Are we looking at an information blackout in major SHTF?

[BogWalker]

As the world turns increasingly digital I begin to wonder about the negatives. Think about e-readers (Kindles and the like). Dead battery= no book. Now, take this into post-SHTF. No power= no battery= no book.

So, what happens in a TEOTWAWKI type situation when that power is not coming back on? Information blackout is what I call it. Right now there's plenty of hard copy (actual books!) out there, but what about a few decades from now when digital is the primary format? It has the potential to turn into a veritable dark-age.

Take it further. Okay, so in a digital era the information is still on hard drives so if you can get power you can get information. Power isn't exactly difficult to generate with some knowledge and craftiness so all is not lost. What happens when there isn't user side copy though? I really see cloud computing and storage becoming the dominant format in the future. In that case, when the power goes down to those server banks that information is more than likely gone to you, even if you can power up your particular device.

Your thoughts? I see this as a distinct possibility. It could be prudent to print off any computer based survival documentation you plan on referencing when SHTF.

 

[Bendrx]

If it's important, it's printed. If it's remotely useful it's stored locally and typically on more than one device/computer.

 

[Leo]

I have multiple bookcases full of old fashioned printed books. The majority are religious books with some reloading and gunsmith books. If we are without electricity very long in a societal meltdown, we will probably need both.

 

[Kutnupe14]

Spot on. Take for instance music, with a blackout everyone with CDs or MP3 will be SOL. Now if you have vinyl, all you need is a needle and a crank. Yeah random thought, but applies for us music lovers nonetheless.

 

[Jarhead77]

Portable solar battery chargers! You can't carry the books with ya! But, they do make good kindling!!!
Not expensive either, $20-30 bucks and WELL worth it.

 

[spectre327]

Store science, physics, arithmetic, algebra, and other similar books for the restarting of a new education system

 

[pinshooter45]

I also believe that Solar chargers are available for cell phones, tablets and such. Takes a little longer but It can be done. And don't forget if you have xtra gas stored you can charged devices through your car's power outlets, or recharge while running your Genny. And while that might not do much good when the internet goes down at least you can access what you have. Plus there are redundancies built into the whole world wide web. But if the power goes out permanently like in REVOLUTION not sure what good that will do the average person. But that is why all my devices have replaceable batteries that way I can always have some back up power in the form of at least one xtra battery. Another reason I do not like most Apple Products and some of the newer devices like tablets no way to easily pop in an extra battery. I have a spare battery for my cell phone (like that will be working in a major power outage) and plan to have spare batteries for my Laptops. Something you all might think about next time you purchase that next new piece of technology!

 

[BigBoxaJunk]

As I gather useful information, I'm keeping pdfs but I'm also printing the more important stuff and putting it in binders. Slowly building a good SHF library.

 

[churchmouse]

As we move closer to a totally digital society this might be a problem if the infrastructure crumbles.

 

[printcraft]

Think of the meltdown all of the stupid smart people will have when they can't access Google search for their "knowledge".

 

[cook4army]

Think of the meltdown all of the stupid smart people will have when they can't access Google search for their "knowledge".

Think of the social meltdown when all these people cant access.....GASP....facebook!!!!!@

 

[CathyInBlue]

Think of the meltdown all of the stupid smart people will have when they can't access Google search for their "knowledge".

Yeah. I know my IQ drops about 10 points when I can't access humanity's hive mind, but that's okay. I've got IQ points to spare.

 

[Sgtusmc]

Preservation of knowledge for re-establishment of society or having a mobile library is certainly an interesting subject when one looks at the environment we might be operating in if that library becomes needed.


The internet will most likely be gone as well as the priority of electricity to power a PC device while possibly on the move.
Things that I have considered for a mobile library are weight, size, lack of moving parts, electrical load, storage medium and what is entailed in retrieving the data off of that storage medium.


