ahhh- this is my favorite daydream. All alone… 
As long as I have my doggies (and everyone else’s ) I would be lovin’ it.
Well, I’d be hunting for sheep…
…to make insulin, or it’s going to be a short existence. I’m sure the power would go off in a few days at most, and there will be refrigerated stock for a while, but if I didn’t figure out how to get insulin that’s all there is to the story.
I’d slowly become feral.
First, I’d stop bathing, then shaving. My hair (what’s left of it) would grow into a shaggy, unkempt mane.
Eventually, my clothing would be rags. Since I didn’t have anyone to talk to, my language skills would eventually evolve into a pattern of grunts and growls.
My major concern would be tripping over things on the ground, so I’d begin walking more and more stooped over.
Given the events of this week, it seems somehow appealing.
I would grab a big truck or van, fill it with supplies like food, drugs, wine, canned food and candles and batteries and stuff, and head up to Humboldt county. There, I’d find me a nice abandoned off-the-grid house, and move in. Over the course of the next few weeks, I’d make several trips to towns to stock up on supplies, including a MASSIVE library of books. I’d make sure I had a good stockpile of firewood for the winter. Luckily I know how to use an axe and a chainsaw already. Then I’d plant myself one hell of a garden. Between farming/gardening, harvesting food and reading, I think I’d be very, very happy. Especially if I have my doggy. I don’t like people much anyways.
Wow. Excellent question.
It would be a pretty radical change (to put it mildly). I would guess most power-generating stations would start tripping out after awhile, with nobody to add more coal/nuclear fuel/manage water flow/whatever. I’d probably look for an interesting area near a wind farm, solar farm, or small hydro damn and see if I could keep that running for awhile. I haven’t done the math, but I’d bet a tanker truck full of diesel has a hell of a range, so I might go exploring. Would it be too risky to try to learn to fly? I might do that after I got bored. What the hell, it’s free!
I think I would go crazy if I stayed put, so I think I’d try to set up a base somewhere and go exploring. Imagine wandering around New York with a crowbar and a lantern, just to see what there is. You could be the only one in the art galleries, stay as long as you want - hell, smoke a cigar while you’re there if you want.
Bored of all the big cities, seen the Grand Canyon, tired of the US? Try to figure out a way to get to Europe. I think this would actually be pretty hard - a ship big enough to sail the Atlantic without trouble would be tough to sail without a crew. Too small, and you’re drowned in the next storm. Interesting problem.
I think I could live pretty easily, but it would be tough finding stuff to keep me busy. I would definately read a lot, both just for entertainment and to educate myself on how to stay alive with no working grocery stores and no access to medical treatment.
I’m also antisocial, so it wouldn’t be that big of a deal for me, yes i’d keep an eye out for other human survivors, but if there weren’t any, oh well
i’m pretty sure most everyone would engage in a little wanton destruction, little stuff like “freeway bowling”, i.e. set up 10 vehicles in a bowling pin pattern and drive an 18-wheeler thru them (the “pins” i’d use would be ford vehicles, as i hate ford and i’d have a lot of fun destroying their vehicles), going to expensive china shops and dropping priceless vases and stuff from the top of office hi-rises, driving motorcycles around inside office buildings, going to the micro$oft campus and blowing it up…
the idea of heading south is a good idea, as the northern states (Vermont) can get brutal in the winter, and the power likely wouldn’t hold out, however a yearly trip to Mad River Glen in Vermont would be in order, as the Single Chair chairlift is run by a deisel engine, and would work in the event of a power loss…
basic antisocial fun destructive stuff, really, a lot of Freeway Bowling matches
Am I the only one with any sense of social responsibility? First step would be to check the Internet for the locations of my various destinations (this has to be done quickly, before the power fails). Then, I’d head to the nearest zoo, and see to it that some chimpanzees and other great apes survived (reasons will become apparent shortly). Then, I’d stop at various libraries and college campuses, and get as many biology and medicine books as I could. Next step would be sperm banks and hospitals containing donated human ova (gotta keep up that biodiversity). Then I’d go looking for a laboratory with the facilities necessary for cloning mammals. I don’t think I would be capable of making an artificial womb, so I’d have to hope I could get a human zygote to implant in one of the apes (this would be much easier were I female). Ultimately, I’d be looking to repopulate the planet.
One book I’d definately pick up is one on how to pick locks, so that I could get into things without breaking down doors or smashing windows. I bet you’d get really good at it after awhile.
On days when it’s acting up, I’ve always wanted to chuck my computer out the window. Well, I could dump a whole office’s worth now if I wanted to! A little arson might be in order, too.
Couple of thoughts. If the zapping of people happened at night, a lot of things would be locked down - if in the day, a lot of things might be open. I’m not sure which would be better, since open doors would let stuff get ruined faster.
