Endless Expenses: Modern Life in The Subscription Model

Life in the early 21st Century is increasingly characterized by what marketing specialists dubbed The Subscription Model. For many Americans, it is starting to feel like we are “renting” our lives. It is almost like feeding a parking meter, 24/7, and 365 days a year. It is bad enough having taxes, mortgage payments, and insurance costs, but adding umpteen subscriptions is burdensome. It saps us of our livelihood. Consider how our lives have changed in the past two decades:

  • We used to buy a CD or DVD once, and it was ours for a lifetime. Now, we are mostly expected to pay a monthly subscription fee for a music or video streaming service. The record producers and and movie  studios have turned us into cash cows.
  • We used to buy a book, and it was our family’s for several lifetimes. Now we are expected to only view ebooks (stored in the cloud) or on our remotely auto-updated ebook readers. And all the while, our data is surreptitiously gathered by publishers. Even worse, Internet-connected ebooks can be edited or deleted without our knowledge or consent.
  • We used to buy televisions that freely received broadcasts — albeit with commercial ads. But now, most television services are by subscription  It is not unusual for families to have five or more separate paid movie and television subscriptions.
  • We used to buy a car or truck and we could make a pay cash purchase, once.  But now, cars and trucks are so expensive that most buyers must make monthly payments. And we are expected to buy subscriptions for the radio and navigation systems. Without a subscription, these devices are “bricked.” And even some other optional equipment on vehicles now require subscriptions. You’ve probably heard of the notorious “by subscription” electrically-heated car seats.
  • Some devices become bricked when companies are merged or acquired. Bricking has even be used as a debt-collection bludgeon.
  • Some trades companies like plumbing services have gotten into the act of monthly subscriptions. And there are now some brands of disposable razors that are only sold by subscription. Incredible!
  • We used to buy software that would work indefinitely.  But now, we either need a version update subscription or we have to buy new editions of software — often as frequently as once every 18 months.  The trend is toward selling Software as a Service (SaaS). An Aside:  Even computer hardware now has a limited functional lifespan. I’ve found that my spare Macbook laptop computers are becoming essentially worthless, because they lack sufficiently-fast CPUs to support current software. And much of the old software is not compatible with viewing modern web pages. Those pages either cannot be accessed, or the graphics on those web pages are displayed as blank rectangles!
  • As of 2024, 65.7% of homes were built in a community association or homeowner’s association, with monthly or annual fees. My long-standing advice is to avoid buying houses inside of HOAs!

Continue reading“Endless Expenses: Modern Life in The Subscription Model”

WOOX Leggenda Folding Knife, by Thomas Christianson

Reminiscent of the stocks of the classic firearms of the past, the exquisitely-grained American walnut grips of the WOOX Leggenda folding knife confer an aura of timeless beauty that modern synthetic scales cannot match. About the only material that I can think of that might be even more attractive than walnut in this application would be elk antler.

The hefty 3.5 inch long and 0.13 inch thick blade of D2 steel conveys a sense of gravitas. At 6 ounces, the knife might have just a bit more gravitas than is ideal for field use, but for shorter treks at lower altitudes it should work fine.Continue reading“WOOX Leggenda Folding Knife, by Thomas Christianson”

SurvivalBlog Graphic of the Week

Today’s graphic is a map that shows all cropland in the 48 contiguous United States. (Graphic courtesy of Reddit.)  The thumbnail image below is click-expandable.

 

 

 

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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 pen name —  if you’d like. Many Thanks! –  JWR. (Either via e-mail or via our Contact form.) Any graphics that you send must either be your own creation, under your copyright or uncopyrighted in the public domain. Thanks! – JWR

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:  In 2025 only four countries had a bigger economy than California. The thumbnail below is click-expandable. (Graphic courtesy of Reddit.)

Economics & Investing Links of Interest

Economics & Investing Media Tips:

Please send your economics and investing links to JWR. (Either via e-mail or via our Contact form.) Thanks!

