I am in the process of redoing the operating system on my main computer (I have a Windows environment loaded, and am downloading Kubuntu via Wubi) and it is a bear of a process. It occurs to me, that post-collapse, this process would be infinitely harder, as there are no online utilities for downloading patches, fixes, upgrades in a post-collapse world.
Not to mention the bigger problem of electricity.
I do not currently have the means to generate my own electricity. This, to me, is a major question all survivalists have to answer as they prep for collapse -- do you want to have electricity, or not? If the answer is yes, the problems that come from that are huge -- you need a means to generate power and to store it. Consider Rawles's novel Patriots -- the protagonists have a retreat powered by two means -- a solar and wind generation system. The two complement each other, and in the book, work for a number of years without real problems.
Let's assume Rawles is right, and this is possible. The problem I face is that I cannot implement this system in my current locale -- I have pretty poor sunlight at my location (no one would consider solar power alone in New England), and am not in a locale where I can put up a wind turbine -- and if I were, they are prohibitively expensive. I am commtted, therefore, after a crash to a non-electric world.
What does this mean?
For lighting, I have to use candles. For heat, I have to use wood (my oil heat system requires electricity for the furnace). I'd lose water pressure at some point, as my water is powered from a standpipe at the top of the hill run by the town (I do have a rain barrel for immediate emergencies, and could rig other barrels up to it to expand it if need be). Sewerage requires a pump up to the town pipe (my lot is below the road).
Without electricity, I'd have some quick priorities -- get the water barrel system expanded, and convert my sewerage to a septic/leach field system (I've done some preliminary research). I'd then have to learn to make candles from animal fat at some point.
From a theoretical standpoint, I'm OK with all of that. But from a practical standpoint, life without electricity and computers gets pretty difficult. I do maintain paper copies of my inventories (realizing that computer records can be gone in the blink of an eye in an EMP scenario), but losing the capability of doing quick tallies in Excel, along with losing touch with distant family members, would be very hard.
But what's the answer? Even if I throw an extra laptop into a Faraday cage, I'd still be without the internet, and without sustainable power generation, I'd only have computer power for a short period of time. Does it make sense to invest all kinds of resources into generators, etc., knowing that there is a short time before they all ultimately fail? Wouldn't I be better off just buying more food and ammo?
To me, based on my current location, where I cannot build in any power generation, I have to cut my losses and say "no electricity". Maybe if I get a retreat established in the long term, I can consider power generation. For now, I have a good supply of candles.
Santaquin Goshen Ready, June 2017
7 years ago
