Gadgets
10 Gadgets to Help You Survive the Oncoming Depression-Caused Apocalypse
Posted by Adam Frucci at 4:00 AM on October 3, 2008

Well, things aren't looking too great economy-wise. We might just be headed for a depression, which means you'll need to start changing your lifestyle. While you may start out by changing your lifestyle in subtle ways, you need to be mentally prepared for the fact that more, well, drastic measures may be necessary in the not-too-distant future. Luckily, I've hand-picked 10 gadgets that may be necessary in our frightening, Lehman-Brothersless future.
10. The first thing you're gonna want to do is start saving money. This Tomy RPG Piggy Bank makes saving money fun by featuring a simple game on the front that utilises the money you insert into it. Make saving a game, you'll be more apt to do it! [Link]
9. A good way to save money is to stop using so much electricity. This energy saving remote lets you cut the power to all of your home theatre electronics that suck up juice even when they're off. This should save you precious dollars every month. [Link]
8. Not everyone will be as responsible as you, and they may get desperate and try to steal your precious financial documents. Keep them locked up in this really intense hard drive/safe combo. It's fireproof and waterproof, so you can be sure nothing will happen to your data. [Link]
7. It's not just your digital property that you need to protect, its your physical property as well. This lock uses your fingerprint to allow access, so only you and your family will be able to get into your house when the looting and rioting begin. [Link]
6. OK, so they've cut the power to your home and you've barricaded yourself inside. You obviously can't go to the grocery store for food as all of the stores have been overtaken by roving bands of weapons-wielding former stock brokers, so you should ensure you've got plenty of non-perishable food to last you through the financial crisis. [Link]

5. So they set your house on fire, forcing you to flee into the woods. What you'll need is a tent that's quick to set up and quick to pack up when you hear the sounds of the bloodthirsty brokers crashing through the underbrush. This self-pitching tent sets itself up in the air as you throw it, allowing you to set up camp quickly and easily. [Link]
4. You'll want to be able to know the weather and charge your phone while you're on the run, and this is the device to do it for you. Assuming the national weather services haven't been overrun and destroyed, you'll be able to check on the forecast while charging your gadgets with this. [Link]
3. You need to escape the city, where all the former bankers are based, and since cars are susceptible to bombs and rocket launchers, you'll need something a bit more tough. The Rhino can withstand just about anything that's thrown at it and keep you and whatever is left of your family safe inside. [Link]
2. OK, so you needed to get out of the Rhino and dole out some punishment man-to-man. This recoilless auto shotgun can fire off 300 rounds per minute, making quick work of anyone with a blue shirt with white cuffs flecked with human blood around. Just make sure to pick up plenty of extra ammo while you're at it. [Link]
1. So you didn't make it. That's disappointing! You can at least leave a lasting memorial to yourself with your last near-worthless American dollars by purchasing this digital tombstone with your dying breath. It can display videos on its LCD monitor of you in happier times, buying gasoline for less than $US150 a gallon and owning a house that actually has some value. Maybe in heaven things will be like that again. For your sake, I hope so. [Link] [Top image via Pink Tentacle]

Comments (AU Comments · US Comments)
There are currently no AU comments for this post.
hyewarrior
Posted 4:35 AM 3/10/08
This just made me depressed :(
hyewarrior
ilves
Posted 4:29 AM 3/10/08
Actually, considering AIG stock has become dirt cheap and the company isn't going to collapse due to government intervention, buying their stock isn't that bad of an idea if you're going for a long term horizon...
ilves
Oropix
Posted 4:28 AM 3/10/08
Um... We are still talking about the instability in the financial world right? Not the zombie apocalypse that I've taken great measures to prepare that closely resemble this plan...
Oropix
SgtToastie
Posted 4:25 AM 3/10/08
@Adam Frucci: Yeah, CNN is just pissing me off though....hey! Maybe Fox will make things more enjoyable!
SgtToastie
ice_cold_irony
Posted 4:22 AM 3/10/08
@loslosbaby: I'd think it'd be more important to have no recoil if your gun is mounted on a helicopter. I mean, wouldn't it go at least a little wonky if you fired 300 full recoil shotgun slugs from a device powered by, essentially, a weed whacker motor?
ice_cold_irony
SgtToastie
Posted 4:21 AM 3/10/08
@SgtToastie: That shotgun looks fun though...
SgtToastie
Con Seannery
Posted 4:21 AM 3/10/08
No home defense systems consisting of minefields, concertino wire, automated .50 cal Gatling guns, and high pressure long range roof-mounted napalm turret?
