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What would you do if the tech. safety net failed?
Posted: January 28, 2003, 12:05 pm
by Skordopordonikos
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.
Posted: January 28, 2003, 12:12 pm
by vn_Tanc
Civilisation is 3 meals and 24 hours away from barbarism.
Posted: January 28, 2003, 12:14 pm
by Aabidano
Posted: January 28, 2003, 12:19 pm
by Lalanae
You have added this person to your Ignore List. Click HERE to view this post.
Die anon troll
Posted: January 28, 2003, 12:35 pm
by Bubba Grizz
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.
Posted: January 28, 2003, 12:36 pm
by Kylere
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.
Posted: January 28, 2003, 12:51 pm
by Sabek
But but but if he does that we might not like him.
Posted: January 28, 2003, 12:55 pm
by Xouqoa
That's some scary shit if it is for real.
Posted: January 28, 2003, 1:27 pm
by Skordopordonikos
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?
Posted: January 28, 2003, 1:42 pm
by Xouqoa
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.
Posted: January 28, 2003, 1:44 pm
by Canoe
I "might" consider responding to this once you decide to stop being anon, until then, kindly fuck off.
Posted: January 28, 2003, 1:45 pm
by Forthe
My STFU list just grew 100%
Posted: January 28, 2003, 1:45 pm
by Sylvus
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!
Posted: January 28, 2003, 1:53 pm
by Sirensa
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.
Posted: January 28, 2003, 4:51 pm
by Samoseus
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
Posted: January 28, 2003, 5:29 pm
by Midnyte_Ragebringer
Dude, have you not read the replies here? We don't like anon trolls.
Posted: January 28, 2003, 5:41 pm
by Sionistic
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
Posted: January 28, 2003, 5:44 pm
by cid
Welcome to STFU.
Posted: January 28, 2003, 5:45 pm
by Fairweather Pure
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.
Posted: January 28, 2003, 6:22 pm
by Zamtuk
Is there anything you don't cut and paste you anon fuck?
Posted: January 28, 2003, 6:28 pm
by Drolgin Steingrinder
my dog ate my left pinkie toe, i now have to wait until it shits it out again so I can reattach it.
Posted: January 28, 2003, 6:44 pm
by kurzweil
hm.
/pharm
Posted: January 28, 2003, 6:54 pm
by cid
One time in Troll camp.......
Posted: January 28, 2003, 7:55 pm
by Skordopordonikos
/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?
Posted: January 28, 2003, 7:59 pm
by Sirensa
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.

Posted: January 28, 2003, 8:04 pm
by Vetiria
kurzweil wrote:hm.
/pharm
agreed
Posted: January 28, 2003, 9:08 pm
by Trias
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!
Posted: January 29, 2003, 1:54 am
by Fallanthas
Someone with some stones restart this thread.
It's a good topic. Be fun to reply to.
Posted: January 29, 2003, 2:39 am
by Mak
This will answer your question, but I won't give away the ending.