Manic ranting'
What I find ridiculous is the notion that this place is somehow "safe." It uses propane, and it's underground - just close up the ventilation shafts, cut the DC lines from the solar panels, and wait for the poor souls locked inside to come out... or to suffocate.
I for one do NOT welcome our new dominating Overlords, and will be hiding from them in my subterannean lair.
I know nothing
.... that the main problems were going to be the Zombies and the Damn Dirty Apes?
At least, that's what they tell me at the NRA meeting.
cya,
john
Imagine all the people...
http://www.williamlishman.com/underground.htm
He also happens to be the "real" person behind the Fly Away Home story.a y.html
http://www.canoe.ca/JamMoviesToronto96/sep8_flyaw
Croal's slashdotted too.
"I'm not impatient. I just hate waiting." - My Dad
And that means that if you want to buy an underground shelter you have every right to do so, and fuck the people who insist that you should do other things with your money.
It's *your* money, not the money of these socialist-wannabes. Screw them and the horse they rode in on.
Besides, the idea of a fortified home seems pretty neat, even if relatively useless. If I had the money I'd certain do something along these lines. Talk about the ultimate in toys....
Max
My god carries a hammer. Your god died nailed to a tree. Any questions?
FEMA has plans for saferooms online:
http://www.fema.gov/mit/saferoom/
These were developed with the help of research done
at Texas Tech, firing debris out of air cannons at
walls made from various construction materials.
Interesting stuff.
Not a nasty, dirty, wet hole, filled with the ends of worms and an oozy smell, nor yet a dry, bare, sandy hole with nothing in it to sit down on or to eat: it was a hobbit-hole, and that means...uh...concrete.
All you yanks should watch Bowling for Columbine at least a few times!!!
That was three days ago champ.. Did you expect slashdot to post up-to-the-minute news?
"Tetrapak... Ja!
;p
Volvo... Ja!
Saab... Ja!
Danmark... YNK!"
Det var ikke helt kedeligt at se
------
Apart from that, I hope they themselves get themselves infected on their way home, preferably in the train back to Sweden... This would eliminate parts of our old territories, but still...
...are quite commmon Nowadays in some areas. Basically you have a room -all six sides- that is totally built out of reinforced concrete around 1.5 feet thick. It has steel air vents and whatnot and the door is quite heavy steel Maybe, maybe not take a direct hit from an F-5 tornado, but most anything else in the form of big storms is survivable.
It's more common than you might think, I've seen several in more upscale housing. I've also seen some dandy buried generators with large fuel tanks at homes to go along with the safe rooms. Most folks won't brag on it around the neighborhood, because they don't want to deal with folks who have done nothing to help themselves if an emergency hits, and who can blame them really, most people won't do a dang thing to help themselves in advance except buy jetskis and such like.
Man, /. REALLY hammered this page. It's been completely taken offline. Check the Google cache by going to Google and entering "cache:www.ultimatesecurehome.com" in the search box, or go to The Internet Archive and use their Wayback Machine to pull up the page. Interesting stuff, though it takes some effort to pull up thanks to us geeks ^_^
ACs are modded -6. I don't read you, I don't mod you, I don't see you. Don't like it? Don't be a coward.
...compare to your own disaster planning...
Yes, of course. My own disaster planning...
I must be missing out on something there. Perhaps because I'm not an American? I don't know, but the only disaster planning I do involves wondering how I'm going to explain my latest eBay purchase to my wife.
1. It won't be in operation all the time
2. Proper combustion doesn't lead to much smoke, but you still need to vent the exhaust, as you need to get rid of the CO2. I'd be more worried about the access road.
I don't read AC A human right
First, this is not your fault (unless you're on the XP development team), but the slide show that Windows builds SUCKS SHIT. Whose brilliant idea was it to make the "Next Image" link tiny, and bury it in a sidebar with an assload of other text, way up on the upper left? What's wrong with large, friendly navigation buttons just under the picture-- you know, where the eye will be naturally drawn to them? And what's with the useless info in the sidebar? Nobody's friends will EVER be looking at vacation pictures and go, "Gee, if only I know what focal length and exposure time was used when this photo was taken, I could enjoy it so much more. Oh, well."
Second, would it have killed you to caption these, so I know what I'm looking at when it's not obvious? Like, what was up with this shot, where it looks like road was once passable but the rock has bulged out to block it?
Third, the picture of the "Lamers" bus has soooooo been done. A a photo of you pissing on Ralph Lauren's fence would have been original and funny.
