Popular Mechanics

Although the cover of the February 2012 issue says Game Over: 12 Ways the World Could End in 2012, the title of the actual article is, "That's All, Folks." The article begins with discounting Maya prophecies as mysticism and encouraging readers to examine the "hard science" of things that might severely alter, if not end, civilization. The twelve things include but are (obviously) not limited to:

• Pandemic flu: This is possible because it happened before, in 1918, and killed about 65 million people. The global war that immediately preceded it only killed 38 million, according to PBS. This is also what's currently happening in the Netflix dystopia I'm currently watching: Survivors. 
• A massive supervolcano (hey! There's one of those in creepy Yellowstone, about 800 miles from here!) It could explode and turn the Earth into a -50F ice ball. Permanently.
• Oceans become acidic, killing the reefs and leaving the coasts vulnerable to superhurricanes. 

Then there's the big finale (I'll use the words of Matthew Broderick): global thermonuclear warfare. 

So, now that we're all informed consumers of "hard science," here's a list of things in the issue that are arguably more useful than the cover story, and it is my opinion that Popular Mechanics did that on purpose.

1) Once again, NASA is sending a rover to Mars, and this issue contains technical information about it. 

2) The "World's Smartest Lamppost" is manufactured by Michigan-based Illuminating Concepts and can do amazing things in addition to lighting the streets. 

***3) "Home Sweet Fortress" tells us how to protect our homes from invaders, especially by planting thorny bushes under windows, hanging bells on the doors, being sure roommates know where the safe room with the gun and flashlight is.

4) Miss Gokey affirms that knowing how to build a $100 robot is NOT useful for us, but some people may be into that, so...

5) There are tips about how much money homeowners can save by doing things like driveway sealing and stump-grinding themselves. 

6) A nice little article includes information about craft distilling for gin and whiskey. 

***7) How to Build an Igloo. DID YOU KNOW that the snow blocks only touch at the corners? Amazing.

And finally, for the historical record: the national average price for electricity is currently $0.12/kilowatt hour. 

I am glad I picked this issue up, and I will keep one eye peeled for future issues with interesting covers, as well.