Let’s face it: soap-making conjures images of a mad scientist in a basement, goggles fogged up, while cauldrons of bubbling lye threaten to turn the whole operation into an episode of Breaking Bad: Amish Edition. But the truth is, making Read more…
When you hear “soap opera,” your mind probably drifts to dramatic love triangles, evil twins, and someone dramatically whispering “you’re pregnant…with my brother’s baby.” But in a crisis? Forget TV drama—the real soap opera is played out in your laundry Read more…
When people think about bartering in a crisis, they immediately imagine trading beans, bullets, or buckets of wheat that could feed the entire cast of Little House on the Prairie. But here’s the thing: nobody ever mentions the black-market value Read more…
So you’ve read about pigeons being the ultimate low-tech communication system and thought, “Sure, why not? I’ll build my own flying Verizon network.” Great news: training pigeons is less complicated than programming your TV remote. (And let’s be honest, who Read more…
When the internet goes down, most people panic, frantically waving their cell phones around like divining rods, searching for a signal that isn’t there. But not you. You’ve got a Plan B that flaps, coos, and occasionally redecorates your patio Read more…
If there’s one thing that sets the neighborhood rumor mill on fire faster than a Fourth of July sparkler in Steve’s dry backyard, it’s looking like “that neighbor.” You know the one—the guy stacking ammo cans taller than his fence Read more…
Imagine it: the power’s out, the internet’s gone, and suddenly your job title of “Middle Manager of Brand Synergy Optimization” is about as useful as a chocolate teapot at a campfire. Nobody’s trading two jars of beans for your PowerPoint Read more…
When society takes an unscheduled coffee break (or, let’s be honest, a Diet Dr. Pepper break), the last thing you want is to look like the only guy at the party who actually brought snacks. Because nothing says “rob me Read more…
Some folks think home defense means barbed wire on the mailbox, a moat in the front yard, and windows that look like they were borrowed from Alcatraz. Sure, that keeps the bad guys out—but it also keeps the Amazon driver Read more…
The Day the Trash Stopped Coming: Sanitation in a Long-Term Crisis Picture this: It’s a Tuesday morning. You shuffle out to the curb in your fuzzy slippers, dragging that heroic black trash bag full of last week’s pizza boxes, dryer Read more…