Preparedness
Emergency preparedness, survival, resilience, and situational awareness
#5489: When Your Toddler Swallows a Screw
A screw and a washer from the same drawer are two different emergencies. Here's the triage protocol for the sixty seconds after the double take.
#5439: Life at 76 Degrees North: Inside Pituffik Space Base
A few hundred people, four months of darkness, and a $100M-a-year mission on thawing permafrost.
#5429: Bathtime Safety: What the Data Actually Says
Two-thirds of child drownings inside the home happen in the bathtub. Here's what the research says about temperature, supervision, and the towel.
#5428: Wills, Superstition, and the One Event With 100% Probability
Daniel is a prepper who's terrified of writing a will. Turns out the law, the psychology, and the Israeli defaults all agree he shouldn't be.
#5386: Morse Code Between Two Phones: Does It Actually Work?
Two phones, no data, one room. Morse over sound and flashlight — what the research says about echoes, timing, and whether anyone will hear you.
#5369: Pouch Full of Doubt: The Inner Critic at Urgent Care
A tool belt full of emergency supplies, two curious strangers, and the question: is your weird choice yours, or an echo of old ridicule?
#5368: When Both Parents Get Sick and No One Can Help
Two caregivers, no family nearby, and a stomach bug. What actually happens when the backup plan doesn't exist.
#5367: Circling the ER: Driving When You Can't Stop
What do you do when the destination has no parking and a sick passenger in the seat? A holding pattern for city streets.
#5366: Packing a Medic Belt: TQ First, Then Everything Else
Tourniquet at ten o'clock, radio at four. How medics build a belt kit that works in seconds — and what goes in a reduced version for non-medics.
#5365: Padded Tool Belts: Do They Actually Carry More?
Padded belts don't raise your weight ceiling — they move the load onto your hip bones. Here's what the brands actually rate.
#5364: The Emergency Note You Hope You Never Need
Penicillin in Bangkok, paracetamol in London, Adderall at customs. What actually goes in the note on your phone?
#5363: One Well Adult vs. a Stomach Bug
Solo caregiver, sick kid, sick partner — how to run fluids, spot red flags, and decide on night checks.
#5345: Forecasting for Cranes, Fires, and 15-Minute Decisions
The public five-day forecast is a loss leader. Here's what bespoke weather looks like when money and lives ride on it.
#5331: Steeplejacks, Linemen, and Tower Climbers
Three jobs that look like pure nerve — steeplejacks, helicopter linemen, tower climbers — and what they're actually doing up there.
#5330: Who Actually Works on a Live 765kV Line?
Helicopter barehand work on a 765kV line is the top few percent of the trade — here's who gets there, and what it costs.
#5315: What It's Like Living Next Door to a Prime Minister
Motorcades, megaphones at 5:30 a.m., and a three-meter wall — what neighbors of heads of state actually endure.
#5303: Do Airline Safety Demos Actually Save Lives?
Everyone ignores the safety demo — especially frequent flyers. But when a plane catches fire, does that ritual actually get people out alive?
#5302: Grass, Road, or Water: Where Does a Crippled Jet Land?
An A320 is in trouble with three options left: a grass runway, a road with traffic, or open water. The data on which one crews actually pick.
#5299: Why Bright Lights Make Fog Worse
More light isn't safer light. Why fog, glare, and the moth effect turn your emergency flares against you.
#5275: Reading a Supplier in 20 Minutes
How does a two-person firm vet a supplier without a procurement team? Walk in, watch the workshop, read the room.