Welcome to the Technolithic

TECHNOLITHIC (definition): Using the latest, efficient, portable technologies to get through potential relapses into the Stone Age.

You probably haven't come across the term "technolithic", but it's just another way to describe those times when some of the fundamental elements of our comfortable lifestyle disappear for awhile, or more simply, a big chunk of civilization takes a holiday. You're likely to find yourself in the alarming twilight zone between our technologically advanced comfort-zone and something more akin to the simpler lifestyles of distant ancestors. Truth is, even if you do lose the lights -- and maybe the water and your wheels -- there are still plenty of innovative, practical devices (along with a dose of common sense) that might help you through the worst.

Before we go any further, let me introduce myself. I'll remain anonymous, but you should know that I'm one of those far-sighted souls (or a hopeless paranoid, depending on your point of view) who spent a large part of the last decade of the Cold War getting ready for Armageddon -- redoubt in the mountains, anti-radiation suits, shelves filled with immortal foods... you know the drill. While we never nuked ourselves back to the Stone Age (although some sorry excuse for a human may still set off a big one), I did learn quite a bit about what works and what's dumb. Some things have changed -- the curve for compact and efficient technologies is way up -- while others have stayed the same: threats, however far off, still abound.

Many of us have been through power outages and water main breaks; some have gone through evacuations due to floods, fires earthquakes, and hurricanes. All are part of life in the 21st-century, and for most of us, all are far greater likelihoods than getting stranded in the wilderness, going off a bridge in a car or getting stuck in quicksand. While it never hurts to be prepared for all eventualities, the best bet is to anticipate the most likely challenges to your safety and survival. My own take on what lies ahead has evolved away from the abrupt far-reaching catastrophe of the Cold War era to some version of James Kunstler's dark, powerful, The Long Emergency, a futuristic scenario of the prolonged decline of modern society. Read about it on Treehugger. But just when you're about to shrug off a renewal of superpower rivalry, along comes a saber-rattling Putin and a new Russia all pumped up on natural gas. Go figure.

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