Hmmm…Now why is the song Country Boy Can Survive playing in my head?
…I can plow a field all day long
I can catch catfish from dusk till dawn
We make our own whiskey and our own smoke too
Ain’t too many things these ole boys can’t do
We grow good ole tomatoes and homemade wine
And a country boy can survive…
Wait a minute, wait a minute, wait a minute. I think we’re losing sight of the original premise. It wasn’t nuclear holocaust - it was Y2K, right? We’re not talking about massive loss of life - we’re talking “modern society breaks down when the power and communications go out.” Something like what happened in Florida when Hurricane Andrew came through.
So, January 1st, 2000 - at the stroke of midnight, all the lights go out (plus the heat if you have electric heat), all phones, computers, televisions, traffic lights stop working. For the sake of argument, let’s say these things can’t be repaired.
So you wake up the next morning and the power’s out, and it’s cold. The fridge is out and whatever’s in there is getting warm. You can’t use the electric stove or the microwave. No phone, no TV - you try to get news on the radio.
You can’t get any money from the bank ATM, the bank isn’t open, and it’s unclear when - or if - it will be. You can’t use any credit cards because the machines that read them don’t work. Let’s assume with the banks closed you can’t get anyone to accept your checks.
You can use your car, truck, motorcycle as long as the tank is full (Do service pumps require electricity? If so, you could gas up your car until the service station tank goes dry.). Then you’re gonna walk or ride a bike.
Milk a cow? Why? Do you have one? Grow crops? It’s January. You check to see what non-perishable food items you have on hand. Guess you’re going to have to loot a store by the end of the week, if there’s anything left. You’re the person who has trouble complaining about bad service. Just imagine how crazy other people are going to be. At least you’re level-headed. Wonder what’s going on down at the hospital? Hope nobody gets hurt.
Probably the National Guard or the Army or somebody will be along to distribute food and make sure things don’t get out of hand. Will there be mail delivery?
Not sure how far you want to take this scenario. Eventually of course the computers would be repaired. But imagine if you had to abruptly change to a candle-burning, hunting-gathering-trading, go to bed with the sun, horse-drawn 19th century lifestyle.
Feel free to continue my premise. There are no massive deaths, but lots of looting, especially in big cities. After a while you can’t get from place to place quickly and easily, and communication is all done face-to-face (maybe you get some news on the radio, but you’re trying to preserve the batteries). Possibly your job no longer exists, so your days are free to do what you need to keep warm and fed. And then…
Maeglin
Cool. Lemme go get my mohawk haircut then…
As for the trebuchet, I’m less than 2 hours from The City by Metroliner. I’m also not far from the Pumpkin Chunkin’ capital of the world, Lewes, DE. Could be fun…
Cattails.
I know how to cook 'em.
Spring of 1999? If I remember correctly, I was desperately trying to finish my thesis on finance, tactics, and the Gascon War.
Once again, we are so redundant.
This is starting to sound really tempting.
You take the role of Master of Assassins or Horde Historian or a Cunning Linguist for the Warlords; I’ll merely be the impartial third party who directs the military might of the Warlords at preferred targets.
LNO lo volt, perhaps.
Man, you always get to be the Pope! I am tired of running around in this silly armor. I want to wear the funny hat.
Ex-military with degree’s in physics, chemistry, computer science, almost math and almost psychology having used to do my own automotive work to include removing/installing an engine/clutch/brakes etc., well-read on survival stories, no health problems and youngish I’d say I’m a fairly efficient jack o’ all trades. I’ve built a 150 sq ft deck and rebuild a lawn mower. I’ve got an actual copy of the Anarchists Cookbook too.
I’m a taxidermist, so I have no problem wih skinning animals.
I’m also very cute.
I’m real good at taking things apart, fixing them, and putting them back together. I’m a hacker in the sense that I can cobble stuff together and make something useful even if the original parts had nothing to do with the final product. I’m good with my hands and my brain. I’d do well on Junkyard Wars. But my most useful skill would probably be (since nobody else mentioned it) hydroponics/aeroponics. To hell with plowing fields - give me enough salvaged PVC pipe and/or other assorted goodies and I’ll grow 10 times more than some measly soil farmer, given the same amount of space. I can build simple greenhouses, too. Also, I’m good with electricity and electronics, so if we wanted to build a generator and power distribution system, I could help with that, too.
In case Civilization II skills are needed after the apocalypse, I can get to Alpha Centauri by 1500 AD. I can also speak French, German, Russian and Esperanto and might be able to start a fire, given some matches or a lighter. And I could apply what wonderful survival skills I was taught in school: plotting parabolas, finding the aortic archids in an earthworm, or recounting the major events of the Franco-Prussian War (!). I can drive a car and ride a bicycle. And don’t worry about food; I can fix up some Spaghettios in no time!
Lessee…
Well, I read Foxfire and every survival book I can find for fun. I prefer to survival camp whenever possible- but dammit, I can never get Microbug to come with. I’m damn good at training dogs. I know how to build a shelter, lean-to, igloo, and log cabin. I can smoke meat and make pemmican. I can skin and tan whatever critters I kill. I’m not really good with electronics, but mechanics is fairly easy for me.
Oh, and I held the world record on that old video game Vanguard for quite a while, so when the aliens come, I’ll be able to defend the earth. 
I am absolutely useless. However, I am sure I could hunt down voguevixen and get the instructions from her on how to build a solar oven.
I chime in here for two reasons.
(1) one of my favorite books, as a pre-teen, was “The Girl Who Owned a City.” It was about the aftermath of some virus that killed everyone over the age of 12, and how the kids survived. An interesting bit of kid’s fiction.
(2) My friend Brian is amazing. He can build houses, make his own bullets, shoot with amazing accuracy, cook anything, raise bees, make wine… well, the list just goes on. I went to visit him up at his dad’s old hunting cabin and it was like a survivalist’s dream. Brian is normal, though (I mean as normal as you can be when you’re a blue-color former autoworker who decides to go get a PhD–normal as opposed to being some militia freak). After we went home that weekend, I just kept thinking that if the world ended, I wanted to be near Brian because the man could do anything. It was a rather a gruesome way to appreciate his versatility and talents, but I couldn’t get it out of my head.
A small herb garden but not crops. The tomatoe plants died. A small lemon tree with three lemons.
A year’s supply of non-perishables for three. Including but not limited to wheat, flour, sugar, honey, dry milk, peanut butter, rice, beans, cornmeal and salt.
For the shorter term hurricane type disaster (we live in Houston), we each have a 72 hour emergency kit, with a change of clothing, basic personal first aid, basic hygiene items gender specific, a flashlight and spare batteries, a calling card, small amount of cash and enough beef jerky, crackers, trail mix and water to last three days. Everyone has one larger item in their bag for the “family”. Because a three day supply of water makes the bags so heavy Dad’s bag has most of everyone’s water. Mom has a more extensive first aid kit and over the counter medications and a tag to the handle to remind her to get everyone’s prescriptions from the cupboard. The kid has “stress relief” items, a small directory with phone numbers, small battery operated radio, scriptures, card games, hard candies, logic puzzle book and color pencils.
Additionally in the garage, we have a two week supply of bottled water for three. A propane cook stove and we know how to use it. A generator and one extra tank of fuel.
We could probably provide for ourselves. I’m not so sure we could defend against looters.
Is this the sort of preparedness you were asking about or did you mean catastrophic repopulate rebuild civilization?
We’d have a skilled laborer, a grade school level teacher, and a student capable of labor if you meant what are we worth to society.