if we were all that remained of society, could we survive.

[The Mance]

(sadly) I think my time in the salmon canneries makes me supremely qualified to singlehandedly gut and clean fish for 16,000 people. Someone else will have to catch them first though.

Apart from that I can build, log, hunt, farm and scavenge at least well enough to keep my ass out of the cook pots. I could also be in charge of the "pretty furniture" division of the reconstruction efforts.

We might want to hold off on the breeding for a bit until that part has been figured out.

Surely a few of us ought to continue to at least practice the mechanics of breeding? If only to keep the program....err... on task, as it were.

[niamh]

I had better be able to drive a boat if this ever happens.

One paddle on the left, one paddle on the right, darling.

There has to be at least one person with medical experience in our group... if not, maybe the people with agricultural backgrounds could fill in until we find (or train) a suitable doctor?

Ixodes is a vet. That'll do me.

I'll oversee the picking, breaking and maintenance of horses. And I'll laugh at you all when you gt a sore arse and chapped legs, because I can't make saddles (we'll have to steal those). Timmett can have the pasture management end of it and Cat can build my sheds.

Can anyone make clothes?

All the non-skillers please head to the nearest deserted library and do the practical reading or picking of books we plods will need and won't have time to look for

Also I'll try to find a way to shoot 15 000 of youse, because frankly, I have enough issues with the top 100 already.

[tenalpia]

I ain't going on the breeding list. I've already done that and i'm done :P

I have survival skills, organisational / planning skills, basic cooking skills, childcare skills, basic clothes making skills.... I have my uses and I learn fast so I just need to work out exactly where the fun people are working and go join them!

[Alexia]

Can anyone make clothes?

I know how to sew, basic crochet (needs practice), and embroidery. I also know how to make wine and take care of a garden. And my head is crammed full of classic literature and theater so I can help the teachers. Does that keep me from getting eaten?

For the breeding issue, I would think most women who've had a baby would be able to attend at a birth. I think I could handle it, although if there are any complications you're toast. :lol:

[Happy Ent]

[...] I have a pretty good knowledge of just about every technology and process involved in manufacturing a computer except for the actual design of the logic circuits and the software.

Excellent. There are enough programmers on this board to take it from there.

Since I’m probably the highest ranking board computer scientist, I would naturally command that force. We’ll do everything from the ground up — from the most intricate details of the operating system. Since I’m a theorist, we’ll use formal methods, proving everything correct in some yet-to-developed formalism. It will be amazing! Never shall buggy code run on the XRay-2001. (For that will be its name.)

We will expect the development process to be slightly slower than what you’re used to, but I’m sure you all appreciate how important this is. Do note how infinitely productive the rest of society will be, because World of Warcraft is many years off. (But it won’t hang.)

[Edda van Heefmstra Ruston]

I can sew if I've got fabric, but we'll probably have to do a lot of scavenging before we get to the point of making (much less dying) our own stuff. (Getting fibers, either from plants or animals; carding; spinning; weaving.... complex stuff.) Oh and I can make candles too, though similar restrictions apply: I can't make the raw materials -- I am no apiarist!! -- but I can put them together. And cook, of course, though that's not unusual.

OTOH I've seen a lot of Scrapheap Challenge, so maybe I can be useful making stuff out of other random stuff. Maybe?

Fuel -- do we invest time in creating a pump that will be able to empty out the deserted gas/petrol stations? If we stay too reliant on it, we could end up in a Mad Max scenario. On the other hand, do we try to transfer immediately to a non-petrol situation, and lose all of our refrigeration, accustomed transportation, etc? I'm guessing we lose most if not all electricity with or without a change in petrol, at least until our all-knowing scientists and engineers manage to rig together some appropriate solar-, wind-, geothermal-, etc-powered generators. (If we decide to stay on that path, that is.)

[Bellis]

There's an awful lot of talk about breeding in this thread. But no planning. It's like you think that if you just go about it randomly, it'll all work out. I shake my head at that. I nominate myself for chief eugenicist geneticist.

