Doomer Porn

I haven't written much lately, because I've been busy doing things.

Anyway, last night, the wife and I watched 'Collapse', a lengthy, jeremiad interview with Michael Ruppert. Peak Oil, Peak Money, Peak Population. A lot of stuff there I already had heard before (likely sourced originally from Ruppert and similar doomcrows). Ruppert has both a blog and a website, Collapse.net

One issue he raises, I believe in error, is the need to invest in gold. I know that gold is hot right now in both conservative and doomer circles. If there is a complete collapse of socio-economic systems, I do believe that gold will not avail you anything.

What will the currency of post-collapse society be? Ability. What abilities? Not networking, not web design, and all the MSCEs will probably starve. The abilities that will be critical in post-collapse society will be:

1) Agriculture - We'll need food, textiles, etc. (Farm Ville experience doesn't count here)
2) Metalsmithing - We'll need tools, especially for agriculture
3) Engineering - We'll need houses, plows, and the Wheel would be nice as well

So, make sure to send your kids to the nearest A&M, eh. And perhaps join the SCA (Society for Creative Anachronism), as they'll teach you Iron Age skills of weaving and metalworking. There will be a scavenger/recycler class that will help post-collapse transition by taking discarded tech and repurposing it. But, most metals will have rusted away within two generations of the Peakalypse. The quicker we get back to at least the Iron Age, the better.

Like I've said before, I'm not worried. Just doing due diligence.

Pondering the Peakalypse

Peakalypse? Yeah, like a few others, I'm pondering Peak Oil, and the possible crash of civilization following it. This pondering may come as a surprise to folks who may have known me in the past, as I'm not a garden variety enviro-lefty. I'm not a denier of climate change, but I also believe that climate changes are a part of the Earth's history and future, regardless of what humans do. I'm a skeptic of many in the climate change movement because of the other agendas they peddle under that banner.

But, for some reason, Peak Oil has caught my attention. I think most people would agree that oil is a finite and non-renewable resource. There's lots of debate about how much oil reserves we think we have, but common sense tells us that with demand trending ever upwards, and supply trending down, supplies will dwindle and we will eventually run out.

I haven't read much Peak Oil agitprop, and have read just as much debunking it. Also, I haven't bought into the worst-case scenarios, but the issue bears some thought.

Our current lifestyles are touched by oil seven ways to Sunday. When the oil starts getting scarce, life will never be the same. And after witnessing the quick breakdown that occurred in New Orleans, after hurricane Katrina, I'm not optimistic about the prospects of our culture and civilization once scarcity hits. I'm not a full blown Doomer, yet, but I'm not Pollyanna either.

I'm still mulling it all over.