Day: September 1, 2026

Preparedness Notes — September 1, 2026

This Week in History: On September 1, 1255, Königsberg (modern day Kaliningrad) was founded by Teutonic Knights. It was named in honor of the Bohemian King Ottokar II. Pictured is Kaliningrad’s Brandenburg Gate. (Public domain photo by Jan Pešula.) — The 1859 Carrington Event — the largest geomagnetic storm in recorded history began on this day. Richard Carrington and Richard Hodgson made the first observation of a large solar flare. — On September 2, 1666, the Great Fire of London began at 2 am in Pudding Lane. An estimated 80% of London was destroyed. — And on September 4, 1950: …


The AI Threat in Perspective, by Silvertip

In the 1980s, a funny, popular pseudo-AI computer program “Eliza” was a college joke magnet.  A few beers, and then dialed into a dialup Bulletin Board System (BBS) and ask all kinds of suggestive questions, just to see what “Eliza” said.  So, as a Coder, we expanded the Data File, many times over… and Eliza’s answers got more verbose and direct, like Grandma suddenly butting into your life!  That was about the start of the AI revolution, for me.  It was cool, funny, and a half-life of 30 minutes over a dialup system.  Querying a Data file, database of “information” …


MTM Case-Gard “The Bull” Rifle Rest, by Thomas Christianson

“The Bull” Rifle Rest by MTM Case-Gard provides a light, stable, sturdy, and inexpensive base for zeroing firearms and testing ammo. It is easy to assemble and easy to adjust to fit a wide variety of firearms. Over the course of six months of testing, I used the Bull with break-barrel air rifles, semi-automatic rimfire rifles, bolt-action centerfire rifles, semi-automatic centerfire rifles, muzzleloading rifles, and lever-action centerfire rifles. It adjusted well to provide a stable and sturdy rest for every firearm with which I used it. I have used other rests that have had difficulty accommodating rifles that use 30-round …


SurvivalBlog Graphic of the Week

Today’s graphic is a ,map that shoes the courses of the 7,000 tributary rivers that feed into the Mississippi. (Graphic courtesy of Reddit.) The thumbnail image below is click-expandable.     — If any SurvivalBlog readers have personally taken or otherwise hold the copyright to a particularly nice landscape photo or other photo of particular interest to preppers that is in a wide horizontal format (to match our blog template) then please send it in as an e-mail attachment, and I will consider posting it as a Graphic of the Week, or as a Top Note photo. I can of …


Economics & Investing Media of the Week

In Economics & Investing Media of the Week we feature photos, charts, graphs, maps, video links, and news items of interest to preppers. Here is an interesting map: Average daily long-haul truck traffic across US highways. The thumbnail below is click-expandable. (Graphic courtesy of Reddit.) Economics & Investing Links of Interest Bessent’s Former Mentor Druckenmiller Slams Treasury Bond Buyback Plan. Nvidia Has Become a Banker to the AI Boom, Putting It on Dangerous Ground. US Tungsten Scrap Export Ban Takes Effect As Global Supply Crisis Deepens. Hub Moolman: Silver and the Dow: What is Happening? From the market analyst who …


The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods

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 the emphasis is on China’s latest military technology developments. China’s New Hypersonic Glide Missile At The Telegraph: China’s new hypersonic missile puts US on notice. Here is a …


SurvivalBlog Readers’ & Editors’ Snippets

Our weekly Snippets column is a collection of short items: responses to posted articles, practical self-sufficiency items, how-tos, lessons learned, tips and tricks, and news items — both from readers and from SurvivalBlog’s editors. Note that we may select some long e-mails for posting as separate letters. — Reader Dale R. mentioned this news: Army Armaments Center Unveils New Ammo Packaging System.  From the Army news release: “Blending lightweight polymers with a rugged steel shell, the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command Armaments Center’s new SixPAC system marks a groundbreaking leap in small-caliber ammunition packaging, one intended to reshape how soldiers …


SurvivalBlog’s American Redoubt Media of the Week

This weekly column features media from around the American Redoubt region. (Idaho, Montana, eastern Oregon, eastern Washington, and Wyoming.) Much of the region is also more commonly known as The Inland Northwest. REDOUBT NEWS LINKS Help Wanted: Idaho Ranch Jobs. ‘All the nation hates me’; Man accused of starting Old Trails fire in Spokane competent to stand trial. Another Ambition Strikes video: Our Abandoned Mansion Is a Complete Disaster.  (This one includes a brief crossover with Andy from Expedition Rove.) Spokane Public Schools launches 149 new buses with seatbelts. Buford, Wyoming, Population Reduced To None. Idaho angler catches record 44-inch …


Editors’ Prepping Progress

To be prepared for a crisis, every Prepper must establish goals and make both long-term and short-term plans. In this column, the SurvivalBlog editors review their week’s prep activities and planned prep activities for the coming week. These range from healthcare and gear purchases to gardening, ranch improvements, bug-out bag fine-tuning, and food storage. This is something akin to our Retreat Owner Profiles, but written incrementally and in detail, throughout the year.  We always welcome you to share your own successes and wisdom in your e-mailed letters. We post many of those — or excerpts thereof — in the Odds …


JWR’s Meme Of The Week:

JWR’s latest meme, based on a suggestion by SurvivalBlog staff member Thomas Christianson: Meme Text: A lesson in past tense versus present tense: The Biden-era “Woke” agenda was Crazy Alexandria Ocasio Cortez is Crazy Notes From JWR: Do you have a meme idea? Just e-mail me the concept, and I’ll try to assemble it. And if it is posted then I’ll give you credit. Thanks! Permission to repost memes that I’ve created is granted, provided that credit to SurvivalBlog.com is included.


Editors’ Quote

“Many Americans who say that we should learn from other people, especially Europeans, mean that we should imitate what they did. That may make those who talk this way feel superior to other Americans. But let us never forget that the most disastrous ideologies of the 20th century — Communism, Fascism and Nazism — all originated in Europe. So did both World Wars. More recently, Europe has been belatedly discovering how unbelievably stupid it was to import millions of people from cultures that despise Western values, and which often promote hatred toward Western people.” – Thomas Sowell