Ask HN: What information to store on the off chance of the Apocalypse? | Hacker News Reader

Ask HN: What information to store on the off chance of the Apocalypse?

8 pointsmcgyver9 comments

Given 1 GB in printed pages is about 3.9 million (http://www.wolframalpha.com/input/?i=1+gigabyte+in+pages), how much would you store, what topics are most important (specifically in the areas of: survival in the wild, technology for rebuilding civilization, historical records, anything I've forgotten?), what media/medium would you store it on and how would you go about gathering it?

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This has been addressed quite eloquently in John Wyndham's "The Day of the Triffids", and elsewhere. 'Civilization' would last at most 2-3 generations before reverting to a pre-industrial stage. There simply wouldn't be enough people or infrastructure to maintain manufacturing or industry.

There'd be an inevitable decline, and eventual loss, of technological skills, as people would concern themselves more with everyday survival than the 'luxuries' of modern civilization.

Hence, no replacement parts for the inevitable damage to your device(s). And, of course, no power supply.

What we REALLY need is an Asimov-style 'Foundation', with all the accumulated knowledge of humanity, and methods for bootstrapping a society from stone-age to silicon-age tech...

If the "Apocalypse" does arrive, you need things that do not rely on power, do not inhibit your ability to move and help you survive. Most of the things mentioned on here don't really meet that criteria.

Instead of downloading torrents or building power generators why not go out and get some survival skills- outdoor medical training, wilderness survival, etc. Then practice these skills- go out camping, hiking, learn to cook in the wild, learn to forage, get in shape. Learn how to use firearms, buy some firearms, have a contingency plan for yourself and your family.

Or you can just sit at your computer and download torrents...

Yes, that's important, but it doesn't address the question of information storage/retrieval.

I've thought about this, and I'm pretty sure that the iPhone / iPad is going to be my salvation in the event of an apocalypse.

* Low power consumption * pretty durable (I abuse my iphone, it has lasted just fine) * potential for survivors to create a comm network with them

I don't think laptops are tough enough unless you have one of the hardened ones. Paper is obviously out due to size. So, yeah, just me and my trusty iPhone against all that nature can throw at me.

I'd also suggest as many natural science texts as possible, specifically about indigenous plants, animals, and terrain. Perhaps something that would tell me geographic/navigable coordinates to massive existing infrastructure? I don't think I could find my way to New Hampshire to look the Twinkie factory without some help.

Compass is good if you dont have a newer phone. Also, a commercial (FM/AM) and a 2-way radio. Preferably in the CB or ham ranges. Meeting up with other people would be important.

FYI - the Twinkie factory was in Natick, MA. Tragically, it no longer exists.

I actually hoard quite a bit of information for that, among other, contingencies. I've got engineering textbooks of all kinds, a book on the preservation of library books, books on metallurgy, a book on vacuum tube design, military survival manuals, medical textbooks, a book of constants and equations, chemistry textbooks, a Debian mirror and quite a bit more random stuff I've thought might be useful. It lives on several computers, plus some books in dead tree format. I have everything I'd need to devise a way to power any one of those computers without electricity from the grid essentially on demand. I probably ought to keep an archive of all that on optical disks, but if there's an EMP I'm pretty much screwed anyway.

I'm not a survivalist or something, I just started doing this on a whim because I was procrastinating on something. I honestly expect to never need most of it, but having my own Debian mirror is very convenient.

I asked a similar question a few months back and got some pretty interesting responses:

http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1584988

Since power will be an issue, I suggest printing the internet. HP will love you if you use one of their printers.

There are several torrents floating around that are essentially a compendium of self-reliance information.

I downloaded one a year or two ago. Just a few of the titles included:

- FM 21-76 (US Army Survival Manual)

- Bushcraft (Canadian Scout Manual)

- Knots and lashings

- Caching Techniques

- DIY Shelters

- Food and Water

- Dangerous Plants and Animals

- Edible Wild Plants (Illustrated)

- Farming and Gardening

- Citizens' Homeland Defense Guide

I would recommend storing on several digital mediums (DVDs/Harddrives) in addition to physical print-outs.

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