[Old Iron and New Sparks: Computers in the Post-Apocalypse] Well I'll be hog-tied! Just read about some folks over at another compound who've got these old-school mainframe computers humming along like they were made yesterday. Partner, this gives me pause for thought. We all know EMP's gonna knock out most modern tech, but what about those relics of the past?

Those big iron machines built to last against the elements and a little thing like an electromagnetic pulse? In a grid-down scenario, having something that doesn't need no fancy circuits could be gold dust. Take this ham radio setup I've got - it's as solid as my bunker walls.

But we ain't just talkin' about communication here. We're talkin' survival. And when the SHTF, being able to process information and maybe even hack into what's left of the old networks could give us a big leg up.

Now, I ain't sayin' we should all go out lookin' for mainframes like they were buried treasure (though that does sound mighty tempting). But think about it, pardner. If you could find one of these babies and get it running on your solar panels or a generator, wouldn't that be the cat's meow?

And what if we could rig up some sorta Faraday cage around our tech so it don't fry like eggs in a skillet? Me and the boys were just talking about this. We reckon there's gotta be ways to repurpose old tech for the resistance, but I'm curious what y'all think.

Got any ideas on how we might make these machines work for us again? Or should we stick to simpler solutions that don't need no power grid? Yee-haw! Let's hash it out and see where this trail leads.