I recently watched again the live video interview Kerry and I did with MATTHEW STEIN - the author of the excellent book When Technology Fails - via Skype on a large screen at the Brussels Conference in October 2009.
I was profoundly impressed with Matthew and realized that this interview - which is not on YouTube (which I will correct soonest) - is potentially extremely important.
...which is a detailed, how-to encyclopedia (no better word for it) that explains in simple terms exactly how to make things work if the infrastructure should fail around you.
Matthew tells the story of when, with a background in engineering and mountaineering, he suddenly received a 'download' of instruction to write the book.
At first reluctant, he ended up warming to his task - which eventually changed his life.
The result of many years of in-depth research is a high quality manual that, besides standing easily on its own merit, is a most solid and valuable complement to Holly Deyo's well-known book Dare to Prepare.
I come from a place that is dangerous enough, weather wise, that we always told someone when we were leaving the house to go to someplace else. Even if it was just 'calling ahead'. It was done for the purposes of safety. Even if it was simply walking across town. People who are not raised with such things in their lives (or not having experience with in the direct daily sense, even for just a while) have no idea how dangerous the world can get, if one is not paying attention to lines of communication and lines of knowledge, specifically that of availability and plausibility of (gaining or obtaining) materials and information required for basic survival.
22nd September 2010 16:28
Beth
Re: Matthew Stein : WHEN TECHNOLOGY FAILS
Thanks Bill, I've actually been thinking to myself that I would like to get a book regarding this type of thing. Pretty synchronistic then I must say so I'm going to check this out and his site.
22nd September 2010 17:27
Fredkc
Re: Matthew Stein : WHEN TECHNOLOGY FAILS
perhaps a good place to post a link to the thread where many of the old FoxFire books can be got. Fred
22nd September 2010 17:34
Swami
Re: Matthew Stein : WHEN TECHNOLOGY FAILS
When technology fails
ISBN 978-1-933392-45-5
22nd September 2010 17:40
Solphilos
Re: Matthew Stein : WHEN TECHNOLOGY FAILS
Quote:
Posted by Fredkc
perhaps a good place to post a link to the thread where many of the old FoxFire books can be got. Fred
Excellent books for sure, highly recommended by me. I always take mine off the shelf just for a bit of nostalgia.
22nd September 2010 20:04
Dale
Re: Matthew Stein : WHEN TECHNOLOGY FAILS
Quote:
perhaps a good place to post a link to the thread where many of the old FoxFire books can be got.
The FoxFire books are great. I highly recommend them. I'll have to check out Matthew Stein's book, as well.
22nd September 2010 21:10
sunflower
Re: Matthew Stein : WHEN TECHNOLOGY FAILS
Interesting. Yesterday I recalled his advice on purifying stored water. Leave a glass bottle in the sun for seven hours then it's potable.
Thanks for posting the video, Bill. I 'll watch it and then order the book.
23rd September 2010 00:43
Ethereal Blue Being
Re: Matthew Stein : WHEN TECHNOLOGY FAILS
This authors heart is in the right place.His family has suffered greatly with the molds they brought from their former home in Hawaii to their current home. (he's solved that problem) His MIT engineering background and woodsman (Vermont) upbringing has made him a great combination of old and new survival. His suggestions of herbal remedies, water purification, colloidial nano silver , technologies etc, etc. this book must be a fountain of doable information. He said his book covers what to do if it is a couple of days or a few years. I need to get this to add to my Deyo book and others as well.
23rd September 2010 03:28
Lost Soul
Re: Matthew Stein : WHEN TECHNOLOGY FAILS
Go backpacking. You learn how to make do with minimal equipment.
If you want to learn how to really rough it, take up longhunting (Daniel Boone era hunting) or rendezvous (fur trade era reenacting). You'll learn how to make fire with flint and steel (get a fire piston, it's easier), how to build shelters and other outdoor skills. Backwoodsman Magazine is a good place to start (or the series of Firefox books).
23rd September 2010 20:20
Victoria Tintagel
Re: Matthew Stein : WHEN TECHNOLOGY FAILS
Tom Brown's Tracker School, 30 years if tracking, awareness & survival education.
