Exothermic is the leader in self-reliance brand marketing, but we like to share our wisdom with the world. Here are the top stories we’ve identified this week in our markets:

Survivalism

• Survivalist expos are drawing thousands, Companies that make bulk emergency supplies, like ready-made meals and water purifiers, have seen an uptick in sales. Prepper conventions are drawing thousands of people, and the American Preppers Network says membership increased to 40,000 this year, the highest it has ever been.
• American Farmers Are Still Fighting Tractor Software Locks, Manufacturers lock consumers into restrictive “user agreements,” and inside “there’s things like you won’t open the case, you won’t repair,” complains a U.S. advocacy group called The Repair Association. But now the issue is getting some more attention in the American press.
• Texas plans to designate official state gun along with other weapons, The cannon could become the next Texas symbol in state known for lax gun control laws, as lawmakers also consider selecting a state handgun and state knife.
• Kovea’s electric induction camping stove lightens the camping load by ditching propane, The best part of cooking in the woods with a camp stove is arguably whipping up some delicious bacon and Dutch pancakes. The worst part? Dragging along throngs of cumbersome propane canisters. the outdoor gear company Kovea has come up with a solution to the problem: a portable electric induction cooker.
• Liberals joining survivalist ranks in age of Trump,Survivalism — the stockpiling of food and otherwise preparing for a possible end of civilization — is often associated with isolated, rural and conservative Americans. But liberals are now joining the movement in growing numbers, especially wealthy residents of Silicon Valley, thanks to fears fueled by Donald Trump’s election in November.

Sustainability

• The world spent less money to add more renewable energy than ever in 2016, $241.6 billion in investment gets you 138.5 gigawatts of renewable energy.
• Chicago Set To Become First Major US City To Be Powered 100% By Renewable Electricity, Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel announced this week that the city has committed to ensure all government buildings will be powered by 100% renewable electricity by 2025, which would make the city the country’s largest major city to power all their public buildings from 100% renewable electricity.
• This Edible Water Bottle Is How You’ll Drink In The Future, A new gelatinous sphere called the Ooho contains one portion of water, then you can eat the packaging or put it in your compost bin.
• Kentucky Coal Museum Switches To Solar Power, Experts believe that even the recent deregulation of the coal industry will not be enough to bring back coal jobs. 1923 is the past, and we are past the time when coal was booming — coal is in a rapid decline for a few reasons. The coal industry remains more a part of our country’s fast-transforming history than anything else. That’s the story of the solar industry today.
• This solar panel produces up to 5 liters of drinking water per day from the air, Zero Mass Water’s Source device is a rooftop solar device that produces water instead of just electricity.
• California Overcame 1/100 Odds to Beat Its Epic Drought, Never tell California the odds. Not only has the state recovered from its record-breaking drought, it did so in record time. According to a new NOAA study looking at 445 years of climate data, California had a 1 percent chance of breaking the drought in just two years.
• The De-Electrification of the U.S. Economy, For more than a century after the advent of commercial electrical power in the late 1800s, electricity use in the U.S. rose and rose and rose. Sure, there were pauses during recessions, but the general trajectory was up. Until 2007, it appears.
• Climate change could make future flights a lot rougher, Turbulence could double or triple later this century.
• Elon Musk says Tesla will unveil its electric semi truck in September, Electric pickup truck coming in 18–24 months.

Self-Improvement

• Kobo will sell discounted digital copies of your paper books, It purchased a company called Shelfie and will add that feature to its apps.
• Here’s the Fine Print On The Country’s Biggest-Ever Free College Plan, New York State has passed legislation that would create the largest experiment in the country to offer free tuition at two- and four-year colleges. The Excelsior Scholarship, approved over the weekend as part of the state budget, would cover full-time students in the State University of New York system, which totals 64 campuses and 1.3 million students.
• Which Graduate Degree Gets You Out of Debt the Fastest?, If you’re one of the 29% who feels their choice of major in college didn’t prepare them to secure the job they wanted after graduation, you may be considering graduate school as a shot at a do-over. Those seeking higher income may indeed find themselves better equipped after earning a graduate degree. But this second chance can come at a steep cost.
• A Price Analysis of Restaurant Food, Americans are now spending more at restaurants than they spend at grocery stores. We know that’s more expensive, but eating at a restaurant means you save time, don’t have to shop, cook, or clean up, and you can eat things that are difficult to prepare at home. Meanwhile, restaurant operators must carefully calculate the price of their meals to cover costs while still attracting diners.
• Ready Or Not (For Kindergarten) Some Research Says, Enroll Anyway, When I was 4 years old my parents faced a decision. My birthday is in late November, so should they send me to kindergarten as the youngest kid in my class? Or, wait another year to enroll me? — A practice referred to as academic redshirting.
• New Research Says Starting University Classes at 11am or Later Would Improve Learning, Using a sample of first- and second-year college students at the University of Nevada-Reno in the US and Britain’s Open University, a group of researchers analyzed students’ cognitive performance throughout the day and found that the best learning happened in classes that began later in the morning.

Last, but not least:

• Logitech Introduces High-Resistance Keyboard For Fitness-Minded Typists, Saying that an intense workout was now as close as their home or office work station, computer accessory manufacturer Logitech unveiled on Thursday a new freestanding resistance keyboard for fitness-minded typists.
• Dedicated Florida Dairy Farmer Serenades His Beloved Cows With Live Jazz on His Trombone
• An entire camera, disassembled
• The Zombie Apocalypse for Geeks:
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