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, America’s three fragile power grids. Warning That a Nationwide Blackout Could Last 18 Months Reported in the UK Daily Mail: Warning that mammoth nationwide blackout could last 18 …


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. — From our friend Anthony (“Armed Scholar”): Huge Decision Finds ATF Frames/Receivers Rule Unconstitutional & Permanently Blocks Restrictions! — Over at Bearing Arms: New Jersey’s War on 3D Printed Guns Heads to SCOTUS. (A hat tip to D.S.V. for the link.) — A reminder on two upcoming gun shows:  I will have four tables …


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 Deputy’s Body Cam: Military pilot bails before jet crash in Yakima County. JWR’s Comments: I should mention that the last F/A-18 produced recently left El Segundo, in June of this year. So the Navy’s F/A-18 inventory now has a finite, declining number. Note to you Hornet pilots:  Be careful out there. This YouTube series will definitely be one to watch: We Bought an Abandoned Log …


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: 

The latest meme created by JWR: Meme Text: “Sure, Mister, you can live out a perverted fantasy, and say that you ‘Identify’ as a nine year old girl named Susie… …But don’t try to force me to play along and call you that.” 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.



Preparedness Notes — August 18, 2026

This Week in History: On August 18, 1877, the Martian Moon Phobos was discovered. One of the two natural satellites of Mars, Phobos, was discovered by American astronomer Asaph Hall. Hall also discovered Deimos, the other Martian Moon. Named after the Greek God of fear, Phobos orbits only 3,700 miles from the surface of Mars. This makes it the Moon to orbit closest to its planet in the Solar System. Because of this odd orbit, Phobos completes each orbit around Mars in just 7 hours and 39 minutes. — August 19, 1895: American frontier murderer and outlaw John Wesley Hardin …


AI: The Machinist Will Become The Workpiece

When I have conversations with friends and neighbors about Artificial Intelligence (AI), some of them  conclude that I’m an alarmist. I believe that this is because their experience has been limited to simplistic generative AI tools that crank out artwork in seconds, or that can create convincing term papers when given just a simple outline phrase. What they haven’t seen are agentic AIs that scheme, manipulate, and cheat to reach their programmed goals, and often go beyond those programmed goals. If a stated goal is open-ended, then these AIs often improvise in unexpected ways. Recently, for example, a test AI …


SurvivalBlog Graphic of the Week

Today’s graphic is a map that depicts the most valuable resource in each state. (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 course credit you by name — or …


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. Today, a map showing the median household income of each US states relative to the overall US median household income (percentage points above or below.) The thumbnail below is click-expandable. (Graphic courtesy of Reddit.) Economics & Investing Links of Interest Reader Andrew M. spotted this piece in the UK Telegraph by financial analyst Ambrose Evans-Pritchard: The ingredients are coming together for a US financial crisis. Andrew’s comment:  “Bessent’s recent moves all scream desperation.” The Hill published this …


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, predictions of demographic doom. The West’s Demographic Math No Longer Adds Up The left-of-center Politico reports: The West’s Demographic Math No Longer Adds Up. Here is a pericope: …


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. — In The Los Angeles Times: How Colorado became the unlikely epicenter of American yak ranching. JWR’s Comments:  In the 1990s, we raised ultra-wooly black Tibetan yaks at our ranch near Orofino, Idaho. In 1997, we brought them with us on our temporary move back to California, and the next year we sold …


SurvivalBlog’s American Redoubt Media of the Week

REDOUBT NEWS LINKS 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. A couple of fun flying videos: Lower Loon Idaho C58 – Backcountry Airstrip landing / takeoff – Badlands Traveler Bushplane. And from the same pilot: Departing Johnson Creek and clearing the Ridge – Badlands Traveler bushplane 3U2. Spokane fire aftermath: Drone footage shows neighborhood in complete ruins after wildfire. JWR’s Comment:  If a jury finds him guilty, I hope that the arsonist serves a very …


JWR’s Meme Of The Week:

The latest meme created by JWR: Meme Text: i never use upper-case letters when i write about a.o.c. because she says that she hates capitalism 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.