Best products from r/collapse

We found 56 comments on r/collapse discussing the most recommended products. We ran sentiment analysis on each of these comments to determine how redditors feel about different products. We found 621 products and ranked them based on the amount of positive reactions they received. Here are the top 20.

Top comments mentioning products on r/collapse:

u/kukulaj · 3 pointsr/collapse

http://www.amazon.com/Knowledge-Value-Revolution-History-Future/dp/0870119427/ is a fascinating look at how the value of things changes, i.e. how the value of things is not inherent in the thing but mostly about how we view it.

I read this around 1991 so my memory is surely hazy but it is still a formative influence for me.

Sakaiya proposes a three step history, basically past present future. He is looking at status symbols. I don't think he refers to evolutionary psychology but it fits here. People's basic nature doesn't really change at the scale of centuries or even millennia. We chase social status. But what does change is what determines social status. That depends on culture and culture varies widely through time and around the planet.

Sakaiya's proposal is that what marks status is profligate consumption of some commodity that is freely available, that is cheap. On the other hand, it is disgraceful to waste precious resources.

In the past, labor was cheap. People marked status by how many servants they kept. Nowadays in places like Japan or the USA, labor is expensive, and it is a bit embarrassing to have servants. Wealthy people even make excuses if they have somebody come to clean the house for a couple hours every week or two.

Nowadays what is cheap is raw mechanical energy. So we mark status by flying around the planet, having big cars and motorized yachts and RVs, with cold living quarters in the summer and warm living quarters in the winter, etc.

In the future that Sakaiya envisioned when he wrote the book in 1985 or so, energy would be getting expensive, so driving a big car would become disgraceful. What he saw would be cheap, and therefore a status symbol, was information technology. People would have computing devices far more powerful than they really needed, to show how hip they were. Amazing to see how Sakaiya really hit a bulls-eye with his forecast!

It is a really fascinating puzzle, how our culture evolves and interacts with the underlying physical realities. Our culture interprets those realities, gives them meaning and value. That interpretation then moves us to act, which then impacts the physical reality. Oftentimes folks would like to make one of these primary and the other secondary. I think that looking at them more like the chicken and the egg, that each gives rise to the other, or at least each is a powerful formative influence on the other, such a balanced perspective will be more useful in understanding and shaping our responses to what is happening.

u/Whereigohereiam · 6 pointsr/collapse

This book was my main introduction to permaculture. I'm still learning, and slowly bringing our suburban yard back to life after years of soil erosion and neglect by a previous owner.

Another good suburban food growing system is the Square Foot Gardening (SFG) (also as Square Meter Gardening) by Mel Bartholomew. I put in three small beds this year and so far the plants are doing very well.

Here's a tour of Richard Heinberg's suburban permaculture home in California.

Videos from Huw's Nursery have been really helpful

I didn't know just how many edible plants there were honestly. Industrialized agriculture could get hammered, but a vibrant home garden with permaculture principles and diverse crops could be scaled up relatively quickly. I've started some survival crops as well (e.g., hopniss, sunchoke, tigernuts) that thrive without much human intervention. If you start growing things like comfrey (non-invasive "bocking 14" cultivar!) or some other plants in Toby Hemenway's book, you could probably sell cuttings and seedlings on the side. I've heard of several people getting started that way.

It's not too late in the season to start some containers with tomatoes if you aren't growing anything yet. You don't even have to tell people that it's a prep for collapse :) People just love good food. My wife has begrudgingly put up with my new hobby, and she knows I do it because I'm very worried about collapse events. My cousin put in some SFG beds after I explained that I was worried about instabilities in our just-in-time industrial food system. Gardening is already a popular hobby, so your family will probably be supportive. And they get some delicious healthy food out of it.

Personally, the time I spend gardening is like my collapse zen time. It's healthy on multiple levels. With that said, my wife and others would claim I've gone overboard with it, but hopefully it's viewed as a kooky hobby and not a pessimistic doom funk like I was in before I started gardening. If you have any questions I'll do my best to field them (I'm a beginner myself).

One last recommendation, this collapse-aware career book by Charles Hugh Smith is really good

Don't count yourself out. You have a lot to offer the world.

u/GadsdenPatriot1776 · 2 pointsr/collapse

Personally, I think the American Empire is declining. Sir John Glubb had a wonderful write up of this, and I have copied his conclusion below. The full PDF can be found here and it is only 27 pages long.

