Couldn’t take a break with us? Catch up here!

Happy August, and thanks for continuing on this journey with us.

Fire season’s rolling in and that means one thing - practice leaving fast, and make your tech actually useful when you do. This month’s Wildcard Wednesday was short, practical, and built around a single exercise: can you be out the door in 10 minutes with the things that matter? 

We walked through a quick evacuation drill, the P checklist, the rule of threes for escape routes and backups, and low-friction tech moves that work when the grid and internet are flaky.

Here’s your full recap, plus real tools and tricks you can use today.

🎥The Video Replay (available for a limited time)

Autogenerated English subtitles are available

🏃‍♀️‍➡️ 10-Minute Evac Challenge

What we discussed:

We set a live 10-minute timer and asked: can you be at the car with two loads ready to go? It’s a reality check that forces decisions and priorities.

Why it matters:

Practice turns panic into muscle memory. If you can get out in 10 minutes during a drill, you are far more likely to do it in a real emergency.

What you can do:

• Run a timed 10-minute pack-and-go drill this weekend.

• Limit yourself to two quick loads to the car so decisions are forced.

• Note what slowed you down and move those items closer to the exit.

• Repeat quarterly until your run feels routine.

🅿️✅🏁 The P Checklist (prescriptions, pets, papers, phone, potable water, power)

What we discussed:

What we discussed We used the letter P to list the essentials you actually need to grab first: prescriptions, pets, papers, phone, potable water, and power. Focus on identity, health, and immediate survival needs rather than comfort items.

Why it matters:

When stress hits, people grab the wrong stuff. This mnemonic keeps the important things within reach.

What you can do:

• Make a small grab bag with prescriptions, prescription list, and a spare pill organizer.

• Keep a pet kit ready: leash, carrier, vaccination copy, and a small food pouch.

• Store copies of IDs and key papers in a waterproof pouch.

• Keep a charged spare phone battery or power bank in the kit.

• Stash at least one quart of water and a small fuel or gas checklist item in the car.

3️⃣ Rule of Threes: Routes, Backups, Options

What we discussed:

Apply the rule of threes to escape routes and to backups: three routes out of each common location and three ways to protect critical data.

Why it matters:

Single points of failure are fragile. Multiple simple options are resilient and reduce decision friction.

What you can do:

• Identify two alternate driving routes and one walking or off-road route for home, work, and common hangouts.

• Keep a small map or paper directions in your glovebox or kit.

• Use three backup strategies for key data: cloud, local drive, and an offline offsite copy.

• Label and store one offline backup in your grab bag or a trusted offsite location.

📻🔋Offline and Tech Essentials

What we discussed:

Low-tech tools often beat fancy gear when networks fail: cheap AM/FM radios, portable SSDs or thumb drives, mesh-network options, and downloadable knowledge like the full Wikipedia.

Why it matters:

Clouds and cell towers can go dark. Practical, offline resources keep you informed and capable without connectivity.

What you can do:

• Buy a small AM/FM radio and keep fresh batteries or a hand-crank model in your kit.

• Prepare a zipper bag with thumb drives or a tiny SSD containing critical docs and an offline Wikipedia copy.

• Install and test a crowdsourced alert app like Watch Duty or Red Cross Emergency Alerts.

• Consider a simple mesh or peer-to-peer app if you need local messaging when cell networks fail.

📓🪪 Pocket Emergency Book

What we discussed:

Keep a small field notebook ONLY for “bug out” situations, with 4–5 key contacts, passport and license numbers, and the few facts you would need to reconstruct identity. Update it annually.

Why it matters:

Why it matters If devices are lost or smashed, a few paper facts let you regain accounts and prove identity without relying on phones.

What you can do:

• Create a one-page emergency card with names, phone numbers, passport and driver license numbers, and primary email.

• Keep one copy in your grab bag and one copy offsite with a trusted friend or storage unit.

• Add a short note on how to access your primary email to reset passwords, not full password lists.

📚 Scams and Communications Safety

What we discussed:

Scammers and deepfake tech often follow disasters. Use secret check phrases and consider simple dead-man switch arrangements to verify identity and avoid fraud.

Why it matters:

Voice cloning and fake videos can mimic family or authority figures. A shared secret stops impostors cold.

What you can do:

• Pick a short, unusual check phrase with your top three emergency contacts and write it in your pocket book.

• Agree a simple check-in cadence with a trusted person and set expectations for action if you do not check in.

• Use a dead-man switch or wellness-check email for longer absences so others do not overload emergency lines.

🧰 Q&A Highlights

What we discussed:

Participants asked practical questions about generators, home batteries, small stores of value like silver or breakable gold bars, and how to handle banking or cash during a crisis. Storage units and offsite copies came up as useful options.

Why it matters:

Real-world constraints shape realistic plans. Comfort items and small liquidity reserves matter for days after an event.

What you can do:

• Keep a small amount of cash or negotiable store-of-value items in your emergency kit.

• Use a storage unit or trusted offsite location for vital paper documents.

• Treat speculatory assets like crypto as volatile; do not rely on them as your only emergency store of value.

Key Takeaways - Your TL;DR Checklist

• Practice a 10-minute exit this week.

• Pack the P checklist; prioritize prescriptions, pets and papers over extras.

• Use the rule of threes for routes and backups.

• Keep one offline, offsite backup and a zipper bag with drives for quick grabs.

• Share a secret check phrase with your top contacts and set a simple check-in plan.

Tools and Links mentioned

• NASA FIRMS fire data - https://firms.modaps.eosdis.nasa.gov/usfs/active_fire/

• WatchDuty Fire notification app - https://watchduty.org/ 

• Wikipedia download - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Database_download

• Red Cross apps - https://www.redcross.org/get-help/how-to-prepare-for-emergencies/mobile-apps.html

• Fractional gold information - https://learn.apmex.com/investing-guide/gold/is-fractional-gold-a-good-investment/

🔁 Wildcard Wednesday returns next month

No slides, no sales pitch. Just real talk on what’s changing in tech, what you can do about it, and how to stay sane and secure.

📆 Mark your calendars for high noon Pacific, the second Wednesday of every month!

You never know what we’ll get into next. But you will walk away smarter.

👉 Got a topic or question you want to bring up next time? Just reply and let me know.

In the meantime, if you need a hand or want to explore any of these topics further, you know where to reach me. 😉