Let’s be real: when most people think about “survival,” they picture stockpiling canned goods, learning how to build a fire, or maybe practicing their archery skills in the backyard. And yeah, those things can be helpful. But when an EMP (Electromagnetic Pulse) attack or a massive solar flare hits—knocking out power grids and frying electronics—some pretty unconventional skills suddenly become a whole lot more important than you ever imagined.

A lot of the typical survival advice out there is geared toward standard disasters—floods, earthquakes, hurricanes, that kind of thing. But EMPs are a different beast entirely. Your phone? Useless. Your car? Probably not going anywhere. Your fancy generator? Fried. What you’ve got left are your own two hands, a bunch of random junk you can hopefully salvage, and the creativity to make it all work.

That’s exactly what this book is about. I’m not going to dive into the usual “store 200 gallons of water and buy a year’s worth of freeze-dried meals” spiel. Instead, we’re exploring some of the most underrated, borderline weird skills you can develop that’ll keep you alive—and maybe even comfortable—when the lights go out for good. We’ll talk about everything from resurrecting old car batteries to crafting a wind turbine out of junk to setting up a makeshift lab for basic chemistry. It’s all the stuff nobody else really talks about, but trust me, once your smartphone is basically a fancy paperweight, these skills matter.

Maybe you’ve heard some doom-and-gloom about EMPs or you’re just curious to pick up new skills “just in case.” Either way, I’m glad you’re here. You don’t have to be a gadget nerd or a hardcore survivalist to get something out of this. It’s all about taking everyday items and discarded equipment—stuff you can find in a junkyard or someone’s neglected garage—and turning it into something that can generate power, help with communication, or just keep you from losing your mind when everything you rely on goes kaput.

So grab a cup of coffee (while your coffee maker still works), find a comfy chair, and let’s get into it. Because once an EMP or solar flare takes out modern life as we know it, the people with these quirky, MacGyver-like skills are going to be the ones everyone else turns to for help. And that, my friend, might just be you.