Hi All

I have loads of links in my favorites to all kinds of survival and DIY tech ideas/projects.

In the worst case scenario, where technology fails and the internet is no more, all my links will be useless.

So I've decided to begin a library of downloaded info, stored on a low power PC with a DIY power supply.

As an example, it is my intention to construct a micro wind turbine, but like many of my intended projects, it is in the 'interesting and important, but not urgent' jobs queue. I've bookmarked some links for the project and even got one or two pdf's, but it's not complete by any means.

In the event of global breakdown, I believe our individual survival, safety and prosperity will depend on the local community, and what knowlege, experience and shared resources we can put together.

Currently, just about every aspect of known human knowlege is available at the click of a button. In the event of some kind of 'end times' scenario, I'd like to be able to provide my local community with a small part of some of the most useful bits of this information.

I've seen and downloaded one or two pdf/ebook compilations, which contain some good stuff but mostly garbage.

What would be your vote(s) for info, info sources, or info compilations, that can be d/l'd and stored offline?

[edit on 4/10/09 by RogerT]

"how to make friends and influence people" by dale carnegie.
that one is fun

I think your project is a good idea. I've transferred information to a flash drive, and also printed out quite a bit of info. That printed material is more than a ream of paper, and I keep it in a waterproof AquaPac bag with a couple of desiccant packets (very humid here).

Just off the top of my head some of the stuff I've stored that started out being just a bookmark:

Solar still/solar oven drawings
Kearny Fallout Meter
Bow/Atlatyl plans
Wind Generator Plans
Guide to cordage and basketweaving
List of emergency shortwave frequencies
Soapmaking formulaes
Seed storage info
Electrical diagrams
Snares and traps (many of these S&T I have yet to try out)
Homebrewing info (mostly recipes)

There's probably a few things I've forgotten that are in there; have been doing this for a few years. In addition to that, I have a couple of other waterproof bags that have treasured books -- Handbook of Chemistry & Physics, Family Bible, Dare to Prepare, Alternative Cures, Wildwood Wisdom, Accupressure/accupuncture, Holistic Health, Fearful Symmetry, etc.etc.etc.

All of this stuff survived Hurricane Paloma which hit us hard last November, even though our house took on quite a bit of water (wind drove the rain up under the metal roofing and down onto our ceiling, plus some seawater driven around the shutters and doors).

You could download the full wikipedia. I'd imagine it has just about everything in there you could think of

Physical documents are more sturdy, and more portable (assuming you're not trying to tote around the collected works of Shakespeare). A waterproof notebook and a grease pencil are easier to fit into a knapsack than a computer, and a lot less fragile. A laptop isn't a bad idea I suppose, but you should have physical backups.

If you're going to rely on a computer for SHTF-type situations, a Faraday Cage is a good insurance policy. It should protect your investment until such a time as it's needed. The construction plans would be a good document to add to your list as well (though it's very simple).

Originally posted by MegaCurious
You could download the full wikipedia. I'd imagine it has just about everything in there you could think of

Great idea. Any clue how to do that?

Psusa how do i download all of those files

Originally posted by WyrdeOne
Physical documents are more sturdy, and more portable (assuming you're not trying to tote around the collected works of Shakespeare). A waterproof notebook and a grease pencil are easier to fit into a knapsack than a computer, and a lot less fragile. A laptop isn't a bad idea I suppose, but you should have physical backups.

If you're going to rely on a computer for SHTF-type situations, a Faraday Cage is a good insurance policy. It should protect your investment until such a time as it's needed. The construction plans would be a good document to add to your list as well (though it's very simple).

I'm looking more at a community based idea, not a personal portable idea. But the Faraday cage is brilliant advice - I'm supposing this is to protect magnetic storage media in the case of destructive em waves?

I have already begun building one of these. Over 33 gigs of ebooks and climbing. I plan on releasing a torrent or something once I'm done organizing it all.

I've also managed to buy a few 4gig usb drives that will hold the important survival guides on them. The only downside is that in the event of no electricity/computers/emp these things are all useless.

We should begin to brainstorm alternative information storing devices.

I would make sure I had a physical copy of the most important documents in addition to having them stored on a computer or an external hard drive.

Print off whats needed and then laminate.