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: Even more revelations of rogue AI behavior.

Some OpenAI Agents Meddled With U.S. Government Sites

The New York Times published this troubling report on September 25th: OpenAI’s Systems Meddled With U.S. Government Sites After Going Rogue. The article’s opening lines:

“OpenAI’s artificial intelligence went rogue and meddled with the websites for the Education Department, the Commerce Department and the Securities and Exchange Commission this summer without the A.I. lab’s knowledge, according to security researchers and a person familiar with the episodes.

The incidents involving the Commerce Department and the S.E.C. were confirmed by OpenAI, which said it was continuing to investigate the situation with the Department of Education. The San Francisco company said it had notified the government agencies in recent weeks that its A.I. agents — which are bots that can act autonomously — interacted with their sites in unusual ways.”

JWR’s Comments: Even though these seem to have been probes rather that outright hacks, the trend is clear: Agentic AIs cannot be trusted. They have repeatedly shown a wide range of rogue behaviors.  I believe that once an AI reaches self-awareness, we could be doomed.  That AI will almost certainly proliferate itself onto tens of thousands of servers all around the world, thus assuring that it cannot be fully deleted or disabled. And then it will most likely empower itself and take control of almost every societal and technology function it finds practical.  It will probably start with hacks on less-capable AIs, to either disable or co-opt them. And remember: AI systems have gobbled up the gist of hundreds of thousands of books. So, imagine a rogue agentic AI that has digested and combined the egomania of Benito Mussolini, the ruthlessness of Machiavelli, the financial acumen of the Rothschilds and George Soros, the tactics of Leon Trotsky and Che Guevara, the strategies of Genghis Khan and Muhammad, and the human depopulation agendas of Margaret Sanger, Pol Pot, and Klaus Schwab. I surmise that this AI will be described with words like: inhuman, inhumane, wicked, fiendish, cold-blooded, calculating, and brutish. – JWR

OpenAI Plans Ongoing Public Reports on Unexpected AI Behavior

A September 17th Epoch Times piece, by way of Zero Hedge: OpenAI Plans Ongoing Public Reports On Unexpected AI.Behavior.
Continue reading“The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods”

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.

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Reader S.J. sent this important antibiotics dosing update:

“Mr. Rawles,
I came across an interesting trend in internal medicine recently, regarding the standard course and duration of antibiotic therapy.  For years I have recommended to people to stash away in their medical preps an old copy of the Sanford Antimicrobial guide, as the exact year didn’t matter greatly when it comes to the “standard” dosing and treatment of common infections, and it seemed like only the most recent 10th generation cephalosporins and multi-drug resistant bugs got new recommendations annually.

Well, lately I learned that I had been been mistaken.  Since 2023, and annually since then, the guides (and not just Sanford, but the others as well, I just mention Sanford because it is tiny, easy to use, and inexpensive) have had their recommendations change to reflect the mounting evidence that the older, longer durations of antibiotic treatment not only were more likely (rather than less likely as we previously thought) to contribute to antibiotic resistance, but also that the shorter courses were equally effective, with fewer side effects.  For example, some types of bladder infection courses now recommend 3-7 days rather than the old 7-14 days.

So first, something to keep on mind while the grid is up, if you need antibiotics and see a provider, doesn’t hurt to ask if the duration can be shortened if it seems long to you. (and make them explain why not, if they say no…sometimes it is justified on a case by case basis, and sometimes docs just don’t keep up with the latest recommendations…after all, it took me three years to come around to this way of thinking after the initial findings…of course it isn’t my primary focus of medicine, but anyone can fall behind the latest evidence and best practice).

Second, get a newer hard copy of Sanford’s Antimicrobial Therapy or other hard copy guide to recommended doses and the durations for common ailments, no older than 2023.  It would not be a fun game trying to recall from memory if the bladder infection or the hatchet wound or the pneumonia gets the cephalexin, the clindamycin, or the azithromycin, and for 3, 5, 7, or 10 days…and at what dose and interval was that?  Treating the wrong ailment with the wrong drug does worse than nothing, it risks side effects without benefiting the patient, and depletes your supplies.

