Product Description

When Technology Fails is a practical "how to" manual that helps people to prepare for and deal with disruptions in the normal course of life. In today's world of terrorist acts and super storms, it is an invaluable reference covering a wide variety of subjects such as emergency preparedness, survival, first aid, renewable energy, alternative healing, sustainable agriculture, green-building technologies, and low-tech methods for providing the basics for yourself if deprived of access to the comforts of modern living. Each chapter also includes a "Whole Earth Catalog" style reference guide to the best books, organizations and web sites relevant to that chapter's topic. In today's world of terrorism, global warming, super-storms, record breaking floods, severe droughts, antiquated and overloaded electrical distribution systems, it is likely that most of us will see significant disruptions in the flow of electricity and goods at some point in our lives. An old Chinese! saying asks, "Is it not already too late if one waits until one is thirsty to begin digging a well?" This saying applies equally at both the personal and planetary levels. On the micro level (personal survival), a little planning, training, education and individual action can significantly reduce one's sense of helplessness. On the macro level (global sustainability), large numbers of people must be awakened to the need for change before governments and the majority of businesses make a sustainable future their number one priority. On both levels, action is required to promote a positive outcome. We live in the "Information Age" and knowledge is power. When Technology Fails is an exceptional source of information, providing something of value for almost everyone, ranging from the environmentalist who wishes to reduce man's impact on the planet to the average person who simply wishes to provide for friends and family in the event of an emergency.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #238973 in Books
• Published on: 2000-05
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 405 pages

From the Publisher
Dear Editor:

We are pleased to submit WHEN TECHNOLOGY FAILS: A Manual for Self Reliance & Planetary Survival, by Matthew Stein, for your review.

No home is complete without this essential resource. M.I.T. graduate Matthew Stein spent 15 years compiling the information for When Technology Fails. This easy-to-use manual is designed for self-reliant living in today's changing world.

As we begin the 21st Century, the rapidly expanding world population is quickly depleting the available natural resources and fossil fuel supply while increasing the demand for basic human needs-food, shelter, clothing and energy. This combined with the current worldwide infrastructure dependent on instant global communication and next-day distribution grids means that any disruption of the norm due to technology breakdowns, weather patterns, solar spots, techno-terrorism or natural upheavals can create massive disruptions to daily life.

When Technology Fails is the first book to offer basic instructions and recommended resources for the wide range of skills and technologies necessary for self-reliant living, achieving mastery of all kinds of emergency conditions, and treading lighter on Mother Earth. When Technology Fails is a user-friendly manual for the 2lst Century in the tradition of the Whole Earth Catalog.

We hope you enjoy reading this important book and can recommend it to your readers.

Thank you

Harmon Houghton
Publisher

From the Author
With all my being, I know that humankind cannot continue behaving as if the world was an infinite reservoir of natural resources that we may do with as we wish, consumed in ever-increasing amounts by an ever-increasing population. One of the things that defines humanity is the dual power of creativity and free will. We have the power to choose wisely or foolishly, but choose we must. To choose to do nothing is still making a choice.

We may choose a planetary future from two paths traveling in opposite directions. We may choose to accept our responsibility in the co-creation of ourselves along with planet Earth-the source of everything around us and everything that we have come to be over the millennia. This type of responsibility requires a fully conscious and compassionate awareness of the consequences of our actions for the long-term health of both the Earth and our humankind.

On the other hand, like lemmings rushing to the ocean, we can proceed toward famines, collapsing ecosystems, wars, and plagues. This is the path of business as usual, waiting for science and technology to come up with solutions, and ultimately suffering the consequences of the collapse of natural systems that took thousands of years or even more to evolve.

We are all in this together! Let us create a future that we can all live with.