Con Seannery
lpranal
Posted 4:20 AM 3/10/08
I gather 2 things from this article :
1) bankers / financial workers are basically zombies, and must be wiped out if this apocalypse is to be averted
2) Somehow, while everyone is inexplicably and extremely poor, there seems to be no problem procuring rocket launchers and explosives. Since money is now worthless, one can only assume the government has decided to cull the population by making it into a giant kill-or-be-killed game show, a la escape from new york.
lpranal
collider
Posted 4:20 AM 3/10/08
@Ftp1423: One can only hope.. I'm so ready!
collider
Ken_Darrow
Posted 4:19 AM 3/10/08
I thought all you need is Chuck Norris?
Ken_Darrow
Nastro
Posted 4:19 AM 3/10/08
11. Anti-Liberal protection device aka mag 50 with sniper scope.
Nastro
Adam Frucci
Posted 4:19 AM 3/10/08
@SgtToastie: I think your sense of humor needs a bailout.
Adam Frucci
Ftp1423
Posted 4:17 AM 3/10/08
So the coming Financiapocalypse is eerily similar to the impending Zombipocalypse... I see...
Ftp1423
collider
Posted 4:17 AM 3/10/08
I've got to abandon my Rhino (a project I've been working on for years) TODAY, so pardon the plug but if anyone around NYC or Westchester wants to come to White Plains and pick this thing up its pretty much free. Zoning is gonna take me to court tomorrow if it isn't gone.
[www.flickr.com]
collider
araddatz
Posted 4:16 AM 3/10/08
I just LOL'd really loud. Really loud.
araddatz
SgtToastie
Posted 4:16 AM 3/10/08
I'm sorry, but depression? I keep on ragging on you guys for your economic ideas but this is crazy. If you look at the market conditions necessary for a depression, we're simply not there. Our unemployment rate is only around 6% to 8%; not over 30%. Also we rely on whit collar jobs that require job skills unlike blue collar jobs that can be handled by people with little to no prior experience. Next, we have yet to have a negative return so we're not even in a recession by definition. Not to mention that we're not suffering from inflation or a stagnant market(overall) right now. The only people that have to worry are those in the housing market and those who lived outside their means, and they deserve whats coming to them.
SgtToastie
RE-L
Posted 4:16 AM 3/10/08
Scary...
RE-L
os_2
Posted 4:14 AM 3/10/08
I'll take one of each.
os_2
ripfire
Posted 4:12 AM 3/10/08
Damn, I didn't know preparing for depression can be so expensive.
ripfire
designguybrown
Posted 4:12 AM 3/10/08
i'm thinking quick escape - extended range jet pack to some lair on an abandoned oil rig -- isn't their a bunch of abandoned - derelict- seaworthy rigs/platforms/floating refuges around somewhere?
designguybrown
s0crates82
Posted 4:12 AM 3/10/08
#4 is analog... so if you're gonna wanna watch TV on Z day, it'd better be before Feb 2009.
s0crates82
Kaiser-Machead's LEGO WALL-E
Posted 4:09 AM 3/10/08
@loslosbaby: In a post-apocalyptic situation, I don't think the whims of the Feds matters anymore. A more pressing issue is refueling your RC killcopter.
Kaiser-Machead's LEGO WALL-E
Kaiser-Machead's LEGO WALL-E
Posted 4:05 AM 3/10/08
The scary picture of Newark aside, I'd have to go with the Rhino and ubershotgun thing, with maybe a slot for the chainsaw if ever zombies decide to start piling on.
Kaiser-Machead's LEGO WALL-E
loslosbaby
Posted 4:05 AM 3/10/08
I don't think that the shotgun being recoilless is important...dude, its mounted on a GIANT RC HELICOPTER!
(looks like a Federal Felony to do so, but, if its for the Feds, then you're a HERO!)
loslosbaby
EricAlder
Posted 4:59 AM 3/10/08
Chuck Norris doesn't need any survival equipment... he'll just wait until all lesser life-forms have perished.
EricAlder
Xavoc
Posted 4:57 AM 3/10/08
This is the 2nd apocalypse style list from Giz in the last month, and they haven't mentioned Dead Reckoning once? For shame Giz!
Xavoc
Xavoc
Posted 4:54 AM 3/10/08
@lpranal: You're thinking Running Man. Escape from New York was basically the used of an enclosed city as a free-for-all prison of sorts.
Besides, if that happened, Plisken would punch in the world code and zap all of our electronics into oblivion.
Duh.
