What would you do if the tech. safety net failed?

Skordopordonikos · Post by **Skordopordonikos** » January 28, 2003, 12:05 pm

Many years ago, I saw a BBC series (with James Burke - before Connections) and the last episode was basically the subject headline.

I seem to remember the premise he started with was for whatever reason trucks were no longer able to bring food into NYC, that the place would be a ghost town in 30 days. (Apparently there is only a two week supply at any given time).

So the basic questions he asked were:
- Could you protect yourself and your family from the chaos that would ensue when you and the other 9 million or so are all trying to evacuate the city.

- Once you were free of the masses and had located some arable land, could you locate the seeds, plow/plant, and protect it while you harvested it? (He made the point that you might get away with farm equipment the first year until you ran out of gas, but then, did you have the skills to be able to farm w/o them?)

- After the food was harvested, did you know how to store the food, and save seeds out for the next year's crop?

Well, for those who would like to participate, lets take this mental challenge a step further.

When I was a child, my grandfather told me about the 'summer that didn't happen' or something like that. A fairly large volcanic explosion occured on some other part of the planet, and it snowed on his farm in June - everyone's crops were a total loss for the year.

Well, a really large volcanic explosion could not only shut down the growth cycle for a couple years, with several poor years thereafter, if it dropped the overall temperatures it could very well shut down the ocean currents - very bad news. This has happened before btw.

Sooo, would you be one of the masses running for the equator looking for anything larger than a rat to eat - most likely after the first couple years that would include people.

Ooooor, would you find a hole in the ground, and try and wait it out. If this was your option, what would you take with you to keep you and your family alive for say.... ten years?

This isn't trolling for assholes, I really want to know.

vn_Tanc · Post by **vn_Tanc** » January 28, 2003, 12:12 pm

Civilisation is 3 meals and 24 hours away from barbarism.

Aabidano · Post by **Aabidano** » January 28, 2003, 12:14 pm

http://www.bbc.co.uk/science/horizon/19 ... ript.shtml

Lalanae · Post by **Lalanae** » January 28, 2003, 12:19 pm

You have added this person to your Ignore List. Click HERE to view this post.

Die anon troll

Bubba Grizz · Post by **Bubba Grizz** » January 28, 2003, 12:35 pm

John Christopher is an author who wrote books about cataclysmic events on the planet and how people adjusted to them. The books I liked most were Wrinkle in the Skin and Death of Grass.

Kylere · Post by **Kylere** » January 28, 2003, 12:36 pm

I would like to have responded to this, but until you own up to who you are in game, I see no reason to do so.

Sabek · Post by **Sabek** » January 28, 2003, 12:51 pm

But but but if he does that we might not like him.

Post by **Xouqoa** » January 28, 2003, 12:55 pm

Aabidano wrote:http://www.bbc.co.uk/science/horizon/19 ... ript.shtml

That's some scary shit if it is for real.

Skordopordonikos · Post by **Skordopordonikos** » January 28, 2003, 1:27 pm

Please, seriously think through the problem: What knowledge, skills and goods do you need to take into this 'cave' if you and your family are to survive?

If you wanted to prepare today for this event, what goods would you store that you would reasonably expect to keep for say.... 15 to 20 years?

Let me start it off and see whether you agree/disagree, or what other items you think are critical for survival:

- An extensive underground space, possibly as much as 3 to 5 acres with it's own water supply; preferably with a strong enough pressure to support hydroelectric generation. So unless you know where one of these places are, you'll need the skills to be able to make this space, install and support the turbines and generator.
- Air vents. Preferably with air turbines installed. Again, you'll have to know how and have the equipment to be able to drill these.
- The reason for the space and power is so you can grow/maintain crops and animals within the cave itself. (If people can't find you, they can't take your stuff).
- Crops: From what I've read, the easiest crop to maintain - if the area, light, and water is available - is rice. Veggie stuff in a small hydroponics lab would be nice.
- Animals: Rabbits, because they're small, relatively easy to keep, and they breed like, uh, 'rabbits'. (Sorry fur haters, but their skins would be a good thing too). I believe you could keep carp in the rice paddies...
Another animal I'd seriously consider keeping if space was available would be alpacas. They produce meat, milk, and they can be sheared to provide 'wool'. Sorry, but I haven't done enough research in this yet to know how much they eat a year and what would have to be stored/grown to keep a few of these guys alive.

Finally, at least a little planning needs to go into what you want to take out of the cave when the planet becomes habitable again.... Seeds, nuts, etc. Another item I think that should be kept in the cave is bees. (Pollenation is a good thing. ) - Again, I haven't done enough reading to see how hard it would be to keep them in a cave for several years.