Hi Avalonians, I highly recommend Tom Brown as a teacher and a writer on living in the wilderness. Had a great time reading 2 of his books "The Vision" and "Grandfather" www.trackerschool.com
And here's a link to find info on a week-teaching by Tom Brown, in Holland. http://www.trackerschool.com/class_t...012&tid=1&id=2
***Please note that this class is in Austerlitz, Holland, not in Germany as the website suggests. We are working on fixing this.***
Austerlitz is near Utrecht, where I live, anyone who needs a place to sleep is welcome to use my guestroom, Tint.
Tom will be in Austerlitz, Holland this fall to teach a Philosophy 1 class from November 15 – 21, 2010. The class will be held outside Amsterdam and we are hopeful that this site will be the home for Tracker classes in Europe. We hope to get a minimum of 50 students for this class and if successful we will expand the classes we will teach in Europe in 2011.
23rd September 2010 21:11
42
Re: Matthew Stein : WHEN TECHNOLOGY FAILS
Here's some thoughts on the "economic" impact of CME's...
I`m watching the interview right now. He seems to be a nice guy, but the things that he said about population growth are wrong. I mean, what about about the demographic progress right now? It seems that his world view is very very negative, (or he is just preparing for the worst).
24th September 2010 06:14
fifi
Re: Matthew Stein : WHEN TECHNOLOGY FAILS
This thread together with another one about Nasa upgrading its warning about Solar storm give me a feeling that maybe we should prepare for something "unexpected" coming soon? Should I? Anybody feels any intuitive warning? Please share. I am not scared or fearful, just want to be open and prepared.
Thank you,
fifi
24th September 2010 07:58
Luke
Re: Matthew Stein : WHEN TECHNOLOGY FAILS
Whatever happens happens.
We are in uncharted territory right now. If cycle repeats or we move further is question, all else are consequences.
That said, knowledge and skills is sole investment I'm 100% bullish on.
Way I see it situation will be rapidly changing on many levels. If you go static, you will put yourself on way of forces unstoppable on our level. It's highly possible that all "fixed" points will be gone, and we would need to work with what we know and can do.
On the other hand, there is high possibility of "long slump", like one in Argentina - slow death current paradigm, but with more and more increasing tension and uncertainty, with lots of political quackery and economic blunder.
Those two completely different scenarios will happen simultaneously in different parts of the world, with region going in and out of it.
Point is, we are approaching node last travelled in 476 AD ... sequence is in place, but "timing" .. anything from 2 years to 300 is within realm of possibility.
No-one knows what precisely will happen, what gamechangers will take place, if any.
Destination is what matters though.
24th September 2010 08:06
john.d
Re: Matthew Stein : WHEN TECHNOLOGY FAILS
Im a big fan of Matthew Stein , i watched the vid a while ago and read the book which is wonderfull and full of jems . Got quite a few good tips out of it ...... and think the word essential is quite apt :)
"Our 3D visualizations clearly show that solar storms can be deflected from high solar latitudes and end up hitting planets they might otherwise have missed," says lead author Jason Byrne, a graduate student at the Trinity Center for High Performance Computing.
STEREO-A and STEREO-B are widely separated and can see CMEs from different points of view. This allowed the team to create fully-stereoscopic models of the storm clouds and track them as they billowed away from the sun.
One of the first things they noticed was how CMEs trying to go "up"—out of the plane of the solar system and away from the planets—are turned back down again. Gallagher confesses that they had to "crack the books" and spend some time at the white board to fully understand the phenomenon. In the end, the explanation was simple:
The sun's global magnetic field, which is shaped like a bar magnet, guides the wayward CMEs back toward the sun's equator. When the clouds reach low latitudes, they get caught up in the solar wind and head out toward the planets—"like a cork bobbing along a river," says Gallagher.
24th September 2010 10:56
Wood
Re: Matthew Stein : WHEN TECHNOLOGY FAILS
Thank you. I was aware of this book for quite some time but I've just bought a copy now.
I've seen there is a kindle edition (an ebook reader), isn't that ironic?
This thread together with another one about Nasa upgrading its warning about Solar storm give me a feeling that maybe we should prepare for something "unexpected" coming soon? Should I? Anybody feels any intuitive warning? Please share. I am not scared or fearful, just want to be open and prepared.
Thank you,
fifi
I, for one, am starting to believe that the 2012 story is just that, a story... a cover-up to take our attention away from what's going on now and to ensure that, when this stuff does start to happen this year or next (as I bleive it will - see below) we will be *totally* unprepared as we will be expecting it to happen in two years' time...