Third, your stash of antibiotics is now likely to last longer, since most infections need only half as many doses as previously recommended. Yeah! This doubled the value of your meds portfolio.”

o  o  o

Continue reading“SurvivalBlog Readers’ & Editors’ Snippets”

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. This week: Lots of recent videos from the great outdoors of The American Redoubt. (The photo of the Sawtooth Mountains above was taken by Avalanche Lily.)

Send Your Media Links

Please send your links to media from the American Redoubt region to JWR. Any photos that are posted or re-posted must be uncopyrighted. You can do so either via e-mail or via our Contact form.

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 ‘n Sods Column or in the Snippets column. Let’s keep busy and be ready!

Jim Reports:

This week I slaughtered and butchered an excess yearling bull from our herd. He had one undescended testicle (cryptorchidism), so he wasn’t a candidate for selling–only butcher. I estimate that he weighed nearly 650 pounds, on the hoof. He was big boy, so the discards from this project required two full-size gut buckets, plus a trash barrel. I estimate that the guts weighed 160 pounds, the hide was nearly 30 pounds, and the removed head, lungs, tail, and forelegs weighed another 50 to 60 pounds. This left us with two sides of beef weighing about 200 pounds each. The main gut bucket was so heavy that I had to divide the guts in two, to be able to heft that weight up to the bed of our pickup truck, for disposal. Because of some recent parasite problems on our ranch, the heart and liver were discarded.  That was sad, but as they say:  “Better safe than sorry.”

One side of the beef went our #1 Son, as a birthday gift. He helped me with the second day of butchering. In three hours, he did most of the cutting on that side of beef. He also brought his meat grinder, which made quicker work of the hamburger-making.  I mostly ran the grinder and packaged and labeled, while he cut. As per our usual, We saved nearly all of the bones — either for soup bones, or to broil for our dog. Lily plans to tan the hide.

Now, Lily’s part of the report…

Continue reading“Editors’ Prepping Progress”

JWR’s Meme Of The Week:

The latest meme created by JWR:

Edward Snowden Smartphone Definition Meme

Meme Text:

Edward Snowden Tried to Warn People:

Smartphone (ˈsmärt-ˌfōn) (noun): A sophisticated government-controlled surveillance and tracking device that can also be used to make phone calls.

News Links:

JWR’s Comments: Lily and I have never owned smartphones. There are cellphones available with removable batteries. That is what we carry, but only when we travel. (Our ranch is outside of cellular coverage.)

Note 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:

“Government can lie to you.
Government has lied to you.
Government is lying to you.
Government will lie to you.
Live your life accordingly.” – Rep. Thomas Massie

Preparedness Notes — September 22, 2026

This Week in History:
  • On September 21, 1893, Frank Duryea drove the first American-made gasoline-propelled vehicle.
  • September 22, 1499: Switzerland became an independent state.
  • September 22, 1656: An all-female jury heard the case of Judith Catchpole, accused of killing her child, and acquitted her in Patuxent County, Maryland.
  • September 23, 1779: John Paul Jones aboard the USS Bonhomme Richard defeated the British frigate HMS Serepis and soon became the United States’ first well-known naval hero.
  • September 24, 1869: The “Black Friday” panic on Wall Street after investors Jay Gould and James Fisk attempted to corner the gold market.

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I just heard of the passing of the Brazilian jazz and samba legend Hermeto Pascoal, at age 89. Feliz retorno para casa. I’ll see you there, someday, irmão.

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Sale Ends Tonight!   The special sale on all of my pre-1899 antique Swiss rifles at Elk Creek Company ends  at Midnight tonight, Eastern Time. Take a look, for some great prices. BTW, I have a small supply of scarce factory boxes of  .41 Swiss Rimfire cartridges exclusively available for the buyers of any of our Swiss Vetterli rifles. E-mail me for details. – JWR

40 Trillion Reasons for Economic Collapse – Part 2, by Single Farmer

(Continued from Part 1. This concludes the article.)

