All of us are used to the ease with which we are able to access information online. The Internet has made researching almost any topic ridiculously easy, to the point where I dare say we have become dependent on it. I too am guilty of this dependence in that I cannot tell you how many times I’ve been stuck trying to figure something out only to whip out my smart phone, type my question into Google and then be provided with my answer. But what if the Internet was no longer available? It’s not a stretch to imagine that a massive cyber strike against the US could wipe out (or severely degrade) our capabilities to communicate and interact online. The Secretary of Defense recently warned of this potential during a speech in New York, here is an excerpt from the NY Times article:
Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta warned Thursday that the United States was facing the possibility of a “cyber-Pearl Harbor” and was increasingly vulnerable to foreign computer hackers who could dismantle the nation’s power grid, transportation system, financial networks and government.
In a speech at the Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum in New York, Mr. Panetta painted a dire picture of how such an attack on the United States might unfold. He said he was reacting to increasing aggressiveness and technological advances by the nation’s adversaries, which officials identified as China, Russia, Iran and militant groups.
“An aggressor nation or extremist group could use these kinds of cyber tools to gain control of critical switches,” Mr. Panetta said. “They could derail passenger trains, or even more dangerous, derail passenger trains loaded with lethal chemicals. They could contaminate the water supply in major cities, or shut down the power grid across large parts of the country.”
I won’t get into whether or not this is a push by the administration to increase monitoring on people via the classic “introduce a threat, provide a solution” technique. Politics aside what I want to emphasize is this is a very real threat. Should some massive grid down/Internet down scenario play out across the nation our most valuable repository of information will have been lost (read: the Internet). No more will you be able to YouTube how to build a root cellar or start a raised bed garden, all of that knowledge gone in the blink of an eye. This is why it is important to own books which you will be able to reference before and especially during some sort of SHTF scenario. The following is a short list (there are hundreds of good books out there) I have compiled which should get you started in the right direction.
- Every book listed over at Lindsay’s Technical Books
- The Encyclopedia of Country Living
- The Self-Sufficient Life
- The Complete Root Cellar Book
- Preserving Food without Freezing or Canning
- Emergency Essentials Tips for Preparedness Book
- SAS Survival Handbook
- Where There is No Doctor
- Where There is No Dentist
- Special Operations Forces Medical Handbook
- Square Foot Gardening
- The Organic Gardener’s Handbook of Natural Insect and Disease Control
- The Week-by-Week Vegetable Gardener’s Handbook
- Old Farmer’s Almanac
- Making the Best of the Basics
Recent Comments