Hard drives need to be powered from a working computer with a working monitor. Too many requirements in my opinion to access the data. Good for long term redundancy of storage once computers are plugged back in, but I wouldn't want to be carrying around even 1 hard drive due to the sensitive nature and weight when you'll probably already be overburdoned.


CD/DVD format is better than hard drives in this case due to the weight and lack of sensitivity to the data compared to say dropping the hard drive accidentally on concrete. They are still sensitive to scratching though and what's worse is the additional hardware needed to access the data. A drive connected once again to a computer is needed. Great redundant backups, not good for accessing data on the go though in a survival situation.


Printed material is immediately accessible but overly burdensome due to the weight and space just 1 or 2 books occupy. We're going to be collecting information from many books, so 1 or 2 just won't do.


Flash drives/Thumb drives/ and SDcards are light weight with zero moving parts and hold MUCH more information than a CD, a DVD or a box full of books. Several can be stored at once in a protective container of your choosing. Water proof, crush proof, EMP proof, all possible attributes to a container of your choosing to store your veritable library. I'm still researching whether a USB drive is better than an SDcard in regards to longevity or any other unforeseen pros or cons.


Next, we need a tablet device with a USB port or SDcard port to readily read the information. Tablets are portable, no moving parts to break, easier to store in a protective compartment of some kind and run on very little power. Personally, I'm typing this on an IPad right now, but this IPad wouldn't be my chosen library device to be stored away in my bug out bag. There are tablets being sold for as cheap as ~$60, but buyer beware and we need one that has our preferred port. Your research might yield something different than my requirements but as a here and now example, I found the ASUS memo pad to meet my requirements. It's $112, 7" touchscreen and has both mini USB and micro SD ports. The mini USB port has a adaptor cable to plug in your flash drive. Micro SD cards are even tinier than SDcards making storage even more beneficial if you go the micro route.

When shopping for a bug out library of this nature, just shop with the knowledge that you don't care about all the extra wing dings such as cameras or wifi network access or gaming potential. It's there simply to display your PDF files on the go. Once rule of law and civilization is restored, the libraries can then be re printed into books and/or copied and shared from person to person with such storage devices available to them.

In regards to re-charging the tablets battery, there are many methods to do this. Thermo-coupler devices generate electrical current from heat/fire. Putting a winder on the shaft of a stepper moter will send a current out of the motors contacts. You can repurpose a wind up or squeeze flash light. There are wind up weather radios out now with charging ports built in. If you're traveling by bike, you can hook the wires up from your bike light to recharge something as you pedal.

We we must all learn to be resourceful before the time comes to be resourceful.

 

[indiucky]

I've got IQ points to spare.

Can I have some?

 

[darinb]

Store science, physics, arithmetic, algebra, and other similar books for the restarting of a new education system

+1

 

[VN Vet]

You don't now how right you may be. Every leader of the New World Order has a red button at their desk. When called for, each leader will press the red button and when all red buttons have been pressed, the WWW will shut down. Good-by Internet.

 

[Mgderf]

I believe we are but one EMP away from the next information ice-age.

Too much is dependent on technology like electricity. If we lose electrical service, wide spread, for any substantial length of time, we'll be in a heap-o-trouble boys.

Collectively speaking.

Some won't last more than a month.
Others will survive to re-populate,but it will be decades before "normality" returns.

 

[6mm Shoot]

The wife and I have learned the hard way to keep every thing backed up on paper.

We have some pictures on a CD that no one can get to now. The computer that made them died and no new computer can get to them. They are there but you can't get to them. I have paid some people to get them off the disk for me and so far no one has been able to get them off the disk.

Now we keep everything backed up on paper.

 

[udchemist]

i easily see a loss of info in the next 50 years. books are becoming obsolete. i like the way sgtusmc thinks - putting requisite ebooks on an sd/flash card and using a tablet to read them. thats about the only use i could see of a tablet...may consider getting one now,

 

[JetGirl]

I also believe that Solar chargers are available for cell phones, tablets and such.

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