With almost every consumer product, from food to medicines to fuel, transported by truck, the trucking industry is a must-not-fail part of modern society. Yet, as crucial as the trucks are, there are several vulnerabilities that could stop the trucks. Mic, Jeff, and especially Brian (as our professional truck driver) examine those weak points. Computerization and AI have improved efficiency but not reliability. Brian also has an impassioned Public Service Announcement about not cutting off 18-wheelers. You might frighten the truck! If you felt entertained and informed by this DoomCast, consider expressing your satisfaction by buying Mic a cup of coffee at Buy Me A Coffee . If you've been enjoying these topical DoomCasts, consider becoming a Patron on Patreon, or a monthly member at Buy Me A Coffee, You'll get to read ahead in the next novelette too.

Our group of six survivalists load up Brandon's beat-up van with their survival gear and set out for their Bug Out location. Along the way, there is some trepidation about whether they were right to bug out. Eventually, they arrive at a rutted back road into a state park. They set up their camp off the road so they won't be visible to anyone else coming down that road. They were not invisible, however, as two armed men approach. Show Mic you are enjoying this story.  Go to  Buy Me A Coffee and buy him a cup of virtual coffee. Monthly supporters on Patreon and BMAC will be getting the last chapter of the Utopians' story .If you'd like to read ahead, become a member too! 

How fragile is the American food-growing industry? Are empty shelves and hungry citizens just one bad harvest away? Mic, Brian, and Jeff each embraced their inner stats-nerd sides and dove into the history, the market, and the modern agricultural industry to find out.  The results surprised all three of them. If you were entertained or felt informed by these DoomCasts, consider becoming a Patron on Patreon, or a monthly member at Buy Me A Coffee, You'll get to read ahead in the Utopians story too. One-time coffee at Buy Me A Coffee are a great way show Mic you enjoy this podcast content.  

That fateful Monday morning, the power goes out all over the UNH campus. Classes are canceled. Andy and his group meet up at the usual food court table to share intel. The next day, University admins try to reassure their students that all will be well soon, but Brandon thinks not. He thinks the outage will be long-term and the collapse of society that they've all been expecting will happen soon. He says they should bug out. Enjoying this story? You know you are. New characters, new scenario. Show Mic that you're enjoying these adventures by buying him a coffee on  Buy Me A Coffee . He will really appreciated it. Monthly supporters on Patreon and BMAC are getting advanced chapters of The Rise and Fall of the Utopians to read. If you'd like to read ahead, become a member too!

Even though Brian already told us that there would be no Civil War 2.0, many people were expecting one. Now, weeks later, they should be asking "Hey. Where's my civil war?" Mic, Brian, and Jeff explore reasons the civil war did not break out, and is looking much less like it will. Mic cites some historical examples of when revolts succeeded and other times when they failed. What can we learn from them? Brian's Article on Slacktivism (that Jeff refers to) If you felt entertained and reassured by this DoomCast, that the US is not just about to erupt into chaos, consider expressing your great relief by buying Mic a cup of coffee at Buy Me A Coffee . If you've been enjoying these topical DoomCasts, consider becoming a Patron on Patreon, or a monthly member at Buy Me A Coffee, You'll get to read ahead in the Utopians story too.  

In this first installment of The Rise and Fall of the Utopians, we find the six college friends meeting on the Saturday before the power goes out. They are showing off and sharing the bushcraft skills they had learned over the past week. Several of the group talk of the certainty that society faced an immanent collapse and how they were going to flee the chaos and mayhem for a new, idealized, life in the wilderness. Show Mic that you're excited for a new Siege backstory.  Go to  Buy Me A Coffee and buy him a cup of virtual coffee. Monthly supporters on Patreon and BMAC will be getting the later chapters of this story to read in advance. If you'd like to read ahead, become a member too! 

After the assassination of Charlie Kirk, worries flared up that America could be heading for a sort of civil war. Those words got mentioned over three hundred thousand times on X in the days afterward. Are they right? Is it overblown? Brian and Jeff square off in differing opinions over whether a civil war is coming. While not as action-packed as a fight in a hockey game, they both state their opinions with zeal. If you were entertained or felt informed by this DoomCast, consider becoming a Patron on Patreon, or a monthly member at Buy Me A Coffee, You'll get to read ahead in the Utopians story too. One-time coffee at Buy Me A Coffee are a great way show Mic you enjoy this podcast content.  

