Ahh, Winter! I'm sure we're all looking forward to Christmas presents, heated car seats, and New Year's resolutions that last as long as our hangovers. But it can't be all fun and games - thus, we enter Cold Water Boot Camp, instructed by none other than Professor Popsicle (U of Manitoba's Dr. Gordon Giesbrecht), who was back in the news last week after he drove a Mercury Sable into Winnipeg's Red River.
posted by mannequito on Nov 19, 2009 - 6 comments

October's focus on breast cancer is a curvy pink double-edged sword and those in the fight agree. [more inside]
posted by batmonkey on Oct 2, 2009 - 49 comments

The May 2009 issue of the FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin has a special focus: "Beyond Survival," helping law enforcement officers to do more than survive in their careers. [more inside]
posted by rmd1023 on Jul 22, 2009 - 6 comments

"... [M]any of us who were raised in the 1950s, '60s and '70s are survivors. We were tiny daredevils: sun-blasted, pocket-knife-carrying, bottom-spanked, cow eaters. We ran the streets armed with BB guns, boxing gloves and bottle rockets, wholly unprotected by bike helmets, sunscreen or Amber Alerts. Our houses were filled with the blue cigarette smoke of our cocktail-drinking parents and we believed it wasn’t supper without a mountain of red meat." [more inside]
posted by ericb on Jul 6, 2009 - 157 comments

If society fell apart this afternoon I’d be willing to bet you’d die. You’ve spent your life learning how to ‘cut and paste’ or how to master E. Honda’s Hundred Handslap in Super Street Fighter 2 Turbo, but when the world comes crashing down and you’re hungry, you’ll be eating crunchy Ramen noodles and wondering how your own pee tastes. Lets face it. You’d die. This blog is to help those plan for their escape from the collapsing rubble of our society." Survive the Apocalypse.
posted by netbros on Apr 14, 2009 - 60 comments

"Civilization is Just a Thin Veneer. In the absence of law and order, men quickly revert to savagery. As was illustrated by the rioting and looting that accompanied disasters in the past three decades, the transition from tranquility to absolute barbarism can occur overnight. People expect tomorrow to be just like today, and they act accordingly. But then comes a unpredictable disaster that catches the vast majority unprepared. The average American family has four days worth of food on hand. When that food is gone, we'll soon see the thin veneer stripped away." [more inside]
posted by Joe Beese on Jan 28, 2009 - 179 comments

"Rich governments and corporations are triggering alarm for the poor as they buy up the rights to millions of hectares of agricultural land in developing countries in an effort to secure their own long-term food supplies as shown by this map.
The resentment rises as villagers are stripped of holdings and livelihood in Laos; and land prices are soaring in Brazil.
Here are some of the biggest deals. [more inside]
posted by adamvasco on Nov 26, 2008 - 14 comments

On Oct. 27th, 1915. Sir Ernest Shackleton gave the order to abandon ship, moving the crew and supplies off of the ice bound Endurance. The Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition would never achieve it's goal of crossing the continent, instead Shackleton would become famous for somethings far greater: his masterful and amazing ability at leadership and survival for himself and his crew of 27 men under the harshest conditions imaginable. [more inside]
posted by mrzarquon on Oct 27, 2008 - 59 comments

Is life possible even in the coldest depths of space? If so, this tough little guy has long been thought to be a good candidate. Now, finally, analysis of the Tardigrades (a.k.a. "water bears") exposed to open space as part of the TARDIS project is finally complete. So what's the verdict? [more inside]
posted by saulgoodman on Sep 9, 2008 - 39 comments

Protection from the Atomic Bomb A 1950 pamphlet provided by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
posted by jonson on May 6, 2008 - 27 comments

Paracord is a perennial survival kit favorite, but why carry a boring ol' hank of it when you can get crafty? Parachute cord lanyards, bracelets, watchbands, belts, and other braided items are surprisingly easy and fun to make by following some simple instructions. But they're just the beginning! From water bottle carriers and camera tripods to knife handles, Khukri conversions, flashlight & stick wraps, pace beads, magazine pulls, rifle wraps and rifle slings, there are tons of useful things you can make out of paracord! [more inside]
posted by vorfeed on Apr 28, 2008 - 21 comments

