Electricity: the devil's juice.
I believe that the apocalypse will come and eventually we will have no electricity. (not as a 'big bang' but probably through a slow and eventual lack of resources causing our modern way of life to become too expensive to sustain). When that time comes I will be ready!
I have taught myself to be self sufficiant in skills that will see me as a valuable and sought-after member of this simpler, 19th century style community. My pre-fossil fuel age skills include:
Sewing, cookery, carpentry, pottery, I can knot fishing nets and hammocks, cordwaining, millinary, basket making, I can knit (It will be chilly), I can draw and paint (your cave will look splendid) and I used to be a wigmaker (not sure if people will want wigs though)

When people want things made by hand again...I'll be here...my time will come!...*Cue:Terminator soundtrack*

Sorry for lack of funnies but 'lets have a heated debate'....

Edit: one of you will have to man the bicycle dynamo, I cant live without b3ta or innerweb pron
( spitsticker is not working on, Fri 5 Nov 2010, 6:45, 7 replies)

What is cordwaining?
Can I wear it with the hat you will make me?
(boozehound is drinking your bar dry, Fri 5 Nov 2010, 8:45, closed)

Consider this
For there to be no electricity you would have to erase all knowledge of it.
Sustainable ways of producing it are easy to come by and produce enough for a post apocalyptic society to survice on.If your going to go as far as saying that even electrical cables or even the materials to make such componants would be lost or used up then i would have to say your a pessimist of the highest order.
Sure the skills would come in handy but to say that that the lack of resorces would happen in our lifetime is a bit of stretch.

Also can you make wigs for hamsters ... i don't have one its just a great excuse to own a merkin.
(shake'n'bake Tally Ho, Biatch!, Fri 5 Nov 2010, 9:11, closed)

The continued existence of electricity is not in doubt.
The continued existence of affordable and readily accessible leccie is looking less and less likely. Just to fess up, I've bought into the the Peak Oil scenario. Oil is a finite commodity and one upon which we are hopelessly dependent. The expensive and ecologically disastrous process of separating oil from the tar sands of Canada is already well under way, which suggests desperation on the part of the cartels.
The thing is, oil doesn't even have to run out, society reaches a tipping point when it costs $300 a barrel to buy it. The global economy would utterly capsize. Still, I gather we've got about another 25 years before that is likely to happen. You do well to prepare your fine wigs in the meantime.
(Happybara The jungle came alive and took him, Fri 5 Nov 2010, 10:19, closed)

Electricity....
Just to put your mind at rest... there are plenty of ways to generate electricity that don't require oil, and there is plenty of oil left, with even more gas. Look up US shale gas as an example.

Proven reserves of oil are currently at 40 years based on current consumption and prices. Increases in price, and imprevements in technology will probably increase this even further. it will run out eventually, but we're not in end of days scenario just yet...
(fatharry, Mon 8 Nov 2010, 8:57, closed)

You're going to starve unless you learn some proper skills.
None of those listed will keep you alive.
(oneinthepink is at your cervix m'lady, Fri 5 Nov 2010, 11:29, closed)

We're all doomed!
Aparently there are sciency types far cleverer than I who say that when the shit hits the fan in twenty years or so we wont revert to a nineteenth or even an eighteenth century society. The problem is that most people haven't got a scooby how the most basic things actualy work such as toolmaking and crop rotation. Or even what can be safely eaten or used to cure ailments. We'll actualy be no better than cavemen.
(Stig2k, Sat 6 Nov 2010, 22:04, closed)

Ohhh..I'm glad to see I'm not the only one that's worried about the future (and I can cook..I can fish, gut a rabbit and have an allotment)

I was taking to a mate and he actually has what he calls 'A Zombie Bag' under his bed. It contains a machete, torch and energy bars amongst other things (clean pants?)...for when the apocalypse comes. I'm actually quite looking foraward to it now!
( spitsticker is not working on, Sun 7 Nov 2010, 8:39, closed)