Is there an "ideal" Bug Out Vehicle? Is it necessarily a jacked up monster truck with knobby mud tires?  Would a humble Toyota Camry do? Mic, Jeff, and Brian discuss what they have for BOVs and what (if anything) qualifies as the ideal. They also share some recommendations for how to "idealize" whatever you've got for a vehicle. Sherp ATV — Jeff's new prepper fantasy vehicle. If you find these topical episodes interesting, or just amusing, consider becoming a Patron on Patreon, or a monthly member at Buy Me A Coffee, One-time coffee at Buy Me A Coffee are a great way show Mic you enjoyed this podcast content and want to hear more.

The final chapter of Susan's Raid. After a low-speed chase in horse-drawn wagons and yet more running, Susan, Paul and Charon catch up with the bombers at the Ashland bridge. There are guards posted, so the bombers run north to an alternate target. As the train approaches the small iron bridge, Susan's team interrupts the bombers. Susan is suddenly confronted by Martin. Neither expected such a chance meeting and neither were ready for it. Show Mic you enjoyed this story.  Go to  Buy Me A Coffee and buy him a cup of virtual coffee. Monthly supporters on Patreon and BMAC will be getting the first chapter of the next novelette: The Rise and Fall of the Utopians. If you'd like to read ahead, become a member too! 

Pundits are frequently warning of an impending financial doom, two in particular -- the loss of the US Dollar as world reserve currency, and/or the hyperinflation of the dollar as backdoor way to negate America's huge national debt. Are the fears well founded? Has either ever happened before? If so, what happened to people then? What did they do? If you find these topical episodes interesting, thought-provoking, or just make you say, "Really?", consider becoming a Patron on Patreon, or a monthly member at Buy Me A Coffee, One-time coffee at Buy Me A Coffee are a great way show Mic you enjoy this podcast content.

Susan, Charon, and Paul camp out in the woods east of Bristol in hopes of catching the bombers at dawn. Overzealous townsfolk flush out the bombers who get ahead of the team again. Both bombers and the team become exhausted from the chase. Just when Charon thinks he might pick one off with a sniper round, yet another wrinkle emerges. The story is getting close to a finale!  Show Mic you're on pins and needles over it. Go to  Buy Me A Coffee and buy him a cup of virtual coffee. Monthly supporters on Patreon and BMAC will be getting the first chapter of the next novelette: The Rise and Fall of the Utopians. If you'd like to read ahead, become a member too! 

Some sort of doom is always out there, just a couple months away. Just one more data point to tick this way or that. As Brian says, They (the prophets of doom) are killing us off every week." Whether it's a comet striking the earth, or a financial collapse — right around the corner! — or the Yellowstone supervolcano; it's always something. How can a worried prepper separate the real news from the chaff of hucksters trying to sell doom-proof products? Mic, Brian, and Jeff discuss this problem. If you find these topical episodes interesting, thought-provoking, or make you say, "Ha! I knew it!", consider becoming a Patron on Patreon, or a monthly member at Buy Me A Coffee, One-time coffee at Buy Me A Coffee are a great way show Mic you enjoy this podcast content and want to hear more.

Susan, Paul, and Charon travel north on their borrowed bicycles. They make decent time until Paul and Charon's bike suffers a blowout at high speed. They proceed on foot but the bombers got ahead of them again. Susan's team are stopped at checkpoint to the town of Bristol. They have no valid ID and an implausible story about someone trying to blow up the railroad bridge in Ashland. Enjoying this story? You know you are. Show Mic that you're enjoying these adventures by buying him a coffee on  Buy Me A Coffee . He will really appreciated it. Monthly supporters on Patreon and BMAC are getting advanced chapters of The Rise and Fall of the Utopians to read. If you'd like to read ahead, become a member too!  

