off-the-grid

pictures of what real "off the grid" living looks like...the preppers tv show should interview these guys...they're already living it unlike the people in the few episodes that i have seen

http://laughingsquid.com/off-the-grid-photo-series-of-americans-living-outside-mainstream-society/

http://www.ericvalli.com/index.php?/stories/off-the-grid/

preppers

http://americanpreppersnetwork.com/

looks like it has a lot of information on self-reliance related things like dehydrating food, making tallow, and gardening....even has a three part article on aquaponics

http://americanpreppersnetwork.com/2011/02/aquaponics-101-part-one-process.html

the website also has more typical prepper information like bug-out bags/preparedness kits like this checklist

http://americanpreppersnetwork.com/2010/12/bug-out-guideand-checklist.html

i still don't have any emergency food or water...i'll probably order some millennium food bars and water packets for my bag after i move...i also need to get a good pair of waterproof boots...i'll have to make a small kit to keep in my car

daily commuter

for the apocalypse...it's really a prototype of a humvee replacement

http://carscoop.blogspot.com/2011/10/new-fed-alpha-is-troop-carrier-with-eco.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Carscoop+%28CARSCOOP%29

cup holders replaced with gun holders...my kind of luxury in a car

paramount marauder

carscoop has an article about one of the episodes from the next season of top gear...another candidate for the car for the apocalypse (zombie or rapture...take your pick)

http://carscoop.blogspot.com/2011/06/monstrous-paramount-marauder-armored.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Carscoop+%28CARSCOOP%29

check out the video on the company's website

http://www.paramountgroup.biz/en/top-gear

end of days?

http://www.thestar.com/news/world/article/992600--nyc-man-spends-life-savings-on-doomsday-ad-campaign?bn=1

this man spent his life savings putting up ads to warn people about may 21...the rapture...judgement day...whatever you want to call it, the world is supposed to end on may 21...i thought it was supposed to be may 2012?...the mayans and i think even nostradamus predicted 2012, so they have the numbers advantage...i'll just make sure to get some water and food rations to add to my survival kit...also, i will be at church on saturday, so i might be spared...that would make two masses attended this year...god will have to give me points for that...if not, purgatory here i come...i doubt i'll go to hell...just a matter of figuring out which level of purgatory (according to dante and his divine comedy)

zombie apocalypse

http://graphjam.memebase.com/

i've gotten a bit of zombie fever after watching The Walking Dead and reading The Zombie Survival Guide: Complete Protection from the Living Dead and World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War...a very well done tv show...the two books are quick and fun reads...i'll probably do reviews of them later

zombies have been gaining popularity over the years with more zombie related tv shows, movies, books, and games to show for it...part of the appeal and scariness of zombies is that unlike other traditional horror monsters like vampires, zombies can't co-exist with humans...vampires in today's mythology have feelings, desires, can be reasoned with, and even have souls...they try to blend in with society, causing vampires to cease even being scary anymore...on the other hand, zombies just want to eat your flesh...they're relentless and feel nothing...they're more like a force of nature

i think the reason why the zombie apocalypse is interesting to many is that it forces us to think about what we would do in what survivalists like to call "end of the world as we know it" or "shit hit the fan scenario"...what would you do if all the rules of society broke down and the only thing you had to be concerned about was survival?...would you cling to your morals and try to live as you did or to hell with everybody else and make sure you survive...maybe something in between...would you even have the skills to keep yourself alive?...we've become so dependent on technology that most of us probably can't survive for more than a few days out in the wild...many people don't even have any real skills as most are trained for "office" jobs (can make an awesome powerpoint presentation but can't start a fire)...obviously, a zombie apocalypse won't happen, but what if there was a war, massive pandemic, or huge natural disaster where you had to fend for yourself and social infrastructure and laws provided little help...post apocalyptic shows like the walking dead and even battlestar galactica (at least the first two seasons) are able to explore these extreme situations, which make for good drama when done right...other examples are The Stand and The Road... simply put, zombies are good, scary fun and can be a good vehicle to tell a story...however, i would agree that they are getting a little too much exposure, considering they're starting to add them to classic chick-lit like this one - Pride and Prejudice and Zombies

as for what i would do in a zombie apocalypse?...if the zombies were the fast running kind like in Zombieland and 28 Days Later (some would argue that they're not really zombies), then i wouldn't even bother to try to survive...that's just too scary, and i'm too lazy and fat to outrun them...if they're the slow walking kind, then i think i would have a chance...i would have to brush up on my survival skills by re-watching MacGyver and A-Team episodes...pack up some duct tape, champ swiss army knife, my guns (macgyver didn't like guns but the a-team did), and my  annihilator, and i'll be all set to survive the zombie apocalypse