[Arbor Gold]

All the non-skillers please head to the nearest deserted library and do the practical reading or picking of books we plods will need and won't have time to look for

I would be happy to share my copy of the Worst Case Scenario Survival Handbook, as long as I am not in immediate danger of having to perform an emergency tracheotomy or jump out of a moving car.

That's pretty much all I have to contribute to the cause, so I would expect to be among the early wave of those eaten. I nominate Limecat for all battlefield motivational speachgiving, and JL should probably start composing the inspirational speech that convinces us to carry on although everything feels hopeless.

[TerraPrime]

rig together some appropriate solar-, wind-, geothermal-, etc-powered generators. (If we decide to stay on that path, that is.)

Solar would be a challenge unless we're allowed to scavenge. Photovoltaic cells are not easy to fabricate in primitive conditions. We can certainly use less advanced method of harnessing sunlight, e.g. using mirror arrays to collect the heat to be used in daily things like showers and washing. But to store that energy and to transform it to electricity will be challenging. Wind energy is more feasible, since it just requires a magnet, some wires, some metal blades, and we're about good to go. In certain areas, hydroelectricity might also be feasible, subject to limitations on our engineering team. All in all, I think wind is the easiest to harness. We should get enough for household uses. Industrial uses might take a bit of work.

Speaking of, we'd need to get the architects on board to design energy-efficiency domiciles. We'll grab fee and naz and hauberk there.

As for medical staff, we have two doctors, though one is still finishing his training. We do have several boarders in the physician assistant/nursing area though.

As for your fabric question, don't forget that Ser Scot attended the convention on using animal fibres. :P

[The_BlauerDragon]

Funny that horses and clothes should be brought up. I used to break horses for my grandfather on occasion when I was younger (at this age, I could instrcut on technique for younger souls to do the breaking), I've done some tanning (along with a fair amount of skinning and leather work), and I have actually made a saddle (and a pair of boots) before. It wasn't all that good of a saddle (and the boots didn't last very long), but I'm sure that with practice I could get there. I can also make a damned near gourmet meal out of a rattlesnake, a few wild onions, a bit of salt & pepper, and a campfire (we'll have wild strawberries and such for garnish and desert).

[Hereward]

I know what you've all been thinking. Well you can put your mind at rest. I can pick up the sorely needed baton of performing all the media analysis our commune might need.

You're welcome.

[niamh]

Excellent. There are enough programmers on this board to take it from there.

Since I'm probably the highest ranking board computer scientist, I would naturally command that force. We'll do everything from the ground up — from the most intricate details of the operating system. Since I'm a theorist, we'll use formal methods, proving everything correct in some yet-to-developed formalism. It will be amazing! Never shall buggy code run on the XRay-2001. (For that will be its name.)

We will expect the development process to be slightly slower than what you're used to, but I'm sure you all appreciate how important this is. Do note how infinitely productive the rest of society will be, because World of Warcraft is many years off. (But it won't hang.)

Bicycle powered computers?

You high minded geeks may find an engineer to sort out a reliable source of electricity first :P

Just sayin

[Edda van Heefmstra Ruston]

I know what you've all been thinking. Well you can put your mind at rest. I can pick up the sorely needed baton of performing all the media analysis our commune might need.

You're welcome.

Hurrah!

I always wanted to be sure whether or not we were at war with Eurasia today.

[niamh]

I know what you've all been thinking.

That you will reinvent whiskey and whisky and commence production within 6 months?

Hurrah!

I always wanted to be sure whether or not we were at war with Eurasia today.

:lol:

[TrueMetis]

One paddle on the left, one paddle on the right, darling.