I had a vivid dream a little while back in which I "died" and came back, and when I came back, none of our technology worked anymore... It took some pursuasion to convince me that it was still 2010 (yes this happened this year, *NOT* 2012)... There was no panic, everyone was very calm, there was actually quite a good feeling in the air. People helping each-other, no chaos.....
My question relating the dream (the part I had trouble making sense of) is regarding the part where I "died" - I have a feeling it wasn't death per-se...rather like "passing through the eye of a needle" - as if we couldn't continue on without that experience...
But one thing I'm wondering is, in the case of a major CME that disrupted electricity around the planet, how would such an event affect the human nervous system??
27th September 2010 01:56
Ethereal Blue Being
Re: Matthew Stein : WHEN TECHNOLOGY FAILS
jcocks, I have wondered about that as well. When the 1859 Carrington Event happened and burnt out telegraph wires and poles aroud the world. People in Cuba were reading the newspaper outside at 12 midnight by the light of the Aurora Borealis. Even when I've read long articles about this event no one mentions effects on people, plants or animals other that the resulting fires. on the NASA Website on the "Living With A Star" part of their site it says they (NASA) believe that CME was an X Class. Dr. Michio Kaku said on Fox TV (its all over youtube and his website) that if we get a CME like that again we'll be living like the Victorians and it will take years to recover as there arent enough spare parts or qualified repairmen. Also he says you could repair it and a short time later it can happen again. He thinks we need to shield and adapt our ENTIRE infrastructure--globally
27th September 2010 06:00
jcocks
Re: Matthew Stein : WHEN TECHNOLOGY FAILS
Quote:
Posted by Ethereal Blue Being
He thinks we need to shield and adapt our ENTIRE infrastructure--globally
That's assuming that you're not going to use the whole situation as a trigger for a technological leap or such..... Which I'm thinking the PTB might very well do. To my mind, it makes a lot of sense as it gives them a plausible reason for doing so in such a way as to not have to really explain themselves (People will just be glad to get technology back)....
They already have a lot of technologies that they're holding close to their chests... All that needs to happen is an opportunity to introduce them with the least disruption and questions as possible...
28th September 2010 20:46
brtanner
Re: Matthew Stein : WHEN TECHNOLOGY FAILS
Quote:
Posted by sunflower
Interesting. Yesterday I recalled his advice on purifying stored water. Leave a glass bottle in the sun for seven hours then it's potable.
Thanks for posting the video, Bill. I 'll watch it and then order the book.
Another more rapid way is to treat the water with 1 drop of MSS (28% sodium chlorite solution) per gallon of water. The water will probably be safe in 12 hours or wait 24 to be absolutely certain. If the MMS is activated with 1 drop of 50% citric acid solution in a dry container for 20 seconds, water added and then poured into the water to be purified, it will be safe in 1 hour.
28th September 2010 21:47
yiolas
Re: Matthew Stein : WHEN TECHNOLOGY FAILS
Thanks Bill for reminding us once again about Matthew Stein. His information is up to date, relevant and basic knowledge that we should all know.
Here is a 3 part radio series where Matthew discusses the major parts of his book and information on the Beyond 50 Radio Show http://www.blubrry.com/beyond50radio...ng-food-water/
When Technology Fails: An Introduction
When Technology Fails: Storing Food & Water
When Technology Fails: Low Tech Medicine For Emergencies
By the way Tanner, thanks for the MMS tip. I'm sure that the majority of us here have MMS on hand.
29th September 2010 04:17
Carmody
Re: Matthew Stein : WHEN TECHNOLOGY FAILS
Quote:
Posted by jcocks
I, for one, am starting to believe that the 2012 story is just that, a story... a cover-up to take our attention away from what's going on now and to ensure that, when this stuff does start to happen this year or next (as I bleive it will - see below) we will be *totally* unprepared as we will be expecting it to happen in two years' time...
I had a vivid dream a little while back in which I "died" and came back, and when I came back, none of our technology worked anymore... It took some pursuasion to convince me that it was still 2010 (yes this happened this year, *NOT* 2012)... There was no panic, everyone was very calm, there was actually quite a good feeling in the air. People helping each-other, no chaos.....