Alrightie, there's a start. I deliberately didn't talk about defenses, somebody else want to pick that up, or add/disagree with the above?

Post by **Xouqoa** » January 28, 2003, 1:42 pm

Thinking about this makes my brain hurt.

I'll be the first to admit that I would probably die if it came down to living in caves underground with hydroelectric water things to stay alive or something.

Oh ya, defenses... sharp, pointy sticks.

Canoe · Post by **Canoe** » January 28, 2003, 1:44 pm

I "might" consider responding to this once you decide to stop being anon, until then, kindly fuck off.

Forthe · Post by **Forthe** » January 28, 2003, 1:45 pm

My STFU list just grew 100%

Post by **Sylvus** » January 28, 2003, 1:45 pm

I'd become a warlord and amass an army of dune buggies and beat up trucks. I'd create a venue that I called the "Thunderdome" and I'd hold modern day gladiator contests in there, where two men were allowed to enter, but only one man could leave. Man, sometimes my ideas are so good they should be made into movies!

Sirensa · Post by **Sirensa** » January 28, 2003, 1:53 pm

I'd probably die from the initial explosion. As would most everyone else in the U.S. The remaining world population would dwindle down to Swedes...

Really the only thing anyone can do in a situation like that is be lucky and adapt quickly. Would definately weed certain characteristics out of the gene pool. Assuming anyone survived at all, which is unlikely in the event of a supervolcano such as Yellowstone erupting.

Samoseus · Post by **Samoseus** » January 28, 2003, 4:51 pm

Hmmm

This thread made me think a bit about what if....

My list I have already stored just in case:

Food: some supplies with a 10 year shelf life which I had already bought in case of mass earthquake disaster
Water: got water purification tablets
Lights: got solar powered flashlights, solar radio
Weapons: I have these ready too

.

Dont have yet:
Seeds:I dont have seeds so I'll have to wait till I see someone else growing corn, etc... And damn right I'm going to take it LOLOLOL

Samoseus

Midnyte_Ragebringer · January 28, 2003, 5:29 pm

Dude, have you not read the replies here? We don't like anon trolls.

Sionistic · Post by **Sionistic** » January 28, 2003, 5:41 pm

while i would like him not to be anon, i read his posts, and they dont seem to be trolling
Edit: now after reading his other posts, die anon idiot

cid · Post by **cid** » January 28, 2003, 5:44 pm

Welcome to STFU.

Fairweather Pure · Post by **Fairweather Pure** » January 28, 2003, 5:45 pm

Trolling or not, we have one simple rule here and this fucktard is breaking it. While the question it poses is an interesting one, I also refuse to participate until it rubs the lotion on it's skin, puts the lotion in the basket, and posts under it's in-game name.

Zamtuk · Post by **Zamtuk** » January 28, 2003, 6:22 pm

Is there anything you don't cut and paste you anon fuck?

Drolgin Steingrinder · January 28, 2003, 6:28 pm

my dog ate my left pinkie toe, i now have to wait until it shits it out again so I can reattach it.

kurzweil · Post by **kurzweil** » January 28, 2003, 6:44 pm

hm.

/pharm

cid · Post by **cid** » January 28, 2003, 6:54 pm

One time in Troll camp.......

Skordopordonikos · Post by **Skordopordonikos** » January 28, 2003, 7:55 pm

/CAPS ON

YOU WIN!

/CAPS OFF

Make me waste a perfectly good mule since all 24 of my/wife's/daughter's accounts are full.

But hey, certain customs must be fulfilled.....

So now what about the damn question?

Or are you going to be so lame as to insist it doesn't count if it isn't my main?

Sirensa · Post by **Sirensa** » January 28, 2003, 7:59 pm

Skordopordonikos wrote: Or are you going to be so lame as to insist it doesn't count if it isn't my main?

It doesn't count if it isn't your main.

Vetiria · Post by **Vetiria** » January 28, 2003, 8:04 pm

kurzweil wrote:hm.

/pharm

agreed

Trias · Post by **Trias** » January 28, 2003, 9:08 pm

i'd kill all my neighbors and their children and start working on everyone else within my vicinity and i would SALT their meat for preservation...gotta have food to maintain strength for thunderdome gladitorial fighting!

Fallanthas · Post by **Fallanthas** » January 29, 2003, 1:54 am

Someone with some stones restart this thread.

It's a good topic. Be fun to reply to.

Mak · Post by **Mak** » January 29, 2003, 2:39 am

This will answer your question, but I won't give away the ending.