Mic, Brian, and Jeff take a look at the Deep State which has been trying to rule the world a lot longer than AI has been. Historically, the Deep State had become a feature of past empires and often contributed to their downfall. What is the common citizen to do? Would a world run by AI be better or worse than the Deep State? If you were entertained by this DoomCast, consider becoming a Patron on Patreon, or a monthly member at Buy Me A Coffee, One-time coffee at Buy Me A Coffee are a great way show Mic you enjoy this podcast content.  

Susan convinces Charon to get the injured bomber some help in exchange for information. The bomber tells where the group planned to go and that their target is the railroad bridge in Ashland. Susan finds a local woman who will send help. She also has walkie-talkie contact with a man who can radio ahead to alert the people of Ashalnd. Show Mic you are enjoying this story.  Go to  Buy Me A Coffee and buy him a cup of virtual coffee. Monthly supporters on Patreon and BMAC will be getting the first chapter of the next novelette: The Rise and Fall of the Utopians. If you'd like to read ahead, become a member too! 

Following up on the earlier episode about AI and Prepping, Mic, Brian, and Jeff look at the potential doom of having AI given control over crucial facets of human society but getting too smart for the people who think they can control it. Some people welcome AI control. Some don't care too much. Some are very afraid. Are we getting spooked over potential boogeymen or are we right to be worried? The video Jeff found: How AI Takeover Could Happen In 2 Years: A Scenario: The interview that Brian found: Joe Rogan interview with Roman Yamplotsky about AI dangers The movie that Mic is always going on and on about: Movie Flashback: Colossus, the Forbin Project (1970) (on Vimeo)   If you find these topical episodes interesting, thought-provoking, or just make you say, "Wait, what?", consider becoming a Patron on Patreon, or a monthly member at Buy Me A Coffee, One-time coffee at Buy Me A Coffee are a great way show Mic you enjoy this podcast content.

Susan comes face to face with evil in the three men who stumbled across them in the woods. After she faces down evil, they resume pursuing the bombers. They come across one of them later, injured in a fall and left behind by his fellow bombers. What should they do? Enjoying this story? Come on, admit it. You are. Show Mic you're enjoying these adventures. go to  Buy Me A Coffee and buy him a cup of virtual coffee. He will really appreciated it. Monthly supporters on Patreon and BMAC are getting advanced chapters of the next novelette to read. If you'd like to read ahead, become a member too!

Drones are becoming the weapon of choice on today's battlefield. As police departments become increasingly militarized, it seems like only a matter of time before local governments use drones and autonomous robot dogs to control the populace. What might a future with hostile drones be like? In this episode, the boys watched three short videos (links below) and discussed what, if anything, somebody can do about Robotic Doom. Links: SlaughterBots (2017): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9fa9lVwHHqg Metalhead (episode, 2017) https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x6jbebk How To Defeat A Robot Dog video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6MUrF_G7KlM Other links of interest: Chinese “mosquito” drones: https://interestingengineering.com/military/chinese-military-unveils-mosquito-sized-drones Black Hornet, micro drone: Black Hornet 4 Nano UAV If you were entertained by this DoomCast, consider becoming a Patron on Patreon, or a monthly member at Buy Me A Coffee, One-time coffee at Buy Me A Coffee are a great way show Mic you enjoy this podcast content.

Charon continues to track the three bombers as they travel north. He named them Boots, Stripes, and Dots based on their footprints. When the bombers veered off-trail to sleep through the day, Charon had his group set up farther along to set up another attempt at an ambush. But, when morning comes, Susan, Paul and Charon are discovered by locals and mistaken for raiders. Show Mic you are enjoying this story. Right after you read this, go to  Buy Me A Coffee and buy him a cup of virtual coffee. He will really appreciated it. Monthly supporters on Patreon and BMAC will be getting the first chapter of the next novelette: The Rise and Fall of the Utopians. If you'd like to read ahead, become a member too!     

How does an average Joe (or Josephine) prep on a limited budget? Mic, Jeff, and Brian look into ways to find the funds to prep if you're not a movie millionaire. They discuss some tips and explore some of the pitfalls to avoid. Brian and Jeff also confess to some things they had done wrong over the years.   If you are appreciating these topical episodes, consider becoming a Patron on Patreon, or a monthly member at Buy Me A Coffee, Not into memberships? No problem. A one-time coffee buy at Buy Me A Coffee is great too! All support greatly appreciated.