Xavoc
Xavoc
Posted 4:53 AM 3/10/08
@Nastro: Nah, it's easier to just build a change dispersal machine ala caltrop dropper. They liberals will all be running for the change while you drive out of site. Just be sure to plaster your Rhino w/ Recycle Now, 100% Biodiesel Hybrid 99 mpg... type stickers. Oh, and don't forget the necessary "Free Obama" stickers.
In fact, they might ignore you then. Though the mormons might open fire if they saw you.
Xavoc
alowishus
Posted 4:51 AM 3/10/08
Damn, guns and ammo are expensive. How do all those wacko militia mountain men afford it?
alowishus
venomous_duck41
Posted 4:50 AM 3/10/08
@lpranal: The people that live in the ghettos and the middle east dont seem to have any problem with finding those exact weapons.
venomous_duck41
Xavoc
Posted 4:49 AM 3/10/08
@designguybrown: And L Bob Rife hasn't founded The Raft yet.
Xavoc
jabber
Posted 4:48 AM 3/10/08
@Serolf Divad: You beat me to it Serolf.
jabber
Notch Johnson
Posted 4:48 AM 3/10/08
Screw those ten items. I got a sonic screw driver.
Notch Johnson
Xavoc
Posted 4:47 AM 3/10/08
@designguybrown: Like Sealand, or are you talking oil rigs?
Xavoc
Xavoc
Posted 4:47 AM 3/10/08
@Kaiser-Machead's LEGO WALL-E: Yeah, the first time I ever saw Newark I thought, "Did I accidentally land in Beirut or perhaps someone took a howitzer to the city?"
Xavoc
Phenostar
Posted 4:46 AM 3/10/08
This article is far too rife with silliness.
Phenostar
venomous_duck41
Posted 4:44 AM 3/10/08
@Adam Frucci: Sense of Humor? You mean this wasnt 100% completely serious? I was just about to go to my local Rhino dealer offer my Cadillac for a trade! I have yet to find a fully automatic shotgun dealer though.
venomous_duck41
LiquidGravity
Posted 4:39 AM 3/10/08
@s0crates82:
If true (I don't feel like verifying it now) that's a good point.
LiquidGravity
este
Posted 4:37 AM 3/10/08
@Kaiser-Machead's LEGO WALL-E:
Newark... LOL... Is funny because it's true!
este
Serolf Divad
Posted 4:37 AM 3/10/08
Where's the Landmaster? All post-apocalyptic top 20 lists must include the Landmaster. It's like... the law or something.
Serolf Divad
utube2007
Posted 5:21 AM 3/10/08
those will not help you survive they do not meet the requirements humans need for life. food, water, air.
and plus for anything electronic you wont be using if say there was a depression you wouldnt be able to afford an electricity bill.
utube2007
MyPetFly
Posted 5:13 AM 3/10/08
With toys like these available, I'm kind of looking forward to the crash and following mayhem.
MyPetFly
Kaiser-Machead's LEGO WALL-E
Posted 5:13 AM 3/10/08
@Con Seannery: No, none at all.......you should order a pizza just to test it though.
Kaiser-Machead's LEGO WALL-E
Kaiser-Machead's LEGO WALL-E
Posted 5:12 AM 3/10/08
@Ken_Darrow: Chuck Norris laid out in his plans for 2012 that he'd be going to a far off planet to round-house kick some life of his own into fruition. We'll have to make do in his absence.
Kaiser-Machead's LEGO WALL-E
bishara
Posted 5:12 AM 3/10/08
the situation makes the middle east look not that bad,
at least people own their houses,
i find the concept of mortgage confusing.
i have seen people living in shitty places, but no one is homeless
bishara
jabber
Posted 5:03 AM 3/10/08
@Oropix: Zombies, unemployed iBankers & lawyers, same thing.
jabber
EricAlder
Posted 5:01 AM 3/10/08
Oh? I though the article was rifed with just the proper amount of silliness, if not a bit shy.
EricAlder
EricAlder
Posted 5:00 AM 3/10/08
Ah-ha! So it's YOU causing the economy to crash!
Snap out of it, man!
EricAlder
ILoveToast
Posted 5:48 AM 3/10/08
That tent is sweet but the US store is closed and their tents recalled in 2006 due to flamability. DOH!
ILoveToast
bilups
Posted 5:43 AM 3/10/08
Hey, it's the South Bronx!
bilups
Con Seannery
Posted 5:39 AM 3/10/08
@zanella: They tried Economodo once, it was supposed to be a cheaper version with less amenities...people just kept buying original...
Con Seannery
Yossarian
Posted 5:34 AM 3/10/08
@utube2007: You know what? You're spot on with both of your points. You should alert the Giz editors; I'm sure that, after the embarrassment over their blatant omissions passes, they'll print a hasty retraction, one that might even have a typo or two in it that you could catch if you were vigilant, making you a double hero for the day.
