Review From John Egan, proprietor of the website SurvivalistBooks.com 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).
If ever there was one book to have when the lights go out, "When Technology Fails" is it. In this revised edition—the first edition was written pre-9/11 when global warming was still considered a fringe idea—author Mat Stein offers readers skills to make them more self-sufficient, sustainable, and prepared for any climatic disaster, as well as simple green building techniques.
No single book can teach all there is to know, so Stein has included a resource guide at the end of each chapter to direct readers toward other resources, including books, web sites, and suppliers of the materials discussed. The book covers a wide range of topics—everything from green building, renewable energy, and emergency preparations to basic self-healing and self-reliance techniques to survive crises. This new edition also includes a chapter on joining and building sustainable communities, ending the book on a positive proactive note.
Thereas never been a better time to abe prepared.a Matthew Steinas comprehensive primer on sustainable living skillsafrom food and water to shelter and energy to first-aid and crisis-management skillsaprepares you to embark on the path toward sustainability. But unlike any other book, Stein not only shows you how to live agreena in seemingly stable times, but to live in the face of potential disasters, lasting days or years, coming in the form of social upheaval, economic meltdown, or environmental catastrophe."When Technology Fails" covers the gamut. Youall learn how to start a fire and keep warm if youave been left temporarily homeless, as well as the basics of installing a renewable energy system for your home or business. Youall learn how to find and sterilize water in the face of utility failure, as well as practical information for dealing with water-quality issues even when the public tap water is still flowing. Youall learn alternative techniques for healing equally suited to an era of profit-driven malpractice as to situations of social calamity. Each chapter (a survey of the risks to the status quo; supplies and preparation for short- and long-term emergencies; emergency measures for survival; water; food; shelter; clothing; first aid, low-tech medicine, and healing; energy, heat, and power; metalworking; utensils and storage; low-tech chemistry; and engineering, machines, and materials) offers the same approach, describing skills for self-reliance in good times and bad.Fully revised and expandedathe first edition was written pre-9/11 and pre-Katrina, when few Americans took the risk of social disruption seriouslya"When Technology Fails" ends on a positive, proactive note witha new chapter on "Making the Shift to Sustainability," which offers practical suggestions for changing our world on personal, community and global levels.
“"You don't need to be a survivalist to appreciate this book. If you are thoughtful. If you seek a simpler, more sustainable life or if you feel as though technology has already failed us in the ways that matter, this is a book you want in your personal library."--Kathy Harrison, author of Just In Case: How to Be Self-Sufficient When the Unexpected Happens”
'We imagine that we live in the age of information, but this engrossing book reminds us of how comparatively little we know' Bill McKibben, author of Deep Economy.
Matthew Stein holds a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from MIT. He is an engineer, author and building contractor. He has also worked as a schoolteacher, carpenter, and rock climbing and ski instructor. As the owner of Aloha Aina Builders, Stein built hurricane resistant, energy efficient, and environmentally friendly homes. As a mechanical engineer and president of Stein Design, he has designed consumer water filtration devices, commercial water filtration systems, photovoltaic roofing panels, medical bacteriological filters, drinking fountains, emergency chemical drench systems, computer disk drives, portable fiberglass buildings, and automated assembly machinery for Open Energy, Applied Science, Hewlett Packard, Seagate, Plantronics, Duraflame, Haws, and IGT, among other companies. He currently resides with his wife Josie (see www.inner-journeys.com) in the High Sierra Mountains near Lake Tahoe, CA. Additionally, Stein holds a number of U.S. patents and was a National Merit Scholar. For many years, Stein has pursued avid interests in renewable energy, alternative healing, sustainable growth, and preventative medicine. He is available for lectures and workshops. Check out his green building and mechanical engineering web site at www.stein-design.com and his book's web site at
When Technology Failsis the first to offer, under one cover, basic instructions and recommended resources for the wide range of skills and technologies necessary for self-reliant living and achieving mastery of all kinds of emergency conditions. A user-friendly "bible" in the tradition of the Whole Earth Catalog, this book provides information that will help the average person become more self-reliant. In an era of super-storms, burgeoning population, massive earthquakes, global warming, and record-breaking floods and droughts, more and more people are seeking to prepare themselves to deal with the difficult times that may lie ahead. When Technology Failsaddresses this universal concern in one engaging and concise volume for the general reader. A directory of resources and an instructional guide to sustainable technologies, it outlines survival strategies for dealing with changes that affect food, water, shelter, energy, health, communications, and essential goods and services. When Technology Failsprovides something for everyone, from parents who want to help their families when a disaster strikes, to the go-it-alone survivalist, to the eco-minded person who wishes to tread more lightly on the earth
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