When Technology Fails (Revised & Expanded): A Manual for Self-Reliance, Sustainability, and Surviving the Long Emergency
by Matthew Stein
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Book Summary Information
Author: Matthew SteinEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2008-08-18
ISBN: 1933392452
Number of pages: 493
Publisher: Chelsea Green Publishing
Book Reviews of When Technology Fails (Revised & Expanded): A Manual for Self-Reliance, Sustainability, and Surviving the Long Emergency
Book Review: Amazing scope and usefulness - pay it forward
Summary: 5 Stars
I read this book a couple years ago, and then bought extra copies as gifts for friends and family, with my only request being they "pay it forward" by giving a copy to people they care about also.
As someone who (like the author) has spent much time thinking and reading about sustainability (or lack thereof), this is the book I would have written too, except Matthew Stein reads more and writes better than I ever will. Engineers like us spend time thinking about how things can go wrong to hopefully avoid failures. Unfortunately we all know things often fail anyway, and there are a number of significant (potential) risks both locally and globally going forward; so I'm afraid those who believe nothing bad could ever happen just haven't been paying attention.
The wise among us might learn some basic skills from previous generations that have largely been forgotten in our modern tech frenzied lifestyles. If you don't have time to learn now, putting this book on your shelf may be some of the cheapest insurance you can buy. If and when the time comes you need some of this info, it will be great to look up in one handy reference. Of course, the author can't cover every detail of so many subjects in one volume, but there is generally enough info to get a good idea on things you may be interested in, while all his sources are nicely discussed in context to help toward far more in-depth study on any subject desired. In fact, I was especially pleased and impressed to see a number of my favorite other books recommended in this one as well. Finally, I'd like to try the Kindle version (when I get my screen fixed) since 500 pages is hefty to carry on the go, but I'll keep my paper copy in a safe place too -- for obvious reasons.
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Summary of When Technology Fails (Revised & Expanded): A Manual for Self-Reliance, Sustainability, and Surviving the Long Emergency
There's never been a better time to "be prepared." Matthew Stein's comprehensive primer on sustainable living skills--from food and water to shelter and energy to first-aid and crisis-management skills--prepares you to embark on the path toward sustainability. But unlike any other book, Stein not only shows you how to live "green" in seemingly stable times, but to live in the face of potential disasters, lasting days or years, coming in the form of social upheaval, economic meltdown, or environmental catastrophe.When Technology Fails covers the gamut. You'll learn how to start a fire and keep warm if you've been left temporarily homeless, as well as the basics of installing a renewable energy system for your home or business. You'll learn how to find and sterilize water in the face of utility failure, as well as practical information for dealing with water-quality issues even when the public tap water is still flowing. You'll learn alternative techniques for healing equally suited to an era of profit-driven malpractice as to situations of social calamity. Each chapter (a survey of the risks to the status quo; supplies and preparation for short- and long-term emergencies; emergency measures for survival; water; food; shelter; clothing; first aid, low-tech medicine, and healing; energy, heat, and power; metalworking; utensils and storage; low-tech chemistry; and engineering, machines, and materials) offers the same approach, describing skills for self-reliance in good times and bad.Fully revised and expanded--the first edition was written pre-9/11 and pre-Katrina, when few Americans took the risk of social disruption seriously--When Technology Fails ends on a positive, proactive note with a new chapter on "Making the Shift to Sustainability," which offers practical suggestions for changing our world on personal, community and global levels.Health, Mind & Body Books
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