Also, a lot of places would be useless. My office with it’s Dells and printers and photocopiers - all crap without power. And even if they worked, what are you going to do? Print a manifesto? Hardware and auto-supply stores would be far more usefull, for staying alive, and keeping your car running.
An older car or truck might be better, since they’d be easier to mantained without computer diagnostic tools. A large centralized collection of Chilton car maintenance manuals might be invaluable.
I think it would be fun to figure this stuff out, but it would be nice if there was even one other person to share the experience with. But I think I’d still be ok by myself. And for awhile at least, I’d be very concerned with being armed and protecting myself, since I would have to assume that there some other people out there, and they might not be so nice.
Just wondering if there’re going to be dead bodies lying around everywhere after the aliens have killed them all?
No. Current alien technology completely vaporizes the human body.
First, fill lots of big gas cans full of gas before the power goes off. I don’t think you’d have to worry much about car repairs, since you can swap cars at will. Not running, most will work for a long time.
Second, find a base reasonably far from other houses. There are going to be inevitable fires, and I don’t want one to get my house. An off-grid house would be great, but it might be too far from the rest of the world. Get a whole bunch of generators.
Third, get lots of guns and ammo, and practice. Wild animals will be a problem. Releasing animals is good, but not a priority - I suspect many farm animals will release themselves.
Get lots of propane and lots of firewood. Vist hardware stores for solar power cells. Visit drugstores to stock up on drugs, though they may be pretty weak by the time I’d need them. Build a full medical library and do-it-yourself library. Books on butchering would be good also, but there will be a lot of unmilked cattle in pain.
Get a solar powered radio transmitter/receiver just in case anyone else is still around.
Get lots of books and puzzles. For DVDs, stock up on laptops and laptop batteries.
For food, canned and dried will do it. Get lots of water purifying pills, because I don’t know how long the water will last. Being near a reservoir would be useful. I suspect you’d have enough bottled water to last a lifetime. Eating livestock is okay if possible.
And finally, catch up on Playboy and other mags. Learn a new skill a month.
I’m with **Pokey ** on this one. I’d wear outlandishly insane amounts of watches and jewelry, steal me a Ferrari, raid a few arms depots and conveniance stores for smokes, beer and spaghetti-o’s. Then I’m off to basically poke around in peoples stuff to my hearts content for the first few weeks. Then it’s back to the armory for a tank.
Then it’s destruction time. Everything must go. Fire, exposions, car wrecks etc. I’d level as much of everything as I could.
Eventually I’d end up in California where I would consume all the drugs and liquor I could until I died. Being alone would eventually drive me insane.
I’ve often wondered about this one and, in particular, what I would do if it happened when I was away from the UK, say in China or the States; how would I get home? Teach myself to fly a plane? Or if you had to sail home from the US to Europe, how would you do it? Wait till summer and then go via Newfoundland/Greenland/Iceland?
And if I was stuck in China and there was no gasoline … how long would it take me to walk home?
have sex with a chimpanzee and propagate a new race of humanzees.
oh, and get a whole bunch of twinkies and run naked through the city…
Books! Dammit; I forgot about books; I’d stockpile as many practical reference books I could lay my hands on.
try to make a water-powered generator (there’s a working water mill just down the road from me, which could probably be used to run it. Use the electricity to run a freezer.
I think we should all try to party with smilingscar
I’d be pretty well set, I think. My personal health, family medical history, skills and knowledge, and personality are all well-suited to the task of cobbling together everything I need to live comfortably and safely.
My location is also well-suited to the task, as I have everything from an infinite supply of water… to the equipment stockpile of a large military base… to the tools and supplies of a major manufacturing complex, all within a ten-minute drive.
We have only token winters, and if I can get a decent-sized water-wheel set up at the river without help (I can run a crane well enough, if I’m careful), I’ll have an inexhaustible source of electricity! Aside from the lack of help, I’d be almost as comfortable as those guys in the nuclear power plant in “Lucifer’s Hammer”.
Getting everything set up to my liking will probably occupy me for quite some time. After that, I imagine I’d either read and play games or else begin planning an expedition to find other people… preferably young, female people!
Steal a truck, stock up on gasoline, food and water, weapons, etc… Go hang out somewhere safe until the fires had burned themselves out.
After that, I’d find an RV or teach myself to drive a tractor truck… and pretty much wander around the continent seeing what there is to see… restocking as needed from surviving shopping centers, malls, and department stores.
“Yes you’ve finally made a monkey out of meeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee…”
Anyone read “Emergence?” It’s about just what would happen if this occured. But you are 11 and along. Cool, if VERY hard to find read.