How useless are you?

[Resolute 14]

Originally Posted by Flashpoint

After they were beaten up by Resolute, I'd eat them. Eventually, I would eat Resolute too.

As long as I'm the (second) last to go, I'm good with that. Being Ukranian, I go well with kolbasa and perogies.

Seriously though, I'm a computer tech. It goes without saying that I'd be screwed.

[octothorp]

One of the questions I'd have is how sustainable hunting and fishing is; it would likely be ruined by a few people who would overhunt/overfish. If everyone in the city who owns a gun decides that they're suddenly going to head into the foothills to hunt big game, it probably ruins the local stocks, even if two thirds of those people are inept as hunters. Hell, there'd probably be more human-human kills than anything, both by accident and intentionally. Similarly, some group will probably put up dredging nets across the river and destroy the fish stocks. To make it in any capacity (hunting, fishing, gathering, agriculture) you probably need to get a long way out of the city.

Edit: actually, I mentioned earlier that the first thing I'd do is go loot the local gardening center; the second place I'd loot is Lee Valley. All those specialized axes and wood-building tools would really come in handy. Actually, maybe loot Lee Valley first, and then use the axes to loot the gardening centre.

[Nufy]

I've watched every episode of Survivorman and Man vs Wild......


















And I'm still screwed...

[Rathji]

I am not ashamed to admit that I am constantly considering what I need to survive in a natural disaster. Food stores, Fuel, Generators, Weapons, Transportation, Tools and a nice defendable plot of land.

As I write this, I have a feeling that I may be a little bit abnormal...

[Azure]

Originally Posted by fotze

Do you gun owners actually own them for these types of scenarios? Before you say 'of course not', does it at least enter the back of you mind as a very small selling point when deciding to purchase firearms?

Certainly.

Not afraid to admit it either.

[ken0042]

I think there's a few different kinds of "end of the world" scenarios where different people would fare better or worse.

Stranded on a dessert island like in the movie "Castaway" I think I could do OK. I may not have figured out how to make rope from trees though.

World ends but infastructure remains like in "28 days later"- assuming there were no zombies to contend with I think I could figure out how to set up a generator and get power to my house. Survive off canned goods until I got the garden set up and improved my hunting skills.

Something like a nuclear war I'm not so sure about. Now I'd have radiation to deal with and with food being so scarce I might not make it.

[Azure]

Originally Posted by Nufy

and Man vs Wild......

Now THAT is someone I would want on my side.

[jammies]

If I was one of the "few survivors", I'd probably be all right - the key would be in re-establishing some kind of social order as quickly as possible. I would be actively seeking out other people and getting a tribe together, because the number one danger in such a scenario is other humans, and banding together for safety is the optimal strategy. Once you have enough people, you can start to specialize again, which is how we took over the planet in the first place.

All you "self-sufficient mountain men" would doubtless last a few years - if you are lucky enough never to get seriously ill, or injured, or meet another mountain man who is meaner and tougher than you are. Long-term, however, you need the fabled "mountain woman" to propagate, and some kind of infrastructure beyond what you can make yourself to actually live, as opposed to merely exist.

[RougeUnderoos]

General "Buck" Turgidson: Doctor, you mentioned the ratio of ten women to each man. Now, wouldn't that necessitate the abandonment of the so-called monogamous sexual relationship, I mean, as far as men were concerned?
Dr. Strangelove: Regrettably, yes. But it is, you know, a sacrifice required for the future of the human race. I hasten to add that since each man will be required to do prodigious... service along these lines, the women will have to be selected for their sexual characteristics which will have to be of a highly stimulating nature.
Ambassador de Sadesky: I must confess, you have an astonishingly good idea there, Doctor.

[Montana Moe]

Originally Posted by fotze

Do you gun owners actually own them for these types of scenarios? Before you say 'of course not', does it at least enter the back of you mind as a very small selling point when deciding to purchase firearms?

I know I think about stuational use when I buy guns. I don't collect "fancy" guns. I have a hunting rifle in a caliber just big enough that I can take down any North American big game animal; a semiautomatic shotgun for birds and/or home defense; a small caliber rifle for critters; and two handguns small enough to conceal, but big enough to put down a bear or an assailant.

Anything more than that would just be silly...lol

[Rathji]

If this sort of thing interests you at all, you must read:

The Road : By Cormac McCarthy

It really makes you think about what you (and others) would do to survive in this type of situation.

[tete]

I'd be good in the "lack of electricity - no access to modern-day living" kind of life - I can spin wool (and dye it!), make candles, make soap, I can crochet (but not knit), sew, cook over open fires, build fires.. that kind of stuff. I've never hunted, but I'm sure I could do it.

If it came to "build a house out of forest scraps" - I'm screwed.

[burn_this_city]

Originally Posted by tete

I'd be good in the "lack of electricity - no access to modern-day living" kind of life - I can spin wool (and dye it!), make candles, make soap, I can crochet (but not knit), sew, cook over open fires, build fires.. that kind of stuff. I've never hunted, but I'm sure I could do it.

If it came to "build a house out of forest scraps" - I'm screwed.

The shelter building is easy.. Just build a lean-to..

http://www.ehow.com/how_12580_build-lean-.html

Its no 4 points sheraton but you'll survive well enough until you can build something permanent..

[Resolute 14]

Originally Posted by jammies

If I was one of the "few survivors", I'd probably be all right - the key would be in re-establishing some kind of social order as quickly as possible. I would be actively seeking out other people and getting a tribe together, because the number one danger in such a scenario is other humans, and banding together for safety is the optimal strategy. Once you have enough people, you can start to specialize again, which is how we took over the planet in the first place.

I can beat people up for you while you build your tribe.

Then I'll beat you up and take over.

The world will be mine! MINE!

Muwahahahaha!!

[JD]

Originally Posted by burn_this_city

The shelter building is easy.. Just build a lean-to..

http://www.ehow.com/how_12580_build-lean-.html

Its no 4 points sheraton but you'll survive well enough until you can build something permanent..

Yeah, easy, just make sure you have a laptop with an aircard and bookmark the above link so you can refer back to it.

[Circa89]

I can make a pretty mean sandwich so I am fairly certain I would be just fine.

[Ford Prefect]

I learned a lot of survival skills when I was a kid, so I could probably get by. The question is, would it be worth it or would you be better off to just go with the flow and let your neighbour call you dinner?

[troutman]

'Dem bugs are good eatin'.

[CaptainCrunch]

All I need is a rifle a gutting knife and the strong conviction that everyone tastes like Chicken.

Then I can go around the countryside killing people as they blankly stare at their now dead T.V.s, or uselessly peck away at dead keyboards as they imagine that they are answering the CP question "How useless am I"

Mmm, that Oilfans mighty good eatin.

[FireFly]

I think I'd be okay. I have some skills, but besides that, I'm cute. I'd just find the guy with the most dead animals and do sexual favours for food.