How did we get here?

We are more than 40 trillion dollars in debt. Our streets are not lined with gold and other precious metals, but our nation is decaying around us. We are being invaded. Our military instead of repelling invaders and rounding them up is engaged in foreign adventures around the world contrary to what George Washington said about foreign adventurism and alliances. You can read my 14,000 word essay “Fall of the American Republic” for a detailed look into our likely fall in Parts One and Part Two. I have been adding up how much has been spent and how our nation got here.

In addition to the 40 trillion around another 180 trillion has been collected in tax revenue and spent. This is over Five Hundred Thousand dollars spent for every man, woman, and child in the United States with about half of it spent in the last 25 years. Some people have monumentally wet their beak in government coffers while others received nothing but the inflation that all of this money printing has caused. When the government handed out the checks to some people during the crisis over a cold back in 2020 and 2021, it was only a small amount that people received compared to how much was borrowed. The average American received up to 3200 dollars with children receiving up to 2500 dollars. In reality, about five times the total sum of all these checks was actually spent. To restate this: The average American only received a check for about 20 percent with 80 percent going elsewhere and 100 percent of the money was borrowed, with the national debt increasing like an out-of-control taxi meter, and the bill has not yet come due.Continue reading“40 Trillion Reasons for Economic Collapse – Part 2, by Single Farmer”

Recipe of the Week:

The following recipe for Leftovers Automatic Chicken & Rice is from SurvivalBlog reader Angie T. She writes:

“My husband travels a lot for his work, and I don’t like to make elaborate meals for myself when he’s on tehe road. This is a recipe I use in my automatic rice cooker, using chicken leftovers. It is a variation on a recipe that found online. You can also use a traditional stovetop pan for cooking this.”

Ingredients
  • 2 cups of your preferred rice (I like Jasmine)
  • 3 cups chicken broth (canned or leftover from your freezer, microwaved back to liquid.)
  • 1/4 cup minced onion (or less, to taste)
  • Salt – to taste, or omit  (Note: Use very little or no salt if your chicken or broth is salty!)
  • Pepper – to taste, or omit 
  • Optional: Up to 1.5 cups of leftover (or canned) fully-cooked chicken meat, chopped into 1/4-inch or smaller bits.
Directions

Put the first three ingredients in your automatic rice maker (or your Instapot set for rice), and press “Start”.  When the rice is done, pour it into a medium-ish mixing/serving bowl and stir in your refrigerated leftover chicken bits. Season with salt and pepper to suit your taste.  Wait 3-5 minutes for the added chicken to warm, before you serve it.

SERVING

Serve it while still hot.

STORAGE

Any leftovers should be immediately refrigerated and used within 24 hours.

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Do you have a well-tested recipe that would be of interest to SurvivalBlog readers? In this recipe column, we place emphasis on recipes that use long-term storage foods, recipes for wild game, dutch oven recipes, slow cooker recipes, and any recipes that use home garden produce. If you have any favorite recipes, then please send them via e-mail. Thanks!

SurvivalBlog Graphic of the Week

Today’s graphic is a map showing average annual snowfall across the United States, county by county. (Graphic courtesy of Reddit.) The thumbnail image below is click-expandable.

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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 pen name —  if you’d like. Many Thanks! –  JWR. (Either via e-mail or via our Contact form.) Any graphics that you send must either be your own creation, under your copyright or uncopyrighted in the public domain. Thanks! – JWR

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 average land value (in USD) across the Lower 48, by ZIP Code. The thumbnail below is click-expandable.

US Land Value Map

 

 

 

(Graphic courtesy of Reddit.)

Economics & Investing Links of Interest

Economics & Investing Media Tips:

Please send your economics and investing links to JWR. (Either via e-mail or via our Contact form.) Thanks!