Glubb looked at eleven empires over the course of history. I copied a relevant summary from the end. The pdf is online here.

> As numerous points of interest have arisen in the course of this essay, I close with a brief summary, to refresh the reader’s mind.

> (a) We do not learn from history because our studies are brief and prejudiced.

> (b) In a surprising manner, 250 years emerges as the average length of national greatness.

> (c) This average has not varied for 3,000 years. Does it represent ten generations?

> (d) The stages of the rise and fall of great
nations seem to be:

> The Age of Pioneers (outburst)

> The Age of Conquests

> The Age of Commerce

> The Age of Affluence

> The Age of Intellect

> The Age of Decadence.

> (e) Decadence is marked by:

> Defensiveness

> Pessimism

> Materialism

> Frivolity

> An influx of foreigners

> The Welfare State

> A weakening of religion.

> (f) Decadence is due to:

> Too long a period of wealth and power

> Selfishness

> Love of money

> The loss of a sense of duty.

> (g) The life histories of great states are amazingly similar, and are due to internal factors.

> (h) Their falls are diverse, because they are largely the result of external causes.

> (i) History should be taught as the history of the human race, though of course with emphasis on the history of the student’s own country.

The real question is how technology will either speed up, slow down. or prevent the same thing from happening to America.

I also recommend the following books:

The Collapse of Complex Societies, By Joseph Tainter

Collapse: How Societies Choose to Succeed or Fail, By Jared Diamond

Overshoot: The Ecological Basis for Revolutionary Change

Finally, when it comes to survival information, I highly recommend www.survivalblog.com. To me, they are the best of the best.

I also would like to plug Radio Free Redoubt (podcast) as well as AmRRON (American Redoubt Radio Operator's Network).

u/BrandoTheNinjaMaster · 3 pointsr/collapse

> Im learning agriculture and foragry

I'm going to assume you meant foraging and not forgery, because I can help you with one, but not so much the other.

Here's a post that I made a while back involving foraging that you might want to look into:

> Foraging is something that I've been doing now for a few years, it can have a somewhat steep learning curve to start out. I figure though if I can do it, so can anyone here. You'd be surprised at what's growing all around at any given time (well, except Winter).

> Getting into this is thankfully not expensive at all, especially when compared to other hobbies which tend to have a high cost of entry. What you'll need is a good book to start out with. I was lucky enough to have a friend help show me the ropes and he gave me his old book that he started out with. With that said though, you may not want to use this one in particular, while this features a lot of areas, it's pretty specific to East Coast USA (with the exception of Florida). You should choose a book that covers the local flora of your area. Yes you could find all of the information contained online, but when you're out trying to find this stuff in the wild sun glare, sweat, and other general yuckiness will make your searches and subsequent identifications difficult if not impossible.

> Also, whichever book you choose will help you learn some of the basics like leaf formations and what their characteristics are. I'll list a few here, but this is by no means a complete list:

> Basal Rosette: This formation is low to the ground with leaves and/or stalks that radiate outward. Here is a picture of a dandelion which has a basal rosette shape.

>
Feather Compound Leaf- Which are leaves on each side (even with one another) and also having a terminating leaf. Staghorn Sumac has a Feather Compound leaf shape: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f0/Rhty_002_lhp.jpg/800px-Rhty_002_lhp.jpg

> Palmate Compound Leaf- Leaf that has a set of leaflets radiating out from a center (similar to a basal rosette, but not on the ground) usually on a stem or vine. The toxic plant Virginia Creeper has this shape.

>
Alternate Leaves: These are leaves that alternate from side to side and are not even like compound leaves. Spicebush has an alternate leaf shape.

> Another thing you want to look at which can help you identify a plant is to see if the leaf is toothed or not. For example, raspberry and blackberry leaves are toothed as seen in this picture of blackberry.

> Let's do a mach identification (to the best of my ability anyway). Let's say that you're walking along the edge of a forest and you happen upon this plant. Let's take a close look at its characteristics:

> The first thing you'll notice is the long oval shaped leaves. A closer inspection of the leaf and you'll notice that it has rounded teeth. Here take a closer look: http://i.imgur.com/Ep1eufX.jpg.

>
Next you have the distinctive trumpet shaped flowers.

> Lastly, these's little nodules on the stem.

