I'll be talking with John Wesley Smith on his Destiny Survival Radio show again tomorrow. We'll spend an hour discussing a variety of topics, and especially how works of fiction can sometimes be more effective than nonfiction in opening the eyes of those who might not otherwise take an interest in prepping or survival topics. I've had a lot of comments to this effect already since the release of The Pulse, especially among some of my own friends and family who could not really relate to books like Bug Out and may perceive interest in such topics as fanatical. Reading a fictional story of an unfolding SHTF scenario sheds a whole new light on the matter though, and people can start to visualize how such an event could really happen.
You can join us tomorrow (Thursday, July 26) at 1:00pm CDT right here on the embedded player, or listen in later anytime you like after the show:
And here's a link to a newspaper review written by a friend with the perspective mentioned above - a seasoned outdoorsman and experienced adventurer, but not a person who considers himself to be a survivalist: http://www.enterprise-journal.com/sports/outdoors/article_ad4130e0-ce3a-11e1-8f64-0019bb2963f4.html
For a review from the perspective of a prepper and survivalist, here's Jim Cobb's take on the book from his blog, Survival Weekly: http://survivalweekly.com/2269/the-pulse-by-scott-b-williams/ Jim will soon be a fellow Ulysses Press author, with his own book: Prepper's Home Defense coming out in October.
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Wednesday, July 25, 2012
Wednesday, July 4, 2012
Interesting Stuff from "Boat Bits" Blog
It's always interesting to me to see the growing number of new articles about survival and SHTF concerns published on sites that are primarily focused on other pursuits. But it's not really surprising to see this kind of thing on sailing websites and blogs, because people who are self-reliant and contrarian enough to make a lifestyle out of living aboard and cruising places on small sailboats tend to spend a lot of time thinking about these things anyway. I first started meeting families and individuals living this lifestyle more than twenty years ago, on my kayak trip through the Caribbean. Even back then many of them I talked to expressed the same kinds of concerns that are frequently discussed on survival sites today. A big part of the reason most of them chose the independence of the cruising life is that they feel safer. There's nothing quite as reassuring as having a well-found vessel under you, capable of taking you anywhere in the world as long as the wind still blows.
One of my all-time favorite sailing bloggers posted a review of The Pulse last week and then went on to write more about the over-reliance on technology that most of us modern sailors have in common. The fact is, while there may never be a catastrophic solar flare as strong as the one in my novel that takes out the grid throughout the hemisphere, any number of things, including deliberate action by the government, can render the man-made constellation of orbiting GPS satellites inoperable.
Then, on the other hand, maybe there will be a massive solar flare sometime in the near future. The author of Boat Bits also sent me this yesterday:
In another example of a site normally devoted to recreational boating posting about a possible SHTF/TEOTWAWKI situation, this article on suitable boat designs for such an event recently appeared in Duckworks, an online magazine for amateur boatbuilders:
The author brings out some really good points to consider in choosing such a boat to build, and even mentions some of my favorite designers, such as James Wharram. I plan to expand my thoughts on this one in another post soon, as bug out boats were a big part of my book, Bug Out Vehicles and Shelters, and of course, I'm currently building just such a boat myself.