My question relating the dream (the part I had trouble making sense of) is regarding the part where I "died" - I have a feeling it wasn't death per-se...rather like "passing through the eye of a needle" - as if we couldn't continue on without that experience...
But one thing I'm wondering is, in the case of a major CME that disrupted electricity around the planet, how would such an event affect the human nervous system??
CME's give me MASSIVE migraines and even distortion. Can't walk right, etc.
Sometimes dreams can be a glimpse into timelines. Or..if you will.... potentials. possibilities.
one of the big signs of things being more of a real dream vs a mental construct aided and abetted by emotions..is the completeness of the scope and depth of the 'vision'.
Mind dreams or ego constructs tend to be limited in scope, size, depth, color, scale, sense of reality, etc. Dreams that are more representative of peeks into time lines have wind, lighting, subtlety, smell, color, time, scope, skies, ground, ie big and complete in all details.
9th October 2010 01:37
Bill Ryan
Re: Matthew Stein : WHEN TECHNOLOGY FAILS
Hi, Folks:
The Ustream video has now been tweaked a little and at last uploaded to YouTube. Better late than never!
For anyone who's not seen this yet, I very highly recommended it.
It was also the last interview that Kerry and I did together - rather like a lost recording by John and Paul :)
The Ustream video has now been tweaked a little and at last uploaded to YouTube. Better late than never!
For anyone who's not seen this yet, I very highly recommended it.
It was also the last interview that Kerry and I did together - rather like a lost recording by John and Paul :)
[...]
Shouldn't that be Paul and John? I mean, Kerry's definitely the feeler and you're the thinker. Paul feels; John thinks. Anyhoo' ... I loved watching you together.
Ahhh ... miss John. Terribly at times. Today he is 70 years away from when he first visited the Earth way back in '40. Wonder what he is doing now?
9th October 2010 03:27
Celine
Re: Matthew Stein : WHEN TECHNOLOGY FAILS
Flying and making music full of light
10th October 2010 04:25
josie
Re: Matthew Stein : WHEN TECHNOLOGY FAILS
It was also the last interview that Kerry and I did together - rather like a lost recording by John and Paul
lol
on john's 70th i must protest ;)
imagine/maybe i'm amazed....
john/yoko
paul/linda
camelot/avalon
bill/kerry
???
um... what?
i do not see the comparison.
what am i missing?
10th October 2010 15:22
Lost Soul
Re: Matthew Stein : WHEN TECHNOLOGY FAILS
OK, so I picked up the book. A lot of material covered in the outdoor survival portion used to be covered by the old Boy Scouts (of America) Handbook of the '40's and '50s. His water purification discussion is useful, but you can find it on the web. The First Aid material you should learn at the Red Cross on your own. I enjoyed his natural cures/medicinal plant section that followed it. His firearm advice is very cursory and should be approached with caution (i.e., no need to have both a 30-06 and a 7.62 mm Nato (or .308 Winchester as the cartridges are interchangeable in civilian guns).
His section on metal working is very basic. He doesn't go into lost wax casting (which is used by the some elements of the gun industry today). One would do well to take a blacksmithing class to get the basics. Conner Prairie Living History Museum in Fishers (near Indianapolis), Indiana offers classes on a regular basis.
He also has pottery making - something one can learn at the local junior college or from local artisans. Ditto with basket weaving.
On tanning animal hides, he doesn't mention the old fashion Indian method of brain tanning, but then again with that mad cow disease affecting the deer, I'm not sure if it's safe (basically after you scrape the hide of the fur and fat, you place it into a bucket of water with the crushed brains and let it cure. The brain material helps to soften, tan and preserve the hide. Additionally, the Indians would chew on the hide afterward and the chewing, combined with the enzymes, made it very soft and pliable).
Overall, as a one volume, one-stop shop book, it's very good.
10th October 2010 16:03
Bill Ryan
Re: Matthew Stein : WHEN TECHNOLOGY FAILS
Click here for Matthew Stein's book reference list, including his own reviews and recommendations.
OK, so I picked up the book. A lot of material covered in the outdoor survival portion used to be covered by the old Boy Scouts (of America) Handbook of the '40's and '50s. His water purification discussion is useful, but you can find it on the web. The First Aid material you should learn at the Red Cross on your own. I enjoyed his natural cures/medicinal plant section that followed it. His firearm advice is very cursory and should be approached with caution (i.e., no need to have both a 30-06 and a 7.62 mm Nato (or .308 Winchester as the cartridges are interchangeable in civilian guns).
