Another newb here. I'll try at least. Recognizing that nobody is going to care what I have to say, I choose to say it anyway.
I think the 2012 thing is a huge steaming pile of bovine excrement. As has been said before in this thread, they simply ran out of room on the rock.
However, I do think we should be prepared. The reason why is the economy and banking. I recommend you watch this video (and all in the series):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vVkFb26u9g8
Basically, the value American Dollar is about to fall off a cliff. The way I see it, there will be a worldwide run on the dollar, as countries try to dump their excess dollars on the market. You'll wake up one morning and your money will be worthless. Sit back and think about that for a minute or two. Let it sink in real good.
I could write a whole book on it, but that's beyond the scope of this post.
That said, I have been thinking about how transportation would occur when you can't get gas anymore. The more I think about it, I think something like a 2.8L Ranger, running on Wood Gas, with points ignition, would be about right.