> This is where you pull out your handy-dandy guide and start skimming. As you go across picture after picture of plants you see one that has similar flowers and start to read. Matching each characteristic of the plant you discover (trumpets): Jewelweed which has a plethora of medicinal uses and is edible.

> Considerations and Warnings:

>
You have to be 100% sure of your identification otherwise you could mistakenly consume a poisonous plant that will kill you. The worst part that is that it may not even be instant. Some Amanita mushrooms take 3 weeks to shutdown your liver. This is going to scare a few of you away, but don't let it. As long as you have your guide and the plant has met all the identifying characteristics you should be fine. But, if you're still unsure snap a picture or collect a bit and cross-reference it with a few sources.

> Don't worry if you don't get this right away. Like I said it has a somewhat steep learning curve and when I was starting out I almost threw in the towel a couple of times. I'm still seeing new things each and every time I go out. Take your time and start out with some easy stuff to acclimate yourself to being a plant detective.

>
Two heads are better than one. Grab a friend so that they can help you out. They can grab the book while you look closer at the leaves. They may also spot something you missed.

> Know the pest/poisonous plants in your area. It's best to learn to identify and stay the hell away from poison ivy, poison oak, hogweed, virginia creeper as soon as possible.

> Have fun and once you get your foraging feet wet check out /r/foraging for more stuff.

> Here's some of my previous identifications if you're interested:

>
http://imgur.com/a/RW3yG

> http://imgur.com/a/1u5Oe

>
http://imgur.com/a/NyA1v

u/[deleted] · 5 pointsr/collapse

I'm really not sure of that answer. My experience is all with industrial materials, so I can't say for sure what the best alternatives would be now. I'm not sure that w/7-9 billion people that we can simply go back doing what we used to. Something like an American Indian longhouse is not very durable, but it can be easily maintained w/local materials.

Here's a list of the oldest buildings in America. This could be quite helpful:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_the_oldest_buildings_in_the_United_States

I can guess based on what worked before industrial times. We used solid masonry walls and cob and thatch very successfully for a long time. Natural stone works also.

I said it earlier, but I recommend reading this book for ideas:

http://www.amazon.com/The-Art-Natural-Building-Construction/dp/0865714339

Before capitalism/industrial revolution, we weren't building to make money -- we built things that worked the best. I feel like we either built to last, or we built things that could be easily maintained w/local materials.

The problem we have now is that nothing is built to last, and we have no local materials to maintain our buildings.

u/megabreath · 12 pointsr/collapse

If you haven't already, you should definitely read The Long Descent: A User's Guide to the End of the Industrial Age by John Michael Greer.

It doesn't exactly discredit collapse, but it does differ from the "sky will fall tomorrow" crowd, in a very rational way.

I agree with the user comment: "He begins with a clear explanation of our energy predicament, and makes the novel claim that this is not a problem to solve - it is a situation that we must adapt to. The author does an excellent job of disarming two common responses to Peak Oil by bringing their myths to the surface: the myth of progress and the myth of apocalypse. The point is made that allowing one single narrative to rule over your identity is dangerous."

And if you like his book, you should check out his blog too: http://thearchdruidreport.blogspot.com/

u/throwaway4537809507 · 1 pointr/collapse

> I would argue that the most successful cultures that we have currently are powered by a blend of capitalism and socialism,

OK, you're welcome to have such an opinion.

>and they consistently provide high quality of life, education and freedom to their citizens.

You are right that their citizens enjoy many benefits and privileges. But those benefits and privileges are created at the expense of people elsewhere, specifically what's referred to as the "Global South". That's how imperialism works.

It's not equitable for everybody because capitalism requires inequality to function. The very essence of capitalism, profit, is dependent on inequality between the workers (who are dispossessed) and the capitalists (who possess the means of production). With imperialism, you see this balance shifting more from the intranational scale to the international scale -- there are countries where vast swaths of people are exploited for the benefit of other countries.

Look at countries like Liberia, Zimbabwe, Cote d'Ivoire, Thailand, Bangladesh, Honduras, etc. The exploitation is blindingly obvious, especially when you consider the colonial history of these places.

>Bad mouthing capitalism because corporate controlled US capitalism is doing horrible things currently does not make any sense.

It's not just the USA. It's all capitalism, everywhere.

