How utterly delicate and vulnerable technology and society today actually is

[Brent S]

Good book.

I keep updated maps in the truck.
A county map.
A state map.
A regional (southeast US) map.

I know the basic necessities of reading them, but no expert, but enough to find the right road.

I've got a rand McNally atlas, but it's several years old now. Should add a more updated version to my list. Honestly though, if shtf, I plan to travel very little. I think going out would put you at way more risk than is worthwhile. Not to mention that fuel would be at a premium instantly.

 

[WGregMiller]

I downloaded USGS todo maps of my county and the surrounding counties. Uncle Sam taught me how to use them, plus it helps to have a plotter capable of printing on 2 foot wide paper. I need to get them laminated though.

I need to go do some map work in the field though to knock off some of the rust. I actually enjoy that much more than following a gps. I also need to start teaching my wife how to use those maps. That should be a blast....

As far as gps in a car, I rarely use. Anywhere around here I've most likely driven, but I really should get some maps.....

 

[WGregMiller]

Damn autocorrect. TOPO maps... friggin technology....

 

[Arcticdude]

I have topo maps of most of my area. In Post SHTF I doubt if I'll travel more than 20 miles from here. I really don't need too many maps anyway. There's only one road going north and south through this area and to the west is one narrow steep road that's impassable for half the year. Everything I need is right here.

 

[Arcticdude]

.

 

[bigpaul]

Rise of the Machines(Artificial Intelligence) folks....Machines run our lives day in and day out and we never consider what the consequences would be if all that were gone. This younger generation has become way to dependent on modern technology which in the future maybe its ultimate undoing...Been in Walmart and watched teens texting on phones never looking up and almost running into some one else....Pisses me off!

http://www.economist.com/news/brief...nce-scares-peopleexcessively-so-rise-machines

This is a long article but well worth the read..

you are so right, if the lights went off they'll be pissing themselves with fright.

 

[bigpaul]

I have topo maps of most of my area. In Post SHTF I doubt if I'll travel more than 20 miles from here. I really don't need too many maps anyway. There's only one road going north and south through this area and to the west is one narrow steep road that's impassable for half the year. Everything I need is right here.

we've got 2 roads that go by not far away, one goes East -West and the other North-South, neither are major roads . I mostly use back country unclassified roads anyway.

 

[Gazrok]

Honestly though, if shtf, I plan to travel very little

During the collapse, I'd likely travel a little just to stock up on things I couldn't buy enough of before hand (like medicines, etc.). If I got there and there's another, or fighting, I'd simply go to the next on my list.

After that though, likely not much (though I would be able to make and find fuel for the truck, hopefully...it's a diesel with multiple tanks).

 

[bigpaul]

i wont be going far, I don't intend travelling DURING the collapse when all the sheeple are going crazy. the nearest pharmacy is 10 miles away, the next filling station-when ours here is empty- is either 13 miles North or 13 miles West, I shall be concentrating on small village shops.

 

[Gazrok]

No need for topo maps in Florida...it's all flat...lol.

 

[Brent S]

Having some maps that show water holes and structures is a good idea. It's always good to have a way to see the resources around your area, both natural and man made. I've looked at some maps used by pilots that showed bodies of water and visual landmarks. Good info to have on hand.

 

[WGregMiller]

I also use the maps for finding good areas to hunt - mainly deer, but also anything that moves and doesn't stink (skunks). Of course, google earth isn't bad for that but if the shtf, there probably ain't gonna be no google earth unless google is a lot more powerful than I think....

 

[Brent S]

I also use the maps for finding good areas to hunt - mainly deer, but also anything that moves and doesn't stink (skunks). Of course, google earth isn't bad for that but if the shtf, there probably ain't gonna be no google earth unless google is a lot more powerful than I think....

I have to admit, I would really miss the Internet. It is so cool to be able to answer any question you happen to think of with just a click of a keyboard or mouse. Tonight I was thinking about the nations debt. I googled it and learned that Andrew Jackson, in 1835, was the only president to ever actually have all the debt paid in full. Ronald Reagan increased the debt by over 1000%, and since, every president has added huge increases. Right now every man, woman and child in the US owes 61,000.00. It's really unneeded information, but just goes to show that you can learn just about anything on line. It's an amazing resource and would be sorely missed. I grew up with a ten year old set of encyclopedias that helped me do all my research through high school. I was lucky to get two paragraphs of info on any given subject.

 

[WGregMiller]

I'm with ya brother. I'm a geek by trade, ya know. I spent a couple hours today working (even if I was supposed to be off) from the comfort of home with no shoes or socks on.

If the shtf while I'm alive, I'll have to adjust to no iPhone or iPad and it won't be that easy.

 

[Brent S]

I'm with ya brother. I'm a geek by trade, ya know. I spent a couple hours today working (even if I was supposed to be off) from the comfort of home with no shoes or socks on.

If the shtf while I'm alive, I'll have to adjust to no iPhone or iPad and it won't be that easy.

I resisted technology for a long time. Didn't even carry a cell phone for years. Eventually though, it all caught up with me and now I'm as addicted to it as everyone else. It's just unreal to me how fast we went from really simple dos black and white games to having a computer in your pocket ready to answer any question or tell you that there's a traffic problem ahead and you should turn right at the next intersection.

 

[bigpaul]

i'm not a lover of technology, I always refer to myself as a "neo luddite", I was one of the last of my friends to have a mobile phone, I don't use it much-only for emergencies and it stays in my pocket for months at an end. I never liked computers, I always thought they were "the spawn of the devil" but eventually was forced to learn how to use one by circumstances-if I hadn't we wouldn't be living where we are now. sure i'm on forums, I even run a british prepper forum, but if SHTF and the internet was down it wouldn't bother me that much, i'm sure i'd have other things to worry about in that situation.

 

[Maverick]

Always compass and maps from Township to USGS, GPS not my cup of tea... my vision of GPS and precisely why I dislike them!

 

[Arcticdude]

I used GPS a lot in Alaska. Especially during winter for marking trap locations and for tracking my way back. With the short days and several tricky river crossings that had to be made in the dark GPS was a great tool. In my boat I had a chart plotter, including GPS, a handheld GPS for back up, compass and paper charts. These electronic gadgets are great tools, as long as they are working, but I'd never completely depend on one. If every electronic gizmo quit working tomorrow, it wouldn't affect my life too much.

 

[SheilaT.]

I saw a perfect example of just what can go wrong this morning. A whopping great articulated lorry jammed under the railway bridge in town because the driver blindly followed his satnav and failed to observe the low bridge sign!

 

[Silent Earth]

I saw a perfect example of just what can go wrong this morning. A whopping great articulated lorry jammed under the railway bridge in town because the driver blindly followed his satnav and failed to observe the low bridge sign!

A bus did exactly the same thing up here recently.