I know I read too many books and watch too many TV programs and movies about apocalyptic futures. Zombies have historically (and hysterically) been at the top of the list. But the chance of a rising of a combination of artificial intelligence (AI) and robots is rising, as it were. And the destructive potential of self-described stable geniuses sends shivers down my spine.
The CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) has a Preparedness 101: Zombie Pandemic page and downloadable guide. In this context, the concept of a Zombie apocalypse can be taken to be a metaphor for the collapse of civilization as we know it (I never metaphor I didn’t like).
On the one hand, I don’t want to be associated with doom and gloom (I have a mother for that). On the other hand, it doesn’t hurt to be prepared. If there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that things can go pear-shaped at a moment’s notice: for example…
There were a historic number of tornadoes in Alabama (and the other southern states) on 27 April 2011. One took out the power feeds from our local nuclear power station. The city of Huntsville and surrounding area was without power for about 10 days. I had enough cold showers to last me a lifetime.
I’ve got a fantastic book on my shelves: The Maker's Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse: Defend Your Base with Simple Circuits, Arduino, and Raspberry Pi. Written by hardware hacker and zombie anthropologist Simon Monk, this tome teaches us how to generate our own electricity, salvage parts, craft essential electronics, and out-survive the undead.
As just one example, it teaches us how to retrieve a solar panel from the top of a defunct recreational vehicle (RV) and use it to power things like our Arduino and Raspberry Pi-based surveillance systems (I now have such a panel as part of my "stash").
It also teaches the reader how to use a microwave oven to take out a marauding zombie (spoiler alert: you drop it out of an upstairs window onto the zombie’s head).
But we digress… The reason for my meandering musings is that I just ran across an interesting crowd-sourcing project for a 50W Wind Turbine Generator on Indiegogo.
On the one hand (I know, I'm running out of hands--see also my Helping Hands Envy blog), I like low-tech survival gear, like my antique Volcano Kettle (see also my Happy Dance Around a Volcano column on EE Times).
On the other hand, I’d really like to have one of these Shine Turbines stashed away in my bedroom closet (I can envision it now, sitting on the shelf next to my Stainless Steel Grappling Hook--just call me "Indiana Max").
I’m afraid the asking price of this little beauty is currently outside my budget. But if I win the lottery, this will rise to the top of my list. What say you? Am I the only one who spends time worrying about this sort of thing?
50 watts? What’s the point?? Tho we’re all preparing for the apocalypse given what’s happenning in that shithole country you call home ;-}
Just keeping cell phones and radios and flashlights charged would make a humongous difference in the quality of one’s life. When we lost power for 10 days after the tornadoes in 2011, you couldn’t get gas from the garage because they couldn’t pump it. All my neighbors would have welcomed the chance to charge their cell phones.
50W > 0W