Check out "Divided World Divided Class" by Zak Cope and Sakai's "Settlers".

u/Odie-san · 5 pointsr/collapse

The best book I've read on the subject urban survival is How to Survive the End of the World as We Know It.

For wilderness survival go for The SAS Survival Handbook.

As for growing crops, first aid, things like that, I find its best to learn those skills from a non-survival oriented book. You can apply the skills you learn in them to your personal situation (geographical location, financial restraints, likely local disasters, etc).

That being said, the best books on growing food and livestock are The Encyclopedia of Country Living and The Backyard Homestead.

Finally, while it's technically not a book, The Survival Podcast has a priceless wealth of informational podcasts on different subjects pertaining to modern survivalism.

u/Collapseologist · 3 pointsr/collapse

Your story really resonates with my own growing up in Oklahoma.

I guess a lot of people on here look at their analysis as totally novel and "the thing" that will help save us all, if only everyone else could see it their way. I don't think that is the case, and nothing I say I will "save us," frankly I don't understand who it is that needs saving or why?

Cognitive Bias's are just fun little things that can help you see the world a bit differently, like a pair of glasses that makes things sometimes less blurry. I think they are also useful for your mood, at least for me, It puts me in a better mood when I can filter information a bit better and not get emotional about it.

For Climate Change, I recommend you read at "Hot Earth Dreams" if you happen to be looking for a possible picture of the a climate change ridden world, where not everyone dies, but there is no Utopian happy motoring left either.

https://www.amazon.com/Hot-Earth-Dreams-climate-happens/dp/1517799392

u/jdeverse · 4 pointsr/collapse

Hello, I read some excerpts and I can appreciate the sincere amount of work that went into it. I would like to offer that the concept and reality of Religion may be far more complex than presented in your work and not easily reduced to superstitions beliefs. One of the interesting patterns of history is the ebb and flow of religion along with the higher of aspects of civilization such as literature, the arts and the sciences. If you are looking for research material to more closely investigate the history and concepts of religion, I'd like to share a book: https://www.amazon.com/Phenomenon-Religion-Moojan-Momen/dp/1851681612

It covers the emergence and process of religious movements from both an Eastern and Western perspective and has been praised for the insights and depth of information presented.

u/ofblankverse · 0 pointsr/collapse

Oh ok. There is info on micronutrients in my forest gardening book. Apparently most of the US has the right kind of geological history, meaning there is very little risk of those micronutrients being depleted (since plants need so little of them and the subsoil is still pretty young). Certain areas (like in the SE where I am) need more careful balancing of the ecosystem in order to not deplete them too quickly, and are more sensitive to ecological disturbances like clear cutting.

A proper ecosystem cycles these nutrients via dynamic accumulators. This family might have planted comfrey, for example. The comfrey uses it's deep-reaching roots to take in the micronutrients from the subsoil. It stores it in it's tissues which you can then harvest and add to your top soil.

This family in California are not exporting 100% of their produce, they are composting, planting dynamic accumulators, and growing on young subsoil. So they shouldn't have any problems with micronutrient depletion for centuries.

u/ryanmercer · 1 pointr/collapse
u/Will_Power · 4 pointsr/collapse

Thank you very much for expounding on that. So much of what you say rings with truth.

>That was probably more than you wanted to know? :)

No, you reply was wonderful, and I appreciate you taking the time to write it.

Now that I understand the terms a bit better, I understand that I broke away from the blank slate model about a decade ago when I read The Bell Curve: Intelligence and Class Structure in American Life. It discussed the evidence that IQ is both largely heritable (and less environmental) and affects life outcome in almost every way. I thought the book was compelling. What surprised me was the outcry from academia. I realized then that they had some sort of egalitarian agenda that they didn't want disturbed.

u/k-dingo · 1 pointr/collapse

By the way, for those interested in reading the original Limits to Growth, the Donella Meadows Institute released it free online this past June:

http://www.donellameadows.org/the-limits-to-growth-now-available-to-read-online/

I'd also strongly recommend reading LTG: The 30 Year Update.

u/splatterhead · 5 pointsr/collapse

Avid reader here.

Wool by Hugh Howey. (all of the series)

A Canticle for Leibowitz by Walter M. Miller, Jr. (all of the series)

One Second After by William R. Forstchen. (all of the series)

So many recommendations.

It depends on your tastes.