:lol: I just remembered when I was 8 I learned to paddle a canoe. So I'm good. :thumbsup:

I nominate myself as head of everything mechanical. Unless there's an actual mechanic on the board? If that the case I'll be his assistant, or the assisstant of any of the scientists, I'm good at chemistry and biology without even trying, and I'm doing decent in physics. If none of that works out I'll figure something out because of have a decent understanding of mechanics ,construction, plumbing, electical wiring, welding, etc. Is this apocalypse happening soon? becuase if it happens after 3 years I nominate myself to become the head of the new military.

Now onto another issue, religion, the way I see it we have 3 options 1) no religion allowed 2) everyone can keep there own religion 3) we worship GRRM.

ETA

Solar would be a challenge unless we're allowed to scavenge. Photovoltaic cells are not easy to fabricate in primitive conditions. We can certainly use less advanced method of harnessing sunlight, e.g. using mirror arrays to collect the heat to be used in daily things like showers and washing. But to store that energy and to transform it to electricity will be challenging. Wind energy is more feasible, since it just requires a magnet, some wires, some metal blades, and we're about good to go. In certain areas, hydroelectricity might also be feasible, subject to limitations on our engineering team. All in all, I think wind is the easiest to harness. We should get enough for household uses. Industrial uses might take a bit of work.

I think I could figure out how to make a nuclear reactor, it would be the ultimate source of energy, and for 16000 people it could be tiny like 1 metre by 1 metre by 1 metre and it would still produce a lot of excess energy.

[timmet]

With Eefa, Niamh, and Tenalpia onboard, we can reverse the decline of redheads and repopulate with a superior Ginger Race. Kewl. Tenalpia will provide for the common defense in case marauding goats come down from the mountains. Definitely need the hoss-wrangling skillz of Niamh, Balefont, and Iseult: I'm not getting anywhere near them crazy fuckers. I mean the horses. (Probably.)

Sixteen thousand isn't that many people. Small town, or a big village. We'd need probably 25,000 acres under cultivation, which means a minimum of ~2000 people dedicated to farming full time, if we assume good bottomland & 19th century equipment and techniques. We could supplement with higher-density techniques like greenhouses or tunnel farming, which extends the season and reduces irrigation needs. And come harvest, we'll need to pull everyone off their other jobs to dig taters & such.

Figure another 2000 people dedicated to livestock tending and hunting. Twenty to 25% of the populace directly devoted to production of food, hides, and fiber sound about right? Then a lot of post-production, like milling grain, butchering meat, dressing leather, etc -- some done in the home, some by specialists. With no military, a modest police force, no priesthood or full-time political class, we should be free of the parasitic drains those institutions impose on societies.

Old people go out on the ice. Sorry. When you're too far gone to chew leather, you are bear food.

[The Mance]

Bicycle powered computers?

You high minded geeks may find an engineer to sort out a reliable source of electricity first :P

Just sayin

Maybe we could divert a few hundred library-book-getters and oven-stuffers to run on giant hamster wheels? That'll keep the lights on, at least till the sciency types can figure out something more permanent.

Which reminds me...

.....would be a challenge....... not easy to fabricate......use less advanced method.....will be challenging.......might..be feasible......subject to limitations.....take a bit of work.

Your poor attitude and utter lack of wispy white hair is making me hungry. Do you even own a lab coat?

[Hereward]

Old people go out on the ice. Sorry. When you're too far gone to chew leather, you are bear food.

Couldn't we just go somewhere with no bears?

Other than that, good points all, though your no doubt inadvertent omission of the importance of media analysis will, hopefully, be corrected in the edit.

Edit: It just occurred to me, I could (theoretically) polish drive a tractor.

[Trebla]

okay...if I wasn't eating the useless (which would include my lame ass) I would open the firsttavern. Who doesn't need the spirits to raise the Armaggedon Blues? I would also have a separate section for the Hash bar. For medicinal purposes, of course. Will read up on gardening and will watch Cheers.

[Noontidal]

I could survive quite well on my own with or without technology. With only 16,000 other people, if the situation was unpleasant or the op did gain his power-play, I'd probably get a smallish group to head elsewhere. It would not be hard to get far enough away that he'd never know where we settled.