Power outage strikes Spain, Portugal and France: Blackouts.

SurvivalBlog presents another edition of The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods. This column is a collection of news bits and pieces that are relevant to the modern survivalist and prepper from JWR. Our goal is to educate our readers, to help them to recognize emerging threats, and to be better prepared for both disasters and negative societal trends. You can’t mitigate a risk if you haven’t first identified a risk. In today’s column, we look at a recent widespread grid power failure.

A Huge Southern Europe Power Outage

Reader F.J. was the first of several readers to mention this in the UK Daily Mail: Huge power outage strikes Spain, Portugal and France: Entire cities plunged into blackouts, transport networks shut down and internet is cut off in scenes of mayhem. F.J.’s Comments:

“Can never be too prepared? EDC, Bug Out, Bug In, Tools, Water, and Food. You never know when the rug can be pulled out from under you. Luckily, it doesn’t appear that anyone was hurt or killed. Life support systems usually have some sort of UPS built-in. [A major power failure] might be very inconvenient for the ‘totally clueless We, The Sheeple’.”

JWR Adds: Some more details on this incident are reported here: 6 Days After Celebrating ‘100% Renewable Power’, Spain Blames “Rare Atmospheric Phenomenon” For Nation’s Largest Blackout In History.

and,

Photos: Millions without power in Spain, Portugal after ‘induced atmospheric vibration’.

Cascadia Subduction Zone Earthquake: Greater Severity

Reader C.B. sent this: Cascadia subduction zone earthquake could be even worse than feared.

A New Smartphone Security Threat

SurvivalBlog’s Edior-at-Large Michael Z. Williamson sent this: We Finally Know Exactly How That Atlantic Reporter Got Those Messages, And It’s More Complicated Than Anyone Thought. Mike’s Comment: “This is why you should only manually add contacts to a phone.”

Ukrainians are Evacuating Wounded with Ground Robots

Ukrainian soldiers are evacuating wounded soldiers with ground robots — but the risks mean it’s only done as a last resort.

Buggy vs. UAV: New Variant of Special Combat Vehicle

Reader David T. spotted a poorly-translated piece from a Russian news outlet: Buggy vs. UAV: New Variant of Special Combat Vehicle. David’s Comment: “Ian Doyle would be proud.” (Referring to a fictional character in JWR’s Patriots.)

Evidence of Criminal Election Fraud

Reader H.L. sent us this: A Newly Discovered Algorithm in Wisconsin Voter File is Indisputable Evidence of Criminal Election Fraud.

Future Apple Watches May Include Cameras and AI

At 9-to-5 Mac: Gurman: Future Apple Watch models may include cameras, as part of AI push. Here is an excerpt:

“Apple’s ultimate plan for Visual Intelligence goes far beyond the iPhone. The company wants to put the feature at the core of future devices, including the camera-equipped AirPods that I’ve been writing about for several months. Along the way, Apple also wants to shift Visual Intelligence toward its own AI models, rather than those from OpenAI and Google.

As for Apple Watch models with cameras, Gurman reports that Apple is working on it for both standard and ultra Apple Watch models. With the standard Apple Watch, the camera would be embedded within the display, similar to an iPhone. It’s unclear if this would utilize under display-tech, or if this’ll necessitate a camera cutout.”

Estonian Government to Citizenry: Be Armed

Reader 3AD Scout sent us this: Estonian ministry preparing to simplify civilian firearm ownership rules. Scout’s Comment: I came across this article while doing my reading. It is from an Estonia media outlet and is in English. Seems that the powers that be in Estonia have made the same conclusions regarding and Armed population and national defense.

Up 17%: 1 in 31 Kids Had Autism in 2022

1 in 31 Kids Had Autism in 2022 — Up From 1 in 36 in 2020. The article’s subhead reads: “Overall, the prevalence of autism in U.S. children rose approximately 17% between 2020 and 2022, continuing a decades-long trend, the CDC said in its latest study, published today. The number for boys was 1 in 20 overall and as high as 1 in 12.5 in California.” JWR’s Comment: I must ask: What is the COVID vaccination rate in California?