Me and 19,999 women aged 18-30.
For Og’s sake, get Peter Gabriel back to do the writing, too.
That’s why I’m not responding constructively to this thread. I have no desire to be called a racist pig, or to get into any religious or cultural debate.
Don’t worry-this will stay strictly a poll. If people wish to debate or engage in name calling, they can do it in the appropriate forums.
I choose what I know about. I’m sure I could do the research to find non-Western, non-English based cultural samples. But I don’t know any of those sites, at this time.
As for screening for religious or political reasons? Unless one chooses a monolithic culture to import, I just don’t see how that could be done without interviews.
I’m prioritizing things. I figure I’m responsible for 1) preserving the species 2) getting the tools to thrive at a low tech level and 3) rebuilding a civilization, in approximately that order. So to deal with level 1, I’m making sure that the mean of my curve is of people are of childbearing age, with a generous smattering of older and youger people, to include children, and keeping an eye on the sex ratio, but otherwise I figure the preservation will take care of itself. For genetics, see below.
Level 2
bowhunters
fletchers
trappers
farmers
fisherpeople
anyone with ‘primitive camping’ skills, whether cultural or acquired
ER docs
midwives
Level 3A
miners
carpenters
wheelwrights
wainwrights
ropemakers
sailors
botanists
zoologists
geologists
engineers
elementary / high school / college professors / philosophers
No mimes. NO CLOWNS
I’d like genetic diversity, and cultural diversity, but it is secondary to the above. I’m going to get more english speakers, just because I can more easily lure them into the portal, and because I don’t know good spots for finding zoologists in Beijing.
On a serious note, I’ll probably take a load of people from Hawai’i and BC for just these reasons (cultural and genetic diversity in places I know). If I snaffle up UH and UBC I’ll get a lot of the cultural and genetic diversity I want, as well as covering a lot of level 3, and getting a good start on my mean childbearing and prechildbearing age range.
I don’t have a lot of time. If I did, I’d do this differently. That’s why most of the strategies so far have involved going to someplace where there should be lots of the skills I want (a historic re-creation site) and shoving (I mean asking) people through my portal.
I claim victory!
??? 
I’m not sure what you mean? I need to be worried that I might pick up a terrorist?
I have five days to find people. It doesn’t make sense to spend a day flying to India before starting recruitment.
No, it’s just that most were looking for a way to get as technologically advanced group as is possible, and I’m wondering if that should be the priority. I’m not saying it shouldn’t be, mind you.
Remember, you can teleport.
I’m not looking for technologically advanced, I’m looking for lo-tech, for survival, and lots of knowledgable people with which to rebuild medium-tech, and remember how to make hi-tech, for after we’ve survived. Other than that I’m looking for genetic diversity, and secondarily cultural diversity.
By the way, why has Boyo Jim won?
Because he was the first to claim victory, of course. Like Mornington Crescent.
A case of Rice-A-Roni, the San Francisco treat!
There’s always a loophole. Why, besides ‘thems the rules’ is it 20,000 people max? Does the machine simply shut down at 20,000? Do we know this in advance? If so, how? Billions of lives are on the line, man. What’s the climate, soil composition, and average preciptation of the local region on the planet the receiving teleporter was placed? This information can make all the difference in my decision to include the Innuit. Is there any indigenous animal life there? There’d almost have to be or we’d most certainly resort to cannibalism once the Snickers bars were all et up and we couldn’t find water on that forsaken desert planet with no television.
Good point. I’ve been assuming a world similar to earth (plants, animals, varied biomes) but with no people. If we have to slaughter the Triffids or the Barsoomians, this is going to get ugly.
Sorry folks-I’ll give you teleportation, but not omniscience. No cheat codes, no back door, no Kobayashi Maru.
BTW, that “Kobayashi Maru” crap would have gotten Kirk kicked out of any real military academy.
I’ll give you this-it’s like Earth,more or less.
That’s a lot of wiggle room. Like… it’s just life the earth, except that there’s argon rather than oxygen in the atmosphere. The local life forms have adapted to it.
Don’t worry-that’s the Twilight Zone theme you hear in the background, not the theme from The Outer Limits.
Hmmm. that is small comfort for 20,000 tribesmen who’ve never seen a TV. 