What useful trade can I learn to survive a collapsed economy? Good question. Despite our careers being in the “computer” industry, I think the Snook and I have some survival skills. We can both cook things from scratch. (I think there are a lot of people that’d be screwed if they couldn’t get or afford take-out or pre-prepared stuff.) I can knit socks and garments and quilt blankets from scraps. He can make beer from raw materials (actual grain instead of cans of syrup). He’s got some electrical repair skills, and he knows how to fish a bit. There are a few other things that I’d like to learn: proper garment sewing, gardening, and carpentry. (That last one is random, I know. I just have this weird fascination with people who can make useful things out of wood. I love Norm Abrams.) And every time I watch Scrapheap Challenge, I find myself wishing I knew how to weld. It seems like a supremely useful skill.