"It was now dark and here I was in this spruce thicket without food or fire, naked, and miles from a camp." It was 1913, and Joseph Knowles had with cooperation of the Boston Post, decided to prove that man could survive in the wilds. Pictures and courtesy of Google Books, Knowle's own account, Alone in the Wilderness.
posted by Atreides on Feb 10, 2008 - 16 comments

UK native Karl Bushby has been walking around the world since 1998. No, literally: walking. around. the. world. It hasn't been without its trials, of course (resolution). He isn't expected home until 2012.
posted by desjardins on Nov 3, 2007 - 19 comments

The Man of the Hole
posted by stbalbach on Jul 23, 2007 - 24 comments

Coping: A Survival Guide for People with Asperger Syndrome. A short, to-the-point guide to the unwritten rules of life.
posted by hoverboards don't work on water on Jun 23, 2007 - 47 comments

The Indie Band Survival Guide: A fantastic, free, 101 pages collection of useful information for musicians - covers topics such as recording, copyright, major label contracts, commercial radio, promoting your music, band websites, distribution, filesharing and live shows.
posted by Ira.metafilter on Feb 25, 2007 - 9 comments

Making an emergency car kit for road trips, especially in winter conditions.

How to travel safely in winter.

What to do if you're lost.

How to survive in the wilderness, according to the US Army. How to build an igloo. How to make emergency snowshoes.

equipped.org reviews personal survival kits, provides the story of five people stranded within sight of one of the US's largest cities, and blogs on the topic of emergency survival. And, last but not least, the equipped.org forums weigh in on the Kim emergency.

Requiescat in pace, James Kim.
posted by scrump on Dec 7, 2006 - 57 comments

1962 Fallout Shelter handbook. (more about nuclear survival and shelters, if that kind of thing worries you).
posted by IronLizard on Nov 22, 2006 - 18 comments

"Sometimes our stomachs would hurt, because we would go up to 15 days without eating." Three Mexican fisherman were found alive after drifting in the Pacific for nearly a year. They were found in their 27-foot boat, 5500 miles from where they started.
posted by cerebus19 on Aug 18, 2006 - 56 comments

The real Jewish Underground — During the Nazi occupation of World War II, hundreds of thousands of Ukrainian Jews were killed or transported to Nazi concentration camps. In 1942 and 1943, thirty-eight men, women, and children aged 4 to 74 years survived by living underground in two caves for nearly two years (their 344 day stay in Priest's Grotto beat Michel Siffre's 1972 NASA research study.) Emerging at night to cut firewood and steal food, these unwilling troglodytes returned to the cave before dawn to avoid capture. Spelunker Chris Nicola first discovered their survival story (PDF, pp. 6-12) in 1993.
posted by cenoxo on Feb 22, 2006 - 23 comments

Lifeboat ethics. "Terror had assumed the throne of reason, and passion had become judgment." After the ship William Brown sank on a voyage from England to America in 1841, its longboat with 41 passengers and crew aboard leaked badly and began sinking. To stay afloat, the first mate ordered sailors to throw men and women overboard: those remaining were saved and eventually rescued. One sailor who followed orders, Alexander Holmes, was convicted of manslaughter after he returned to Philadelphia in 1842. This true story inspired a famous fictional case, many legal opinions, two movies, and a recent book. What would you have done in the same life-or-death situation?
posted by cenoxo on Jan 7, 2006 - 57 comments