Finally, it's illegal to smuggle Tic Tacs into the state of Colorado!
I know, I made a mistake in saying that the incident occurred "a few hours ago," not a couple days ago.
/. -- so, the time to measure is the time between when we learn of the incident to when we see some response to that incident. It's kind of useless to measure the time prior to /.'s response, except as a measure of /.'s slowness in reporting some news...
But to most Slashdotters, it's irrelevant. Most Slashdotters, like me, found out about the incident on
Is Capitalism Good for the Poor?
I'd like a house like this but not because it is so secure (these people seem paranoid to me). I'd like it for a couple of reasons. First, I think that a house designed like this is really capable of expressing the owner. In my case, I'd opt for a very non showy exterior (probably facing the enterances away from any visible road) and have a bright interior with lots of birch, white oak, and ash. Probably not many right angles either.
Secondly, I think I'd like it because it uses technology to answer a few of the more vexing building problems. The one thing that struck me was the self-sealing nature of the matterials used to seal the house.
I wouldn't mind the fact that it would protect me from some of the natural disasters. I probably wouldn't bury it deep enough to be a bomb shelter.
to test for Radon!
i've always kind of enjoyed the idea of living subterranean, snuggled-in all cozy and stuff underground. gives me a warm fuzzy. ever since i was a little kid. maybe it's because i grew up during the cold war, but maybe it predates that.
it is on highway 550 just north of the NM border. ironically, the guy bought it to weather Y2k ;-)
it is fairly impressive though, has two diesel generators with enough battery to last a good week without sun...
in case you are worried about the end of the world but think it won't reach DGO.
BTW, it would be no good for flooding as it is right next to a river in the mouth of a canyon and wouldn't be safe from roving banditos as it is right next to a major highway that connects western CO to ABQ NM. but then again, maybe he knows something we don't.
TB
I always wanted to dig myself a little shelter underground as a kid, but living in southern Louisian makes it difficult, due to the high water table. You can't dig a foot without hitting water!
My plan now is that once I've saved up enough cash, I'll buy a couple of those waterproof shipping containers, the big metal ones seen on trains and ships. Then, I'll just drop those in the ground and add a hatch and adequate ventilation. Presto, home underground!
If not a home, at least a cool computer and work room.
So basically a snow storm _could_ _have_ frozen and broken the water pipes, but in practice it didn't. A fire could have reached the propane tanks, but it didn't. Etc.
So let's not just bury the propane tanks, let's turn the whole house into a bunker. In fact, to make it completely idiotic, they bury the house, but the propane tanks are _still_ outside.
Well, I don't know about you, but it seems to me like the whole damn life is essentially a series of almost-hits. E.g.:
- Cars pass by within 3 ft of me when I'm on the sidewalk. One _could_ hit me, but in practice none never did.
- The last round of flu at the office could have been some mutant alien genetically-engineered killer virus and killed us all, but in practice it wasn't.
- Scary terrorists could blow up the building I live in, or the one I work in, but in practice it beats me why would they bother. There are more visible targets out there, you know.
- The neighbour could turn out to secretly be a serial killer, but in practice they're all really old people. The mental image of one of them chasing me, hobbling on their frail legs and walking stick at maybe 1 MPH fails to be scary. Or realistic.
Etc, etc, etc.
Basically that's life. It's scary, it's unpredictable, and shit _could_ happen. Deal with it. Take reasonable precautions, but not this.
You can't just bury yourself in a bunker and shut off the whole rest of the world. (Tempting as it might be at times for some of us introverts;) You can't just live the rest of your life in a bunker, on the off chance that some day disaster will strike without warning, and by Jove, you'll be underground when that happens.
It wouldn't work either.
If a virus epidemic broke out, how long could you live underground on four slabs of elk and 2000 gallons of propane. Then what? Then you go outside and catch the epidemic anyway. You're going to hunt what in that post-apocalypse world? Well, animals who probably carry the killer virus, if any survived it.
Ditto for a nuclear apocalypse. Ok, you're safe underground for a few months, then what? Then you go out and brave the radiation and nuclear waste, that's what.
A polar bear is a cartesian bear after a coordinate transform.
From the FEMA link: F5 IncredibleStrong framed houses are lifted from foundations. Reinforced concrete structures are damaged. Automobile sized missiles become airborn. Trees are completely debrked.
If one of these beasties is bearing down on you, underground is the only way to go.
... I love you all!