About the Author
Matthew Stein holds a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from MIT. Currently president of Stein Design, he has designed consumer water filtration devices, commercial water filtration systems, medical bacteriological filters, drinking fountains, emergency chemical drench systems, computer disk drives, portable fiberglass buildings and automated assembly machinery for Hewlett Packard, Seagate, Plantronics, Duraflame, Haws, and IGT, among other companies. He has also worked as a schoolteacher, carpenter, and rock climbing and ski instructor. Stein holds a number of US patents and was a National Merit Scholar. For many years, Stein has pursued avid interests in renewable energy, alternative healing, and preventative medicine. He currently resides in Truckee, California (near Lake Tahoe) with his wife and two children.Stein's outdoor experience includes considerable backpacking and camping (starting at age 5), alpine ascents in the Canadian Rockies and High Sierras, solo winter ascents of peaks in the High Sierras and numerous Yosemite Valley hard rock climbs (including several Half Dome and El Capitan big walls). He volunteers his services as a guide and guide trainer for blind skiers with both the Sacramento Sierra Club and the Ski for Light blind cross-country skier programs.

Customer Reviews

90% Great, 10% Newage Garbage
Most of this book is very good. It is a good survey of many issues related to self-sufficiency. It has great references that make it easier to find the materials needed for a more in-depth understanding of most of the topics.

However, I had the feeling while reading the book was that it was written by Abby (Dharma's mother from Dharma & Greg). Great, pragmatic information is tainted with pseudo-science nonsense and newage garbage. Most of which is harmless, but some of it may be downright dangerous.

For example, there is a half page editorial on the moral issues of hunting followed some pages later by a long discussion of tanning. There is a story of how blessing water turned undrinkable swill into sweet healing water. There's enough folk and eastern medical advice to make your head swim.

If you believe everything you read, this probably isn't the book for you. However, if you can discern the likely from the silly, you might find this book useful.

A good read for the wary -
This is a great book about preparing for short-term societal or environmental crises - how to conserve water when the water's not running (after a hurricane, say), how to stay warm and safe when the ice-storm of the century wipes out your natural gas and electricity, or an earthquake shakes your house down around your ears in the middle of the night.
The true beauty of this book is the wealth of information for longer-term "doing without," or slow erosion of a situation of plenty we now take for granted. Here is information on dealing with medical problems when no doctor is forthcoming, growing food organically and with your own saved seed, how you might store food over the winter with no refrigerator.

If we lost the luxury of the machines that run our world, would we find ourselves back in the stone age, having lost the knowledge handed down for generations beyond count of how to shelter, clothe, feed and doctor ourselves? These skills are all touched on in this book, with voluminous resource lists so that the reader can learn more about any of these subjects.

Technology, too, is given its due - renewable energy sources like solar and wind are discussed and the best water filters on the market.

Change is coming. That's apparent. If you're worried, wary - this is a good book, a jumping-off place to learn skills you may some day be very thankful for, or at least gather a library of relevant information against the day when it is needed. Survivalist paranoia not required.

Broader in scope than most survival books
Matthew Stein has written a clear, concise book on the subject of survival that, while educating, also does what few others have managed to do - entertain and engage the reader.

Throughout the book you'll find personal stories accompanying the text to further illustrate or drive home a point. The use of these asides brings you into Matthew Stein's life, as he recounts personal stories of survival and tells the stories of others who have managed to overcome the odds to survive.

Not just a survival book, Matthew also covers topics like alternative therapies; how to create a survival mindset; survival strategies; renewable energy; companion gardening; prophecies etc. as well as all the regular topics found in such books - edible plants; first aid; making a survival kit; growing, hunting and foraging; making tools; creating shelters; spinning/weaving/tanning etc.

The book has some great illustrations that make plant identification and first aid that much easier to understand and each chapter finishes with a reference section listing books (along with a short review) and resources (with web addresses where available).

This book is supposed to have been 15 years in the making - and the time and effort taken by the author to research his topic really shows. When Technology Fails belongs in your survival library - as the publisher says, "it's a user-friendly manual for the 21st Century".