New Yorkers Are Prepared for the Apocalypse. Or are we? A fascinating article from New York Magazine that looks at what New York City's government, hospitals and other assistance centers have done to prepare for disasters, what we've spent too much attention and money on (terrorism) and too little (possible epidemics).
Sidebars: When Bad Things Happen: "A short guide to nine big things to worry about—and what you can do about them.", How are New Yorkers coping with the fear du jour: Avian Flu? and The Geography of Disaster: A map of hurricane and earthquake evacuation centers, as well as major trauma centers (hospitals) and fault lines. Shows evacuation routes and zones in case of a variety of disasters, including at the Indian Point Nuclear Power Plant.
posted by zarq on Nov 16, 2005 - 8 comments

Sean Kennedy, Internet media personality and outspoken anti-"Corpolitical" survivalist, made a name for himself with his short rants on topics from suicide (mp3, nsfw) to body armor (mp3) to internet porn (mp3, nsfw). He has authored two books, created a post-apocalyptic/cyberpunk audio series, does a daily news podcast and has even had his very own KULT.
posted by armage on Nov 4, 2005 - 11 comments

The Curiously Strong Survival Kit.
posted by KevinSkomsvold on Oct 17, 2005 - 44 comments

Wilderness Survival Lesson: How to make fire from a can of Coke and a chocolate bar. If, for some reason, you'd ever need to...
posted by jenleigh on Apr 30, 2005 - 12 comments

The Unspoken Language of the Office. Not to be confused with the BBC or NBC television programs. How to get back to reading MetaFilter as quickly as possible. [via lifehacker]
posted by FlamingBore on Mar 8, 2005 - 11 comments

Best use of beer ever.
posted by knutmo on Jan 28, 2005 - 48 comments

(linked page needs Java, sorry) Victor Wooten's Bass and Nature Camp sounds interesting. Bass guitar and music master class in the woods, with animal tracking, meditation, health, and basic wilderness survival lessons.
posted by crunchburger on Jun 5, 2004 - 6 comments

Dog Survives Car Crash, Gunshot, Freezer... My dog, on the other hand, wets herself when I raise my voice.
posted by vito90 on Apr 24, 2003 - 34 comments

Nuclear War Survival Skills: Journey back sixteen years to a simpler time, when the impending apocalypse was a much less complicated affair. [more inside]
posted by Johnny Assay on Mar 31, 2003 - 9 comments

It’s a big bad world out there, and some entrepreneurs are investing in your survival. Brick-and-mortar or online, stores sell everything from gas masks for kids to MRE’s. But some people just like to collect hazmat suits, and some want to make gas masks more aesthetically pleasing. I think I want to go to this fashion show.
posted by readymade on Nov 14, 2002 - 11 comments

Test your instincts: Evaluate your survival knowledge. Sharks and terrorists and tornados, oh my!
posted by acridrabbit on Jul 12, 2002 - 31 comments

Prison survival guide NEVER invoke debts you cannot repay. It is best not to invoke any debts period. When you first enter any institution, you will be approaced with 241 offers. Meaning that the person will front you 1 item (pack of cigs, commisary food, whatever) but you will have to repay them two. This is a classic trap for unexperienced inmates. If you smoke, quit. If you want items from the commisary, etc. wait until you have money on your books, or your in a position with your prison job that you can run your own hustle, and have items to barter with. The basic rule, is to NEVER take ANYTHING on credit. This will get you killed or seriously injured or TURNED OUT and pimped to pay your bill real fast.
posted by keithl on Feb 5, 2002 - 51 comments

How to survive extreme natural events. International project promoting understanding disasters from the "roots" up, and preventing disasters from the "bottom up" as well as the "top down". Whatever you think of his politics, this project should be encouraged.
posted by asok on Nov 21, 2001 - 5 comments

Sculpture honors chicken who lived 18 months without a head. This sentence really touched me: "Olsen started putting feed and water directly into Mike's gullet with an eyedropper."
posted by adrober on Nov 19, 2001 - 22 comments

Would you survive nuclear blast? With all the talk of Bin Laden's nuclear capabilities lately, you may be interested in this link again. Its been posted before, but not in this context I presume.... I wonder where the fallout would have the worst affect?
posted by Espoo2 on Nov 13, 2001 - 26 comments