Girls Got Gadget

The Terminator saga is back in theaters this summer, and once again humanity is striving for survival — at odds with our own sinister creations.

I still remember the original Terminator movies when they came out. Arnold had begun his pattern of trying to save people from impossible odds — whether it be menacing cyborgs from the future (I know, that was second one) or a hopelessly messed up California budget.

Linda Hamilton from the original Terminator series

The real heroine of the Terminator movies (in my opinion) was Sarah Connor. She had to put a lot of crazy pieces together on the fly, learn how to run, how to hide, how to survive. She had to smarten up fast, and use her intuition to know who to trust. What I have always been curious about is the time frame between when she knows everything is going to go the dogs in a maelstrom of mechanized mayhem and when it actually does. There is a period of time where she apparently moves out to the desert, shores up her reserves, and prepares for the worst.

How did that go? Did she max out her VISA card at REI and  Willie’s Outdoor Sporting Emporium and squirrel it all away at UStoreIt? Did she hit the garage sales looking for just the right assortment of doomsday distressed and sexy black navy seal tank tops? Get on eBay for overstock government firearms? How do you shop for the end of the world?

While I do not envy the script writers in trying to explain all that (which is why they generally don’t explain it and cut right to the action), I must say I admire people who are prepared for an emergency or the unexpected. I have some friends, for example, who have two survival backpacks tucked away in their SUV ready for a quick escape if the next Katrina hits. Shoot, I’m impressed when a mom can pull a band-aid or wet wipe out of her purse when her kid biffs at the park.

So, how much is common sense preparedness and being a good scout and how much is just plain fear mongering and crazy? For me, the question turns inward. I have to ask myself what my motivation is for making the preparation, how likely is the possible disaster, who am I trying to save or help, and whether or not certain things are really practical in an emergency. Having a good tire changing kit, jumper cables, flares, and a first aid kit (maybe even a fire extinguisher) is smart, practical and motivated towards helping others as well as self. Having an underground bunker stocked with enough rations to survive WWIII… well, you get the idea. (But hey, if a cyborg showed up and convinced me to get a bunker, I’d be right on it.)

It will probably not be a surprise that the store at GadgetSister.com has a section called “Survivor” with a few useful items for the disaster minded. Those handy backpacks are there, water purifiers, stuff like that. Check it out and let me know if there’s something you’ve always wanted in case of emergency that I missed. Emergencies exemplify the gadget sister mantra, “The right gadget, at the right time, in the right hands can save the day.” Cyborgs not included.