Edit: Hugh Howey encouraged and supported FanFiction based off of his Wool series and some of it is also pretty damn good.

u/Independent · 4 pointsr/collapse

The Long Descent was JMG's most lucid and best work. But, it like a lot of similar works from the time were predicated on Peak Oil (peak everything, really, which is the title of another book by Heinburg). How these works are going to be viewed historically is hard to say.

After The Long Descent, JMG focused more on Druidry, Geomancy and outright nuttery. He wrote some online short stories that utterly lacked credibility and undermined most of his earlier works by going full Druid.

I'd still recommend reading The Long Descent, and just ignore most of what came after.

u/Synthwoven · 3 pointsr/collapse

ARM is the best selling microprocessor in the world and has been for a long time. If I had to scavenge one, I could find dozens in my house alone. Simple embedded OS for ARM are easy to find (like in this book: https://www.amazon.com/Performance-Preemptive-Multitasking-Microprocessors-Microcontrollers/dp/0982337531/ref=pd_lpo_sbs_14_t_1?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=J1YW00QQ6BKNPKY9WJJ1 ). I guess it would be easier to fab a Z80, but the giant amount of knowledge required to get to that point seems daunting to the point of impossible to me - I wouldn't begin to know how to recreate the conditions to grow a monocrystalline silicon ingot, the diamond saw blade to cut the crystal, the lithography gels, mask films, etc required to make even a Z80). I would much rather try to find another abandoned smart fridge or phone and pull the circuit board and repurpose it.

u/ryanisdabes · 6 pointsr/collapse

https://www.amazon.com/Americas-Most-Sustainable-Cities-Regions-ebook/dp/B01CFPABQ0

This is a good book that explores that topic. Here's the free version: https://b-ok.cc/book/2741214/03c78e . The book talks a lot about the Heartland, Appalachia, and the Ohio River Valley as good candidates. There are quite a few others, but a lot of its findings surprised me. Most of the west is a no go, which the book goes into I'm sure, however that's typically the 'go-to' spot for collapsers and that's probably not a wise choice.

u/NO_Quit · 8 pointsr/collapse

Remember how the Europeans -and later on Americans- ruined Africa and the third world with colonization and debts? Or how the rich countries exploit the poor ones?


Welcome to the consequences. Welcome to the future.

u/Car-Hating_Engineer · 8 pointsr/collapse

https://www.amazon.com/Limits-Growth-Donella-H-Meadows/dp/193149858X

No growth means...no growth

e; I'm not saying don't save, just don't trust that money to continue to exist as life goes on. Convert to non-depreciating physical assets often.

u/greengordon · 2 pointsr/collapse

This may or may help you relax. ;)

First, collapse is already underway. My parents could afford a house and middle-class lifestyle on one salary. I can't afford a house on two salaries. There has been a real and significant decline in the standard of living in Canada and the US (can't speak for anywhere else). We tend not to consider it a collapse because it's happening slowly and instead just seems like change.

Second, after much research, I now live in the Camp of Probabilities:

  • Collapse seems most likely to occur as a "punctuated decline." John Michael Greer. That is, the ride down will occur as short, steep drops, followed by years of a reduced standard of living, then the next drop.
  • There is a significant probability of a sudden, severe collapse, as nearly happened in 2008 when the banksters crashed the economy and the price of oil spiked to $140+. Had this spiralled out of control, there might well have been runs on the banks and a general collapse into depression.

    How to prepare? Make as much money as possible while you can, and put it to good use. Join Transition Initiative.; you're far more likely to do well if part of a like-minded community than solo-cabin-in-the-woods. In TI you will find people creating

    >small-scale local responses to the global challenges of climate change, economic hardship and shrinking supplies of cheap energy.

    You can take - or give - classes, or join a group in actively creating just about everything from knitting to local currencies.
u/jbond23 · 2 pointsr/collapse

Indeed. I seem to remember that from https://www.amazon.co.uk/Hot-Earth-Dreams-climate-happens/dp/1517799392/ref=sr_1_1

Avoiding the next ice age is a good thing, right? ;)

u/potifar · 17 pointsr/collapse

I think you're spot on. I recommend John Michael Greer's book The Long Descent, in which he describes the aftermath of peak oil and what he calls "catabolic collapse" into a post-industrial society. He predicts that the collapse will happen over several generations as you mention, and in several waves between which things will seem to be improving again.