Yossarian
zanella
Posted 5:33 AM 3/10/08
Far too much doom and gloom Giz. Stop participating in the media frenzy about this and find a way to help people feel better about spending their money, not find ways to stash it in the mattress or buy some horrible apocalypse meal in a bucket.
I'm not turning a blind eye to the chhallenges we'll face in the coming weeks and months as we all try to restore consumer confidence following the media melt-down, but when I read Gizmodo, I want fun gadgets and 150" tvs, humor and the irreverent but informed opinions of your staff, not more prattling about on the economy. This is Gizmodo, not Economodo, right?
I'm still buying cool, functional gadgets because they help me be more productive and stay in touch with my customers as I run a small business. Maybe that will require the purchase of the 150" tv someday, but for now, we'll have to keep playing Rock Band 2 on a much smaller screen.
zanella
Nastro
Posted 5:27 AM 3/10/08
@Xavoc:
LOL
Nastro
smegz
Posted 5:57 AM 3/10/08
@Ftp1423: Have you ever seen what an out of work investment banker can do??? Eating brains is just the beginning my friend. Lock and load!
smegz
AtomicPlayboy
Posted 5:55 AM 3/10/08
@zanella: That's what Consumerist is for. Unfortunately, they've been peddling the end-of-the-financial-world narrative as fervently as every other media outlet.
AtomicPlayboy
lpranal
Posted 7:04 AM 3/10/08
@Xavoc: Gah I kind of combined those movies in my head. Escape from new york was better though.
lpranal
Pwnage
Posted 7:01 AM 3/10/08
How bout an inflation "panic" button?
Pwnage
shenanigans61
Posted 6:59 AM 3/10/08
@ice_cold_irony: ENGINE.
shenanigans61
Raidah
Posted 7:29 AM 3/10/08
HA! I just bought a sentry safe a few days ago.
The neighborhood I live in is the kind of neighborhood that will turn from good to bad in case of economic collapse. Or maybe I'm just paranoid.
Raidah
DeLarge
Posted 8:05 AM 3/10/08
Damn!!!
We must close the border now!!!
Thanks for the fence though
(Writing from Mexico)
DeLarge
lpranal
Posted 7:57 AM 3/10/08
@venomous_duck41: Let me know which ghetto has missle-launcher carrying crackheads so I can NEVER GO THERE EVER.
lpranal
Nintenboy01
Posted 8:39 AM 3/10/08
@Repton: AH! But how would you know which order to press them in?
Nintenboy01
Repton
Posted 8:20 AM 3/10/08
How to break into a safe with a keypad:
1. Get some fingerprint powder.
2. Apply powder to keypad.
3. Push buttons with prints on them.
4. Profit!
Repton
x23
Posted 9:10 AM 3/10/08
@Raidah: then maybe you should change your sentence to :
"HA! I just bought a sentry gun a few days ago."
x23
Toshie
Posted 10:16 AM 3/10/08
@ripfire: And depressing.
Toshie
Anubis LG
Posted 10:15 AM 3/10/08
*Hugs his Solar Panels*
I've got my free electricity....granted...it's not enough to power a computer....but it's enough to power a router and my Touch for a few hours a day...or light all night.
Hmm....light or internet.....tough choice, now that I think of it....
Anubis LG
Rincewind
Posted 1:11 PM 3/10/08
@utube2007:
I believe #6 covers the food part.
Rincewind
hellahuge52
Posted 1:41 PM 3/10/08
@Phenostar: This is funniest Engadget Article I've ever read. Whoever wrote this article is hilarious. Nice Work!
hellahuge52
hellahuge52
Posted 1:39 PM 3/10/08
I'd go with the Rhino. That thing looks bad ass.
hellahuge52
tamoko
Posted 11:22 PM 3/10/08
@Con Seannery: Don't forget the infrared spotlights so you can blind the packs of Albino Mutants as you open fire. Oh, and spout Hestonisms as your reloading too...
Never forget the Hestonisms... one of the most important tools of post-apocalyptic survival.
tamoko
tamoko
Posted 11:25 PM 3/10/08
@loslosbaby: BioShock...
tamoko
freqhz
Posted 12:40 AM 4/10/08
is the beck's beer on the list, or just an ad ?
freqhz
ipaqrat
Posted 2:34 AM 4/10/08
Does that bucket of food remind anyone of that movie Idiocracy?
ipaqrat
nocturnus
Posted 2:54 AM 4/10/08
@tamoko:
fear the roflcopter.
nocturnus