Practical Doomsday

Practical Doomsday

Whether you're wrestling bears in the wilderness, struggling to stay safe online, or shopping for the right home insurance policy, Practical Doomsday has you covered. Go on an engrossing, mind-bending, and data-packed journey through the world of sensible emergency preparedness.

The book emphasizes flexible risk management and financial resiliency over survivalist fantasies or conspiratorial thought. The goal is simple: to reclaim the concept of prepping from the bunker-dwelling prophets of doom.

No matter if it's a recession or an earthquake, a well-reasoned backup plan will help you sleep well at night when everyone else is worried sick.

You can also order directly from No Starch Press. They take Paypal and offer complimentary ebook versions (PDF, ePub, Mobi) with every paperback.


🙘   Abbreviated table of contents   🙚

Preface

PART I: Thinking about risk
Learning from the past, reasoning about the future, and making sense of predictions in an ever-changing world.

1. A method to the madness
Telling fact from fiction, developing a taxonomy of everyday risks, and weighing the trade-offs of various mitigation strategies.
2. The specter of humdrum calamities
Mapping out common small-scale hardships, from unemployment to kitchen fires and car accidents.
3. Exploring large-scale risks
Developing practical, level-headed strategies for mass-scale disasters, from recessions to severe weather episodes.
4. Oh no, zombies! (click to read)
A tongue-in-cheek review of many of the pop-cultural doomsday cliches - space zombies to rogue AI.

PART II: The prepared lifestyle
Practical life skills for staying on top of everyday risks.

5. Mind over matter
The merits of risk minimization and behavioral adaptations as the foundation of a preparedness strategy.
6. Building a rainy-day fund
Practical methods for sizing, building, and maintaining a fund to soften the blow of economic downturns or unexpected bills.
7. Safeguarding your savings
An in-depth dive into diversification and asset allocation, from gold chains to commodity derivatives.
8. Engineering a doomsday-proof career
Strategies for protecting oneself from the inevitable shifts in the job market.
9. Staying alive
A systematic, data-driven examination of hazards in and around the home, done without sapping all joy out of life.
10. Protecting oneself in the digital and physical realm
Tips for maintaining privacy and avoiding intentional harm, both online and in real life.
11. Getting in shape
Managing long-term health risks by maintaining a sensible BMI while staying clear of miracle diets.
12. Building a community
Practical advice for finding like-minded individuals and creating resilient communities without succumbing to doom-and-gloom.
13. Hatching a plan
A set of methods for evaluating warning signs and developing holistic disaster response plans.

PART III: The essentials
Exploring survival supplies and their uses.

14. The discreet charm of the bulletproof vest
On the pitfalls of listening to the peddlers of doomsday goods.
15. Water
Budgeting, storing, and treating water in the event of an outage that drags on for days.
16. Nourishment
Building a rainy-day pantry for when we can't stop by the grocery store for a while.
17. Sanitation, hygiene, and health
Waste disposal, self-care, and household chores when the water is out and you're stuck at home.
18. Fuel and electricity
Staying warm, getting around, and operating appliances when the grid is down.
19. Household and vehicle tools
Basic tools to get back on the road, clean up storm debris, and make expedient home repairs.
20. Evacuation gear
What to take with you - and where to go - if you absolutely need to hit the road.
21. Protection against pollutants and disease
Dealing with invisible threats - respiratory illness to nuclear fallout and everything in between.
22. Emergency communications
Staying in touch with family members and friends when cell phones don't work.
23. Entertainment and more
Passing time and boosting morale when there's nothing else to do.

PART IV: Active self-defense
Dealing with threats to property, life, and limb.

24. The politics of putting up a fight
An introduction to the complex realities of self-defense.
25. Standing up for your belongings
Developing a realistic and lawful plan of responding to burglaries, muggings, and so forth.
26. Fighting for your life
When there is no other choice: improving the odds of prevailing in a fight.
27. Understanding firearms
Making sense of gun laws, understanding safety rules, and deciding whether to own a firearm.

Epilogue

Supplement & errata (click to view)

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If you're looking for the 2015 guide that is the distant progenitor of the book, click here.