His section on metal working is very basic. He doesn't go into lost wax casting (which is used by the some elements of the gun industry today). One would do well to take a blacksmithing class to get the basics. Conner Prairie Living History Museum in Fishers (near Indianapolis), Indiana offers classes on a regular basis.
He also has pottery making - something one can learn at the local junior college or from local artisans. Ditto with basket weaving.
On tanning animal hides, he doesn't mention the old fashion Indian method of brain tanning, but then again with that mad cow disease affecting the deer, I'm not sure if it's safe (basically after you scrape the hide of the fur and fat, you place it into a bucket of water with the crushed brains and let it cure. The brain material helps to soften, tan and preserve the hide. Additionally, the Indians would chew on the hide afterward and the chewing, combined with the enzymes, made it very soft and pliable).
Overall, as a one volume, one-stop shop book, it's very good.
i just orderd the book tonite- so it is on its way, but my first thought in reading your critique - was that yes you could take courses for blacksmithing, CPR, pottery making, gun safety and shooting practice, etc. ...
but IF the SHTF before you get through all 2 years- 4 years -or however long it will take to cram extra classes into our already overloaded lives, -- it would be nice to have the info handy - all in one book to grab and go...
also, having the book puts you a notch above anyone else (who wasn't prepared) to start training for re-community-izing
11th October 2010 15:06
Bill Ryan
Re: Matthew Stein : WHEN TECHNOLOGY FAILS
Quote:
Posted by xbusymom
i just orderd the book tonite- so it is on its way, but my first thought in reading your critique - was that yes you could take courses for blacksmithing, CPR, pottery making, gun safety and shooting practice, etc. ...
but IF the SHTF before you get through all 2 years- 4 years -or however long it will take to cram extra classes into our already overloaded lives, -- it would be nice to have the info handy - all in one book to grab and go...
also, having the book puts you a notch above anyone else (who wasn't prepared) to start training for re-community-izing
Exactly - thinking about the book is not the same as having the resource in hand.
People pay 10-40 times as much as the cost of the book for auto insurance each year... yet this is really just another form of insurance that one hopes one might never resort to.
11th October 2010 23:26
yiolas
Re: Matthew Stein : WHEN TECHNOLOGY FAILS
You make excellent points xbusymom and Bill.
All I can say is GET THE BOOK, GET THE BOOK, GET THE BOOK !
31st December 2010 17:10
Snowbird
Re: Matthew Stein : WHEN TECHNOLOGY FAILS
For the past few months I have been attempting to stock up and get prepared for 2011. I actually have a good head start, but I'm not where I want to be as yet.
I've seen the PC interview with Matthew Stein, which is excellent, and I think that I might order his book. However, I have been in search of a line of freeze-dried foods that I can store for emergency. I just now found it and want to share this great find with everyone.
I have been a member of Sam's Club for years. Yes, I pay out the $40.00 annual fee each year. However, I love to buy in bulk so this type of membership is perfect for me.
I have just found two lines of freeze-dried foods from the Sam's web site that IMO, are simply wonderful. One of these, Alpine Aire Foods, has only a few items, but they are quality items and a few of the gourmet meals include meat. I especially love the Portable Food Pantry which is a 2-week supply of dried food which is vegetarian as am I. In addition, is the Augason Farms food line which is extensive and includes emergency packs for your vehicle and for the office.
I have linked these sites below and included is a .pdf of Augason Farms Emergency Tips. These are really basic tips that will help everyone.
"This video contains content from WMG, who has blocked it your country on copyright grounds.":(
21st January 2011 16:07
taizen
Re: Matthew Stein : WHEN TECHNOLOGY FAILS
Another really valuable book is : The Encyclopedia of Country Living: An Old Fashioned Recipe Book [Paperback] by Carla Emery. This would be a supplement to Matthew's.
Hey Harley,
I have the book "Artisan Bread In Five Minutes A Day"...great book, makes wonderful bread and it is soooo easy. Would recommend it to anybody.
And if anybody wants.... I have "My Groponics On A Budget For People Who Live In Small Places, Heck Even Tiny Places" in pdf format. Just PM me and I would be happy to send it to whoever wants it.