Keep The Lights On

[no country for old wainds]

"Ever notice how dependent you are on a huge, complex, high-tech society you can't control and can barely understand? What would happen if suddenly you couldn't rely on it anymore? The typical reaction to this idea is either alarmism or denial.

We're going to take another, more constructive approach here. We are going to pool our knowhow and spare time to put together a manual that explains in simple, straightforward terms how to build almost anything our civilization can build... and how to build the tools to build those things... and how to build the tools to build those tools... and so on down the line to sticks and stones (our goal for the first edition of the manual, though, is to focus mainly on energy generation and storage).

Hopefully you will never have to literally rebuild everything from scratch. Still, participating in this project will help you develop a practical understanding and appreciation of the everyday technologies upon which your way of life depends, and the peace of mind that comes from knowing you'll be capable of helping to "Keep the Lights On" should unforseen circumstances befall our civilization."

http://keepthelightson.net/

 

[Erik]

Interesting. Not much to read at the moment, though.

Anyhoo, if society does collapse (what do they mean by "collapse"?) what's to say that this manual would be any more readily available or indeed more useful than all the millions of sources on how to build all the stuff that make up our society at libraries, the Internet etc? Fundamental Internet infrastructure in the US was built to withstand nuclear wars, for example, and there are books and people everywhere with competence on how to build junk. I guess I don't really see the point, but well, it's an ambitious project and it would be cool to see how it works out.

 

[RookParliament]

If worldwide civilization collapses I doubt there will ever be a recovery to what was before. All the easy to get to metals and resources are pretty much gone. But I suppose its a matter of personal taste whether you would want to go back to the present.

 

[Justin S.]

Thanks for the link!

 

[no country for old wainds]

I guess I don't really see the point.

I think they pretty much covered it in the segment I posted. I'm sure the manual isn't written based around a belief that people are eventually going to need it in its entirety - it's more a case of providing an efficient concise guide to becoming more practical.

 

[Kenneth R.]

extremely interesting. i have often wondered what would happen if the power, etc. went out what people's reaction would be. we have seen from isolated incidents that typical response is looting, confusion, and panic. this is because we rely so heavily on technology to keep the framework of order (such as security systems, traffic lights, news and air conditioning) that we forget that humanity has lived for thousands of years without electricity or any of the above in their current formats. i see a strong need to return the outlook on technology as a tool rather than a crutch. it is useful for accomplishing tasks otherwise more difficult, but it should not dominate our every waking moments.

 

[unknown]

I agree wholeheartedly with silent song. Shit, there are still people who live in this world with very little if any technology in their lives and they survive. And like Silent Song said, we've survived thousands of years without before, why can't we now? I'm sure some people would not want to adapt/regress er whatever you want to call it...it would take an extremely long time before society ever readjusted. I think it'd be pretty interesting to see.

 

[NeverIsForever]

Agree with last two posts. I think we're lesser people than our ancestors for being so reliant on inventions we (usually) had no part ourselves in creating.

And not to start the whole obesity debate again :Spin: but I really don't think it would be an issue if we didn't have technology to do everything for us. People would actually have to get off their backsides and do things for themselves, and I believe we as a species would be stronger and healthier as a result.

 

[milkman]

And this is all going to fit in one "manual"....

 

[Kenneth R.]

which unfortunately, if sucessfully completed, would not be possible for anyone to carry around in a useful fashion. it could be electronic, but given the circumstances of its purpose, that outlet is pointless. still, at least people are acknowledging that circuitry isn't everything.

 

[Zack]

extremely interesting. i have often wondered what would happen if the power, etc. went out what people's reaction would be. we have seen from isolated incidents that typical response is looting, confusion, and panic. this is because we rely so heavily on technology to keep the framework of order (such as security systems, traffic lights, news and air conditioning) that we forget that humanity has lived for thousands of years without electricity or any of the above in their current formats. i see a strong need to return the outlook on technology as a tool rather than a crutch. it is useful for accomplishing tasks otherwise more difficult, but it should not dominate our every waking moments.

Couldn't have put it better.